"This doesn't seem right. Why do our forces appear to have the advantage? Is the Empire's power still strong in the Segmentum Tempestus now?"
"Tell me the truth, is there a mistake somewhere? Please tell me the real troop strength, not this false intelligence!"
Lion El'Jonson didn't think of anything else at first; instead, he doubted the accuracy of the intelligence.
"I need you to tell me the truth, has the Empire really gathered so many troops to support this World? Can the Empire really spare so many Astartes legions?"
His sharp gaze was fixed on Adjutant Lyre, trying to find any trace of deception or exaggeration in the other's expression and posture.
He had experienced the Empire's most glorious Great Crusade and had witnessed its disintegration and long decline after the Horus Heresy.
In his understanding, for the Empire to gather over a hundred thousand Astartes on a single planet, and also mobilize hundreds of millions of elite Astra Militarum and thousands of titans, was almost a fantasy, more like a delusion woven by someone seduced by the whispers of chaos.
It was simply impossible. Even during the Great Crusade, the Empire would not commit so many troops to a defensive operation on one planet.
This place isn't Terra, so how could there be so many troops defending here?
Adjutant Lyre, facing the Primarch's questioning, showed no indignation; instead, he said matter-of-factly:
"There is absolutely no problem with the number of troops. We have indeed mobilized this many troops for this operation."
"We don't need to lie about this. Of course, if you still feel our troop numbers are insufficient and require more reinforcements... then you can directly request more reinforcements. I believe the Empire's armies will still come."
"Among the Misty Star Domain 108 Worlds, only our planet has been attacked by the great enemies of chaos. If necessary, other Worlds can still send more reinforcements."
"If you still feel it's not enough, you can even request support from the core starfield, where more troops will be mobilized to assist."
The core starfield, which consists of the 28 colonies directly under Noah's command, has a total of 60 million Space Marine troops stationed there.
Although ordinary Space Marine soldiers would not know how many troops were stationed there, they had always received one message:
That is, if you really can't hold on, it's okay to ask for support; armies will definitely come to save you.
Listening to Lyle's matter-of-fact words, and even being told directly that if he felt the number of troops was insufficient, he could request more support from the Empire, the Lion was utterly bewildered.
Had he come to the wrong place? Was his current time not the 40k era, but rather a return to the 30k Great Crusade era?
And was the planet he was on not an Imperial planet in the Segmentum Tempestus, but the Imperial capital, Terra?
Otherwise, how could there be so many troops providing support... and whose descendants were these Space Marine troops anyway?
Was it Guilliman's again?
The Lion fell into doubt, and the Emperor's Children were likewise, but their steps did not stop; instead, they continued to advance rapidly towards the governor's Mansion.
All questions would be answered once the Lion arrived at the governor's Mansion.
The procession continued in silence, but the atmosphere had already changed.
The PDF soldiers and Space Marines' posture shifted from vigilance to the highest level of escort and honor guard, their eyes filled with awe for this legendary Primarch, and what almost everyone could see... pride?
As if showing the Primarch:
Look, this is the World we now protect, this is the power we possess!
As for awe, that was merely because they had heard Ecclesiarchy priests preach about it since childhood.
For mythological figures, they still held a certain degree of reverence.
Passing through heavily fortified districts, a magnificent complex of buildings, blending Gothic spires with futuristic alloy structures, appeared at the end of their sight.
The governor's Mansion was already quite beautiful before, so Noah naturally wouldn't tear it all down and rebuild it.
Of course, it had to be improved upon its original specifications, which would save some resources and money.
Thus, this architectural style and form came into being, but no matter what, that was the governor's Mansion of Nairus World!
It was also the military command center for the entire planet.
Its sheer scale and strict defenses far exceeded Lion El'Jonson's expectations for a normal industrial World's governor's Mansion; it was more like the headquarters of an important starfield.
Before they even reached the main entrance, a team of richly dressed but steady-footed and sharp-eyed personnel had already hurried forward to greet them.
Among this group of people, there were also Space Marines clad in power armor.
Leading them were governor Ignatius Dorn and Chapter Master Deus Krieg of the Nairus Chapter.
The orders had been given by them, and they naturally knew the Lion was about to arrive, so they had already prepared a reception as a gesture of courtesy.
"Lord Lion El'Jonson!" governor Dorn stepped forward first, greeting him with an extremely standard and respectful bow.
"Nairus World welcomes your arrival! Your appearance is a blessing to the Empire, a good omen for victory in this battle!" His words were filled with a politician's enthusiasm.
But Lion El'Jonson, having dealt with politicians many times, was not fooled by appearances.
It was clear that what he said was not sincere, but merely polite small talk.
Chapter Master Krieg, in the Astartes manner, heavily struck his chest plate with his right fist, producing a dull thud: "Primarch! The Nairus Chapter awaits your command by order of the Warmaster!"
Military matters were much simpler than political ones; Astartes did not talk much, they simply executed orders.
The two vastly different attitudes did not displease the Lion; instead, he felt that such a situation was normal.
After all, if a governor didn't have some capability, how could he govern such a powerful planet?
Lion El'Jonson's gaze swept over the two men like a tangible force; he nodded slightly, returning the greeting.
"Governor, Chapter Master. The pleasantries can wait. I need to immediately understand three things."
"First, all known and predicted intelligence on the enemy. Second, our precise deployment, combat strength, and timetable for reinforcement arrival."
"Third," he spoke the first two very directly, but for the third, he paused, his voice becoming even more serious, "I need everything about your 'Grand Marshal' Noah, and the 'Misty Star Domain 108 Worlds' he governs."
His demands were straightforward, without any circumlocution.
Lion El'Jonson had a premonition that the changes in the Segmentum Tempestus were likely related to Noah. He needed to understand what kind of person Noah was and whether he posed a threat to the Empire.
Governor Dorn and Chapter Master Krieg exchanged glances, as if they had anticipated the Primarch's question.
"Of course, my Lord, everything is ready." governor Dorn stepped aside, leading the way, "Please proceed to the strategic room; all information has been compiled there. We can talk as we go."
"However, regarding the Grand Marshal's situation, you cannot learn what you wish to know from us. To learn about the Grand Marshal, you need to return to Terra, to the Throne Room."
"This information can only be known with the Emperor's permission."
They could immediately agree to the first two requests, but not the third; the third could only be explained with the Emperor's consent.
The Lion was visibly stunned after hearing this.
What kind of thing required his father's permission?
However, it was clear that neither the Chapter Master nor the governor could answer his question, so he had no choice but to put the question back in his heart.
"In that case, the third item is void. I will find time to personally return to Terra to inquire."
The Lion was old, but he had indeed matured.
The Lion's compromise made everyone feel a lot more at ease.
Although Lion said he understood and decided to learn more when he returned to Terra, he always had this doubt in his heart.
However, as Lion and his One line entered the magnificent governor's Mansion, this doubt was overshadowed by the scene before his eyes.
Upon entering the magnificent governor's Mansion, its efficiency and technological sophistication further surprised Lion and the Emperor's Children.
Ubiquitous data screens constantly scrolled with real-time global battle conditions, troop movements, and logistics information. Officials and officers hurried about, yet everything was orderly.
There was none of the common procrastination and inefficiency found in old Imperial bureaucracies.
"Lord Lion, I have received Adjutant Lyre's report. Adjutant Lyre told me that he had already explained the current situation to you on the way. I can accurately tell you that the situation Adjutant Lyre told you is absolutely correct."
"Please take this; it can help you receive data and access anything you need."
Chapter Master Deus Krieg handed an operational command bracelet to Lion.
"This is the Empire's latest operational command bracelet. You can wear it, and it can receive information and data messages from all troops. At the same time, sending messages will be much more accurate and convenient than conventional methods."
A highly high-tech bracelet was handed to Lion by this Chapter Master, and Lion stared at the bracelet, once again stunned.
This was not the first time he had been stunned. He always felt that this World 108 in the Segmentum Tempestus seemed completely different from other worlds of the Empire. There were many things here that he had never imagined before.
He felt like a country bumpkin.
That's right, it was that feeling that he felt like a country bumpkin!
Lion, as the Legion Master of the First Legion, was bold because of his skill.
So he reached out, took the bracelet, and put it on his wrist. Immediately, a virtual screen appeared on the bracelet.
"Lord, I have sent all the data and reports you need to your bracelet. You can access any information you need at any time through this bracelet, and the army's command terminal has also completed its connection with you."
"You don't necessarily need to issue orders directly in front of us; you can issue them directly through the terminal.
It will then be incorporated into the operational system for evaluation. If you insist on executing it, you can also force its execution, and the soldiers below will carry out the orders you need."
"You can not only command operations here at the Legion or Chapter level, but you can even issue your orders down to the company-level units below.
However, I advise you not to do this. Even if you are a Primarch, a superhuman existence, you are not a Grand Marshal, and the gap between you and a Grand Marshal is a bit large; you cannot do that."
It's the Grand Marshal again... Hearing the words Grand Marshal once more, he naturally knew who these words referred to: the new Imperial Warmaster, Sun Lord Noah.
This made Lion very unhappy.
After all, Lion had always wanted to be Warmaster, but during the Great Crusade, the Warmaster was Horus, and now in the 40k era, the Warmaster was again named Noah by the Emperor.
This made Lion very sad.
Now the governor and the Chapter Master of the Space Marines once again mentioned Noah in front of him, even considerately telling him.
Do not try to command company-level combat units, because he does not have that ability; he is not the Grand Marshal.
Isn't this purely telling him that he is not as good as Noah?
Lion was a little unhappy.
However, he still began to operate the bracelet according to the other party's suggestion.
The next second, an extremely clear, almost lag-free holographic operating interface projected from above the bracelet, floating before his eyes.
The interface layout was intuitive and efficient, categorizing modules such as *Troop Status*, *Logistics Supply*, *Intelligence Summary*, and *Command Link*.
Lion merely thought, his gaze focusing on *Troop Status*, and the interface immediately responded, expanding into an extremely detailed global strategic map of Nairus.
Friend and foe units were clearly marked with different colored light points, from the massive Titan Legions to the smallest infantry squads, and even including moving logistics convoys. Their positions, statuses, and even ammunition and fuel reserves were updated in real-time.
Lion tried to focus his "Gaze" on a PDF infantry regiment currently engaged with Chaos Daemons on the front line, and the interface immediately popped up the regiment commander's real-time combat report, casualty statistics, and options to request artillery support.
This... what kind of command efficiency is this?!
A turbulent wave surged in Lion's heart once again.
In his past command experience, understanding the specific situation of a regiment-level unit on the front line often required multiple layers of communication relay, with information delays and potential inaccuracies.
But here, he could directly grasp the real-time dynamics of the lowest-level units, as if a god overlooking the battlefield!
This level of information transparency and transmission speed was simply a dimension-reducing strike against the traditional Imperial military command system.
He tried to issue a simple artillery barrage order to an artillery regiment behind the besieged infantry regiment using his will or, rather, highly concentrated thought.
The order was received and confirmed by the system almost instantly upon issuance, displaying *Order Issued - 114th Artillery Regiment - Estimated Fire Arrival Time: 47 seconds*.
He could even connect to the observation view of the artillery battalion through the bracelet and see the shells roaring out of the barrels!
Lion fell silent. He finally understood what the Chapter Master's remark, "You are not a Grand Marshal, after all; you cannot do that," meant.
This kind of micro-command, precise to the extreme, required instantaneous processing of massive amounts of information and making optimal decisions.
This had already surpassed the scope of "command art" in the conventional sense; it was more like a "God-level" computation after a high degree of human-machine integration.
Could that Grand Marshal Noah, whom he had never met, really do such a thing?
If the other party could truly do this, then he had nothing to be unconvinced about regarding his becoming the Imperial Warmaster. After all, Noah genuinely had that ability.
Lion suppressed the shock in his heart and turned his attention back to macro strategy.
He quickly browsed the list of incoming reinforcements.
The dense array of Space Marines company designations, PDF army group numbers, and Titan Legions formations were indeed, as Adjutant Lyre had said, overwhelmingly vast.
On the logistics page, the mountains of supplies and the constant flow of transport troop timetables all indicated that the logistical capacity supporting this massive army was equally terrifying.
"This command system was created by the Grand Marshal, which saved the Imperial army a lot of command time and made command operations more efficient."
The governor beside him said this to Lion with a hint of pride, and Lion, like a defeated Lion, lowered his proud head.
He understood why Noah was the Imperial Warmaster, Sun Lord. After all, with such contributions, what right did he have to compete or compare with him?
Lion bowed his head. After lowering his head, he still spoke a sentence.
"I admit he is the Warmaster, but when this Sun Lord returns, I must challenge him to a duel!"
Although Lion now understood why Noah became the Imperial Warmaster, Sun Lord, he still wanted to contend for himself, or rather, preserve his dignity.
No one offered any evaluation or comment on Lion's audacious and bizarre idea of wanting to duel the Grand Marshal.
Even more so, no one worried whether Noah would lose to Lion in a duel.
Because, do you think you are the Emperor?
To actually duel Noah!
Even if the Emperor didn't use his powerful psionic abilities to duel Noah in reality, he would still just be a guy Noah could pin down and beat.
Lion officially took over command of the army's operations, while Noah was currently leading his forces in the Warp, searching for Abaddon's whereabouts.
For Noah at this moment, eliminating Abaddon was his primary goal; as for the planetary combat, that could only be considered a small-scale training exercise, so letting Lion command was perfectly fine.
The massive fleet slowly sailed through the Warp, and the appearance of such a large fleet in the Warp naturally attracted the attention of a large number of Warp Daemons.
Countless Chaos Daemons attempted to enter the warships, but unfortunately, they were immediately blocked by the psionic shields as soon as they made a move.
Only a few Daemons, which seemed somewhat significant, were directly grabbed by Noah with his powerful psionic abilities from the Warp, and he extracted the knowledge he needed from their brains.
The Warp here was somewhat unfamiliar, and his detectors couldn't conduct a comprehensive scan of the Warp, so Noah needed some knowledge from the locals.
As more and more Greater Daemons were casually grabbed by Noah, their memories extracted, and their knowledge explored, Noah discovered an urban legend among the Daemons in their memories.
The legend spoke of a very strange place in a desolate borderland, at the intersection of the four gods' domains. The Daemons of the Warp called it the soul Forge.
For every angry and confused Daemon, it would offer a special contract.
Daemon power is ethereal in the material universe, and steel will decay and rot over time, but if the two are combined, they become invincible.
This was an urban legend Noah unearthed from the minds of those Greater Daemons, and this urban legend undoubtedly caught Noah's attention.
Psionic material technology, huh, this technology is quite interesting.
Noah thought so, but he had no intention of seeking out this soul Forge for now; he wanted to deal with Abaddon first.
"Grand Marshal, we have discovered the route taken by the previous Black Legion reinforcements, and we are now proceeding along the original route."
"According to our estimates, we will discover the Black Legion in at most two days."
While Noah was still wondering where Abaddon might be hiding, a soldier immediately came forward to report the current situation to him.
"Very good. Order our fleet to prepare for battle. If the enemy is found, there's no need to report to me; just give them a fierce volley with a full fleet broadside!"
Noah naturally issued his command.
He had been waiting for Abaddon for a long time; he had no interest in any so-called negotiations with Abaddon. All he wanted to do now was destroy him the moment he saw him.
"Understood," the crew member left, and the fleet continued to sail through the Warp.
The Warp of the Warhammer Universe is completely different from the Warp in stellaris. Noah watched the external scenery of the Warp with great interest.
The battleship continuously sped through one void after another at super-high speed, and soon he saw something that interested him in the Warp: he saw a planet!
"????"
"What's going on? Why are there planets in the Warp!"
This was Noah's first time traveling long distances in the Warp, and now he saw a planet in the Warp!
A dark green, extremely twisted planet, like a maggot, appeared in front of his fleet.
"This is a good discovery. Warships, stop advancing, all stop advancing and wait in place. I want to see what this ghost of a planet is!"
Noah hadn't expected such an unexpected gain, so he simply ordered the warships to stop advancing first, as Abaddon's location had already been found.
Rather than bothering with Abaddon, he was more interested in this peculiar planet; after all, isn't a scientist's primary job to explore planets?
A probe ship flew out from the fleet and prepared to conduct a comprehensive scan of this planet.
However, just as the probe team approached the planet, powerful anti-aircraft fire erupted from its orbit, firing towards the probe ship.
If the probe ship hadn't also been equipped with a psionic shield, it probably would have been destroyed in the first round of attack.
Along with these orbital attacks, Noah's highly disliked Daemon power was also being broadcast.
???
"The power of the Chaos Gods? No wonder, no wonder, this must be the domain of the Chaos Gods of the Warp, right?"
Noah didn't need anyone to tell him what this was; he already knew it himself.
And after Noah knew that this was the domain of the Chaos Gods of the Warp, he issued an order that no one else had expected.
"titan warship main cannon, prepare to blow up that Daemon planet opposite!"
Still, the same old saying: Abaddon was there anyway and wouldn't run away for a while.
Now that the enemy had been found, Abaddon's Black Legion couldn't go anywhere. Noah was now more interested in these Daemon planets.
He wanted to test whether his current weapons could destroy a Daemon planet; this would determine how far his upcoming war against the Chaos Gods would progress.
The titan's main cannon, the Inferno Ray, was charging, followed by an orange-red beam of light that shot towards the Daemon planet!
If this attack were in the real universe, it could easily destroy a planet; larger planets might be able to withstand it, but ordinary-sized planets would be directly annihilated by this single attack.
And this time, an attack of this magnitude was aimed at a Daemon's domain.
After the titan's main cannon fired, that green, worm-like planet suddenly erupted with a green stream of light, counteracting the titan's main cannon.
Based on the disgusting nature of the opponent, Noah made a judgment.
"This should be Nurgle's Chaos God domain!"
"I can't even imagine which other Chaos Gods' domain could be as disgusting as Nurgle's planet, besides Nurgle's; it's simply sickening to the core."
The Inferno Ray's attack didn't last long; after the Inferno Ray was completely nullified, the planet still remained before Noah.
However, in its place, the dark green planet's color had faded considerably; before, it was dark green, now it was light green.
The power of Chaos God Nurgle on the planet was almost completely erased.
The next second, the battleship's main cannons also fired at full power—
Under the full-power particle laser gun fire of the four battleships, Nurgle's energy was completely erased, and the planet was directly blown apart.
Watching the Daemon planet before him being completely annihilated, Noah's mood brightened considerably.
At the same time, he quickly recorded all the data from this operation. These data would play a role the next time he needed to enter the Warp to deal with these Daemons.
"Fleet, continue to advance along the original route!"
Destroying a planet of Nurgle was merely an incidental matter; Noah didn't give it a second thought.
Nurgle, however, was different. He sensed an attack on his domain, even the destruction of a planet, and thus his gaze projected to that location in the Warp.
An awkward scene unfolded. Noah had long been aware of the existence of Chaos Gods in the Warp, so before leading his fleet into the Warp, he had made a few small adjustments.
Dark matter technology could warp space and time, and even help the Terran Federation master space and time.
Combined with psionic technology, Noah successfully developed a Chaos God scrambler.
This device could shield against the detection of Chaos Gods in the Warp. Unless a Chaos God fully concentrated their attention on a specific location, a mere thought would absolutely not be able to see through it.
The Chaos Gods of the Warp needed to monitor the entire Warp; how could they divert their primary attention to one place? Therefore, when Nurgle looked in that direction, he saw nothing.
He only saw one of his planets utterly destroyed, which was a provocation to his Chaos God domain.
It is well known that in the Warp, if something bad happens and you cannot find the enemy, do not hesitate to go directly to Tzeentch.
Nurgle did just that. He didn't look for anyone else but directly shifted his attention to Tzeentch.
Coincidentally, as Nurgle's attention shifted to Tzeentch, Tzeentch uttered a flippant remark.
"Everything is going according to plan—"
Visibly, as soon as Tzeentch spoke those words, Nurgle's green body instantly turned red.
He had overheated.
What did Tzeentch mean by such words? Wasn't this a provocation to him?
Nurgle was certain; this must have been the work of that bastard Tzeentch.
Indeed, whenever something bad happened in the Warp, one should immediately suspect that two-headed blue bird.
Nurgle's massive, bloated, green body, composed of countless diseases and decay, heaved violently within the primordial domain of the Warp.
The Father's gentleness and tolerance were now gone, replaced by an overwhelming rage at his desecrated home and destroyed creation.
That "Maggot Star," though not the core of his domain, was one of his carefully cultivated experimental grounds for attempting to eternally merge life and plague, an extension of his "benevolence" and "Gifts"!
And now, it was gone.
Then, he heard it.
He heard that familiar, condescending, riddler-like whisper from the direction of the Realm of Change:
"Everything is going according to plan—"
Boom!!!
The last thread of sanity in Nurgle's consciousness snapped.
Plan? Whose plan? Tzeentch's plan, of course!
Who else but that blue-feathered scoundrel, constantly mired in schemes and plots, would be so keen on destroying others' "masterpieces"?
And even call it a "plan"?!
Who else could so cleverly obscure the heavenly secrets, making it impossible for even "Father" to investigate?!
This was a blatant provocation! Tzeentch was declaring war on him! Mocking his slowness and incompetence!
"Tzeentch—!!!"
Although Nurgle had always been quite timid, now that someone was riding roughshod over him, if he didn't retaliate, it would truly be too cowardly.
A green tide of plague, with unprecedented ferocity, slammed into the adjacent Realm of Change.
Countless monstrous daemons, formed from viruses and resentment, emerged from the tide, roaring as they lunged at that ever-shifting domain.
The power symbolizing stagnation and decay began to madly corrode the walls made of logical puzzles and illusory flames.
Within the Realm of Change, the complex form of Tzeentch's true self, made of countless eyes and wings, paused slightly.
He had indeed sensed the abnormal fluctuations in Nurgle's domain. That phrase, "Everything is going according to plan," was his habitual, enigmatic whisper meant to confuse and disrupt the opponent's mind when he sensed Nurgle's gaze.
This was his instinct, as natural as Nurgle spreading plague.
He hadn't expected Nurgle's reaction to be so intense, so... undisguised.
The destruction of that planet was indeed beyond his expectation, and he was curious who had the ability and dared to do such a thing.
And even managed to hide it from the Lord of Change's detection, which piqued his curiosity.
But Nurgle, that stupid fat pig, actually, without thinking, directly dumped the blame on him?! And even launched a domain assault?
"Foolish! Impulsive! Unreasonable!" Annoyance flashed through Tzeentch's myriad thoughts.
His perfect plan might be disrupted by this stupid pig's reckless actions! But Nurgle's attack had arrived, and he couldn't not react.
Instantly, countless arcane runes lit up on the border of the Realm of Change, and walls of blue flame shot into the sky, blocking the green plague tide.
The cunning flames transformed into countless knowledge traps and logical paradoxes, leading the charging plague daemons astray, causing them to dissolve in their own contradictions.
At the same time, countless Tzeentch daemons—Horrors, Flamers, and Lords of Change—also shrieked as they met Nurgle's army.
The two major domains of the Warp, due to a misunderstanding and Tzeentch's habitual loose tongue, suddenly erupted into a fierce conflict!
After the war between the two Chaos Gods unfolded in the Warp, Khorne's army also roared and joined the conflict.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"War and skulls are what Khorne needs. The battles against humanity in the real universe made Khorne very unhappy, so the fighting in the Warp instead attracted Khorne even more."
He wanted war!
Khorne's daemon legions also charged into the battle zone of the two sides, and then Khorne's army directly engaged the daemon armies on both sides.
Since three of the Chaos Gods had already joined the battlefield, how could Slaanesh be allowed to continue watching from the sidelines?
If everyone was fighting, they should all fight together. Thus, the three daemon armies, while fighting, began to approach Slaanesh's divine realm, the Palace of Pleasure.
As the three daemon armies attacked the Palace of Pleasure together, Slaanesh was forced to join the divine war in the Warp.
Slaanesh's daemons, who sought ultimate sensory stimulation, initially watched the chaos with a morbid pleasure, viewing it as a grand and violent performance.
But when Khorne's axes cleaved through the succubi's halls, Nurgle's plagues defiled the exquisite sensory gardens, and Tzeentch's cunning traps ensnared souls pursuing pleasure—
Slaanesh's favored ones felt an unprecedented discomfort and offense.
This was no longer pleasurable pain; this was true destruction! A ruthless trampling of perfect enjoyment!
Deep within the Palace of Pleasure, Slaanesh's indescribable true form, condensed from countless ultimate sensory experiences, let out a shriek mixed with fury and extreme displeasure.
His domain was exquisite, selfish, and rejected this barbaric, unaesthetic all-out war!
However, retreat and endurance were never Slaanesh's style. If pleasure was shattered, then they would retaliate with even more extreme sensory stimulation! Drowning those crude invaders in the ecstasy of pain!
Instantly, the borders of the Palace of Pleasure erupted with maddening light and sound waves.
Slaanesh's daemon legions—Daemonettes, Seekers, Keepers of Secrets, and various indescribable creations pursuing sensory extremes—surged forth like a tide.
They did not seek destruction like Khorne, but rather attempted to draw everything into their realm of insane revelry.
They used alluring dances to disorient Bloodletters, stimulated Nurgle's daemons' decaying nerves with ultimate painful pleasure, and challenged Tzeentch's daemons' logic with endless illusory puzzles.
The Warp plunged into an unprecedented, utter free-for-all!
After all, all of them had suffered a great loss in the Webway before, and they all needed to vent.
Nurgle's plague waves, Tzeentch's arcane flames, Khorne's berserk slaughter, Slaanesh's sensory storms... The power and armies of the Four Chaos Gods violently collided, intertwined, annihilated each other, and were constantly reborn on an unprecedented and chaotic scale.
The entire Warp vibrated violently due to this top-tier melee, and Astropaths and Navigators in the real universe let out piercing screams, their souls seemingly torn apart by this chaotic tide.
Countless low-level Daemons didn't even have time to choose a side before being crushed into pure energy dust by the four converging powers.
Even the Emperor joined this melee because the Imperium's Navigators were also affected.
The Binding Legion began to appear and fight in the Warp.
With the large number of Grey Knights Forces brought to him by Noah, the Emperor's Binding Legion personnel had greatly increased.
Even later, the Psionic Legion, which was gaining experience in the Webway, was directly thrown into the battlefield.
The Warp had completely become a battlefield.
The armies of the five Chaos Gods in the universe were constantly fighting each other in the Warp.
One moment Nurgle and Tzeentch were fighting Khorne, the next Khorne and Tzeentch were fighting Nurgle, then Slaanesh and Tzeentch were fighting Khorne, and then Khorne and Tzeentch were fighting Slaanesh.
Sometimes, Tzeentch and humans fought together, or Khorne, Tzeentch, and humans fought together, or Slaanesh and humans fought Tzeentch.
As they fought, it turned into Chaos Gods versus humans, and then as they continued fighting, it became three of the Chaos Gods teaming up with humans against one of them. In short, it was utterly chaotic, with everyone fighting everyone.
There was no such thing as faction distinction; whoever was strong, they ganged up on.
The main idea was for the weak to unite against the strong, and when the strong were defeated and became weak, the strongest among the weak would be jointly beaten by the other four.
Meanwhile, the fleet of Noah, the instigator of all this chaos, was like a ghost in the eye of the storm, safely traversing the edge of this earth-shattering god war under the protection of the "Chaos God Blocker."
On the bridge, sensors blared madly, showing that the surrounding Warp energy levels had soared to an unprecedented and dangerous degree, but all attacks miraculously "ignored" them, as if the fleet were a transparent stone, perfectly blended into the background noise.
"Grand Marshal... the surrounding Warp energy... the readings are off the charts! It seems like we've... we've stumbled upon a full-scale Chaos God war?!"
The Warp Navigator's voice was tearful. Although the fleet was unharmed, the doomsday scene perceived by his psionic senses was enough to break any mortal.
These people were not citizens of the Terran Federation after all; they did not possess the arrogance and powerful psionic protection of Terran Federation citizens.
Therefore, when faced with the Warp melee, the Terran Federation fleet, composed of Imperium personnel, was still not calm enough.
The reason Zhou Xing's fleet still had Navigators was to integrate local characteristics and ensure that no entities undetectable by federation technology would go unnoticed.
Noah merely glanced indifferently at the bizarre and terrifying scene outside the window, where energy was so violent it could instantly vaporize an entire Imperial battlefleet, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh? They're fighting?" His tone was as calm as if he were commenting on the weather. "Good, dog eat dog. Saves me the trouble of hunting them down one by one later."
"It seems to be quite intense. Order our newest Psionic Legion to go to Terra now. If the Emperor deems it necessary, then let the Psionic Legion join this battle!"
"A battle of this caliber shouldn't be missed. Just a good fight might even yield unexpected gains."
After giving the order, he even observed with interest the unique and destructive energy reactions produced when the four Chaos powers collided.
"Record the data. This level of energy interaction is rare and might be helpful for studying the nature of the Warp and developing new counter-weapons."
Noah still remembered his goal of waging war against and punishing the Chaos Gods, so how could he let such good data slip by? He quickly ordered the technical officers to start recording.
The technical officers, suppressing the urge to faint, responded tremblingly: "Yes... yes, Grand Marshal!"
Noah withdrew his gaze, no longer focusing on the melee outside the window that was determining the fate of the Warp.
His attention refocused on the front of the fleet.
Sensors showed that they were very close to the area where the Black Legion had last disappeared.
While Noah's fleet was searching for Abaddon, Abaddon himself was trembling on his flagship, the vengeful spirit.
The Warp was fine before, but now the Chaos Gods had actually started a melee?
Now even humans were participating in this operation, which caused the delicate balance previously achieved within his Black Legion to begin to break down, with members glaring at each other with hostility.
The composition of the Black Legion was very strange; some were loyal to the Four Chaos Gods, while others felt that the Imperium was bad.
Or rather, that the Ecclesiarchy was a false religion, but still believed in the existence of the Emperor.
This led to the Black Legion not being a monolith.
Now that their respective deities had ignited war in the Warp, the Chaos Astartes within the Black Legion also began to eye each other with hostility.
Abaddon was racking his brains over this matter; he was truly suffering!
Who could tell him why suddenly the entire Warp was engulfed in the flames of war, why the Chaos Gods had suddenly started fighting?
Abaddon desperately wanted to know why all this was happening, but he clearly had no way of finding out, as even the Chaos Gods themselves were bewildered when they started fighting.
Now the war between them was purely because they wanted to fight, so they were fighting.
As for the reason, sorry, there was no reason.
Nurgle's storms of pus slammed against the ship's void shields, splattering foul green ripples, while Tzeentch's blue flames flickered like specters, trying to find logical flaws.
Khorne's bloody berserkers even ignored friendly fire, hacking at any approaching object, including other Chaos warships.
Slaanesh's phantoms and shrieks tried to infiltrate the crew's minds everywhere.
What made his scalp tingle even more was that he occasionally caught glimpses of the golden figures of the Emperor's Binding Legion.
And some extremely well-equipped, unusually powerful, and pure-psionic human Psionic Legion.
Noah's Psionic Legion.
They also moved through the melee, killing any Chaos they encountered without mercy!
"What the hell is going on?!" Abaddon's roar echoed through the bridge, but no one could give him an answer.
The deck beneath his feet vibrated constantly, not from shelling, but from the Warp itself wailing under the melee of the Four Chaos Gods plus the Emperor.
The fragile balance he had painstakingly maintained within the Black Legion had now completely shattered.
A Chaos Lord loyal to Khorne roared at a Nurgle Follower: "Your loving father dares to attack the Khorne's domain! I will offer your head to the Skull Throne!"
The Nurgle Follower gurgled in response, his pustules bursting: "Tzeentch... is the source of all wisdom... all decay will eventually be equal..."
On the other side, several Slaanesh followers tried to tempt a Sergeant from an Emperor's Children Warband, but were rebuffed by the other's even more fanatical loyalty to the Emperor.
Some Chaos Space Marines even stood bewildered, watching Daemons from their own Chaos faction kill each other outside the window, at a loss.
They came to destroy the Imperium, but now they were inexplicably caught in their own masters' infighting?
"Warmaster!" A communications officer reported with a trembling voice, "Seventh Assault Regiment reports infighting! Khorne faction and Tzeentch faction are engaging in the hangar!"
"Engine room reports! loving father's followers have contaminated part of the energy conduits!"
"Navigator... the Navigator is almost broken! He says he can't get a fix in this environment!"
Abaddon felt a deep sense of powerlessness. He commanded the mighty Black Legion, carrying the supreme prestige accumulated after destroying Cadia.
He should have continued waging war against the Imperium at this time, inflicting greater blows on the Imperium of Man, but now—
Now, if the Black Legion didn't fall apart, that would be considered good.
While Abaddon was still troubled by this matter, an even more severe blow was about to arrive.
The Sergeant at the augur reported an even more urgent matter to Abaddon.
"Warmaster!!! A... a massive Imperial Fleet!!! They... they are right in front of us!!! They just came directly out of the chaotic zone!!!"
"We didn't just detect them, we can see them now!"
"What?!" Abaddon lunged towards the observation screen.
Protected by the Chaos Gods, Abaddon's fleet had not yet been discovered by Noah; Noah's fleet appeared directly in front of him.
Noah's research into the Chaos Gods was ultimately insufficient, which meant that at this stage, his warships could not directly penetrate the shroud of the four Chaos Gods to directly detect Abaddon's Black Legion.
Of course, this also had something to do with him not bringing his cruiser, which had undergone numerous cyclic technological enhancements.
Abaddon saw the Patrol Fleet brought by Noah.
It was a fleet equipped with titan warships.
Such a sight pierced Abaddon's heart, for he saw warships far larger than the mountain array.
The mountain array was only about 50 kilometers long, but the titan warship was almost three times the size of the mountain array.
When Noah appeared before Abaddon with his fleet, Abaddon was stunned.
This... this couldn't possibly be coming for him, it absolutely couldn't be coming for him!
Abaddon frantically tried to comfort himself, and his fleet dared not move, fearing that if they moved, they would be discovered by the fleet opposite.
Although he kept praying, Abaddon truly didn't believe this fleet was coming for him.
After all, what rank was his Black Legion? Was it necessary for a fleet of this caliber to come for him?
Could the Imperium of Man build warships of this caliber? Absolutely impossible!
Abaddon frantically comforted himself, but as he did, he felt something was wrong.
If he wasn't mistaken, the Imperium of Man in the universe possessed a large number of Space Marines. Could this also mean that the Imperium of Man had already undergone changes?
Now that such a massive fleet had appeared before him, it was indeed possible that they were warships of the Imperium of Man.
Abaddon was so frightened by this thought that sprang into his mind that cold sweat streamed down his face, and his smooth bald head was filled with terror.
He didn't want to admit it, but there was a high possibility that this fleet was coming for him. After all, they were clearly in a scanning phase, meaning they were looking for something.
What could possibly be in this wretched place besides their Black Legion?
"Found you!" Just as this thought crossed Abaddon's mind, Noah discovered the black fleet.
The fleet from the Terran Federation quickly shifted their attack direction, and then their main cannons fired.
The main cannon of the titan warship fired first, and a hellfire ray came towards the vengeful spirit.
"He found us, he really is coming for me!"
This was Abaddon's last sentence. Under the terrifying strike of the hellfire ray, the vengeful spirit's void shield overloaded in just a few minutes, and then this energy stream directly broke the entire vengeful spirit.
The warship was broken into two sections. Fortunately, the Chaos Gods at this time noticed Abaddon. Tzeentch's blue light flashed, and Abaddon and the Main force of the Black Legion inside the warship were teleported away by him.
Noah, who also possessed psionics, naturally discovered Tzeentch's intervention!
"Damn Chaos Gods, when I figure out the essence of your power, I'll settle scores with you sooner or later!"
Seeing that Abaddon had been rescued by the Chaos Gods, Noah was helpless.
What could he do? He couldn't kill the Chaos Gods, and the combat power of his current warships was completely insufficient, so he could only leave it at that for now.
However, this grudge was noted down.
Although Abaddon and his close subordinates had been teleported away, the warships could not escape.
The rest of the Black Legion also couldn't escape. After Abaddon's flagship was destroyed, the main forces of the Black Legion met their final hour.
An enraged Noah unleashed his fury upon the remaining black legion's warships. Battleship, destroyer, and the secondary and main cannons of the titan warship fired simultaneously.
A massive amount of firepower was directed at the Black Legion's fleet, and how many of these black legion's warships were not ancient relics? They had already been in service for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.
These ancient relics naturally couldn't withstand the concentrated firepower of Noah's fleet. Under the intense barrage, black legion's warships were pulverized one after another, disappearing into the Warp.
The battle lasted only 8 hours. After 8 hours, all of black legion's warships had been completely annihilated, and there was no longer any trace of them in the Warp.
Even after eliminating all these enemies, Noah was still somewhat dissatisfied, after all, wasn't it just eliminating some of the Main force of the Black Legion?
That guy Abaddon actually ran away. That meant his mission was half a failure.
"The Grand Marshal has eliminated all enemies of the Black Legion. Should our fleet return now?"
Just as Noah was still contemplating how this trip was a huge loss, Dos had already directed the fleet to complete the final operation and came before Noah.
"If that's the case, then let's leave. There's no need to stay here any longer. What's the difference between this and swimming in shit?"
Dos' arrival interrupted Noah's thoughts.
Since Abaddon had already run, they would deal with him next time.
For now, they would leave the Warp.
Those whose psionics was not strong enough might not feel it so intensely.
But Noah was different; he possessed powerful psionics, so for him, being in the Warp was like soaking in a cesspool.
Since the target had already left, who would want to stay in a septic tank?
"Understood," Dos gave Noah a federation military salute, then turned and left.
The team also began to move at this time, heading towards the exit of the Warp.
Although Abaddon himself was not slain on this trip, the Main force of the Black Legion had been largely destroyed.
While Abaddon and his close subordinates still existed, Chaos still had the ability to form organized armies, but this would take time.
This also bought more time for the Imperium of Man, and sufficient time for Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade.
Now there was no need to stay here; instead, they should go and deal with those bait.
Although the fish had escaped, the bait Abaddon threw out still had to be eaten.
The Chaos forces on Nairus also had to be eliminated.