Chapter 187: Ascension to the Golden Throne
The energy matrix shimmered, and the generators roared, finally converging upon the Emperor and Raven.
Mist and flames surged from Raven's eyes. The two intertwined, granting him a unique vision. The entire universe stretched into a single line, winding endlessly through curved, boundless space and time, connecting head to tail like an Ouroboros.
All dimensions, all spaces, merged into one. All past, present, and future intertwined into a single entity. Time and space lost all meaning to him at that moment.
The completed Golden Throne possessed immense power, granting Raven control over everything. The Emperor's wisdom transcended imagination. Raven believed that, given time, this being's achievements would rival those of the creator of the Mist Space itself.
He would become an existence that creates all things, annihilates all things, and controls all things.
Perhaps, in the distant future, the Emperor would create another Mist Space, leaving it for those who are lost and in need of guidance.
The moment the Emperor and Raven assumed the Golden Throne, a terrifying surge of power emanated from them, spreading outward in waves. Malcador and the assembled Custodians felt their bodies and souls sink beneath immense pressure.
It was as if they stood before deity incarnate, compelling them to kneel and offer their fealty.
Brilliant light and booming thunder enveloped Raven and the Emperor. The thunder roared with such intensity that ears ached.
The light covering them grew ever brighter, until finally they shone as brilliantly as stars themselves.
The entire Throne Room, and indeed the Terra Palace itself, was enveloped in blinding radiance. The intense light cut off their vision instantly, leaving them in absolute blindness. Even with eyes tightly shut, they could not withstand the overwhelming luminescence.
Not only Malcador and the others within the palace, but every citizen of Terra witnessed a golden sun rising at the horizon's edge.
Loud hymns resonated through the air, echoing without end, as if they came from a distant era, or perhaps from an unknowable future.
Taihou, Richelieu, and the other Kansen had been touring the Empire's orbital megastructures when shouts of amazement drew their attention toward Terra.
There they beheld the golden sun slowly rising from the planet's surface, its brilliant light enveloping the entire world. This transformed Terra into an existence many times brighter than the system's star itself.
The Kansen's faces filled with shock. Upon learning that this magnificent display resulted from Raven and the Emperor ascending their throne, they were left speechless.
"Mr. Raven and the Emperor... are they really not gods?" Taihou murmured, her voice thick with awe. If this isn't divinity, then what could be?
"Don't be mistaken, hey are not gods," Perturabo corrected, raising a hand to shield against the intense light as he accompanied the Kansen on their tour. "The Empire gives recognition to only one God, the great God of Fries and Ketchup. This is the religion propagated by Mr. Raven, with His Majesty's full support."
"Mr. Raven and the Emperor are truly full of mischief," Cardinal Richelieu muttered softly, with the other Kansen nodding in agreement.
Anyone could see that this so-called God of Fries and Ketchup was purely a joke. While The Emperor and Mr. Raven were the true gods in every sense!
"The Empire recognizes only one God, and Mr. Raven and the Emperor are not gods. This is enshrined in Imperial law," Perturabo reiterated firmly.
The Kansen chose not to argue, instead gazing upon Terra, now brighter than any star, with expressions of deep reverence.
"Choosing to join the Human Empire was indeed the right decision," Taihou observed, earning heartfelt agreement from her companions. Where once they harbored doubts, now not a trace remained.
Imperial citizens on orbital platforms, stellar fortresses, and shipyards displayed unprecedented piety and fervor. Some wept openly, overwhelmed at witnessing the might of their Human Lords.
Related imagery spread across the Empire's countless worlds via the instantaneous communication network, stirring an immediate storm of devotion.
Though the Empire had conquered various worlds, promoting Imperial Truth and faith in the God of Fries and Ketchup, the sheer scale of Imperial territory and population remained staggering. Even with the government employing every means, countless citizens still clung to unknown deities.
When the events on Terra were disseminated, these citizens' worldviews shattered completely. The gods they had worshipped might be mere fantasy, but the Empire's Human Lords truly existed within this universe.
The impact of the Emperor and Raven ascending the Golden Throne proved profound beyond measure. Even the Warp itself churned with indescribable turbulence.
A golden sun manifested within that realm of souls, burning the daemons and causing them to shriek incessantly. They dared not remain upon the Warp's surface, fleeing instead into deeper, more bizarre regions to avoid being scorched by the light of the Anathema.
"A new deity has emerged! Could it be from the humans?!" The Laughing God, Cegorach, hiding deep within the Webway's labyrinthine passages, was first to sense the changes in the Warp.
The oppressive presence of the golden sun far surpassed even the initial birth-scream of the Prince of Pleasure in ages past.
The mon-keigh, once dismissed by the Aeldari as primitive beasts, had become something the Aeldari now looked upon with fearful respect.
The long-lived Farseers of the Craftworld Aeldari also sensed the drastic changes in the Warp.
Initial surprise and uncertainty gave way to indignation, even jealousy. Why should humans possess such a powerful existence who protected them so completely?
This was utterly unfair!
Many xenos races that had fled to the galaxy's edge during the Empire's Great Crusade fell into despair upon sensing the Warp's transformation.
That golden sun would leave them no chance for resurgence. Never again would there be opportunity for revenge similar to the Long Night crisis. Humanity would rule this universe until eternity's end.
The Chaos Gods reeled in shock at the Emperor's ascension, their gaze toward realspace mixing astonishment with rage. With the Golden Throne's aid, the Anathema's power in the material realm had steadily surpassed their own.
Should this development continue, their defeat was merely a matter of time.
"We must accelerate our plans," Tzeentch muttered from deep within the Crystal Labyrinth, casting its gaze toward the eternal void beyond reality's borders.
Colluding with those polluters had never been its desire, but if even the Architect of Fate ceased to exist, what value held the universe?
Let the entire cosmos burn in its name. From galaxy's heart to universe's edge, let the star sea boil, let suns be extinguished, let all return to nothingness.
The Emperor sensed the Chaos Gods' hatred but paid it no heed. The moment he assumed the Golden Throne, he set to work on his first task, weaving the Webway. The foundation had already been laid; he need only expand it continuously through force of will.
Under the Golden Throne's blessing, the Webway spread through the cracks between reality and illusion as if possessed of its own life. It covered the entire galaxy, then extended toward regions beyond.
The Warp and realspace were two faces of the same coin, encompassing not merely the galaxy but the entire universe. Theoretically, the Webway could span all existence, though practical implementation proved less straightforward.
Initially, the Webway's expansion went smoothly. Within mere moments, it covered the entire galaxy, then expanded outward at speeds far exceeding light itself, like cosmic inflation made manifest.
Yet in certain regions beyond the galaxy's rim, the Webway inexplicably twisted. As it approached the Large Magellanic Cloud, portions were simply devoured, forming pitch-black voids.
The Emperor probed these anomalies and immediately sensed entities of terrifying power, each possessing might equal to a C'tan at full strength, or even greater.
"What a headache," the Emperor complained through psychic communion.
"What's the problem? Just send Lion El'Jonson to handle it," Raven responded telepathically. Such work perfectly suited the First Legion. Knowing the Lion's nature, he would undoubtedly collect fragments of those entities, perhaps even secretly imprison them entirely.
The Dark Angels would advance with bolters blazing their defiant chants. Caliban holds no secrets, and neither does the First Legion.
"Indeed, that appears our only recourse," the Emperor conceded.
Beyond expanding the Webway, the Emperor also assumed full control of the instantaneous communication network and the time anchor network, weaving them into a tapestry of Imperial dominance that would span the heavens themselves.
The light released by the Emperor and Raven's ascension to the Golden Throne pierced through multiple dimensions. Even the Terra Dungeons, located beneath the magnificent Terra Palace within the gaps between realities, were illuminated by their radiance.
During the Age of Strife, many unspeakable entities of darkness had manifested. Some possessed the capability to destroy human civilization entirely, to erase entire species on conceptual and metaphysical levels.
To safeguard the human race, the Emperor had contained those entities beneath the Terra Palace.
Selected Custodians were chosen for this sacred duty, donning black armor and swearing oaths of eternal guardianship. They dedicated their very existence to this vigil.
[End of Chapter]
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