Upon waking, Yuki felt his thoughts were remarkably clear.
If he were to make a comparison, it was as if he had been under some kind of spell before, never truly certain of what he wanted. Now, he had found a new goal.
To become stronger.
This world, ultimately, only respected power. Until he was strong enough to act freely according to his own will, everything else was meaningless. He was under no obligation to save anyone. Only through strength could he stop the slaughters he detested; only through strength could he satisfy his inconsequential compassion.
Dammit, I really was acting like a fool before.
Having come to this realization, he finally noticed Yuno beside him. Yuno's sleep was always terrifying; her body temperature would drop to match the ambient environment, showing no vital signs—she looked exactly like a corpse. Her consciousness, however, was far from silent. According to Yuki's guess, Yuno's "sleep" was merely a redirection of her energy toward the movements of the Hive Fleet. Even with the existence of Nodal Intelligences, the Great Devourer still needed to micromanage the swarm.
Wait, according to the timeline... has Yuno already fought Marneus Calgar?
To be honest, the feeling was incredibly surreal. Yuki thought he might find a chance to talk to Yuno about those legendary Warhammer figures she had encountered.
"Boss."
Seeing Yuki finally emerge, the twins immediately stepped forward. "That psyker is awake!"
The near-Alpha level psyker was awake? Yuki followed Ilia to the place where the psyker was being temporarily held.
Logically, detaining such a dangerous individual required the most extreme measures. On some Black Ships that transported psykers, there were even Sisters of Silence present. Yet, this near-Alpha level psyker was curled up in a corner, cowering, not daring to exert her power.
Yuki knew exactly what had happened. This unlucky soul had happened to run into him while he was clashing with Yuno's psychic energy. She had tried to attack him, only to be kicked aside like a stray dog by the leaking psychic force. However, Yuki had instinctively protected her at the time, which was the only reason she hadn't died on the spot. Ultimately, the power he had carried then was less than a ten-millionth of Yuno's true strength.
"Are you still alive?" Yuki asked.
The psyker looked up. Her eyes were hollow, and the skin around them bore hideous burn marks—the price of witnessing a tiny fraction of the Great Devourer's terrifying power.
"Who... who is it?" she asked tremulously, releasing a tiny bit of psychic energy to try and perceive the newcomer's appearance.
"Yura. I'm the one who brought you out of that hellhole."
"You... what are you? That thing behind you—no, you are a part of that thing. So massive... a black hole! A black hole! Don't come near me! I don't want to be eaten!"
"Get out," Yuki commanded. The conjoined twins obediently left.
Yuki looked at the hysterical psyker. Verbal communication was useless; he could only speak through psychic means. He pressed his hand down, easily suppressing her thoughts. Once again, the psyker's hollow sockets turned toward Yuki, but this time, forced into a state of calm, she uttered even stranger words.
"God... God-Emperor?"
She crawled across the floor, prostrating herself at Yuki's feet. "Hahaha! I saw it! The Great Being standing behind you! Heavens, such immense power... such a cold Black Sun! This must be the Emperor's will! You are the God-Emperor, aren't you? No, no... how could the Emperor condescend to see me in person? You must be His messenger! You must be!"
The original terror had vanished. What Yuki felt now was a searing, fanatical devotion and worship.
Great. I must have been too heavy-handed; I've broken her mind.
The mental state of unsanctioned psykers was already unstable, let alone those who were self-taught believers. But maybe this isn't so bad? She's still a near-Alpha level psyker. With a little training, she could be a significant asset.
He reached out his hand to the psyker. "Yes. I felt your call. Come, be with me."
"God-Emperor! O God-Emperor! Please grant me a name! Who am I, truly?" Her composure broke again, like a person who had pursued something desperately and finally attained it. All the pain and despair of the past years poured out in that instant. There were no psychic fluctuations; she simply knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
"O God-Emperor, why did You only come now? I waited for You for so long! I waited for You in the Sea of Souls; I waited for You through endless humiliation! Why did You only come now?"
She looked up, and in an instant, Yuki saw her past. Her parents' brutal deaths, the abuse she suffered, and after her psychic awakening, having her spine pierced by three holy relics and being locked in a dark basement forever.
"God-Emperor, what did I do wrong? Why must You take my eyes now? Am I not worthy of beholding Your glory? God-Emperor! Why treat us this way?"
Her voice grew fainter, her shoulders trembling as sobs replaced her lamentations. "God-Emperor, I confess to You... I wavered. When I heard the screams of the people next door, when I caught a glimpse of that vast Sea of Souls with my power... I'm sorry, God-Emperor."
Yuki's feelings were complicated. He didn't know how to answer. Should he tell this woman he wasn't the Emperor? Yet from her outpouring, the God-Emperor she believed in hadn't shown her any mercy.
"Are you finished?" Yuki asked coldly. The sobbing stopped instantly. "Is this your will? Is this your resolve? If it's just complaining, so be it, but do you intend to wallow in self-pity here forever?"
The psyker's mind seemed to clear at the reprimand. "The Emperor protects. I was presumptuous."
"From now on, your name is Eleven. You have no self. Everything you do is for me!"
Eleven smiled. It was the first time Yuki had seen her smile.
"You can just call me Yura from now on. Don't call me the God-Emperor. I am executing my own plan."
He noticed Eleven's heart had truly calmed down. Without needing his psychic intervention, her turbulent inner self had finally found peace. Eleven wept once more. "Thank you, God-Emperor. You are as magnificent as the legends say."
Yuki silently walked out. He felt like he was surrounded by nothing but eccentrics. Yuno wasn't human at all, the twins barely counted as two people, and now there was Eleven, whose faith was on par with a Death Cult Assassin.
His stomach hurt. With millions of people under his control, he needed to find a way to build a circle of trusted subordinates.
Whatever. Time to go work out.