The images on the screen dimmed again, as though even light itself feared what was about to appear.
The four previous Chaos Gods, though terrifying, at least possessed clear forms and domains.
Nurgle's rot, Khorne's blood, Slaanesh's desire, Tzeentch's schemes—each an extreme of cosmic emotion.
But now, a new symbol emerged at the center of the screen.
It wasn't the eight-pointed star of Chaos, but rather… a circle that was devouring the star.
[You thought this was everything?]
[Decay, rage, indulgence, change—these four thrones have ruled the Warp for millions of years.]
[Yet in the depths of Chaos, above the board where the gods play their game, a fifth seat has always been reserved.]
[A vacant throne, yet fated to be filled.]
At the center of the screen, the eight-pointed star of Chaos began to Warp.
The spikes that once radiated outward now bent inward, collapsing as if an unseen black hole were swallowing Chaos itself.
[Its name is—the dark king.]
[He is no alien god, no ancient malice. He is—the human Chaos God.]
If the Four embody extremes of life's drives, then this 'the dark king' embodies the final heat-Death of civilization, the inevitable end of all things toward ruin and void.
[Just as the Aeldari's ecstasy birthed Slaanesh, so too does humanity's endless expansionism, conquest, and pathological hunger for Order gestate this dreadful sovereign within the womb of the Warp.]
[But that is not the most despairing part.]
The narrator's voice dropped, trembling as it unveiled the Universe's cruelest scar.
[The most despairing truth is… the vessel for this soon-to-be-born fifth god, its 'father,' its projection into this dimension, is—] The screen flared gold, blinding every eye, freezing on a figure everyone knew—yet now seemed so alien and terrifying.
The figure clad in golden armor, flaming sword in hand, worshipped by trillions as humanity's sole savior.
[The Emperor.]
At that instant, the air in Marvel Universe's viewing zone felt sucked away.
Marvel Universe
At that instant, the air inside Avengers Tower's viewing zone solidified like set cement.
Crack.
Thor Odinson unconsciously crushed his goblet; Asgardian mead ran through his fingers and dripped loudly onto the floor.
The Asgardian prince, veteran of myths and epics, stared wide-eyed, his face a mix of incomprehension and instinctive denial.
"This… this is absurd!" Thor sprang up, voice rising to a roar.
"He is humanity's Guardian! He's sat on that damned throne for ten thousand years protecting them from the Four! How could he be… a Chaos God?!"
"He's the embodiment of light, isn't he? Ruthless, yes—but he fights darkness!"
"How can the end of light… be the deepest dark?"
Thor turned to Captain, seeking agreement.
But Captain America looked worse; the steadfast blue eyes now wavered.
"It all makes sense…" Tony's voice came out dry, hoarse, trembling like an overloaded machine.
He glared at the data stream; red warnings on his holo-lenses screamed a conclusion beyond physics.
"This explains why he's so powerful… why he can arm-wrestle four higher-dimensional beings… because at the core, he's the same kind of entity."
Stark shot to his feet, pacing the lab frantically, words racing like logic trying to dam an emotional flood.
"Think about it—what did he do on Molech?"
"The narrator said he stepped through the Warp gate and 'stole' power from the Four! Or conned it! That wasn't theft—it was resonance!"
"He's not fighting fire; he's trying to become the biggest blaze to burn the rest out! He's using tyranny against chaos, absolute Order against Chaos!"
"And such extreme, unquestionable, overwhelming Order projects into the Warp as—the dark king!"
[During Terra's final siege, facing Horus—empowered by the Four and unbeatable—The Emperor made a choice.]
On-screen, The Emperor began madly drawing Warp energy. The golden light turned searing, edged with terrifying black.
He was becoming an entity that could annihilate not only Horus but the entire Sol System in an instant.
[He had no choice. If Horus won, humanity would perish in Chaos revelry. But to defeat Horus, The Emperor needed power beyond the Four.]
[So he began borrowing strength from the future—from the destined birth of the dark king.]
[In that instant, he almost ascended. He nearly cast off his broken human shell to become the Warp's fifth sovereign.]
"He… he's devouring the future."
Doctor Strange's voice floated in. Watching the screen, his hands shook uncontrollably; as Sorcerer Supreme, he understood better than anyone what it meant.
"The Warp has no concept of time. Though the dark king is not yet born
The Emperor… he is the dark king's 'past' and 'present.' He's cashing in his future godhead for victory today."
Strange's face was bloodless; as Sorcerer Supreme, he knew exactly what it meant:
"This isn't just the price of power; it's a dead knot of causality. The stronger he grows, the closer he approaches that ruinous end."
Every ounce of strength he uses to save humanity accelerates the birth of the demon that will destroy it."
"It's… it's a checkmate."
Dr. Banner removed his glasses and buried his face in despair.
"If he doesn't resist, humanity dies to the Four. If he fights with everything, he becomes the fifth god—and then personally wipes out human civilization."
[Yes, as you see.]
"If the dark king is born, the physical laws of the material Universe will collapse entirely. Just as Slaanesh's birth devoured the Aeldari Empire, the birth of the dark king will swallow the whole Imperium of Man—and more than half the Milky Way Galaxy."
"The vast majority of humankind will die in an instant."
"Those humans who survive…"
The screen showed a vision of hell: countless human souls drifting in the void, not dissipating but bound by a black radiance, shackled to that colossal black Sun.
"They will no longer be beings with free will; they will become thralls of the dark king."
"The human species will endure—yes—but 'human civilization' will be utterly extinguished. They will be slaves to a god, providing sustenance for this new deity through eternal ruin and conquest."
"Because this god loves humanity; even if it means destroying everything, He will 'protect' mankind beneath His wings—or rather, His cage."
"That is his idea of 'love'?"
Captain slammed a fist on the table; the reinforced alloy buckled. His rage was no longer at tyranny but at this twisted, ultimate fate.
"So to let the species 'survive,' Death itself must drag people back from peace?"
The Captain's voice shook: "Even when nothing can be undone, at least let those in agony rest."
"Meaning lies in existence, Captain."
A cold, imperious, metallic voice cut in.
Doctor Doom, across the screen, regarded the ascending golden figure.
Behind his mask, those eyes held none of the Avengers' fear—only judgment.
"You shortsighted heroes see only a moral dilemma. Doom sees a decision."
Doom's voice was as biting as a winter gale:
"In this Universe, survival is not an inalienable right; it is a privilege seized with flesh and soul."
"Against four higher-dimensional predators that feast on souls, humanity has no bargaining chips."
"That Emperor… he saw it. Be devoured—or become the devourer."
Slowly Doom lifted a hand, as though grasping something unseen.
"He chose to become the monster himself, to be the 'the dark king.'"
"Why? Because if he is the god, then at least… this god still 'loves' mankind, however twisted or ruinous that love may be."
"At least humanity would endure as his vassals, not as snacks on the Four Gods' platters."
"Two poisoned chalices: one brings instant Death, the other turns you into a walking corpse that yet survives."
"For humanity's sake, he drank the second without hesitation—ready to become the very vessel that brews the poison."
Doom sneered: "That is the mettle of an Emperor. For the species' continuance he will sacrifice everything—his own humanity, even the very concept of 'civilization.'"
"So long as the species 'human' persists, even as demons, it is better than utter extinction."
"You're insane, Doom." Susan stared, disbelieving. "That kind of life is worse than Death."
"That is a weakling's thought."
Doom dismissed it. "While life remains, there is possibility; while existence lasts, there is hope. Death leaves only nothing."
"No… Doom is right—at least in logic."
Tony's voice dropped, suddenly hollow. He slumped in his chair, eyes vacant on the ceiling.
"The ultimate trolley problem: humanity annihilated instantly, or enslaved as monsters. If it were you, Steve, how would you choose?"
Captain America opened his mouth, but no words came. His moral code seemed powerless before this cosmic despair.
He wanted to say "Let's all die together," but he could not decide for trillions of humans.
"He… he has walked the tightrope the whole way."
Black Panther T'Challa gazed at the skeleton on the Golden Throne, pity in his eyes like never before.
"Now I finally understand the true meaning of that throne."
"He sits there not merely to guide the ships or to seal the Webway."
"He is… suppressing himself."
T'Challa's words sent a chill through every soul present.
"For ten thousand years he has endured endless agony, the daily sacrifice of a thousand Psykers, to preserve the last shred of reason that keeps him 'human.' He struggles to halt his own ascension, to stop himself becoming the 'the dark king' that would devour all."
"He is humanity's Guardian and its greatest ticking bomb."
"He wars against the whole World—and against the future version of himself."
Thor Odinson lifted mjolnir once more, yet the hammer felt so heavy he could scarcely hold it.
"In Asgard we sang of Ragnarok's glory, for it is a valiant Death."
Thor's voice was low and hoarse.
"But this Universe has no Ragnarok, for the Surtur destined to unmake the World… is Odin himself."
And Odin, to keep from becoming Surtur, nailed himself to the World-Tree, suffering the fire for ten thousand years. Should he let go, existence ends."
"What a long, lonely nightmare…"
Marvel's heroes sank into deathly silence.
They were used to fighting external foes, used to defeating villains.
But facing a god who must stand ready to destroy the World in Order to save it—who must become a monster to guard mankind—all their strength and righteousness turned to helpless emptiness.
At last they understood Warhammer's creed:
In the dark future there is only endless war.
Because peace… would birth the dark king, another form of ending.
Only in eternal struggle and agony can humanity keep its last, pitiable dignity as 'human.'