Warhammer: In the Name of the Emperor

The starlight was projected into the church through the huge glass on both sides. There was no one in the silent church. The brilliant starlight shone on the huge emperor icon, and the wisps of shining light lit up the majestic emperor. The figure of the emperor.

Countless candles were burning at his feet, and countless blessing scrolls were shaking with the rising thermal air. Vito was sitting in the front seat of the church drinking a bottle of wine, which was a bottle of pure vodka. , which he presumably obtained from Ragnar's personal reserves.

Vito was sitting in this empty church. Some of the long rows of seats around him were hidden in darkness, while others were sprinkled with a layer of dazzling starlight. Vito was sitting on one of the rows of chairs illuminated by starlight. On the table, a man sat quietly and drank the wine in his hand from time to time.

Vito leaned back on the chair and looked at the emperor's statue in front of him, looking up at the tall giant. He lowered his head and shook the wine glass in his hand and smiled, "I really didn't expect that I would return to the empire in this way, but I also Fortunately, at least Guilliman has to get up and work together."

"And you, old bastard, are still sitting on that shabby chair, lighting up your shabby star torch and webway. That's much easier than what we have to do." Vito smiled bitterly and took a sip of wine. He lowered his elbows. He bumped the bottle against the back of the chair.

The imperial icon looked down at Vito who was praying below, looking at him without saying a word. The golden crown shone in the starlight. There was silence in the empty church, and there was no unnecessary sound in the darkness. nothing.

You can hear the cold wind blowing under the colonnade, you can hear the crackling of candlelight, you can hear the clock ticking as time passes, and of course you can hear the footsteps in the darkness at the edge of the church.

Vito smiled and raised the bottle and pointed it into the darkness. He stretched out his finger from the top of the bottle and pointed at the person in the darkness. "Generally, there are only two kinds of people hiding in the darkness, assassins and people with problems. You Which one? Father Hus."

Following Vito's words, Father Hus appeared in the darkness. This was not because the starlight illuminated the place, but because Father Hus lit a candle, and with the crackling sound of the small igniter, the candle burned. It burned, and the old face of Father Huss was also illuminated.

Hus came out with the candlestick. He walked past Vito and came to the statue of the emperor. "Or the third kind of person, the priest who came to replace the long-lasting candle."

Vito looked at Hus who was indeed replacing the burned out candles and smiled. He raised the bottle to salute Hus, "Do you drink? Father." "I quit a long time ago. I should be the marshal as well." Are you surprised that you are almost drunk?"

Vito laughed and took a sip of wine. He slammed the bottle aside and leaned back on the chair. "First of all, I'm not drunk. Secondly, the marshal is also a human being. Of course he will drink to relieve his worries and chat with old friends. of."

The priest smiled and took down a burning candle, then replaced it with a brand new candle. "I heard about you on the deck. Everyone on the ship is saying that a god has returned. It seems that I have forgotten what you were like."

"Human beings are like this. When a new and impactful thing happens, they will forget what happened before." Vito said looking at the statue of the Emperor. His face was slightly rosy, maybe because of alcohol. The effect may also be due to simple fire.

"People will forget a lot of things, their identity, responsibilities and missions." Vito said softly, while Huss smiled silently. He adjusted the candles on the shrine and swept away the remaining burned candle slag. Lose.

Hus swept the broken slag into a small portable shovel. Hus turned around and poured it all into the trash can on the side. "And you? Supreme Marshal, has Vito Constantine forgotten himself? What about the mission and responsibility?”

Vito looked at Hus being silent, then laughed after a moment, picked up the bottle and took another sip, "I know what you mean, Hus, I have lived for 40,000 years and I can understand what this means. You're scolding me for watching the empire go through thousands of years of darkness, but you just watched, right?"

"You think I'm showing off, and you've been showing off for ten thousand years." Vito chuckled and said, Hus handled the things on the candlestick indifferently, seemingly not at all overly concerned about the words that might have offended the Supreme Marshal. disturbed.

The priest calmly handled the task at hand and said as he worked, "What is the answer? What is the answer from the Supreme Marshal himself?"

Vito looked at the wine bottle in his hand and was silent for a moment as he watched the ripples of wine in it. Then he took a sip of wine and looked up at the face of the emperor statue, "Because I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" Hus asked, still so naturally, as if he didn't care about it at all. This is why Vito likes to chat with Hus. He is like one of those priests in the confessional. In the same way, you can tell everything without any worries or worries, and say everything in your heart.

Those words that have been held back for hundreds of millions of years.

"Did you know that every king has an arbitrator?" Vito asked. Hus nodded and lit a candle. "Yes."

"Then do you know what the duties of the Arbitrator are?" "Execution of the king's criminals?" "And deciding whether to execute the king himself."

Vito's words echoed again and again in the dark church. He looked at the emperor's face and said, "The arbitrator of the empire has never been Russ, but me. The emperor made that decision when we were still on Terra. A power was given to me.”

"I am a watcher. This is not an adjective, Father. My duty is to become the sword of judgment and kill any powerful person in the empire when they become too powerful and begin to be devoured by their own strength, power and desires. I have done similar things many times. The Assassin's Court now also shoulders this mission, but that mission originated from me." "The Emperor gave me that mission, the power to execute any tyrant who has unreasonable and brutal rule, including himself, Hus. The Emperor's arbitrator is for everyone, everyone." Vito narrated, as if he was recalling a vague memory, everything came out of his mouth bit by bit, the ancient secret that had long been forgotten by people. "The Emperor doesn't trust anyone, not even himself. He once told me that humans, no matter who they are, no matter what their original intentions are, will be corrupted by power over a long period of time. Honor, praise and achievement are a sweet poison that will make a person gradually paranoid, crazy and degenerate." "He realized this when he created the Primarchs. He knew that there would be Primarch rebellions. I also knew that all of us who participated in the Primarch plan knew it, and he decided to let me serve as the arbitrator, the real arbitrator. When a Primarch is corrupted by those desires, my duty is to trim them." Vito took a sip of wine and leaned forward, his hands on his knees, "I did it twice, Hus, once by myself, and the other time with Rus. I don't like it, not at all." "You Do you know why that feeling is so bad? You will involuntarily doubt everyone, every friend around you. Maybe what I said will make you uncomfortable, but I really think that the emperor may be a tyrant, and I should fulfill my duty and kill him. "

Vito rubbed his head, and all those bad memories came back to him because of alcohol, those memories that he had forgotten for a long time, "I once wanted to forget this feeling. I devoted myself to the duties of the marshal and wanted to forget my mission as a sword bearer. They are my friends, Horus and the others. I don't want to see that the only thing they think about is when I should kill them. "

"Can you understand? Huss, that bad feeling." Vito said, Huss posted a new prayer scroll on the shrine, and he silently Nodding, "I think I can understand."

"And I paid a heavy price that time. I didn't discover Horus's corruption in time, and I didn't discover the inner changes of everyone else. I deliberately ignored a lot of things. I know it may be wrong, but I don't want to kill my friends anymore. I have killed two and don't want to kill more people."

Vito looked at the bottle and said, he lowered his head and continued, "Sometimes I wonder if the Horus Rebellion was caused by me, because I gave up my responsibility. I should have ended everything before that crisis happened."

"I don't think so, Marshal. I think whether you kill Horus or not, the outcome of everything will not change." Hus said, placing a bright candle at the feet of the Emperor, "As you said, power will corrupt many people, even if you Killing Horus, you will not be able to prevent other Primarchs from losing their minds to power. "

"Your only choice is to kill them all, one by one, leaving no one behind, just as the traitors say, the Emperor is going to kill the donkey after the Great Crusade, and you will be the one who does it. Is that what you want? Kill all your best friends with your own hands and become the killer in the prophecy. "

Vito was silent for a long time, he took a big sip of wine and shook his head, "No." "That is a painful responsibility, Marshal, all your humanity will be worn out, and you will eventually become a..."

"A cruel ruler, yes, I know, that's what I want to say." Vito said as he drank, the spicy wine rushed down his throat, making his head begin to become dizzy, but he felt pretty good now.

"I am the arbitrator who ends tyranny and tyranny, the sword of judgment of the Empire, but Hus, after the Emperor and the Primarchs all leave, if I become a tyrant, who will be my arbitrator?" Vito said coldly, speaking out the dilemma that has been lingering on his head for many years, a dilemma that no one will ever understand or know. "I will continue to perform my duties after the Emperor sits on the Golden Throne and all the Primarchs leave. I will order the Assassin's Court to kill those greedy and corrupt Imperial officials. I personally ordered the end of generations of high lords. Believe me, Hus, no high lord can die peacefully, even those who seem to die naturally." Vito raised his palm, as if holding a dagger in his hand, a dagger flashing with cold light, "All high lords are without exception. No matter what kind of people they were at first, their noble qualities will be driven crazy in the almost crazy reality of the Empire. Suspicion and power will make them more paranoid and more unwilling to listen to others' advice. In the end, a tyrant is born."

"The Assassin Court has killed generations of high lords under my orders. Do you know how many people there are? I know each of them. There are many noble and respectable people, but without exception, they have unlimited power. It will make them gradually become suspicious and more suspicious of the people around them, thinking that everyone is the enemy of the empire and themselves, and that everyone is preventing them from establishing a great cause "for the empire and all mankind". In the end, they become a ruthless killer. Tyrant, even the Grand Master of the Assassin Court that I selected."

Vito sighed and took another sip of wine. He sighed silently, "I always think of an ancient Terran saying. When a person puts on a crown, it is not the person who makes the decision, but the top of the head. The crown.”

"There was a saying in the east of Terra in ancient times: the most ruthless emperor's family. This sentence is absolutely correct. Over the past ten thousand years, I have watched everything happen again and again. Time and time again, those I know, Familiar, I think it’s impossible for people like that to eventually become evil dragons as the saying goes.”

Vito took another sip of wine, the vodka quickly bottoming out, but the alcohol did allow him to continue talking.

"It's not that I don't care about the empire. I know you will all ask me why the great Supreme Marshal didn't directly abolish the High Lords Council and decide everything himself. Then the empire will definitely be fine."

"The answer is simple, Hus, because I dare not, I am afraid of touching that power. I have witnessed the original body with my own eyes, and the minds of those demigods have been corrupted by it. I have even seen countless generations of high lords being devoured by it. Why do you expect me not to be swallowed up by it?"

"I once tried to directly take over the empire. It was during the Macarius expedition. I thought about it, but you know what? When I was arguing with the bureaucrats in the Ministry of Government, they refused to continue supporting them for various reasons. The expedition also presented all kinds of demands and troubles for the same reasons that Horus detested them.

"I could feel the voices in my heart when I came into contact with power. It was not the first time I heard that voice, but it was particularly strong that time. That feeling made me satisfied, superior, and superior to others. Why should I be with a group of stupid people? What about "mortal"? I was born to control the fate of the galaxy and mankind."

Vito's back feels cold when he thinks about it now, because that feeling still lingers in his heart, like a sweet poison that penetrates into the deepest part of his soul, the sweet poison that caused Horus and the descendants of the demigods to fall into rebellion. .

"I can feel that terrible murderous intention and lust for power. I have killed many similar people. I have also seen Primarchs driven mad by this, high lords driven mad, generals of the Astra Militarum and the Navy. I was driven crazy, and I, Huss, knew what I was becoming, and that I might become a tyrant. Who could stop me if I became a tyrant?"

Vito put the bottle aside and said, Hus turned his back to his silent listeners, "When the arbiter sword bearer who is supposed to judge the tyrant becomes a tyrant, who will stop him? Who can stop him, who can Judge me like I killed those people?”

"So I gave up that power, that almost unlimited power. I faked my own death and left quietly. From then on, I never touched the crown."

"Hus, my power is very strong, but that is exactly what I fear the most, because I know that no one in the current universe can compete with my power. Once I am swallowed by the curse of power, no judge will come. It's all over if you stop me, not to mention those four bastards who are still encouraging me."

Vito held his head and sighed. He lowered his head and sighed for a long time, "I will become the most terrifying ruler in the history of mankind, even the entire universe, a nearly invincible tyrant that no one can stop, and I I don’t even dare to think about what will happen after depravity.”

The new evil god, yes, this is it, a possibility that makes Vitor's back light up when he thinks about it. The reason why he is afraid is because he knows that he may really be like that. It's not just Slaanesh who comes to usurp him from time to time, Tzeentch is against him. This was even more important, and he even personally encouraged him during Macarius's expedition.

Vito knew what would happen to him after he was beguiled and swallowed up by power, and after his humanity was worn away like the Emperor in the process of running a huge empire.

The deathly silence lasted for a long time. Vito did not say anything, and neither did Hus. There was only the crackling of the candles burning and the whistling of the cold wind blowing down the corridor.

It wasn't until Hus nodded after a long time that he turned to look at Vito behind him, "I think I understand, Marshal, I won't blame you for watching with cold eyes. In fact, I think you have done your best for the empire."

"In places unknown to people, in those historical moments that went crazy, you fulfilled your ten thousand-year duty to end those cursed by power, and you, the Marshal, must never become the same person, because if so, there will be no People can stop you, and the empire will be on an irreversible path."

Hus walked towards Vito and walked over step by step, "I can imagine how many times you couldn't suppress your emotions and wanted to personally stop all this and bring back the prosperous age established by the emperor and you, but you They all gave up because of their mission as a sword bearer, even to the point of doubting themselves many times.”

Hus walked up to Vito, and he pressed Vito's shoulders. The latter also raised his head and looked at Hus in front of him. The latter looked at Vito with a smile, "I just want to say, thank you, Marshal, thank you." You have guarded this world for so long and still looked like a human being after enduring so much inhuman torture. I can’t imagine how you did it, but thank you for everything you have given for ten thousand years.”

Vito was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed heartily. He stood up, picked up the bottle and took a big sip, drinking all the wine. Vito threw the bottle into the trash can not far away.

He looked at the imperial statue and smiled, then patted Hus on the shoulder and turned towards the exit. He said as he walked, "But everything will change soon, Father."

"Who will change it?" The priest stood in front of the shrine and asked with his hands inserted into his cuffs. Vito raised his finger and pointed at the mural on one side. Hus then looked over and saw the giant in blue armor standing in the mural. The emperor's thirteenth son.

"What about you? Marshal, what will you do?" Hus continued to ask. Vito stood at the door of the church and turned to look at Hus. He was silent for a moment and then looked up at him and gave him the answer.

"I will try my best to help him, do my best, and see how far he can go." "Then what if he is like the others? What if he is also swallowed by the curse of power?"

"Then I will fulfill my duty this time." Vito said and walked into the darkness outside the church. The stars gradually dimmed. In that dark church, Hus stood as the only emperor with a candle burning. In front of the shrine, the shining firelight illuminated everything around it, illuminating the only place where there was still light.

The firelight reflected on the face of the emperor's statue, illuminating his face. The light spots of the firelight dotted the pupils of the statue, just like a pair of truly open eyes, and those eyes looked into the darkness. Vito looked at him quietly.

Vito said he didn't have an arbitrator, and he was wrong. At least on this point, the Emperor had already chosen an arbitrator. Vito's arbitrator, she might not know it, but just like Vito, but that sharp blade It has been forged long ago, and the sharp blade is waiting for the moment to be unsheathed.

The Emperor trusts no one. The Emperor, the inhuman being who sits on the Golden Throne, trusts no one.