Chapter 704 Refutation


    ?Just like Duanmuhuai said, Horus cannot give up.


    The Sixty-second Expedition Fleet is gathering again. However, it is almost impossible to find the mysterious fleet in the Istvan system.


    Horus looked ferocious now. Although he had made a deal with the invisible beings in the subspace, and the other party had promised to blind the brilliance of the star torch and isolate them, so that the communication between the fleets would be interrupted, but Horus Russ didn''t know if this would work against that fleet.


    The remnants of depravity, the lackeys of the evil god.


    Horus clenched his fists, and the other party''s curses still echoed in his ears, but this time, what arose deep in Horus''s heart was not anger, but confusion. It was obvious from what the other party said that they knew very well what those existences in subspace were, and believed that they had succumbed to those mysterious guys... No!


    ?Horus slammed his fist on the table.


    He is not a lackey of the evil god. This is just a deal. Erebus made it very clear that they cannot affect the real world. They just hope to maintain the security of the two worlds and prevent the emperor from becoming a terrible god. And what he did was just making use of their abilities. They were trading with each other, each getting what he needed. It could even be said that Horus was using these evil gods to achieve his own goals!


    He is not the lackey of the evil god!


    “Dong…dong…dong…”


    ?The sound of footsteps sounded, and Horus raised his head and saw Mortarion walking in.


    "The Deathly Ones were furious. They demanded that the fleet be searched immediately. They swore revenge for their Primarch."


    “They will get what they want.”


    Horus said coldly, without Angron, there would be no need for the World Death to exist in his plan. Those uncontrollable risks were enough once, and he didn''t want them to happen again.


    “Will they come?”


    “This is their only chance.”


    Horus gritted his teeth. The losses of the Sixty-second Fleet were not heavy, but several battleships were sunk, and a large number of battleships were damaged and needed repairs. The intensity of the opponent''s firepower exceeded his imagination. Not only that, the gunnery chief also told him that the opponent''s rate of fire, range and reaction capabilities were much stronger than his own fleet.


    This is also the reason why the mysterious fleet was able to fight one against four, and was able to escape unscathed in the end.


    By the way, a large number of loyalist fighters were also taken away.


    ?Emperor’s blessing?


    ?Thinking of this, Horus sneered.


    No one can protect you, not even that false god.


    ?You have only one way to die.


    At this moment, the atmosphere in the fleet of the Tribunal was equally solemn.


    Lorken, Tarvitz and Garro bumped into each other, each looking very serious.


    “Everyone is frustrated.”


    ??Loken was the first to speak, his face showing fatigue.


    "We know that we need to escape the Isstvaan system, go to Terra, and report the Horus Heresy to the Emperor. However, I am now worried about whether there will be a second schism among us."


    Hearing what Loken said, the expressions of the other two people also changed slightly. In the past, the Astartes were as close as brothers, and it would not happen that one Astartes would point his weapon at another Astartes. But now, everything has collapsed. The betrayal of Horus and the massacre on the planet Istvan III have completely defeated the rules that everyone originally relied on.


    But most importantly, their attitude towards the Emperor.


    Most of the Space Marines sent to the surface are veterans. Like Tarvitz and Garro, they served in the Legion before the Emperor recovered the original body. They are the Emperor''s most staunch Supporters, but also regard the Imperial Truth as an absolute dogma.


    However, now that things have happened, it has become clear that the Imperial truth that was originally believed to be a faith was a lie, their Warmaster was changed by the power of evil, and their compatriots and brothers fell into the arms of Chaos. They have become indescribable monsters. Under such circumstances, it is obviously impossible for them to believe in the truth of the empire.


    Then, for the veterans, another problem arises.


    If the Imperial truth is a lie, is the Emperor still worthy of their trust?


    They had no time to think about this problem before. At that time, these Astartes just wanted to survive, trying hard to protect themselves from the deadly poison gas and fire, as well as the pursuit of their own compatriots. So they fought and fought back without any distractions. But now, as they sat exhausted and bruised in the silent cabin, they had to start thinking about this issue again.


    Is the Emperor still worthy of our trust?


    Do we really still owe allegiance to the Emperor?


    ?The Imperial Truth is a lie, so what’s the point of everything we’ve fought for so far? What was the point of the Great Crusade?


    Loken now found that he understood what Horus was thinking, but he did not choose to give up. Unfortunately, not everyone would make the same choice.


    “We need direction.”


    “So you let that woman preach among them?”


    Garro frowned.


    "You know what I saw? A mortal stood on a high platform, saying some nonsense such as the Emperor is the true god, and in front of her, hundreds of Astartes knelt on the ground. This scene reminds me of the planets we conquered during the Great Crusade, those preachers and listeners who preached the truth of the Empire! Now that we have lost the truth of the Empire, we must put our faith in illusory gods? "


    “Perhaps we should talk to His Excellency the Grand Inquisitor.”


    ?Tavitz spoke at this time.


    "Perhaps...I think he can point us to a way."


    “Do you trust him that much, Tarvez?”


    Lorken also looked at Tarvitz.


    "To be honest, I suspect that the relationship between this fleet and the empire may be unusual. You have all heard that during the battle, they shouted ''for humanity'' and ''for the Tribunal'', but they never mentioned it. Speech on ''Empire'' or ''Emperor''."


    "I know."


    ?Tavitz nodded.


    "But what we have to do now is to find the target. We have seen what the Astartes will do if they lose their target, and none of us want to do it again here."


    After making the decision, the three people hurried to the hall again. However, to their surprise, when they entered the hall, they saw Hindman and the woman sitting on chairs, chatting with the Grand Inquisitor.


    “Oh, you are here.”


    ?Seeing the three Astartes warriors, Duanmuhuai chuckled and raised his chin at Hindman and the woman.


    “These two people have been trying to convince me that my arrival is part of the emperor’s plan. I have to say that their logic is quite self-consistent. When written into a novel, the logic is still strict, and at least it can be justified.”


    ?Hearing Duanmuhuai''s words, Loken and Tavitz looked helpless, while Jia Luo frowned. Even if the Imperial Truth is a lie, he doesn''t like these blabbering missionaries.


    "Because this is the truth, your noble Grand Inquisitor." The woman spoke again, her voice soft and calm.


    “The Emperor’s radiance has led you here to find a new future for us…”


    “To be honest, I think I’ve heard enough.”


    Duanmu Huai waved his hand.


    “I’ve never gotten high marks in reading in Chinese classes, so you don’t need to be so far-fetched in giving my actions any sense of justice…and…I suddenly thought of a very interesting thing.”


    Starting at the old missionary and the woman in front of him, Duanmuhuai suddenly thought of a joke that was famous among players.


    “You said you believe in the Emperor and think he is the true god, right?”


    "Yes, Lord Grand Inquisitor, the Emperor is indeed the true **** of this universe..."


    "I don''t object to this, but how can you prove that the emperor you believe in is the emperor?"


    …………?”


    I have to say that Duanmu Huai’s question really confused a few people.


    "Of course we believe in the Emperor..."


    “Emperor is just a title.”


    Duanmuhuai interrupted the woman’s defense.


    “A noble title, but more than one person in the universe can be called the Emperor.”


    …………”


    Hearing Duanmu Huai''s words, Loken''s expression was a little strange. He clearly remembered that the Luna Wolves captured a civilized galaxy before. The leader of that civilization also called himself the Emperor. He even set up a A trap was created to lure the Astartes, but in the end Horus killed him himself.


    So for a long time after that, the joke "I was there when Horus killed the Emperor" was indeed very popular among the warriors of the Luna Wolves.


    ?Now it looks more like a prophecy.


    “So, you cannot prove that the Emperor you believe in is the Emperor of Terra.”


    Duanmu Huai spread his hands and looked at the woman with a half-smile.


    “Right?”


    "But I felt his power. The light from Terra guided me, dispelled the fog, and foreshadowed the future for me..."


    The woman clasped her hands and put them on her chest, but Duanmu Huai did not move at all.


    "Well, I agree with this. As I said just now, the birth of many gods comes from the power of will. If there are enough believers and people in the empire, they believe that the emperor is a true **** and will protect mankind forever. Then it is indeed possible for such a true **** to appear—a **** named the Emperor.”


    Having said this, Duanmu Huai chuckled.


    "So, you are planning to replace the ruler of the human empire with a **** named the Emperor. Well...it''s quite interesting, isn''t it? From this point of view, you and Horus have nothing to do with it either. Too big a gap.”


    …………!”


    ?Hearing Duanmu Huai''s taunt, the woman''s expression changed drastically. The old missionary next to her also trembled, and the three Astartes warriors were also stunned.


    "No! Lord Grand Inquisitor! The one we believe in is the Emperor of Terra! No one else!"


    "You are just his worshipers. If it is a fictitious god, it will naturally conform to your imagination, because it is your ideas that created it. But the emperor actually exists. You see, just like those who are worshiped Idols, artists, and their admirers will also regard these artists as flawless and even supreme beings. However, you should be very clear that there is actually a gap between the artists in the eyes of their admirers and the artists in reality. You Is that right?"


    "this………"


    ?The woman stepped back. She wanted to deny Duanmuhuai''s words, but she had to admit that Duanmuhuai''s words made sense. She is a recorder herself and has many friends of artists. She knows that many mortals admire these artists and are even willing to dedicate everything to them. In the eyes of their admirers, these artists are celebrities with noble talent, handsomeness and unrestrained style. But she knew that many of her colleagues were drunkards and often even gave up on themselves...


    "No!"


    The woman screamed, trembling and collapsed to the ground.


    “I’m not, that’s not what I meant...!”


    At this moment, she completely lost her usual eloquence. She had never thought about this question. Is the emperor she admired and the one who really lived in Terra really the same person?


    If they are not, then what does everything they do mean?


    “Well, it looks like that’s the end of it.”


    Duanmuhuai spread his hands.


    “You guys go down and think about your life, and don’t say boring things in front of me from now on.”


    Duanmu Huai''s question is actually a famous joke among players. At that time, a very serious player posted a complaint and said, "After reading the Book of Sacred Words, I feel that the Emperor in it and the one from Terra are not the same person at all. ", and then a player replied, "Then what proof do you have that the emperor is the emperor?"


    ?So this became a matryoshka meme.


    You can''t prove that the emperor you believe in is the emperor, which means that the emperor of Terra may not be the emperor believed in by the state religion...laughing to death.


    At most it can only be said that they have the same name and surname.


    ??So the soul in the skeleton sitting on the golden toilet may not have been the emperor of Terra, but the emperor who became the state religion.


    ??This is a civet cat for a prince. It took Luojia 10,000 years to successfully usurp the throne. It is gratifying and congratulatory.


    To Duanmuhuai, it was just a joke, but it seemed to be a big blow to Hindman and the woman. They supported each other and left the hall tremblingly. The three Astartes looked at them with some inexplicable sympathy in their hearts.


    “Okay, the boring stuff is over.”


    ? Duanmu Huai retracted his gaze, patted the little head of Ojis next to him, and looked at the three of them.


    “So, what do you want from me?”


    (End of this chapter)