Chapter 295: Too Bad! You Want Me to Sit on the Golden Throne!

He saw it,

that magnificent future,

that glorious future,

Zhou Yun's will within the Fat Tiger Demon saw it,

the galaxy being reconquered, countless masses kneeling at his feet,

he saw the galaxy, the entire galaxy filled with hope because of him,

countless Astartes assembled under his command, larger than ever before, far exceeding legion size,

these vast legions unified under a single command, shouting his name as they brought civilization and enlightenment to the entire galaxy,

this was his glory!

Thus, a new crusade began,

from Macragge to Terra, from Terra to Baal, from Baal to every corner of the galaxy,

his power was so immense that all ghosts and demons trembled in fear,

the Tyranid swarms perished from hunger, the Eldar marched irrevocably toward death, the last Ork had its head severed by him, the Tau Empire faded into the wind, and Vulkan begged to be accepted back as human,

this was his glory!

so many were saved by him, so many gained hope because of him, so many worlds were reborn through him,

countless billions of Imperial subjects shouted his name, praised his renown, and offered him reverence,

countless streets, cities, continents, oceans, planets, stars, star systems, and even entire sectors were renamed in his honor,

this was his glory!

even the Chaos Gods feared him,

whether the Blood God's axe, Slaanesh's whip, Nurgle's plague, or Tzeentch's schemes—all dissolved before him,

like the curses of sewer maggots vanishing before the majestic, holy Emperor,

this too was his glory!

no one was greater than him, no one more sacred, no one more worthy to rule humanity,

his towering statue was erected, the noble face of Macragge gazing upon the stars, the stars of humanity—no, his stars,

countless billions reverently shouted his name,

not out of fear, threat, or ignorance, but out of hope, reason, and salvation,

they thanked their savior and ruler,

Roboute Guilliman,

they praised this name thirteen times a day.

Zhou Yun blinked gently, watching this scene with indifference,

what did the praise of Guilliman have to do with him? Why was he here? What was he even doing here?

Oh right, he had come to—Zhou Yun's gaze silently began to search,

in the Warp, Fulgrim writhed his massive form, chuckling as he wove illusions—this was the illusion he had crafted specially for his brother, painstakingly assembled from every detail he knew of Guilliman,

Guilliman was the most arrogant of them all, more arrogant than anyone else, more conceited than any other,

he secretly craved glory and yearned for reverence, yet despised reverence born of ignorance, religious superstition, fear, threat, and deceit,

he accepted only reverence born of reason, not emotional impulse, but deep, clear understanding from within,

Guilliman accepted only this kind of reverence, only this kind of glory,

what a conceited and arrogant notion—Fulgrim had always wondered what, deep within Guilliman's boundless soul, he truly desired,

after much thought, Fulgrim could think of only one possibility.

he kept weaving the visions, trying to drown Guilliman in them,

but the outcome surprised him,

Guilliman's heart stirred not a trace of glory, not the slightest inclination to sink into the illusion,

this puzzled and intrigued Fulgrim,

yet he dared not delve deeper into Guilliman's mind—it might alert him,

were these visions simply insufficient to drown Guilliman?

did his longing for glory surpass even what Fulgrim had shown?

yes, it must be so,

he had been like this ten thousand years ago,

forever arrogant, forever ambitious, forever filled with superiority.

what he truly desired must be—

Zhou Yun stood before the Imperial Palace on Terra, pure gold steps stretching endlessly beneath his feet, each step carved with a great and glorious moment in human history,

from the first fire lit, the first war, the birth of a religion, Homo sapiens defeating Neanderthals, to the first starship soaring among the stars, the glory of the Golden Age, the Emperor's appearance, the grandeur of the Great Crusade.

yet all these moments became mere stepping stones beneath his feet, insignificant embellishments upon his glory,

no honor in human history could rival his,

his achievements surpassed all material and immaterial universes,

he deserved to ascend these steps forged from humanity, to take the throne that was rightfully his,

Zhou Yun lifted his head and gazed up the golden steps—there, at their summit, stood the magnificent Golden Throne.

the Emperor's corpse had been removed; humanity had willingly left this seat for him, his hard-won inheritance,

Fulgrim noticed Guilliman frozen in place, sensing the turmoil within his soul,

finally, this is what you desired,

Fulgrim eagerly latched onto Guilliman's consciousness, extending his corrupt fangs,

yes, this is what you deserve,

sit upon it quickly, no one deserves it more than you,

but Fulgrim was too hasty,

had he shown even a little patience, he would have noticed that the emotion stirring within this "Guilliman" was not excitement or glory,

but terror, revulsion, and dread—his gaze upon the Golden Throne was like that of one staring at the galaxy's most agonizing torture device.

"Let whoever wants it sit on that golden throne—don't you dare drag me into it!"

Zhou Yun stepped back with clear disgust, and the illusion around him shattered like glass,

Fulgrim, lurking beneath the illusion and coiled around Zhou Yun, let out a piercing shriek,

intense pain was ravaging his body,

blood continuously spilled from Fulgrim's serpent eyes,

he saw behind Guilliman—

behind him, overlapping, was that round, blue figure—the unknown Warp entity that had purged his corruption,

in Fulgrim's eyes, Guilliman's skin peeled away layer by layer like clay, revealing his true form,

a bald, round-faced, tiger-built human,

"You're not Guilliman!" Fulgrim writhed his massive body, recoiling in terror,

he could feel the immense power surging within that figure,

this was the Blue Warp Demon, the Blue Warp's power flooding through him,

Fulgrim let out a piercing wail, trying to flee Zhou Yun's consciousness,

but he had been too hasty, too deeply entangled.

Zhou Yun looked at the terrified Fulgrim, at the demon primarch resembling a worm, slug, eel, and snake fused together—once a handsome face sculpted by the Emperor's gene-tech, now twisted, elongated, wrinkled, and pale, hidden beneath bone-thin strands of white hair.

where was the slightest trace left of the Empire's Purple Phoenix?

Zhou Yun couldn't help but sigh, then involuntarily spoke:

"Fulgrim, don't you recognize your uncle? I used to hold you when you were little!"

"Look at what you've become! Uncle is heartbroken."

"Uncle asks for nothing—just don't play with demons anymore, and stop drinking those ridiculous potions."

"Your cloaca's wide enough to swallow the Emperor's Dream, and don't go provoking others in the Warp—Uncle saw in a vision your twenty-one brothers and your father's heads floating all over the Warp. Who did you piss off this time?"

"You stuck your Old Hag's Blade in yourself—your dad washed it and put it on your bed. Don't leave it lying around anymore. Oh, in the ten thousand years you've been corrupted, this family's fallen to ruin. Your dad worried you'd be abused by Slaanesh—he turned into a mummy from all the stress."

"That blessing you received recently? Your dad made Slaanesh give it to you—he was afraid you'd starve in the Warp. Oh, your dad's still got a hard exterior but a soft heart."

"Tomorrow there's a Warp storm—don't fool around with demons. Look at you, your neck's marked from the Dark Prince's collar. You're addicted to sex in the Warp every day—your brother Guilliman's been driven to mental collapse by you."

"You were such a good kid when you were little, helping your dad with the Great Crusade. How did you turn into this? Fulgrim, tell Uncle—did you see something terrible in the Warp? Is it the Warp's fault?"

as he spoke, Zhou Yun stepped toward Fulgrim,

he felt himself merging with his own reflection in the Warp—it seemed Fulgrim's psychic invasion had awakened his innate Warp-essence defenses,

Zhou Yun almost felt his body dissolving, his greater self unfolding bit by bit—he couldn't help but extend his round hand toward Fulgrim,

"Why won't you answer, Uncle? Fulgrim? How did you become a Slaanesh Daemon Primarch? The people of Chemos raised you with such care—why become a Slaanesh Daemon Primarch?"

Fulgrim had no idea what Zhou Yun was doing—he only stared in terror at the blue figure drawing nearer, curling into a trembling ball, shaking uncontrollably,

"It's all the Warp's fault. In a couple days, your dad will be done burning on the Golden Throne—go back to the Imperial Palace and see him. Don't make him sadder. Uncle'll give you another blessing—bring back a clean contingent of the Phoenix Guard, let your dad and Uncle be happy. Don't go using them for perversion again."

as he spoke, Zhou Yun's round hand reached toward Fulgrim.

Fulgrim let out a piercing shriek,

"Don't come any closer, AAAAAHH!!!"

(End of chapter)