He also happened to want to see for himself just how powerful Magnus's sorcery was. The true strength of psychic powers was not always in their offensive capability; some unexpected tricks could produce miraculous results.
"I understand. Please, do not disturb me right now. I will be completely immersed in this ocean of knowledge," Magnus said, nodding perfunctorily.
He then continuously flipped through the various tomes of psychic arts in the room. This collection of sorcery was incredibly precious, a treasure so unimaginable that its value was beyond measure, difficult to describe with mere words.
Magnus's speed in reading was astonishing. A thick tome of sorcery would be briefly skimmed through in his hands before he snapped it shut, his primarch mind having already committed all of its contents to memory.
"Well, Axis, these books are the real treasures. They contain so many psychic disciplines! All kinds of strange and wonderful arts. Some can even completely alter the genes of your opponent, turning them into an animal! A complete genetic transformation!"
"This one is even more fun. It's an illusion spell, very advanced. Let me see the principle… Haha, it's quite simple," Magnus said and then cast a spell on himself. Before Axis's eyes, he transformed into the likeness of Sanguinius.
"Am I not identical to Sanguinius, Axis? And these wings, too. This is a spell I just learned," Magnus boasted to Axis with an excited expression.
This display earned immediate praise from Axis.
He clapped his hands for Magnus and then gave him a thumbs up.
"In just a few minutes?" Axis said, "Your talent is astounding."
Magnus's talent for sorcery was truly unparalleled. After reaching adulthood on Prospero, he had quickly attained the rank of the planet's foremost psyker. He even surpassed his own mentors, learning all their known psychic arts within a few short years and proceeding to invent new ones himself.
Such a gift was unique in the galaxy. The Emperor's raw psychic might might have been stronger than Magnus's, but his innate talent for the practice of sorcery was certainly not. In this, the primarch could be called the strongest sorcerer of all humanity.
"Hahaha! My talent is far greater than that, Axis. I am the most erudite, the most creative. I can learn any psychic art with just one look and a little study. A problem that baffled all of Prospero for millennia, I solved in a single night. Then I spent half a day improving the spell," Magnus said while flipping through the books Axis had brought.
Axis smiled and nodded, quietly watching Magnus lose himself in his studies.
"This spell is not bad, a kind of gravity manipulation. And this one provides better resistance against Warp daemons! But the most incredible thing is this theory here. Axis, come look. It actually describes how to use sorcery to control Warp daemons. To enslave them for one's own use." Magnus excitedly held up a book, gesticulating in front of Axis.
"Enslave Warp daemons! Is that truly possible?" Axis asked.
Enslaving daemons of the Warp! It was truly a fantastical idea. No, it was more than that, it was audaciously brilliant.
"Theoretically, it is feasible! As long as your psychic power is stronger than your target, you can control the daemon," Magnus explained, "However, the execution would be very difficult. You would need the daemon's true name and a series of complicated rituals. This spell only proposes a theoretical concept; it's not yet perfected. But I can refine it."
"It is certainly a fantastical idea," Axis said.
"The author of this book was a genius. He not only proposed the theory of enslaving daemons but also expanded upon it in other ways. For example, using the power of the Warp to devour a daemon's soul! Theoretically, a daemon's soul is also a form of Warp energy. Since daemons can devour the souls of mortals, why can't a powerful psyker do the reverse and devour the soul of a daemon? This idea is very dangerous. His understanding of the Warp was rather one-sided. The corruption of the Warp is immense. I do not agree with his conclusion," Magnus said.
"That is indeed dangerous. I don't agree either. Warp energy is not something to be trifled with," Axis said.
He had every right to comment on this.
If not for the angel halo from the Dragon Ball world and his pure soul, Axis would never have dared to even attempt contact with psychic powers, let alone consider draining the soul of a Warp daemon. That was utter suicide. No wonder the Emperor detested some who studied the arcane. If these individuals meddled carelessly, they were indeed a great danger.
"That's nothing," Magnus continued, "This scoundrel had even more terrifying ideas. He actually proposed summoning a powerful Warp daemon and then sealing it within a psyker's body, using one's own flesh as a cage to constantly draw upon the daemon's power to cast even stronger spells."
"That man was clearly a madman. He could not have been human, right?" Axis asked.
Did he think a Warp daemon was some kind of tailed beast?
"He was not human. This is the notebook of an Aeldari psyker, likely from the ancient Aeldari Empire of twenty million years ago. His theories are incredibly dangerous! Except for the part about enslaving Warp daemons, which I believe is worth refining, the rest should be sealed away where no one can ever see them," Magnus said.
"I don't think even that is a good idea," Axis countered, "Warp daemons can never be enslaved. They can only be destroyed."
Enslaving Warp daemons, draining their power, consuming their souls, sealing them within one's own body… What madness!
"No, no, the theory of enslaving Warp daemons is feasible. However, you cannot enslave a daemon bound to one of the Ruinous Powers. If you were to enslave a daemon of the four Chaos Gods, you would most likely be corrupted by them in turn. My suggestion would be to enslave daemons of Chaos Undivided.
"Did you know, Axis? In the Warp, besides the daemons belonging to the four Chaos Gods, there exist other group daemons that are unbound. If we used sorcery to enslave such a daemon, it is theoretically possible for a psyker to command it in battle," Magnus said.
"Absolutely not! Think about it, Magnus. Psykers already incite revulsion and fear in ordinary people. If a psyker were to summon terrifying Warp daemons to fight alongside them, the common person's fear would only intensify. Furthermore, the Emperor and the other primarchs would never agree to you researching such a spell. Not to mention the daemons from chaos undivided collectively worship all the chaos gods," Axis said.
Let alone the feasibility of the spell, public acceptance within the Imperium would be a massive problem. These theories were so extreme that even Axis found them a little heretical.
"There are even more heretical and cruel spells within," Magnus added, "For example, using a ritual and placing ordinary living beings within it, then draining their souls and flesh to create some special soul-crystal. This crystal could then be used to enhance one's own sorcery, or even be used for bartering with daemons of the Warp."
Axis fell silent. He now finally understood why the knowledge within the Black Library was forbidden. He also understood just how depraved the Aeldari psykers of the ancient empire must have been. These theories were thousands of years old, from a time when the Aeldari Empire was at its zenith, when their pantheon of gods could still contend with the Chaos of the Warp. Back then, they naturally saw no problem in researching such esoteric arts, but things were completely different now.
"There are also other powerful and forbidden spells. Some could compress an entire planet, or even manipulate time within a single star system. And there is a new type of Warp shielding spell, more advanced than the Geller Fields we humans currently use. And it does not require a psyker to be interred as its power source. I believe this spell has great research value," Magnus said, picking up another book.
"That one could certainly be researched. It would be an excellent replacement for the Geller Field," Axis agreed.
"Aside from all the sorcery, there is also some truly forbidden knowledge, for example, concerning flesh-crafting and biological alteration. It is far more terrifying than the cloning technology we humans possess, but also more advanced.
"According to the theories here, if this flesh-crafting technology could be mastered, it would be equivalent to a form of resurrection. Even if you were killed, truly and utterly slain, you could be brought back through these methods," Magnus said, holding up a notebook in astonishment.
Flesh-crafting! The ability to resurrect the dead! This had to be the technology of the Drukhari Haemonculi.
The city of Commorragh was overtly ruled by the leaders of its various Kabals, but its true, hidden masters were the Haemonculi. These beings held the secrets of ancient resurrection technologies. Many Kabalite leaders who had met their end were brought back by these means. In the millennia to come, over ninety-five percent of the entire Drukhari population would not be born naturally, but would be products created by the Haemonculi through cloning.
These creatures had also mastered surgery that could extend a life for tens of thousands of years. They were such madmen that there was even a record in the archives of the Carrion Throne of their intent to clone the Emperor himself.
Most ridiculously, they once used Tyranid genetic material to create a variant Hive Tyrant just for gladiatorial entertainment, pitting this mutated creature against combatants in their arenas.
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hehe, no ps?