Is the Emperor a god?
For Alex and Hathor, this was not a philosophical question to be debated, but a cold and cruel reality hanging over the human race.
The withered being on the Golden Throne might still be struggling at the boundary of mortality and divinity, vehemently denying his godhood.
But Alex knew, and was certain Hathor also understood—the end was already fated.
One day, the Golden Throne would no longer be a cage, and the decaying remains upon it would completely transform, becoming the all-consuming "Dark King."
That moment would be the death knell for human civilization.
This was not speculation, but a trajectory of fate as irresistible as stellar gravity.
It was like the suffocating vision in the Lion's dream: the fishing Emperor sat in a fragile boat, blood pouring from his body into the deep waters of chaos.
That blood attracted countless twisted, greedy shadows from the deep, stirring restlessly, coveting this fatal temptation.
However, the Emperor's lingering, ancient and terrifying majesty still acted as invisible shackles, deterring the demons of the abyss, preventing them from easily overturning this solitary boat carrying the last hope.
This balance, fragile as a spider's silk, would eventually be eroded by the blood flowing from him.
"The debate over whether the Emperor is a god is useless in reality." Alex's voice broke the silence of the bridge, sharp and decisive like an adamantium ram.
His gaze, sharp as a torch, turned to Hathor beside him, pulling the ethereal theology back to the iron and blood reality: "We have more pressing issues to decide—the reorganization and reinforcement of the Chapter."
As his words fell, the psychic barrier that had enveloped them, shielding them from prying eyes, silently dissipated like ripples, and the hum of the high-frequency silent field abruptly ceased.
Heavy footsteps approached from afar, metal decking echoing clearly.
Loken, Sigismund, Ventanus, and Ahriman all walked over, and together with Chapter Master Shi Dong, the core command of the Ash Knights was now assembled.
The air seemed to solidify, leaving only the low hum of the life support system and the faint whirring of the adamantium armor's servo-joints.
An invisible pressure permeated the space; every word spoken next would determine the future form of this force and its role in the coming storm of annihilation.
The cold light of the bridge illuminated Hathor's sharply defined profile.
The heavy thoughts about the Emperor and the Dark King were precisely cut off by her, as if she were closing a tactical data stream.
Seeing this, Hathor quickly suppressed her surging questions, pulling all her thoughts back to the critical matter Alex had raised: "Specific plan? How do you intend to reorganize the Chapter?" Her voice was steady and direct, without a trace of hesitation.
Reorganizing the Chapter was something every Commander present had already anticipated.
The scale of the Ash Knights had long exceeded the limits of the codex astartes; the existence of four thousand Astartes Monks was an unavoidable reality.
More importantly, from Governor Chen Xi to Hathor, and then to Chapter Master Shi Dong and his core command, everyone clearly realized that the current Chapter model, based on the codex astartes and primarily composed of small tactical units, was proving inadequate in the face of the Empire's increasing decay, ever-lengthening front lines, and rapidly escalating threat levels in future battlefields.
Insufficient power projection, limited strategic coordination, and difficulty in forming decisive advantages against large-scale, high-intensity conflicts—these drawbacks were particularly evident during the "Tempering Plan" combat operations.
Reorganization was by no means a whim, but an inevitable choice based on harsh reality and future predictions, an urgent need to maintain the Chapter's combat effectiveness and even the Empire's continued existence.
Precisely because of this, issues such as firepower shortfalls, command delays, and coordination gaps between new and veteran soldiers, exposed during the recently concluded "Anvil" and "Forge" operations, provided the most direct impetus and clearest directions for improvement for this long-brewing reform.
The reorganization, finally, moved from paper-based simulations to the post-combat decision-making table.
However, most Commanders had anticipated that a detailed discussion would only take place after the troops had withdrawn to rear bases, completed rest and recuperation, and assessed battle damage.
Alex's current urgency, convening a high-level meeting even while the fires of war on the planet below had not fully extinguished and smoke still intertwined outside the bridge's viewport, even going so far as to urgently recall Commander Ventanus, who was stationed in the rear star system, to participate—this sense of urgency caught some off guard.
On the bridge, the cold blue light outlined the frozen post-battle data of the Broken Tooth Star System and Aigē VII Planet.
Alex stood solemnly before the holographic star map, his fingertip tracing a light point, resting on the marked area where the battle had just concluded.
"Based on the battlefield feedback from 'Tempering' operations," Alex's voice was steady as his gaze swept over the crowd gathered around the star map, "the modular design of MK10 Power Armor undeniably grants it battlefield configuration flexibility.
But my view is: specialized personnel for specialized tasks yield higher efficiency."
He paused for a moment, allowing everyone to clearly hear his words and to carefully evaluate and consider them: "For each company, clearly assign three specialized combat units: Heavy, Tactical, and Vanguard.
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