"To be honest, no matter how many times I see this sight, it is always breathtaking."
Adam spoke softly to himself, stepping forward. Endless Warp turbulence whistled past him, and chaotic imagery churned in his vision—twisted faces, shattered memories, torn timelines, and terrifying illusions that mortals could only glimpse in dreams.
It was mesmerizing.
This was the Warp. The source of the Other Side, the Immaterium, the Sea of Souls, the reflection of the material realm. No matter what words were used to describe it, they could not accurately touch a ten-thousandth of its essence. How did it exist? What was its true relationship with the material world? What role did faith play within it? How did the Four Gods of Chaos emerge from this endless flood of emotion?
All of this was shrouded in the mists of history, the truth buried under layers of dust. No matter how future generations searched, a clear view remained elusive.
However, his thoughts had wandered a bit too far.
Adam slowly shook his head, driving those vast philosophical musings from his mind and refocusing on the present. His gaze pierced through distances that defied verbal description, landing on the shadows rapidly approaching this system.
It was the massive military force of Chaos.
"Wow," Adam couldn't help but remark. "This array is truly grand."
With a quick scan, he had a rough number in his mind. The core of this fleet was a Gloriana-class battleship—the Vengeful Spirit. Following closely was a Planet Killer. Beyond that, over fifty battleships served as the backbone, forming layered battle lines. Cruisers and escort-class ships were too numerous to count, swarming around the larger vessels like piranhas around a whale, creating dense defensive networks.
Such a terrifying force was nearly unbelievable. In the Eye of Terror, Chaos forces were usually a mixed bag. Warband leaders acted independently, refusing to submit to one another; internal strife and betrayal were the norms. Getting them to cooperate and deploy together was normally a fantasy.
But now, under the unstinting support of the Four Gods, all Chaos Lords and warbands who had once defied Abaddon had bowed their proud heads. They gathered under the banner of the Warmaster of Chaos to assemble such a formidable host. If this fleet appeared on the auspex of a typical Imperial commander, their first reaction would be to assume data corruption caused by Chaos contamination. Once confirmed, they would likely start writing their wills and preparing to die for the Emperor.
But for Adam, Chaos bringing only this much was almost insulting.
Is this all the manpower they have?
An uncontrollable restlessness rose from the depths of his heart, like a hunter catching the scent of prey in the wilderness. Every cell in his body was cheering. It made him feel an urge to act.
Should I make a slight modification to the plan?
"Calm down," Adam told himself, taking a deep breath. Acting on a whim in critical situations was often a negative debuff. The more crucial the moment, the more one needed to maintain logic and clarity. This was even recorded in the Library of the Wanderer.
Better to stick to the original plan.
As he thought, Adam reached out toward the distant fleet. Then, his fingers snapped shut.
Violent Warp turbulence shifted its flow obediently under the guidance of his will, like a tamed dragon moving according to its master's heart. Countless variables began to change under the will of reality warping. Within the endless waves of the Warp, subtle fluctuations appeared. Like the butterfly effect in a thought experiment, every tiny disturbance triggered a chain reaction in the chaos, cascading like falling dominoes.
Then, Adam blew a soft breath.
An endless stream of Warp turbulence was released from his mouth, pouncing toward the sky-blotting fleet.
Let's see if I can blow you all away in one breath!
The violent turbulence roared through the fleet, the energy transforming into invisible giant hands weaving between each ship. One escort ship after another—those small vessels guarding the capital ships like loyal parasites—was swept up by the storm and instantly vanished, teleported to locations unknown light-years away. They were like withered leaves in a hurricane, tossed into the unknown without any power to resist.
However—
Adam frowned slightly. The effect seemed poor.
Indeed. Some force was shielding every inch of armor on those Chaos ships. Whether it was the ships themselves or the fallen humans aboard, they remained unharmed under the shroud of this power. The large capital ships stood firm amidst the storm, like reefs in a tsunami, unshakeable no matter how the waves raged. It was as if some power had forcibly covered every corner of those vessels, like an invisible hand smoothing out a crumpled piece of paper, whispering to the violent energy: This will not do.
The protection of the Chaos Powers?
"Expected," Adam murmured to himself.
For them to charge out of the Eye of Terror, ignore standard Warp routes, and cross such a vast distance to appear here, the hand of the Four Gods was certainly behind it. Just as Adam anticipated, blood and fire descended.
Adam looked up and saw a giant axe cleaving toward him. The axe was so large it occupied his entire field of vision, its blade dripping with scalding blood, as if it were war itself. He even had a hallucination—on a barren land shrouded in blood, a furious gaze swept toward him, containing endless killing intent and brutality.
Can't afford to lose, can you?
Adam chuckled. The giant axe vanished like a phantom, as if it had never existed.
Denial!
The gaze became increasingly enraged. Its owner clearly wasn't willing to let it go and was prepared to intervene personally.
Adam smiled.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The violent Warp turbulence surged again, acting like a slowly descending iron curtain, shrouding the entire Pandorax System. Undoubtedly, the Emperor had acted. Such a Warp storm was one of the unique skills the Emperor had mastered after sitting on the Golden Throne—a standard operation. For instance, during the Age of Apostasy, a mysterious Warp storm had wiped out the fleet supporting a certain rebel Goge Vandire, writing a heavy stroke in Imperial history.
At this moment, a storm even more powerful than the one Adam had stirred up enveloped everything. The invisible force locked down the entire system like an iron cage; anything wishing to enter or exit had to have permission.
However, as the storm descended, as if seizing a chaotic gap, those ships dived in without hesitation! A massive rift opened before them, and the power of the Four Gods carved a path, guiding the enormous fleet to drive straight in toward the Pandorax System.
Ha! They finally bit the hook.
Seeing this, Adam wasn't annoyed at all; instead, he revealed a smile. He watched the fleet break away from the Warp and head toward Pythos with great anticipation.
I hope you don't back out now.
Next, I have a massive gift prepared for you!
The big one is coming!