[The Eleventh Legion is destroyed, and all their history, glory, and sorrow will be wiped out for decades to come. 】

[Their records are being erased, their world has withered, and the warriors and legacies they have left are attracting the eyes of each with their hearts: some want to keep them under their command, some want to hold them in their hands. 】

[But in any case: their existence will be erased, and this cannot be changed.] 】

[But there are some things that cannot be erased, one of my proudest children, has cut a scar on my dreams, and it will never heal: before that, I can expect any of my children, their consciousness and loyalty, that they will be what I dreamed of, that they will be as strong as ever in my reach. 】

[But after that, how many people can I expect?] 】

[Besides Horus, which of my sons is still worthy of 100% trust? 】

[Something has changed. 】

[The purest possibility has gone to the depravity of madness and ambition, and we can only make a worse choice. 】

——————

In the vast underground kingdom of this nameless world, in the darkness, the Palm Seal of the Empire solemnized his face, quietly watching the silver figure disappear.

The Lord of Humanity did not spend any more time with his children, and he maintained a reserved and harsh silence, allowing his daughter to bow her head and think in the dark.

No one knows how long Morgan thought about it, and no one knows if she figured it out: but when the Lord of the Second Legion raised his head again, saluted slowly to meet the blinding golden glow of her genetic father, and addressed him as Father and Emperor, the conversation naturally came to an end.

Compared with other genetic prototypes, the reunion between the emperor and Morgan is inevitably a little cold and unfamiliar: but it is not without precedent, whether it is the archangel of Baal or the eagle lord of the space khanate, their encounter with the lord of humanity is also mixed with cold and constant temptation, questioning and compromise.

Not all Genogens will see the Lord of Humanity as their father: the Emperor understands this, of course, and so his image is different in the face of different children: the gentleness of the Father of Genes and the strictness of the Lord of the Empire exist equally in his chest.

A character like the emperor cannot be described in a simple word, or a simple definition, he can be an iron king who does not understand people's hearts one second, and a father who digs out his heart and lungs in the next moment, and in front of another close friend, he can naturally become a playful character full of humor.

After all, he has witnessed the rise and fall of almost an entire race, he has experienced countless glories and lows, and he can already transform into different images and majesty in different visions: such a character is impossible to describe.

No one can describe him, and no one can sum him up: not even the palm print.

When the Lord of the Second Legion walked out of the underground hall without looking back after a whispered goodbye, the Lord of Humanity did not immediately follow, the Emperor only moved slowly, and walked under the too tall and majestic podium, he raised his head and looked up at the symbol of power and prestige, at the scarlet in the darkness.

After a long time, he sighed.

My child used to think that throne and cheering were my desires, but he was wrong. 】

[He thought I was greedy, I was arrogant and ambitious, he thought I would dream of ruling everything, holding every inch in my hands. 】

But he was wrong. 】

[I am more greedy and arrogant than he imagined, and what burns in my heart is ambition and dreams that he can never imagine. 】

[My dream has long been beyond domination and inheritance, and the place where my ambition is always focused is far beyond my sight, far away at the end of time and space. 】

——————

[He thought I would aspire to have everyone bow their heads and their knees shattered, and fall before my throne?] 】

[Quite the opposite.] 】

I will raise their heads, I will lift them high, and I will hold up this race, this civilization, and everything in front of me. 】

[Entrusted to evolution. 】

[Extraordinary. 】

[Entrusted to eternity.] 】

——————

[From this point of view, I am even a selfish ghost, just like the daughter I just recognized, I am a hopeless selfish ghost, the greatest selfish ghost. 】

The corners of the Human Lord's mouth curled into a slight smile, and he slowly left the place with a relaxed state of mind that had been relieved of some heavy burden.

Behind him, the Palm Printer just frowned and quickly followed.

Machado had too many questions: he thought he deserved answers, at least partially.

"Wait, Apocalypse."

In the depths of the tunnel, which seemed to have no end, the Palm Sealer finally walked to the Emperor's side.

"You have to answer some of the questions on my mind, Apocalypse."

[Is this a question?] 】

"If you want to understand it as some kind of admonition, I don't object to it."

From that bright light, there was a kind of soft smile.

Just ask.

The Emperor spoke to his best friend in a way that was not spoken in words.

The Palm Seal took a deep breath, and he first sorted out his thoughts: the Emperor's performance was so strange that he had accumulated too many questions in his mind for a while, and he didn't even know where to start.

Machado opened his mouth, but after a while, he asked a question that he himself was a little strange.

"When you reveal your true identity to her, what does she see that will ...... Afraid of being like that? ”

【……】

The first question, the emperor was silent.

The majestic monarch frowned slightly, he stroked his chin, and thought very seriously for a moment before shaking his head slightly.

[Even if it is me, I must ask through words to know what I am like in the eyes of others. 】

[However...... If I had to speculate, she might have seen something in her heart that she didn't want to admit, which wasn't impossible considering that my daughter was the one who went deepest into subspace. 】

"She may have seen some of my bad past and future...... Don't look at me like that, I've had times when I've been confused and dissolute, but that's been a long time ago. 】

“……”

The silence of the Palm Seal made the Lord of Humanity move his throat in some embarrassment, and he stroked his neck and added a word.

[I can assure you here, my friend, that I was roughly like this in front of you for 10,000 years before I met you. 】

As for my daughter, you don't have to worry too much, she's seen worse. 】

“……”

The words of the Lord of Humanity did not soothe Machado's brow, and the Palm Sealer was silent for a moment, leading to another topic.

"The one that goes deepest into subspace? You mean Morgan? ”

[I'm just this one daughter, in a sense, it's a blessing, I don't want to face more. 】

"No...... I mean, what about Magnus? ”

The emperor smiled, a helpless smile for his heir.

[If you let the two of them publish a book together, as a simple scholar, then Magnus is undoubtedly the best one. 】

Magnus's in-depth exploration of subspace is a dangerous thing, and in the future, if I had time, I will correct this, and my son's in-depth exploration of subspace shows just how ignorant and reckless he is in this field. 】

[But Morgan is different, she is constantly exploring and developing horizontally in the areas she has repeatedly examined, and perhaps as a pure researcher, she is not as good as Magnus.] 】

[However, if you want to use psionic energy as the only means, carry out a fight for your life. 】

[Then I'm not optimistic about Magnus. 】

The Lord of Mankind uttered these words lightly, as if he were stating some rightful truth.

The Palm Printmaker blinked.

"But you still haven't told me what she's seeing."

"That's not important, my friend. 】

[It doesn't matter at all.] 】

[All she could see was a side of me, the most insignificant angle of my lens-like body and mind, and I wouldn't be surprised by what she saw.] 】

[What's more, she is my child, my creation, although our relationship will be a little strained, but this does not deny that I am the person in this galaxy who knows these genetic prototypes best.] 】

"I know what they're capable of. 】

"I know their limits. 】

"I know what the first gift I gave them was. 】

You don't have to worry about that. 】

The Palm Sealer was silent for a moment, then snorted a note of contempt and mockery from his nose.

He stretched out his scepter and stopped before the Lord of Men, and when the Emperor stopped before the mantis arm, his best friend had already come to him.

Machado raised his head and looked directly at the unremarkable face of the Lord of Humanity in his eyes, the gaze of the Palm Seal piercing through the hood, and he slowly retorted to his sovereign.

"Then don't forget, Apocalypse."

"Standing in front of you is the person in this galaxy who has the second knowledge of those genetic prototypes: he is an unlucky person who has been tormented by your whims for hundreds of years, but thanks to fate, he knows a lot about it."

"In this matter, your words will not convince me."

The Palm Seal was fearless, and in this darkness that no one knew, his courtesy with the Emperor had been weakened to the extreme, and in his bland gaze, the Lord of Humanity had no more way to excuse himself.

The Palm Seal can never say that he knows every aspect of the Emperor, but he can be assured that he knows how open-minded and gentle he is beneath the golden majesty of the armor that symbolizes the Lord of Mankind.

The Emperor paused, seemingly seriously taking a second to think about the possibility of escaping his best friend's question, and the answer to that thought was: in a bitter smile, the Lord of Humanity raised his hand slightly, showing compromise in front of the Palm Sealer.

[Okay, okay, I said that's it.] 】

You're scaring me, my Machado. 】

——————

"You remember, Machado. 】

[Those chess games, those chess games played by you and me. 】

The Emperor walked through the dark corridors, his hand stretched out and brushed lightly over the cold walls: the light and heat converged at his fingertips, and then, he swarmed up and threw them over the walls.

It was as if pen and ink were splashing, accompanied by the cheerful voice of the Lord of Mankind, countless heats and lights, quietly blooming in those darkest corners: the past, the future, ambitions, longings, everything seemed to return to their original appearance.

As Machado watched the glittering images disappear in the shadows, he only felt that he and the Apocalypse were like explorers with torches, advancing through those passages of 10,000 years ago, and the paintings left by the primitive people spoke of a kind of savage passion and surging in this flickering firelight.

[You remember, those chess games. 】

[You and I, we have played chess many times, when we started to make my children, we were playing chess, playing countless reincarnations, but there has never been a completely similar twice, and there has never been a result that you and I are truly satisfied with. 】

[There are always regrets, there are always chokes, and there are always lamentable sacrifices, quietly sprinkled at the fingertips of fate, rolling to the ground. 】

But even so, we still found certain patterns. 】

[Some things are the same. 】

[Just like we can always trust that invincible fortress, in most chess games and games, he reassures me. 】

[Just as I will always lose my blonde beast, no matter how tightly I hold him, in some dark malice, he will always disappear into the shadows.] 】

[Just like ......]

The Lord of Humanity chuckled, and he spoke in a nonchalant tone, under the solemn face of the Palm Sealer.

[It's like having a chess piece that we can't use, it's broken, but it can still stand on the chessboard.] 】

[I can't grasp it, I can't use it, I can't even speculate whether it can be held in my hands, I can only do everything I can to use it. 】

[A few times, I succeeded.] 】

[Then, we saw the name of the piece: it was an unforgettable moment, wasn't it?] 】

The Emperor smiled, and the Palm Seal only looked at him with the most serious face.

"It was a mistake, Apocalypse."

"That name doesn't say anything, it was just a mistake."

The Lord of Humanity smiled, patted Machado on the shoulder, and didn't say much more.

"You always say I'm running away. 】

But when it comes to what you can't face, aren't you just like me, my dear friend? 】

Machado was silent, and in his heart, he sighed softly.

He knew he could only ask the next question.

——————

"So."

"What is the last gift you want to give her?"

——————

Time was of the essence, and by the time the Palm Sealer asked the third question, they were only one step away from the hole.

Machado could even feel the glow reflected by the armor relentlessly interfering with his eyes.

The Lord of Humanity still kept those pleasant smiles, and instead of answering immediately, he said something else.

You know what, Machado. 】

"Before I rushed here, many of my children spoke to me. 】

[Some of them came to meet me because of my instructions, while others volunteered to speak with me. 】

[I met with them, all. 】

[The first to see me was Dorne, my most reliable child, my most trusted cornerstone, my fists. 】

[He made a suggestion, or rather, a plea. 】

"About the Eleventh Legion?"

[Yes.] 】

[We all know that Dorn and Heydrich were friends for some time before, until they broke up completely in a battle. 】

[My Imperial Fist has sheltered a troop of warriors from his brother's hands: because they are unwilling to fire on the civilians who are planned to be consumed, they are abandoned by Heydrich and are even about to be purged.] 】

[In front of this scene, Dorn shattered his friendship with Heydrich with his own hands, and chose to take the warriors with him.] 】

And now, he has made a request to me that he will be allowed to incorporate these warriors into his own legion: that is not a small number. 】

[However, I agreed.] 】

[And the other visitor is very interesting.] 】

[My Killiman, Lord of the Five Hundred Worlds. 】

[He made me a proposal that he wanted to take over the Genetic Seed Bank left behind by the Eleventh Legion, and he thought it would be a great waste to destroy or seal the seeds instead of using them for the Great Expedition.] 】

[He assured me that these forged warriors would not be used for any dirty actions, and that they would all usher in a glorious death in the Great Expedition without exception, as a silent curtain call for the Eleventh Legion. 】

Of course, we all know what our Killeman is thinking: he does want to find a good ending for these warriors, but he also has his own personal opinions. 】

[The battle line left behind by the soldiers of the Eleventh Legion who are destined to die will of course need new replenishment, so that the Five Hundred Worlds will have every reason to increase their military power. 】

[Killyman is Killiman, no matter what it is, he has to find a formal reason to make him feel at ease. 】

[I haven't replied yet, but I'm not going to dismiss his request.] 】

Let them do it. 】

[Except for these two people, the rest of the primordials were all summoned by me personally. 】

[First of all, Peturabo, and Magnus, who will play a role in my next arrangements for my daughter. 】

Magnus is nothing, but Perturabo is interesting. 】

[He cares very much: When did Morgan find out that he was an original body. 】

[His answer to this question is unusually persistent. 】

[And I told him that my daughter, his blood relative, was aware of the identity and power of her genetic prototype in the crazy wave of the Zhandan War. 】

[I told him so, and I praised his results in passing: he seemed very satisfied, and there was nothing bad about it. 】

[And beyond that, there's another problem: my Vanguard fleet in the northeastern part of the galaxy has sent indication, and they are pretty sure that there is a genetic protogen in a world called Nastm.] 】

[But it is too remote and wild, and there is still a storm from the Randan War: it may take us ten years to get there.] 】

[But my hunch tells me that my Lord of the Eighth Legion, my Recipliner and Inquisitor, is there, but there seems to be something wrong with him.] 】

[In any case, after the return of the Lord of the Eighth Legion, I will let Morgan take on the responsibility of teaching him.] 】

Machado frowned.

"Won't it be too soon, Apocalypse."

"Ten years from now, I'm afraid even Morgan herself will still be a teachable, right?"

[She has long been taught, these ten years of war are enough for her to learn everything in this empire, and these ten years are enough for her to solve another problem. 】

“…… What to solve? ”

【Solve the gift.】 】

[My gift to her.] 】

The Lord of Humanity smiled, and his smile unnerved the Palm Sealer.

“…… What gift? ”

The Emperor didn't answer immediately, he just raised his head, and in the vast sea of souls, he guided Machado to the Mandeville point of the galaxy.

A new fleet, a somewhat dilapidated one, is slowly moving in.

"That's ......"

[Legion.] 】

Her legion. 】

[Except for the fleets that are lost in places we don't know, every member of the Second Legion is here. 】

[My daughter, Morgan. 】

[She will be here, accompanied by you, me, and the five genetic protogens, to reunite with her children. 】

[This is my third gift.] 】

——————

“……”

【……】

“……”

【……】

"Do you feel ...... Is this a bit rudimentary? ”

【……】

【…… Yes, some. 】

(End of chapter)