Eden looked down at the panicked Chaos daemons and spoke with some feeling.
"Sure enough, building deterrence is extremely important.
Otherwise, raw force alone wouldn't be enough to make daemons act this humble."
Over the past two hundred years, he had continuously spread his fearsome image throughout the Warp by every means available, deliberately cultivating terror of himself among daemonkind.
Now, that deterrent had risen to a level approaching that of the gods and even the Emperor Himself.
That not only let him exploit the Warp's reality-shaping nature to greatly intensify his suppression of Chaos life, it also fed back into humanity and further reinforced his authority.
A leader who could show the way forward and frighten off external enemies was always the most popular kind.
Especially in wartime.
And thanks to the filthy methods this Savior had used specifically against Chaos, the reverence Warp daemons felt toward him was already not much weaker than what they felt toward the Emperor Himself.
In some situations, it was even stronger.
After all, the Emperor was confined to the Golden Throne and couldn't move. No matter how terrifying He was, He was still only a symbol.
But Eden could actually strike into the Warp, hunt those Chaos things down, and drop a few fat hell-missiles right onto their territory.
That was the truth.
Even if he couldn't launch a full frontal invasion or send in massive armies, he could still deploy special units for surprise raids.
And with Blackstone technology continuing to mature, the day when large Imperial forces would march into the Warp was no longer far off.
At that moment, the entire Palace district fell silent. The only sound left was the low hum of mechanical engines.
Would the Savior spare these Chaos daemons, or would a great battle break out on Holy Terra?
Both the Imperial warriors and the Chaos daemons were waiting for the final decision from that sovereign.
"Let's not fight after all."
Eden shook his head and decided not to continue hunting down the daemons.
He did not want to wage war on Holy Terra. This was the garden sanctuary, the healing world, that he had painstakingly reshaped.
If war broke out in one of the most important regions of the Imperial heartland, then no matter how the battle went, he would be the one taking the loss.
It would waste ammunition too.
Fighting in Chaos territory was much more satisfying.
More importantly, this involved the Imperial Palace and the Emperor Himself.
If he pushed too hard and forced the greater daemons into a desperate last stand, then the Chaos Gods might seize the opportunity to interfere and widen the breach. That would be trouble.
"Warp vermin, your blood is not worthy of staining the sacred soil of Holy Terra."
Eden looked at the daemonic horde.
He lifted a hand lightly, as if issuing them an order.
"Get out."
"Ah, praise your mercy!"
When the Lord of Change, Valox, heard that, he rejoiced at having kept his life.
His beak split into a fawning grin, and he slammed his head against the metal floor twice more with loud clangs, putting on a posture of complete submission.
It was rather pleasing to watch.
The Defier, Kaerys, also offered a respectful knightly salute before turning to leave, abandoning the weapon behind him.
Not a single Chaos creature dared pick up any weapon or armor lying on the ground. That might be seen by the Savior as a sign of defiance or aggression.
They withdrew slowly and carefully, afraid that moving too abruptly might cause a misunderstanding.
Many of them left completely bare, especially those Tzeentch daemons who had surrendered most thoroughly.
"Oh, right."
The Savior spoke again, and many of the daemons jolted.
They swallowed nervously and froze in place, afraid that he had changed his mind.
"Be careful with public property while you're retreating. Otherwise, don't blame me when I come after you for compensation."
That was what Eden said.
The greater daemons and lesser daemons nodded frantically. Their movements became much gentler as they tried to avoid every obstacle.
Some of the bulkier creatures even carefully lifted or shifted aside engineering machinery that blocked their path.
They were terrified of damaging anything.
A few of them even had to tiptoe and turn sideways as they moved, making the whole scene look absurdly comical.
The Chaos daemons retreated quickly.
Following the inverted illusory mountain peaks, they rapidly withdrew into the Warp breach hanging in midair.
As for the greater daemons, they slowly backed into the boundary between reality and the Warp and gradually faded from sight.
Quite tactfully, they even took some of the lingering warp corruption with them.
The speed at which these Chaos entities fled was much faster than when they had arrived.
"Th-That's it?"
Dorn's eyes widened.
He stared at the retreating daemons, and the rigid composure on his face finally broke, replaced by utter disbelief.
He had imagined many possible ways to win.
But this was the one way he had never imagined.
Not long ago, Dorn had broken free of the Blackstone shackles and had been preparing to find an opportunity to help the Savior fight.
Yet before he could do anything, the situation had already reversed in an instant.
Or rather, the war had already ended before it even began.
That Savior, that Emperor of the Imperium, had done nothing at all. He had merely stood in front of his forces, and every Chaos daemon had been cowed into surrender and disgraceful retreat.
The Lord of the Mountain Bastion had now witnessed the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, and the sheer weight of his influence in both the galaxy and the Warp.
"What kind of deterrence is this?"
Dorn swallowed.
Whether within the Imperium or in the Warp, the Savior's authority had already become unstoppable.
No primarch could achieve such a thing, not Horus, not the Lion, not Guilliman.
He himself fell far short.
In those days, Dorn's influence had extended only as far as the Imperial Fists and the defensive networks of their associated worlds and strongholds.
The Savior, on the other hand, had all but taken control of the Imperium itself, while also inspiring fear among xenos and heretics alike.
"Only Father could probably command this level of prestige..."
The thought suddenly came to Dorn.
He looked at the Savior in his True One armor, wrapped in that hazy radiance, and the more he looked, the more the figure resembled the Emperor.
But in the next instant, Dorn caught himself and forcefully drove that thought from his mind.
The Savior might be powerful, but he could never be compared to the Emperor, to their father.
He had only been dazzled for a moment.
There was no helping it. The Savior's image looked far too much like the Emperor's.
Which was only natural, because Eden, the king of imitation, had deliberately copied the Emperor's appearance as the image of his rulership, and it worked extremely well.
Even the hairstyle had been carefully designed.
The Savior's ceremonial image department had sifted through countless Imperial epics and records before reconstructing the most majestic and authoritative image of the Emperor.
Then they had given him a hairstyle worthy of the Master of Mankind.
And it wasn't just the Emperor's image that Eden had copied. His other cloned bodies had also replicated the iconic appearances of various xenos and heretical races.
All of it served the better implementation of control and dominion.
He had not even spared the Chaos Gods themselves. He had imitated aspects of their faiths and symbols too.
It made them grind their teeth in hatred.
Dorn had still not recovered from his shock when he suddenly realized that the Savior had turned to look straight at him.
The aura of majesty around that figure had not yet faded, and it put a trace of pressure on him.
"Brother, you're not thinking of taking the chance to run, are you?"
Eden stared at the Lord of the Mountain Bastion with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
He had noticed long ago that Dorn had quietly slipped free of the Blackstone restraints. Since the stubborn mule had not taken any further action, Eden had let it pass.
That astonishing scene just now had given Dorn a much deeper understanding of the Savior's power.
He instinctively forced out a strained smile, but for a moment he had no idea how to explain himself.
The atmosphere turned quiet.
"I just wanted to help."
After several awkward seconds of locked eye contact, Dorn finally managed to get that sentence out.
Then he fell silent again.
"Come on, we're brothers. No need to be so polite."
Eden swept a glance over the great stubborn mule, his smile turning warm.
He raised a hand and clapped Dorn hard on the shoulder, speaking meaningfully.
"Now that everything's settled, you should get some proper rest."
The moment the words fell, Dorn's primarch-level instincts sensed danger.
Something was coming at him from behind.
He tried to dodge on reflex, but a burst of high-intensity psychic force locked his movements in place.
Only then did Dorn remember that the Savior, like Father, was also a high-level psyker.
In the next instant, a sharp pain hit his backside, as if some kind of pointed weapon had struck him. Then came a deep numbness as his muscles went slack.
Dorn slowly turned his head and saw a large auramite dart sticking out of his rear.
???
He was genuinely numb.
That auramite dart was loaded with an extremely potent anesthetic, enough to flatten a whole nest of adult ant-bulls.
Earlier, because of the Chaos daemon incursion, they had held off on injecting the Lord of the Mountain Bastion with anesthetic, just in case.
Now was the perfect time to use it.
Behind the two of them, Karter bowed slightly.
"My apologies, Lord Dorn. This was His Majesty's order."
At last, vengeance.
Inside, he felt a bit of satisfaction as he vented his resentment over Dorn desecrating the Savior's holy statue and beating him half to death.
This Marshal of the Custodes, born from the personal guard of Urth's Governor, once again realized that he was still not strong enough to protect the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium.
He resolved to continue training until he was at least on the level of a primarch.
"Damn it..."
As the ultra-potent anesthetic spread further, Dorn, already exhausted, began to feel dizzy.
Everything around him started to spin and sway. Even the Savior in front of him seemed to split into two.
Then hallucinations came over him, and he saw the furious figure of the Emperor in the sky.
Before he could react, he crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The oversized auramite dart in his rear was especially eye-catching, gleaming brightly.
"Take Brother Dorn away and treat his wounds. Let him recover properly."
Eden waved a hand lightly, signaling for the Imperial Fists' hulking warriors to carry the Lord of the Mountain Bastion off for treatment.
The stubborn mule was not merely tired. In addition to the wounds Eden himself had inflicted, Dorn also carried far too many old injuries.
Those were the serious ones, the lingering damage that had been tormenting him all along.
Looks like the stubborn mule had suffered quite a lot in the Warp too.
Most likely, it was only within the last few centuries that he had regained the ability to return to realspace.
Once Eden realized that, he prepared one of his own medical packages for Dorn.
It included the finest Hospitaller Sisters, medical equipment, and expensive medicines.
Not only would it heal all his wounds, it would restore his body to peak condition.
If nothing else, the Savior was generous and loyal.
Bzzz.
A violent burst of energy erupted nearby.
Eden looked up.
Several pitch-black pulse beams shot into the sky and struck the Warp breach overhead, and the torn veil visibly began to mend.
Those were emergency Blackstone Warp-lockdown devices that had just arrived and were now sealing the breach.
There should no longer be any risk of another Chaos incursion. The gods would not be able to force their way through the veil again.
The only trouble was that the Chaos Gods might have used this chance to get a look at Terra's condition.
If they invaded again, it would likely be a full-scale assault made only after they were confident of victory.
"Y-Your Majesty, Savior..."
While Eden was thinking, another figure arrived to make his report.
It was Friex, the Iron Warriors' chief engineering officer and a Warsmith. He hurried over to beg forgiveness.
This son of the Lord of Iron had felt a deep sense of satisfaction when he saw the Lord of the Mountain Bastion being carried away, but that was immediately followed by fear and anxiety.
After giving a full report on the losses, Friex dropped to one knee and bowed his head, waiting for the Savior's punishment of the Iron Warriors Engineering Group.
He did not even dare beg for mercy. He was prepared to silently accept the outcome.
"It's only a little damage."
Now that the Warp disaster had been resolved, Eden did feel some pain over the destruction of the heavy Warp equipment, but he had no intention of severely punishing the Iron Warriors.
After all, it had never really been their fault, and they truly had not been able to stop the Lord of the Mountain Bastion.
As for the ruined heavy Warp machinery, ruined was ruined. At worst, he could just pull out a backup set from storage. Important projects of the New Imperium usually all had contingency plans anyway.
A loss was a loss.
Unlike the pitiful old Imperium, where once a key facility was damaged it was almost impossible to repair, like they had practically given up on living properly.
Of course, the damage to the heavy Warp equipment and the project delays were objective facts, so the Iron Warriors could not simply walk away without paying any price at all.
Eden looked at Friex and said slowly, "You Iron Warriors will continue handling the Warp project.
But for the lost resources and equipment, the Iron Warriors must compensate according to regulation and proportion.
I won't set any deadline for you. Repay that debt whenever you have the ability.
As for your gene-father, I'll speak with him myself and handle this matter."
The heavy Warp equipment had been built with resources drawn from multiple Imperial regions.
It was extremely expensive.
Eden did not actually expect the Iron Warriors to ever pay it back, but he liked having others owe him debts.
Especially a legion as unruly as the Iron Warriors. They were easier to manage when they owed him.
That was all hard-earned wisdom from his own former life as a corporate beast of burden.
"What grace!"
Hearing the Savior's words, Friex was instantly moved to the verge of tears.
He had never expected such mercy from the Savior.
Not only had the Savior spared the Iron Warriors punishment and not stripped them of their honor, he had even allowed them to continue construction on the Palace's Warp project.
He was even going to personally soothe the anger of their gene-father.
The Savior was not just a benefactor. He was closer than a real father.
Overcome with emotion, the Warsmith slammed down in another heavy salute.
If the Iron Warriors had been qualified to do so, he would have cried out "Father" on the spot.
As if making a military oath, Friex pledged solemnly to the Savior:
The Iron Warriors would complete that crucial Imperial project to the highest possible standards and on schedule.
After that, he glanced toward the worksite, then carefully looked back at the Savior, seeming hesitant to speak.
As if he were struggling with whether to ask.
"Stop hemming and hawing. What's wrong with you?"
Eden waved a hand impatiently.
"You can have all that junk lying around the site. Just don't leave it there to ruin Terra's environment."
At a glance, he could tell the Iron Warriors were eyeing the rotten scraps of weapons and equipment the Chaos daemons had left behind.
So they wanted to pick through the trash a bit.
Those weapons were worthless for research anyway. Leaving them there would just pollute the place. Better to let the Iron Warriors haul them off and recover a little value.
"Yes, as you command!"
Friex snapped into another salute so hard that his armor hammered against the stone floor with a jarring bang, almost like he was shouting, "By your leave!"
He departed in tears.
"Praise the Savior!"
"Long live His Majesty!"
Not long afterward, cheers and praise rose from the worksite as the Iron Warriors half-knelt in salute, offering the Savior their devotion.
These sons of Perturabo, these iron-hearted brutes, had never before received such care and favor.
They were deeply moved.
"Man, how am I feeling guilty even while exploiting them?"
Eden sighed.
Because of the Iron Warriors' Chaos-tainted past, their treatment within the Savior's system was among the worst, with restriction after restriction piled on them. They were practically one step away from paying for the privilege of doing construction labor.
And even so, he was still adored.
Thinking it over, he could only conclude that their gene-father, that prickly tsundere Perturabo, had simply treated them too badly in the old days.
"This mess isn't over yet."
When Eden thought about the conflict between Perturabo and Dorn, his head started to ache.
Who knew how that prickly one would react when he learned the stubborn mule had returned. There was a very real chance the two of them would come to blows.
After all, not even the Emperor Himself had been able to suppress the struggle between his wayward sons Perturabo and Dorn.
If they started causing trouble again, how bad would that be for Imperial research progress?
Ding!
The communicator chimed, and Eden received a message from far away.
It was a reply from Lion El'Jonson and the Khan, sent from the Imperial frontier near the Pariah Nexus.
The Lion of Caliban:
"Brother, unless I'm mistaken, the one in that image is Dorn."
Steppe Eagle:
"Hahaha, that stone-headed idiot looks ridiculous. Is he pretending to be an Ogryn?"
He attached a screenshot of Dorn's big thick skull and vacant-looking expression.
It seemed the Khan was not especially fond of the stubborn mule either. The two had clashed fiercely back during the Siege of Terra.
The Lion of Caliban:
"The Silent King's expansion has been accelerating recently. With our current defenses, it's hard to hold him back..."
The Lion went on to mention some recent Necron movements as well. The situation was not good. Human technology had difficulty halting the spread of the Pariah Nexus.
And it was even harder to penetrate the interior of that soul-affecting region of space.
Savior:
"Keep building fortresses around the perimeter. Before long, I'll send a special force to hold the Silent King back."
Eden sent his reply to the Lion.
The emotional virus infection plan for the Kalozasa Dynasty, along with the new religion and divine iconography, was already in motion.
Soon, they would head into the Pariah Nexus and spread the emotional virus and the new faith.
He would teach the Silent King what ideological evolution really meant, and put a stop to his expansion and his ambition to dominate the galaxy.
No sooner had Eden finished replying to Lion El'Jonson and the Khan's group chat than another private message from a different primarch came in.
It was from Perturabo.
That one had no group chats at all. Mostly because nobody else wanted to spend time around him.
Eden had established private communication channels with some of the high-ranking Iron Warriors, but had never added Perturabo to any of them.
Perturabo had sent over a picture of Dorn at his most miserable and ugly, even editing it to make him look like a grot.
He was absolutely furious.
Chief Scientist of the Imperium:
"Brother, has that #$@!% idiot Dorn really crawled back here?!"
(End of Chapter)
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