Chapter 376: Concealing These Was My Fault

Within the core world of the Terra Shield.

At this time, the core world is in "night", and the artificial star at its exact center is enveloped by a light‑blocking shield.

The inner layer of the shield continues to absorb and store the star's emitted energy, while the outer layer projects a soft, moon‑like glow.

Yet at this moment, the core world does not grow quiet with nightfall; the city's residents no longer enjoy life or relax, but gather in bars, squares and other public places, watching the live reports broadcast on holographic screens with rapt attention.

At the central square of New Raccoon City.

"Our station has just received the latest news!" A female anchor presented by the holographic screen, unable to hide her excitement, reported to all viewers: "The OriginalBody Governor of the border fortress has led his troops to crush an attempted invasion of Dianka by an unknown human force from a parallel universe. The situation is now stable; if you wish to learn more details, please log onto the New Raccoon City Daily News website homepage for inquiry."

Next, please welcome the retired UNSC Major General, Zhang…

"I hope the casualties over at Dianka aren't too many."

"Unknown human force?! Ha! No matter what species they are, since they dared to spark war, they must bear our thunderous wrath!"

"Even though I've been retired for over ten years, I'm heading to the border star sector right now to show humans from another universe what the hell 'martial virtue' really is!"

When the people in the square learned that the situation in Dianka had eased, the atmosphere instantly livelied up; some prepared to donate to Dianka, others planned to rush straight to Dianka to help rebuild, and still others were ready to roll up their sleeves, pick up their guns again, and give the humans of the other universe a proper "lesson".

A short distance from the square, inside the top‑floor office of the Ambrella Headquarters…

"..."

Sui Bian, dressed in a white shirt and black military trousers, faced forward with a blank expression, hands clasped behind his back, standing by the floor‑to‑ceiling window overlooking New Raccoon City's nightscape, sensing the emotional fluctuations of the entire Solar System and even the whole human realm.

Since the star system containing Dianka exhibits an interdimensional storm reaction that creates a "Space Gate" capable of traversing to another parallel universe, he devotes part of his attention to the situation over there.

During this time, Sui Bian "saw" many children burst with intense spiritual radiance, and as they were on the brink of life and death, the deeply protective him chose to intervene directly.

But if the children choose to face death calmly, he cannot help, after all there are simply far too many humans.

Putting aside the battle situation, what weighs on Sui Bian's mind is this "Space Gate" and the universe it links to, which differs qualitatively from the previous Zero‑One, Zero‑Two universes or the colonist civilizations.

Because that universe is very likely Warhammer 40k, or perhaps Warhammer 30k (30k denotes thirty thousand years, 40k forty thousand years).

However, based on the individual combat footage sent back from Dianka, Sui Bian guesses that universe might be a "parallel universe" a few hundred to a thousand years after Warhammer 30k.

Because among all the footage compiled by the Red Queen are, naturally, the 16th Battalion commander Saertu, who forcefully jumped onto Abadon's flagship, and thirty Sparta veterans.

The individual footage shows veterans of the 3rd, 4th and 5th squads being sequentially defeated by the traitor Terminators led personally by Abadon, after which they duelled with Saertu and others who had fallen into a trap.

And it was precisely Saertu's and the Sparta veterans' footage that allowed Sui Bian to directly observe Aezekiel Abadon.

This guy, who slew John's beloved general Saertu and was then stripped naked by John and smacked a fatal blow to the head, is a heavyweight character in both Warhammer 40k and 30k.

Abadon's OriginalBody is Helusi Lupercal, his serving legion is the Son of Helusi (originally named Shadow Moon Grey Wolf), and he was one of the "Three Great Expeditionaries" during the Emperor‑led Great Crusade across the galaxy.

Whenever a planet is seized or alien threats are quelled, Abadon is the bravest warrior beneath an OriginalBody, famed far and wide; on some planets conquered by the Son of Helusi, his prestige even exceeds that of Helusi himself, the OriginalBody of him.

And Abadon treats Helusi with the same reverence and admiration a son shows his father.

In Warhammer 30k and 40k, the turning point that turns the Human Empire from a revived crusade into a steadily decaying, corrupt state—perpetually at war, trying to postpone its ultimate demise—is Helusi leading a rebellion of OriginalBody brothers to overthrow the Human Empire ruled by the "Father".

There are many reasons for Helusi's rebellion; the superficial cause is that Helusi was schemed against by the already‑fallen traitor Eribus, then wounded by a chaos‑infused cursed sword, leading to direct corruption by a dark god.

In fact, Helusi's firm decision to rebel stems from the way their father, the Emperor—the ruler of humanity—treats their OriginalBodies and Astates!

As another ruler of humanity, Sui Bian cannot be said to love his people like his own children, but his treatment of the ten OriginalBodies is heartfelt; he educates the ten superhuman offspring on how to be "human", what is right, what is wrong, and how to handle ambiguous situations.

In his spare time, Sui Bian also leads the youthful OriginalBodies to zoos and amusement parks to unwind, or takes them to his own Ambrella mall for a shopping spree, with toys, comics and games aplenty.

When the ten OriginalBodies come of age and command development‑stage legions, Sui Bian has already begun drafting "OriginalBody Governors", preparing for his sons to rule the various star sectors.

Honor and status, and even the more mundane money and power, the OriginalBodies have it all.

After all, it is because of their father that the OriginalBodies fight for all of humanity, and they also possess sufficient ability to hold high positions.

The Astates likewise have enough command authority to lead the UNSC and mortal auxiliary forces; for example, the supreme commander of Dianka is Saertu, the commander of Sparta's 16th Battalion.

Sui Bian's protectiveness is one aspect; the most crucial point is that the OriginalBodies and Astates are "supermen", possessing unimaginable reaction speed and processing capability.

If an entire star sector were handed to a single mortal, that mortal would collapse or go mad within days.

In contrast, the Human Emperor in Warhammer 30k and 40k fears and guards against the OriginalBodies and Astates, treating these superhuman warriors merely as "consumable tools".

Of course, Sui Bian can understand the Emperor, because the Emperor used A‑space (interdimensional) power to create twenty OriginalBodies (including a pair of twins, effectively twenty‑one).

And the Emperor regards A‑space as humanity's, even the material universe's, greatest threat; consequently, he also treats the OriginalBodies and Astates linked to A‑space as potential threats, and he has concealed from these extraordinary offspring the existence of A‑space and of dark gods and demons.

It is said that the Emperor knew from the outset that half of the OriginalBodies would rebel.

Returning to the main story.

Affected by chaos power and the constant whisper of a dark god in his ear, Helusi's resentment toward the Emperor grows heavier.

Angry at being called "demigods", how can they be expected to endure mortals' meddling?

Discontented with why their father's attitude toward them is cold, sometimes even disdainful!

Bewildered about what the Father will arrange for them after the Great Crusade ends, once all Legions have purged alien remnants and humanity occupies the entire galaxy.

Will they be treated as spent tools and disposed of?!

Anger, discontent, and bewilderment are amplified infinitely, so Helusi logically chooses to "rebel", leading a band of scheming brothers to demand an explanation from the Father.

When Helusi rebelled, Abadon was the first to step forward with both hands in support, embodying an attitude of "Dad is always right!" and "I'll fight alongside Dad".

What follows is a series of scheming, ambushes and siege battles, ending with Helusi's rebellion's failure.

Helusi is slain by the Emperor.

The Emperor, gravely wounded and near death, sits upon the "Golden Throne" to provide a soul beacon for the entire Empire, releasing dazzling light in A‑space with his own Spiritual Energy to serve as a navigational beacon for humanity's voyages through A‑space.

"..."

Recalling the Warhammer 30k and 40k events, Sui Bian shakes his head in regret.

He can understand that the Emperor acts for humanity as a whole, considering whether humanity can be revived and endure; in fact, Sui Bian's current position is not far from the Emperor's, and he likewise acts for humanity as a whole.

However, Sui Bian has never considered himself a qualified ruler of humanity, or rather, the title "ruler of humanity" is one that his sons and a group of senior staff have "pinned" onto him.

His unfitness stems from his selfishness; compared to humanity as a whole, he favors his blood‑related sons, which is why the OriginalBodies and Astates stand above ordinary humans.

Thus Sui Bian respects and understands the Emperor, for he could never be as selfless as the Emperor; if he were to solve the Emperor's dilemmas, it would—no, must—make the Human Empire even more chaotic.

But…

By analyzing Abaddon's fragmentary remarks, Sui Bian could basically confirm that the universe beyond the vortex Space Gate seemed inconsistent with the Warhammer 30,40k he knew.

First is Abaddon.

As a half-knowledgeable Warhammer fan in his previous life, Sui Bian naturally knew the meme 'always victorious in a hundred battles', using it to tease Abaddon as 'the more he loses, the braver he gets', 'saving face even in death', and so on.

But when Abaddon led the Chaos forces in invading the Human Empire, although he seemed to suffer humiliating defeats each time, he actually achieved his strategic objectives.

However, the 'always victorious in a hundred battles' Abaddon, after Helusi was slain by the Emperor, had no choice but to take over Helusi's role in undertaking the great cause and heavy responsibility of overthrowing the Empire, and he was also a thoughtful, scheming, and calculating new Warmaster.

And prior to the 30k era, Abaddon was always renowned for his bravery, even somewhat… brainless?

When Helusi lay gravely wounded and unconscious, the anxious Abaddon, who cared for the Warmaster's safety, actually believed the traitor's deceit and helped fuel Helusi's corruption.

When Helusi chose to rebel, Abaddon was again the first to give his full support.

It is obvious that Abaddon, who chose to personally slay Sanguinius to enjoy the duel and was then slapped apart by John, seems exactly the 'brainless' image of the Horus Heresy period.

Furthermore, Abaddon had also shouted at the Spartans, calling himself the 'new emperor of the new Human Empire' and the 'black warband of Helusi's sons'.

Through these behaviors and those shouted words, Sui Bian could infer that the segment beyond the vortex Space Gate differed significantly from the Warhammer universe he knew.

Because when Abaddon became the new Warmaster, he renamed the 'Sons of Helusi' to the Black Legion, yet he himself called himself the commander of the Black Warband, and added the 'new emperor'…

'Could it be that Helusi's rebellion succeeded, establishing a new human order, and then he proclaimed himself the new emperor?' Sui Bian pondered in his mind.

He relaxed a bit.

Sui Bian gathered his thoughts, no longer gazing at the city nightscape outside the window, then turned and instructed the two secretaries who had remained silent: 'Help me contact all OriginalBodies, tell them to temporarily set aside all their current affairs and prepare for a… family meeting.'

'Yes (good).' The red and white queens responded together.

Before a few seconds had passed, the holographic device emitted a large number of blue light particles, which then quickly coalesced, presenting a holographic image of ten OriginalBodies in the center of the office.

These tall giants wore various attire: some in regular clothes, some in office uniforms, and some wearing their own exclusive armor, such as John, who had just returned aboard the Leonidas.

Mainly, this was an emergency family meeting, so the OriginalBodies had not deliberately prepared military or formal dress; nevertheless, all the OriginalBodies' expressions were solemn and confused.

If it were the past, upon learning that a certain star region had a large-scale Space Gate leading to another parallel universe, there would always be a few sons eager to try, and they would often volunteer for an expedition.

But now, every single one of them has wilted, not uttering a sound.

After all, this time the hostile force is humanity, and moreover humanity that has turned to Chaos, likewise possessing OriginalBodies and Astates.

Could it be that there is another version of myself in that other universe?

Anyone encountering this situation would be dazed.

Looking at his sons lined up in order of age, standing before him, Sui Bian changed his cold expression, gave a faint smile, and said: 'I know what you're thinking, what you're agonizing over; indeed, that universe could very well contain another you.'

'Father…' Upon hearing this, Robert's expression remained deeply troubled; he spoke on behalf of the brothers, asking: 'You… did you already know about the existence of that universe?'

'That's about right.' Sui Bian did not deny it, and apologized to his sons: 'Concealing this is my fault, after all I also did not expect that universe to truly exist.'

'Truly existent? Father, what do you mean?' Rus was still somewhat dazed.

Actually…

Next, Sui Bian recounted to the OriginalBodies the events that occurred in Warhammer 30,40k, especially the origins and consequences of the Horus Heresy, using the constantly flashing and repeating 'Prophecy' and 'Premonition' images in his mind.

Everyone~ prepare to take a day off tomorrow, because tomorrow is the author's birthday, and we'll go have a good meal.

Late April and early May have been truly grueling, and even now there are still loose ends……

Hahaha.

Finally, thank you all for your support!

Thanks for the recommendation votes, monthly votes, subscriptions, and rewards~!

(End of chapter)