Chapter 228 The Primarch Rises: The Emperor's Inquisitor

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 stars 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 I'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 asking 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 arbiter?" 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 turn into a sword of judgment to kill any powerful people in the empire when they are unable to lose their tail and begin to be swallowed up by their own strength and power and desire, and prune them for mankind. Those tyrants, I have done similar things many times, and the Assassin Court now also shoulders this mission, but that mission originated from me."

"The Emperor has entrusted me with the task of executing any tyrant who rules with unreasonable cruelty, including even himself, Huss. The Emperor's Arbitrator is against all, all."

Vito spoke, as if 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 trusts no one, not even himself. He once told me that humans, no matter who they are, no matter their intentions, will be corrupted by power over time. Honor, praise and achievement are a sweet poison. , he will make a person gradually become paranoid, crazy and depraved.”

"He was aware of this when he created the Primarchs, he knew there would be a Primarch rebellion, and I knew it, and those of us who were involved in the original Primarch program knew it, and he decided to make me the Arbitrator, the true Arbitrator. Officer, it is my duty to prune primarchs when they are corrupted by those desires."

Vito took a sip of wine and leaned forward, putting his hands on his knees. "I did it twice, Huss. Once by myself, and the other time with Ruth. I didn't like that, not at all." dislike."

"Do you know why that feeling is so bad? You can't help but doubt everyone and every friend around you. Maybe what I say will make you uncomfortable, but I really think that the Emperor may be a tyrant. It was my duty to 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 wholeheartedly to my duty as a marshal. I wanted to Forget about your mission as a sword bearer. They are my friends, including Horus. The only thing I don’t want to see them thinking about is when should I kill them.”

"Can you understand? Hus, that bad feeling." Vito said. Hus posted a new blessing scroll on the shrine. He nodded silently, "I think I can understand."

"And I paid a heavy price that time. I didn't discover the corruption of Horus in time, and I didn't discover the inner changes of everyone else. I deliberately ignored many things. I know it might be wrong, but I don't want to do it again. Kill my friends, I’ve already killed two, I don’t want to kill more.”

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

"I don't think so, Marshal. I think that whether you kill Horus or not, the outcome of everything will not change." Hus said, placing a bright candle at the emperor's feet, "As you said Yes, power will corrupt many people. Even if you kill Horus, you will not be able to prevent other Primarchs from being lost to power."

"Your only choice in the end is to kill them all, one by one, leaving no one behind. Just as the traitors say, the Emperor is preparing to kill the donkeys after the Great Crusade, and the one who does it will be you. Then What do you want? Kill all your best friends with your own hands and become the slayer in the prophecy.”

Vito was silent for a long time. He took a sip of wine and shook his head, "No." "That is a painful responsibility, Marshal. All your humanity will be consumed and you will eventually become 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 start to feel dizzy, but now he It feels pretty good.

"I am the arbiter who ends tyrants and tyranny, the sword of judgment of the Empire, but Huth, after the Emperor and the Primarchs have all left, if I become a tyrant, who will be my arbiter?"

Vito said coldly, telling the dilemma that had been lingering on him for many years, a dilemma that no one would ever understand and know.

"I sit on the Golden Throne in the Emperor. I will continue to fulfill my vocation after all the Primarchs have gone. I will order the Assassin Court to kill those greedy and corrupt Imperial officials. I personally ordered the end of generations of High Lords. Believe me Hus, none of the High Lords died peacefully, even those who seemed to die of natural causes."

Vito raised his hand, as if he was holding a dagger, a dagger that shone with cold light, "All high lords are without exception, no matter what kind of people they were originally, their noble qualities will be in the empire." Driven crazy by the almost crazy reality, suspicion and power will make them more paranoid and unwilling to listen to the advice of others. 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. For ten thousand years, I have watched everything happen again and again. Time and time again, those I know, Familiar, I don’t think it’s possible 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 ban the High Lords Council and decide everything himself. Then the empire would 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 hearts 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 take over the empire directly. 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 various 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, Hus, 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 listener, "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 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 a long time later that Hus nodded, and 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.”

Huss walked up to Vito, he pressed Vito's shoulder, the latter also raised his head and looked at Huss in front of him, the latter smiled at Vito, "I just want to say, thank you, Marshal, thank you for protecting this world for so long, and still acting like a human being after enduring so many inhuman tortures. I can't imagine how you did it, but thank you for everything you have done, for everything in the past ten thousand years."

Vito was stunned for a moment, then laughed sincerely, he stood up, picked up the bottle and drank all the wine in a big gulp, and Vito threw the bottle into a trash can not far away.

He smiled at the Emperor statue, then patted Huss on the shoulder and turned to walk towards the exit, he said as he walked, "But soon everything will change, Father."

"Who will change it?" The priest asked, standing in front of the shrine with his hands inserted into his sleeves. Vito raised his finger and pointed to the mural on the side. Huss looked over and saw the giant in blue armor standing in the mural, the thirteenth son of the Emperor.

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

"I will try my best to help him, do my best, and see how far he can go." "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 starlight gradually dimmed. In the dark church, Huss stood in front of the Emperor's shrine, where the only candle was burning. The shining fire illuminated everything around him, and illuminated the only place where there was still light.

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

Vito said he had no arbitrator, he was wrong, at least in this respect, the Emperor had already chosen an arbitrator, Vito's arbitrator, she might not know, but just like Vito, the blade had already been forged, waiting for the moment to be unsheathed.

The Emperor did not trust anyone, the Emperor, the being who sat on the Golden Throne without any humanity, never trusted anyone.