Ian flickered away, leaving the Emperor's butt, and appeared in the splendid Grand Hall.
It was less a Grand Hall and more a colossal mechanical Temple. Countless cables spread like veins, connecting to the huge, cold Golden Throne in the center.
The air was filled with the humming of mechanical operations and an unspeakable sense of oppression.
Was there a person sitting on the Throne?
It was a withered body, its skin shriveled and tightly clinging to the bones, like a mummified corpse preserved for ten thousand years.
In the sunken eye sockets, two pinpoints of crimson light faintly flickered—the Emperor's only remaining sign of life.
This appearance reminded Ian of the cured meat hung on the wall back home, dried by the wind.
"Hello there, old cured meat," Ian waved in greeting.
The dried corpse on the Golden Throne naturally couldn't respond, though the red light in its eyes flickered more intensely.
Immediately afterward, a majestic voice sounded directly in Ian's mind: "Hello, New God. You have arrived."
Ian was taken aback. "You knew I would come?"
Emperor: "I didn't know you would come, but I knew someone would come. I can now see a portion of the future, and although I cannot see any future concerning you, I can deduce your arrival through my own future."
Ian was intrigued. "Oh? Tell me about it."
Emperor: "A few days ago, when your Power appeared on the Ultramarines, countless futures within me collapsed into a few possibilities. In most of them, a New God assists me in saving Mankind."
"So, what exactly did you see?" Ian pressed.
The Emperor's voice fell silent for a moment, not answering directly.
Ian was most annoyed by such Riddlers. He directly pulled a Potion out of his Inventory. The liquid in the Potion Bottle radiated a pink glow.
Yes, it was a Gender Change Potion.
He held up the Potion and shook it at the Emperor: "Spill it, or I'll force this thing down your throat. Since you can foresee the future, you must know what this is, right?"
The Emperor's voice remained calm: "If this can help us save the Imperium of Man, I do not care. Give it to me!"
Ian was dumbfounded.
'He's giving in so easily? Could it be... this is also a future?'
He had expected the Emperor to be enraged.
But, that's it?
This old cured meat's thought process was truly different from ordinary people.
Or rather, for the sake of Mankind, was he truly willing to sacrifice anything?
For a moment, Ian didn't know what to say. He silently put the Potion away, feeling as if he had somehow... lost?
...
Ian and the Emperor's conversation deepened, but the atmosphere grew heavier.
"You know, what you're sitting on is essentially a bomb that could go off at any time," Ian pointed at the Golden Throne.
The Emperor's voice echoed in Ian's mind: "The space beneath the Throne connects to the Immaterium. The moment I leave, the Seal will fail, and countless Daemons will flood into reality."
"For tens of thousands of years, the Power of Faith of the Imperium of Man has gathered in me, and I am now infinitely close to a God of the Immaterium. If I were to stand up, I could completely Ascend to Godhood, but the price would be the destruction of Terra, or even the sacrifice of all Mankind."
"That's quite the dilemma."
The red light in the Emperor's eyes flickered: "It is not a dilemma, but a necessary sacrifice. For the continuation of Mankind, I can only sit here."
"This is my duty, and my Destiny."
"But fortunately, you are here now," the Emperor said slowly, looking at Ian. "Your arrival is the greatest grace bestowed upon Mankind."
"Forget the grace part," Ian waved his hand. "Before, my goal was just to become stronger. Now, I simply want to... have some fun."
"Regardless of your goal, Mankind will forever remember your aid."
"So, how should we deal with these powers of mine that are sufficient to cause chaos?"
"Simple." Ian snapped his fingers. "Just leave it to me."
As soon as he spoke, a dramatic change began to happen to the Emperor. From his withered body, a dark, twisted Power began to separate—the Authority of Destruction belonging to the Immaterium.
This Power struggled to escape as if it were alive, but it was firmly bound by the cosmic radiance emanating from Ian.
"Don't move around. Behave."
The dark Power seemed to sense the threat and began to tremble violently, yet it was ultimately unable to break free from Ian's control.
It then slowly merged into Ian's body, intertwining and fusing with his original Authority of Creation and Destruction.
However, he still preserved the Authority of Vengeance for the Emperor, which was his proof of being a man and his unyielding Will.
"Done." Ian clapped his hands, looking relaxed. "Now, you can safely and boldly stand up."
A trace of complexity flashed in the Emperor's eyes. This was not reluctance to part with the Power; rather, he especially wished for these Powers to be taken away.
He was just a little melancholy.
"Are you truly... ready?"
"Of course." Ian grinned. "I'm a professional."
He walked up to the Emperor, grabbed his shoulder, and lifted him from the Golden Throne.
Beneath the Throne, the Immaterium Entrance instantly opened, and violent Energy began to surge.
"Come on, let me see what you little bugs are capable of." Ian then pulled a pile of blocks shining with colorful light from the Transmutation Tablet.
These blocks were the hardest Material in the Endless Greed Mod—Infinity Ingots.
Ian directly piled the Infinity Ingots at the Immaterium Entrance, instantly sealing off the surging Energy completely.
This way, even if the Four Chaos Gods came personally, they would not be able to break through the Immaterium from this location.
Just as Ian lifted the Emperor and blocked the Immaterium Entrance with Infinity Ingots, a flurry of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the Grand Hall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heavy footsteps approached from afar. The door was slammed open, and a squad of Custodes wearing Golden Power Armor and carrying Wrathful Power Halberds rushed in.
They were the Emperor's most loyal guards, the most elite warriors of the Imperium of Man, and the last line of Defense protecting the Golden Throne.
However, when they saw the scene before them, they froze.
A stranger was holding their supreme, sacred, and inviolable Emperor by the shoulder, like a piece of meat!
Even more outrageous, this scoundrel was roughly tearing off the various Pipelines connected to the Emperor's body with his other hand!
"For the Emperor!"
The Custodes Captain at the head reacted first, letting out a roar.
His eyes were bloodshot, high-pressure steam hissed from the seams of his Armor, and he charged directly at Ian.
The other Custodes followed closely. Gun Barrels spat fire, and the Disintegration Field at the tips of their Halberds roared piercingly.
The floor of the Grand Hall, made of precious Materials and capable of withstanding artillery fire, cracked under their heavy footsteps.
Facing this raging squad of Custodes, Ian merely smiled slightly.
He didn't even bother to dodge, casually tossing the Emperor into the air.
The Custodes were furious, wanting to tear Ian limb from limb. A few of them leaped up to rescue the Emperor, while the rest swung their Halberds to stab Ian.
Ian simply sidestepped, easily avoiding all attacks. He even had the leisure to extend a single finger and give a gentle hook.
He then suddenly accelerated, attacking the Joints of the Custodes and injecting a burst of Energy.
They all collapsed to the ground, temporarily unable to move despite their powerful bodies.
"That's it?" Ian caught the Emperor in one hand and looked at the Custodes lying on the ground.
He then walked up to one Custodes, crouched down, and removed his Helmet.
Underneath the Helmet was a young, angry face, filled with unwillingness and humiliation.
"You guys... are called Custodes, right?" Ian asked, pretending not to know.
"..." The Custodes' face was contorted, but he couldn't speak.
"Tsk tsk tsk. You're called Custodes. Does that mean your mission is to protect the Emperor?" Ian then lifted the Emperor in his hand.
"Look at what you've protected!"
"Actually... you can't protect anything!"
Saying this, he slowly extended his left hand and reached for the Emperor's neck.
"No!!!"
The Custodes on the ground let out desperate roars, struggling to stand up in vain.