[Wings of Freedom Regional Chat]
[I Just Like Sleeping In]: "Holy fucking shit?????"
[Number One Handsome of the Soul Hall]: "Vespasian actually made a move???"
[Blue Pigeon Knows Nothing]: "Did [Paul Dawn] somehow hook up with this Loyalist?" "Why is Vespasian helping him out so much??"
[Are You Sure This Melon Is Ripe]: "Wait, that doesn't make sense. [Konnichiwa Slaanesh-chan] was being super subtle with what he said, why did Vespasian instantly execute him?"
[All According to Plan]: "It's not about what he said."
[All According to Plan]: "It's about where Vespasian stands."
[All According to Plan]: "Vespasian probably already felt there was something wrong with that sword, and [Paul Dawn]'s words just now only cemented it."
[All According to Plan]: "What [Konnichiwa Slaanesh-chan] said just gave him the perfect excuse to act."
[I Just Like Sleeping In]: "Whatever, it only costs a few respawn coins..."
"Just look at our Phoenix Primarch, it seems he was fully awakened by Slaanesh-chan's words!"
--
After sheathing his sword, Vespasian didn't retreat back into the ranks.
Instead, he slowly stepped forward, walked right up to Fulgrim, and dropped to one knee.
Those clear, pure eyes met his Father's gaze.
"Father."
His voice was low, yet completely resolute.
"I believe Lord Gabriel makes an excellent point."
"Could we perhaps allow the Mechanicus to conduct a thorough examination before you wield it?"
Fulgrim looked down at the son kneeling before him.
Vespasian.
Lord Commander of the Emperor's Children.
One of his most trusted warriors.
Right now, he was kneeling before him, begging him...
Not to take the perfect sword.
In that moment, Fulgrim's heart was plunged into a violent, tearing struggle.
He could feel the sword calling out to him.
The voice was soft, alluring, like a lover whispering intimately into his ear.
Take me...
Take me, and you shall attain perfection...
Take me, and you shall surpass everything...
But at the same time, he also saw Vespasian kneeling before him.
He saw Gabriel's cold, hard, yet entirely sincere eyes.
He thought of Ferrus.
He thought of the years they had spent fighting side by side.
Fulgrim, this is a sword I forged for you with my own two hands.
I used the finest materials and the most flawless craftsmanship.
Try it out, see how it feels.
If it doesn't feel right, I'll re-forge it for you.
That rugged, resolute face had been filled with a completely genuine smile.
Fulgrim's lips parted slightly.
He wanted to say... Very well, let the Mechanicus scan it first.
But the next second, an obsession with perfection—surging from some unknown depth of his heart—violently erupted.
Not perfect enough.
This campaign wasn't perfect enough.
This sword is true perfection.
Only by claiming it can I become Father's most perfect son.
Only by claiming it can I surpass everything.
That obsession exploded like an erupting volcano, instantly drowning out his rationality.
Vespasian's plea, Gabriel's warning, Ferrus's brotherhood...
All of it was completely swallowed up by this overwhelming obsession.
Fulgrim's gaze turned hollow, yet blazed with a searing heat.
He stepped past Vespasian, stepped past Gabriel, and walked toward the altar, one step at a time.
His purple cape snapped sharply behind him.
Vespasian's face instantly went deathly pale.
He abruptly stood up, rushed forward, and dropped to one knee again, physically blocking Fulgrim's path.
"Father!"
His voice trembled, carrying a desperate urgency he had never shown before.
"Father, please, wake up!"
"There is something wrong with that sword!"
Fulgrim stopped in his tracks.
He looked down at Vespasian kneeling before him.
Those violet eyes were now completely devoid of any warmth.
"Vespasian..."
His voice was soft, yet carried a bone-piercing chill.
"Are you questioning my choice?"
Vespasian's body shuddered violently.
But he did not back down.
He raised his head, staring straight into his Father's eyes. Right now, those eyes were filled with pain and struggle.
"Father, I am not questioning you," his voice was hoarse, carrying a tragic solemnity. "I just... I just want to remind you... You once taught us that true perfection comes from within, not from external objects. That sword... it is changing you!"
Fulgrim stayed silent for two seconds.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone watched this scene unfold. They watched a son kneel before his father, desperately trying to wake him up.
Then, Fulgrim slowly spoke. His voice carried a strangeness Vespasian had never heard before...
"Vespasian... you disappoint me."
Vespasian's pupils contracted sharply as two lines of clear tears streamed from his pure eyes.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something...
But Fulgrim had already stepped past him, continuing his slow march toward the sword.
His purple cape traced an elegant arc through the air.
Fulgrim's voice drifted back from ahead, heavy with unquestionable authority. "From this day forward, I never want to hear such words again."
--
[Light of the Emperor Regional Chat]
[Worthy of Sanguinius's Blood]: "Vespasian... I'm actually... crying right now..."
[I Eat Tomatoes]: "Fuck, my eyes are tearing up too."
[For the Regent Yellow Guilliman]: "Is this really the ultimate fate of the Loyalists..."
--
Vespasian remained kneeling on the floor.
His fists slowly clenched tight.
His nails dug painfully deep into his palms.
Tarvitz stood a short distance away, watching the scene.
He wanted to rush forward.
He wanted to kneel right next to Vespasian.
He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, "Father! There really is something wrong with that sword!"
But he couldn't do it, because he knew it would be utterly useless.
--
[Light of the Emperor Regional Chat]
Vance watched this unfold and took a deep breath.
[The Imperium's Purest Inquisitor]: "[Love Eating Grox Cans]."
[Love Eating Grox Cans]: "Here."
[The Imperium's Purest Inquisitor]: "It looks like Vespasian and Crimson Dawn can't stop this. Initiate the explosion of perfect art."
[Love Eating Grox Cans]: "Understood."
--
Just two seconds later.
A flurry of messages cascaded through the regional channel network, instantly reaching the zones of all thirty-two energy pillars supporting the floating coral platform.
The Loyalist players who had been lying in wait pressed their detonators at the exact same moment.
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
Thirty-two colossal explosions erupted almost simultaneously.
The deafening blasts shook the earth, causing the entire floating coral platform to violently tremble.
Debris began to rain down from the temple's dome.
The massive pillars inlaid with pale purple crystals started to crack and splinter.
--
[Wings of Freedom Regional Chat]
[I Just Like Sleeping In]: "Holy shit? What's going on??"
[Number One Handsome of the Soul Hall]: "Didn't we already win? Where are those explosions coming from?"
[Blue Pigeon Knows Nothing]: "The platform is shaking! The energy pillars! Someone blew up the energy pillars!"
[All According to Plan]'s face turned livid. "It's the Imperial faction! They're trying to blow up the entire platform!"
[All According to Plan] quickly pulled up the system interface, glancing at the quest progress...
[Current Progress: 65%]
They were just a hair away.
The moment Fulgrim grasped that sword, the quest would be complete.
[All According to Plan]: "Ignore the explosions! Just wait for Fulgrim to grab the sword!"