"Excellent. Mission accomplished. We retreat." Ahriman cast one final glance at his bloody masterpiece. He confirmed that the core members of the High Lords were completely erased from existence; not a single witness remained alive.
He and his Rubric Marines, along with the warband of the Prodigal Sons, vanished as phantom-like specters into the shadows of the melting doorways, disappearing just as silently as they had arrived.
The entire hunt had been efficient and ruthless, thoroughly severing any possibility that news regarding the Emperor's awakening would leak from the mouths of these parasites.
The Aeldari sent by the God of the Dead to assist had been stationed on the perimeter for security. Now that Ahriman and his forces had completed the task, the xenos were free to withdraw.
This was a mission given to him by his Master; Ahriman had no desire to let the Aeldari get directly involved. Although he had betrayed the Emperor, he still identified with the core philosophy of human supremacy. To him, other races were merely the vermin and refuse of the galaxy.
Before departing, Ahriman laid down a faint psychic barrier.
"Trajann, send your most elite squad of Custodians to the core of the Senatorum Imperialis tower immediately," Ahriman projected a disguised psychic message. "There are signs of... a heretical energy outbreak there."
Trajann Valoris was shaken to his core. Heretical energy? In the heart of the Holy Palace?
The Captain-General of the Adeptus Custodes dared not hesitate. He immediately selected a squad of his finest warriors. "Proceed immediately to the top level of the tower where the members of the High Lords have taken refuge! Highest alert level! If you find any anomalies, kill on sight!"
There was a strangeness to this entire event, but the Emperor's orders were supreme. He executed only the commands of the Master of Mankind, regardless of what those commands might be.
Like bolts of golden lightning, the Custodian squad stormed out of the Throne Room at maximum speed, heading toward the district where the High Lords and numerous nobles were hiding.
When they breached the weak psychic barrier Ahriman and the Ynnari Warriors had left behind to delay and confuse sensors, and burst into the hidden chamber on the top floor, the hellish sight before them caused even these battle-hardened, iron-willed demigods to feel a momentary suffocation and a surge of towering rage.
Charred, twisted, and unrecognizable remains were scattered across the floor. The walls and ceiling were plastered with profane runes and the chaotic marks of wild slashing. The thick stench of Warp sulfur and blood was nauseating.
The residual evil of Chaotic energy coiled around every corner like a viper, pointing strongly toward an extremely cruel massacre carried out by Chaos Daemons or fanatics.
This place, once the heart of Imperial authority, had been reduced to a defiled altar of the Ruinous Powers.
The Shield-Captain suppressed the fury threatening to burst from his chest. His anger was not for the deaths of these High Lords and nobles, but for the insult to the Emperor's resurrection.
On the very day they were to welcome back the Master of Mankind, these claws of Chaos had dared to cause havoc, infiltrating a place deemed perfectly secure.
The present Custodes quickly scanned the scene. No survivors. No valuable leads. Only total destruction and desecration.
He immediately reported to Trajann via the vox-channel. "Captain-General... the core members of the Senatorum Imperialis... all terminated. The scene is horrific. It is Chaos. The work of powerful Chaotic forces. We... were too late."
When the news reached the Throne Room, a deathly silence descended.
Trajann knelt upon the floor to report to the Emperor, requesting punishment for his failure as the Captain-General.
"My Lord, this is our failure. This is a shame upon the Custodes. I beg for your chastisement."
"There is no need for self-blame. This does not concern you. Rise," the Emperor spoke. "Go and summon the Inquisitors fighting on the front lines, the priests of the Ministorum saving citizens on the battlefield, and those high officials of the Empire who did not hide."
There were good men and bad men. The high officials of the Imperium were no different.
There were those who feared death and lived out their meager existences hiding in subterranean bunkers.
And then there were those who fought on the front lines against the enemies of the Imperium and the Daemons of Chaos.
At least half of the Inquisitors on Holy Terra had chosen not to hide in the bunkers or conspire with the members of the High Lords. Instead, they were on the battlefield, rallying the mortal soldiers and battling the legions of the Great Enemy.
These individuals received the Emperor's pardon and were spared from Ahriman's purge. Only the cowards who hid, those unworthy of life, were the targets for elimination.
Kasha and Kratos feigned shock, and Guilliman furrowed his brow deep in thought. Of course, this was all a performance for the benefit of others, as they had known of the operation well in advance.
Axis, however, let the corner of his mouth hook into an imperceptible smile. The Old Man played his hand beautifully. The High Lords of the Imperium, had they survived to see the God-Emperor awaken, would have surely tried to find a way to sideline him.
After Guilliman's return, the High Lords had been foolish enough to demand that a Primarch, a son of the Emperor, obey their commands. They had deluded themselves into thinking that the Emperor and the Primarchs were merely history.
For these parasites of the Imperium, death was their best and most perfect destination.
"My Lord! regarding those Chaos warbands that infiltrated Holy Terra," Trajann stated firmly, "this subordinate will personally lead a Custodian shield-host to apprehend them. I will not allow them to leave Terra alive."
The Emperor had stopped him from going to the tower earlier, likely because he had sensed the Chaos forces attacking the High Lords. The Emperor clearly did not wish to save those corrupt politicians, hence his tacit approval of the massacre.
But that did not mean Captain-General Trajann could spare these traitors. The moment these filth stepped onto Holy Terra, their deaths were ordained. Trajann would see them annihilated.
"Do you know who the Chaos attackers were?" the Corpse Emperor asked from the Golden Throne.
"My Lord, I have already ordered the Custodes and the accompanying Sororitas to conduct an investigation. The Inquisition is also sending personnel for identification," Trajann replied. "I believe results will follow shortly. We will determine which traitor warband committed this, be it a notorious Chaos Champion, a Lord, or a Chosen. This subordinate ensures they will not leave Holy Terra breathing."
The Emperor nodded at these words, but his psychic consciousness began a private communion with Axis.
'How did your subordinate perform? Will he be identified? You had best hide him for now.'
'This is also an opportunity for a test,' Axis replied psychically. 'I want to see if your Custodes can determine that it was Ahriman, and see if Ahriman can evade the pursuit of the Captain-General. If he succeeds, then he was worth the fruit of the Tree of Might I spent to heal him.'
Axis was using this chance to measure Ahriman's capabilities. He wanted to see if the sorcerer could escape under the wanted notice of the Ten Thousand. The Custodes were currently filled with rage, and Trajann himself would be leading the hunt.
'That is fitting. I also wish to observe the current strength of the Custodes. If that is the case, let him pursue,' the Emperor projected. 'Can you provide me with some of those fruits from the Tree of Might?'
Axis wanted to test his subordinate, and the Emperor wanted to audit his bodyguards.
However, the Emperor placed great importance on the Tree of Might fruit. That singular object contained immense life energy. For his current shattered condition, it was critically important.
'Of course, though the first-generation fruits are precious. I can give you two at most. I can give you more of the second-generation fruits,' Axis responded.
The effects of the first generation were indeed the best, but if there were enough second-generation fruits, quantity could make up for quality. In the Emperor's current state, consuming second-generation fruits would still replenish his life energy, and his physical form would slowly begin to improve.
'How are these second-generation fruits cultivated? 'the Emperor asked.
'The planting method is simple enough. You find a planet with vigorous life force and plant it. However, it will cause drought and desertification across a large region. The land can recover after a period of time,' Axis explained.
Unlike the first generation, the second-generation Tree of Might did not kill the planet completely. It would desertify a region, preventing plant growth for a few centuries, but the planet would find a way to survive, as would the life upon it.
With the addition of new organic matter or some terraforming, recovery might only take a few decades. If left to nature, it might take centuries or a millennium to be viable for planting again.
A planet could sustain over a hundred of the second-generation trees before its life force was completely drained. As long as the number planted did not cross ten, the planet would remain safe.
However, because they originated from the Dragon Ball universe, successfully sprouting the seeds required the stimulation of Ki. Currently, only Axis or the first-generation Saibamen could perform the planting.
'Can you provide me with some seeds of the second generation? If mass-produced, 'the Emperor mused, 'and combined with the Primaris Space Marines, we could elevate the Astartes and Custodes to a new level. It could even fundamentally change the human race.'
The effect of the fruit was simply too good. If farmed on a large scale and processed into augmentation elixirs, it could raise the biological tier of the entire human species.
The one thing the Imperium did not lack was planets. With enough time to distribute the fruit to humanity, achieving a species-wide biological ascension was entirely possible.
'I am afraid that cannot happen as you wish, Axis countered. First, to plant this specific fruit, one must possess Ki. In this universe, I am the only one who has it. Furthermore... are you certain you want to increase the life force of the entire human race and trigger a species-wide ascension?'
It was no joke. If the human race ascended and their life force surged, the number of psykers would skyrocket.
Human lifespans would increase dramatically, essentially creating another race like the Aeldari, but with reproductive capabilities far outstripping them.
The Aeldari birthed their pantheon of gods. In their prime, the Aeldari gods could rival the Chaos Gods.
The human race already had the Old Man.
The terrifying power generated by such a collective evolution would not transfer to just anyone. The Emperor's power would increase further, but if the Emperor's power increased, it meant the Dark King would also be strengthened.
Thus, Axis had no intention of allowing the humanity of this universe to evolve, at least not until he was confident he could erase the Dark King.
Otherwise, he would merely be funding his own enemy. Saiyans were not stupid enough to do that.
Axis had kept the secret of the first-generation Saibamen well, ensuring even Sanguinius maintained silence.
The Emperor of this universe was not his father; saving this empire was merely a private endeavor. He would absolutely not compromise the interests of his own universe.
On the Golden Throne, the Emperor fell into silence. It was true, as Axis said. The key to the fruit lay with Axis alone.
'You are correct. Neither the conditions for cultivation nor the consequences of a total human ascension are something the Imperium can currently withstand,' the Emperor admitted.
The initiative was in Axis's hands. Moreover, since arriving in this universe, Axis had already provided immense aid. While the Emperor wished to secure more benefits for humanity, his immediate needs were already overwhelming.
'As long as you understand. Before we have the ability to thoroughly resolve the threat of the Dark King, do not attempt to ascend the human race. If humanity becomes stronger, the Dark King will grow stronger upon devouring them,' Axis warned.
For the current stage, Axis thought, the Old Man should just help him devour the Khorne of this universe.
The Aeldari had already begun collecting the shards of Khaine.
Once those shards were gathered, Axis intended to consume the fragments of the War God first to further enhance his divine power before laying a finger on Khorne.
'I understand. I am already crafting the artifact to store ten thousand years of my memories. It may take several years. Please wait patiently during this time,' the Emperor said.
Axis nodded.
While the Emperor and Axis communed, the investigation by the Custodes proceeded rapidly. Inquisitors were brought to the scene to identify the heraldry of the Chaos warbands.
During this interval, the surviving high-ranking officials of the Empire, personnel from the Ecclesiarchy, the Inquisition, the Astra Telepathica, and even members of the Navigator Houses, all arrived before the Golden Throne to pay homage to the great God-Emperor and witness His awakening with their own eyes.
All present were incomparably agitated. The awakening of the God-Emperor was momentous for humanity.
Meanwhile, the Inquisitors responsible for investigating the attack returned with news. After careful identification, they determined that at least three Heretic Astartes warbands had participated in the assault, alongside summoned daemons.
"Great Emperor, we have clarified the situation. Three Chaos Space Marine warbands attacked the members of the High Lords," an Inquisitor reported, trembling. "They belong to the factions of Khorne, Nurgle, and Slaanesh."
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ps?