Chapter 11: The Arrival of Six Paths Demon Empress

Chapter 11: The Arrival of Six Paths Demon Empress

The Raven attended to his sustenance whilst the Emperor outlined the next phase of His grand design. The creature knew well of the trap the Master of Mankind had prepared for the children of the Omnissiah upon the red world—a pit carved deep into Martian stone, waiting to receive those who would one day pledge their flesh to the machine.

Yet to comprehend this stratagem, one must first understand the nature of the C'tan—the Star Gods of ancient memory.

Their origins stretch back to the primordial darkness before the galaxy's birth, when stars were young and the Warp yet undisturbed by mortal thought.

These beings were creatures of pure materiality, utterly divorced from the psychic realm, their power drawn from the fundamental forces of reality itself. They were gods in truth—the most potent non-psychic entities to stalk the void, masters of the physical realm absolute.

The C'tan sustained themselves upon stellar fire, remaining aloof from the petty wars of lesser species. They cared nothing for the struggles of flesh and blood, viewing such conflicts as mortals might regard the movements of insects.

This changed when the Necrontyr—ancestors of the soulless legions that would become the Necrons—gazed upon the Old Ones with jealous eyes.

The short-lived Necrontyr coveted the immortality their enemies possessed, and in their spite, they kindled the first War in Heaven.

The Old Ones crushed them utterly. The Necrontyr empire crumbled, its domains scattered, its people driven back to their dying homeworld beneath a malevolent star.

There, in their desperation, they encountered the C'tan.

These energy beings possessed knowledge beyond mortal comprehension, but they lacked corporeal form—existing as vast clouds of sentient force.

The Necrontyr crafted bodies of living metal for their new gods, and in return, the C'tan revealed to them a more exquisite sustenance: the essence of souls and the vitality of flesh far surpassed the crude nourishment of stellar matter.

Armed with this unholy alliance, the Necrontyr rose again. The second War in Heaven erupted across the galaxy, and this time the Old Ones found themselves outmatched. Their ancient empire crumbled as the C'tan feasted upon their life force.

Yet the Necrontyr's biological frailty remained their weakness. Seduced by promises of immortality, they underwent the Great Sleep—abandoning flesh and soul to pour their consciousness into mechanical shells. They became the Necrons: deathless, emotionless, and utterly without mercy.

The Old Ones fell. The Warp, roiled by eons of warfare, gave birth to the first Daemons. In their victory's wake, the Necrons turned upon their gods.

They shattered the C'tan with weapons designed for deicide, imprisoning the fragments within tesseract labyrinths to serve as living batteries for their technology.

One such fragment—the Void Dragon, master of all mechanical arts—somehow found its way to Terra.

In the time of knights and kings, somewhere between the eleventh and twelfth millennia after Christ's birth, this shard fell near the Libyan city of Cyrene. There, a figure known to history as a mere knight encountered the wounded god.

The man who would become Emperor fought the Void Dragon for seven days and seven nights. Mortal legend remembers this as the tale of Saint George and his dragon, but truth surpasses myth.

The Emperor did not slay the creature—He bound it beneath Mars within a dimensional maze, setting immortal guardians to watch over its slumber.

The Void Dragon's influence seeded humanity's mastery of technology, accelerating their climb toward the stars.

Later, during the Age of Strife, when Old Night fell across human space, the Emperor walked Mars in the guise of a tech-adept named Moravec.

There, He delved into forbidden knowledge: the marriage of Warp-energy and machine-craft, technologies that defied natural law, and the dark art of encoding souls within circuitry.

He founded the Singularity Brotherhood—precursor to the Adeptus Mechanicus—and sealed potent archaeotech within the Moravec Vault. Upon His departure, He left prophecy: the Omnissiah would come to Mars.

These preparations would make Mars's conquest simpler than Luna's.

"Big Guy," the Raven said quietly, "this batch of... seasoning is excellent."

His voice carried to all present, for each possessed senses far beyond mortal ken. The three humans displayed varying degrees of exasperation.

During such momentous planning, the creature concerned itself only with condiments.

"My thanks," Valdor replied with forced patience. "Perhaps you might attend to the gravity of our discourse. We speak of claiming Mars and laying foundation stones for the Great Crusade."

"Such concerns are trivial for the revered Omnissiah," the Raven replied, alighting upon the Emperor's shoulder. "Mars now harbors a faith that worships technology. Since these cogitator-blessed desire a god, we shall provide one."

The Emperor's expression shifted to surprise. The Raven had articulated precisely His own thoughts—plans years in the making.

"Grant the tech-adepts their deity?" Malcador mused. "The suggestion has merit."

"We demonstrate a miracle," the Raven continued. "I understand rain has not blessed Mars for millennia. Transport the weather control arrays from Luna. When the Big Guy manifests as the Omnissiah, we activate the systems. Combined with your psychic might, old one, we bring the rains for three days and nights. The Mechanicum will kneel."

Malcador's eye twitched at being called 'old one.'

The appellations this creature employed—'Big Guy' for the Emperor, 'Big Corn Cob' for Valdor, 'old one' for himself. Four of the Imperium's architects, and their dignity barely comprised a single whole person between them.

"Should the Martian natives resist submission?" Valdor inquired.

"Simple, let it rain for three months until they drown. Those augmetic-heavy tech-priests cannot swim—too much metal weighing them down. Problem solved."

"Your counsel is... noted," Valdor said dryly, reaching to silence the creature with gentle pressure against its head. "Perhaps restraint now serves better."

"You dare handle me thus, Big Corn Cob? Big Guy, make this one stand guard duty!"

Before the Raven could finish its protest, Valdor produced fresh sustenance and new flavorings.

"The Legio Custodes serves the Imperium with absolute devotion, witnessed by Terra and Luna," the Raven declared around mouthfuls. "When I grow stronger, we must show Big Corn Cob the wider galaxy."

The three leaders exchanged helpless glances before returning to their deliberations on Mars's conquest.

The assembly swiftly determined operational parameters and established a War Committee to coordinate the Imperium's resources. Orbital platforms would be rebuilt, shipyards expanded, and vessels constructed for the coming campaign.

"Additionally," the Emperor added as the meeting concluded, "initiate agricultural projects. Cultivate multiple varieties of... specialized crops."

"Excellent decision, Big Guy!" the Raven exclaimed, wings beating with excitement. "The most sensible thing you've said all meeting."

With Imperial business concluded, the Emperor proposed returning to the Super God universe to continue genetic engineering studies.

"Our previous crossing established a preliminary connection between realities," the Raven explained. "This transit may not maintain the temporal anchor of one day."

"What will be the differential?" the Emperor asked.

"Perhaps a five-to-one ratio. Five days there equals one day here. As crossings multiply and contact between universes increases, temporal flows will synchronize."

"And travel to entirely new realities?"

"Unknown universes maintain the one-day anchor, lacking prior contact."

Hearing this, the Emperor turned to His closest advisors. "The Imperium rests in your capable hands. Proceed according to established protocols. I shall return when our forces stand ready."

He placed a hand upon Malcador's shoulder. "Guard Twenty well. Let none learn of his existence."

Malcador nodded solemnly. "It shall be done, my Lord."

"Come then, Master Raven."

The creature transformed into coruscating light, forming a dimensional vortex. This time, the Emperor did not await its embrace but stepped forward willingly.

Reality twisted. The familiar sensation of transit between worlds washed over Him.

When perception cleared, He stood once more within the Super Gene universe.

The entities that wandered the void between realities, eternal devourers of cosmos, stirred with vague presentiment. Yet still they could not perceive the Emperor and His companion who had breached dimensional barriers.

At the BlackHawk Military Academy, Han Sen spotted the Emperor immediately upon His return.

"Boss, where'd you disappear to? Nobody saw you all yesterday. The instructors were searching everywhere."

The young man wore his black armor with obvious pride. "My great sword technique yesterday was pretty awesome, right?"

"Adequate," the Emperor replied.

"Can't you show a little more enthusiasm in your praise? Whatever, I'm used to you being like this. Oh, Teacher Ruiz said if I saw you, I should tell you to find him."

Han Sen rubbed his forehead in familiar exasperation.

"Understood."

After learning of the previous day's events, the Emperor sought out Teacher Ruiz.

The instructor had no urgent matters—merely wished to commend the Emperor's exceptional performance in recent combat trials.

The Emperor seized this opportunity, employing subtle psychic influence and carefully chosen words to guide Ruiz toward offering substantial rewards.

"This contains data on the Kamigawa civilization and their god-creation projects," Ruiz said, producing data crystals. "I honestly don't understand your fascination with such ancient history."

"Most students struggle to comprehend the genetic engines implanted in their own bodies. But you want to reverse-engineer entire god-making protocols."

The Emperor accepted the precious knowledge with one of His rare genuine smiles.

This information would prove invaluable—a key to humanity's resurgence and ultimate dominion.

One day, He would lead mankind to conquer all realities and rule across infinite heavens.

In the days that followed, the Emperor immersed himself in study while momentous events unfolded in the wider Super gene multiverse.

Two developments would reshape everything: Death God Karl openly appeared, seducing humans across multiple worlds to embrace darkness, and Morgana—the self-proclaimed Demon Queen—descended upon Terra itself.