Chapter 63: I, Neos, the Two-Armed Divine Emperor!

In a small room at the settlement, Zhou Yun met the bishop of the Gene Thief sect.

As a reward for his devout faith in punishing the “assassin,” he was granted an audience with the bishop after the sermon.

Montag and Jeanne walked beside him.

The bald bishop, with a beautiful face and slightly upturned eyes, regarded Zhou Yun with a gentle gaze.

Zhou Yun sat opposite the bishop, his face—the stern, handsome visage of Primarch Guilliman—composed and serious.

His appearance carried such authority that observers might have mistaken him for the true master of the room.

“Devout believer, the Four-Armed Divine Emperor has witnessed your righteous act. Now, tell me your name.”

As he spoke, the bishop employed the Voice of Temptation, projecting his will into Zhou Yun’s mind to manipulate him.

Zhou Yun feigned bewilderment, pretending to be affected by the Voice, while his thoughts raced.

Name?

Zhou Yun? My true name won’t do.

Laine Ruth? Too easily suspicious.

Saint Guilliman would be even more suspicious!

Zhou Yun blinked lightly and said without hesitation:

“My name is… Neos.”

“Neos, devout believer of the Four-Armed Divine Emperor!”

Zhou Yun declared loudly, emphasizing the three syllables of “Neos,”

then assumed a posture of devout prayer.

Beside Zhou Yun, Jeanne’s eyelid twitched imperceptibly; she barely restrained her expression.

Neos was one of the Emperor’s earliest names—he once used it to court a woman,

though the bishop of this Four-Armed Divine Emperor sect could not possibly know.

“Neos, devout believer, you punished the sinner in your own way, proving your faith.”

The bishop nodded approvingly and continued:

“Are these two your family?”

The bishop’s gaze fell on Jeanne and Montag,

lingering a moment on Montag’s horns.

“Yes, this is my brother, this is my daughter.”

Zhou Yun pointed to Montag and Jeanne respectively,

“They are both devout believers, worshipping the true god in their hearts.”

At this, Montag and Jeanne bowed their heads in prayer in unison,

and Zhou Yun and the bishop followed suit.

As for whom they were praying to, and whether they prayed to the same being—that was another matter,

for the four people in this room likely held four utterly distinct beliefs.

Montag prayed to the Loving Father, Jeanne prayed to the Emperor, the bishop prayed to the Four-Armed Divine Emperor,

and Zhou Yun pretended to pray to a flying spaghetti monster.

After a brief moment of prayer and silence, the bishop regarded Zhou Yun and the two behind him with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Devout believer, how did you come to understand the true faith and follow the guidance of the Four-Armed Divine Emperor?”

This was asking why Zhou Yun worshipped the Four-Armed Divine Emperor.

Zhou Yun paused, feigning contemplation, then said:

“My brother did not choose to become a mutant.”

Zhou Yun sighed sorrowfully and patted Montag’s shoulder.

Montag blinked in confusion.

“Was it his fault to become a mutant? Before he was seven or eight, we were just ordinary children of the hive.”

“My father was a minor foreman in the lower hive, relatively well-off; my mother was kind and devout.”

Zhou Yun’s voice carried deep sorrow:

“When his scalp bled and swelled, she frantically applied medicine to him.”

“But when the swelling burst and his horns emerged, she went mad.”

“She tried filing his horns off; when that failed, she tried cutting them with a knife, pulling them out with pliers.”

“If I hadn’t protected him, he would be dead by now.”

Zhou Yun patted Montag again, his face heavy with grief.

Montag trembled uncontrollably, barely suppressing the urge to punch Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun had simply rewritten what Montag had just told Jeanne, replacing Marquett with himself.

The story was utterly authentic—even the Gene Thief bishop was moved.

She mistook Montag’s trembling for genuine emotion.

“When my mother realized my brother’s horns could not be removed, she went completely insane.”

“She shoved my brother into the sewers—and me with him, for protecting him.”

“She suspected I might carry latent mutations; if not for our luck, we would have died.”

Zhou Yun took a deep breath, his face filled with sorrow:

“Contaminated water, toxic food or air, the poisonous light of stars—any could trigger my brother’s mutation.”

“But what crime did he commit?”

Zhou Yun slammed his palm hard against Montag’s back several times.

Montag clenched his teeth, suppressing his emotions, and nodded in compliance.

His pained expression only strengthened the bishop’s belief,

for it was unmistakably the face of one unwilling to recall past suffering,

further proving the truth of Zhou Yun’s tale.

“If my brother did nothing wrong, why does the Emperor refuse to accept him?”

Zhou Yun’s tone turned accusatory, as if questioning the Emperor himself:

“When I learned of the Four-Armed Divine Emperor’s faith, I was enlightened—I awakened!”

“I realized the Two-Armed Divine Emperor is a false faith, a heresy, a cruel and shameless oppression of mutants.”

“Only the Four-Armed Divine Emperor is the true faith—the one who embraces all!”

As Zhou Yun spoke with deep emotion, the bishop rose to his feet, exclaiming: “Devout believer, you shall no longer wander.”

“For you have found the true faith, and worship the Great Divine Lord.”

“After your baptism, you shall hear the voice of the Four-Armed Divine Emperor and merge with us.”

The bishop then made another gesture of devout prayer and asked:

“Do you desire a reward, devout believer?”

“Loyalty needs no reward—loyalty itself is the reward.”

Zhou Yun bowed his head humbly:

“If I may be bold, I wish for the blessing of the First Prophet, and his baptism.”

The bishop paused, clearly startled, then nodded with satisfaction:

“This is no reward—it is now granted to every devout believer: the baptism of the First Prophet.”

“You shall give all to the Four-Armed Divine Emperor.”

The bishop smiled:

“I will arrange lodging for you. After the sermon, you will return with me to the First District for baptism and blessing.”

The First Prophet, the Gene Thief chieftain, would personally inject each of them with corrupted genes?

Zhou Yun froze for a moment,

what could possibly compel the Gene Thief chieftain to personally corrupt every single believer?

(End of Chapter)