If given the choice, Eden wouldn't want to possess the Emperor's clone with his own soul.
Right now, all the elements were too classic: the Emperor's clone, the Black Throne, the Webway, and the Chaos Gods with their daemon legions invading.
Just looking at it screamed high risk.
And what if some "Little Horus-level genius" showed up in the middle of it all?
Wouldn't that mean he'd end up stuck on the Black Toilet Seat, forced to duo-queue with Big E himself, chatting for eternity?
At that point, the Imperium of Man would be blessed with two suns.
As for him—the Savior—he'd end up relegated to mere religious myth, occasionally manifesting in the galaxy to wrestle Chaos Gods in the Warp.
How tragic was that?!
But in the current situation, Eden had no choice but to step up.
If the Chaos Gods and their daemons succeeded in the invasion, not only would Commorragh's Webway be lost, but they'd also seize the Emperor's clone—triggering an unimaginably catastrophic crisis.
If he didn't intervene, with only the military strength inside the Webway, there was no way they could withstand those thirty-odd Greater Daemons.
Sigh… now I finally understand just how much "Old Ka" is worth…
Eden muttered inwardly. When Ka'Bandha supported the Redemption Satellite Zone, he hacked down Greater Daemons in the Warp like it was nothing.
With power like that, if he entered the Webway now, he'd be one of the strongest beings present.
And the worst part? This battle for Commorragh… that guy was part of the invading force. Which meant he'd be facing him as an enemy.
That was even more of a headache.
The White Scars' Primarch Jaghatai Khan likely wouldn't be able to hold off Ka'Bandha—might even get beaten down.
After all, Ka'Bandha had already fought Sanguinius evenly ten thousand years ago, and by now he'd only grown stronger, arguably the Warp's most powerful Greater Daemon.
Eden even doubted the divine weapons he currently wielded could do meaningful harm to that monster.
That was the true nightmare.
For now, he could only hope his soul-possession of the Emperor's clone succeeded, to resolve this crisis.
And then escape both the clone and the Black Throne intact.
Having made up his mind, Eden looked toward the still-stunned Khan of the White Scars:
"Don't worry, old Khan. In the coming battle, all you need to do is lead the charge and get those special machines into the depths of the Black Throne.
As for the Greater Daemons—take down as many as you can."
"This task is mine, brother! The warriors of Chogoris are born for such operations. I'll ride with the White Scars at maximum speed and deliver the payload!"
Khan said firmly.
High-speed strike tactics were the White Scars' greatest advantage—and their pride.
Once he received the map data of the region, he revved up his treasured vehicle and accelerated away, heading to join his sons in plotting the breakthrough routes.
For the White Scars, intelligence was critical. Every lightning raid had to be meticulously planned with terrain and tactics.
Blind charges only led to disastrous casualties.
Clang—
A can bearing the cog-skull sigil of the Mechanicus rolled to Eden's feet.
From nearby came a loud electronic voice:
"Brothers of the Dark Mechanicum! You mustn't drink this knockoff fuel-drink! It reduces noospheric processing efficiency by 0.0687%! Very scary numbers, I assure you…
No, no, of course it's not because of toxic content. I know there's nothing harmful in it. It's due to mysterious Warp resonance! I, the genius Kaul, would never deceive you!"
At that moment, Archmagos Kaul of the Urth Mechanicus was arm-in-arm with his Dark Mechanicum counterparts, his massive frame sprouting over a dozen mechadendrites—each offering his own "genuine" fuel-drink to the gathered Magi.
While undermining another Archmagos named Moss and his brand of energy drink, he loudly advertised his own Authentic Fuel-Drink—Enhanced Awakening Formula.
"Based on research, this version is perfect for lab work! I've added over a hundred specialized…"
"Emperor help me… is he about to pick a fight with Moss over this again?"
Eden rubbed his temples as he watched Kaul ramble.
To ensure success with the Emperor's clone, he'd been forced to bring along his two "crouching-dragon and hidden-phoenix" geniuses from the Mechanicus.
Together, they were to engineer the sacred devices needed to anchor the Emperor's soul into the clone body.
But when those two were in the same room, they always found a way to squabble over their damned energy drinks.
Still, as long as it didn't derail progress, Eden tolerated it.
Every genius had quirks—at least these quirks weren't like other galactic lunatics, obsessed with theft, slaughter, or grotesque bio-fusion experiments.
This was relatively harmless.
"Kaul, how's the backup plan coming? You must produce something usable within two days."
Eden strode over, pressing him.
The "Emperor Rising Plan" had always included the backup option of Eden's soul possessing the clone. Now that backup might become the main plan.
"Savior! Ah, I was just introducing my product line~"
At Eden's approach, Kaul straightened up, abandoning his clownish pitch. Together with the other tech-priests, he bowed respectfully.
Sensing Eden's irritation, he quickly reported:
"Rest assured! When has the great Kaul ever failed? The designs are already complete—you'll have a working prototype tomorrow.
Here, see for yourself."
He transmitted the schematics directly to Eden's comm-terminal.
Eden scanned through them.
Moss was trustworthy enough—his work needed no babysitting.
But Kaul? That man's "genius" often strayed into lunacy. Eden always reviewed his output personally, just in case he'd snuck in something insane.
Unfortunately, there was no substitute for Kaul.
Most of the unique breakthroughs in the Savior's dominion's tech sector existed only because of him.
The man could simultaneously oversee tens of thousands of projects—his intellect, zeal, and stamina were terrifying.
"Hmm…"
Eden's eyes narrowed as he noticed a file outside the official plans.
He glared at Kaul:
"What's this? Skimming a little extra budget I can ignore—but you'd better not pull any stunts at a time like this."
"I would never—never—misuse funds like that! Well… at least not regularly."
Kaul squawked like a stepped-on cat, audio output spiking. He sounded grievously wronged:
"And those schematics aren't for me—they're for you!"
Eden's gaze hardened.
"Explain."
"Well, after completing your requested project, I had spare time. So I analyzed some Black Throne data."
Kaul raised his cranial unit high, smugly.
"I studied the Blood Brides' forging methods—and gained new insights into Throne technology!"
Eden's eyes lit up despite himself, giving the Archmagos more attention.
Any advance in Throne technology meant progress toward stabilizing the Emperor.
"From what I've found, the Throne's immense energy output causes unbearable agony—and shackles both body and soul…"
Kaul pressed on:
"But Savior, since you intend to link your soul to the Emperor's clone body, the system I designed could greatly improve your quality of life.
It installs full life-support, immersive VR projection, gaming networks, a complete kitchen, synthetic humanoid servitors—everything you could need.
If time allowed, I'd even build you a little garden.
That way, if you were ever unfortunate enough to be trapped in the Black Throne, you could—"
"STOP!"
Eden had perked up initially, but as Kaul rambled, his expression went slack.
"What do you mean if I get trapped in the Black Throne?! Don't jinx me like that! You'll ruin my luck!"
"But Savior, I recall you yourself saying at the last Urth Mechanicus conclave that we researchers must respect science…"
Kaul immediately projected a holo-recording of Eden's speech, voice dripping with smugness:
"See? Your own words. To be rigorous, to let theory guide practice."
The Archmagos was vindictive like that—he remembered everything.
He even recalled, in minute detail, the day 94 years ago when one of his experiments blew up a factory, and Eden—then just a planetary governor—had stormed in, chewed him out, and banned him from further tests.
Now, mechadendrites clattered furiously over data-slates as Kaul calculated.
Finally, he presented a figure:
"Factoring in historical Throne disasters and probability analysis, the chance of you being trapped this time is… 9.8225431%.
Therefore, I strongly advise—"
"So what you're saying is… I have over a 90% chance of getting out safely? That's already a win!"
When Eden saw that probability figure, his vision went black for a moment, the world spinning.
Just imagining the Throne's horrific torment was enough to trigger stress—his face even turned slightly green.
"Whew… it's fine."
Eden drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"As long as I don't prepare for it, it won't happen. I will escape.
One must have the courage to burn one's boats…"
He looked at the haughty Archmagos of the Urth Mechanicus.
"Shut down the Black Throne optimization program. At least until this mission is finished—no further work!"
With that, the Savior turned and walked toward his private chambers, intent on psychological conditioning.
"Oh, fine, fine!"
Kaul showed no discouragement—he knew the project would be useful later, and besides, it was another excuse to skim a little budget.
Yet before he could power down the dataslate, a new order arrived through Eden's comms: continue building the Throne-optimization systems.
On his way back to his private rooms, Eden had cooled down, choosing to face things rationally.
After all, better to have it than not. Science deserves respect.
...
"Emperor protect me… Emperor protect me…"
Inside his private chambers.
Eden clasped his hands together, muttering prayers into the void, hoping both the Emperor and unknown mystical forces would shield him.
Then he pressed a button on the wall, opening a hidden chamber.
It was empty, filled with incense smoke, shrines and statues from many different faiths.
"Jesus protect me… Buddha bless me…"
He knelt devoutly before the Buddhist statues, lighting incense with solemn reverence.
Then he moved to the Greek gods section.
With proper Greek rituals, he bowed to every deity—making sure none were left out.
This kind of chamber existed in nearly every one of his private residences. Before any great battle or crucial decision, he would always come here for mental preparation.
It was all about peace of mind.
Science was science, but mysticism mustn't be neglected either—better to hold both in balance.
After all, he had transmigrated to this universe. What couldn't be true anymore?
By the time Eden emerged from the chamber, his spirits were greatly lifted.
Now he threw himself completely into preparing for war.
This was one of the rare moments where he would fight desperately—with everything he had!
...
Two days later.
Kaul and Moss, the two great Archmagi of the Urth Mechanicus, finished adjusting the sacred machine's parameters. It was ready to channel the Little Sun's soul-energy in full.
Immediately, the garrison forces began to mobilize, marching toward the Black Throne. There, the Black Heart Kabal's core warriors clashed bitterly against the Chaos daemons.
And the forbidden artifact-barriers were tearing further apart—more Greater Daemons were pouring through.
How did Eden know?
Because the Slaaneshi torturer, the treacherous infiltrator, the sly daemonette Banienii had sent him a psychic message.
That was the advantage of having people on the inside.
If they didn't hurry, the Black Throne sector might completely fall—and then the war was lost before it began.
VROOOOM!!!
The White Scars Primarch Khan's artifact-vehicle thundered, hauling the tuned sacred machine behind it, protected by layered force shields.
He twisted the throttle, his ride becoming a streak of white lightning—and countless more followed.
The entire White Scars cavalry was on the move!
Their White Falcons, anti-grav vehicles, carried hundreds of Custodians and Adeptus Custodes, along with Kaul, Moss, and dozens of Magi, racing at full speed toward the target.
This was the Imperium's sharpest edge. Under White Scars lightning tactics, they would storm the Black Throne's core, install the sacred machine, and channel the Little Sun's soul-energy into the Emperor's clone body—so that the Savior could wield it against the foe.
They could not allow the daemons to seize that body.
This was an unimaginably perilous mission—they would face both the Dark Eldar's core forces and the daemon hordes at once.
"Hssshhh—this wind's a bit much…"
Eden sat on the sidecar of a White Falcon anti-grav, regretting not wearing a helmet just to look stylish.
In reality, clad in his golden armor, he looked like nothing more than a giant corn cob perched on the edge of a vehicle.
Dignity was nonexistent.
"Savior, should I slow down?"
Chapter Master Jubal of the White Scars turned slightly, concerned for his adoptive father. He even raised a protective field against the buffeting winds.
"No, keep the speed."
Eden shook his head firmly. Slowing down could make them fall behind the formation—and that would be dangerous.
Of course, he trusted Jubal to manage the balance, but why add risk unnecessarily?
Better to reach the Throne's core as fast as possible and deploy the sacred machine.
Then the "Savior's Edition Emperor Clone"—not the Yellow Weasel—could join the fight.
In recent years, Eden had trained a little in combat arts. With the clone's power supporting him, his combat ability should skyrocket.
It was time to show the daemons that the Savior's strength was not just a legend—but explosive reality!
Before, he'd relied on divine weapons or mutual flattery with top-tier allies. Now, he would vindicate the Savior's power himself.
Zzzzt—
As the strike force neared the Black Throne's zone, fate struck.
A Webway fissure opened—and five Slaaneshi Greater Daemons spilled onto the path, surrounded by swarms of lesser daemons.
"Old Khan! Keep moving with the mission—I'll hold them!"
Eden decided instantly.
His presence wasn't required to activate the machine. As long as the Little Sun was safe, the plan could proceed.
That meant the best course was for him to stall the daemons.
"Chaos Daemons! You dare block the path of the Hope Primarch, the Savior?!"
Eden leapt into the air, unleashing his psychic might. Golden wings unfurled from his back, his entire body igniting in radiant flame.
Like a miniature golden giant—like a sun descending into the Webway!
The Hope Primarch's full spectacle blazed forth, dazzling the daemons.
The five Slaaneshi Greater Daemons had been preparing to block the Imperium's forces—but the Savior descended before them, exuding crushing might.
They froze.
A thread of terror coiled in their hearts.
For this was the eternal foe of Ka'Bandha, the Exalted Bloodthirster. And they knew Ka'Bandha's dreadful power all too well.
That beast of Khorne had, alone, slaughtered over thirty Greater Daemons—and savored their torment.
Whispers in the Warp said the Savior might even be stronger than Ka'Bandha himself.
No wonder the Chaos Gods and daemons had reacted so violently when word spread of his arrival in Commorragh.
That was why they had sent dozens of Greater Daemons, Ka'Bandha himself, and even the Slaaneshi Champion Shareshi to intercept him.
These five were never meant to face him—they were meant to skirmish at the edges.
Yet here they were, cursed with terrible luck—meeting the Savior head-on!
"W-we're screwed!"
The five daemons swallowed hard, dread gnawing at them.
Meanwhile, Khan seized the opening, driving the strike force straight through the daemonic ranks, a storm of white lightning tearing ahead.
"Uhh… this is a problem…"
As the daemons quailed, Eden also felt his nerves fray.
He wasn't entirely sure he could beat five Greater Daemons.
All the divine weapons had been left with the strike force, reserved for critical deployment. The Little Sun's energy was likewise conserved for the Emperor's clone.
He couldn't afford to spend them here.
And that many Greater Daemons was a deadly threat anywhere. Even a Primarch would struggle.
Normally, entering realspace was arduous for such beings, draining vast power. If not for that, the Imperium would have been annihilated long ago.
But in the Webway, they could invade en masse with minimal cost. A nightmare.
So Eden did not strike immediately.
Instead, he kept calm, concealing his tension.
His impassive stare, his posture of disdain—even without moving—crushed the daemons with invisible pressure.
Worse than what they'd felt from Ka'Bandha.
They felt pinned, unable to escape, minds cracking.
"Y-you can't kill me, Savior!"
One Slaaneshi daemon snapped, shrieking as it charged in desperation.
(End of Chapter)
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