"Fa… Father?"
Facing the gaze from the dark rift, Vulkan felt even deeper guilt and heartache.
The Emperor, that father of his, had been corroded by darkness and turned into a completely unfamiliar evil being.
If Vulkan had not left Terra back then, if he had stayed firmly by his father's side, perhaps this dark disaster would never have happened.
Humanity would not be facing such a terrible catastrophe.
The Lord of the Salamanders could sense that the Emperor's descent into darkness was growing ever more severe, to the point of becoming irreversible.
The Dark King who was about to be born was corrupting all of Terra, then radiating endless dark, blasphemous power across the galaxy and the Warp.
It was utterly unstoppable.
Every high-ranking existence in the galaxy and the Warp could sense all of this through the dark rifts.
At this moment, the venomous gaze within the dark rift was sweeping over the entire world with the bearing of a god of destruction, including Vulkan, his own primarch son.
Vulkan froze beneath that malicious gaze. Waves of cold dread washed over him, and his body could not help trembling.
It was a warning from the Dark King. A single cry from him was enough to shake the entire galaxy and the Warp.
Not only the Lord of the Salamanders, but even the mortals seemed affected, made afraid by some unnatural force.
Even though they were within the protective range of a Blackstone Fortress, even though they were in an asteroid base far from the Black Tide, they still could not escape that fear.
Fear was spreading.
They instinctively feared the Black Tide. They feared the destruction soon to come. Even their movements became hesitant.
The people could not help slowing their steps. Some even stopped in front of the Titan train leading to the Blackstone Fortress.
They knew that once they boarded that train, they would be heading to Blackstone Fortress No. 3 to face the terrifying Black Tide directly.
If the blackstone shield field failed, every engineer sent to carry out the mission would die there, and even their souls would be completely devoured.
"O Savior, I… I'm going to die, aren't I? We're all going to die on the Blackstone Fortress!"
One of the engineers could not help shouting, trembling all over with fear.
Aulk stood where he was, staring silently at the family photo in his hand.
He had promised his wife and children that he would return to spend Thanksgiving Day with them. He could not die here.
The worker from Ormus hesitated. Deep inside, he was resisting the mission to the Blackstone Fortress, resisting the fight against the Black Tide.
He wanted to leave this place.
The Dark King's destructive corruption was corroding the people's wills and creating even more fear.
And that fear was gradually squeezing out their faith and loyalty toward the Imperium.
Vulkan looked at the engineers' hesitation and furrowed his brow, but he did not blame them.
The Lord of the Salamanders understood their fear of the Black Tide. The Dark King's power was too great. It was not something mortals could resist.
This was not a fear that willpower alone could overcome.
Let alone mortals—even Vulkan, a primarch, feared the fallen Emperor, the Dark King.
He realized a problem.
Even if he walked before the fallen Emperor himself, he would have no way to draw his blade against him, much less attack.
That had nothing to do with courage. It was a suppression that came from the depths of the soul.
Whether it was him, his other primarch brothers, or other high-ranking beings, none of them could overcome the fear within their hearts.
They could not attack the fallen Emperor, nor could they stop his slaughter and devouring of life.
Under the influence of the dark rift, Vulkan even began to hallucinate. In the void, the Dark Emperor was staring at him with a majestic gaze.
As if in the next instant, thunderous wrath would erupt.
It triggered the fear of the Emperor within Vulkan's heart. His body stiffened, and even the weapon in his hand felt so cold.
"Can humanity… truly defeat our fallen father? Can we truly defeat the Dark King?"
That thought could not help rising in Vulkan's heart.
He now began to doubt whether the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, and those primarch brothers could handle the Dark King.
Perhaps the battle on Terra had already ended in total defeat.
"Father, I… I will not submit, and I will not bow. I can see your darkness.
"You can destroy my body and burn my Legion to ash, but you will never make me kneel before despair—
"because I am Vulkan, the incarnation of iron and fire, immortal steel tempered by a thousand hammers!"
Vulkan gritted his teeth and forced himself to raise his head, staring straight at the phantom of the Dark Emperor in the void.
Even as the bones throughout his body creaked, even as his will was crushed beneath that pressure.
Every muscle in his body and every fragment of his consciousness was driving him to submit to the Dark King.
Yet the Lord of the Salamanders still endured. He still stood tall and faced the Dark Emperor in the void.
Vulkan knew that this was the Dark King using his father's image to interfere with the soul-essence of the primarchs in some manner.
It was an unnatural attack involving the soul. It crossed time and space, and no primarch could escape it.
Even other high-ranking beings would be affected to varying degrees.
Especially beings capable of touching the Warp, such as psykers, sorcerers, and astropaths. They would suffer a severe blow of some kind.
Of course, as one of the primarchs, the Lord of the Salamanders was suffering the greatest force and influence.
Perhaps after the Dark King was born, all of them would be transformed by an irresistible corruption of darkness into his Chaos talons.
"Is this the fate of the primarchs? To follow our fallen father and destroy humanity to the last?
"No. We cannot do this!"
Vulkan was in terrible pain.
In his hallucination, he even saw some of his brothers unable to resist, kneeling before the shattered Golden Throne.
But he absolutely would not allow himself to submit, because once he knelt, he would never again have the courage to resist that fallen father, the Dark King.
Vulkan was exhausted to the limit.
His body and mind were fully immersed in this struggle, and he realized that his soul and will were already overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse.
The power of that father—or rather, the Dark King—was so unbeatable, so terrifying!
Yet in the next instant, within Vulkan's hallucination, a man shining with golden light suddenly flashed past.
The man stood with his hands on his hips, wearing nothing but a red cape. He was so explosive, so mighty. Every muscle struck the eye with overwhelming force, and his presence was unmatched.
???
A trace of confusion appeared in Vulkan's eyes. Had something strange just flashed by?
Although he had not clearly seen the golden bruiser's appearance, he somehow felt the man looked a little familiar, as if Vulkan had seen him somewhere before.
Moreover, the feeling the golden bruiser gave off was complicated. There was even something faintly Orkish about him.
"A new hallucination?" Vulkan murmured, still gritting his teeth as he resisted the pressure of authority from the dark abyss.
That hateful pressure grew heavier and heavier, almost surpassing the limit of what he could bear.
"No…"
Vulkan nearly crushed his teeth as he forced his body, which was on the verge of losing control, to hold itself up. The ground beneath his feet even collapsed under the pressure.
The Dark Emperor's malicious stare and terrifying majesty were like an endless shadow, spreading over him without restraint.
He could not breathe.
Just as the Lord of the Salamanders was about to fall into despair, the hallucination within his consciousness changed again.
The familiar golden light flashed once more.
Then the Dark Emperor went flying.
Huh?
Vulkan was dumbfounded.
He had clearly seen it. That golden bruiser had, with some kind of unstoppable posture… elbowed the Emperor away!
It nearly blinded him.
"Hiss. No way. I must have seen that wrong." Vulkan sucked in a cold breath, his face full of disbelief. He almost wanted to rub his eyes.
But this was a hallucination within his soul and consciousness. He could not do that at all.
He could not believe that any being in the galaxy or the Warp could knock down the Dark Emperor.
Would that not mean the other party had already surpassed all primarchs, and even surpassed the Emperor?
For those who had lived through the Emperor's age, that was pure fantasy.
The Emperor was invincible.
This belief was firmly engraved in the hearts of all who worshiped the Emperor, including the vast majority of the primarchs.
Even after the Emperor had been gravely wounded and ascended the Golden Throne, people had not changed that view. That Master of Mankind had still protected humanity with unmatched power.
"Perhaps I really did see it wrong," Vulkan thought, with a faint regret in his heart.
He very much hoped someone could knock down the Dark Emperor.
But all his experience and knowledge told him that no such being could exist, much less a human.
Because the Emperor himself was the strongest human, a Perpetual. More importantly, after that father of his fell, he had gained even more terrifying power.
MAN!
Yet in the next instant, a new hallucination seized the entire screen of Vulkan's vision by force, occupying everything he could see. It was even a close-up.
That golden bruiser from earlier was pinning the Dark Emperor against the Golden Throne, wildly smashing him with shoulder-checks and elbow strikes.
He beat that dark, terrifying being until he howled, and even the Throne rumbled under the blows.
It was utterly shocking.
Behind the golden bruiser, some kneeling or spectating primarchs could vaguely be seen. It was clear that this was the Throne Room of the Imperial Palace.
The Dark Emperor's furious roars and bellowing continued to spread.
This was a catastrophe of filial piety!
The Lord of the Salamanders, this most devoted son, personally witnessed the golden bruiser wildly elbowing and critting his father, even leaping up to kick him.
This was a scene that specialized in forcing every primarch to stand in place and watch. Not one of them was spared.
Such a grandly unfilial spectacle would be unforgettable for all eternity.
Vulkan stared, dumbfounded.
"The Savior?
"No, impossible. This is absolutely impossible!"
He went numb all over. Even his understanding of reality was being repeatedly trampled and kicked by the golden bruiser.
This time, Vulkan finally saw clearly who the being elbowing his fallen old father was.
It was the Savior spoken of by the people—the Emperor of the Imperium!
The golden bruiser's face was identical to the Savior's sacred statue in the church plaza, and his physique was even more explosive.
No matter how absurd or bizarre it was, as Vulkan watched the continuous elbow strikes and heard the Dark Emperor's roars, he could only choose to believe it.
That Savior had temporarily suppressed the Dark King's corrupt power.
More importantly, while the Lord of the Salamanders suffered a critical blow to his mind, he also felt the dark pressure on his body lessen. His soul was gradually regaining its freedom.
Through an unnatural power, the Savior had allowed him to break free from the claws of darkness and avoid falling into the abyss.
At some unknown point, Vulkan's consciousness returned. The ground beneath his feet was cracked and shattered.
The mortals around him had all retreated into the distance and were looking at him with fear.
"The Imperium is saved."
Vulkan had not yet recovered from the shock. He looked at the Savior's sacred statue in the distant church plaza and spoke those words.
He no longer regarded the Savior as some politician or ruler who played with power. He saw him as a being stronger than himself, worthy of respect.
Because the Savior's actions on Terra had suppressed the Dark King, the influence of the destructive corruption had lessened considerably.
The people's fear was also easing.
This asteroid base grew noisy again. The Savior's sacred music was so stirring, and the announcers were raising morale.
"Citizens of the Imperium, our great Savior, His Majesty, has already achieved a major victory on Terra!
"He is saving the Imperium and saving our homes. As loyal citizens, we too must make our own contribution!
"We will resist that damned Black Tide in our own way. We too shall be victorious!"
The entire disaster zone was proclaiming the Savior's great victory. The people raised their hands high, thanking the Savior for his grace and shouting for victory.
Of course, news from Terra could not have reached this region so quickly. This was merely one of the routine victories arranged by the Savior.
After all, only by winning could they win.
Still, the Savior was not completely deceiving them. He merely defined victory differently.
For example, every time the divine artifact reached a node, that was a victory. Entering Terra was also a victory. Reaching the Throne Room was an even greater victory.
And the Savior suppressing the Dark King in such an explosive posture was an unparalleled victory. News of it would soon spread throughout the territory of the Imperium, and it would be celebrated grandly.
All to inspire the hearts of the people.
Aulk shouted along with the surging crowd. He was no longer afraid.
He looked at the photo again, then tucked it close against his body.
This technical worker from Ormus believed that under the Savior's protection, he could return home safely.
Then Aulk picked up his tools and walked resolutely toward the boarding entrance of the Titan train.
He had to fulfill his duty and repair the relevant equipment. That, too, was his way of contributing his strength to the Savior.
However, after Aulk followed the crowd into the Titan train, a slight commotion rose behind him.
A towering figure walked in beneath the people's etiquette and reverent gazes.
It was Vulkan.
"L-Lord Primarch, you're going to Blackstone Fortress No. 3 too?"
When Aulk saw the Lord of the Salamanders, his emotions surged with excitement, along with a trace of awe.
"No need to be nervous. Just think of me as a master artisan. You are still my apprentice."
Vulkan raised his hand and lightly tapped Aulk on the shoulder, speaking with hearty ease.
Compared with being a primarch, he preferred the identity of master artisan.
The Lord of the Salamanders was in a much better mood now, especially after discovering that the Savior could resist the Dark King.
Of course, whenever he looked at the Savior's sacred statue now, a shadow still appeared in his heart—especially the image of those elbow strikes.
The officials sent by the New Imperium to receive him had not yet arrived, so Vulkan decided to go to the Blackstone Fortress first and deal with the crisis.
He would see whether he could repair the damaged areas or provide some help.
He already knew that the Blackstone Fortress was one of the Savior's important methods for suppressing the Dark King. It could not be allowed to fail.
If the Blackstone Fortresses failed to suppress the dark rifts across the Imperium, allowing the Dark Emperor on Terra to keep swelling in power, then even if the Savior was stronger still, he would not be able to stop all of this.
That Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, was right. This was not one man's battle.
It was an epic of all humanity resisting the darkness.
Woooo—
As the whistle sounded, the Titan train, loaded with the engineers of Charadon Asteroid Base No. 13, urgently departed for Blackstone Fortress No. 3.
At the same time, even more Titan trains were heading toward that Blackstone Fortress region.
(End of Chapter)
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