Meanwhile…
Venomfang sat upon the throne of the Tyrone Hive Governor, as he always did, overseeing military affairs. His presence was a mockery of Imperial rule, a usurper wrapped in stolen authority, his twisted ambitions festering within the decrepit walls of the once-glorious command spire.
Before him stood his attendant, a gaunt, hollow-eyed man dressed in ceremonial robes tainted with heretical sigils, delivering the latest reports with an air of practiced subservience.
"The Governor is furious with you," the attendant murmured. "Not only have you lost two major battles, but you also allowed the Errant-class Knight Roaring Tempest and Sir Lannis Aelann to be killed."
Venomfang said nothing, but his clawed fingers tapped against the armrest of his stolen throne.
"Lannis Aelann," the attendant continued, "was the only one in his bloodline devoted to the Lord of Wisdom. The Governor needed him for the campaign on Talon III. In a few weeks, the Governor will dispatch warships to transport reinforcements, bringing your forces up to seven hundred thousand.
But after that, you'll receive no further support."
Venomfang's eyes flickered. "Wait… why is the Governor preparing for war on Talon III?"
The attendant sighed. "When the nobility fled, some defected and sought refuge on Talon III. It seems the Governor was unaware that many of his so-called allies and even enemies, had longstanding dealings with Talon III."
"And now?" Venomfang's voice was sharp.
"Now, Talon III has fallen to the Pleasure Lords."
At that name, Venomfang's memory stirred.
Talon III had once been home to a minor, irrelevant cult known as the Pleasure Lords—at least, a century ago, that's what they were.
A hedonistic rabble, more concerned with narcotics and decadent rites than any true power. Unfocused. Weak.
But somehow, they had grown powerful enough to seize an entire world.
Until today, Venomfang had assumed Talon III was still mostly under Imperial governance.
"Alright." Venomfang turned to his attendant. "Go back to the Governor and negotiate. I don't need reinforcements, just have his warships bombard the Hive City from orbit. Will he agree to that?
The attendant chuckled darkly. "He'll say: 'In your dreams, you worthless failure.'"
Venomfang's eyes narrowed. A faint crackle of static hissed from beneath his collar. "Say that again, and I'll have your hide."
The attendant wisely fell silent.
Venomfang leaned back, folding his arms.
At one time, he had believed the First Legion could be eradicated quickly.
But their teleportation technology was... insufferable.
Even after all his Lord's gifts, he would need at least a decade to unravel its mysteries.
Just yesterday, a report from the District 13 assault had crossed his desk. Some of his troops claimed to have seen Cadian Shock Troopers fighting alongside the enemy.
Venomfang had dismissed it as misinformation.
Or deception.
Cadians didn't come to ghost sectors like this.
The Lord of Wisdom had flourished in the Talon Sector for a reason, this was a backwater region. There was no way Cadians were here.
And yet…
Something gnawed at him.
"I don't understand," Venomfang muttered. "Why haven't they launched an all-out attack? Do they not care about the upper hive civilians we're using as ritual fodder?"
His attendant grinned. The expression was joyless, skin stretched over sharp cheekbones like a death mask.
"Maybe they're focused on something else, like expanding their army."
Venomfang exhaled.
"Probably."
Then, after a pause, the attendant hesitated.
"…What if we lose?"
Venomfang didn't flinch.
"Then it doesn't matter. It won't affect our true plan."
The attendant pondered this before nodding.
"As we have foreseen, you will receive the Lord of Wisdom's favor and ascend as the greatest psyker in the sector."
Venomfang's muscles tensed.
Glancing around, he gestured for silence.
"Don't say that aloud."
His voice was a whisper, but it carried the weight of unseen power.
"My men must remain useful… until they, too, are bled dry for my apotheosis."
....
Two Weeks Later
Qin Mo had yet to launch his offensive.
Instead—
He prepared for the decisive war.
All infantry received upgraded weaponry.
Lasguns were modified for higher power output and increased rate of fire. Each was now capable of punching through ceramite at close range.
Standard Praetorian Pattern Power armor had been reinforced with superior defensive plating. Layers of plasteel and reactive gel formed a carapace more akin to light tank armor.
Leman Russ tanks were retrofitted with anti-grav propulsion, replacing their traditional tracks with hover chassis. The war machines now glided above the ground, silent as wraiths, no longer bound by terrain.
Turrets were fitted with advanced missile pods, amplifying their firepower to devastating levels.
And then—
There were the Thunderborns.
Qin Mo's five personal bodyguards were upgraded.
Not their armor.
Their bodies.
....
The True Thunderborns
They were no longer merely elite warriors.
They were something else entirely.
They had transcended humanity itself.
Their bodies had been reforged in a crucible of science and steel, each modification transforming them from soldiers into post-human weapons of unprecedented lethality.
1. Genetic Augmentation
Their genetic code had been rewritten at the molecular level.
They possessed a denser bone structure, reinforced with reactive ceramic plating, a smart material that hardened instantly under impact, capable of withstanding the force of anti-tank rounds that would obliterate ordinary superhuman soldiers.
Their musculature was stronger, layered and enhanced with synthetic myofibers, increasing raw strength beyond Astartes levels.
Neurological fortification, rendering them resistant to shock and trauma, protecting their brains from concussive force and psionic assault alike.
These enhancements ensured that even without the aid of their power armor, they could wear it effortlessly and fight with full mobility, as if it were a second skin.
2. Cognitive Enhancements
Neural implants were embedded in their brains, allowing them to control their armor and weapons through thought alone.
Bio-processors enhanced situational awareness and enabled "split-brain rest", a function that let one hemisphere of the brain sleep while the other remained alert, meaning that even during battle, half their mind could recuperate while the other half continued fighting.
In theory, they could now fight indefinitely without rest or sleep.
3. Biomechanical Reinforcement
Their throat and jawbones replaced with reinforced metal structures, rendering them impervious to decapitation.
Inside their bodies, self-contained nanite reservoirs stood ready to deploy repair swarms when wounded, knitting flesh and steel alike.
These microscopic machines could mend ruptured arteries and shattered armor alike in moments, transforming mortal wounds into mere inconveniences.
Their eyes had been replaced with cybernetic optics, linked to a battlefield database capable of instant facial recognition, thermal imaging, auto-targeting, and predictive tracking.
They could see through walls, track a target's heartbeat, and anticipate an enemy's next move before it happened.
4. Cybernetic Limbs & Power Core
Their limbs and spine had not been spared. A reinforced metallic skeletal framework allowed them to withstand impacts strong enough to destroy light vehicles.
Three internal fusion reactors pulsed within each of them, ensuring a constant, renewable power source. As long as one reactor remained intact, a Thunderborn could not die.
Servo-assisted joints compensated for their increased mass, allowing full-speed mobility even without armor.
5. Spinal Reinforcement
Their original spinal columns had been replaced entirely. With their new structure, they could shoulder the weight of a battle tank.
Their nervous systems had been rewired and accelerated, granting them lightning reflexes and preternatural reaction times.
And then came the true masterpiece.
6. Hyper-Perception Mode
When activated—
Their reaction speed accelerated to the edge of possibility. Time itself seemed to slow; motion became sluggish; blades and bullets could be followed by eye.
Even the fastest Aeldari warriors, renowned for their supernatural agility and speed, appeared clumsy and delayed.
But the ability had limits.
It could only last for ten seconds.
A second activation within an hour caused severe neural degradation—sizzling synapses, microbleeds, and potentially irreversible damage.
Despite their extensive modifications, they did not appear grotesque.
A layer of synth-skin, grown in nutrient vats, covered their cybernetic enhancements, allowing them to retain a human appearance.
But beneath that skin, they were far beyond human.
They were not mutants.
They were not abominations of the Warp.
These enhancements were purely technological.
There was no sorcery involved.
No risk of mutation or corruption.
And one day, when Qin Mo's anti-Warp countermeasures were complete.
The Thunderborns would become immune to the taint of Chaos itself.
Though they still bore the title Thunderborns, the warriors who now stood at Qin Mo's side were far beyond what they had once been, each of them a hundredfold improvement over their former selves, both in might and mind.
And when the final war came.
They would be unstoppable.