Chapter 5: What is a True God?
Chapter 5: What is a True God?
The Emperor contemplated the knowledge contained within the Raven's discourse. The concepts presented transcended even the vast understanding of Malcador the Sigillite, whose wisdom had guided the Imperium through its darkest hours.
Universal evolution. Reincarnation. Rebirth.
Each touched upon mysteries that dwelt in the deepest vaults of cosmic truth. Should he master such principles, perhaps the path to humanity's ultimate salvation would finally reveal itself. Perhaps the Great Crusade itself could transcend the limitations that had bound it to failure.
Liu Chuang's dwelling proved to be a structure of remarkable simplicity—an abandoned industrial facility that served as both sanctuary and gathering place for his criminal collective.
Upon reaching the factory's exterior, Liu Chuang hesitated, his posture betraying nervous calculation.
"It's kind of a mess inside, you know? Maybe you guys could wait out here while we go clean up a bit first?"
Liu Chuang's attempt at deception carried the transparent quality common to lesser minds. His intent was obvious—to seek reinforcement from whatever ally awaited within.
The moment he moved toward the entrance, invisible force seized him, binding his limbs with psychic restraint.
Terror blanched his features to the color of ash.
"Such haste proves unnecessary," the Emperor observed, his voice carrying the weight of absolute authority. His gaze fell upon Liu Chuang with penetrating intensity—the same scrutiny he had once turned upon Primarchs and High Lords alike, dissecting truth from deception with surgical precision.
As an immortal who had waged war against gods and daemons across ten millennia, mortal duplicity held no mystery for him. Liu Chuang's crude stratagem was as transparent as Terran crystal.
"Let him proceed," the Raven advised with casual authority. "Another significant player awaits within. Her defeat will advance our alteration of the destiny node."
The Emperor released his psychic hold, and Liu Chuang stumbled forward with his followers, their retreat resembling nothing so much as routed Guardsmen fleeing from Chaos Space Marines.
The moment they crossed the threshold, Liu Chuang's voice echoed from within.
"Rose! We got trouble out here!"
"Who the hell dares mess with my boys? I'll waste them!"
A striking female emerged from the factory's depths—wine-red hair cascading past her shoulders, leather jacket worn with the casual confidence of one accustomed to violence. This was Rose, wielder of space-time manipulation abilities that would have impressed even the Adeptus Mechanicus.
"Damn, Rose is seriously hot," the Raven commented, its tone carrying that peculiar blend of modern casualness and growing formality. "I mean... she possesses considerable aesthetic appeal, my lord."
The Emperor's expression remained as impassive as carved stone. Physical beauty held no more significance to him than the arrangement of dust motes in sunlight. He had witnessed the birth and death of civilizations, had seen beauty and horror beyond mortal comprehension. Such trivial considerations were beneath his notice.
What drew his attention was the subtle distortion in the air around the woman—the telltale signature of psychic potential, albeit channeled through mechanisms foreign to the Immaterium he knew.
The Master of Mankind assessed the situation before Him with the calculating gaze of a conqueror who had unified Terra and launched His Great Crusade across the stars. To Him, the value each being held for humanity's ascension was the sole measure of their worth.
Rose sized up the golden giant and said nonchalantly, "You're quite the big guy. Apologize to my little brother now, and we'll call it even. Otherwise, you're definitely asking for trouble."
The Emperor offered no reply, maintaining His characteristic stoic bearing. His silence was not born of arrogance, but of purpose—He reserved His words for matters of true consequence.
He cared nothing for the petty grievances of mortals. Only when humanity's destiny hung in the balance would He allow emotion to touch His perfect features.
"It is her," Raven's voice whispered through their psychic communion. "Defeat her, make her acknowledge your authority, and we can shift the fate node."
Only then did the Emperor deign to focus His attention upon Rose, fixing her with a gaze that had cowed Primarchs and broken the will of xenos overlords.
"Child," He spoke, and His voice carried the absolute authority of one who had commanded the Thunder Warriors and forged the Imperium from Terra's ashes. "Submit to My will, or suffer the consequences of defiance."
"Pretty arrogant," Rose muttered.
Without warning, Rose gestured sharply, and miniature spatial rifts tore open before the Emperor. A flurry of throwing knives emerged, streaking toward Him with lethal precision.
The Emperor raised one armored hand. His psychic might—the same power that had shattered the Void Dragon of Mars and illuminated the darkness of Old Night—manifested as an invisible barrier that effortlessly deflected the projectiles.
"You possess some measure of skill," Rose acknowledged, but her words were cut short as the Emperor made a casual gesture.
An irresistible telekinetic force seized Rose, hurling her backward with contemptuous ease. Then, demonstrating the vast gulf between their capabilities, He drew her back through the air as though she were naught but a marionette.
"Submit, child, or learn through suffering what defying a god brings."
"Dream on."
The Emperor's golden eyes flared with cold displeasure. With a thought, He lifted Rose high into the air and tore two shimmering portals into reality—manifestations of His mastery over the Warp itself.
Rose plummeted through the lower portal, emerging from the upper one only to fall again in an endless, screaming cycle. Her cries echoed across the industrial wasteland like the wails of those who had dared oppose the Imperial Truth.
Having dealt with this minor irritation, the Emperor turned His attention to Liu Chuang. The mortal's eyes darted between Rose's predicament and the towering figure before him, making the same calculation countless humans had made when faced with the Emperor's overwhelming presence.
"Big Brother!" Liu Chuang shouted, pointing at the perpetually falling Rose. "This woman attacked you first! She deserves whatever punishment you give her!"
The Emperor withdrew His gaze, already dismissing the coward's existence. So long as mortals did not impede the Great Crusade or threaten humanity's advancement, their personal failings were beneath His notice. He had pardoned far greater treacheries when they served the greater design—even among His own Primarchs.
Such was the burden of leadership: to see beyond individual weakness toward the species' ultimate triumph.
After thirty minutes of continuous falling, Rose's defiance finally cracked.
"Fuck My back!" she gasped when He mercifully returned her to solid ground, her legs shaking like those of a terrified child.
"You worthless backstabber," she snarled at Liu Chuang, striking him across the face.
"I couldn't fight him!" Liu Chuang protested. "What was I supposed to do?"
"So you threw me under the bus instead?"
The Emperor paid their squabbling no heed. He strode into the abandoned factory with the measured pace of one who had walked through the conquered palaces of Ursh and the fallen temples of the Ethnarchy.
Selecting a chamber that met His requirements, He commanded solitude.
None would dare disturb the Master of Mankind.
[Fate Node Alteration: 2%]
"Just three percent more for the initial reward," Raven's voice whispered through their mental link. "You're performing admirably, Emperor. We should celebrate with fries when this concludes."
"Two percent achieved in a single day," the Emperor mused, beginning to pace within His chosen sanctuary. "The five percent threshold approaches swiftly. What manner of reward awaits at that milestone, Raven?"
Sleep had become unnecessary to the Emperor since His ascension beyond mortal limitations.
Every moment of His existence was devoted to calculation and planning—preparing humanity for the trials that awaited among the stars. Rest was a luxury He had abandoned in service to the Great Crusade.
He walked the chamber tirelessly, His mind processing thousands of variables and contingencies with each step.
"Have you taken note of the girl called Rose?" Raven inquired.
The Emperor nodded, His enhanced perception having catalogued every aspect of her abilities. "She manipulates spatial dimensions with considerable sophistication. The power resembles psychic phenomena yet operates on entirely different principles."
"That ability stems from a Gene Engine—advanced technology that merges dark matter manipulation with genetic enhancement," Raven explained.
"Rose is an artificially enhanced super-soldier wielding a space-time class engine."
"Her current capabilities are rudimentary, but with proper development, she could tear wormholes across galactic distances, enabling instantaneous travel to any corner of known space."
The Emperor's interest sharpened considerably. Such power rivaled the ancient technologies of the Dark Age—or even the reality-warping capabilities of the most dangerous xenos races.
"Remarkable," He observed. "Their science is refined, even efficient. But it lacks the breadth and depth of what was once ours, in the Golden Age of Mankind."
"True, Each reality possesses unique evolutionary paths," Raven agreed.
"The Super God Universe represents merely one variation among infinite possibilities. Once we achieve five percent alteration, I can provide complete first-generation Gene Engine specifications. Mass production of enhanced warriors becomes feasible."
"With such forces at My disposal," the Emperor contemplated, His strategic mind already envisioning new possibilities, "the Great Crusade could achieve unprecedented success. Even without My gene-sons, galactic conquest becomes not merely possible, but inevitable."
New strategies crystallized in His thoughts. Gene Engines could augment His existing forces, provide capabilities that even the most advanced xenos had never encountered. The galaxy would witness the true might of unified humanity.
The following day brought officials from the local government—bureaucrats seeking to recruit Rose and Liu Chuang into an organization called the "Super Gene Academy."
Following their evaluation procedures, even the Emperor received an invitation to join.
The irony was not lost on Him—the Master of Mankind, who had united Terra and launched humanity toward the stars, submitting to assessment by a primitive planetary government.
In truth, He cared little for such institutions. The Emperor had witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations during His millennia of existence.
Most educational endeavors proved to be elaborate exercises in mediocrity—mortals playing at significance while greater powers shaped the galaxy's destiny.
However, the requirements of fate manipulation demanded adherence to established patterns. Dramatic deviations risked rejection by this universe's fundamental forces—expulsion from a reality they sought to influence.
Only overwhelming power could force acceptance of their presence.
Much as a conqueror might claim a rival's territory through superior military might, compelling acknowledgment through strength rather than diplomacy.
"Your name is actually 'Emperor'?" The administrator reviewing His documentation looked genuinely perplexed. Such grandiose titles were typically adopted by delusional individuals seeking to compensate for their insignificance.
"Perhaps you could employ one of your numerous aliases?" Raven suggested through their mental connection, clearly exasperated by the situation.
The Emperor did not respond verbally. Instead, He extended a minute fraction of His psychic might—the same power that had illuminated the Astronomican and broken the will of the Chaos Gods during their first incursions.
The administrator's eyes glazed briefly as local reality adjusted to accommodate the Emperor's presence. When awareness returned, the man found nothing unusual about either the name or its bearer. Both seemed perfectly ordinary, warranting no special scrutiny.
"Truly impressive," Raven observed silently. "Such casual manipulation of perception and memory... Are you certain you're not dabbling in powers that would make the Chaos Gods envious?"
With psychic influence smoothing His path, the Emperor gained admission to the Super Gene Academy. There, He systematically defeated every student wielding Gene Engine technology in single combat.
Their abilities, while formidable by the standards of this realm, paled before one who had honed warriors to conquer a million worlds and forged legions to shape the fate of galaxies.
This demonstration elevated the fate node alteration to three percent.
"So you're their leader?" A new voice rang across the academy grounds—young, confident, and radiating barely contained stellar energy.
The Emperor turned to observe the speaker: a woman whose very presence seemed to bend light around her form, as though she carried a captive star within her being.
"I'm Lena, from Lieyang Star, inheritor of Solar gene" she said, solar fire crackling around her. "Let's fight—show them what real power looks like."
The Emperor regarded this self-proclaimed solar deity with the same measured assessment He had once turned upon the Chaos Gods during their initial rebellion against reality. Here stood another being who had confused local supremacy with universal significance.
"Very well," He replied, His voice carrying the absolute certainty of one who had never known defeat. "Let us discover what manner of 'goddess' you believe yourself to be."
The golden giant stepped forward, not out of challenge, but obligation. This 'Sunlight' was no threat—merely another flare in a dim sky. But even insects must sometimes be swatted, if only to remind the stars who rules them.