After Zola, the traitor, confirmed that the demon was an honest one, and that Rainfather Rotigus was the mastermind behind Nurgle's Demon Army, Gamma already had a plan in his mind.
According to his plan, Thedan couldn't be saved, but their lives could be.
Now it was just a matter of how to convince the Archmagos; it shouldn't be a big problem, as Archmagos Will wasn't a stubborn Tech-priest.
Zola had already left, whether he had a way out or had found a place to hide, he wasn't important now; they would deal with him later.
Feeling anxious and a little impatient, Gamma grumbled and complained, "It's a matter of life and death, aren't you going to say goodbye to your son? Is that how a father acts?!"
Gamma began to miss the days when he was his own master in the settlement; he truly detested this kind of life where everything was beyond his control.
His current mental state perfectly demonstrated what "relativity" meant, and what it felt like for a day to drag on like a year.
Just as Gamma was about to lose his patience and intended to go find Archmagos Will himself, the belated Archmagos finally appeared.
The reason he was so late was because the Archmagos had put Gamma last; he first went to see the Magos who had retreated from the city wall, communicated with them about the current situation, and told them what was happening outside, letting them know that it was not yet time to give up.
Putting Gamma last was also to leave the final moments for the two of them, father and son; he was a Macragge native who valued family, and in his final moments, he should be with his family.
At his age, he wouldn't have had this opportunity, but thankfully, Omnissiah had mercy.
"Oh, Omnissiah!"
The Archmagos saw Gamma looking at him anxiously not far away, and a wave of unbearable pain rose in his heart.
The life of his most excellent offspring should not end at this age, he sighed inwardly:
This is all my fault; I shouldn't have brought him here for my selfish reasons.
If he were still in the settlement, he would be safe now.
Even without his current status, just by inheriting my talent, he is destined to achieve a great feat that others cannot match in the future.
I'm sorry, Gamma, now I can only compensate for my mistakes with fatherly love...
With a heavy heart and guilt, the Archmagos slowly walked up to Gamma and said to him in a deep tone:
"My son..."
"Old man, why are you just getting here? Where were you before?"
"Huh?"
"Huh what? Come closer, I have something to say."
Archmagos Will: My unfilial son! Did you, you, you, you just call me something?!
However, he still listened to Gamma and walked over to him, and then he heard Gamma say:
"I've been possessed by demons; they want to kill you."
"Why are you standing so far away? They didn't succeed, otherwise, could I be saying this?"
Archmagos Will: "Oh."
"Come closer, I'm not finished!"
Archmagos Will hesitated.
The last time he hesitated like this was at the welcome ceremony Gamma held for him.
But not going closer seemed a bit unfair to Gamma's genuine concern, especially since the child was thinking of him even while possessed by demons.
Archmagos Will: What if he's possessed by a demon? Haven't I seen enough demons lately? As a father, how can I disappoint my child?
The Archmagos once again walked over to Gamma, this time a little further away than before, and at the same time, the Archmagos was ready; if an emergency occurred, he would protect his vital points first, and then he heard Gamma say:
"Zola is a traitor; he just gave me a dagger that can cut the soul and is covered in poison, saying that just a light cut would make you drop dead!"
"Why are you running away again? I..."
"I believe you, I just feel comfortable here!" Archmagos Will retorted.
Gamma decided not to tease the Archmagos anymore, lest he accidentally hit him with a plasma blast in an emergency.
"First, tell someone to find that traitor Zola, see if he's still in the hall," Gamma said to the Archmagos, who was hiding from him.
The Archmagos thought: Gamma doesn't look like he's possessed by a demon, and he probably wouldn't suddenly say these things.
I'll find Zola first to verify.
"Through the demons, I've learned their plan.
This opponent is extraordinary; they won't give up until they achieve their goal.
But I have a plan that can save all of us!"
When Archmagos Will heard Gamma say he had a plan to save everyone, his first reaction wasn't "That's great!" but "Oh no, my son is really possessed by a demon."
He couldn't just go along with Gamma's words anymore; he had to verify Gamma's current situation.
This was his responsibility as Archmagos and as a father.
He had already started calling for the guards he had sent away earlier.
He had sent them away originally so they wouldn't disturb his "father-son time," but who knew this little rascal would always give him such scares.
Gamma also saw the Archmagos's guards approaching, and he said nothing, just rolled his eyes fiercely at Archmagos Will, which made the Archmagos quite awkward.
"Gamma, that..." The Archmagos said awkwardly.
"The dagger, right?"
"..."
"Here it is.
Should I bring it to you, or should they come and get it?"
Gamma pulled out an exquisite dagger from his embrace, and even though it was covered by a sheath, it still made those who saw it feel as if something had been cut.
Gamma was completely unaffected by this; his soul was thick-skinned, and he had even pulled it out and played with it for a while earlier.
Seeing the guards carefully put away the dagger, Gamma said a little impatiently, "Can you listen to my plan now?"
"Wait a moment, first tell me how you got rid of the demon possession?" the Archmagos asked.
Gamma: I ate it.
"Didn't I say I have high psychic resistance? Those three useless demons couldn't do anything to me, so they left, but during this process, I got their plan."
"Hiss!" the Archmagos.
"Hiss!" the guard team.
"Why are you pointing guns at me? Do you know who my father is?"
Archmagos Will, looked at by the guard team: "..."
"Put it down first..."
The Archmagos said to Gamma with some helplessness, "Gamma, do you know how incredible this is?"
"I don't know how to explain it either, anyway, it's very simple for me, maybe you can do it too, father." Gamma said, rolling his eyes.
Archmagos Will: This is hard to answer.
Can I do it? Probably.
Should I try... Try what?!
"Wait for Lyra to come; she's an expert in this area."
"Oh, alright then."
Soon after, Gamma saw Magos Lyra rushing over, and the first thing she did upon meeting them was to point at Archmagos Will and scold him loudly:
"Will, you shameless old man, didn't you delete all the inspection records? Why do you still know about my psychic research?"
Gamma ⊙ ∀ ⊙!
Archmagos Will hastily retorted, "I deleted them, you all saw it.
I discovered your stuff a long time ago."
"You're full of nonsense!" Magos Lyra continued to roar.
"You check Gamma first; after this, I'll delete everything about you!"
"Gamma? What happened to Gamma?"
Magos Lyra was puzzled by the Archmagos's words.
She had received a message saying that the Archmagos had some questions about psychic powers for her.
Gamma still had a good impression of Magos Lyra, so he took the initiative to say to her, "I was possessed by a demon, and later the demon was expelled by me.
Magos, you need to help me check and prove that I'm fine."
"Hiss!" Magos Lyra.
The process needs no further explanation.
Magos Lyra treated Gamma with the attitude of a rare specimen, examining him thoroughly inside and out, and then said:
"No psychic reactions, no physical mutations; he should be fine.
However, I'm not an expert in this area; Inquisitor Griffin is."
"Can you listen to my plan now?" Gamma asked irritably.
Archmagos Will motioned for the guards to be alert and said, "Gamma, go ahead."
"First, the demons' goal is to occupy the Great Foundry Temple; they want to sacrifice this world."
"Secondly, they are afraid that you, Archmagos, will destroy the Great Foundry Temple, and it must be done by your own hands."
"Finally, this opponent is the first great demon under the master of those outside; our chances of victory are slim."
"My plan is to threaten the demons with the Great Foundry Temple, make them let us leave.
If they refuse, we choose to perish together."
"..." Archmagos Will.
"..." Magos Lyra.
Just as the Archmagos was still pondering how much truth and possibility there was in Gamma's plan, a half-crippled Zola was dragged over, drawing glances from the Tech-priest who were adjusting their status in the back.
"Yo, traitor, where were you hiding just now?" Gamma teased Zola, who looked utterly incredulous.
"He was fighting demons on the front line just now." The guards who dragged him back answered for him.
"..."
Gamma: Are you sick...?
Zola: I wanted to go to the other side when things got chaotic.
"Then how did he end up like this?"
"When we tried to arrest him, he escaped.
He originally intended to force his way to the demons' side, so we had to take coercive measures."
As guards of the Fabricator-General, they all received the most top-tier bionic modifications on Thedan; their degree of bionic limb replacement was no less than some high-ranking Magos, and all of it was for combat enhancement.
Not to mention a Tech-Priest, even a few Space Marine would not fare well against them in a multiple-on-one situation.
Zola, who had never expected such an outcome, looked incredulously at Gamma, who was sizing him up and down.
He asked unwillingly, "Why weren't you possessed?"
"You mean those three useless demons? I slapped them a few times, and they ran away."
"Impossible!"
"Why impossible?" Gamma retorted.
"They are father's demons, and you are merely..."
"I am Omnissiah's Tech-Priest!" Gamma shouted, raising his voice.
He wanted to blast this traitor who plotted against him; he wanted to kill him and break his spirit.
"Omnissiah is nothing but..."
"You blasphemous fellow, how could you understand the greatness of Omnissiah?
He gave you everything, yet you chose to betray him."
Gamma rebuked Zola, continuing, "You are merely a false believer who worships power.
How dare you question Omnissiah?
Today, this Chaos God gives you power, and you believe in Him.
Tomorrow, if He doesn't give you, you will despise Him and find yourself a new master."
"Do you think He wouldn't know your thoughts?
Do you think the power He gives you is grace?
This power is merely a chain around your neck, making you His slave."
"Omnissiah bestowed technical knowledge upon us, allowing us to achieve what we think and desire with our own hands.
What a great gift this is!"
"Traitor, tell me, after accepting this evil power, did you still have your own thoughts?"
"Traitor, tell me, after accepting this evil power, were your actions still of your own will?"
"Traitor, tell me, after accepting this evil power, what else did you think about besides wanting more evil power?"
"Spreading plague, gaining evil power, utilizing evil power, spreading more plague, gaining more evil power, utilizing more... The moment you accept it, you are His eternal slave."
"Do you understand now what Omnissiah has bestowed upon us?"
"It is freedom, it is free will!"
"You fool, you actually gave up such a precious gift!"
The Tech-priest in the back of the hall, who had been following Zola, all started shouting "Freedom" after hearing Gamma's words.
"Freedom!"
"Freedom!"
"Freedom!"
...
Gamma: What are you Tech-priest yelling about? Don't be so scary.
We are the conservative Adeptus Mechanicus; what freedom do we need? I just want to break his spirit! Break his spirit!
What's wrong with you, Adeptus Ministorum? Your brain is controlled by others, why are you shouting so excitedly?
Although "Freedom is Omnissiah's Grace" does not conform to the traditional views of Adeptus Mechanicus faith knowledge, one must consider the current environment.
Before the demons, there would certainly have been a group of Tech-priest coming to Gamma for a physical debate, but after the demons arrived, other people's gods really bestowed blessings, while their own faith yielded nothing.
How do you think these Tech-priest, who were almost suffering from PTSD, would react?
Would their faith waver?
Gamma's theory explained why Omnissiah didn't bestow blessings upon the Tech-priest: He did, and He gave the greatest—He taught you the skills, allowing you to do whatever you wanted.
Ever since accepting Nurgle's blessing, Zola, whose affairs had all gone awry, broke down.
He realized that Gamma was right; this power was poisonous.
Since accepting it, all he had thought about was how to obtain more blessings, more evil power.
He shouted unwillingly:
"You're talking nonsense! Where is this freedom? How do you explain the prohibitions?"
Aside from the sound of gunfire at the hall entrance, there was a complete silence.
Everyone was waiting for Gamma's answer.
In the Adeptus Mechanicus, there were three things no one could avoid: kowtowing, augmentation, and prohibitions.
Seeing Gamma's prolonged silence, Zola thought he had won.
He clamored, "How are you any different from me? I am a slave; what are you? A beast with a bridle on!"
Gamma looked at Zola with the gaze one would reserve for a paramecium, and then said, "How pathetic, Zola, why would you ask such a foolish question?"
"You..."
"The prohibitions were clearly set by ourselves.
Omnissiah gave us freedom, but we ourselves were unworthy of it.
Haven't the lessons of the Dark Age of Technology been profound enough?"
"Named prohibitions, they are in reality self-restraint, lessons learned through blood and tears."
"It is because we ourselves have been hurt and know fear that the prophets of distant ages recorded these experiences, these lessons, in the form of prohibitions."
"We are unworthy, but Omnissiah still left the grace for us.
He did not take it back, nor did He diminish it."
"Omnissiah's love for us has never changed.
He is full of hope for us, He is full of confidence in us!"
"Like a treasured sword prepared early by a father for his young son."
"Like ornaments prepared early by a mother for her young daughter."
"He is anticipating our growth."
Why speak so quickly? Gamma asked himself.
"Oh, stop hitting me, I know I was wrong..."
A Macragge-style family education was unfolding in Archmagos Will's office, commonly known as: father hitting son.
"You still know you were wrong, you dare to say anything that comes to your mind."
The advantages of Archmagos Will's massive mechanical body were fully evident at this moment; he didn't even need to find a rafter to hang Gamma from, he alone could simultaneously act as the "rafter," "rope," and "horsewhip."
The atomic-level control of his prosthetics and his genetic-level understanding of the human body allowed every strike to make the recipient scream in pain without breaking the skin.
If Magos Lauster were here, he would surely set aside his past grievances with Archmagos Will, share a drink, and exclaim, "Well struck!"
The Archmagos now deeply felt that his understanding of Gamma was not comprehensive enough; this kid's ability to stir up trouble exceeded his imagination.
Now, the traitor Zola was in a state of self-isolation, his entire... half-person exuding a strong suicidal tendency.
Because during the time they were surrounded by Nurgle's Demon Army, Gamma frequently displayed his self-taught abilities, constantly spouting about the blessings of the Omnissiah, and now adding his "freedom is the blessing of the Omnissiah" and "the Omnissiah expects us to grow."
The atmosphere in the hall was not one of despair, like being in a desperate situation and about to kick the bucket, but rather everyone was in high spirits, as if they were the ones surrounding the demons.
Laila, that chatterbox, even spread the word about Gamma waving his hand to banish three demons. The Archmagos tried to stop her, but she righteously retorted to him:
"The divine power of the Children of Omnissiah is not something you can conceal just because you want to."
What could he do? Did he claim to be the Omnissiah?
He had crippled half of a Forge World and driven away those fanatics, only to have an even more ruthless one appear beside him, calling himself the Children of Omnissiah. If he was a Child, then he was hitting a "Child."
"I was wrong, this isn't what I wanted either, I just wanted to kill with words, stop hitting me!" Gamma pleaded.
The Archmagos swung his whip and said, "Still killing with words! I think you're killing my heart!"
"Mars will surely send people to investigate; don't you know how much trouble you've caused yourself!"
Gamma argued, "Oh, I didn't admit it. They said it themselves. You're the Archmagos, you can't even control them, and you blame me."
"Hmph, unfilial son!"
"Ah..."
...
Gamma, who had just been beaten, stated that the Archmagos's strength was mediocre; Magos Lauster's whip even whistled. Seeing his old and frail body, he wouldn't hold a grudge this time.
It was definitely not because Archmagos Will finally said that he would find a way to suppress this matter, and if there was a next time, he would beat him to death.
Now, they should be thinking about how to escape. The Archmagos was currently discussing this with the other Magos.
Gamma didn't participate simply because he felt there was no need for him to. He had just come out of the isolation zone and had no idea what the current situation was. Plus, with the title "Children of Omnissiah," if he somehow turned it into a vibrant, competitive operation, it would be over.
This was the downside of a Forge World: when a child was bored, they couldn't even find an ant hole. Gamma didn't dare to go to the hall now, so he could only wander outside Archmagos Will's office.
Fortunately, a group of Magos, whose combined mass was less than Gamma's, were quite efficient at discussing problems and didn't make Gamma wander for too long.
The Archmagos had his guards call him in and told him the results of their discussion and the current situation outside.
...
Ventris emerged from the vehicle, and a medic rushed over to treat his injuries. He waved the medic away to help others first, then walked directly to the command post.
The warriors who had returned before him were already waiting in the command post. Seeing him return safely, everyone expressed their respect for this Ultramarines Captain who had covered their retreat. After finding a seat, Ventris began:
"The closer we get to the Great Unclean One, the faster the plants recover, the stronger the storm, and the more corrosive the rain..."
Isaac, the Chapter Master, angrily bent a corner of the metal table and growled, "Don't say these things, we all know!"
The Ultramarines Captain was not angered by the other party's reprimand. Attempts were not without cost. Neither the Ultramarines nor the Fire Covenant suffered as many casualties as the Iron Knights, who bore the brunt of the attack. This made Isaac, as Chapter Master, feel as if his heart was being cut, and Ventris could completely understand him.
Inquisitor Griffin, seeing the atmosphere, took the initiative to speak:
"An urgent intelligence report just came from the Great Foundry Temple. They discovered a hidden traitor, and from the traitor's mouth, they obtained the demon's plan."
As soon as the Inquisitor finished speaking, everyone's eyes focused on her. She did not pause and continued:
"The intelligence obtained by the Archmagos mentioned that the mastermind behind this is the chief Greater Demon under the Plague God. His goal from the beginning was to seize this Forge World. Now, most of his power is being used to weaken the spatial curtain. Occupying the Great Foundry Temple is also for holding a ritual there to drag this planet into the Warp."
"This partially aligns with the intelligence I received. Based on the current situation, the authenticity of this intelligence is quite high."
Ventris felt a sense of powerlessness. Just a small portion of their strength had already rendered them helpless. If it were the Greater Demon at full strength, they would probably...
How did Kaido do it?
...
Maruum Kaido, a veteran of the Ultramarines Chapter's First Company, current achievements: Great Unclean Ones x 6, Lords of Change x 8, Hell Beasts x 5, Chaos Sorcerers x 1, Chaos Space Marine x ?.
Maruum's legend began when he traveled to the Forge World Graya to investigate a Chaos corruption incident. During the forced landing on Graya, due to a spaceship accident, only he survived, while others unfortunately perished.
But Maruum still did not give up the mission entrusted to him by the Emperor. With one hand holding the Codex Astartes and the other a bolter, he recited the contents of the Codex while spinning and leaping, brutally beating Chaos cultists and heretic Astartes, punching Lords of Change, kicking Great Unclean Ones, and finally splitting the instigator vertically in half with a chainsword, rescuing Graya from the clutches of Chaos.
The Omnissiah's blessing ensured that the beleaguered Forge World Graya, when facing threats, would always have a hero capable of saving it from peril. The last hero was the Ultramarines Second Company Captain—Titus.
This time, the hero was Maruum Kaido!
Ventris: Dad, what do you think? Can you do it?
Guilliman: Son, don't look at those brutes. We, father and son, are men of intellect!
(The one being led)
...
"What's the situation at the Great Foundry Temple now?" Ventris asked.
This question made Inquisitor Griffin's expression a little strange. She said:
"The demons originally intended to assassinate the Archmagos. They feared that the Archmagos would detonate the nuclear bombs buried underground at the last moment to destroy the temple, which would completely ruin their plan."
"After the Archmagos saw through the demons' plot, he realized that the demons' attack was a feint. They didn't dare to push the Archmagos too hard. Now, the Archmagos and his people plan to continue feigning ignorance, with the demons attacking and them defending, in order to buy time."
...Ventris.
...Priest Colin.
"Both sides are putting on a show?" Isaac, the Chapter Master.
"Yes." Inquisitor Griffin.
...
The Plague Preacher knew the assassination plan had failed. He had tampered with Zola, allowing him to sense Zola's general condition through psychic sorcery.
Now, the only feedback he received from Zola was a strong suicidal tendency. Vik knew that the plan must have gone wrong. To emit such intense suicidal emotions, Zola must have been exposed and captured, then subjected to torture and interrogation, wishing only for death.
He knew the plan had been leaked, which was the worst-case scenario. The Archmagos already knew what they wanted and what they feared.
He could only pretend not to know for now; he needed time to think of a countermeasure.
Archmagos Will: I'll pretend not to know your pretense; I need time.
Plague Preacher: I'll pretend not to know that you're pretending not to know my pretense; I need time.
...
Magos Lauster was also pretending; they were pretending to attack. This was the Archmagos's recent instruction.
Even if the demons now opened a path, the Archmagos and his people would not walk out of the hall, so there was no need to let soldiers sacrifice in vain.
Now, they just needed to maintain an attacking posture, without the reckless, all-out assaults of before.
The reinforcements received such instructions all because of Gamma.
When the Archmagos told Gamma the results of their discussion and the situation outside, in full detail.
Knowing that Magos Lauster and his people were leading the engineers he had personally trained in a full-scale assault on Nurgle's Demon Army, intending to rescue him, Gamma's eyes immediately turned red. He absolutely refused to let them sacrifice in vain, throwing a tantrum and insisting that the Archmagos order Magos Lauster and his people to stop.
The Archmagos and his people tried to persuade Gamma not to be soft-hearted, telling him they couldn't let the demons know their plan had been exposed.
Gamma directly retorted, telling the Archmagos and his people not to assume they had fooled the demons. How did they know that among so many people in the hall, none had already betrayed them? What if the demons knew? Did they dare to break in? Now, just make the people at the entrance stop firing, and the demons would have to retreat themselves if they came forward.
Anyway, if the Archmagos didn't agree, he would make a fuss, he would roll around. Later, the Archmagos also realized that whether the demons knew or not truly didn't matter. As long as he was still in the hall holding the nuclear button, the demons would have to think twice about anything they wanted to do. This led to the instructions given to Magos Lauster and his people.
More people gained a chance to survive, at the cost of Gamma being beaten up again.
Archmagos Will: Is this the trouble of raising a son? Three beatings a day, each one different! Two beatings today, where's the third?
...
Currently, the person under the most pressure on Thedan was the Human Allied Forces' supreme commander—Ventris.
Rainfather Rotigus's strength was simply too formidable. Whether it was long-range heavy firepower or close-quarters assaults, the Greater Demon blocked them all, without even moving his body during the process.
Captain Ventris, after much fruitless deliberation, had no choice but to seek out Inquisitor Griffin. He called the Inquisitor into a private room and ordered that no one be allowed within 100 meters.
"Inquisitor, I need you to tell me information about that Greater Demon," Ventris said to the Inquisitor with extreme seriousness.
"Ventris, you..."
"I know your principles, and I know why you do this. I have entered the depths of the Eye of Terror, fought in the traitor primarchs' lairs, and cooperated with the Grey Knights. I believe these experiences prove I can know this information!"
"..."
Inquisitor Griffin pondered for a moment, then gave a wry smile and said:
"Since the Great Rift appeared, we can no longer seal off information as we used to. Now, throughout the Imperium, anyone with even slightly good intel knows something about demons."
"But Ventris, you should understand that you are seeking information about the chief Greater Demon. I believe you understand the risks involved."
Ventris nodded and said, "I need to know his information to find a way to defeat him."
Seeing the other party's resolve, Griffin's eyes suddenly glowed with psychic energy as she warned and scrutinized Ventris, saying:
"I will tell you, but I also warn you, from this moment on, you will be listed as a target of my investigation. If I find any signs of corruption in you, death will be your only outcome!"
"I accept it readily."