Rainfather Rotigus, in Nurgle's domain, is the Great Unclean One most closely associated with concepts such as 'abundance,' 'generosity,' 'rain,' 'fertility,' and 'nature'.
As such, many tribal peoples in primitive societies would worship him as a deity who brings bountiful harvests, life, and rain.
Barren lands pray for fertility, farmers pray for rain, herdsmen pray for their livestock to bear more young, and the hungry pray for food.
Rotigus listens to every plea, and to those desperate enough to trade everything for life, he promises 'salvation'.
Plants and animals swell and twist with grotesque fecundity, livestock bear deformed offspring, humans are afflicted with plague, and foul floods rise and recede endlessly, scouring the land.
Wherever Rotigus goes, nauseating plants spread around him in waves.
The 'Nurgle's Flood' surrounds Rotigus, a perpetual, sickly storm that envelops him; any enemy attempting to attack him or draw near will be blocked by the storm, entangled by plants, and dragged into the foul flood brought by the storm to drown.
Even if one manages to get close, they would find his body to be incredibly corpulent and immense; a mere turn of his body could crush an enemy.
Dodging him would only be a temporary stroke of luck, for his massive body is covered in randomly appearing, jagged orifices that vomit and spray infectious, putrid fluids.
On his immense, fleshy belly is an abyssal maw; once you approach, the generous Rain Father will share his filth with you through this great mouth, and you can indulge as much as you like, without fear of not having enough.
For, in keeping with his 'generous' nature, Rotigus possesses a rich 'fountain'—capable of spewing forth endless filth:
A stinking concoction of weakly alkaline plague water, semi-digested putrefaction, and the most virulent acidic bile from across the realms, this liquid can melt armor and cause city walls to rot and crumble.
With such defenses, Rotigus feels no need to carry weapons, so in his hand, he merely holds a branch from a boxwood tree.
After listening to the Inquisitor's intelligence on Rain Father, Ventris jokingly said to Inquisitor Griffin:
"Whew… Should I be glad now that most of his power is occupied, or else would I have been rolling in sewage last time?"
Griffin hadn't expected that, facing such a despair-inducing demon, this Ultramarines Captain still had the heart to joke; he thought:
Lord Regent Guilliman might have anticipated this situation, which is why he dispatched a warrior as indomitable and unyielding as him.
"According to the intelligence I received from the Ordo Xenos, after the T'au conquered the planet Daltan, they encountered a severe drought, and their water facilities became paralyzed. To avoid starvation, these xenos were forced to convert to the local religion and began to pray for rain. Then Rotigus descended and transformed this desert planet into a shimmering cesspool," the Inquisitor quipped.
"…"
"Do you have any ideas?" Griffin asked again.
"To be honest, no," Ventris said with a wry smile.
Inquisitor Griffin said nothing; as an Imperial Demon Inquisitor and demon hunter, she had no good solutions herself, let alone Ventris, who had just learned about Rain Father.
The reason for telling Ventris so much was twofold: first, she had learned about Ventris's situation from the Grey Knights, and second, with the Regent's resurgence and the Great Rift's expansion, the skyrocketing number of psykers, and the frequent appearance of demons, mere containment could no longer solve the problem. The Inquisition had to change to fulfill its crucial responsibility of protecting human survival and purity.
The motto "Innocence Proves Nothing" might have worked before, where tens of thousands, millions, or even entire planets could be sacrificed for the greater good of all humanity.
But if they continued to act in that old way now, they would no longer be humanity's protectors but rather its destroyers.
Inquisitor Griffin and her like-minded companions are now experimenting with how to better protect humanity in this era. To this end, Griffin and her companions have created a new Ordo—the Ordo Sagittarum.
The 'Sacred Arrow' as a weapon for humanity should be 'further' and 'more precise' than the 'Sacred Hammer'.
On Thedan, the war between humanity and Nurgle's Demon Army is now a stalemate, blocked at both ends.
Rainfather Rotigus, with his corpulent, putrid flesh, blocks Ventris.
Archmagos Will's nuclear button blocks the Plague Preacher.
Plague Prophet Vik can now be said to share the same affliction as the Ultramarines Captain; he, too, is utterly at a loss.
After much deliberation and racking his 'pus'-filled brain, he realized that fighting was impossible, a dead end; Archmagos Will, who had nothing to lose, certainly wouldn't mind adding to his woes before dying.
But not fighting? Nurgle's Demon Army had besieged the Great Foundry Temple for so long; they couldn't just turn back.
Besiege? He was already doing that…
What a headache! Damn Zola! Why didn't you just die?! Useless! the Plague Preacher roared in his heart.
Left with no choice, the Plague Preacher began to contact Rainfather Rotigus using his psychic abilities.
"Vik, why are you suddenly contacting me?" Rain Father's voice echoed in the Plague Preacher's mind.
"Yes, my great brother, father's most favored one."
"Tell me about it. Troubles disappear when shared with family, don't they? Hahaha."
"Yes."
"Tell me."
"Zola was captured, which led to our plan being exposed…"
"…" Rainfather Rotigus.
"If we attack, I fear the other side will destroy the Temple. If we don't attack, we can only besiege them."
"…" Rainfather Rotigus.
"I don't know what to do now? Brother, do you have any good ideas?"
"…" Rainfather Rotigus.
"Brother? Brother? Are you still there?"
"…" Rainfather Rotigus.
Indeed, 'troubles' cannot be shared; only 'happiness' can. Even the Great Demon became introverted.
"Broth—"
"Bang!"
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah…"
The Plague Preacher's body suddenly began to convulse, instantly losing control, slamming onto the ground. The pain! It was a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times more intense than the torment he endured before being blessed!
Vik was wailing, screaming. The pain from torn vocal cords, a broken nose from hitting the ground, lost teeth—all were insignificant compared to the torment he was experiencing.
He felt every cell of his body screaming in agony, every part of his soul wailing, churning, boiling.
Yet his consciousness was incredibly clear; he could recall memories from when he was an infant, he could remember the first words he heard after birth—'Let's name our son Vik!'
This incredibly sensitive and clear consciousness felt as if it had been deliberately inflicted upon him, solely to make him savor and experience the pain of this torment.
Vik knew who had inflicted this torment upon him. He convulsed on the ground, pleading:
"I was wrong! Spare me! Please, my brother!"
"It's all Zola's fault! Ah ah ah!"
"No, no, it's not me, ah ah!"
"It's me, it's me, spare me, spare me… ah…"
"My brother, no, my Master! Master!"
"Rain Father, my Master!"
"I am your slave, Master, spare me…"
There was no response, nor any cessation. Vik's screams echoed through the Great Foundry Temple, and the Nurgle's Nurglings laughed as they surrounded Vik on the ground, just as always.
However, this time, lying on the ground and seeing the Nurglings at eye level for the first time, he noticed that while their expressions were the same as before, this time they seemed to be sneering, scornful laughs…
The demons laughed heartily at the convulsing, mutating Vik on the ground, just as they laughed when they spread plague among humans.
The cultists and Chaos Space Marine who had once revered Vik also laughed, doubled over. They rejoiced at the sight of the Plague Preacher, whom they had once feared, convulsing on the ground, though their laughter was tinged with fear—fear that such torment might one day befall them.
Vik was mutating; festering boils appeared on his body, his limbs twisted into whips, horns grew haphazardly from his head, his abdomen swelled like a pregnant woman's, and after expanding to its limit, it split open down the middle, transforming into a massive maw with rotten teeth and a putrid, long tongue.
Suppurating eyes, diseased tongues, festering noses, rotten mouths, and deformed ears began to grow randomly from various parts of his body.
"Tolerance" has never been a characteristic of Rain Father…
The Archmagos's performance could not continue, not because his acting was not exquisite enough, but because the demons began to 'slack off'.
"What's going on now?" Gamma asked, looking at the demons outside who were merely besieging but not attacking.
Archmagos Will said, "No abnormalities detected; their attack suddenly stopped."
"The demons must know the plan is exposed, and there's no point in continuing the act. I told you we couldn't keep it a secret!" Gamma, still resentful about the second beating, said discontentedly.
Archmagos Will: You brat, I'll give you the third beating right now!
"Quickly bring up the prepared nuclear bomb and let the demons see our resolve!" Gamma added.
The situation was urgent, and the Archmagos couldn't bother with beating his son now; he'd put Gamma's beating on account. He quickly had people bring up the nuclear bomb and place it at the entrance of the hall.
The demons were unaffected by this; they couldn't die. The heretics and traitors, however, were not so calm when they saw it. Unlike demons, they couldn't resurrect; they needed to preserve their lives to continue serving Nurgle.
Just as these heretics began to entertain thoughts of retreat, planning to find an excuse to escape and fight another day, Gamma's voice came through the central hall's audio array system:
"Demons, I am here to negotiate!"
…Time rewound slightly.
"Urgent intelligence! The Archmagos's intentions have been exposed."
In the Warp Rift command, Inquisitor Griffin's voice rang out. His words caused the Ultramarines Captain and the Fire Covenant Priest, who were trying to dissuade Iron Knights Chapter Master Isaac, to all stop.
The reason for dissuading Isaac was that the Chapter Master intended to concentrate all the Astraeus Super-heavy Tanks and use their defensive capabilities to forcefully break through Rainfather Rotigus's defenses.
However, the previous attempt had already proven that the foul rainwater brought by 'Nurgle's Flood' could not only corrode vehicle armor but also contained Nurgle's evil power, which could corrupt machine spirits, causing the vehicle's driving system and augur arrays to malfunction.
According to Ventris's experience in the Plague War, the closer one gets to a Great Demon, the more severe the corruption from Nurgle's evil power; steel would turn into flesh, weapons would grow fangs and claws, and those inside the vehicles would either merge with the vehicle or be torn to shreds by the awakened weapons.
Therefore, the method of using vehicles had already been proven ineffective, but the Iron Knights, who had always crushed the Emperor's enemies with powerful firepower, did not agree.
Isaac said:
"Ventris."
"Your vehicle wasn't fast enough, nor fierce enough!"
"But don't worry."
"Leave it to me this time."
"We will definitely not fail again this time!"
"I will banish the Great Demon!"
Ventris was not Huo Shifu's father; it wasn't his time to be revered yet. Seeing Isaac about to charge recklessly, he immediately jumped out to object. Chaplain Colin also couldn't stand it and had to side with the Ultramarines he disliked. The two of them together tried to dissuade Isaac.
Seeing that there was a situation with the Archmagos, Ventris immediately asked, "Are the demons making any unusual moves?"
"They have now stopped their siege of the Archmagos and his people."
"That's good. It seems the Archmagos's intelligence was accurate; the demons' goal is to obtain the complete Great Foundry Temple!"
Ventris felt a turning point had arrived. By clarifying the demons' objective, he could use it as a pivot point to change the current battle situation.
At this moment, Inquisitor Griffin added, "The Archmagos's message says he has a plan, but he's not clear about our situation here, so he needs to ask for our opinion."
"Oh? What plan?"
"The Archmagos asked if we are confident in expelling the Great Demon here?"
"…"
"The Archmagos said that if not, he intends to negotiate with the demons, wagering the Great Foundry Temple in a gamble with the Great Demon! The winner gets this world, and the loser leaves!"
After Ventris agreed, a conflict arose between Gamma and the Archmagos over who would represent humanity in negotiations with the demons.
Gamma believed the Archmagos didn't grasp the leverage they had in these negotiations; they should be 'tough,' 'stubborn,' and 'reckless.' It wasn't the demons giving them a chance to live, but them giving the demons a chance to succeed.
The Archmagos felt Gamma was young and inexperienced, too aggressive in his stance, which could easily backfire. Demons didn't possess emotions like humans and couldn't be judged by normal standards.
The two argued, neither willing to back down, in a 'filial piety' display. Finally, Gamma declared he wouldn't be influenced by demons, having already expelled three of them. If the Archmagos wanted to contend with him, he too should expel three demons before he could argue.
The Archmagos: You think I don't dare, don't you? Today I'll... I'll... beat you to death!
Gamma paid a heavy price, sinking the 'Archmagos's Ship' in one blow, and securing the right to be the negotiating representative.
...
"Anyone still breathing, make a sound!"
"Weren't you all so loud before?"
"You! That heretic with a reproductive organ on his forehead, stop looking, it's you, go call your leader!"
"Bastard! These are horns!"
"Oh, my apologies, the heretic with horns that look like reproductive organs, hurry up and call your leader out."
"I'll kill you!"
"Which one of you doesn't want to kill me."
"Ah..."
"Hit me, go on, hit me!"
...
Through the transparent crystallite steel, the Magos watched the arrogant and smug Gamma in the Sound Array System Operations Room, then looked at the 'Archmagos's Ship' sunk beside them. They found proof of their father-son relationship: both were extremely punchable. They had wanted to punch that old man for a long time...
Gamma's words were extremely arrogant, but his expression was solemn. He was intently watching every move of the demons on the monitoring screen.
"You won't fight, and you won't talk. You don't need to eat, but I do!"
The demons' prolonged silence made Gamma wonder if their leader had suddenly died.
And indeed, Plague Prophet Vik wasn't dead, but he was on the verge of being twisted into a Chaos Spawn by Rainfather Rotigus's power.
If not for Gamma's sudden call for negotiation, Rotigus wouldn't have found an agent with a soul-binding to him in time, so he had to spare Vik's life for now.
"I am Plague Prophet Vik, and I represent my master to hear your request."
"Hiss! What in the world are you? Even demons look more human than you!" Gamma was startled by the talking monster on the screen; it was too ugly, too strange, too disgusting...
A Chaos Spawn is a creature that has undergone severe mutation in the process of serving Chaos, so severe that it has become a twisted, insane abomination.
Those who seek immortality and power through demons always face the possibility of being degraded into a Chaos Spawn, either due to an accumulation of too many mutations or because its Chaos master deems it to have lost its value.
Plague Prophet Vik clearly belonged to the latter. The ironic thing was that he had previously deluded himself into believing he was 'family' to Rainfather Rotigus.
The price of realizing the truth was that the current Vik was a twitching, indescribable 'thing,' with various diseased biological features found on its body: rows of abnormal spikes, eyes, and mouths, a maggot-like head, damp moss, and diseased, twisted, withered branches rooted in skin that secreted toxic pus.
He should have had his mind shattered in pain, all memories and emotions erased, along with his capacity for thought, leaving only an irrational body of muscle and joints.
But Rainfather Rotigus stopped in time, even helping him stabilize his constantly mutating body, and gave him a task: to represent Rainfather Rotigus and hear what the humans wanted to discuss.
"I come on behalf of the great Rainfather Rotigus. State your request, human!" Vik repeated.
"I won't!"
"..."
"Apologize to me! You ugly thing, you scared me!" Gamma yelled.
"..."
The demons: Is this human really that brave? Since when did they care about such things...
"Apologize quickly, no apology, no talk. No talk, then I'll press the nuclear button. Your master's hopes will be dashed all because you're too ugly."
"..."
Recalling the terrifying torment he had just endured, face, dignity, and shame were all insignificant. The current Plague Preacher was no longer the original Plague Preacher; he only had fear, cowardice, and submission. Vik said:
"I'm sorry..."
"I don't accept it, hmph!"
Vik felt that the person on the other side was a completely unreasonable lunatic, acting childishly and nonsensically in such a serious and important occasion. But Gamma added:
"However, we can talk. Ask your master, we're giving him a chance to get this world, does he want it?"
"Impudent! This world already belongs to the great Rainfather Rotigus!"
"Did he ask about the nuclear button in our hands?"
"...You..."
"Stop babbling. You represent Rainfather Rotigus, and I represent Lord Ventris."
Gamma: Yes, I'm just a messenger. If you want trouble, go find Ventris and Lord Regent Guilliman.
In the command post hundreds of kilometers away, Ventris, who heard Gamma's words through the communication network, twitched at the corner of his mouth. He knew exactly what this brat was planning.
"Kings don't meet kings. After I relay Lord Ventris's message, you relay it to your master. Let him decide how to choose. Don't interrupt me again! Understand?"
"..."
"I asked if you understand! Are you deaf!"
"I understand..."
"Hmph, tell your master that Lord Ventris is well aware of his schemes. We might not win, but we can prevent him from winning!"
"You..."
"Shut up! Interrupt me again, and we won't talk. It's all because you talk too much." Gamma rebuked.
"..."
"Our Lord Ventris said that the world is just that helpless; there aren't that many winner-take-all scenarios. It's the same for humans, and it's the same for demons."
"Our Lord also said that the consequences of not compromising often only lead to embarrassment for everyone."
"Lord Ventris can understand that Rainfather Rotigus, being newly ascended, wants to make a name for himself and contribute."
"However, one must know gratitude, whether human or demon. Has Rainfather Rotigus forgotten who helped him at a crucial moment, assisting him in reaching the top and fulfilling his long-cherished wish?"
"It was Lord Regent Guilliman!"
...
Inside the Warp Rift command post, the most despicable aspect of the human species—'infighting'—was unfolding.
The Ultramarines Captain, who was tackled and restrained by Isaac and Colin, glared at them with wide eyes and shouted:
"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!"
"Hey, hey, calm down, calm down, Ventris." The Iron Knights Chapter Master said, bowing his head in persuasion.
Pastor Colin, also bowing his head, advised: "It's all a strategy, it's all a strategy. We must consider the big picture, Ventris!"
"Yes, yes, yes, didn't you advise me to think twice before acting? How could you forget so quickly? Control those Ultramarines cousins, and by the way, get my helmet. My lip is split, it damages the Chapter Master's image."
"Get mine too, my lip is also split. I am the Emperor's Pastor, so I must pay even more attention to my personal image." Pastor Colin said.
"..." Ventris.
Ventris was furious. That brat had publicly slandered his gene-father. Even for a child, this was unforgivable. He couldn't understand how someone as loyal as Archmagos Will could have such a rebellious son.
...
"Let me go! I'm going to kill him!"
This was shouted by Archmagos Will, who was being restrained by the Magos. Unfortunately, he was now firmly held by a group of Magos, and the excellent soundproofing of the Sound Array System Operations Room meant Gamma had no idea what was happening behind him.
"Without Lord Regent Guilliman's spark, where would Rainfather Rotigus be today?"
"Our Lord also said that if Rainfather Rotigus can be elevated today, he can be brought down tomorrow."
"Don't think we're trying to intimidate Rainfather Rotigus. How long has the Plague War been going on? This incident must be Rainfather Rotigus's first achievement since his ascension, right?"
"Think about what He, who promoted Rainfather Rotigus, would think if it all ended up being a wasted effort. Would He recall the goodness of Plaguefather? Rainfather Rotigus should understand how favored he is, otherwise, why would Rainfather Rotigus, the most diligent Great Demon, always be second?"
"Our Lord also said that he understands this feeling too well. He doesn't even know how many brothers he has; apart from the most favored first, the second, third, and so on, there's no difference."
"He said that the higher one's position, the more decorum one must maintain. If Rainfather Rotigus lacks decorum, someone will want to help Rainfather Rotigus achieve it."
"He said, as a newcomer, Rainfather Rotigus's first task must be done beautifully and with decorum. Either win completely, or lose gracefully, gaining no real benefit but leaving a reputation. Everyone who hears about it must give Rainfather Rotigus a thumbs up and say: 'What courage, he knows how to lose!'"
"So, to break the current stalemate, our Lord proposes a wager on the Great Foundry Temple. Both sides will gamble, the winner takes all and gets this world, the loser exits gracefully, and a rematch will be held another day."
"Of course, Rainfather Rotigus can refuse and attack. We will detonate the nuclear bomb. Rainfather Rotigus can kill all our lives and souls, but Rainfather Rotigus will not get this world."
"Or wait, use Rainfather Rotigus's power to corrupt and twist us, hoping we surrender. But Lord Ventris has something to tell Rainfather Rotigus."
"This is Thedan, the only Forge World under Lord Regent Guilliman's command, and one of his most important achievements since his return. Reinforcements are already on their way, the Grey Knights are rushing here. The last Great Demon that required such effort from Lord Regent Guilliman was Plaguefather, and Rainfather Rotigus knows the outcome. It's just that Rainfather Rotigus and Plaguefather..."
"Choose!"
"If you agree, withdraw your demon army. As a sign of sincerity, we will not repair the city walls and defenses, and we will withdraw our troops from the Warp Rift."
"If you refuse, there's no need to say more!"
...
Silence...
It was as if all sounds on Thedan had been paused at that moment. Everyone, every demon, was waiting for Rainfather Rotigus's choice.
One second
Two seconds
...
One minute
Two minutes
...
Ten minutes
Twenty minutes
...
Finally, from within the pseudo-Chaos Spawn Vik, a sound like vomiting, coughing, and drowning emerged:
"Humans, what if you renege after losing?"
"We are equally concerned!"
"..."
"Since Rainfather Rotigus has agreed to this plan, we can discuss the details, how about it?"
"I will provide a contract. I want Ventris to sign it. The penalty for breaking the agreement will be his soul."
"..." Gamma.
Ventris's voice suddenly came through the Sound Array System:
"Alright, I agree, but the content must be negotiated. Withdraw the demons surrounding the Great Foundry Temple. We will not repair it. If you break your word, we will destroy it directly."
"No, if the demon army withdraws and you withdraw your people, what if you destroy it directly? However, I can withdraw the troops, provided you gather everyone there."
"Accepted, but your demon army must also be concentrated at the Warp Rift, not blocking us from the outside."
"Good, no tricks. I will be watching you constantly. As soon as anyone leaves, I will attack you directly."
"Hmm, both sides will withdraw their troops simultaneously. The contract content will be signed by me after our people confirm it."
"Deal, Son of Guilliman." Rainfather Rotigus.
"Deal, demon." Uriel Ventris.
The Iron Knights, Ultramarines, Fire Covenant, and other mortal armies, having retreated from the Warp Rift, entered the ruined gates of the Great Foundry Temple.
The first thing they saw was a "red catfish" hanging, twisting, crying, and begging for mercy. Unfortunately, the eight-armed monster showed no pity, each arm gripping a handmade Macragge whip, swinging so fast that even the Space Marine felt as if there were not eight mechanical arms, but a dozen.
The Ultramarines gathered around, greeting the Archmagos.
"Yo, Archmagos, busy are we?"
"Indeed!"
"Judging by its quality, this whip has some age to it."
"It certainly does, especially this one, it was a gift from Lord Guilliman." The Archmagos paused one arm, handing the whip to Ventris.
"Oh! Archmagos, when you're done, may I borrow it for a closer look?"
"Sure, listen to how pleasant this whistling sound is." The Archmagos finished speaking, then swung the whip hard, striking the "red catfish's" rear with a whistle.
"Ah, that was the art of language, a subtle description of Lord Regent's great achievements." Gamma argued.
"Language, was it?!"
"Ah!"
"Art, was it?!"
"Ah!"
"Great achievements, was it?!"
"Ah!"
"Glorious deeds, was it?!"
"Ah!"
"Archmagos, your strength is undiminished, but this kind of rough work, let me do it."
"Alright, I'll leave it to you. Hit him hard, I just realized this kid's recovery rate is abnormally fast."
Ventris took the whip, examined it carefully, and then swung it a few times to test the feel, saying:
"Oh, he truly is excellent material for a beating. Such talent, I cannot miss out!"
"Father, no! He'll really beat me to death! Ah! Ah! OMG…"
…
The humans on Thedan finally successfully converged. Although the process was dramatic, everyone present was an elite among humanity. They possessed enough experience and vision to understand that the current outcome was the best they could achieve.
However, the nightmare was not over. They still needed to make thorough preparations for the final battle.
The meeting was chaired by Inquisitor Griffin, an Inquisitor who, as the most knowledgeable person about demons, was the most suitable to preside.
"According to intelligence from my agents, the demons are indeed heading towards the Warp Rift." Griffin began.
"It seems the demons are somewhat trustworthy."
"He has no choice but to be, but I don't think the demon will be so honest!" Isaac said with a furrowed brow.
"There are several psychic anomaly points near the Great Foundry Temple. After observing them with my psychic abilities, I found Chaos Sorcerers active there. They have set up teleportation gates, and with these gates, demons can appear around us at any time."
"Just afraid we'll run, huh!"
"We should now consider how to make the demon pay a greater price when he breaks the agreement."
"Why should we consider the demon? I never intended to abide by it."
"You don't… How did you, kid, get in here?"
Ventris reacted, realizing that Gamma, this kid, had somehow appeared among the meeting attendees.
"That's too much, sir, I've been here the whole time!" Gamma, forced to be "invisible" due to his size, complained.
"Your recovery ability is truly extraordinary. A normal person would be laid up for days!"
"Thank you, sir, for showing mercy." Said Gamma, in a passive-aggressive tone.
"Hmph, what did you mean just now?"
"Talk about integrity with a demon?"
Gamma scanned the room and said, "Aren't you gathered here to discuss how to default and run away?"
"…" Everyone.
They only then realized that the planner of this gamble had intended to default from the very beginning. This little rogue had fooled all of them.
"Gamma, what's your plan?"
"Of course, it's to run. Blow up the Great Foundry Temple, aren't there enough ships in the space fleet to fit all of us?" Gamma said.
"But the Great Foundry Temple?"
"What about the Great Foundry Temple? The Great Foundry Temple was also built by humans. We're not demons. If this Forge Temple is gone, another Forge Temple can be built."
"As long as we can blow this up before we run, the demon won't get this planet. They can keep occupying it, and if they don't leave, even better. Trading a Forge World for a Chief Archdemon, what a bargain!"
"…"
Space Marine habitually use combat thinking to solve problems, so their minds were always focused on how to defeat the demon.
Tech-priest succeeded in calculation and failed in calculation. They quantified all factors, including "life." How many lives the Great Foundry Temple was worth, in the eyes of the Tech-priest, was many, many lives.
The Inquisitor thought about how to banish the Archdemon, to learn more about the Archdemon's information and weaknesses, and even his true name. Moreover, their purpose in coming to Thedan was to save it.
Only Gamma was aiming for survival from the start. He drew a pie for the demon, a pie where the winner takes all and can earn 100%. He only wanted to take the pen he used to draw the pie and burn the pie before leaving!
But he didn't expect that the demon coveted this pie, and humans coveted it too. He was the only one thinking about running quickly, while everyone else was thinking about how to win.
Gamma thought to himself, "Emperor, why couldn't you pass down some of your experience from back when you tricked the red, green, blue, and purple ones? How can we manage the Imperium with these stubborn bugs?!"
(Emperor: "...That was an investment, not a trick. Did they receive the goods or not?")
"It's over! It's over!"
Gamma, having been kicked out of the meeting room, wandered aimlessly, muttering "it's over." The reason for his state was a fundamental conflict of purpose between Gamma and the others.
Gamma only wanted to live, to survive! The others wanted to win; their purpose in coming here was to ensure Thedan could continue to serve the Imperium.
When Gamma asked them what they would do if they lost the gamble, they said they would fight to the last moment, hold out until new reinforcements arrived, even if it meant fighting to the last person.
Archmagos Will said to Gamma, "Sacrifice is the cornerstone of the Imperium."
This might fool the locals, but he, Gamma, was an outsider. He wouldn't fatalistically embrace a tragic fate just because of such a seemingly heroic statement.
He argued with Ventris and the others that, according to his plan, this planet would still remain in Imperial hands. The Archdemon couldn't stay here forever; they could wait until the Archdemon left and then return.
But Inquisitor Griffin said that if they were willing to pay the price, the Archdemon could completely find another way to drag this world into the Warp. What they were currently exploiting was Rain Father's temporary unwillingness to abandon his sunk costs, and just as Gamma himself said, this was Rain Father's first achievement after becoming a Chief Archdemon, and he would not allow himself to fail.
This gamble could only happen because Rain Father wanted to win beautifully. Like Gamma, he never intended to abide by the wager from the start.
"Then what's the point of you all discussing how to make the demon keep his word? He doesn't even intend to follow the wager!"
"To make him pay a greater price, to damage his power, to create an opportunity for us to banish him! That's enough!"
"With all our lives and souls?"
"With all our lives and souls!"
"Is it worth it?"
"No sacrifice is too great to accept, no betrayal too small to tolerate!"
"You admirable lunatics!"
After saying this, Gamma was kicked out. There was no punishment, no reprimand, no calling him a heretic. Everyone simply watched him quietly. These gazes came from Space Marine, from high-ranking officers, from Tech-priest, from Inquisitors.
This child had done nothing wrong; on the contrary, he had always performed exceptionally well, far beyond ordinary people. His thought from beginning to end was to save more lives. Should he be blamed for this reason?
They were different from him. They understood their responsibilities, they knew their duties, they were aware of the glory they carried, and they knew how much innocent blood was on their hands. They could sacrifice others, and they could sacrifice themselves.
…
"I hate this world!"
"I don't want to be sacrificed!"
"I don't want to sacrifice others either!"
Gamma kicked the corner of the wall, venting his frustration. He found that he truly couldn't integrate into this world, and he found that he didn't want to integrate into this world at all.
"What's wrong, Gamma?"
Leia's voice came from behind Gamma. Gamma turned around and saw Leia, Jacob, Ed, Louis, and Paul. Behind them, he also saw Magos Lauster.
In Gamma's room, they, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, sat together sharing their recent experiences.
"So the path to survival you found for us was rejected by Ventris and the others?"
"Mm."
Gamma, whose physical development was stunted and whose control over his tear ducts and sphincter had decreased, didn't want to speak. He wanted to find a place where no one was around to hide, to hide until the end of the world, to hide until the galaxy burned...
"If it's rejected, it's rejected. It's not your fault."
"Mm," replied Gamma, the echo.
"We heard from the people in the Great Foundry Temple that you've mastered a lot of lost technologies?"
"Mm."
"We also heard that you were possessed by three demons, but you just waved your hand and they were dispelled?"
"Mm."
"The people in the Great Foundry Temple privately call you Children of Omnissiah?"
"Mm... Mm?"
Upon hearing this, Gamma instantly stood up and said to Leia and the others, who were comforting him with their words:
"Don't listen to their nonsense. The tech and the demons are real, but that Children of Omnissiah stuff is all made up!"
"We heard that the traitor just saw you and knelt in repentance, and is now praying day and night in the dungeon, wishing for death."
"..."
Gamma: Is my mechanical eye having hallucinations? Weren't you Tech-priest standing right there? How did it get so exaggerated?
"Don't listen to their nonsense. Don't just talk about me; let's think about what to do next?" Gamma began to change the subject, secretly glancing at Paul.
Paul, as always, knew how to read his boss's eyes and took over the conversation, saying, "Boss is right!"
"The problem is that neither we nor the demons intend to keep the covenant after losing," Jacob said, scratching his metal forehead.
Ed immediately followed up with, "This is equivalent to winning but not getting the bet."
"So what's the difference between a dead end and a double dead end?" Louis said, rubbing his face.
Gamma spread his hands and said:
"Ventris and the others haven't told anyone their true intentions, or rather, they're too dark to be openly discussed."
"They are actually using my plan as an excuse, each taking a step back to break the original stalemate and find a new breakthrough point."
"Why do you say that?" Leia asked.
Gamma explained to her: "Originally, both battle lines had reached a deadlock."
"One, the demons don't dare to attack the temple, and we can't get out either."
"Two, the endless demons from the Warp Rift will exhaust the Space Marine."
"Ventris's line was bound to fail if he couldn't banish the Great Demon; he had to change the status quo."
"The demon has huge sunk costs; he doesn't want to lose even more, but the Imperial reinforcements are already on their way and could appear at any time. He also needs to change the status quo."
"So the wager was just an excuse for them to change the status quo, and at the same time, they could weaken their opponent through the wager."
The foolish Tech-priest Girl still didn't understand. She asked again, "How to weaken the opponent?"
"The contract!" Gamma explained.
"Ventris is gambling his soul for a chance to banish the demon. If we win and the demon breaks the contract, his power will surely be damaged, and perhaps he can be banished."
"If we fail and we break the contract, the only price paid is by Ventris alone."
"The demon also has his conspiracy. He is using the contract as bait, giving Ventris a chance, while also injecting venom into us."
"Venom?" The Tech-priest Girl asked doubtfully.
"Why did the demon insist on us gathering here? It's because after such a long period of Chaos contamination, the number of traitors must be significant. Zola's betrayal is bound to happen again."
"You'll see, the demon will create opportunities for his slaves next, perhaps rebellion or assassination. He wants us to be in internal strife. We can't just detonate a nuclear bomb because of internal strife, can we?"
"In the chaos, the demon will take the opportunity to make us lose control of the nuclear bomb. At that point, we will only have two outcomes: submission or death."
"Ventris and the others are well aware of the demon's calculations, and this is also their bait for the demon."
"To both the demon and Ventris, we are tools, bait, weapons, and sacrifices."
"The two sides, one protecting humanity and the other harvesting humanity, though their goals are different, are doing the same thing. This kind of world is truly hateful!"
"Bullshit sacrifice, bullshit cornerstone, bullshit demons, bullshit Chaos!"
"..."
Louis and Jacob were shocked by Gamma's analysis. They were shocked by the conspiracy hidden beneath the conspiracy, and they were also shocked that Gamma could see through it all.
"Hehe, I now feel that ignorance is a kind of bliss," Louis said with a bitter face.
Jacob also said with a worried expression, "I've lived a very simple life for decades. I've never quite understood why the doctrine tells us to pursue knowledge on one hand, and warns us that knowledge is poisonous on the other. Now I think I understand. The more you know, the more painful it is. Without a strong mind, you'll be driven mad."
Seeing that Jacob was so distraught by his words that he even misinterpreted the doctrine—there were only a few truly useful tenets, and if he misinterpreted another one, that would be too much—Gamma quickly spoke to stop him:
"Hey, Jacob, don't get the wrong idea. This means that some knowledge has traps laid by Warp evil entities, and there's a risk of corruption upon contact."
"Ah?" Jacob asked, startled.
"Don't you know?"
"You should ask who does know. You know that the interpretations of various sects differ, and there are no fewer than two thousand similar warnings in the doctrine."
"...From now on, don't leave my side. In the future, if you have any uncertain technologies, let me take a look first. If you're experimenting or have any ideas, if the numbers 6, 7, 8, 9, and their multiples like 11 times, 111 times, appear, destroy them immediately, especially the number 9. Do you understand?" Gamma warned his companions with a serious expression.
He only remembered after hearing Jacob's words that Jacob and the others were not like him; whoever touched a demon would be unlucky.
"Gamma, what is this?" Ed asked, puzzled.
"I dare not explain it to you. Some things can spread through information, so the Church and the Inquisition have always used prohibition and blockade to prevent these messages from spreading."
"There must be a considerable number of traitors and possessed people here now. Don't leave me; I have a way to deal with them."
"Gamma, you can really dispel demons!" Leia exclaimed.
Gamma: I can suck them dry, no, wait, so you didn't believe me before...
"Something like that. Don't spread it outside; only you know about this."
Jacob and the others looked at each other. If they were to find the people most familiar with Gamma, it would be them. They had seen too many mysterious things about Gamma, but this ability was truly new to them.
Leia, the "Oil Girl," called out to Gamma with a look of apprehension:
"Omnissiah?"
This made Gamma jump up in anger. He couldn't stand this foolish Tech-priest Girl anymore. His face flushed red as he roared at Leia:
"You're not even adding 'of the Son' anymore? If I were Omnissiah, I'd now announce your excommunication and make you a heretic! I am not a god! The Emperor is!"
Leia's words successfully ignited Gamma's rebellious spirit. In Gamma's own words:
"I don't want to be influenced or coerced by you. Whether you want to sacrifice or believe is none of my business. I only do what I want to do. No one can force their will upon me!"
Having regained his composure, Gamma immediately began to re-gather his strength. He started taking Leia and the others to visit people who were connected to him and could be influenced by him, such as the Engineer Corps, the Tech-priest attracted by his talent, and even the Tech-priest who secretly established a "divine position" for him.
Everyone willing to obey his will, whether Gamma liked them or not, was a force he needed to unite and utilize. He wanted to integrate these forces into a single fist to strike at this detestable world.
…
While Gamma was acting, Ventris also did not stop. As soon as the meeting ended, the first thing he arranged was for the Space Marine to cooperate with Inquisitor Griffin to find and eliminate the traitors who had sided with Rain Father, weakening the power of this hidden threat as much as possible.
At the same time, several small teams were drawn from the three chapters, and the Space Marine were assigned to "protect" several Magos, including the Archmagos, to ensure that no matter what happened, control of the nuclear weapons would not be lost.
All that remained was to wait for Rain Father to send the "contract." However, he knew in his heart that when this contract arrived, the high-ranking officers of their allied forces would inevitably be tied up by the "contract," which would give the traitors secretly aligned with Chaos an opportunity.
The demons would not give him much time to resolve the hidden dangers; the moment of decisive battle was approaching!
Then he received a report: Gamma was engaged in a shouting match with a Chaos Sorcerer sent by Rain Father, because Rain Father believed that humans were not keeping their promise by openly constructing defensive fortifications—digging a moat.
Ventris: It's only been less than four hours, can't this kid just calm down for a bit!
…
Why did this happen?
It all started when Gamma regrouped, intending to gather strength and resist the world.
The Engineer Corps was extremely enthusiastic about their "Warmaster" coming to visit them. This enthusiasm also infected Gamma, making him feel like he was back in the settlement. His nimble mind suddenly discovered a loophole in that "bet that no one intended to keep," and a new plan popped into his head.
It was forbidden to repair the city walls for defense, but it wasn't forbidden to dig "ditches." Although it was impossible to surround the Great Foundry Temple like the settlement in a short time, it was still possible to dig "moats" in key locations. This way, they could guide the direction of the demon's attack and narrow the scope of the attack.
However, this was just a smokescreen he released. Demons and heretics were not mindless zombies; "moats" couldn't stop them, but they could conceal Gamma's "Great Jedi Escape" plan.
Since he couldn't run openly, he would run underground. As a Tech-Priest who mastered core technology, was it difficult to dig tunnels? Who didn't know what Tech-priest relied on to get rich?
Thinking of this plan, Gamma himself sighed:
"Indeed, ancestral craftsmanship cannot be lost!"
He wanted to dig a tunnel from the Great Foundry Temple that could reach hundreds of kilometers away, and run away with his people when necessary. There were several problems: first, where to put the excavated rubble, and second, how to hide it from everyone.
Digging a "moat" could perfectly solve these two problems. The rubble could be mixed with the excavated earth, and the activity on the surface could cover the activity underground. If the Great Foundry Temple was still intact and its detection system was complete, Gamma would have been discovered no matter how careful he was. But the Great Foundry Temple was now ruined, which gave Gamma an opportunity.
"The command of Omnissiah is upon me! I can't let my thinking be restricted in the future. If I had thought of this earlier, the Great Foundry Temple wouldn't have fallen. How can we defeat demons with these insects! This world still needs me, Gamma, to save it!"
Gamma, both boastful and annoyed, complained to Jacob and the others. He was annoyed that during his time in the Great Foundry Temple, his nimble mind had been led astray by the senior Tech-priest, making him only capable of fighting head-on, always thinking of defeating enemies by relying on brute force.
Who didn't know that Gamma had dominated Thedan for four years by relying on the technologies that popped into his own head and an endless stream of "schemes and tricks"?
Of course, the most crucial part of implementing this "Great Jedi Escape" plan was the technology—the White Ant-class Assault Drill.
Gamma only came up with the "Jedi Plan" because he remembered this drilling machine, which was revered as a "sacred object."
As a technological product originating from Terra, the Assault Drill was initially developed in the early years of the Great Crusade to excavate and eliminate various xeno species hiding underground, and it had good results in those missions.
This was due to its use of a series of melta arrays and void shield generators in conjunction with its drill, assisting the drilling system, and an extremely advanced gyroscopic stabilization system.
This allowed the "White Ant" to bore tunnels underground at astonishing speeds, even through various high-density materials, just as easily as on the surface: whether it was rock, soil, or even hard plasteel concrete, nothing could obstruct it in front of its specialized drilling system.
The gyroscopic stabilization system could greatly reduce the vibrations caused by the "White Ant" moving underground, thereby achieving high-speed movement underground to evade detection by enemy augur systems and atmospheric scanners.
Originally, this ancient machine was considered a "sacred object" because its machine spirit had some "Omnissiah's blessing." Now that it was covered with blasphemous Chaos symbols by demons, Gamma could only let Jacob take a few Rune Mech-monks to do what they did best—appease the machine spirit and purify the Chaos corruption.
It's actually no longer appropriate to call Jacob a Rune Mech-monk; he should be called a Tech-Wizard.
Yes, "Wizard," but not a psychic wizard. Instead, it's a relatively rare type of Tech-Priest within the Adeptus Mechanicus. Tech-Wizards specialize in analyzing and purifying corrupted machine spirits.
Because of this invasion by Nurgle's Demon Army, it was inevitable that machine spirits would be infected by "Chaos code," also known as "electronic demons," and vehicles and weapons would be warped by Nurgle's evil power. Tech-priest were forced to deal with these mutated machines. The Archmagos also opened up this part of knowledge, but not everyone had talent in this area. Jacob, in particular, had excellent aptitude in this regard.
Tech-Wizards are different from orthodox Tech-priest. The way these Tech-Wizards handle problems is unusual, as they often rely on intuitive thinking, insight, and improvisation.
Their talent allows them to work as a standard Tech-Priest, but also to step outside logical thinking to better understand how Chaos forces affect and warp technological creations.
This means that when encountering heretical technology, they are often called upon as experts in solving related problems.
To become a Tech-Wizard, the candidate first needs to submit an application for transfer, which will be signed by the Grand Inquisitor. After that, the candidate will be fitted with a special mechanical limb that includes an anti-curse device.
This modified mechanical limb helps Tech-Wizards perform their duties, as its special electronic firewall enables them to resist the corruption of machine spirits by Chaos.
This mechanical limb also has a small storage unit for forbidden files, but once the mechanical limb is removed or the Tech-Wizard is killed, this device will erase the relevant memories.
Jacob didn't have any endorsement from a Grand Inquisitor. He was self-taught, relying on his many years of experience, his abundant humanity, and the knowledge made available by the Archmagos. Even that special mechanical arm was taken by Gamma from the Archmagos's warehouse after he found out about it.
Returning to the "moat" topic, because the "White Ant" required some effort from Gamma and time was tight, he decided to release the smokescreen first.
Mobilizing people was too simple for Gamma. He just told the engineers: I've found another way out for everyone.
The engineers all expressed: We will follow the Warmaster's lead. When do we send the Archmagos to his "funeral"?
Gamma: See, this is the Warmaster's rallying power…
The "Moat Smokescreen Plan" was immediately put into action. What Gamma didn't expect was that as soon as he made a move, the strangely shaped Chaos Sorcerer from the other side came knocking. Could he endure this insult?
If I can't deal with Rain Father, I can still deal with you!
"Get lost, you disgusting thing! Which agreement did I violate?" Gamma pointed at the Chaos Sorcerer and cursed.
The Chaos Sorcerer initially tried to secretly attack Gamma with witchcraft, but the opponent showed no reaction at all, and could only retort furiously:
"Bastard! Didn't we say not to repair the defensive fortifications?!"
"Digging a ditch is called a defensive fortification? Are you a primitive man? And what's with the psychic frost appearing around you? You dare to use witchcraft on me! Kill him!"
Knowing Rain Father's and Ventris's plan, and understanding that they wouldn't break ties over a Chaos Sorcerer right now, Gamma found a suitable reason and intended to kill the opponent directly, to kill a chicken to warn the monkeys, so that other things wouldn't bother him later.
The Chaos Sorcerer clearly didn't expect this kid to be so ruthless. He only dared to act secretly, while the opponent actually called for tanks to bombard him. However, the Chaos Sorcerer still had some tricks up his sleeve, casually conjuring a cloud of yellowish-green poisonous mist filled with flies to rush towards Gamma.
Gamma looked at the poisonous mist rushing towards him. Although his heart pounded, he had fought demons for so long. While he might be timid, he had courage. He dared to act, so he was prepared to be attacked. The Eggshell gave him confidence, and the technological relics on Gamma's four mechanical arms gave him power.
The Chaos Sorcerer died in frustration!
He couldn't understand why neither his mind-twisting sorcery, nor the summoned poisonous mist, nor even the time distortion that had left even the most formidable enemies helpless and defeated, had any effect, not even the slightest, on that kid.
Ineffective! All ineffective!
This kid just stood there, unmoving, raised his hand and shot him, and gravity crushed him. The Chaos Sorcerer's soul had long been sold to demons, and after death, he was destined to become a plaything of demons. He uttered the most vicious curses at Gamma, receiving in return…
"Hmph, weakling, you can't even take one of my moves!" Gamma, who heard nothing, said disdainfully to the puddle that was once the Chaos Sorcerer.
Having dealt with this trouble, he told the engineers to continue digging. There was another trouble he needed to resolve. Gamma had already seen Ventris and Griffin approaching.
"Gamma, you were too impulsive!" Ventris said.
Gamma replied righteously: "He attacked first. I recorded it. I have proof."
"Now is not the time to create extra trouble," Inquisitor Griffin said.
Gamma was still a bit intimidated by this fanatic whose authority was theoretically limitless. "My father is the Archmagos" wouldn't work on an Inquisitor. He tilted his head and looked aside, saying:
"I just had people dig a ditch…"
"What is the point of what you're doing? You should know that your little tricks won't work!"
"Doing a little is better than doing nothing at all, and why wouldn't it work? If it doesn't work, it just means we haven't dug enough!" Gamma retorted to Ventris.
They both saw that Gamma was determined to dig the ditch, but to prevent a repeat of the recent situation, they had to issue a solemn warning to the Fabricator-General's son, the leader who could mobilize the Engineer Corps with a single word, and the Children of Omnissiah with a "strange" aura, as seen in their intelligence reports and witnessed by them firsthand:
"Gamma, stop your actions immediately. This is an order!"
Upon hearing that they were trying to stop his survival plan again, having just killed a Chaos Sorcerer and still feeling reckless, Gamma, who understood them but still disliked them, stiffened his neck and angrily said to Ventris and the others:
"I refuse. You have no right to order me!"
"Are you disobeying orders?"
"Your words have never been an order to me. When did I become your subordinate?"
"…" Ventris realized that Gamma's words were not wrong; he really wasn't.
"We are in a cooperative relationship, just like the Imperium and the Adeptus Mechanicus. I am a Priest of omnissiah. Do not impose your will on me."
Griffin and Ventris had never seen such a strong Gamma before. They exchanged glances, both understanding: "Oh no, this kid is bristling!"
Gamma wasn't bristling; of course, he was very annoyed, but he hadn't lost his mind and started arguing with the Ultramarines Captain and the Inquisitor. He just wanted to use this momentum to make Ventris stop bothering him.
"Don't you guys bother me. Even if the Archmagos comes, this ditch is getting dug! I said so!"
"This might affect the plan, do you know that?" Ventris said again.
Seeing them try to pressure him with the bigger picture again, Gamma rolled his eyes and said irritably:
"The demons don't care about these things right now. You adults should hurry up and find the hidden heretics. My mobilizing people will actually make those traitors easier to expose!"
"Who told you that?" Inquisitor Griffin was startled when Gamma directly stated what they had just decided not long ago. His professional habit made him immediately suspect a traitor.
"I guessed. It's not that hard to guess. Adults, you should hurry and deal with important matters. I truly just want to help more people live longer in the worst-case scenario."
"…"
Gamma achieved victory.
----
After spending a few more hours at the excavation site and confirming that the demons were unlikely to send anyone else, Gamma, relying on his current "truly indestructible" physique, immediately began repairing the White Ant with Jacob.
The biggest characteristic of this "sentient" White Ant drilling machine was that even when its power lines were disconnected, it would occasionally "hum" by itself.
After more than ten thousand years, having "sacrificed" who knows how many Tech-Priests' knees and foreheads, it wasn't strange for it to be somewhat miraculous.
Not strange? "Not strange my foot!"
Gamma frantically removed the foaming Jacob from the White Ant's driver's seat. The word "removed" was used because Jacob had completely lost consciousness.
Gamma slapped the convulsing and frothing Jacob, yelling as he slapped:
"Jacob! Jacob! Wake up! Don't scare me!"
"Slap, slap—"
"Wake up! Wake up!"
"Slap, slap—"
"Stop, stop, I'm awake! I'm awake!" Jacob, with a twisted mouth and eyes, stopped Gamma's assault.
"You scared me to death. I thought the data had fried your brain. Are you alright?" Gamma asked with concern.
Jacob merely intended to stretch his limbs, but instead, he performed a distorted dance on the ground for Gamma, a dance that would make a national Priest yell "heresy and blasphemy."
"I need to wait for the part of my brain that controls movement to return to normal. It will take a while."
"Leia, Louis, come over and check on Jacob." Gamma called out to the biological experts who were busy elsewhere on the White Ant through the communicator to diagnose Jacob.
None of them expected such a thing to happen. Although the White Ant was large, no one had ever said its machine spirit was powerful.
Their numbers were not small, and many Imperial forces used them, especially the professional siege regiments in the Imperial Army.
If its machine spirit were difficult to control, it would be impossible to use it so widely. For example, when a Titan changes pilots, how many candidates aren't killed each time?
"What happened?" Louis, who had rushed over, asked, looking at Jacob lying on the ground.
"This White Ant's machine spirit is abnormally strong!" Gamma said.
"Of course, it's abnormal. Could a normal one be treated as a holy relic? Jacob, shouldn't you know best?!"
"Uh—it's my first time encountering such a holy relic, I couldn't hold back," Jacob explained, a bit embarrassed.
"—" Gamma regretted not slapping him a few more times just now.
Louis helped Jacob up, placed a "hoop" on his head to examine him, and said, "The White Ant doesn't necessarily need to be piloted through a psychic connection with the driver. Why did you have to risk connecting?"
"It was a rare opportunity; it would have been too much of a waste not to connect and directly experience it—"
Gamma (XOO): That's not what you said just now. You said: Although there's no problem with checking the machine spirit, I can only be at ease after a direct connection. You're experienced, you've done this at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, times. Jacob, feeling a bit awkward under Gamma's gaze, cooperated with Louis's examination while changing the subject, saying:
"Gamma, do you know why direct connection with a powerful machine spirit is dangerous?"
"Because your brain can easily be burned out by the data, just like you were just now!"
"Ahem, that's one reason. When communicating with them, they don't understand what moderation means. As long as you gain their approval, they will display all their data, and the instantaneous data flood will overload and burn out the mechanical brain."
"Oh, so you knew!" Gamma exclaimed sarcastically.
"Experienced people like me prepare defenses beforehand, but occasionally there are slip-ups—"
"Alright, Leia, you're here."
"Hmm, why is Jacob lying on the ground?"
"He had a slip-up," Gamma explained for Jacob, drawing out his words.
"I wasn't entirely without gain just now. Although this White Ant is ancient, its condition in all aspects is very good, and due to the machine spirit's presence, the influence of Chaos evil forces is negligible," Jacob said.
"Oh, that's good news."
"However—"
"However what—"
"However, the machine spirit is very angry right now!"
"It? Angry?" Leia said incredulously.
"Yes, it's precisely because of the angry machine spirit that I ended up like this."
"Jacob, what does it feel like?"
"Like an unlobotomized Grox crashing around in my brain."
"Doesn't that mean we can't pilot this White Ant?!"
"Yes, if we don't appease the machine spirit, it definitely won't work."
"It's not angry because the demons tried to corrupt it, is it?"
"It should be, after all, it's been here for a long time."
"We don't have time to appease it now. If it doesn't listen, I'll just format it!"
Gamma angrily kicked the White Ant's driver's seat. Suddenly, all the dashboard indicator lights in the cockpit spontaneously activated, flickering and pulsing, as if expressing its anger.
"But, if it can cooperate well with us to complete the work, I will fill its energy and weapons, remove all restrictions, and let it ram whichever demon it wants, ram it hard, ram it repeatedly, until it's satisfied!"
As soon as Gamma finished speaking, the cockpit immediately returned to normal, and even the driver's seat lowered its height.
"—" Jacob.
"—" Louis.
"..." Leia.
Gamma praised his own quick wit in his heart. Sure enough, a sentient machine spirit couldn't be treated normally; it had to be treated like a short-tempered idiot. He jumped into the driver's seat, patted the control stick, and said:
"Don't worry, I keep my word. First, help us complete the plan, and I'll give you a chance for revenge."
"Beep!" The indicator light on the control panel beeped by itself.
"It's fine if you agree. I told you there will be a big battle soon. How about I let you participate then? Aren't you looking forward to it, finally being able to move freely after being here for so long?"
"Beep!"
"Hey! Jacob, what do you guys think? If the wager is a one-on-one fight, can I sign up the White Ant? It should be fine, this is a blessing from the Omnissiah!"
"Beep beep!"
Gamma thought his idea was excellent. The only drawback was that the White Ant had no wheels and could only "shuffle" on the surface, not running as fast as it did underground.
However, this problem was easy to solve. The White Ant's internal space was designed to carry 10 to 15 people, and this space could be fully utilized to modify the White Ant so it could speed across the surface.
Melta drills, void shields, self-contained melta weapons, an angry machine spirit that could resist Chaos corruption.
Powerful! Too powerful!
"Oh, Brother White, why didn't I think of you sooner? If we had met earlier, with the two of us brothers working together, what could demons do? We could even ram a Great Daemon to death!"
Gamma poured out his heart to the drilling machine, which he felt he had met too late. The drilling machine's indicator lights flashed, presumably expressing the same sentiment as him, at least that's what Jacob and the others thought.
"But good things come to those who wait, and it's not too late now. Let's finish the work quickly, and I'll use this time to think about how to modify you. If we're going to modify you, we'll make you the best."
"Disintegration fields, deflection shields, relic weapons, etc. I'll add everything I can. Then I'll be responsible for the 'ga-ga,' and you'll be responsible for the 'slaughter,' okay?!"
"Beep beep beep beep beep!"
"Then it's settled. First, help your little brother dig the tunnel, and once it's dug, we'll start modifying you!"
"Beep—"
Even at its lowest setting, the driver's chair was still a bit too high for him. Gamma had to spring up from the driver's seat again, then, with the demeanor of a heroic outlaw, he said to the bewildered Jacob and the others:
"You all serve my brother well. If I hear even half a negative word from my brother, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Gamma: This trick works wonders against brainless brutes.
The facts were just as Gamma expected. The White Ant, with a maximum underground drilling speed of 30 kilometers per hour, was somehow pushed to 50 kilometers per hour under his "righteous and awe-inspiring" persuasion. That day, before anyone could react, Gamma had already drilled 700 kilometers away.
Gamma patted the White Ant's almost worn-out drill head and said to the still-shocked Jacob and the others:
"Ha, they know nothing of my brother's and my strength."
A round trip took less than 28 hours, and he also utilized the void shield's ability to transfer matter to the Warp, disposing of most of the rubble. What remained was the task of ventilation, lighting, and clearing residual earthwork, which the sappers did daily at the gathering point, so it was no problem at all.
The cost was also heavy. Gamma's newly recognized drilling star— "Brother White"—was almost scrapped, barely holding on by its own "mana." Gamma had to quickly use the techniques learned from the "Omnissiah immortal" to extend its life, making it even more powerful and "Waaagh!"
"Has anything happened?" Gamma asked.
"Ah!?"
"Aren't you all okay? Stop marveling at how powerful my Brother White is, there's still a lot to do." Gamma complained to his few lazy companions who were still in awe.
The reason Jacob and the others were so greatly impacted was that the Omnissiah, as the sole messenger and embodiment of the machine god, had the function of "supervising" and "controlling" machinery!
In their eyes, Gamma, using only words, made a powerful and wild machine spirit obey his command, perfectly fulfilling the function of "controlling machinery." In their understanding, no one had ever been able to do this. Although Gamma's abilities seemed "immature," they had all witnessed Gamma's growth rate. Every so often, a more miraculous Gamma would appear before them, and who knew if Gamma would fully master it one day in the future?
Seeing that Leia and the others were not in good spirits, Gamma thought they were too tired, so he told them to go back and rest well. Not everyone had his "ox-horse saint body," which allowed him to work for forty or fifty hours straight and then work another forty or fifty hours as if nothing had happened. He patted his vibrant body and sighed:
"If I worked for a boss with this body, they'd go bankrupt from how much I'd earn!"
Having been gone for nearly 30 hours, Gamma needed to show his face in public, otherwise, others would definitely investigate what he was doing behind the scenes, which would expose his plan!
He first arranged for people to handle the finishing and perfecting of the tunnel. These sappers were Gamma's loyal followers, but just in case, he still shook hands with each of them. He didn't know if this could use his passive ability to attract any possible possessing demons, but it was worth a try.
After arranging all this, he hurried out to gather information and show his face. Not long after strolling around, he felt the atmosphere was off. What was this feeling of everyone being in danger?
He asked someone and finally understood. How should he put it?
Inquisitor Griffin lived up to the Inquisition's reputation in the Imperium, and he did not break the Inquisitor's stereotype among the Imperial populace. In just over a day, he had thrown the entire camp into a panic, with heads rolling everywhere.
Gamma didn't ask further, nor did he think of getting involved to save innocent people. At such a time, even if he were in Ventris's position, he would adhere to the principle of rather killing the wrong than letting one go. This wasn't a matter of wanting or liking; it was a bottom line!
Out of sight, out of mind, Gamma turned his head, pretending not to see, and went to find his familiar Tech-priest to make his presence known; he needed to act cute with his foster father, as he was the most informed.
But when he saw the Tech-priest, he found that their atmosphere was also not right, and his heart immediately sank, thinking:
Oh no, the demons must have caused them a big problem!
He asked around, but everyone evaded his questions, implying to Gamma: Go ask the Archmagos yourself.
Gamma: I'll ask, what's he going to do, hit me? I'll ask more tactfully later.
Arriving at Archmagos Will's office, he found that Magos Lauster and other Magos were also there. Gamma bowed his head and squeezed in; he had to participate in such an important event, otherwise he wouldn't understand the situation's development.
"They don't have any news?"
"No."
"No message either?"
"No."
"What's going on? What happened?" Gamma asked.
"Father, what happened?" Gamma asked again.
"Nothing, Gamma, leave here." The Archmagos replied.
Hmm! What do you mean, old man? Are you trying to push me away? Am I out of favor? Did you find a new son somewhere? Gamma thought.
"Father?"
"You leave, and never participate in any discussions again!" The Archmagos commanded Gamma.
"Why?"
"No why, leave now."
"Ah? I just—hey, hey, Magos Lauster, let go of me! Let go of me, if you don't let go, I'm going to get angry! I really—"
"Bang!" The sound of the door closing.
As soon as Archmagos Will finished speaking, his "lackey," Lauster, grabbed Gamma by the scruff of his neck, ignoring Gamma's protests and struggles, and directly kicked him out.
Outside Archmagos Will's office, Gamma knocked on the door and sang:
"Archmagos! Archmagos! Ancient wisdom dictates establishing the eldest, not the youngest. The Archmagos must be cautious, it concerns the well-being of the Forge World! You must not be muddle-headed—!"
But no one paid attention to Gamma causing a ruckus outside the door. Seeing that he couldn't "cutely muddle through" this time, he merely kicked the doorframe and turned to leave.
"Hmph, how can that old man just turn hostile without any warning!"
"That's not right, though? Looking at the others, it's clear the old man put a gag order on them, not letting them tell me anything."
"Magos Lauster is also confused, whose side are you on? Strictly speaking, you're not even an in-law—"
"There must be a villain at work, don't let me catch you!"
Gamma grumbled all the way, hissing. He was going back to modify his White Ant; when Leia and the others woke up, he would let them go scout for information.
The "villains" he referred to were Ventris and Griffon. When they saw they couldn't stop Gamma and feared he might act on his own again, they decisively went to Archmagos Will to report him.
Magos Lauster happened to be there at the time. After listening to Ventris and the others, he said to the Archmagos, who was struggling with how to discipline Gamma:
"You can't give Gamma, this little brat, any authority. As long as he has usable power in his hands, he'll always bring surprises and frights."
Archmagos Will thought this was indeed true. With the influence of the Children of Omnissiah, he dared to snatch the negotiator's position from his own father. As soon as the combat engineers arrived, he dared to confront the joint forces commander and the Inquisitor. If this continued, no one knew what Gamma would do, so the ban on Gamma was issued:
No one is allowed to disclose information to Gamma; Gamma is forbidden from participating in all discussions and meetings.
(Gamma: Magos Lauster, you traitor!) Because of the list provided by Magos Lauster, this "traitor," Leia and the others couldn't gather any information. But this didn't deter Gamma; with his technology, "eavesdropping" was something he could do with his eyes closed.
However, Tech-priest are most wary of other Tech-priest. Every action leaves a trace, and Gamma didn't dare to directly hack into their encrypted communication network, as exposure would incur their eternal enmity. So, he only got some fragmented information: a group of Tech-priest had gone missing and defected.
Gamma: The peak produces false supporters; the twilight reveals true believers. Although I mock Omnissiah every day, I am loyal! You damned traitors!
Rainfather Rotigus, as Gamma expected, used the "contract" to hinder the Inquisitor from continuing to purge the traitors. He sent a Nurgle Scribe to entangle Griffin under the guise of discussing the "contract," and Griffin had to accept because he was the one who best understood the demon's tricks here.
He wanted to bargain with the demon, making the demon stake more, so that Rainfather would suffer greater damage if he breached the contract.
He wanted to expose the demon's conspiracy, find the hidden traps, and allow humanity to gain more advantages after this gamble.
He would not consider Ventris; this was Ventris's own resolve. Even if he could not return his soul to the Golden Throne and suffered the torments of the demon, he still wanted to find the dawn of victory for humanity in this war.
Sacrifice is the cornerstone of the Imperium; it is true for mortals, for Space Marine, for Primarchs, and for the Emperor!
Daemon Inquisitors are among the people who understand demons the most in all of humanity. They seal forbidden information, and they also study those forbidden things.
In the Imperium, only the Emperor and the libraries of the Inquisition possess accurate records of the Horus Heresy, and some special Inquisitors are even permitted by the Eldar "Laughing God" to enter the Chaos Black Library accompanied by Eldar Harlequins.
It was precisely because he knew the forbidden knowledge about demons that Inquisitor Griffin deeply understood how difficult this opponent was.
The Nurgle Scribe is a Scribe chosen by Nurgle, and one of the seven Plague Overseers who manage the Plaguebearers.
He is responsible for cataloging the effects of Nurgle's many diseases and constantly travels between the Warp and the material realms, seeking new viral strains, new bacterial species, and new symptoms of infectious diseases.
He is one of the few Nurgle demons who is interested in wordplay and is extremely skilled at it.
This negotiation, centered around the "contract," was destined to be filled with calculations, traps, threats, and cunning from beginning to end. The human camp in the entire Great Foundry Temple area also became turbulent as the negotiation unfolded.
The Space Marine and the Inquisitor's retinues did not stop their purge of the traitors, although they lost the Inquisitor's leadership and were not as efficient as before.
But they still tried their best to use the keen senses bestowed upon them by the Emperor, and the experience gained from years of following the Inquisitor, to discover the clues left by the traitors.
Every traitor eliminated meant the scales of victory tipped a little more towards humanity.
"Let's talk, the longer the better, right, Old White?"
"Beep."
The White Ant, who had been demoted from Big Brother White to White Brother, and then to Old White, responded unconsciously to Gamma.
"Gamma, you haven't rested in 72 hours, go get some rest."
"Yeah, boss, you haven't been modified yet, your body won't be able to take it."
"Right, right, you've already drawn the blueprints, we can continue without you."
Paul, Leia, and the others tried to persuade Gamma to rest through the communicator, but Gamma, the ungrateful little fellow, found them annoying.
"I've said it several times, I'm not tired, I can last another 72 hours, you're so annoying!"
The devout believers, worried about exhausting the suspected "Omnissiah Cub," now began to doubt if they had misjudged. How could Omnissiah be so ungrateful?
The busty, brainless Oil Girl, after her companions' persuasion failed and only earned their disdain, decided that Jacob and the others had failed because they hadn't hit Gamma's pain point, and she spoke:
"Gamma, not sleeping for a long time will affect your height, you know."
Gamma ("Blood?")
Male Priests = °mouth°
"None of your business! If it affects it, it affects it, I'm not going to grow up anyway!" Gamma, his sore spot hit, said angrily.
"Hmm? What's going on? You mutated again?" Leia exclaimed through the communicator.
"I did! And I might change again in the future, are you satisfied?" Gamma said and then turned off the communicator. They were really too much, just rubbing salt in his wounds.
The "devout believers" with firm faith thought: See, I told you he hasn't fully developed yet, isn't this the proof?
The negotiation concluded, and the Ultramarines Gaius also staked his soul.
This negotiation lasted for seven days and nights, during which several riots caused by traitors occurred. In the most recent one,
assassins even appeared on the ceiling above the Archmagos. Fortunately, these betrayals were suppressed by loyal individuals who were not afraid of sacrifice.
After the negotiation concluded, Inquisitor Griffin quickly fell into an unconscious state. His extreme mental and physical exhaustion was not the cause of his unconsciousness; his will was strong enough to overcome those issues. The true reason was that he had contracted an unknown plague.
Before falling unconscious, he said to the Archmagos and Ventris:
"Rainfather hid a trap in the contract; whoever signs it will form a psychic link with him, allowing him to directly corrupt that person's soul with his power."
"I directed this psychic link to myself, so my soul is destined to be beyond salvation. But this link is two-way; I can also perceive the other party's situation through psychic means."
"Rainfather's power is recovering, and he will soon be able to leave the Warp Rift. We only have one chance; we must banish him!"
"Also, Ventris, from now on, you must remain vigilant at all times. I cannot guarantee there are no other traps, and even if there aren't, as long as that contract is in his hands, the mark you left on it can still be exploited. He will strike when you are at your weakest—"
"Griffin! Griffin!" Ventris cried out to the Inquisitor who had already fallen unconscious. He knew it was futile,
but he still hoped for a miracle.
Archmagos Will said to the Ultramarines Company Commander with a heavy tone:
"I have collected samples of the virus. Now, Inquisitor Griffin will be placed in a stasis field to prevent his condition from worsening."
"Good, thank you, Archmagos."
"It's my duty. Have you selected your candidates?"
"Yes, two Iron Knights monks and myself will participate."
According to the contract, tomorrow, humanity and the demons will engage in three duels. Each time, both sides will send one warrior, who will fight to the death using only melee weapons. The living win, the dead lose!
Space Marine are the strongest swords created by the Emperor for humanity. Their powerful bodies, long lifespans, centuries of combat experience, and daily honed skills enable them to fight any enemy of humanity.
The reason Ventris and his companions were chosen from over 1,000 Space Marine was because they had defeated all who challenged them, not because of their special status.
Ventris's legendary experience was not due to luck, but to his unyielding, never-give-up will, and his formidable strength, best proven by the powerful "Blade of Ventanus" in his hand.
After Ventris used a Daemon Prince to destroy Honsou's fortress and Daemonculaba, Warpsmith Honsou was enraged by Ventris's series of actions on the Iron Planet. He planned to eliminate the Ultramarines, especially Uriel Ventris.
He set a trap for his enemy on Calth, the planet where Ventris was born. But the Emperor would not protect this heinous heretic; it was precisely because of Honsou's plot that Ventris obtained his ancestor's weapon—the Blade of Ventanus!
Ultimately, Honsou's plot was thwarted, leaving him with an unknown fate. After defeating him, Ventris and some surviving comrades went to Tarasha, a world in Ultramar, where the Daemon Prince M'kar was hunting Ultramarines, seeking revenge for his imprisonment.
This "Blade of Ventanus," found in the tomb of his ancestor Ventanus, merely by its appearance, terrified the Daemon Prince M'kar. He called it the "Shard of Erebus," one of the eight blades of calamity separated from the original Sword of Calamity.
The original Sword of Calamity was the direct cause of Warmaster Horus's corruption by Chaos into the Chaos Warmaster.
Daemon Prince M'kar's ultimate fate was banishment by the "Blade of Ventanus." It was precisely because of this "Blade of Ventanus," which had a powerful suppressive effect on demons, that Ventris initially wanted to resolve the war on Thedan by banishing Rainfather. However, the power of the Great Unclean One exceeded everyone's imagination; they couldn't even get close.
The other two Astartes monks from the Iron Knights Chapter also possessed extraordinary abilities.
As "descendants" of Dorn, every hundred years they would select a champion within their Chapter to travel to their parent Chapter—the Imperial Fists—to participate in the centennial honor competition held between the Imperial Fists and their successor Chapters—the Feast of Blades.
After the Horus Heresy and the promulgation of the Codex Astartes, Rogal Dorn, Primarch of the Imperial Fists, in order to maintain at least some connection among his descendants, held a semi-regular gathering between the Imperial Fists and their successors to deepen their brotherhood through mutual competition.
The battles in this arena were highly ritualized events. Champions fought according to ancient dueling traditions until one champion was declared the victor based on the outcome and everyone's recognition, only then did the "Feast of Blades" conclude.