pertwk Chapter 86 Your status as emperor is authorized and recognized by the emperor.
Chapter 86 Your status as emperor is authorized and recognized by the emperor.
Chapter 87 Your status as emperor is authorized and recognized by the emperor.
While still in the spiritual realm, in order to let Liu Bei know the true identity of the enemy, Sun Qian had already briefly introduced him to the true master of Thomas Geddon.
The god of dark technology and contracts, the owner of the Soul Forge, the creator Vastor.
In simple terms, the Soul Forge is a special device in the Warp that can equally twist and transform the souls of both mortals and Warp demons into war machines known as Demon Engines. Because it is better made than Khorne, more reasonably priced than Tzeentch, cleaner and more hygienic than Nurgle, and more neat and beautiful than Slaanesh, Vashtor, as the largest arms dealer in the Warp, has always been a force that major powers try to win over but do not want to offend.
Of course, this is only subspace.
Although Vashtor is one of the best among demons and one of the closest to becoming a Chaos God, that half-step difference is a world of difference.
Logically, Vashtor, being merely a demigod, should not be able to directly interfere with reality, and the influence of the Soul Forge should only extend to the interior of the warp.
But since he was able to be so brazen as to snatch people from Khorne and even use some means to upgrade the Demon Butcher's Nail, it can be seen that this Vashtor is not the same as the Vashtor in the original timeline.
Having already offended the Four Gods of Chaos, he had been acting recklessly for two years, and even became more and more audacious, which was enough to make Sun Qian wary of him.
"Tomar Geddon... When that Butcher's Nail demon controlled Angron, he proposed a crazy plan to me: to create a dark empire dominated by technology and industry by seizing the Star Torch. Now it seems that it was not a lie—it's just that the executor has changed, and it's even possible that controlling Angron itself was just a backup plan."
Unlike other liars and cunning demons, Vashtor is known for his integrity and fairness even in the Warp, after all, he is a demon who also has the concept of contracts. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t cunning and cruel.
"Ever since his active role in the Battle of Istvan V, Perturabo has seized power under the guise of suppressing the rebellion and has begun to conquer the Empire's territory... However, as Guilliman said, his methods are extremely brutal. Whenever the Horus fleet passes through a star system or even a sector, Perturabo will order the planets to prove their loyalty and punish them for failing to intercept the rebels for the Empire. Specifically, he will cull eleven. If the people on a planet protest or oppose him in the slightest, he will immediately and ruthlessly destroy cities one by one and exterminate planets one by one."
Upon hearing Sun Qian's words, Liu Bei's clenched fist trembled slightly.
"This is practically like the traitorous Cao Cao slaughtering Xuzhou..."
""
"This analogy is very accurate, not only in terms of the act of slaughter, but also in the fact that Perturabo was also killing in the name of the Empire and the court. You can't even say that he was defaming the image of the Empire... Don't forget, Perturabo didn't just start doing this now, but has been using the same tactics since the Great Expedition, he just carried it out within the Fourth Army."
Indeed, within the Astartes Legion, Perturabo is second only to Angron in his fondness for the "eleven-draw" strategy.
Not to mention that he immediately carried out an eleven-killing campaign as soon as he took control of the legion, he did not do so again within the legion afterward—because he had already lost more than one-tenth of his offspring in each battle.
But that doesn't mean he's given up on this cruel practice; he's just changed his target.
Unarmed civilians.
Moreover, Perturabo didn't just do this to his enemies; even on his own home planet Olympia, after a rebellion broke out and was quickly quelled, he still demanded that innocent civilians be subjected to eleven slaughters, maintaining his scoundrel persona from beginning to end.
"The Emperor... will never forgive such an act!"
Liu Bei practically spat out the words, knowing that many legions did indeed overstep their bounds during the Great Expedition, but for the sake of efficiency, the emperor often turned a blind eye.
But Perturabo is practically destroying the very foundation of the empire; at this rate, forget about quelling the rebellion—
Under such oppressive and terrifying rule, given the slightest opportunity, these former imperial subjects would likely turn to chaos.
"That's the problem, brother."
Sun Qian sighed helplessly; he had been trying to avoid the topic.
After all, for Liu Bei, this matter was probably even more unacceptable than Peturabo's evil deeds.
"Even amidst the raging storms of the warp, though with low timeliness, Star Speakers occasionally manage to receive faint signals from Terra. Of course, I'm not sure if these are Peturabo... or if Vashtor deliberately created these gaps in the information."
Liu Bei's pupils suddenly contracted slightly, and he naturally realized the meaning behind Sun Qian's words.
It should be said that he had seen similar situations before.
Back then, everyone in the world knew that Cao Cao was nominally the Chancellor of Han but in reality a traitor to Han, but the emperor could only openly regard him as a loyal minister.
That's because—
"This cannot be blamed on Terra, nor on the Emperor... or on Macardo the Sealholder."
Guilliman spoke slowly and in a low voice.
"The Empire is now in turmoil, and the influence of the Emperor and Makado cannot be separated from the solar system. If Perturabo is identified as a traitor without any evidence, it will only cause the Empire to disintegrate and fall apart instantly... All the former imperial territories will choose independence, and many may even turn to Horus in order to fight against Perturabo."
When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one; Liu Bei was certainly well-versed in this principle.
Moreover, having once been the ruler of a nation, he could certainly see through Terra's thoughts.
"For the Empire, the best decision now is to continue to keep Perturabo in check with a nominal title, let him continue to fight and wear down the Horus rebels. The civilians are just an unavoidable sacrifice, but if this continues, Perturabo will only continue to grow stronger... and we cannot support Horus, which has already fallen into chaos."
Liu Bei pursed his lips tightly; the strategy of driving away wolves and tigers was not difficult to understand.
"But I cannot accept this going on. I cannot bear to see the Five Hundred Worlds also crushed under Peturabo's war machine... not to mention, if his conspiracy succeeds, I cannot imagine what irreversible consequences it might cause."
The idea of using a demonic creation as a star torch is, from any perspective, an extremely hopeless future for humanity.
But "then why isn't it you who becomes emperor?"
Just before reaching their destination, Liu Bei asked Sun Qian and Guilliman his final question.
"You are a son of the emperor, and the ruler of five hundred worlds. If you were to become the emperor of the Second Empire and fight against Peturabo—"
"Because of legal issues."
Guilliman said without hesitation.
"Even if it's to save the Empire, violating Imperial law itself will cause unrest. In fact, that's precisely why Perturabo has an excuse not to pursue Horus for the time being, and to deal with us first in the Extreme Starfield."
"Unless, we have a legitimate second emperor," "that is, you!"
At the gates of the destination, Guilliman turned around and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"Your status as emperor is authorized and recognized by the Emperor!"
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