Chapter 407: Alternate Space! Godhood Through Faith — Meeting Horus! Showdown!
In exchange, the mega- Megacorp only needed to acquire some leftover black technologies from humanity's Golden Age to unlock the remaining dormant tech trees.
If they missed this relatively peaceful and stable period of the Warhammer universe, it would become exponentially harder to intervene later—when the Emperor is half-dead, and the Primarchs have defected, died, or vanished.
The entire Warhammer universe would plunge into chaos, and for the Universal Mega- Megacorp to get involved at that point would come at a much steeper cost.
As for the problem of the Chaos Gods in the Warp, after extensive discussion and research among the Science Nexus Department, Amon, Kerrigan, the Primus, and Unicron, the Mega- Megacorp had already mastered the technology to fabricate designated alternate universes. With the Xeelee Nightfighter—the "spacetime scalpel"—they could carve out new dimensional zones from thin air.
This technique was known as "Alternate Space," a dimensional construct formed using divine theories and the Nightfighter's unique properties. The Megacorp could use the Nightfighter to emit powerful spacetime repulsion, compressing a portion of the Warp—or even carving out a "vacuum zone" within the Warp itself!
The affected area was roughly the size of a star system.
Though this was but a drop in the cosmic ocean, posing little overall effect on the Warhammer material universe or the Warp, this isolated "Alternate Space" could shield any beings inside it from demonic corruption or the gaze of the Chaos Gods.
It was essentially a pollution-free haven outside of the Warp.
Moreover, to synchronize with the Warhammer universe's established link between the physical realm and the Warp, the mega- Megacorp patched this dimension accordingly.
Those modified by the Mega- Megacorp would be bound to Alternate Space. Regardless of location or emotional state, their psychic emissions would affect only the Alternate Space—never the Warhammer Warp directly. Thus, the risk of psychic corruption was eliminated.
To add another layer of security, Megatronus used his Chaos Entropy to encrypt and conceal the Alternate Space.
Even if all four Chaos Gods joined forces, they wouldn't find a single crack in it.
While the technology was expensive, once implemented successfully, it could shield the frontline forces from Warp-based interference and corruption.
In a way, the Warhammer universe had already passed its true golden age—the time of the Old Ones, Necrontyr, and the C'tan.
At that peak, its civilizations had mastered technologies capable of traversing multiverses, rivaling the god-makers of Star Wars.
The gods of that era casually tampered with cosmic constants, reshaped dimensions, and manipulated the cycles of birth and extinction with a mere thought.
But those days were long gone.
Now, the Chaos Gods and surviving civilizations were living off the scraps of what those ancient deities left behind. The Four Great Chaos Gods only had so many tricks in their playbook.
Meanwhile, the mega- Megacorp's Science Nexus had backing from multiple universes—many of which were home to divine or high-dimensional entities. With an all-star cast like that, it wasn't going to fold easily!
As long as no major mistakes were made, the mega- Megacorp's presence in the Warhammer universe was relatively secure.
In the council chamber, Alt Cunningham personally vouched on behalf of the entire Science Nexus Department, promising to support the frontline units in completing the unification mission.
Still, the upper management's understanding of the Warhammer universe remained shallow. Relying solely on written records and speculative inference was far from enough.
If some unforeseen variable arose, the Megacorp's preparations could unravel.
After all, the Warhammer universe was far too chaotic. No one could guarantee 100% safety.
Following half a month of deliberation, the board finally reached a consensus: for now, they would refrain from deploying large-scale forces into the universe.
Instead, only a small number of replicants and bio-probes would be sent for stealth investigation and covert intelligence gathering.
All remaining personnel preparing to enter the Warhammer universe would undergo an eight-month crash course in survival and adaptation, with every department ramping up tailored logistics support.
While the executive branches of the Megacorp were busy planning their expansion into the Warhammer universe, Li Ang wasn't idle either.
He entered the Matrix alone and held multiple discussions with the gods.
"This universe seems to be giving you a real headache. Why not just use your [Einstein Equator] to blow it all up? No universe, no problems," Amon suggested.
Amon, ever the nihilist, seemed to believe blowing up universes was the best solution to every problem.
Li Ang ignored his flippant remark and instead shared a proposal raised by other executives.
They suggested leveraging Warhammer's unique mechanics to turn entities like Amon, Kerrigan, or Eywa—planetary consciousnesses—into Warp gods.
Or, better yet, have Li Ang himself be deified directly through belief, and manifest as a "new god" in the Warp!
Theoretically, this was feasible.
The mega- Megacorp governed nine multiverses and countless colony worlds. It would be easy to initiate a campaign of indoctrination and swiftly cultivate a large population of civilizations that worshipped their corporate executives.
In fact, thanks to Li Ang's prestige in the primary universe and his honorary god-emperor status in Universe 005 (Dune), his faith reserves were already substantial.
If not for his deliberate manipulation of public opinion, the number of zealots worshipping him would be even greater.
By redirecting emotional energy from these other universes into the Warhammer Warp via its unique mechanics, Li Ang could potentially achieve divine ascension—spiritual apotheosis.
He could become the sole, supreme god in the Warp—obliterating the "Chaos Four" would be child's play.
After all, the Four Chaos Gods relied on emotional projections from the Milky Way's sentient population for sustenance.
But when it came to population size and territory, the mega- Megacorp had an overwhelming advantage.
Of course, such a plan came with risks—like being affected by the emotional feedback from those intelligent lifeforms.
Yet Li Ang was confident. He had the system as a safeguard, which made him immune to external emotional interference. His consciousness would remain lucid and autonomous no matter what.
This immunity was the cornerstone of his ability to consistently make brilliant plans and lead the Universal Megacorp forward.
Put simply, Li Ang was mentally untouchable—he had a built-in "liquid mercury purification system."
Naturally, the other executives weren't aware of this. To minimize risk, their preferred candidates for godhood remained beings like Amon and the Primus.
After all, no one wanted to bet the farm on Li Ang and risk catastrophe.
Even Li Ang himself had mixed feelings about the proposal. It was a high-risk, high-reward decision, so he decided to let the other gods serve as test subjects first.
"There's no need to rush into this," the Primus said quietly. "There are many ways to unify the Warhammer universe—this is just a backup plan."
He wasn't stupid. It was obvious Li Ang wanted to use them as guinea pigs, so he urged caution.
"Aren't you working on the Aether Phase Engine?" he added. "That thing can drain everything from high-dimensional space. Even if the frontlines collapse, once it's complete, you could use it to blow away all the Chaos Gods in the Warp."
Amon also gave his response.
It was clear that none of the gods were willing to shoulder this kind of risk.
Li Ang nodded thoughtfully. Since Primus and the others weren't willing, he wouldn't push them. They would proceed with the integration mission according to the original plan.
…
The Universal Mega- Megacorp didn't waste the next several months just sitting idle. Under Li Ang's comprehensive strategy, its departments simultaneously began screening and training the main invasion forces for the Warhammer universe, while also secretly opening a dimensional backdoor in the Warp—an Alternate Space—and binding it to an advance team that would act as a diplomatic envoy.
Li Ang's chosen diplomatic target? The Emperor's firstborn son—Horus.
Aboard the Queen of Glory, a battleship spanning 20 kilometers, Paul led his advance team to meet with Horus.
"Honored Primarch, we are a human polity from the depths of the universe. We hope to establish stable diplomatic relations with the great Imperium of Man," Paul said straightforwardly, introducing himself to Horus—though most of the details had been carefully fabricated beforehand.
In the Warhammer universe, the Imperium of Man's domain was mainly confined to the Milky Way. Even the Emperor himself knew little about civilizations beyond the galactic rim.
Paul looked unwaveringly at Horus, seated at the top of the steps. This most trusted of the Emperor's sons had, near the end of the Great Crusade, been formally appointed as Warmaster of the Imperium.
That title granted him command over the entire Imperial military and direct authority over the other Primarchs—essentially the supreme commander, second only to the Emperor.
It was tragic that this exceptional Primarch would later fall to Chaos, corrupted by the Warp, and launch the galaxy-shaking Horus Heresy.
That single rebellion extinguished the Imperium's last flicker of renaissance.
Though Horus had not yet been appointed Warmaster at this stage, everyone already knew he was destined to become the second-in-command of the Imperium.
During this period of the Great Crusade, Horus had led his legion to major victories over the Orks, earning significant acclaim throughout the Imperium. He stood at the pinnacle of his fame, exuding youthful confidence and a commanding aura.
Facing the Universal Mega- Megacorp's envoy at the foot of the steps, Horus sat motionless, like a carved statue, staring intently at Paul.
Before agreeing to meet them, Horus had ordered a genetic analysis to verify whether these visitors were truly human.
In the Warhammer universe, some xeno species resembled humans in form but were completely different in bloodline and genetics. That made Horus all the more cautious.
Soon, his subordinates reported back with a startling discovery:
Among this group, some were pure humans, some were hybridized with other elements, and some had undergone gene modification and cybernetic augmentation.
But what stunned Horus the most was that among them… were pure-blood humans.
Since the end of the Golden Age, the Imperium had suffered through countless upheavals, and most human gene pools had long been tainted to various degrees.
True, pure-blood humans had been believed extinct.
Now, suddenly, a team appeared with confirmed pure-blood humans. That alone was enough to convince Horus that they might indeed hail from beyond the Milky Way.
He had already forwarded this intel to the Emperor, who was now awaiting the delegation's arrival in the Imperial Palace on Terra.
"The Imperium of Man, under the Emperor's divine rule, is the only legitimate government of humanity. Since you claim to be human, your lands naturally belong to the Imperium," Horus said in a deep voice, his hawk-like eyes flashing with the arrogance and rebelliousness typical of young men in power.
To him, these so-called ambassadors were delusional. Their homeworlds were rightfully Imperial territory—there was no need for "diplomatic relations."
At this, Luke and Din Jarin's brows furrowed slightly. Was this his idea of diplomacy? Claiming the Mega- Megacorp's territory as part of the Imperium before the talks had even begun?
What a joke.
"We come from beyond the galaxy. Our lineage can be traced back to the distant Golden Age. If bloodline purity determines legitimacy, then surely we are the rightful heirs," Paul Atreides countered boldly.
Backed by the Universal Mega- Megacorp's immense power, Paul had no fear when it came to verbal sparring.
"Arrogant cur!"
Horus's warriors roared in outrage. A human force from outside the galaxy daring to challenge the Imperium's legitimacy was tantamount to blasphemy against the Emperor himself.
Dozens of piercing glares locked onto Paul and his team, a palpable pressure forming from the rage of the Imperium's soldiers.
Yet Paul and his comrades, having weathered countless battles and life-or-death trials, remained calm and composed in the face of the storm.
They met Horus's gaze without flinching—the standoff between the two sides was evenly matched in sheer presence.
The Imperium of Man was worthy of respect, but from a broader perspective, their narrow-minded xenophobia made them incapable of utilizing other species effectively.
That was a fatal limitation, something the Mega- Megacorp had long since overcome.
In terms of war assets, the Mega- Megacorp had no shortage of non-human vanguard forces—the Zerg, the Covenant, the Protoss, the Cybertronians, and a whole host of loyal affiliates from various universal trade zones.
They didn't even need to send many human troops to win a war.
If it came to actual conflict, the Imperium was no match for the Universal Mega- Megacorp.
Horus withdrew some of his condescending scorn. It was clear to him that this envoy wasn't bluffing or posturing.
If these people weren't truly backed by overwhelming strength, they wouldn't be so composed in this situation.
Horus thought quickly. Whether or not they truly came from outside the galaxy, only the Emperor could decide humanity's future.
These pure-blood humans—and the mighty force behind them—must be made to submit to the Imperium.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)