Chapter 416: The Mutated Thousand Sons! MVP Tzeentch! A Calamity Unleashed!:
"I'm telling you now—the intel I currently have is all based on data prior to the warp navigation tech transfer. If you want to know it, you'll need to accept this deal."
Paul stated plainly.
The intelligence held by the Megacorp was the real deal. Since the STC modules were valuable assets even to the Imperium of Man, both sides needed to make sure the terms of the deal were clear before proceeding—lest someone back out or try to pull a fast one.
Malcador fell into a moment of silent contemplation, then nodded. "Fine. I accept."
Although the intel Paul had might not align with the post-timeline shift future, it could still help the Imperium reverse-engineer the current crisis by examining how things were originally meant to unfold.
The Emperor could foresee countless timelines, but only vague outlines—never a clear view of specific endings.
So Paul's intel, especially the details, could still be incredibly useful.
"As long as your information truly benefits us, we won't be stingy with the STC modules. As before, you may choose any two."
"But likewise, you must share any decrypted tech knowledge with the Imperium."
Malcador was open and straightforward. Both sides laid their cards on the table—terms, stakes, and expectations.
Paul nodded calmly, thinking to himself how he was starting to feel more like a shrewd businessman. He'd only been on Terra for a few days and was already close to bleeding the Imperium dry of its technological relics.
And this was just regarding Magnus. If he offered intel on the other Primarchs, who knows what treasures Malcador would throw on the table?
The Megacorp was really raking it in.
"Are you aware that Magnus's Thousand Sons have already begun mutating—flesh and blood mutations?"
Paul turned to Malcador and asked.
Malcador's brows immediately furrowed.
The Thousand Sons, the Astartes legion under Magnus, were all highly gifted psykers, their gene-seed derived from Magnus himself.
But with a leader obsessed with poking around the Warp, it was no surprise his warriors followed suit, often secretly dabbling in warp manipulation and abusing psychic powers.
Despite the Emperor's repeated warnings, the rebellious Magnus couldn't suppress his own curiosity.
As the Thousand Sons increasingly relied on psychic abilities, physical mutations began to manifest in their bodies.
Some warriors had developed elf-like pointed ears; others had limbs that were growing abnormally long and slender.
In an attempt to cure his legion's mutations, Magnus even traded one of his own eyes to the Chaos God Tzeentch—hoping the god would remove the affliction from his warriors.
But the mutations weren't cured.
On the contrary, over time, the initially "improved" warriors began mutating even faster. The corruption within the legion was accelerating and worsening.
In fact, both Malcador and the Emperor had long been aware of the Thousand Sons' physical corruption.
But they hadn't taken the issue too seriously.
After all, psykers were naturally prone to warp daemon influence. As long as the mutations were treated in time and kept under control, it usually didn't lead to serious consequences.
What the Emperor didn't know was just how far things had already gone.
"The mutations happening within the Thousand Sons—that's Tzeentch's doing. And the situation is spiraling out of control. It won't stay hidden for much longer."
Paul laid it out plainly.
Sure enough, when he heard that Magnus had secretly made a deal with Tzeentch, Malcador was thunderstruck. His fingers even began to tremble.
"What… how could this happen?"
Malcador didn't dare mention "Tzeentch" by name like Paul did. But the chaotic, unfathomable image of the Warp God had already surfaced in his mind.
In the Warhammer universe, even the Emperor avoided directly speaking the names of the Four Chaos Gods—because names hold power. Speaking them aloud could draw their attention.
But aboard the Megacorp warship, its dimensional barrier shielded it from the warp. Even saying Tzeentch's name wouldn't matter here.
Malcador's mind was a storm of emotions.
He hadn't expected Magnus—who outwardly seemed obedient—to fall under a Chaos God's sway so easily, nor for the entire Thousand Sons legion to become so severely corrupted.
Right under the Emperor's nose, half the Thousand Sons had already become claws and puppets of Tzeentch!
What else could be done now? The Emperor would likely have to dispatch other Primarchs to do the unthinkable—slaughter the Thousand Sons to the last warrior.
"Magnus has truly let us down. He ignored the Emperor's warnings and traded his own eye to a Chaos God. It's shameful. Utterly pathetic."
Malcador let out a long sigh. Tzeentch was the most deceitful, manipulative of the Chaos Gods. Once you fell for its schemes, corruption was inevitable.
Now that Magnus had gone missing, it was almost certain Tzeentch was behind it. The situation came out of nowhere—perhaps even the Emperor couldn't save him now.
"The Thousand Sons must be purged immediately."
Malcador's tone was low and grave. As painful as it was, the infection had to be cut out before it festered.
The fall of one Astartes legion was better than having all legions fall one by one.
Malcador showed no hesitation in the face of this greater good—only exhaustion and regret.
He just couldn't understand why, out of all the Emperor's genetically engineered sons, so many turned out to be such disappointments—so reckless, so unreliable.
Only Horus, Sanguinius, and Guilliman seemed to have held their ground without stirring up constant trouble.
Seeing the look of weary disappointment on Malcador's face—the kind of face a parent makes when their child insists 1+1=3—Paul said nothing further.
He was just the messenger. It wasn't his job to tell the Imperium how to handle Magnus and the Thousand Sons.
Internal Imperium affairs were best left untouched by the Megacorp.
"What now? Will Tzeentch really let Magnus go?"
Malcador was thinking fast.
If Tzeentch had just killed Magnus outright, that might've been a cleaner ending.
But if the Chaos God released Magnus, that would mean it still had a plan—something more insidious.
And that terrified Malcador.
Tzeentch, the so-called Changer of Ways, was infamous for being utterly unpredictable. No one could ever guess when—or how—it would unveil its next diabolical scheme.
And knowing its twisted sense of irony, it might actually let Magnus go on purpose—just to sow distrust between the Emperor and his sons.
What was likely to happen next:
The Thousand Sons' mutations would spiral completely out of control, beyond salvation. The Emperor would be forced to order their execution.
But every Astartes warrior shared an unbreakable bond with their Primarch.
Their gene-seed came from their Primarch, their very DNA. To them, their Primarch was their father—just as the Primarchs viewed the Emperor as theirs.
If Magnus were to witness the Emperor slaughtering his legion with his own eyes… would he ever remain truly loyal?
And once the other Primarchs saw what happened to Magnus… would they still remain as devoted as before?
---
They would begin making other plans.
Human nature never withstands scrutiny.
As a veteran of Infinity political struggle, Malcador saw through this reality all too clearly.
Once a crack appears, there's no sealing it back up.
Considering all this, Malcador concluded that it might actually be better if Magnus didn't return for the time being. Even dying at the hands of a Chaos God would be preferable.
That way, his death could serve as a rallying cry—an inspiration for the other Primarchs to one day storm the Warp and avenge their fallen brother.
A Primarch who died loyally and gloriously for the Imperium and the Emperor… was still better than one who lived corrupted by a Chaos God, body and soul twisted by mutation.
Once he gathered his thoughts and calmed his mind, Malcador resumed his questioning.
"There's something even more important than the Thousand Sons' mutation."
Unlike the rattled Malcador, Paul's tone remained completely flat—no hint of concern—as he casually relayed information that could bring the Imperium to total ruin.
He sounded like a detached, indifferent machine.
"During the Emperor's critical efforts to construct the Webway, Magnus attempted to warn Him of a hidden conspiracy. In desperation, he used the power of a Chaos God to force open a tear in the Webway."
"As a result, a horde of Chaos daemons flooded through, slaughtering the guards and ministers of the Imperial Palace on Terra."
Paul was careful not to name the conspirator—Primarch Horus—since Malcador had only paid for intel about Magnus.
When Malcador heard this, he was utterly stunned. How could anyone cause such a catastrophic disaster?
If what Paul said was true, Magnus's crime wasn't just unforgivable—it was beyond comprehension.
Paul paused slightly, then continued outlining the cascading disasters that followed Magnus's actions:
"To hold back the torrent of daemons, the Emperor was forced to sacrifice Himself—sealing the breach in the Webway with His own flesh. He has remained seated upon the ancient Golden Throne ever since, a silent, immobile statue."
"That… is the ending of that grim future."
Bombshell after bombshell left Malcador reeling. He could hardly believe it—the mighty Imperium, at the peak of its power, brought to total collapse in the blink of an eye.
If Paul hadn't been an official envoy of the Megacorp, Malcador might've accused him of being a fanatical Chaos cultist and had him executed on the spot.
Now, Malcador stood frozen, his pupils lifeless, body like a withered husk.
Paul remained silent, patiently waiting for him to absorb and process all the dense, overwhelming information.
From his detached, godlike vantage point, Paul had to admit—the Chaos Gods had played their hand with flawless coordination.
Especially Tzeentch.
Among all the Chaos Gods, Tzeentch was the undisputed MVP in the Imperium's collapse.
First, he pretended to "heal" Horus, working alongside Nurgle to literally smear filth on Horus's wounds—exacerbating his condition and giving all four Chaos Gods an opening to seduce and corrupt him.
Once thoroughly brainwashed, Horus picked up his warhammer and set out to slay the "false Emperor"—his own father.
Meanwhile, Magnus, addicted to warp-surfing, overheard Horus's conspiracy through the Warp like an interdimensional eavesdropper.
Intent on warning the Emperor, he looked for a shortcut—and when he couldn't open the Webway on his own, guess who showed up?
MVP Tzeentch.
With a friendly offer of help, Tzeentch stepped in. In his panic, Magnus didn't even question the source. And so, unknowingly, he and Tzeentch tore open the Emperor's carefully woven Webway.
External sabotage: Tzeentch corrupted Horus and sparked a galaxy-wide civil war.
Internal sabotage: Tzeentch guided Magnus to destroy the Webway, giving Chaos and daemons a direct route into the Imperial Palace.
What a highlight reel. Tzeentch had truly outdone himself.
As a result, Magnus not only failed to expose Horus, but was later branded a criminal by the Emperor himself.
Even worse, the already-corrupted Horus altered the Emperor's arrest order—transforming the command to detain Magnus into a kill order. He ordered the extermination of Magnus and the Thousand Sons.
Thus, the most knowledgeable of all the Primarchs was reduced to a pitiful clown, utterly toyed with by Tzeentch.
Magnus had never intended rebellion.
But his actions—and the disastrous consequences they triggered—surpassed even those of Horus the traitor.
It was a long time before Malcador finally came to his senses.
"…Is there any more intel?"
He asked the question with an incredibly complex expression—part of him wanted to hear more details, and part of him never wanted to hear another word of this dark future.
It was a nightmare he couldn't wake from.
All Malcador could do now was gather as much information as possible, so that he could report to the Emperor and let Him decide what must be done.
"Of course. But I'll only tell you what relates to Magnus."
Paul remained as meticulous as ever. Seeing that Malcador had mostly recovered, he answered the next questions and shared a few of his own thoughts and analysis.
Their exchange lasted nearly two and a half hours before finally concluding.
"Thank you for sharing this intel. The Imperium will remember the Megacorp's assistance," Malcador said earnestly.
In critical moments, a well-timed piece of information can shift the entire tide of history.
Now that they knew Magnus was a powder keg hidden within the Imperium, they absolutely couldn't allow him to act according to the Chaos Gods' designs.
If necessary… even the unjust killing of an innocent might be acceptable.
"I'll go report to the Emperor immediately."
Malcador turned to Paul and said, "You may now choose any STC module you like. Once I've spoken to the Emperor, I'll take you to retrieve it."
With that, he left in haste.
The moment he stepped beyond the Megacorp warship's dimensional field, Malcador suppressed all emotional turbulence. As a high-ranking official of the Imperium, the Chaos Gods were always watching, always seeking any crack in his composure.
Malcador would not let the Warp glimpse into his mind through his projected soul.
Soon, back in the Imperial Palace on Terra, Malcador once again stood before the Emperor and reported everything—
The Thousand Sons' flesh mutations, Magnus's dealings with a Chaos God, the shattered Webway, and the daemonic invasion.
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