Chapter 279: The Emperor of the Second Empire and the Regent

"Look at what we've become!!!!"

In the ruined temple, Roboute Guilliman let out a cry of near-desperate fury,

staring at the murals carved with his glorious deeds, and the deeds of the Space Marines after his death,

and of course, with his father—the so-called Emperor, the being worshipped by the entire Empire,

"You!!!"

Roboute Guilliman pointed at the Emperor, shrouded in a faint glow within the carving, and shouted:

"How could this happen, Father!"

"Look at what we've become!"

"Our Empire is filled with ignorance, blindness, cruelty, decay, and suffering—humanity endures such torment like fanatical monks driven mad by religion, and they use your name to enforce religious persecution!"

"They even used mine! They claim I am the Son of God!"

"Can there be anything more ironic? You once despised being worshipped as a god!"

Roboute Guilliman's words were thick with pain, despair, and sorrow,

the Hera Fortress had returned to the control of the Space Marines, and during this brief respite, Roboute Guilliman began seeking information about this era,

he accepted the opinions of all whom he deemed worthy, and met with them privately,

Calgar returned command to Guilliman, and with deep emotion recounted how the Adeptus Astartes had upheld the Codex for ten thousand years,

Grand Master Voldus brought him news of Chaos and demons, allowing him to understand the enemies humanity now faced,

Inquisitor Gravex told Roboute Guilliman of the hidden histories of the Inquisition and its current state,

the Living Saint Celestine knelt before him, thanking the Emperor with a reverent voice,

Renata of the Cadian Shock Troops, though extremely tense, still did her best to describe the current state of the Empire's underbelly and the faith in Saint Dora

Belisarius Cawl had changed beyond recognition from Guilliman's memory, yet he still laid bare the decline and current state of the Adeptus Mechanicus,

the two Eldar claimed they came for the God of Death, Inq'ad, and urged Guilliman to consider an alliance with the Eldar and to beware the "God of Death of Mankind,"

Roboute Guilliman praised each person's insight and contribution, thanked them for all they had done for the Empire and humanity, and revealed different facets of his personality toward each,

each person involuntarily felt Guilliman to be kind, frank, and trustworthy, and in turn could not help but respond to him with kindness and frankness.

But every piece of information they revealed tore at Guilliman's soul,

"If this was going to happen, you shouldn't have sent me to bomb Lorgar's perfect city!"

Guilliman stared at the statue of the Emperor seated upon the Golden Throne, speaking with near-sorrow:

"Lorgar should have bombed my Macragge instead!"

"Look at how we've betrayed all of humanity! Think of how Horus claimed you sought to become a god, to turn the Empire into this!"

"Think of the traitors—Lorgar, Fulgrim, Mortarion—think of how they mocked us in the Warp!"

"Had I known this would come to pass, I should have let Horus kill me, let Fulgrim's blade take my life—then I wouldn't have to face this future."

At that moment, a hand tapped Guilliman on the shoulder,

Guilliman turned slightly and saw Zhou Yun removing his Blindspot Star, pulling a bolter from the pocket on his abdomen, and handing it to him,

"Here." Zhou Yun said lightly,

Roboute Guilliman's expression twisted slightly—he saw behind Zhou Yun, Sanguinius had also removed his Blindspot Star and appeared.

Both had remained in the temple all along, having heard Guilliman's conversations with others,

for deep within Roboute Guilliman's heart, he had hoped for one of his brothers to stand beside him through this pain, someone who could listen and understand his inner anguish,

and rationally, Roboute Guilliman could not show any rift between himself and Sanguinius—nor could Zhou Yun, who had been resurrected and was revered by the Cadian 184th and the Blood Angels,

of course, Zhou Yun had two other reasons: first, Roboute Guilliman could instinctively sense his connection to him, knowing he could not hide from his gaze; second, the device Zhou Yun used—the Blindspot Star—could completely conceal his form, making eavesdropping easy.

"He did kill me." Sanguinius spoke slowly: "It was not a pleasant experience, Guilliman."

Guilliman's expression softened slightly; he turned to face Sanguinius, then knelt on one knee before him,

"It was my fault—I failed to reach you."

Roboute Guilliman bowed his head deeply; this sorrow had tormented him since ten thousand years ago—he had endlessly wondered whether arriving in time could have changed it all,

whether he could have saved the Emperor and Sanguinius—even if he had died on the Vengeful Spirit instead, it would have been worth it,

and he had always believed the deaths of the Emperor and Sanguinius were his responsibility.

"Proud men do not speak of it aloud."

Sanguinius looked down at Roboute Guilliman and spoke gently:

"Zhou Yun described Fulgrim this way recently—and you are the exact opposite of Fulgrim. Though you never say it, you are in fact the most proud of all twenty-one of us brothers."

"Fulgrim appears proud but is inwardly insecure; Magnus is more blind than proud; Dorn calls it pride, but it is stubbornness; Mortarion and Perturabo are pure psychological disorders; the Khan feigns aloofness yet knows the limits of man; Curze has long surrendered to fate."

"... nd I—I maintained a perfect posture, yet inwardly grieved over my own Warp-tainted power and the mutations in my children."

"That is why you were often disliked—we sensed your pride, infuriating pride."

As he spoke, Sanguinius stepped forward and slammed his fist hard into Roboute Guilliman's face,

Guilliman did not dodge—he stood still, taking the blow without flinching.

Sanguinius watched him silently, continuing slowly:

"You are utterly proud—you believe you can solve problems, save all of humanity, and bring enlightenment, civilization, and progress to everyone through reason, wisdom, and strength."

"If you fail, it must be because you made a mistake—not because it was impossible."

Roboute Guilliman remained silent,

beside him, Zhou Yun leaned against a marble pillar, watching this brotherly drama,

or rather, watching the Regent of the Second Empire rebuke the Regent.

But Sanguinius was right—

Guilliman was a thoroughgoing idealist, more idealistic than any of his other twenty brothers,

he fervently hoped that humanity—all humanity, whether mortal, Astartes, or Primarch—could step into a bright future,

and he genuinely believed he could achieve it—in this damned universe, that was a rare gift.

"But the most infuriating thing is that, at this moment, you are right."

Sanguinius exhaled slowly:

"In this dark, blind 41st Millennium, Sanguinius cannot save the Imperium; Dorn, the Khan, Leman Russ, and Leman cannot either."

"Humanity needs Roboute Guilliman—and if you insist on walking toward death,"

Sanguinius looked at Zhou Yun, who smiled and shook his fourth-dimensional pocket.

"You can still find some remaining value inside there."

Sanguinius nodded, then turned to Roboute Guilliman:

"Now, Roboute—what is your answer?"

Roboute Guilliman gently rubbed the bruise Sanguinius's fist had left on his face,

then rose from the ground and walked to the window of the temple, gazing through the stained glass at the Hera Fortress outside,

mortals and Astartes were working together to repair the fortress, their faces filled with hope, glory, and light—as if they believed all darkness had ended.

They were far weaker than Guilliman, born into a darker age, yet they fought on unyieldingly.

"This truly is humanity's dark 41st Millennium—filled with ignorance, blindness, and war."

Guilliman exhaled slowly, and light blazed in his eyes:

"But hope remains."

Rekindled with hope, Guilliman turned his head—he now needed to solve his first immediate problem,

his gaze settled on Zhou Yun.

(End of Chapter)