Reborn as Humanity’s Emperor Across the Multiverse

Chapter 445: Chapter 445: Meditation, the Throne, and "Underestimation"



In another core area of the Imperial Palace—

The Meditation Hall.

This place was designed as an unimaginably grand hall, a combination of breathtaking artistry and the embodiment of boundless authority.

To describe it as "resplendent" would still fail to capture its magnificence.

The floor was paved with intricate gold tiles, each meticulously carved and reflecting a soft glow.

The walls and supporting columns were coated in varying shades of gold and inlaid with tens of thousands of gemstones and precious metals, resembling stars scattered across the cosmos.

The walls and ceiling of the Meditation Hall were covered with exquisitely detailed murals.

These murals were more than just works of art; they were a condensation of history and a legacy of culture. Inscribed in Chinese characters, they chronicled humanity's grand epic, celebrating the heroic feats and glorious battles of the past.

The figures depicted in the murals were so lifelike that it seemed as though they might step out of the paintings and continue writing their own legendary tales.

However, the most striking feature in this vast hall—spanning the size of four football fields—was undoubtedly the central "Golden Throne," a symbol of ultimate authority.

The throne stood tall and majestic at the center of the hall, cast entirely in pure gold and intricately engraved with complex runes.

These runes seemed to carry a supernatural power, radiating a divine glow that was difficult to look at directly.

Surrounding the throne were twelve massive golden pillars, each 44 meters tall, with dragon-shaped sculptures coiled around them, their heads raised high, exuding an aura of majesty and strength.

A faint radiance emanated from the throne's base, creating an intangible pressure that filled everyone who entered the Meditation Hall with an indescribable sense of awe and submission.

But the Meditation Hall—and the Golden Throne within—were not built by Samuel Young merely to flaunt supreme power and status.

The purpose of this magnificent structure, and the throne that symbolized authority, went far beyond mere grandeur and ornamentation.

The true reason behind their construction was to more efficiently "channel" the faith of the citizens of the Human Empire, converting it into pure psychic energy to safeguard the entire Empire.

Through this mechanism, Samuel could provide psychic protection to billions of citizens, laying the foundation to resist the corrupting influence of Chaos and the threats of the Warp.

Although the Empire currently enjoyed a relatively advantageous position, and Samuel was well aware of the Warhammer 40K universe's twisted narratives of "fatherly love and filial piety"—as well as the infamous jokes about the "Corpse Emperor" and his "Golden Toilet"—he still rationally chose to construct the Golden Throne.

Faced with the ever-watchful Chaos Gods, other potential threats, and the need to ensure the Empire's lasting stability and prosperity, Samuel's decision was both deliberate and resolute.

When the Meditation Hall and Golden Throne were completed, Samuel took his first seat on this throne steeped in memes and lore.

In that instant, his psychic perception expanded to unprecedented levels.

Previously limited to covering parts of the Empire's territory, his psychic field now easily extended to a radius of several hundred light-years.

The real breakthrough, however, lay in his ability to extend his psychic presence through the various Space Gates, projecting it into the Empire's territories across other universes.

This newfound capability enabled Samuel to provide broad psychic protection to the citizens of the Empire, establishing an invisible barrier for the stability and safety of the realm.

Of course, this protection was not unconditional.

To truly benefit from his psychic shield, the people had to trust and revere the Emperor from the depths of their hearts, regarding Samuel—and by extension, the Primarchs—as the spiritual pillars of the Empire.

This resonance of faith was the key to connecting with Samuel's psychic domain.

For those who harbored hostility or rebellion toward him—such as the stubborn and defiant Na'vi—even being on a core imperial planet like Pandora could not grant them access to his psychic protection.

To them, Samuel's psychic field was entirely inaccessible, like a lone boat adrift in a vast ocean of psychic energy, unable to touch the waves.

There was no help for it. Their enmity with humanity made them inherently opposed to Samuel as the leader of humanity.

Similarly, the Jackals, Grunts, and some Terrans (from Universe 07), even if outwardly compliant with the Empire's policies, could not receive psychic blessings.

The same applied to the human traitors, criminals, and mercenaries hiding in the chaotic regions of the Halo Universe.

At the current stage, even with the aid of the Golden Throne, Samuel could not extend his psychic field to every corner of the Empire's vast territories.

Some remote colonies remained beyond his perception, like faint glimmers of light in the vast expanse of the galaxy, barely visible.

Thus, only by using the Golden Throne to gradually "harvest" the power of faith could Samuel steadily enhance his psychic strength, becoming a true pillar of the Empire.

During the Golden Throne's first test, Samuel experienced a dual trial of soul and mind.

In that moment, billions of streams of information surged into his consciousness like a tidal wave.

These streams included sincere prayers from citizens, complaints of dissatisfaction, hopeful praises, as well as a torrent of emotions—anxiety, pain, confusion, joy, and contentment.

The mental onslaught was as relentless as a flood, pressing down on Samuel's consciousness to the point of suffocation, causing a splitting headache. He nearly resorted to gripping the throne's armrests to endure the pain.

Fortunately, Samuel had prepared in advance and managed to withstand the mental onslaught. Had he actually gripped the armrests, he might have crushed the entire throne in the process.

After a brief period of adjustment, the headache gradually subsided. With the Golden Throne's support, Samuel could tangibly feel his psychic strength growing slowly but steadily.

This growth was like a river—gentle yet persistent, providing him with a sense of firm control.

However, just as Samuel was preparing to fully expand his perception to use this opportunity to scan his psychic-covered territory for potential hidden threats,

His attention was suddenly drawn to two familiar emotional fluctuations.

These fluctuations came from his two sons—Horus and Magnus.

The two of them had emitted powerful emotional waves, akin to two bright flashes of lightning piercing the dark night sky. The intensity of the waves was alarming and unsettling.

Magnus' consciousness, in particular, seemed to be imprisoned by some force, preventing even Samuel from immediately locating or fully comprehending the situation.

Without hesitation, Samuel focused his mind and expended nearly 90% of his psychic energy to act swiftly and discreetly.

Samuel's "all-out strike" was like a bolt of lightning crossing the vastness of space, precisely targeting the barrier of the Warp.

Even Horus was unaware as Samuel used Magnus' body as a medium to launch a reverse "corruption," directly targeting the source of Magnus' imprisonment—a heretical tome imbued with the essence of Chaos.

Samuel sensed the twisted and deceitful nature of this entity, which tried to resist his psychic assault with its barriers.

However, in the end, Samuel—being anchored in the material universe—could exploit his "home-field advantage." His psychic strike obliterated the chaotic space imprisoning Magnus with overwhelming force.

The entire process took only an instant.

Now, atop the Golden Throne—

"Huuh,"

Samuel exhaled a slightly heavy breath, his expression tinged with fatigue.

His palm rested lightly on the throne's armrest, and a fine layer of sweat had formed on his forehead.

After a moment, Samuel opened his eyes, scanning the Meditation Hall as if to ensure everything remained as it should.

Within the hall, order reigned supreme.

The lavishly adorned space was guarded by a contingent of golden Terminators, wielding Thunderstrike Power Halberds. These Custodes stood vigilant, fulfilling their duty to protect the Emperor.

Their armor gleamed under the hall's lights, as they patrolled the grand chamber.

Flanking the base of the Golden Throne stood two slender figures—two intelligent AI entities with physical forms, Ap and Melissa.

They wore black Imperial uniforms, simple yet dignified, adorned with the Empire's emblem on their collars.

Noticing Samuel's slightly labored breathing, Ap, standing to his left, was the first to turn around and look up at the Emperor seated above.

"Your Majesty," Ap, her glowing red eyes flickering, asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

As she spoke, Ap's electronic eyes quickly scanned Samuel's vitals, searching for any irregularities.

However, her analysis showed that all of Samuel's biological indicators were within normal ranges, revealing no obvious issues.

This puzzled Ap slightly, though her expression remained composed.

Melissa, standing to the right, also turned to face Samuel. However, this more reserved AI did not speak like Ap.

Her purple eyes glowed faintly as she silently observed Samuel, analyzing his condition in her own way while awaiting further instructions.

The two AI, one active and one passive, demonstrated loyalty and meticulousness, adding an air of reason and order to the Meditation Hall.

"No harm done," Samuel replied calmly, his tone imbued with unquestionable authority. He lightly waved his hand, signaling Ap and Melissa to focus on their duties and not worry about his condition.

"Understood, Your Majesty," the two AI replied in unison.

Ap returned her attention to the data analysis under her

purview, while Melissa quietly turned back to monitoring the Empire's overall operations.

Samuel exhaled softly, his gaze drifting beyond the golden dome of the Meditation Hall, seemingly fixed on the distant and dangerous Warp.

The so-called Chaos Gods, as expected, were far from "simple foes."

Magnus' recent imprisonment, and the near-loss of control over his psychic power, could have been catastrophic.

If this had been the Magnus of Warhammer 40K, he might have gambled everything, even detonating his psychic energy to perish alongside his enemy.

Such an act would have resulted in irreparable disaster.

Fortunately, as Samuel's son, this Magnus was no longer the "One-Eyed Cyclops" of the past.

Through Samuel and Alexia's teachings, Magnus had long since learned restraint and composure, which brought Samuel a sense of relief.

As for Horus...

To be honest, the Warhammer 40K Horus indeed harbored resentment toward the Emperor for "favoring mortals" and jealousy over his brothers sharing their father's love. However, Horus had never truly betrayed the Emperor.

The Horus who emerged from the temple was merely a puppet "vessel" for the Chaos Gods.

This recent event, however, served as a wake-up call for Samuel, forcing him to confront the true danger of Chaos.

Previously, whether it was a Chaos Daemon invasion or corrupted gods, they had all been easily eradicated by Samuel and his sons working together.

This had subtly given Samuel the impression—even if unconsciously—that Chaos was "nothing special."

But this crisis struck like a sharp alarm bell ringing in his ears, forcing him to reevaluate the threat and cunning of Chaos.

A moment's carelessness, and Pandora might have been turned into a "mini-Eye of Terror" due to Magnus' psychic overload.

Such an outcome would have transformed the Empire's core colony—especially a planet with a Space Gate—into a source of calamity, reducing countless innocent lives to ashes in an instant.

Alternatively, Horus might have been forced to kill Magnus to contain the situation, preventing further disaster.

Neither of these outcomes was acceptable to Samuel.

"Complacency is not an option," Samuel silently reminded himself, gradually recovering from his fatigue.

His gaze lowered slightly as he began pondering his next steps.

With a light movement of his fingers, a radiant golden light coalesced before him, forming a tangible hardlight screen.

He intended to use it to communicate with his two sons in the Avatar universe.

However, just as the screen materialized, a communication request from Horus and Magnus appeared.

Seeing this, Samuel immediately accepted the request.

"Father, just now..."

As the figures of Horus and Magnus appeared on the screen, Horus quickly began recounting the events on Pandora, as well as the plans he and Magnus had devised.

After listening, Samuel voiced no objections and immediately approved all of their proposals.

Once the call ended and the screen dissipated, Samuel turned to Ap and Melissa and instructed:

"I recall that in Universe 08 (Halo), the Imperial Navy fleet closest to the chaotic region is the 36th Fleet. Dispatch them immediately to the chaotic region to eliminate Covenant remnants, space pirates, and those mercenary groups composed of traitors."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the two AI replied in unison.

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