"Phew..." Axis let out a long breath and slowly retracted his palm.
The three types of radiance gradually turned inward and finally vanished, and the energy tides agitating within the great hall settled along with them.
That had been genuinely taxing. It was the greatest consumption of power Axis had experienced since ascending to godhood. The God Ki, Holy Light energy, and Life Force within his body had nearly hit rock bottom.
However, the results were ridiculously good.
The Old Man on the Throne was worlds apart from how he had been moments ago.
At this moment, the figure seated upon the Golden Throne had undergone a heaven-shaking transformation. Although he remained immense, withered, and bound to the machinery that secured humanity's fate, he was no longer that corpse of despair.
He was a giant who, while extremely weak and skeletal, was truly alive.
Pale skin wrapped around clear bone contours, and his muscles were as thin as paper, yet they were living tissue. Within deep-set eye sockets, two points of golden psychic flame burned steadily. They gazed calmly at everything before them, carrying a trace of long-lost "human" fatigue, and a hint of relief that was almost imperceptible.
"It's a success..." Axis's voice held a trace of exhaustion, but it was filled with certainty.
"The Emperor's body... has come alive. The decay has been reversed and his vitality extended. Although he is still far from regaining the ability to move, his pain will be greatly alleviated, and the burden on his soul has been lightened. As for the pressure of the Golden Throne... he can now sustain it for much longer."
The Emperor's massive head moved ever so slightly. Two points of golden fire slowly swept over Axis, Kasha, Kratos, and the others. Finally, a clear, stable intent, weak yet no longer shattered, rang out in the depths of everyone's minds like a great bell. It carried the vicissitudes of eternity and the warmth of rebirth.
"Thank you... Axis. This gift... I shall etch into my heart." The giant seated upon the Golden Throne had spoken.
Axis looked at the Emperor on the Throne. The corners of his mouth lifted in a faint smile and he nodded, accepting this gratitude that spanned ten thousand years without hesitation.
The great hall fell into a deathly silence where the heavy breathing of the Custodes was clearly audible.
Ten thousand years of silence had been broken. The will of the Master of Mankind had finally descended once more with a clear voice into the heart of the Imperium he had built by hand and had been parted from for ten millennia!
"The Emperor protects!" One Custodian could no longer hold it back. He wept aloud and struck his head heavily against the floor.
Immediately after, like a chain reaction, all the Custodes let out cries that had been suppressed for ten thousand years. It was a sound mixed with ecstasy, shock, and endless loyalty!
Time seemed to freeze.
Ten thousand years! A full ten thousand years! The Master of Mankind had never truly "spoken" like this, conveying his voice clearly and stably directly to everyone present.
Once, the Emperor's will was conveyed through the Astropathic Choir, through dreams, through the vague edicts of Living Saints, or through the obscure scripture fragments of the Ecclesiarchy.
Since the Emperor took his place on the Golden Throne ten thousand years ago, no one had truly heard his voice. The last sentence he spoke had been to a Primarch.
Captain-General Trajann Valoris maintained his kneeling posture. The face beneath his helmet had long been blurred by tears. The great Master of Mankind had spoken.
The Custodes had guarded him for ten thousand years, witnessing the Master of Mankind go from critically wounded and dying to a rotting physical state, and then to this... It was a scene Trajann hardly dared to imagine even in his dreams!
The Custodes beside him were the same. These most elite and loyal warriors of humanity were like the most devout believers at this moment, silently expressing the shock and ecstasy in their hearts.
Although generations of Custodes had changed, the spirit of the oldest companions had been passed down to this day. They remained the most central servants of the Master of Mankind.
"All Custodes, welcome the return of our Lord." Led by Captain-General Trajann, the Custodes within the Golden Throne room bowed in prostration to the Emperor.
This was a historic moment.
The history of the Imperium of Mankind was turning a new page. Ten thousand years ago was the Great Crusade, followed by ten years on the Golden Throne.
Now, the Emperor could communicate with them. The Emperor could issue orders directly to the Imperium. The great God-Emperor, after ten thousand years, had returned among his subjects.
The Sisters of Silence knelt as well. No one understood better than these Sisters and the Custodes what it meant for the Imperium that the Emperor could speak.
"Rise. My loyal warriors... For ten thousand years, you have done well." The Emperor looked at the Custodes and Sisters of Silence below and nodded.
Trajann slowly stood up. His body trembled slightly with agitation. Looking at the existence on the Throne who was haggard yet possessed a torch-like gaze and spoke truth, the guardianship and waiting of generations of Custodes seemed to have received their answer in this moment.
He turned to Axis, clenched his right hand into a fist, and struck it heavily against the auramite armor on his chest. It made a resounding clang.
It was the highest respect a Custodian could offer.
Guilliman was equally overwhelmed. He knew better than anyone what the Emperor's "corpse" state meant for the Imperium, and the significance of this transformation was immeasurable.
Years ago, when he arrived at Holy Terra, the war had already ended, so he had not been able to communicate with his father.
The last time he spoke face-to-face with his father was ten thousand years ago, before the Horus Heresy had fully begun, at the Council of Nikaea.
Above the Golden Throne, the Emperor's gaze slowly swept over the excited crowd, and that raspy voice sounded once more.
"Ten thousand years... have passed... Humanity... My people... How fares the Imperium of Mankind?" The Emperor asked his first question.
A mere few syllables, yet they exploded like a thunderclap! All the Custodes kneeling on the ground snapped their heads up, looking towards the Throne in disbelief. Captain-General Trajann's body shook violently.
This question left Axis a bit baffled. Did he really need to ask?
Who knows better than you what the Imperium looks like now? You, you old geezer, have been monitoring the Imperium the whole time, haven't you?
Unlike Axis, the Custodes and Sisters of Silence dared not show the slightest negligence to the Master of Mankind's inquiry. They immediately began to report to him, though the amount of information was rather massive.
Captain-General Trajann could only give a brief introduction to the state of the Imperium over the last ten millennia. He recounted the Emperor taking the Golden Throne, Guilliman reforming the Imperial Army, the Legions becoming Chapters, and the disappearance of the Primarchs.
He spoke of the War of the Beast, the return of the Dragon Lord Vulkan and his mutual destruction with The Beast, followed by the thirteen Black Crusades of the Despoiler Abaddon, the Gothic War, and the conflicts with the Necrons.
Then came the wars against the Tyranids and the Orks.
The flames of war covered the entire galaxy, up until the recent Fall of Cadia.
In summary, the efficiency of the Imperium over this ten-thousand-year period was terrifyingly low, yet the circle of war encompassed the entire galaxy.
The entire Throne Room fell silent. The Emperor seemed to be deliberating on something.
"The Imperium of Mankind is no longer what it was ten thousand years ago. It is not even what it was when I first founded it. Look at how corrupt it has become," the Emperor said.
"My Emperor, please permit me to immediately summon all the High Lords and the Inquisitors currently on Holy Terra to see you, that they may listen to your divine decrees," Captain-General Trajann said.
To be honest, the position of the Custodes was currently very awkward.
Although the Custodes enjoyed full rights regarding weapon production and recruitment, along with the best resources in the Imperium, their political power could not compare to the High Lords of Terra.
They had not left the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra for a full ten thousand years. Outside commoners knew of the Emperor's Angels, but they did not know of the existence of the Emperor's most loyal and powerful Custodes.
Power currently rested in the hands of the High Lords and the Inquisitors. Mortals held the supreme authority of the Imperium.
Even as Captain-General, Trajann only held the title of a High Lord. However, if a decision had to be made, the Senatorum Imperialis operated by vote.
Major events were not his to decide alone. However, that was the past. This was the present. Now that the Emperor had returned and could speak, all authority would revert to the God-Emperor. The High Lords could no longer issue orders on the God-Emperor's behalf.
The Emperor's word was the truth of the Imperium, without exception!
If the Emperor gave a single command, every Custodian present would immediately move out and drag back those High Lords and Inquisitors.
"There is no rush for that. Guilliman, what are your views on the current Imperium?" The Emperor turned to look at his son, the Primarch of the XIII Legion.
Sitting upon the Golden Throne, he could monitor the situation of all Holy Terra, so he naturally knew what Axis was planning. However, the Emperor was also quite willing to see these High Lords disappear.
They were blocking the Imperium's current path. The Imperium of today had no need for these lofty nobles. The Senatorum Imperialis spoke for mortals, not for him, the God-Emperor.
"Father, the entire Imperium is swaying in the midst of a storm. We must bring back the Legions. Otherwise, I fear we cannot cope with so many of the Imperium's enemies. Truth be told, when I drafted the decree for disarmament and wrote the Codex Astartes ten thousand years ago, I did not consider today's situation. This was my oversight." Guilliman admitted his fault to the Emperor.
"Hmm. I do not blame you. At that time, the Imperium indeed needed to disarm. It needed to rest and recuperate, and maintaining massive Legions was inappropriate. But the situation is different now. Guilliman, I want you to immediately abolish the Codex Astartes and reorganize the Legions," the Emperor stated.
"I understand, Father. I shall obey your will," Guilliman said, nodding to the Emperor.
With a single command from his father, the matter of restoring the Legion system would face no further resistance. The Space Marine Legions were coming back!
"Go and summon every existing human leader on Holy Terra. Whether they are from the Ecclesiarchy or the Inquisition, bring them all here," the Emperor commanded.
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ps?