The restoration of the Han Dynasty began with the Horus Rebellion.

Chapter 36: Telling the Living Saint the Story of the Martial Saint

"Sorry for the delay. Where were we?"

Horus entered the strategic command room of the Vengeance Soul, and strangely, it was completely dark with no lights on.

But the Wolf God seemed unconcerned and easily found a familiar spot to sit down.

"Motalian is urging me to launch the next phase of the attack again. My brother is always so stubborn and inflexible, unwilling to learn from or acknowledge any failures. In my opinion, this is not good, not good at all. So he has failed to learn from this defeat, and even now he still refuses to accept those forces that he cannot understand."

Zhan Shuai's hoarse, low voice echoed in the room, but no one responded to him; it was as if he were just talking to himself.

"Oh? You mean me too? Hahaha, your words are still so sharp, but it's okay, I forgive your rudeness, narrator."

Strangely, his tone made it seem as if he were talking to someone, which was particularly chilling from an outsider's perspective.

"For me, the question of whether or not to admit defeat... was never even a question in the first place."

"I forgot whether I told you or not, the only reason my father chose me as the War Commander is that I never fail—not in the past, not now, and not in the future."

When Horus said this, one could hear the confidence and arrogance in his voice.

"While at some points it might seem like failure to ordinary, mediocre, or common people who can't see the big picture, I see these as merely strategic variables. Adjusting strategies and changing goals in response to these variables ultimately leads to victory, or at least lays the groundwork for an even greater victory. Of course, I rarely point this out, and only the wisest can grasp its subtlety; for example, Azekael always manages to..."

Horus paused slightly.

"Alas, Abaddon. My most anticipated son, his passing is indeed a tragic loss... But even so, it is not a defeat. On the contrary, his sacrifice paved the way for my true victory, which you should easily understand, given your important role in it—"

"Narrator Messadi Oriton, join me in witnessing the impending end and death."

-

Blood, slaughter, betrayal.

The enraged giant wielded his blood-red double axes, creating an unstoppable storm of death wherever he went, with severed limbs, remains, and entrails flying through the air, forming a hellish spectacle.

"Only the virtuous and wise can win people's hearts!"

Then came a familiar figure: a man clad in Deathguard power armor, wielding two swords, his expression resolute as he prepared to charge at the terrifying monster.

However, at this time...

A man wearing the purple power armor of the Son of the Emperor, with countless crisscrossing scars on his face, appeared behind him with a sinister smile.

"Big brother, watch out!!"

As Sun Qian shouted, he suddenly opened his eyes.

However, he was no longer in that bloody battlefield, but was sitting on the command throne on the bridge of the Great Tyrant.

Since there were no sailing requirements, there was no need to arrange crew members for the time being, so Sun Qian unceremoniously treated the place as his own room.

Even so, he still found it difficult to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes to rest, those vivid and real bloody dreams would immediately play out.

Was it just a simple nightmare?

Or perhaps...

"What did you see?"

A faint voice rang in his ears, and Sun Qian knew who it was without turning his head.

"It's already impolite to peep at someone while they're sleeping, but it's even more impolite to pry into their dreams, Ms. Qi Le."

Euphrates Kira stood beside the command throne; her slender figure made her look like a doll compared to the towering Astartes.

"Perhaps this is not a dream, but a revelation from the emperor to you."

Sun Qian frowned slightly and said with a cold and unpleasant expression.

"I am not one of your followers, nor do I intend to follow the religion you promote."

Qi Le seemed unsurprised by the answer, and simply smiled calmly.

"Perhaps you just haven't acknowledged your inner beliefs yet, and I don't intend to proselytize to you."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qi Le suddenly did something Sun Qian hadn't expected.

With a slight effort using the armrest of the throne, she unceremoniously sat directly on Sun Qian's lap.

"I want to be your friend, your listener, to know your troubles and your confusion."

At this moment, Qi Le and Sun Qian were so close that the latter could almost clearly see every vein in the girl's pale skin.

Feeling the weight on his legs that was no different from a feather to Astartes, Sun Qian's expression became somewhat subtle for a moment.

But after hesitating for a moment, he still did not stop Qi Le's actions.

"It's nothing serious. I was just worried about my sworn brother."

"Liu Xuande, right? I've also heard about his deeds from those loyal Astartes followers."

Have loyal Astartes already been converted in just half a day?

However, it's not entirely incomprehensible. When betrayed by the Legion and their beliefs crumble, faith is indeed the only lifeline for many.

"He seems to possess abilities similar to yours. Is this because you were both chosen by the Emperor, or is his ability derived from you?"

Sun Qian gently shook his head.

"It should be said that quite the opposite is true. I am merely a clumsy imitator following in the footsteps of Lord Xuande. He is the true hero among men, a peerless hero."

Qi Le looked up at Sun Qian and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"If that's the case, why do you still insist on not rescuing this hero?"

Sun Qian pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath and said.

"Tens of thousands of years ago in ancient Terra, there was a warlord who was very similar to Liu Bei. He had two sworn brothers who were loyal to each other. One of them was named Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang, and was extremely brave in battle."

In a battle known as the Battle of Xuzhou, the warlord and another sworn brother were defeated and disappeared, while Guan Yu followed his brother's orders to defend Xiapi and protect the warlord's two wives.

Unfortunately, due to the disparity in troop strength, even Guan Yu was powerless to turn the tide. At that time, he faced two choices: one was to fight bravely to the death or abandon his sister-in-law and break through the encirclement; the other was to endure humiliation and bear the burden, even if it meant bearing a bad reputation, to ensure the safety of his warlord brother's wife.

Finally, he successfully reunited with his brother, thus helping his sworn brother achieve great things. If he had acted impulsively back then, his brother would not only have lost two wives, but also a brother and a great general!

Although Sun Qian is far inferior to Guan Yu, since Liu Bei trusts me so much, I must be responsible to the loyal warriors and to the empire. How can I let personal emotions affect the course of the battle?!

Qi Le stared at Sun Qian, her body seemingly moving closer without her noticing.

"It sounds like you greatly admire this 'Guan Yu,' doesn't it?"

"That's true... He's the epitome of loyalty, righteousness, and bravery; naturally, he's my idol..."

"Could you tell me more about his story? I'd also like to know why you, who don't want to believe in emperors, would be attracted to the image of a mortal."

As the two spoke, the initial awkwardness seemed to lessen considerably, and Qi Le even leaned against Sun Qian's breastplate.

"This is different from faith... Alright then, I'll tell you another story about Guan Yu. This one should be considered unofficial history, but it's still quite widely circulated..."

Sun Qian seemed to casually lower his guard around Qi Le, and like petting a cat, he gently stroked her light golden hair, then her delicate cheeks, and finally her slender, fair neck—

He grabbed her tightly.

Without giving Qi Le a chance to scream, Sun Qian grabbed her by the neck and immediately commanded the throne to leap high into the air.

Then, it crashed down from three meters in the air, slamming the Qile in its hand onto the ground!

Boom!!!

A large crater immediately appeared on the PVC floor.

Logically speaking, any mortal would have been reduced to mincemeat after being tortured like this, but Sun Qian seemed unsatisfied and clenched his other fist, smashing it down with all his might.

"This story is called 'Guan Yu Slays Diao Chan at Night'!"