Terra was unified. The last techno-barbarians lay in ruin, their empires shattered, their warlords dead or kneeling. No foe remained to challenge the Emperor's dominion over humanity's birthplace.
Yet, conquest was only the beginning.
The Emperor stood upon the balcony of his newly consecrated Imperial Palace, his golden armor radiant beneath the rising sun. Below him, thousands—no, millions—gathered in the great plazas of the Himalazian fortress. The remnants of Terra's surviving warlords, now humbled vassals, the reforged Thunder Warriors, the first of the Astartes, and most importantly, the people.
They chanted his name, not as a mere ruler, but as something more.
"Deus Imperator! Deus Imperator!"
Their voices rolled like thunder, an undeniable proclamation of faith. He had not yet spoken a single word, and yet they believed.
For the first time, he did not deny them.
---
A shadow shifted behind him. Malcador the Sigillite, his most trusted confidant, his old friend, watched the masses below with a wary gaze. The aged Perpetual, clad in dark robes, exuded the quiet wisdom of millennia.
"You hear them," Malcador murmured. "They name you a god."
The Emperor turned his golden gaze toward his oldest ally. "And what would you have me do? Deny them?"
"You have always denied divinity," Malcador pressed. "You built your empire upon reason, upon science. But now you let them worship." His voice lowered, barely audible. "Are you certain of this path?"
The Emperor did not answer immediately. He had once scorned religion, had sought to liberate humanity from superstition and blind faith.
But he was no longer the man he once was.
He had seen the darkness within the warp, the raw chaos that hungered for humanity's souls. He had seen how belief shaped reality, how faith could be weaponized, how gods could be created.
If humanity would worship, better that they worship him than the hungering horrors beyond the veil.
So he met Malcador's gaze, unflinching. "It is no longer about what I want, old friend. It is about what humanity needs."
Malcador sighed but nodded. He understood. He always did.
---
As the chants echoed across the plaza, a lone figure stepped forward, garbed in the humble robes of a priest. Uriah Olathaire, the last priest of Old Terra.
Once, the Emperor would have dismissed him, would have eradicated the last remnants of faith from this world. But now, he saw an opportunity.
Uriah knelt before him, trembling, yet his voice was steady. "My lord… we have worshipped false gods for too long. If divinity must exist, let it be you."
The Emperor placed a hand upon the priest's head, golden light radiating from his touch.
"Rise, High Priest of the Imperium."
Gasps echoed through the crowd. Malcador's breath hitched. The meaning of this moment was clear.
With this single act, the Emperor did not merely conquer Terra—he sanctified it.
The Imperium was no longer merely an empire.
It was a holy dominion.
---
From that day forward, the Emperor no longer denied his divinity. He was the God-Emperor of Mankind, the one true light against the darkness.
The Imperial Cult spread, not as a misguided superstition, but as an arm of his will. Faith became a shield, a weapon, and a means of unity. His warriors did not simply fight for conquest; they fought for holy purpose.
Malcador, ever pragmatic, ensured that this faith would not be blind. The Ecclesiarchy was established, but controlled—its power tied directly to the Throne, never independent, never beyond the Emperor's grasp. Uriah, the first High Priest, was tasked with spreading this new faith across Terra, guiding it as truth rather than delusion.
And the people rejoiced.
No longer did they live in fear of warlords, mutants, and monsters. No longer did they wander in the dark.
They had a God to follow.
A God that walked among them.
---
The great fleets of the Imperium began to take shape, forged in the orbital shipyards above Terra. The Imperator Somnium, his personal flagship, loomed over the cradle of humanity, its golden hull reflecting the light of the newborn age.
The Emperor stood upon the bridge, gazing beyond the system, beyond the stars.
Terra was united.
But the galaxy awaited.
And he would claim it all in the name of his Imperium.