Vulkan looked around at the Eldar warriors, noting their impressive physiques and sensing a violent energy within some of them.
What was going on? Why did some Eldar seem to have a different power within them? Some seemed the same as before, strong but not beyond Astartes.
But most Dark Eldar, and some Craftworlders and Corsairs, had an unusual aura.
"Vulkan, these years the galaxy has changed a lot. Relations between our peoples are at their best in millennia.
Even among the Eldar, Corsairs, Craftworlders, Exodites—we've all agreed: we will never attack human merchant ships," Yvraine explained.
Most Corsairs were under her indirect control. Only some Dark Eldar refused to ally with humanity.
"What are those?" Vulkan squinted at an arena.
Two beasts fought inside, each about four meters tall—one looked like a dinosaur, the other a white-furred gorilla, hurling icy breath.
The battle was fierce and visceral, and after a few minutes, they stopped—transforming back into Dark Eldar forms.
What was happening?! When did Eldar become so strong?
In Mortarion's youth, he could rip apart a dozen Eldar assassins! But these beast-form Eldar were vastly superior to Primaris Astartes—when transformed, they could crush them.
And the fire and ice powers? After reverting, they seemed normal but could all transform!
"Don't be too shocked, Vulkan. This is the Monster Warrior Serum.
With a special injection, our warriors retain their Eldar form, but can become monsters in battle, gaining special powers. The two sparring just now were Golza and Guigass," Yvraine explained.
These Monster Warriors were Rhodes' masterpiece—far stronger than Primaris Astartes, with nearly 100% success rate for Guigass. Craftworlders and Exodites chose other variants, with high success as well.
They were now the backbone of the Eldar military—nearly all new Dark Eldar received the serum, with only shortages limiting its use.
"Seems your technology has advanced! Can this serum be used on humans?" Vulkan asked.
Such mass-produced warriors would threaten Astartes—the Eldar, with a little training, could nearly match Primaris.
Some top Harlequins could easily defeat Primaris, and even challenge Custodes.
The only good news was that Eldar reproduction was slow—otherwise this serum would be too dangerous.
"We didn't develop it—it's thanks to humanity. This serum was your research, not our own," Yvraine said.
"What? Humans developed this? How is that possible?" Vulkan was stunned.
If this was true, his father would never have let it spread.
Using this serum would change the genome—would they still be human? So, maybe it's only a byproduct.
In that moment, Vulkan realized he'd seen thousands of such warriors since boarding.
Counting those he hadn't seen, the numbers were terrifying.
"It's perfectly possible. Your Imperial Guard—now called the Imperial Army—are using it too.
Their version can't transform, but they gain Primaris-level physical strength, though lacking the advanced senses and organs of Astartes. Just the strength," Yvraine said.
The human version was less potent but had fewer side effects, allowing users to remain human in form.
Many Craftworlders and Exodites refused it. It was mostly used by Dark Eldar and pirate types, who craved power.
"So, humanity can use it too! And mass-produce warriors to match Primaris? Are Astartes obsolete? What about my gene-sons?" Vulkan asked in alarm.
Could they have been purged, like the Thunder Warriors of old? If a new, mass-producible force rose, the old Astartes might be wiped out.
He couldn't be blamed for thinking this—the Emperor had done it before, and during the Great Crusade had even hinted at removing the Astartes after victory.
But the Harlequin had said the legion system was restored.
"Don't worry, the Astartes numbers have increased—from just over a million to over three million.
The legion system is back, and old-model Astartes are being phased out.
Now, the new-generation Adeptus Astartes are being mass-produced, and their power far exceeds my Monster Warriors," Yvraine said a bit sourly.
The new Astartes were terrifying—each one Custodes-level!
For the Eldar, it was like having millions of Harlequin-level warriors—insane! The entire Harlequin Troupe had never exceeded twenty thousand.
She had to squeeze more from Rhodes—after all, even the Eldar goddess had been given to him!
"Looks like the new Astartes are strong!"
"As for their surgical process, you'll have to ask your own people—that's Imperial classified.
But I can tell you, all the new Astartes are comparable to the Custodes," Yvraine said.
She didn't know much more, but knowing Rhodes, if the Astartes were improved, so were the Custodes.
She'd even seen a giant Custodes—who knew if the others were being upgraded too?
Rhodes had multiple ways to create giants—the cosmic beast she used was a high-grade version; there was also a lower-grade version for regular troops.
"And the Imperium has changed a lot. Let's go, Grand Prophet—I can't wait to return," Vulkan said.
All his questions would be answered on Holy Terra.
"Of course! And this time, Vulkan, you'll witness the resurrection of our Eldar War God," Yvraine said.
The Eldar had been suppressed for too long. They all hoped the War God would return and strike at Chaos—even though he'd once tried to annihilate the Eldar.
"Your War God will return?"
"Yes! Let's witness it together!" Yvraine said.
After picking up Vulkan, the Eldar fleet set off for the Solar System, entering the Webway and reaching Holy Terra within a month.