The first target for the Pioneer Planet was Catachan. The Imperial-produced Pioneer Planet flew directly toward the death world. Before Catachan could even "flee," the Pioneer Planet deployed, swallowing the entire star system in one gulp.
Catachan sensed the danger. A massive number of powerful organisms on the planet began to attack the Pioneer Planet. Legions of Catachan Devils and mighty beasts were flung toward the sky by the planet's gravitational pull. A unique boarding action commenced as countless Catachan Toads exploded against the inner walls of the Pioneer Planet, yet they failed to even scratch the surface of the Ablative Material Coating.
The Catachan Devils fought with everything they had, but their strikes couldn't even mar the exterior paint. Finally, the planet Catachan itself took action, engaging in a direct struggle with the Pioneer Planet, only to be soundly beaten by the AI-controlled vessel. Eventually, Catachan's resistance grew weaker and weaker until it finally gave up.
The transformation process lasted a very long time. Just as the external scientists were growing impatient and considering forcibly opening the Pioneer Planet to observe the interior, the modification process finally concluded. However, the subsequent scene left the experts in shock; the modification of Catachan seemed quite different from what they had imagined.
The entire planet's shape had become peculiar. A massive circular hill had bulged out relative to its equator. When they checked with their instruments, they found a result so shocking they could hardly believe it: the planet appeared to be pregnant. It turned out that both the Pioneer Planet and Catachan had been influenced by Warp energy. During the modification, they had uncontrollably entered this "process." After the scientists boarded the Pioneer Planet, they saw the AI of the vessel scratching its head with an embarrassed expression.
On the other side, the Imperial scientists did not stop there. They combined mystical knowledge from other worlds, captured Necron technology, and a brand-new understanding of the essence of the Warp to develop a series of weapons and defense systems specifically designed for Warp energy. The Warp was no longer an insurmountable chasm.
Speaking of Necron technology, the Space Necrons who once caused such headaches for the Empire were now a thing of the past. Every Necron Dynasty that awoke from its slumber was cleanly surrounded and incorporated into the Empire by its overwhelming power. The Human Empire used the temptation of restoring their souls to attract the surrender of many Necron Dynasties. As for those Necrons who maintained their sense of superiority and refused to yield, the Empire respected them enough to let them die standing.
Regarding the Necron Dynasties still sleeping in ancient tomb worlds, the Empire utilized powerful spatial technology to precisely locate these worlds. They were then moved from all over the galaxy to a designated empty star sector like building blocks. Subsequently, a massive Time Dilation Field shimmering with complex runes was activated, enveloping all these tomb worlds.
From then on, this star sector, gathering countless sleeping Necron Dynasties, became a unique cosmic-scale "tourist attraction." Time outside the field flowed normally, but hundreds of years on the outside might only equate to a few seconds inside. Of course, the Necrons inside weren't completely without a chance to wake up. It was just that even if they managed to stir from their slumber, it would take them thousands or even tens of thousands of years to realize what was happening and pilot a ship out of the field. By the day they truly escaped, the combined power of that entire awakened Necron Dynasty might not even be enough to beat a newborn baby within the Empire's borders.
Everything was flourishing. Every aspect of the Human Empire was advancing at a nearly frenzied pace. At this moment, the long-lasting energy storm within the Warp finally began to subside. The chaotic energy flows stabilized, and the violent roars turned into whispers.
The entire color palette of the Warp underwent a world-shaking change. It was no longer the twisted, mad, and nauseating colors of the past. Instead, it was replaced by a softer lighting that aligned with mainstream human aesthetics. The entire Warp dimension seemed to have transformed into a bizarre yet strangely beautiful fairy-tale dream world. Even the daemons, who once possessed terrifying forms representing extreme emotional power, had their hideous and distorted appearances forcibly reshaped under the influence of Ian's omnipresent and powerful will.
Human aesthetics—or rather, Ian Aesthetics—became one of the new underlying rules of the Warp. Finally, after the entire Warp had been modified by the power he had unintentionally radiated, Ian concluded his long-lasting "battle."
He felt refreshed throughout his entire body. He put on his clothes and stepped through a portal, returning to the material universe. He then pulled a high-quality cigar from the storage space of his Transmutation Tablet, lit it, and took a deep drag. He satisfiedly blew out a large smoke ring that shimmered with a strange energy fluctuation.
On the other side of the portal, the scenery of the Warp flickered in and out of view. Slaanesh, Khorne, and Tzeentch—the three female Dark Gods—lay slumped on a massive bed in the center of a magnificent palace, seemingly drained of all strength. Their bodies still twitched slightly from time to time. If one looked closely at their faces, they would see that their expressions had completely broken; their eyes were empty and their pupils dilated, showing almost nothing but the whites of their eyes.
However, a contradictory phenomenon occurred. The power currently contained within their bodies was several times stronger than it had been before the "battle." Slaanesh, in particular, had increased in power by at least a hundredfold.
After finishing the cigar and crushing the butt in the void, Ian felt unprecedentedly refreshed, his mind clear. He couldn't help but recall the early stages of that battle where he fought the three Dark Gods alone. Facing their pincer attack, he had barely held his ground. But once he grew familiar with them, he quickly seized the initiative. Before long, Khorne and Tzeentch could no longer hold out and had to retreat to the side to rest. Only Slaanesh, whose power was constantly growing, could keep up with his combat pace. In the end, however, she also fell, losing consciousness just like the other two female Dark Gods.