Warhammer: I don't want to become a stinky can!

That was Hades' other fate, another fate that had already collapsed.

Hades could vaguely guess what the Emperor was going to do—he had already reached this level, how could he not see the current situation? Fate became intertwined in Hades' eyes, and he realized that the Emperor was going to play a big game.

And he was able to accomplish this—because he ascended to godhood, because he was Hades.

Hearing Hades's words of comfort, Mortarian remained silent, only turning his head to stare intently at Hades.

[My destiny, our destiny, and our story... are ultimately just non-existent history, aren't they?]

Hades shook his head and smiled—though he wasn't sure if Mortarian could tell he was shaking his head.

+These things all happened, they all really happened. Your sacrifices and suffering will be seen and remembered. +

I don't need to be remembered or seen.

[Motalian] said,

[I only ask that our destiny, our story, also have a good future.]

What did you notice?

[Luojia promised me that Herrera could exist—that proves our fate hasn't completely collapsed and become yours.]

Hades blinked, looking somewhat troubled.

I don't think I can explain this clearly either, but I think you can ask another version of myself—one of my many shadows—he might be able to explain it.

[......]

Thank you.

Hades simply waved his hand, and then Mortarion, along with the palace adorned with chaos, rapidly faded into the darkness.

..............................

Against the backdrop of devouring chaos, Luo Jia finally arrived at the front of the Net Path—hidden underground not far from the Ouroboros' habitat.

The Wolf King and the Khan were already waiting here. The Wolf King sat silently beside the stone platform, on which lay the sleeping Lion King Leon.

Luo Jia nodded.

+Ready to set off, you two, with Caliban as the starting point of your journey.+

[Damn it, I have no idea what that thing is!]

The wolf king tapped the ceiling above their heads.

[You've grown so big.]

Because He is the future Him, not the Him you know now.

Luojia smiled.

+Our Lord has already made a pact with the Lord of Change, and the opportunity to enter another destiny comes only once—when the Lord of Change arrives, you must follow immediately. +

Khan nodded, while Wolf King casually gave an "OK" sign. Primarch stood up with a nonchalant air, dusting himself off.

The heavens and earth trembled; Tzeentch was coming.

Luo Jia chanted the incantation again. The Tzeentch who arrived at this moment should be the master of all changes in front of the Comoros gambling table—but at the same time, He would also bring the current Tzeentch, and then they would enter a new cycle of fate and time together.

This time, however, they have to take the path of the net.

..............................

+I understand what you're trying to do, Neos.

Hades said that across from him, Neos, extracted from the devoured Dark Lord, was sprawled on the sofa.

Once he regained consciousness, the first thing he did was to get Neos out of there.

+Then the rest is up to you—I can't do anything else anyway. +

Hades stroked his chin.

+During the Slaanesh War in the Comoros, you wanted me to remain hidden from the truth so that I would mistakenly believe I had returned to the moment of Slaanesh's resurgence—in reality, fate and reality had indeed brought that scene to life.

But actually, what I went back to wasn't that moment, but... the present.

+You used the "me" of that time to overwrite the current personality of Hades, essentially exploiting a bug. I was in Caliban then, and I am in Caliban now, but the fate of collapse can only exist once, so only one personality can dominate.

+And I, then—and now—after observing reality, Caliban's fate here will truly collapse into a single point, completely absolute, utterly unaffected, the only absolute fact. +

And that's the door you need.

Beyond the door lies a chaotic and disordered destiny; on this side lies a reality that has banished chaos. The door itself is the embodiment of absolute rules and reality.

In short, there will be countless destinies and stories on the other side of the door, while on this side there will be only one future—a future where Tzeentch and Chaos will no longer be able to manipulate fate or peek into the future and the past.

After that, the emperor began to twist fate and time into a pretzel, twisting it layer upon layer, until it became so chaotic that no beginning or end could be distinguished.

That's a clever plan.

Hades' expression twitched. He would never have come up with such an abstract and complicated plan. He would only play his cards openly, strengthening the empire's infrastructure as much as possible and improving people's livelihoods.

But the emperor was different; this old man Deng Jing did all sorts of abstract things and succeeded every time.

Hades looked at Neos speechlessly, but Neos remained silent, simply pretending to be dead.

Where did Mortarion and Sanguis go?

Hades asked,

I think they self-destructed along with the Dark Lord.

+ He didn't die.

Neos waved his hand.

He finally used his power to save those two rebellious brats. The Dark Lord would not allow His offspring to die, and neither would the current Emperor.

The other half of the Dark Lord has no subjective consciousness—after all, I am here, and Mortarion and Sangilius will absorb His power, becoming some of the few rulers in the warp to come.

Light and darkness, the rulers of heaven and hell, while Guilliman represents humanity.

The Dark Lord's subjective soul still resides in Neos, who is currently inside Hades's belly.

If the plan succeeds, there will be no chaos here.

The severed remains of the Dark King will become a plug on the web, firmly sealing the web beneath the Golden Throne and completely separating the treacherous fate from human reality.

Aren't you afraid they'll be driven mad by the warp and descend into insanity?

+This isn't because of you. +

Neos shrugged and straightened up.

+You're not going to disappear, just tell them to pray. +

Moreover, a subspace devoid of chaos will gradually shrink, transforming into a disordered, turbulent state. At this point, a new order-maker is needed—they certainly won't reach the level of chaos, but they will be more than sufficient for humanity.

Yes, in Neos's plan, Hades is that door, but also another shackle and seal that envelops the net. The infinite extension and expansion of fate and time and space provide enough space for the underworld to continue to extend and expand.

Meanwhile, the underworld that Hades relinquished will soon be digested within the Shinra destiny known as the "Net Path".

Neos went to such great lengths for another reason: to find a way to make the Underworld harmless.

Okay, you win.

Hades took a deep breath and raised his hands in surrender.

To achieve this current situation... I really want to know how much effort you put in, how many people you let down, and how many people you deceived.

This is not important.

Nios picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.

Hades remained silent, simply watching Neos leisurely sip his tea.

What about the others?

Hades suddenly blurted out something out of the blue.

What about everyone else?

He and the Emperor were both certain to go behind the door, but what about the others? Hades thought: Mortarion, who had risen again from the remnants of the Dark Lord; Sangilius; Robert Guilliman amidst the carnage… those who had lost family and comrades…

He stopped thinking about it, but it didn't seem to matter much. Wasn't it always the same? It was the same after the Great Rebellion, and it was the same on the day of the Ascension of Saint Gillespie.

Those who survive will continue to live, carrying their wounds, but the wounds will always heal, and the rising sun will forever be bright and pure, free from evil and chaos.

However… Hades dared not imagine what the Primarchs would think; they might be devastated… He hoped that Mortalion would be better after this. Hades didn’t want to spout any more nonsense about hoping the Primarchs would be resilient; sometimes death truly is liberation and salvation.

But the Emperor wouldn't let them die, humanity wouldn't let them die, fate wouldn't let them die, and Hades wouldn't let them die either.

Capable and responsible people cannot die; if they die, the remaining empire will be even more difficult to revive.

However, once the Empire becomes powerful again, these Primarchs will be able to do whatever they want.

Hades sighed.

He didn't have much to say, as if he had expected this situation long ago. Ever since his first half-step ascension to godhood, Hades had always vaguely felt that something was wrong.

Now he understood—this was the influence and projection of his current state on the past.

He is now the most cruel, ruthless, and deeply influenced by Shintoism.

The scenery on Barbarossa seems so distant, as if it belongs to a bygone era.

That's settled then.

He turned his head away with a hint of self-mockery, but they had already won—won completely.

Chaos will never return.

Those cursing, shrieking, and wretched psionic scum—once upon a time, Hades feared them so much that he didn't even consciously think of them—but now, they could only kneel and scream at Hades' feet.

Although Hades cannot return, once the Underworld connects to the network, he will also be unable to leave that realm.

This was a tremendous victory, a complete and utter victory. The human empire would never again live in fear under the shadow of Chaos. The Necromancers, Orks, Terrans, Eldar, Tau... were all wiped out.

In the future, the Milky Way will belong to humankind.

Oh, right—space necromancers.

Hades blinked and looked at Slaanesh struggling to the side.

Even those who fear death must enter.

This is a statement of fact.

Neos nodded.

+My original agreement with Orikan the Starfather—I gave Him a chance to retrieve the soul of the Fearful One, starting with the fragments of the Old Ones beneath the shadow of the Shattered Slaanesh. He could piece together the Old Ones amidst countless destinies and then inquire about the Fearful Ones. +

Of course, the Fearful Ones were truly wiped out, since the anchor point originated from Caliban. Therefore, the Star Masters could only take a step back and seek out the Ancient Saints, a roundabout way to save the nation.

+Then some repairs behind the door will have to be done by those two space undead—but I think they'd be happy to do it. +

"Nios said calmly, glancing at the horizon—a thick blackness with a pale blue hue hanging down; time was almost up."

Tzeentch is coming—of course, the Tzeentch of the past.

+Luojia is summoning Jianqi; we should prepare.+

Neos said, standing up and patting his legs. Hades also stood up, and at this moment, Hades couldn't resist making a sarcastic remark.

+I really want to say that none of your children have had a good ending, Neos. You're treating the Primarchs like they're not human at all. +

How could he be so inhuman? In order to protect Mortalian and Saint Gilles, he even sent another Mortalian to awaken Hades—after all, once you fall in, you can never get out.

That's how Neos is, but he believes he'll find a way out before Hades completely digests him—something probably only the Emperor could do, as the other Primarchs would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

+It sounds like you care a lot about your offspring. +

Neos retorted calmly, watching Hades suddenly freeze, then a clear look of shame appeared on his face—Hades had too many things to deal with, and obviously needed a reminder to think of his sons.

They have their own lives—I didn't interfere too much with them, and they can live and fight just fine after I leave.

+Then I will return those words to you verbatim, Hades.

Hades fell silent. For a long time, they simply stared at the dying Chaos, and the ugliness of Chaos did not break the silence.

After a long while, Hades finally let out a long sigh.

I've let so many people down, but I have a clear conscience. I... did my best.

Respect the emperor, question the emperor, despise the emperor, curse the emperor, become the emperor, and surpass the emperor!