???
The Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes' words left everyone present stunned.
Especially Belar, the loyal Fallen Angel. He had his sword halfway out of the scabbard before freezing on the spot.
"We haven't even started fighting and My Lord already surrendered?!"
Aside from a small handful who still wanted to resist, most of the Chaos beings present quietly exhaled in relief.
They weren't all mindless madmen devoured by the Chaos Gods. They had no desire to follow the Ten Thousand Eyes warband into pointless annihilation.
There was no meaning in such a death.
Judging by the sheer numbers and power on either side, Ten Thousand Eyes didn't even have the chance to fight to the last man.
"You surrendered that fast?"
Hearing Seraphax's declaration, Eden also needed a second to process it.
He hadn't even started applying pressure yet, and the enemy was already throwing in the towel. He had assumed this one's backbone would be a little harder than that, but apparently it snapped at a touch.
Still, he did not lower his guard.
This Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes was no mere nobody. Without Eden's interference, this guy very likely would have floored the Lion at some point in the future…
…only to lose everything at the last moment thanks to his own underlings' betrayal.
A pity. Even if he could bring down the Lion, in the face of Eden's "three-Primarchs deluxe bundle," he could only behave himself. He simply wasn't that big a threat.
Eden just had to remain cautious enough to avoid tripping in some gutter.
"Your Majesty the Saviour, Ten Thousand Eyes is not surrendering," Seraphax said, his expression shifting as he tried to hold on to a scrap of dignity. "We are returning to the Imperium's embrace. We were always a part of mankind."
He was backed into a corner now. Only by going with the flow and submitting might he wring out a sliver of hope.
So long as he stayed alive, there would always be a chance to realise his goals.
As soon as they weathered this crisis and he walked away with his life, escaping at the right moment or rallying his armies in rebellion would both be on the table.
It was also obvious to him that the Saviour did not intend to kill him—otherwise those imperial fleets would have opened fire long ago, instead of waiting until now and opening negotiations.
The Saviour's terrifying armadas could, in just two volleys, annihilate every ship in the Ten Thousand Eyes fleet and consign them all to death.
"Not surrendering, huh?"
When Eden heard that phrasing, he frowned. "So you're neither fully surrendering nor offering up your loyalty. That implies hidden disloyalty and future rebellion.
In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to go with the punitive option."
The Saviour's words fell like a death sentence, plunging the desecrated hall into silence.
The atmosphere thickened with fear.
Countless Chaos beings turned to look at the Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes. His response would decide whether they lived or died.
"Is the Saviour deliberately humiliating and provoking me, or does he have some other purpose?"
Seraphax felt numb. Rage surged at the bottom of his heart.
But there was nothing he could do.
The moment he showed even a hint of defiance, the Saviour would unleash a killing blow.
He thought for a second, then dropped into a trembling half-kneel.
"Your Majesty the Supreme Saviour," he declared, "the Ten Thousand Eyes warband is willing to surrender and offer all our loyalty."
Whatever happened, he had to claw for this one remaining chance.
If he had run into any other Primarch instead of the Saviour, he wouldn't even have gotten the chance to say the word "surrender," let alone dream of some future comeback.
Even one more second bought was one more step toward survival.
In the Vostonia warzone, anything might happen—especially a warp-storm whipped up by Chaos. Such a storm could hand Ten Thousand Eyes their chance at survival…
And even deliver catastrophic damage to the Saviour's fleets.
That was why the Chaos Gods did not overly fret about the Saviour massing his forces. Over the years, they'd more or less grasped the changes in his realm and in the Imperium at large.
They knew he could call up huge fleets and mighty armies.
But so what? No matter how vast his fleets became, it was hard for them to withstand the scale of a Chaos cataclysm.
One great warp-storm could cut the Saviour's armadas to pieces, drawing them into unknown space.
It would rapidly disperse and break apart the power he had so painstakingly gathered.
"That is why Chaos is destined to win…"
Seraphax bowed his head, thinking.
A glint of contempt flashed in his eyes. "No matter how hard the Saviour works, it's all in vain.
Human flesh is frail, incapable of resisting higher-dimensional forces. Only when the Emperor ascends, becoming a Dark King, can he truly lead humanity into a new dimension."
This was the Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes' ideal—Chaos Ascension.
He was pessimistic about humanity's future and followed the simple philosophy: if you can't beat them, join them.
He fancied himself mankind's guide, the one who would lead them into a new epoch as a Warp-native species.
An epoch that would forever banish the spectre of extinction.
And once humanity existed under the Dark King's rule, they would be more terrifying than daemons themselves, instilling fear in any Warp-born life.
This was why Seraphax could so calmly claim that he was "part of humanity."
He had never seen himself as a slave to the Chaos Gods, nor had he ever given up on mankind. He was loyal to the Emperor—but to the Emperor's shadowed half, to the Dark King he believed would one day descend.
He longed for that day to come and to follow that being into endless war.
Of course, there was another version of the prophecy about the Dark King.
According to that one, on the day the Dark King arrived, humanity would face eternal extinction. The entire species would die.
Seraphax simply refused to believe it.
He believed the future Emperor—the Dark King—would shelter humanity's souls, just like the Cursed Legions.
He had studied the origins of certain Cursed Legions and concluded that those Imperial warriors were already no different from daemons, living as creatures sustained by the Warp.
That discovery had only strengthened his resolve to make humanity ascend.
All they had to do was abandon their flesh and they could gain eternity.
In Seraphax's view, he and the Saviour were essentially doing the same thing. Both were trying to save mankind; they had simply chosen different routes.
The Saviour had taken the wrong path, a dead end with no hope of survival.
He himself was humanity's true saviour!
That was why so many Chaos beings willingly followed him.
They all fought for humanity's future, even if that meant sacrificing countless lives along the way.
So what? Sacrifice was the foundation of the Imperium. It was the necessary price.
The sad part, to him, was that humanity did not understand this saviour of theirs—did not understand the greatness of Seraphax. Instead, they sent Inquisitors and Chapters after him, hunting him down.
How tragic.
The thought darkened his gaze further, and there was even a hint of moisture at the corner of his eyes.
He lowered his head.
Humanity was destroying its own future…
If he died, then what kind of darkness would mankind face?
He absolutely could not die.
"Your attitude is not bad.
Perhaps I can consider sparing your lives and give you one chance—one chance at loyalty and honour."
Eden was quite satisfied with the Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes and his followers' posture.
Not only were they kneeling, they were on the verge of tears—such touching loyalty. Even if they were acting, it deserved applause.
He was not like the old fossils of the previous Imperium, reflexively rejecting all things Chaos. He was perfectly willing to harness "unclean" forces.
If it could be turned against Chaos, then it was good power.
In the end, everyone was drawing on the Warp. No one was really more "noble" than anyone else. Even their so-called Lord of Mankind, His Radiant Dad, had a shadowed side.
Not so different from the Ruinous Powers.
Given the current galactic situation, he would use whatever he had. Chaos-tainted warriors could, in many cases, fight even better in the Warp.
They were perfect for bolstering the Terror Legion, helping it grow into an even more fearsome deterrent.
After all, at least half of the Imperium's Space Marines had thrown themselves into Chaos by now.
There were too many of them to count.
Letting such a force go to waste would be the real crime. You make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible—that principle never goes out of style.
As for the future, that was a problem for the future. Humanity truly did need a force that could garrison the Warp long-term.
Eden was already aware of Seraphax's supposed ideals; the Inquisition had briefed him.
All he could say was: the man had an imagination. He had even convinced some Imperial Inquisitors to defect and fight at his side.
It was one of the Inquisition's more shameful and taboo secrets.
But also, fairly normal for the galaxy these days.
Every undivided Chaos power still active in the galaxy had its own ideals, goals and action plans.
Otherwise, they could never have held together such large territories and armies.
Even that walking disaster Lorgar now liked to think of himself as "loyal." He believed the Emperor and the Imperium had misunderstood him—and might even get teary-eyed about the Ecclesiarchy's booming growth.
"I do like people with ideals and ambition," Eden thought. "Motivation gets work done."
He meant to fund Seraphax's research, let this high-tier sorcerer who specialised in that field delve deep into the secrets of Warp ascension. Only by knowing the enemy could they truly fight a hundred battles and win them all.
If they did not understand how such apotheosis came about, how were they supposed to stop it—or reverse it?
Of course, this course of action was highly risky. But the potential payoff was even higher. Strict supervision and layered safety measures would be a must.
"Foolish creatures."
While the Saviour was reflecting, Seraphax was laughing coldly inside. "It's coming. I can feel that terrifying storm.
It will descend on this region and sweep everything away…"
This was his second plan. Once he had confirmed that boarding was impossible, he had immediately used special means to transmit the local spatial coordinates into the Warp.
Then he had kept on stalling for time.
He was certain that once the Chaos Gods noticed these coordinates, they would strike with Warp-borne power at the Saviour's fleets.
Especially with the imperial ships bunched up this tightly—it was a natural target.
Now, that terrifying storm formed by the Chaos Gods working together was on its way, and mankind's fleet simply could not stop it. He himself, though, could use it as cover to escape.
Crack—
The space in this region began to shudder more violently. Here and there, the void itself split like glass, Warp-energy surging through the fractures.
The Malign Eye thrummed as the energies buffeted its hull.
"Your Majesty the Saviour, perhaps I should remind you of something," Seraphax said, raising his head at some unknown moment.
His manner was outwardly respectful, yet beneath it lay a faint thread of mockery. "Gathering so many ships in one place is extremely dangerous.
Especially when facing the Chaos Gods. It may bring about your destruction. Warp-storms cannot be resisted."
It was a grave blunder. By massing his fleets into such tight battle-groups, the Saviour had indeed increased their fighting power and deterrent effect in void combat.
But at the same time, he had also maximised their risk.
All the Chaos Gods had to do was invest a bit of their might and trigger a massive warp-storm. Mankind would suffer catastrophic losses, sacrificing its main navies in one stroke.
Seraphax only offered that one reminder, then held his tongue.
He kept his tone sounding like a warning, not a taunt.
He could not risk provoking the Saviour into a rage, lest Eden do something "irrational" like ordering the annihilation of the Ten Thousand Eyes fleet on the spot.
"It's already too late. The armadas can no longer avoid this storm."
Inside, though, the Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes was exultant.
Not just because he would get his revenge on the Saviour, but because once mankind's greatest hope was broken, he would have an even freer hand to push his Chaos Ascension plan.
He could hardly wait to watch this great host of ships torn apart by the storm, scattered into the Warp. He wanted to see the look in the Saviour's eyes when it all came crashing down.
Soon, that Saviour, that Emperor of Humanity, would lose the fleet he had laboured so hard to build up.
No sooner had Seraphax finished his "reminder" than an ominous crimson vortex formed in the surrounding space. The ships' crews could all feel the distortion.
Winds rose from nowhere in the void, whipping the hulls and making those metal leviathans sway like ships in a storm-tossed ocean.
And this was only the beginning. Soon enough, those waves would become a world-drowning tidal surge.
"By the throne, it's a storm! The storm is here!"
The blatant disturbance drew everyone's attention. Even the Chaos crew of Ten Thousand Eyes felt a nameless terror and dread.
"The wind's picking up. Not ideal."
Eden's brows knit.
He instinctively cast a glance at the Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes, and smiled gently. "Thank you for the warning. You're right—it is a risk."
The Saviour and Emperor of Humanity remained poised and courteous.
His reaction was so out of line with expectations that Seraphax was left baffled. "Impossible. How can he be so calm?
Is he going to call on the Emperor's power? But I thought that being could hardly use his might anymore…"
Such a vast warp-storm could only be calmed by the power of the holy sun. But as far as he knew, the Emperor's dark side was gnawing ever deeper, making it all but impossible for him to project his strength across such distances.
Seraphax focused, trying to sense even the faintest sign of that divine power. Yet amid the surging Warp, there was no trace of the Emperor's radiance—only a roiling tide of unclean energies.
"Hahahaha! The Emperor isn't coming. He can't use his power to quell this storm. The Saviour has no idea how terrible this disaster will be.
Fool…"
The Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes laughed wildly inside as the winds rose higher around the ship.
He gathered his will as well, ready to bolt the moment the storm fully broke. So long as he got away from this place, he had a chance.
By now, everyone understood what was coming. Imperial, Chaos—it didn't matter. All eyes turned to the Saviour.
A few high-ranking Chaos beings were already waiting to enjoy the show.
"The wind's a bit much. The ship's rocking. Take care of it…"
To their disappointment, Eden showed not a hint of panic. His expression barely changed as he turned and casually gave his deputy a couple of instructions.
He faced the oncoming cataclysm with the same attitude he took to routine paperwork.
Seraphax just stared, stupefied.
What was going on?!
A moment later, he felt a strange ripple run through the void and instinctively looked toward its source.
At some unknown point in time, a number of hulking, black, rather pudgy-looking vessels had appeared in the midst of the fleet.
As the black ships slowly opened up their armour, they revealed the intricate Blackstone structures mounted along their outer faces.
They looked less like ships and more like a series of huge Blackstone platforms.
Vmm—
Waves of energy rippled out from the Blackstone vessels, dispersing the onrushing storm. Within their coverage, the warp-storm calmed.
"Blackstone devices… They've stabilised the local space. The warp-storm's losing its teeth!"
Seraphax watched, and understanding dawned.
The Saviour was using some kind of unknown Blackstone techno-artifact to shield the entire armada's current position. No matter how savage the storm became, it could no longer reach them.
The Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes and his Chaos followers were completely dumbstruck.
None of them had imagined that the storm itself could be tamed by "mere" human science.
Eden, by contrast, was not particularly surprised. This was simply what Blackstone did—amplifying or suppressing Warp energy.
From the very moment he'd learned of Blackstone, from the moment he'd gotten his hands on the Blackstone Gate, he had never stopped researching it. It was his ace in dealing with the Warp.
Now, the Blackstone technology of the Saviour's realm had synthesised the strengths of many races' work, even incorporating Chaos-tainted tech. It didn't just shield ships—it could also protect ordinary humans.
Otherwise he never would have dared pack his fleets this tightly, nor brought so many mortal armies along.
Massing them was, in itself, a collective form of protection.
"Right. Where were we?"
Eden turned back to Seraphax. "You were going to surrender, weren't you? Disarm every weapon immediately and await processing."
The Saviour's tone allowed no argument. If the Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes dared refuse, there would be nothing left to discuss.
Seraphax swallowed and gave a small bow as he lowered his staff. "As you wish. The Ten Thousand Eyes warband will disarm and await your judgement."
He understood this was the Saviour's final ultimatum.
Seeing their lord comply, the other Chaos beings laid down their weapons as well.
Those few who still tried to resist were promptly surrounded and cut down by their own comrades. No one wanted to be buried alongside them for no reason at all.
They had to survive, or they would never realise their "great ideals."
"This hall really is a bit blasphemous. What does this look like?"
Eden glanced past Seraphax at the toppled statue of the Emperor, his expression anything but pleased.
Then, exactly as if he were on an inspection tour of one of his own territories, he pointed around the place and began issuing orders.
"Here, here, and there—clean it all up. This doesn't meet regulations. I want it fixed, as fast as possible."
…
The Malign Eye, new "desecrated" hall.
The chamber now shone with golden light. Angelic sculptures lined the walls, radiating a sacred aura as they depicted the tales of the Golden Sun and the Saviour.
Relics and holy statues adorned every corner.
Where the old throne had once stood, a new statue of the Emperor now rose, covered in gold leaf and sacred oils, gleaming brilliantly.
At the Emperor's feet—
"For the Emperor!"
Seraphax and the other Chaos beings stood at rigid attention under the Custodians' watchful gazes, saluting and shouting their loyalty over and over again, repeating the motion without end.
The Saviour called it a "loyalty re-education programme," making sure His Radiant Dad and loyal devotion were etched into their hearts every waking moment.
Their faces were grey with despair.
"What a tragedy…"
The Lord of Ten Thousand Eyes' dejection was not only directed at the Emperor, but at the Saviour's scheme.
He quietly poured his effort into the Warp, trying to send a message. "Run, all of you. This is the Saviour's trap!"
But inside this sanctified space, with all the seals laid down by the think-tank savants, nothing could get out.
Just moments ago, the Saviour had used the Ten Thousand Eyes' name and the disturbance of the warp-storm to send out a flood of transmissions, proclaiming that his fleets had been ravaged by the storm and suffered heavy losses.
"Reinforcements needed, urgently!"
In simple terms, the Saviour was using Ten Thousand Eyes and the Warp-storm as bait, chumming the waters to lure more Chaos fleets into range.
Then he would slam the gates shut and beat them like dogs.
From now on, the Ten Thousand Eyes warband would probably be the most hated name in every Chaos corridor.
Meanwhile, in a distant region of the galaxy—
A tower inscribed with holy scripture yet soaked in Chaos darkness shook violently as its bells tolled.
With each eerie peal, in the chamber at the very top, a horned figure bound in parchment strips, wreathed in dim, yellow flames… slowly opened its eyes.
(End of Chapter)
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