Warhammer Inquisitor

The starlight projected into the church through the huge glass located on both sides. There was no one in the silent church. The brilliant starlight shone on the huge emperor icon, and the shining rays lit up the majestic emperor. The figure of the emperor.

Countless candles were burning under his feet, and countless scrolls of prayers trembled with the rising thermals. Vito was sitting in the front seat of the church drinking a bottle of wine, which was a bottle of pure vodka , presumably he got it from Ragnar's private reserves.

Vito is sitting in this empty church, some of the long rows of seats around are hidden in the dark, and some are sprinkled with a layer of dazzling starlight, Vito is sitting in one of the rows of chairs illuminated by starlight On the bed, a person sat quietly drinking the wine in his hand from time to time.

Vito leaned back on the chair and looked at the icon of the emperor in front of him, and looked 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 Fortunately, at least Guilliman will get up and work together."

"And you old bastard, still sitting on that broken chair, lighting your tattered astronomical torch and webway, that's much easier than what we have to do." Vito smiled wryly and took a sip of his wine, he hung his elbows He knocked the bottle against the back of the chair.

The emperor's icon overlooked Vito who was praying below, looking at him without saying a word, the golden crown shone brightly under the starlight, the empty church was silent, what superfluous voice was in the darkness nothing.

You can hear the cold wind blowing under the colonnade, the crackling of the candles, the ticking of the pendulum clock, and of course you can hear the footsteps in the darkness on the edge of the church.

Vito smiled and raised the wine bottle and pointed it into the darkness. His fingers stretched out from above the bottle and pointed to the people in the darkness, "Generally there are only two kinds of people hiding in the dark, assassins and people with problems. You Which one is it? Father Huss."

Following Vito's words, Father Hus appeared in the darkness, not because the starlight illuminated the place, but because Father Hus lit a candle. Burning up, the old face of Father Nahus was also illuminated.

Hus came out with a candlestick in his hand. He walked past Vito and came under the statue of the emperor, "or the third type of person, the priest who came to replace the ever-burning candle."

Vito looked at Huss, who was indeed replacing the burnt candle, and smiled. He raised the bottle and saluted Huss, "Do you drink? Father." "I quit a long time ago. Surprised to get drunk?"

Vito laughed and took a gulp of his wine. He slammed the bottle aside and leaned back on the chair, "First of all, I'm not drunk, and secondly, the Marshal is also a human being. Of course, he also drinks to soothe his worries and chat with old friends. of."

The priest smiled and took down a burning candle, and then replaced it with a brand new one, "I heard about you on the deck, the whole ship is rumored that a god has returned, They seem to have forgotten what you used to be."

"Human beings are like this. When a new and impactful event happens, they will forget what happened before." Vito said looking at the statue of the Emperor, his face was slightly rosy, maybe it was alcohol The effect may also be due to pure fire.

"People forget a lot of things, their identities, responsibilities, and missions." Vito said softly, while Huss smiled silently. He adjusted the candles on the altar and swept away the remaining burnt candle slag around him. Lose.

Huss swept the shattered scum into a small portable shovel, Huss turned around and poured it all into the trash can beside him, "And what about you? Supreme Marshal, has Vito Constantine forgotten himself? What about your mission and responsibilities?"

Vito looked at Huss silently, laughed after a while, picked up the bottle and took another sip, "I know what you mean, Huss, I've lived for forty thousand years to understand the meaning of such words, You are reprimanding me for watching the empire go through the darkness for thousands of years, but you have been just watching, right?"

"You think I'm messing around, and it's still ten thousand years old." Vito said with a chuckle, and Hus dealt with the things on the candlestick indifferently, as if he didn't feel too much at all because of the words that might offend the Supreme Marshal just now disturbed.

The priest calmly handled the work at hand, and said while doing it, "Then what is the answer? What is the answer of the Supreme Marshal himself?"

Vito looked at the wine bottle in his hand, watched the rippling wine in it and was silent for a moment, then he took a big gulp of wine and looked up at the face of the emperor statue, "Because I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" Huss asked, the question was still so natural, as if he didn't care about it at all, which is why Vito liked to chat with Huss, he was like the priest in those confessional rooms Similarly, let you speak out all the things in your heart without any worries and worries when you tell everything.

The words that have been held back for hundreds of millions of years.

"Did you know that every king has an arbitrator?" Vito asked, and Huss nodded and lit a candle. "Yes."

"Then do you know what the duty of the arbitrator is?" "Execute the king's criminals?" "And decide 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. Power was given to me."

"I am a watchman, this is not an adjective, priest, my duty is to turn into a sword of judgment to kill any powerful person in the empire, when they start to be swallowed up by their own strength and power, and desire, and cut them off for mankind. Those tyrants, I have done similar things many times, and the Assassin Court also shoulders this mission now, but that mission originated from me."

"The Emperor entrusted me with the mission to execute any tyrant with unreasonable brutality who has the power to kill, including even himself, Huss, the Emperor's arbitrator for all, all."

Vito narrated, as if recalling a vague memory, everything came out of his mouth little by little, that ancient secret that had long been forgotten by people.

"The Emperor trusts no one, not even himself. He once told me that men, whoever they are, whatever their intentions, are corrupted by power over time. Honor, praise and achievement are sweet poisons. , he will make a person gradually paranoid, crazy and depraved."

"He realized it when he created the Primarchs, he knew there was going to be a Primarch Rebellion, and I knew it, we who were originally involved in the Primarch program knew it, and he decided to make me this arbitrator, the real arbitrator Officer, it is my duty to prune the primarchs when they are corrupted by those desires."

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

"You know why that feels so bad? You can't help but doubt everyone, every friend around you, and maybe what I'm saying will make you uncomfortable, but I really thought the Emperor might be a tyrant, I should have done my duty and killed him."

Vito rubbed his head, all those bad memories were recalled because of the alcohol, those memories that he had forgotten for a long time, "I once wanted to forget this feeling, I devoted myself to the duties of the marshal, and wanted to Forget about being a sword bearer, they are my friends, Horus they are, and I don't want to see the only thing on their minds is, when am I going to kill them."

"Can you understand? Huss, that terrible feeling." Vito said, and Huss posted a new scroll of blessings on the shrine. He nodded silently, "I think I can understand."

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

Vito looked at the bottle and said, he lowered his head and continued, "Sometimes I wonder if I caused the Horus Rebellion alone, because I gave up my responsibility, and I should have been in that crisis. before it all ends.”

"I don't think so, Marshal, I don't think the outcome will change whether you kill Horus or not." Hus said, placing a bright candle at the Emperor's feet, "As you said Yes, power corrupts many people, and even if you kill Horus, you won't be able to prevent other Primarchs from being blinded by power."

"Your only choice in the end is to kill them all, one by one, leaving no one behind, just like the legend of the traitors, the emperor is going to kill the donkey after the Great Crusade, and the person who will do it will be you, then What do you want? Kill all your best friends with your own hands, and make yourself 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 wiped out, and you will eventually become one."

"Cruel rulers, yes, I know, that's what I want to say." Vito said while drinking, the spicy wine rushed down his throat, making his head dizzy, but now he It feels good.

"I am the Arbiter of tyranny and tyranny, the Sword of Judgment of the Imperium, but Huss, if I become a tyrant after the Emperor and Primarchs are gone, who will be my Arbiter?"

Vito said coldly, speaking of the dilemma that has haunted him for many years, a dilemma that no one will ever understand and know.

"I sit on the golden throne of the emperor, and after all the primarchs are gone, I will continue to perform my vocation. I will order the court of assassins to kill those greedy and corrupt officials of the empire. I personally ordered the end of generations of high lords, Believe me Huss, no high lord dies in peace, not even those who seem to die of natural causes."

Vito raised his palm, as if he was holding a dagger in his hand, a dagger gleaming with cold light, "All the high lords without exception, no matter what kind of people they were originally, in the noble character they will be in the empire Being driven crazy in an almost crazy reality, suspicion, and power will make them more paranoid and less willing to listen to other people's advice, and finally, a tyrant is born."

"The Assassins have 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, more and more suspicious of the people around them, thinking that everyone is the enemy of the empire and themselves, and everyone is preventing them from building a great cause "for the empire and all mankind", and eventually they become a ruthless murderer. Tyrants, even the Grand Mentor of the Order of Assassins chosen by myself."

Vito sighed and drank another big sip of wine, he sighed silently, "I always think of a famous saying in ancient Terra, when a person wears a crown, it is not the person who makes the decision, but the top of the head crown."

"There is a saying in the east of ancient Terra that is the most ruthless emperor's house. This sentence is not wrong at all. For ten thousand years, I have watched it happen again and again, time and time again. Those I know, Familiar, I think it is impossible for such a person to end up like that sentence, the dragon slaying warrior becomes a dragon."

Vito took another sip of the wine, and the volts bottomed out faster, but the alcohol did allow him to continue talking.

"It's not that I don't care about the empire. I know that you will ask me why the great supreme marshal didn't directly ban the high lord council, and then decide everything himself, so the empire will definitely be better."

"The answer is simple, Huss, because I dare not, I am afraid to touch that power, I have witnessed the Primarch, those demigods were corrupted by it, and I have seen countless generations of high lords being swallowed by it, And why do you expect me not to be swallowed by it?"

"I also tried to take over the empire directly. It was during the Macharius expedition. I thought about it, but you know? When I was arguing with the bureaucrats of the Ministry of State Affairs, they refused to continue to support it for various reasons. The expedition also brought various demands and troubles, just as Horus hated them for the same reasons.

"I could feel those inner voices when I touched power. It wasn't the first time I heard that voice, but it was especially strong. It made me feel satisfied, superior, superior, why would I want to be with a bunch of stupid people? What about "mortals"? I was born to dominate the fate of the galaxy and mankind."

Thinking about it now, Vito's back gets chills, because that feeling is still lingering in his heart, like the sweet poison that penetrates into the deepest part of the soul, the sweet poison that made Horus, the sons of the demigods fall into rebellion .

"I can feel that terrible killing intent and desire for power. I have killed many similar people. I have also seen Primarchs driven mad by this, high lords driven mad, generals of the Star Militia and Navy Driven mad, and I, Huss, I knew what I was becoming, and I might become a tyrant because of it, imagine, if I become a tyrant, who can stop me?"

Vito put the wine bottle aside and said, Hus turned his back to his silent listener, "When the arbitrator who was 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, and I faked my own death and walked away, and I haven't touched the crown since."

"Huss, my power is very strong, but that is precisely what I am most afraid of, because I know that no one in the present universe can compete with my power, once I am swallowed by the curse of power, there will be no judge to come Stop me and it's all over, not to mention those four bastards are still egging me on."

Vito held his head and sighed, he lowered his head and sighed, "I will become the most terrifying ruler in the history of human beings and 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 the fall."

The new evil god, yes, that's the one, the possibility that Vito's back will glow when he thinks about it, and the reason he's scared is because he knows he might actually be like that, not just Slaanesh who comes to usurp him from time to time, Tzeentch This is even more attentive. During Macharius's expedition, he even went to the field to encourage himself.

Vito knows what will happen to him after being confused and swallowed by power, and after his humanity is worn out like an emperor in the process of ruling a huge empire.

The deadly silence lasted for a long time. Vito said nothing, and neither did Huss. There was only the crackling of burning candles and the whistling of cold wind blowing through the corridor.

Huss nodded after a long time, and he turned to look at Vito behind him, "I think I understand, Marshal, I won't blame you for standing on the sidelines. In fact, I think you have done your best for the empire."

"In places unknown to people, in those historical moments that have gone mad, you have fulfilled your duty for thousands of years to end those who are cursed by power, and you yourself, the Marshal, must never be the same, because if you do, there is no People can come to stop you, and the empire will embark on a path of no return that cannot be corrected."

Hus walked towards Vito, walking over step by step, "I can imagine how many times you couldn't suppress your emotions, and wanted to stop all of this yourself, and bring back the prosperous world that the emperor and you established, but you They all gave up because of their mission as a sword bearer, and even doubted themselves many times."

Hus walked up to Vito, he held Vito's shoulder, the latter also looked up at Hus in front of him, and the latter looked at Vito with a smile, "I just want to say, thank you, Marshal, thank you You have guarded this world for so long, and you have endured so many inhuman tortures, but you still look like a human being, I can't imagine how you did it, but, thank you for everything, everything for ten thousand years."

Vito was stunned for a moment, and then smiled sincerely. He got up and picked up the bottle and took a big gulp to drink it all. Vito threw the bottle into the trash can not far away.

He looked at the Emperor Idol and smiled, then patted Huss on the shoulder and turned towards the exit, saying as he walked, "But everything will change soon, Father."

"Who will change it?" The priest asked while standing in front of the altar with his hands in his cuffs. Vito pointed to the mural on one side. Hus 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, raised his eyes and gave him 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 everyone else? What if he is also swallowed by the curse of power?"

"Then I will fulfill my duty this time." After Vito said, he walked into the darkness outside the church, and the starlight gradually dimmed. In front of the shrine, the blazing fire illuminated everything around, illuminating the only place that still had light.

The fire reflected on the face of the Emperor God Statue, illuminating his face, and the light of the fire dotted the pupils of the statue, just like a pair of eyes that were really opened, and those eyes looked into the darkness. Vito looked at him quietly.

Vito said he didn't have an arbitrator, he was wrong, at least in this point, the Emperor has already chosen an arbitrator, Vito's arbitrator, she may not know, but like Vito, but the knife Already forged, the sharp blade is waiting to be unsheathed.

The Emperor trusts no one, the Emperor, the inhuman being who sits on the Golden Throne, never trusts anyone.