Chapter 224: The Emperor of Mankind

[3rd POV]

After teleporting into the lands of the Imperial Palace, or at least the outskirts of it, Gwen could immediately feel it. The weight, the power that rolled out of the palace itself. She could feel the gaze on her, of a being that was powerful...strong, and yet...warm. It didn't attack her, didn't look down upon her, it just...gazed at her, as if assessing her, seeing whether or not she was worthy to even be in its presence.

She knew this was him, the Emperor of Mankind himself. His incredible psychic power that looked upon her as she walked through the Palace, the sounds of war and battle echoing outside the walls. The way the palace shook as blasts and explosions echoed.

'Seems they're starting to struggle more and more' Gwen thought, sensing that the humans outside were...beginning to fail. The practically infinite onslaught of Daemons flooding in was becoming too much for even them to handle, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were going to eventually fall.

'I'll need to do this quickly then' Gwen decided, as she began to move through the halls of the giant palace. The palace was placed in the Himalayas and was...huge, even by Gwen's standards. It was also very well protected and a bit complex to walk through.

But she did have the memories of a Primarch within her, so she knew where she needed to go. The palace was so big that it had several parts to it, with the part she was heading towards being dubbed as the "Sanctum Imperialis", and what she was heading towards was what was called the "Eternity Gate", which was the entrance to the Sanctum.

The Eternity Gate was a giant gate made of Adamantium and layered with gold and other durable materials. It was covered in sculpted materials to portray the Emperor's exploits during the Great Crusade. It was also guarded by two massive battle titans, giant war machines made to defend the Emperor, the greatest war machines of the Imperium, manned by a crew that meld with the "Machine Spirit" of the "God Machine" as the Techno Priests deem them.

It was a glorious sight, truly. A machine of gothic sci fi fantasy, a strange meld that Gwen couldn't help but find impressive. Sure, it was nothing in comparison to what she could create in comparison, but...it had its own charm.

Walking towards where the Eternity Gate was, Gwen stayed silent, slipping past any and all guards that trekked through the halls. She was impossible to detect thanks to her layers and layers of cloaking abilities, meaning that only the Emperor himself was likely going to detect her, at least where she was at the moment.

'I'm getting closer' Gwen thought, sensing the great Gate. She could also sense the machines, the immense, incredible power within them.

'It's honestly interesting how the technology of this universe is quite literally sentient. The Techno priests worship the Omnissiah, a being that well and truly does exist in this universe, just not in the same manner that they think. I wonder if I can actually interact with it...speak with it. That'll be something I'll test once I deal with the Chaos Gods. As there is no way I will not come back here after dealing with them' Gwen thought, having long decided that she would be making frequent trips to this universe.

It had a source of knowledge, power, and minerals that were unlike just about any other universe. Sure, Marvel was far far far stronger, but this universe had several materials that she couldn't find anywhere else, and would give her a means of making a proper army, should she ever actually need one for whatever reason.

Walking around a corner, Gwen finally saw it, the massive gate that led to the Golden Throne, the place in which she would officially meet the Emperor. Where she would meet the man that was holding the Empire together, even when on the cusp of death for over 10 thousand years. The man with willpower that even she found to be impressive, which was saying a lot considering she herself had infinite amounts of it.

Walking towards the gate, Gwen immediately noticed the guards that were surrounding it, the massive machines and the greatest soldiers in the universe all watching, guarding. But, they could not and did not see her, as she walked through them.

As she got closer and closer to the gate, she could feel it. The Emperor's psychic power reaching out to her, he...wished to speak with her.

'Seems I won't have to ask to speak with him afterall' Gwen thought, as she walked up to the massive door of Adamantium brilliance. She knew it was no normal door, but it seemed that it meant nothing before her, as she walked through the material as if it wasn't even there, phasing through it effortlessly.

As she did, the psychic power increased by a massive amount, as she began to walk the halls towards the great Golden Throne. She found more soldiers guarding the way, these being the absolute apex of Imperium soldiers, the best of the best, superior to even that of the Space Marines. These were known as the "Companions" the direct defenders of the Emperor himself, guarding him, standing vigilant and still without movement for over ten thousand years.

Only recently have they been spurred into action, due to the actions of the Chaos Gods and the oncoming storm, but even then, they guard the Emperor, and now they do so with the greatest of importance, knowing what lay outside the walls of the Imperial Palace.

Stepping through the giant guards of the Emperor, the ones that kept him safe upon his gleaming throne, Gwen stepped into the room in which he sat.

And then she saw it, saw him. A decayed form akin to that of a corpse, sat upon a giant throne of gold and psychic power. A man that had stood watch over man for untold millennia. A man that was revered and beloved by the entirety of the Imperium, and even those of other worlds. The man known as the Emperor of Mankind.

[Merge the two, but with less people in the las only his guard remains inside of his room, alongside those that are absolutely required to keep the Golden Throne running]

'Incredible...' Gwen couldn't help but think, genuinely awed at the throne he sat upon. It was...incredible, truly incredible.

A technological marvel made to improve upon the psychic energy of the one sat upon it, massively strengthening him, but also requiring the death of a thousand psykers a solar day (Basically a day) in order to keep it functional. A magnificent object of death and gothic technology.

Staring upon the remains of the Emperor, she began to move closer, feeling the gaze of the massive man upon her. Not a physical gaze, but a psychic one. She could feel his psychic power, it was...immense, and...different.

'...Had he been in my universe...he might have been a better host than Jean for the Phoenix Force' Gwen thought, as she felt that his psychic power was even greater than that of Jean, who was an Omega Level psychic in her field. He made someone like Xavier look like a child in comparison.

Beginning to make her way up the steps towards the form of the Emperor, Gwen felt his presence grow the more she got closer to him, as the cloak around her began to fade, and yet none of the companions inside reacted, as if the Emperor had told them of her arrival or as if he himself was cloaking her.

She suspected it was the latter.

Stopping in front of the corpse of a man, she felt his psychic energy against her mind once again, but this time...she let him in. Not fully of course, but enough that they can speak to one another, and as she let him in, she heard his voice.

"You...are not from here"

Hearing his voice, she smiled 'No, Emperor, I am not' Gwen thought in response, responding to him within her mind, as the weak voice of the Emperor sounded out again.

"Why have you come here, outsider? To finish that in which was cast upon me by the traitorous son?"

Gwen let out a laugh 'No, I am not here to kill you, Emperor. I am not here to harm you or your people. I have been...brought this this realm, to this Galaxy, to wipe the scourge that stains this plane from the universe, to bring order to the War scarred universe that you call home'

"You are not strong enough, nobody but I can defeat the false Gods of Chaos" The Emperor responded with his monotone voice, speaking as if his word was an absolute fact.

'I can be, I will be. I am far from ordinary, Emperor. But you know that, don't you? You can sense my soul, sense the oddity that it is. A soul that is a perfect mesh of Chaos and Order, Death and Life, an impossibility I am. Afterall, if I wasn't what I am, you wouldn't even let me into your palace, now would you?' Gwen responded, as she sat upon a chair she formed, across from his own throne.

"...You are correct. A soul such as yours is...contradictory. A mesh of Chaos and Order cannot exist together, for that itself is Order, and yet...it does"

'Ah, but something that is impossible to exist in a union, two contradicting forces in one being, that is Chaos, no? A soul that is Chaos and yet Order, Order and yet Chaos. An impossible thing that shouldn't exist, and yet it does, that is the way of my soul' Gwen responded, enjoying her conversation with the "Father" of Mankind.

"...Why are you here, outsider? If it is as you say, if your soul is as you say it is...then you have the means to cast down the false Gods, to rip them from their thrones of malice and chaos. And yet you speak to me, why?"

For the first time in a long time, the Emperor was truly confused. He did not understand the woman in front of him, for she was...impossible. He could not see all of her soul, he could not see into her mind, he could not see her past or future, she was...impossible.

'You were not wrong, Emperor. Within the warp in which I must tread, I will not be able to defeat the Chaos Gods, I will not die, but I will not win, not without a lot of struggle, without a lot of loss that can be avoided. And that is why I come to you' Gwen responded, as the Emperor went silent.

'I cannot heal you. Your injuries are...something that not even I have the means to heal, not at the moment. They are inflicted upon your very being, the very concept of your being. Upon your soul, upon your body...upon everything that makes you, you. But...I have another means in which you can live on, your power can live on, in which your Imperium can rise to the heights in which it has never seen before' Gwen said to the man in her mind, as he replied.

'You speak of the impossible, and yet...I find myself believing you'

'It's only natural. When you speak to someone that is impossible, it's only right to believe that they can accomplish the impossible' Gwen responded with a small smile on her face.

'Speak of it, the means in which my people will rise, in which I will live on, without becoming that in which I despise so dearly" The Emperor said, all but ordering. He hated the Chaos Gods, and should he die...

It was likely that he himself could become one, or at become something similar to them. And he didn't want that, he didn't want to be worshipped as a God, didn't want to be looked upon in such a manner. There was a reason why he had gotten rid of all religion within his Imperium, with only that of the Omnissiah being allowed, and that was only because it was a necessity.

Hearing his words, Gwen let out a soft chuckle, and began to reply.

'Well...it'll go like this...'

[To be continued in the next chapter!]

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That's the end of the chapter!

I feel evil right now, but this is an important moment for Gwen.

No idea how to write the Emperor, as there...wasn't really much information on the sort of personality he had, so I tried my best.

Anyways, have a good day!