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This is not a god-emperor.
This is a god whose name is "Emperor."
Long-dead, he was the last ruler of a once-powerful empire whose cultural influence outlasted it.
Was he deified in his lifetime? We no longer know. But he is deified now.
While his memory lives on, his true name has been lost. At some point, the word "emperor" ceased to have meaning except when referring to him, therefore his name is now Emperor.