"Sir, is there any misunderstanding?" An old bishop began to tremble as he spoke. Long-term pampering made him gain a lot of weight. When he was afraid, his fat was shaking.
"Misunderstanding? What kind of misunderstanding? Are you questioning me?" Guilliman looked at the old bishop. "I once established this great empire with my father and witnessed the beginnings of the state religion. You think I am not qualified to criticize your actions."
"No, no, sir, I don't have such an idea." The old bishop was almost crying when he heard this.
His mechanical prosthetic eyes were trembling, and Guilliman's powerful oppression made him lose all his former respect.
It's not just about the fear of death, but more about the fact that Guilliman denied his inner beliefs.
"We have always served the Emperor devoutly and have never disobeyed him." Another bishop spoke. His situation was not much better, but he could still speak fluently without stuttering.
"So I didn't execute you right away, but chose to come here to investigate in person. If I had evidence that you were indeed heretics, then it wouldn't be me who would come here, but the extermination order I issued."
The cruelty in Guilliman's words frightened the bishops.
They will not forget that the Emperor's son has another title, that is, the Demigod of War.
The empire was established on the ruins and destruction of many alien empires and those human forces that were unwilling to obey the empire.
Each Primarch is the embodiment of war and is absolutely ruthless towards his enemies.
"Sir, we are absolutely loyal to the Empire and the Emperor. We are definitely not the traitors you claim."
"Yes, sir."
"Sir, you must trust us. We will never have any thoughts of disobeying the emperor."
Guilliman smiled meaningfully. "I also hope that you are deceived, not really rebelling. I have seen your piety, and I sincerely hope that your piety is real."
"Our piety is real, my lord."
"yes."
Guilliman pointed at the criminals who were imprisoned in iron cages and screaming in pain, "Then can you tell me what that is?"
"Those are heretics. They reject the Emperor's enlightenment and the Faith."
"We punish them and let them know the consequences of not believing in and respecting the Emperor."
"Suffering will purify their souls and make them repent."
... ... ... .
"You mean to say that my father needs to use fear to win over believers? Just like those evil gods, using conspiracy and death to intimidate those ignorant people, forcing them to kneel before the statue of the Emperor and offer their faith?" Guilliman questioned the bishop in front of him with cold words, and the smile on his noble face turned cruel and cold.
"That is not what we mean, sir," cried the old bishop. "We have no such idea."
"But you did that. You twisted my father into an evil god, just like those evil gods in the warp that humans hate. You used fear as a means to promote her, and used death to force those people. What is the difference between what you did and those Chaos traitors that my father hated? Those traitors hurt my father's people, and you also hurt my father's people."
"Those evil gods used false lies to take away everything from people, leaving them with only painful endurance. My father hated this and vowed to bring salvation to mankind, but now, you are using my father's name to commit such evil deeds."
There was terrible anger in Guilliman's voice, and everyone could clearly feel the rage in his heart.
The bishops were filled with extreme fear.
"Sir," the bishop cried, "we just want to protect her honor."
"Use fear and sword to maintain it? Heretics, you have distorted my father, twisted his mercy into fear, twisted his kindness into cruelty, and twisted his kindness into blood. Kneel down, otherwise, I will sentence you to heresy and burn you at the stake."
Guilliman drew out the Emperor's sword, and golden flames rose up, dazzling.
The bishops fell to their knees, all trembling.
Guilliman glanced at them, then walked to the podium that had been prepared for him.
He held the Emperor's sword high, his eyes filled with anger.
A servo skull with glowing red eyes was suspended beside him, broadcasting his every move in real time.
Large projection screens appeared in cities and towns across Espandor.
All the believers were looking at Guilliman and each other, wondering why the Emperor's own son wanted the bishops to kneel down.
"I am the Son of the Emperor, the Lord of Ultramar, the Regent of the Empire, and the only representative of the Holy Emperor in the Empire. Kneel down, ignorant believers, otherwise you will be declared heretics."
Guilliman's voice was transmitted through the servoskulls to all parts of the world, and his voice could be heard even in the desolate deserts.
His voice contained great power and oppression, and the believers all looked at each other in surprise.
They didn't know why the Primarch gave such an order.
But out of faith in the Emperor, they still knelt down.
All believers prostrated themselves on the ground, fearing that they would be declared heretics.
Those who can come to Espandor are the most fanatical believers, and they will never allow any flaws in their beliefs.
As the Emperor's own son and holding the Emperor's Sword, Guilliman is the Emperor's best spokesperson, at least more legitimate than bishops and saints.
No one can shake Guilliman's position except the Emperor himself.
"I am sincerely happy about your devout faith, but some selfish and greedy people fooled and deceived you in every way for power and wealth. They shaped my kind and loving father into a being like those disgusting evil gods."
"I must correct this mistake, judge those infuriating heretics, and bring back the glory of my father to you. From today on, anyone who disobeys me is a heretic, and anyone who misinterprets my words is a lackey of those evil gods. I will never show any mercy."
After saying this, Guilliman turned his head and looked at the kneeling bishop. "You have committed an unforgivable crime, becoming the pawn of that evil being, distorting the glory of my father, and bringing endless pain to those who follow my father and love my father. I should send you to the stake and execute you."
"But my father taught me to be merciful and to love every human being who has not fallen into the abyss, so I will give you a chance. You can choose to atone your sins, or choose to end your sinful life."
"I am willing to atone my sins, my lord."
"I would like to do that, too."
... ... ..
The bishops watched the Space Marines carrying out huge stakes, so they didn't dare to have a religious debate with Guilliman.
By debating with others, you can demonstrate your understanding of the Emperor's glory and increase your popularity.
The only outcome for debating with a Primarch was being burned at the stake and spurned as a heretic.
"Very good, you have made the right choice and proved your piety. Everyone, stand up."
Guilliman's words made the bishops look relieved that they had survived the disaster.
After dealing with these bishops, Guilliman turned around and continued to face the kneeling believers, "I will re-examine Espandor and check whether there are heretical ideas in your beliefs. If there are and you are unwilling to repent, then I will give you the most cruel destruction. I will never allow anything to tarnish the glory of my father. Now all stand up and prepare to be examined, people of the empire, devout believers."
After saying this, Guilliman declared the end of his speech, turned around and walked into the magnificent church.
The church is very majestic and magnificent. Its height alone is hundreds of kilometers. Its area is unknown, but it is also terrifying to fans. It is equivalent to a small city.
Many aerial bridges were built inside, and believers walked along the bridges, singing praises to the emperor.
The kilometer-high ossuary is filled with the remains of believers who were called saints.
The skulls were placed in the dark shrine, and the flickering candles added a touch of eeriness.
Guilliman took a look around, then walked deeper into the church, and stopped in front of a statue of the Emperor covered in golden armor.
Several bishops followed Guilliman into the church nervously.
Seeing the other party stop in front of the sculpture of the Emperor, unprecedented fear emerged in their hearts.
Could it be that they were really wrong? Had they been fooled by heresy all along
"Now, let us talk about what are the twisted things of those traitors and heretics, and what are the true manifestations of my father's divine essence." Guilliman glanced at the sculpture of the Emperor, and then turned to look at the bishops.