Reyna unleashed her dwindling Psyker powers on the battlefield.
At this moment, she was like someone who had entered the legendary Demon Arena deep within the Brass Fortress, with an endless tide of daemons, transformed into a crimson flood, surging towards Reyna.
Gunfire provided support from behind her. Lasers and bolter rounds might wound them, temporarily halting their advance,
But to kill them… only the most primitive methods would suffice: fists, blades, and Psyker hammers.
Reyna was not skilled in hand-to-hand combat, nor did she favor blades, but Psyker power…
She roared the names of the Emperor and Saint Doraemon, and her intense Psyker energy tore the crimson and twisted daemons in half.
Although Reyna had already expended over seventy percent of her Psyker power to deal with a Bloodthirster, the remaining thirty percent was still enough to let these malicious entities from another dimension taste the wrath of the Emperor and Saint Doraemon.
Through the vast expanse of blood, Reyna could vaguely see the Lion's Gate about a kilometer away.
Beneath the blood-red burning sky, the gate still stood firm, with heavy cannons and lasers continuously unleashing fire from its top, tearing gashes in the ravaged ground and showering the demon army, supporting the Cadia 184th Regiment and the Grey Knights who were retreating towards the city gate.
Thanks to Saint Doraemon's blessing, Reyna managed to contact Grand Master Voldus of the Third Brotherhood. He explained Reyna's identity to the other Grey Knights, allowing them to temporarily overlook Reyna's clearly untrained and unrestricted Psyker powers.
Otherwise, in the eyes of the Grey Knights, Reyna would be a bomb more threatening than a Greater Daemon.
She was, after all, an alpha psyker. With the Portable Pyramid and high-efficiency pills, she could further enhance her Psyker powers. If she lost control, she might instantly transform into a twisted Warp gate, allowing daemons to appear directly behind the Grey Knights.
Fortunately, Grand Master Voldus vouched for Reyna, and during the retreat to the Lion's Gate, Reyna and the Cadian 184th Regiment also earned their trust in combat, but…
"If you were male, if your age was suitable, we would have an excellent brother."
"Unfortunately, you are female, and too old. It's truly a pity."
Grey Knight Inquisitor Alkun, swinging his warhammer and crushing the skull of a Khorne demon, slightly raised his distinctive crusader-style helmet and stared at Reyna, who was freely unleashing Psyker power without any concern for Warp intrusion or corruption.
"…" Reyna responded to the Grey Knight with silence, while simultaneously throwing two collapsed spires heavily towards the demon army.
This wasn't the first time Reyna had heard such words.
Mephiston had said similar things, and Tigurius had too. They all lamented that Reyna could have become an excellent Astartes Librarians.
At first, Reyna felt a little proud, thinking it was a form of recognition.
But as she heard these words more often, Reyna had become somewhat numb.
Regardless of her identity, she would fight loyally for the Emperor and Saint Doraemon.
Hmm?!
Reyna suddenly noticed a change in the atmosphere on the battlefield.
The hum of tracks turning suddenly sounded, followed by the clanging of steel, the roar of artillery, and the sound of military boots treading in muddy ground.
Blood-red clouds continuously descended, and putrid, dark pools of water overflowed from shell craters, forming dark, black puddles where corpses floated.
These corpses wore tattered, shattered military uniforms, steel helmets, and crude gas masks, staring at Reyna with grey, dead faces.
"Somme River, Somme River, yes, yes, that is their name."
"Yes! Yes! All dead! All rotten!"
"Germans, British, and French, all the same!"
"Somme River, Somme River, there was a great war long ago."
"When people were young, when people put flowers in gun barrels, it was a terrible war."
"Tall tanks raised their cannons, and there were terrifying machine guns. People screamed, killing day after day, night after night, in front of the black barbed wire."
"Since then, the swamp has appeared here, drowning anger, spreading, spreading, spreading…"
The stench of decaying corpses rushed to Reyna's nostrils, and those dead faces wailed loudly at Reyna.
Barbed wire coalesced into a form of flesh, tank tracks transformed into buzzing chainswords, machine guns roared, unleashing bullets, and mortars formed an armor of steel.
This was a massacre, a slaughter without honor or meaning.
The soldiers gained nothing from this war, except killing and being killed.
It grew strong because of it, the Somme River, it grew strong because of it.
On Terra, it was far stronger than the Bloodthirster Reyna had killed.
Because it was born from one of the most brutal wars on Terra, born from one of humanity's most meaningless slaughters.
It continuously drew power from this war and the ancient fear of it that lingered on Terra.
Here, it revealed its form.
Reyna's remaining Psyker power was unleashed upon the body of the Somme River, but its body, covered in crude barbed wire, was so sturdy that it barely moved in the face of Reyna's Psyker power.
Then the Somme River spread its wings, its feathers composed of countless primitive and crude machine guns, and countless bullets sprayed towards Reyna and the Cadian 184th Regiment warriors beside her.
Reyna hastily directed her Psyker energy to collide with the brass bullets, but some bullets still grazed past Reyna's Psyker hammer, drawing a bloody line across her face.
"Put up a Psyker shield!" Grey Knight Inquisitor Alkun let out a low growl, swinging his warhammer to meet the Somme River's track-chainsword-axe.
Intense Psyker potential was released from Alkun's body, transforming into Psyker lightning that scorched the Somme River's body.
Alkun's words made Reyna's expression twitch slightly, but she still merely swung her Psyker hammer, striking the Somme River's body.
At the same time, Reyna noticed that battles were also erupting near her.
She saw Mephiston engaging two Bloodthirsters, and Astra Telepathica Administrator Kellam Purion single-handedly blocking a Bloodthirster.
Other Astartes had also gathered, clashing with other Bloodthirsters and common Khorne daemons.
But clearly, the battle was only just reaching a stalemate. These Bloodthirsters invading Terra were obviously among the elite of the Khorne Greater Daemon… and those eighty-eight Khorne demon armies were clearly also elite.
However, Reyna knew there was still a force that had not yet acted. She had heard of them since she was young, the Emperor's guards, those golden warriors.
As long as they entered the battle, they could turn the tide.
But where were they?!
Just then, Shield-Captain Valerian, wielding a power spear, charged into the battlefield where Reyna, Grey Knight Alkun, and the Greater Daemon Somme River were fighting.
He was accompanied by three Sisters of Silence, whose appearance caused a wave of nauseating upheaval in Reyna's stomach.
But the Sisters of Silence's anti-Psyker power was clearly projected more onto the Greater Daemon Somme River, and for a moment, the Greater Daemon Somme River's size visibly diminished.
"Where are they? Where are your brothers? Captain Valerian!"
Reyna suppressed the nausea caused by the Sisters of Silence, squeezing the last bit of Psyker power from her body, while asking Valerian:
"Why aren't they coming to support us yet?! Why must they stay behind the Lion's Gate?"
Valerian's body stiffened at the question.
"Soon, very soon," Valerian said, gritting his teeth, "Marshal Trajan Valoris is working on it."
Valerian simultaneously prayed in his heart that Marshal Trajan Valoris would be faster.
And behind the Lion's Gate, Custodian General Trajan Valoris looked at the four thousand silent Custodians before him.
The Custodians were different from the Astartes; they were never just an army. Each Custodian had their own strategic thinking, was trained to think independently, and had the right to judge orders, which is why the Custodians' flat structure was formed.
And the "Restriction Order," an agreement signed ten thousand years ago by the first Custodian General Constantin Valdor, along with Roboute Guilliman, Rogal Dorn, and the High Lords,
This agreement was a product of the Custodians' guilt, a self-imposed shackles and instruments of torture, a restriction left by the greatest Custodian, Constantin Valdor.
Even Trajan Valoris could not break free from it by himself; the Restriction Order had to be lifted externally.
Before the Cadia war broke out, he had collaborated with Astra Telepathica Administrator Kellam Purion to try, but failed. But now Trajan Valoris saw an opportunity to lift this restriction.
Tieron, Imperial Chancellor, you must be quick… Trajan Valoris prayed in his heart.
Tieron had never hated his own body so much: bloated, fat, and weak.
He also hated that no vehicles could enter this damned corridor.
The crimson sky was burning, and blood rain poured down from outside the ancient corridor.
Tieron gasped for breath, doing his best to resist the anger and madness bubbling up from within, clutching the decree signed by several names tightly in his hand.
To lift the Restriction Order, more than half of the High Lords had to agree, originally requiring seven.
But thanks to the Emperor, Leo Pol. Frank, the former Astronomicon Court Administrator who had opposed lifting the Restriction Order, was dead.
He had attempted to relight the Astronomicon, which resulted in the near-destruction of the entire Astronomicon Court, leaving the position of Astronomicon Court Administrator vacant.
Now there were only eleven High Lords, so only six votes were needed.
This paper already had the signatures of Astra Telepathica Administrator Kellam Purion, Inquisition representative Ers, and Custodian General Trajan Valoris, who already supported the lifting of the Restriction Order.
And given the current situation facing Terra, Faddeus, the Grand Master of the Assassinorum, who had previously only cast an abstention vote, was also willing to sign in support.
Rogue Trader spokesperson Kania. Danda bluntly stated: "Hurry up! If the Custodians can save my life quickly, I'll sign anything."
That made five votes; only one more was needed.
The Mars Forging General was not on Terra currently, and the Navigator Ambassador was nearly insane.
The Pope of the Saint Church and the Minister of Justice were thorough conservatives; both followed the opinion of the Conservative Party's leader, the Minister of Adeptus Administratum, Irthu.
This meant Tieron had to convince Irthu.
He met the Minister of Adeptus Administratum in a chapel within Irthu's private residence.
Irthu looked even more haggard than Tieron; he sat slumped in an ancient wooden chair, half his body gently twitching, seemingly from some nervous spasm.
This was normal; the High Lords bore burdens far beyond what ordinary mortals could endure, and most of them suffered from mental and neurological illnesses.
Standing beside Irthu was his adopted son and Assistant Minister, Nessus.
The young man wore a gentle and approachable smile.
Tieron knew he was Irthu's most trusted person, just as Tieron trusted Jackie.
But for some reason, Tieron always felt Nessus was like a snake.
Not a poisonous, vile snake, but one hidden in caves or dark corners, intently staring at people.
This feeling had no reason, stemming solely from Tieron's intuition, but Jackie's spies had found nothing amiss with Nessus.
His record was clean; he had been raised by Irthu since childhood.
"Trajan Valoris allowed them into the Sanctum Sanctorum, into the Throne Room," the Minister of Adeptus Administratum, Irthu, said softly.
"So, Chancellor, my friend, what do you think of them? The Primarch and that... what's his name?"
"Saint Doraemon," Tieron said, raising his voice slightly. "Saint Doraemon and the Primarch."
"..Guilliman is the Commander of the Imperium, Sanguinius is the Emperor's heir, and Saint Doraemon is—"
Tieron spoke cautiously, suddenly remembering Alexander had emphasized he was not a god.
"Guilliman was once the Commander of the Imperium," the Minister of Adeptus Administratum casually retorted. "And the God-Emperor never truly left; Sanguinius is merely an heir."
"Both Primarchs were part of the rebellion that destroyed us. Guilliman limited his and the Astartes' authority to prevent such a disaster from happening again. There's no need for them to reclaim power now."
As he spoke, Irthu's expression gradually darkened.
"More dangerously, if the Primarchs gain power, what will they do? Another Great Crusade? Even more excessive than Macarius? And then destroy everything we've built? Tieron, do you not see the threat in this?"
"They are fratricidal madmen, and now they've turned to a cult—I mean that Saint Doraemon."
"We must stop him; we cannot let them gain power."
"They are the Lords of the Legions," Tieron couldn't help but smile.
"Two Legions that have already been destroyed," the Minister of Adeptus Administratum emphasized. "Guilliman himself disbanded those two Legions."
"We have a good chance. The Primarchs and the Warp God are still in the Throne Room. The High Lord Council is still strong. The Astra Militarum are on their way—millions of them—and the Navy is also under our control."
"And Mars; the Fabricator-General General will be happy to support us. The Titans and the Adeptus Ministorum are equally powerful."
"We can protect our rights, Tieron, my corrupt old Tieron, you don't want to lose power, do you?"
Tieron paused, instinctively saying, "The two Primarchs could easily rebuild their Legions, and Saint Doraemon is also extraordinarily powerful..."
Suddenly, Tieron caught the scent of opportunity. He tightened his grip on the document, a smile appearing on his lips.
"But not all Legions have ceased to exist."
"..Yes, there's still one Legion," the Minister of Adeptus Administratum, Irthu, looked at Tieron with surprise. "The Emperor's Legion, Terra's Legion, the Adeptus Custodes... Will Trajan Valoris stand with us?"
"I think they will, sir." Before Tieron could speak, Nessus, standing beside Irthu, smiled and said, "We often hear that the Adeptus Custodes have extreme distrust for Primarchs and Astartes."
"Yes, yes," Irthu seemed convinced, nodding repeatedly. "But the restriction order—"
"I've already prepared it," Tieron said calmly, handing the document to Irthu. "It just needs your signature."
Irthu looked at the document in his hand with surprise, then couldn't help but smile at Tieron. "My old Tieron, you've been acting all along."
"You've done very well, you've done exceptionally well." With that, the Minister of Adeptus Administratum signed his name on it.
Then he couldn't help but let out a gleeful chuckle, muttering to himself, "You see, they are just mortals."
"..Who?" Tieron looked bewildered, seemingly not understanding who the Minister of Adeptus Administratum was referring to.
"The Primarchs and Saint Doraemon."
Irthu's body trembled from nervous spasms.
"The Primarchs and Saint Doraemon are just mortals."
"Aren't they, Tieron? They are not invincible."
Tieron almost looked dumbfounded. It took him a full three or four seconds to understand Irthu's words.
Throughout his long career as Imperial Chancellor, Tieron had always believed the High Lords were the most talented people in the Imperium, even if they all suffered from various mental illnesses.
But now, Tieron had a clear judgment of Irthu, of this Minister of Adeptus Administratum—he was an idiot.
"Yes, yes."
But Tieron still nodded repeatedly.
"You're right, you're absolutely right!"
"The Primarchs are just mortals, and Saint Doraemon is not a god."
The purest destruction, a terrifying power capable of driving most people in the world insane, surged from all directions towards Alexander.
It was a power that only craved destruction, longed for all things to reach their predestined end, yearned for everything to turn to dust, and ultimately self-destruct.
In the Warp, the domain to which this power belonged was called Erosion and Destruction, and in the mouths of Eldar and human seers, this power was called the Dark King.
The Emperor had cut off a portion of this power and cast it into Alexander, just as he had once cast it into Alexander on Baal.
For a moment, Alexander felt his perspective broaden immensely; he felt his spirit and soul ascending.
This was how the domains in the Warp were: the more one occupied, the closer one came to becoming a god, to ascending.
The Emperor's act of dividing this power for Alexander alleviated the pressure on him, but conversely, it also propelled Alexander closer to godhood, closer to his reflection in the Warp.
In the Throne Room, in the eyes of Sanguinius and Guilliman, Alexander's form constantly shifted between flesh-and-blood mortal and blue robotic cat.
And in Alexander's eyes, he felt he had subtly transcended the limitations of the material universe and timelines.
He vaguely heard the voices chanting his name, saw those who prayed to him or spoke his name.
Not just those in the present, but also those from the past or a certain period in the future.
"Anrakyr, are you sure the machine spirit grew in this Netherworld Star System?" a silver skeleton radiating green light asked another silver skeleton emitting blue light.
"Then why haven't the Necron Dynasties of the Netherworld Star System shown similar changes? What else did you come into contact with?"
"..I also came into contact with the Blood Angels."
"Could it be related to that newly emerging Saint Doraemon Sect among humans?"
Alexander subtly shifted his gaze, and the scene before him changed again.
In a dark environment, only a single candle flame flickered. A man with a gloomy face knelt before the candle.
"Please save me, please forgive my mistakes."
The man's voice was full of remorse.
"Please save my Lion, and let him forgive our sins."
"He will forgive," a rather seductive voice sounded from behind the man. "As long as he embraces his true nature and becomes a god."
"Great Saint Doraemon, the Fifth God of Chaos, a new ally of the Dark Gods."
These prayers were too distant; both distance and time were too vast for Alexander to respond.
But he saw one prayer, from the not-too-distant future, from before the Lion's Gate on Terra.
"Saint Doraemon... save us!"
Reyna's voice rang out.
Alexander saw shattered golden power armor, fallen Adeptus Custodes and Grey Knights, and a Greater Daemon of the God-Emperor spreading its wings...
"Saint Doraemon and the Emperor above, save us!"
Alexander felt he could answer this prayer.
With his Greater Daemon... No, not the Greater Daemon.
Alexander looked into his four-dimensional pocket.
[Item: Emperor/Dark King/Erosion and Destruction Fragment]
[Origin: Warp—Erosion and Destruction Domain]
[Description: The domain in the true north of the Chaos Octagram, born from the hatred of all living beings towards the world and life.
It is the desire to destroy everything and the tendency towards self-destruction. This galaxy is so dark and profound that the emotions of self-destruction and destruction have grown into the largest domain in the Warp.
Those who achieve godhood in this domain will become the Dark King, ringing the death knell of the universe. This is a fragment of the power of the Erosion and Destruction domain, originating from the Emperor, the occupier of this domain.]
[Production Time: ???]
[Status: Fragment]
[Value: 1,313,131,313 Credits]
[Can be used as supplementary material for Child Behavior Correction Re-education]
[Add to Child Behavior Correction Re-education materials?]
".." Alexander vaguely saw the destined future.
He was destined to be born, Alexander's Greater Daemon, the Emperor's Greater Daemon.
"Yes," Alexander said almost instinctively.