Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [312]

"Some people always think they're so clever, that everyone else is a fool.

But the pawn you've cultivated for ten thousand years ran back to the other side and completely broke free of your control," Khorne sneered.

Of the four Chaos Gods, Tzeentch loves schemes most, but his power is not the greatest; Khorne is the best fighter.

"Enough with the sarcasm, Tzeentch," Tzeentch's will replied.

He was a bit confused. Magnus reappeared in human form, with a new body housing his demigod soul.

 How had he broken free from Chaos? Where did this new soul fragment come from?

Tzeentch was frustrated. If the Emperor had entered the Warp to fetch a fragment, that made sense, but the Emperor couldn't leave his throne.

He could only project his mind or avatars, and those alone had startled the Chaos Gods before.

Recently, several minor gods in the Warp had been killed and their soul fragments were taken.

But the Chaos Gods knew where those fragments went—Vashtorr used them to create Abaddon, the Chaos Primarch.

But where did the Emperor get a soul fragment? Moreover, Magnus showed no instability from devouring others' souls.

Even if minor gods are shattered, their souls are beyond mortal comprehension.

Like Abaddon—he reached Primarch level, even stronger than most, but his body and soul would eventually have problems. Magnus showed none of this—he must have fused with his soul fragment!

"Only absolute power brings absolute victory! In this universe, war is the eternal theme.

Even our great game among the four is based on war. You three are weaklings," Khorne retorted.

Khorne was right in one sense: in a straight fight, none of the others could match him, but in special abilities, Khorne was lacking.

Slaanesh could charm Khorne into distraction, Tzeentch could attack him with magic or trickery, and Nurgle's viruses could also hurt Khorne.

"Where do you get the confidence to claim superiority over us?"

 "I think you're more annoying than Tzeentch."

"If you're so great, why not compete with Slaanesh for who can seduce more mortals, or with me for who can create more diseases and kill more mortals? You only control war—you only compare in what you're best at," Nurgle said.

"Enough! The Emperor is about to close the rift. If we don't stop him and keep bickering, what are we even doing?" Tzeentch said.

They just couldn't work together!

 All they did was plot against each other.

"This was just a test anyway. If that guy really became the fifth Chaos God, it wouldn't benefit us," Slaanesh said.

"I don't want another being joining our great game. Theoretically, there could be eight of us, but fewer means a bigger share," Khorne said.

"This time we've already killed 90% of mortals on Terra—that's a victory.

Now, Terra and the Imperium's communications are cut off; the Imperium is scattered," Tzeentch said.

They had only pretended to want the Emperor as the fifth Chaos God. In truth, none gave their all—if they had, even the Emperor couldn't have stopped them from dragging Terra into the Warp.

Humans have the highest psychic affinity in the universe, providing vast faith power to the Warp and the Chaos Gods.

If a fifth Chaos God appeared, humanity would be wiped out, which would hurt the four.

This operation was more to warn the Emperor—don't forget what happened 10,000 years ago, don't forget how strong we are.

"But we can't let the Emperor close the rift so easily. Let's exhaust his power, maybe weaken him further," Tzeentch said.

"Agreed," said the others.

The four combined their Chaos power, violently tearing at the warp rift as the Emperor and his sons struggled to hold it closed.

The Emperor's body shook on the Golden Throne, his soul power surging, his flesh enduring unimaginable pain!

 He had to fight the Chaos Gods and suppress his dark persona—an extreme struggle.

Guilliman and Magnus also struggled, blood trickling from their mouths—the Chaos Gods' power was no joke.

If you're not at their level, you can't imagine their strength. Minor gods are nothing to them—just powerful ants.

"The Chaos Gods are far beyond our imagination!"

"We can't hold on, Father!"

"Are they really going to force me to stand up?" the Emperor's soul voice said angrily.

But he really couldn't stand up!

Not now—Rhodes hadn't matured, his other sons hadn't returned, and the Imperium wasn't ready. He couldn't leave the Throne.

Unless Rhodes could destroy him, the Emperor could not rise.

"Hold on! We cannot let Holy Terra fall into the Warp—Terra is the heart of the Imperium, more important than anything!" the Emperor roared.

 Golden psychic power surged from his body, shining brighter than mortals could behold.

Magnus and Guilliman held on, pouring out all their psychic power.

Even the cosmic Black Tortoise attached to Guilliman emerged, lending its soul power.

Cosmic Beasts, as pure energy lifeforms, wield universal reality power, suppressing the Warp. Rhodes discovered this secret in the Maelstrom.

Their power can even purify Chaos energy; they are reality-born lifeforms.

Their form is a fusion of soul and dream, perfect for suppressing the Warp.

Cosmic Beasts are like tiny, shell-less C'tan! Their energy is very effective.

Rhodes outside the palace released his cosmic Phoenix, Baton, to join the battle with powerful cosmic energy.

"I'll help you!" Rhodes teleported into the palace, joining the Emperor, Guilliman, and Magnus, using his psychic power to help them seal the rift above Terra.

Rhodess mental energy wasn't quite as strong as Guilliman's or Magnus's, but not far behind.

 His soul level was now higher than mortals, so he could help a lot.

Other Cosmic Beasts joined too, even the cosmic Mantis fused with Lelith.

With Rhodes and the Cosmic Beasts, the golden psychic power in the sky overtook the warp energy, slowly closing the rift above Terra.

"Rhodes, you really helped this time! I never thought Cosmic Beasts' power would work so well," Guilliman said.

"Yes, Rhodes, these Cosmic Beasts are incredible. Their lifeform is a bit like a C'tan, and they suppress the Warp very effectively," the Emperor said.

With their help, the Emperor felt much less pressure; before, the three had been barely holding on, but now were winning.

In ancient times, when the C'tan and Old Ones existed 60 million years ago, the Chaos Gods and the Warp dared not interfere in reality; the powerful C'tan could drive them away.

Rhodes' Cosmic Beasts were a bit lower in level than the C'tan, but their energy was of the same origin.

"It was an accidental discovery! Cosmic Beast energy can purify Chaos. Some Chaos Astartes and cultists not too deeply tainted can be cleansed," Rhodes said.

Magnus pondered—could his Thousand Sons be restored this way?

He loved his gene-sons dearly. If there were any way to save them, he would try.

Magnus planned to talk to Rhodes after the crisis to see if his fallen sons could be saved.

"Yes, it's a miraculous power. Come, let's finish sealing the rift," the Emperor said.

Cosmic energy gathered over Terra, pressing the rift closed. Daemons trying to force their way through were blocked by Rhodes' telekinetic shield, infused with the Emperor's golden psychic power, destroying lesser daemons.

But the Chaos Gods would not allow the rift to be closed so easily.

Now, the four Chaos Gods noticed Rhodes' summoned energy creatures—these unique beings intrigued them.

What were they? They'd never seen such spiritual energy lifeforms.

They gave off power and aura extremely similar to the Warp, effectively suppressing it.

Tzeentch realized why Guilliman could have his divine body and power—it was these creatures.

These beings could fuse with normal lifeforms, raising their level.

When did such life emerge in the universe?

"If only we could bring them into the Warp. They're pure energy; Warp energy could surely corrupt them. We'd have new toys," Slaanesh said excitedly.

Back when the C'tan existed, Slaanesh hadn't been born, so he didn't know how strong they were. But these creatures could make up for that loss.