"I propose that Ynnead's true form descends outside the Black Library."
Inside the Aeldari embassy, Yvraine said to Sylandri.
This caused Sylandri a slight confusion.
"Little girl, Ynnead's true form has not yet fully manifested. Wouldn't that be more dangerous?"
Ynnead indeed possesses powerful strength, but in his unmanifested state, he mostly channels his power through his avatars, Incarnie, the chosen Sylandri, and Yvraine.
Beyond that, his true form can only act based on crude instincts and desires.
"The closer Ynnead is to Incarnie, the stronger Incarnie becomes."
Yvraine whispered:
"And even if Ynnead himself can only act on instinct and desire, and his power is not yet complete, as the Aeldari Death God, he can, to some extent, restrain Cegorach. And don't forget, the power that constitutes Ynnead, besides the Infinity Circuit, also includes the residual power of the Phoenix King, Asuryan."
"If he arrives at the Black Library, or rather, next to the Pantheon, then the remaining power of Asuryan will also be at his disposal."
This way, even Cegorach himself would be unable to harm Ynnead.
Unless Cegorach has other allies.
Yvraine pondered deeply.
The Chaos Gods? No, that's impossible. Cegorach would never cooperate with the Chaos Gods. Slaanesh is naturally out of the question, Khorne despises Harlequins, Nurgle is due to Isha's existence, and Tzeentch and the Emperor are both deceivers—how could they cooperate?
So, is it some force in the material universe?
The Orks would beat Cegorach before beating Ynnead.
The Leagues of Votann are not heavily involved in Warp affairs.
The Tyranids are not an entity one can cooperate with at all.
It couldn't be the Tau, could it? No way?
A hint of hesitation appeared on Yvraine's face.
Could it be humanity?
But Guilliman is on Macragge, Sanguinius is currently fighting on the front lines of Ultramar, only...
The Human Death God? Could it be the Human Death God? He is always elusive.
That Human Death God and Cegorach cooperating to hunt Ynnead?
This is entirely possible; their domains in the Warp overlap. But, but Ynnead is one of the Aeldari's last hopes.
Human Death God, what kind of price would Alexander have to offer to make Cegorach betray Ynnead?
Could he save the Aeldari?
Yvraine shook her head, dispelling these thoughts from her mind.
Hopefully, she was just being overly suspicious.
Even if there really was a problem, she and Sylandri could still use their connection with Ynnead to go directly to Ynnead's side.
"It must be Yvraine's idea." Alexander quickly made his judgment.
The three leaders of the Death Guard are Yvraine, Sylandri, and Incarnie.
Sylandri is a student-obsessed simp with a split personality, and Incarnie is Ynnead's premature child.
The entire Death Guard essentially shares one normal brain, Yvraine's.
It was precisely for this reason that Alexander had made preparations in advance.
"With the true form so close, Incarnie's strength will be very high, and I estimate that Ynnead, with some of Asuryan's power, will have higher authority in the Black Library and the Pantheon than I do."
"I'll be responsible for restraining Ynnead's true form. You can handle Incarnie, right?"
Cegorach said with a grin.
Alexander nodded slightly.
No big problem; this situation did not exceed the plans of him, Cegorach, and Guilliman.
To prevent Yvraine from noticing anything amiss, the two Primarchs were still on Macragge, but if needed, an anywhere door could bring them over.
However, unless everything truly went beyond the plan, Sanguinius and Guilliman probably wouldn't be needed.
The heavy doors of the Black Library slowly opened, and Incarnie, wreathed in alien flames, entered this Aeldari repository of knowledge like death itself.
"I am Incarnie, avatar of the Death God Ynnead!"
"Cegorach, at your invitation, I have come to discuss the future of the Aeldari."
Incarnie's mouth slightly opened, emitting a cold whisper.
The sound did not seem to come from his throat, but rather from some colder, deeper place.
But there was no response in the Black Library.
Neither Cegorach's voice nor the Harlequin's voice was heard; it seemed as if no one was there.
Incarnie twisted his body, suspended in the air, frowning as he observed his surroundings—
Bang!!!
Bolter fire suddenly erupted, automatic weapons hidden behind bookshelves unleashed ammunition from behind the books.
These were pre-set automatic weapons, designed by Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, which in an instant unleashed two thousand two hundred scorching bolter rounds towards Incarnie, enveloping him in a fan-shaped barrage.
Even an experienced psyker would not be able to withstand such a sudden, concentrated barrage of firepower.
But to Incarnie, this could, at most, be considered a comical prank.
Just as the bullets were about to make contact with him, Incarnie began a dance of death. The sword of souls, vilith-zhar, stirred up the whispers of souls, weaving a dense net.
Bone sword collided with bolter rounds; every bullet that touched the blade seemed to be imbued with death, instantly turning into pale ashes and fading away.
Not a single bolter round touched Incarnie's body; a thick layer of pale grit accumulated beneath him, all of it "killed" bolter rounds.
"Harlequin, is this your comical prank?"
The whispering sound rose again, Incarnie asked disdainfully.
In his opinion, this wasn't even an attack, just a bad joke.
The only response Incarnie received was the sound of triggers being pulled.
He scoffed, another boring joke; how could mere bullets harm the avatar of a Death God?
The sword of souls, vilith-zhar, was slightly raised, and Incarnie dodged sideways.
Then, he didn't dodge.
A scorching laser consumed everything within a dozen meters of Incarnie, everything melting into liquid under the melta-fire.
[Item Name: Heat Ray Gun]
[Origin: 22nd Century Earth — Future Department Store]
[Production Time: 231.M3]
[Function: A powerful weapon-type item. One shot can destroy a building. It is one of the common pest control tools in the 22nd century.]
A simple and direct item, fired with Alexander's unerring marksmanship.
Alexander's shot was aimed at Incarnie's head, and it hit.
But it's hard to say if Incarnie's head, as an avatar of a Death God, is a fatal spot.
Even if it is, it's unlikely a single shot would be enough to dispatch him.
Alexander, his figure concealed by Blind Spot Star, stood high above, observing Incarnie.
"Cegorach!!!"
An angry roar echoed in the void as Incarnie's body gradually appeared amidst the bursting flames.
"I came to discuss the future of the Aeldari! What are you doing!!"
His body was covered in molten marks, half his face melted away, revealing the spirit and bone that constituted him.
But layers of Aeldari runes depicting wings, flames, bird heads, single eyes, and crowns swirled on his face.
It was the power of Asuryan; Ynnead had used the residual power of Asuryan in the Black Library and the Pantheon to protect his avatar.
Ynnead inherited the power of Asuryan; in a sense, he is the true heir of the Phoenix King.
His position in the Pantheon is far above Cegorach's, and his control over the Black Library and the Pantheon is stronger than his.
At the same time, outside the Black Library, laughter and cold whispers rose simultaneously.
Clearly, Cegorach had already stalled Ynnead's true form.
Alexander only needed to subdue Incarnie.
Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!
Three low growls echoed in Incarnie's ears; it was Yvraine's warning.
But Incarnie was not worried about being in danger. What now enshrouded him was a barrier created by Asuryan in ancient times; even a full-strength Khaine could not forcefully breach it. Unless Cegorach invited one of the Chaos Gods, it would be almost impossible to break through this barrier head-on.
However, since Yvraine had warned him, retreating was fine.
He turned to leave the Black Library, but saw a burly human figure blocking his way.
The human figure held a club, his face wide and round, like an old tiger.
"Do you know what time it is today?"
The human figure asked, then answered his own question:
"Today is the twenty-second day of Macragge's Conno Month, at twenty-two twenty-two."
"It is the first intergalactic celebration and ritual of praise for Saint Doraemon."
Saying that, the human figure took a deep breath.
"Fus"
Complex and intricate musical notes emanated from his throat.
Macragge, Hera Fortress, Aeldari Embassy District.
"Damn it!" Yvraine let out a low growl.
Through Incarnie's perspective, Yvraine had confirmed that Cegorach had truly betrayed Ynnead.
She sharply turned her head to look at Sylandri beside her.
"Use Ynnead's blessing to transport us into the Black Library."
Before Sylandri could agree, the Aeldari embassy suddenly began to tremble slightly.
"If I had Doraemon, I'd call him Ding-Dong,"
"Take-copter and Time Tunnel, can go anywhere."
"Make all children, adults, and bad people, all become good people!"
"Doraemon helps me fulfill all my wishes."
Cheerful hymns rang out beneath the seven hills that supported Hera Fortress.
This was the first celebration of Saint Doraemon, a ritual by the Saint Doraemon Sect to praise that great figure.
They chanted hymns, shared dorayaki made from the gourmet tablecloth, fruit juice made from leaf-decomposing bacteria, and praised the name of Saint Doraemon two hundred and twenty-two times, also praising the names of Sanguinius, Guilliman, and Pudge.
Reyna took a deep breath. She actually wanted to attend the celebration.
Unfortunately, Alexander had given her, Tigurius, and Mephiston a mission.
The three psyker stood together, Tigurius looking wearily at Reyna and Mephiston.
"What is our mission?" he asked, having just left the Ptolemy Library.
"It's a mission from Alexander, specifically—"
Reyna gathered herself, imitating Alexander's tone:
"Use your Psyker powers to blast those Aeldari sprouts one by one into the sky!"