That cry moved Rhodes deeply. Two years in this foreign Warhammer world, he'd survived with the help of a powerful system and risen to the top of the universe.
He had a family, a beloved, and now his first son!
Guilliman patted Rhodes' shoulder and gave a thumbs up.
"Congratulations, Rhodes! You're the first gene-primarch to have your own child! You're now a true father," Guilliman said.
Primarchs were destined to be lonely—created by the Emperor as ultimate weapons.
Though worshipped by all humanity, they were fundamentally different—almost a separate species.
Each primarch was unique and godlike; their souls were born from lesser gods!
"Thanks! If you want, I can find you a wife and turn her into a super lifeform like you—having kids is no problem," Rhodes said.
Mass-producing cosmic beasts was no issue. Even without them, pairing every primarch with a wife wasn't hard.
"If that's possible, so much the better!" the Emperor chimed in.
His goal was the evolution of all humanity. The primarchs he created were already perfect—if they could evolve further, becoming even stronger super lifeforms, all the better.
A new golden race could be born—a step above ordinary humans, but still human at their core.
If his plan worked, humanity would achieve a great ascension!
"I'll consider it. For now, humanity is still in peril in the galaxy—I'm not thinking about such things yet," Guilliman shook his head.
As a proper primarch, he never thought about things like that. Frankly, he was still a virgin!
There simply weren't any suitable women for primarchs—but Rhodes changed that!
"Maybe in the future, we can enjoy life and the feeling of being a real father," Magnus mused.
He found the prospect novel—and it was something he'd always wanted!
"Mother and child are fine! Congratulations, Lord Rhodes!" a Battle Sister came over, kneeling, and handed a black-haired, black-eyed baby to Rhodes.
The child looked typically Asian, with some slight Western features from Elena—high nose bridge and defined facial features, but clearly Rhodes' genes were dominant.
Rhodes gently took his son and lifted him overhead.
A powerful cry came from the baby, whose body was incredibly strong—even as a newborn, he was stronger than many super Space Marines.
The Emperor, using his psychic senses, verified that the baby was indeed excellent!
This child was even stronger than the primarchs at birth, and his soul far surpassed normal humans—though still a bit behind a minor god.
But with time, his soul would grow. He was, after all, a naturally born lifeform.
"How's Elena? Is she alright?" Rhodes asked.
"Don't worry, Lord Rhodes. The Lady is fine, just weak. After the birth, she saw the baby and asked me to bring him to you," the Sister replied.
"Thank you. Take him back to see his mother—he should be with her now," Rhodes said, returning his son.
The baby had been smacking his lips as if searching for food—the first thing a newborn should do!
Breastfeeding was crucial, especially for a super lifeform infant, who needed huge amounts of nutrition.
Elena's energy needs would be massive, so Rhodes had Yapool prepare cloned monster meat for her—far more nutritious than ordinary food.
The Sister nodded and took the baby back to Elena.
"Have you chosen a name for him, Rhodes? If you like, I'd be honored to name him!" the Emperor offered.
Many in the Imperium had names from ancient human heroes—even the primarchs inherited such names.
This child was so special, the Emperor even considered names like Caesar or Alexander.
To bestow a name was a great honor.
"Thanks, but I've already decided. I want to discuss it with Elena first," Rhodes replied, smiling and heading to the delivery room.
"Father, naming should be left to his real father. Don't butt in," Guilliman said, laughing.
"I wanted to give him a hero's name from Holy Terra," the Emperor sighed.
"Don't spoil a father's joy!" Magnus chimed in.
…
Inside the delivery room, Rhodes sat by Elena, looking at his wife with great tenderness.
"You've worked hard, Elena. Now you need to rest and recover—I've prepared highly nutritious food for you," Rhodes said.
Meats from Earth monsters: Red King, Gomora, Golza, Melba—all tens of thousands of times more nutritious than beef!
"Mm! Rhodes, have you decided on a name for our child?" Elena asked.
She was most concerned about her son's name!
"Stark! That's the name I chose. It means strong. He will the strongest human in the story!" Rhodes declared.
"Stark? Good, let's call him that! His name will one day echo throughout the galaxy," Elena replied.
As a mother, she hoped her son would become a great hero—maybe even surpass the other primarchs.
She also wanted her son to outdo Rhodes' other soon-to-be-born son!
She was irked by certain things—why was her child just a super lifeform, while the other was a divine child? Why should her son be lesser?
Just because the other woman was the Eldar goddess of life?
By Rhodes' calculations, the Eldar-human divine child wouldn't be born for another hundred years, so Stark had a century to catch up!
He must surpass his younger brother—to prove to that Eldar goddess that divine blood alone doesn't decide everything!
"Haha! You're wrong, my love. His name will echo not just through the galaxy, but the whole universe.
The galaxy is just a speck—his potential is not limited to a single universe, but the multiverse," Rhodes said.
With his system, Rhodes' future wasn't limited to one universe.
"Haha, I like the sound of that!" Elena giggled.
As the couple embraced, the baby in Elena's arms suddenly let out a loud cry.
A sky-blue light shone from him, and a red-and-blue divine dragon floated out of his body, then slowly slipped back in.
This red-and-blue phantasmal dragon radiated both intense heat and cold.
"Rh—Rhodes! Th-this is a cosmic beast!" Elena exclaimed in disbelief.
"It seems so! Cosmic Water Buffalo, come explain what's going on!" Rhodes called out to the cosmic buffalo in his system space.
Why did his son suddenly manifest a cosmic beast? And it looked so young!
A flash of crimson light, and the cosmic buffalo appeared in front of Rhodes.
After Rhodes explained, the buffalo joyfully examined the baby.
"This is a wonderful surprise! Master, congratulations! For some unknown reason, the two cosmic beasts' powers fused, birthing a new cosmic beast," the buffalo explained.
Elena had a cosmic beast, upgraded. Rhodes had one, plus some of his own power.
Both were super lifeforms, so by coincidence, the newborn had a symbiotic cosmic beast—a dragon with ice and fire powers.
A new cosmic beast, not artificially created, but born from this unique confluence.
"So, this is a good thing, right?" Rhodes asked.
"Absolutely! The cosmic beast will grow with your child. It's a high-level beast, born with mastery over fire and ice. Its future potential is at least as great as mine. It'll enhance your child's body and soul," the buffalo replied.
Rhodes nodded—the fire likely came from the cosmic fire phoenix Baton, and the ice from Elena's cosmic frost leopard!
So, it was like the child of those two beasts. But how could a leopard and a phoenix produce a dragon?
"Form doesn't matter, master. What matters is the power. Cosmic beasts don't have parents as humans do.
It was born because two beasts' powers fused, and Lady Elena was carrying a new life. By coincidence, a new beast was born with him. You can name it—it'll grow with your child," the buffalo explained.
"Well, since it has both fire and ice, let's call it the Cosmic Red-Ice Dragon!" Rhodes said.
Born with a cosmic beast, his eldest son's achievements would be no less than any divine child!
"No problem, master. It'll be called the Cosmic Red-Ice Dragon. This little guy is just born. In the future, let him absorb some cosmic beast power.
But before he's fully grown, don't try to use C'tan power—it's too dangerous," the buffalo warned.
"Of course, I know," Rhodes replied.
C'tan power was dangerous—he'd never risk his son's beast like that.
After a brief chat, Rhodes sent the buffalo back to the system space.
"My son is the best!" Elena cheered, hugging her child.
No one was happier than Elena—her son had a newborn cosmic beast inside him. Nothing could be more joyous!
After some time together, Rhodes had Elena's gene-daughters help her back to her residence.
The Frost Sister sisters were excited—the child was technically their gene-brother, but far superior in status.
This was a true gene-primarch!
Then came the time to notify all of Holy Terra, and the entire Imperium. All human worlds began to celebrate.
People cheered the birth of a new gene-primarch, and the Emperor himself decreed a tax cut across the Imperium, bringing tangible benefits to all citizens.