Holy Terra.
The birthplace of humanity and humanity's cradle.
The home of tens of trillions of humans, the sacred capital where His Majesty the Emperor ascended to the Golden Throne.
"Earth..."
It was not the Earth I knew, blue with its oceans.
Colossal structures and brilliant lights, visible even from planetary orbit.
An immense number of space stations and more spacecraft than one could count.
The Imperial Fists' Phalanx, which looked like a star and was far larger than the Macragge's Honour I was aboard.
It was a far more spectacular sight than the Holy Terra shown in the opening of Fire Warrior, which I had seen in my previous life.
I saw something.
Something colossal and golden was looking at me.
Overwhelming terror and pressure.
And, along with them, a sense of duty.
I gripped Adriana's hand tightly.
"Will your wife be coming as well?"
The Primarch looked at me and said that Adriana should accompany us to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor.
Ah... she isn't my wife yet...
That was what I wanted to say, but Adriana, who had been offered the immense honor of seeing His Majesty the Emperor in person, let out a soundless cheer.
Then tears streamed down her face.
"You'll come with me, right?"
When I asked, she nodded through her tears.
A shuttle adorned in gold arrived, and giants clad in golden armor descended from it.
Custodian Guards.
After showing their respect to the Primarch, they looked at me.
[All personnel are to provide them with close protection. And—]
Suddenly, one Custodian raised his Guardian Spear toward empty air.
[How dare xenos come here.]
"They have my permission."
Some figures appeared out of thin air.
Aeldari.
Xenos.
I felt intense revulsion.
They were Harlequins and Rangers.
"They have been protecting our route and driving back the entities of the Immaterium. They will soon depart from here."
[Understood, Lord Commander. Get out of here at once, xenos. It takes great patience to restrain our anger.]
[Hahahahaha... Mon-keigh, guard him well. Fate shall soon be upon you....]
I could scarcely endure that disgusting voice.
I was about to draw my bolter and aim it at them, but the Primarch stopped me.
"Lower your weapon, Guardsman Radian."
"Yes... Lord Commander."
Disgusting xenos...
Once the xenos vanished, I boarded the golden shuttle.
Sitting in a seat meant for ordinary people, I closed my eyes for a moment.
In this insane world, I was about to do what was said to be the greatest and most glorious honor of all: meet His Majesty the Emperor.
What should I say when I met Him?
Adriana looked terribly nervous as well.
"..."
She seemed as though she wanted to say something, but could not manage a word.
When the shuttle landed and its doors opened—
I saw the largest building I had ever seen.
Set against the Himalayas looming in the distance, its walls rose to the middle slopes of those towering mountains.
Giants in golden armor stood everywhere, while Marines in yellow power armor patrolled the grounds.
"Ah..."
Gazing at the enormous gate before the Imperial Palace, Adriana wept aloud.
How many had ever been granted the honor of passing through those gates?
Holding her hand, I walked for an hour under the escort of the Primarch and the Custodian Guards.
My entire body was drenched in sweat from tension, yet it did not feel unpleasant in the slightest.
Adriana seemed to feel the same way; strands of hair were plastered all over her face.
Yet she could not even think to brush them away.
I was probably no different.
We passed through corridors lined with an incredible number of banners.
And at last, I saw an immense door guarded by more than a hundred Custodian Guards.
Though the door looked impossibly thick, the force pouring out from beyond it overwhelmed us.
"Ah... ah... ah..."
Adriana had been unable even to speak properly for some time now.
Then the doors opened.
The sun rose.
And Adriana fainted.
"Attend to her."
Beautiful women adorned in gold placed Adriana on a stretcher and carried her away.
I had thought they were ordinary humans, but judging by all the machinery attached to them, they seemed to be servitors.
"It seems His Majesty has permitted only your entry. Go on."
Forcing my trembling legs to move, I advanced toward the Golden Throne.
An intense light.
It was bright enough to feel as though my eyes would burst, yet at the same time it warmed them.
It felt as if my entire body were burning, yet vitality blossomed throughout it.
Before the Golden Throne, I tried to fall to both knees.
But...
I saw something.
On His face, which should have been nothing but a skull, I saw thousands—tens of thousands—of faces.
They looked like masks, yet they were vivid human faces.
There were tens of thousands of faces, but I could see every single one of them.
And then I saw it.
I saw that man.
"Daegu Metropolitan City, Dalxx County, xx Township... xx Metals."
Without a doubt.
He had been Nepali.
He was damn good at his work, damn good at drinking, and damn good at shooting the breeze.
It was him.
His name was definitely...
"Jiren?"
Right.
That was his name.
All at once, the holy light of His Majesty the Emperor wavered.
It is Jiren!!!!
"Chicken for a late-night snack."
I had the impression that sweat was running down the face of Him who should have been nothing but a skull.
The one who always worked the night shift, smoking cigarettes with me while we shot the breeze.
That Jiren!!!!
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