The Aether and Chronos fleets, along with a fraction of the Leviathan swarm trailing behind them, were utterly overwhelmed with activity.
The Aether and Chronos armadas needed to process and assimilate the remaining splinter fleets. Normally, a task of this scale required Yuno's direct oversight, but with her focus now entirely consumed by other matters, the responsibility fell to her sub-entities.
War and Pestilence were tasked with managing the harvest.
Despite the brutal meat-grinder of the Siege of Baal, the total vessel count of the Aether and Chronos fleets had actually expanded beyond its pre-war peak after absorbing the surviving Leviathan bio-ships.
Yet, numbers no longer carried any weight.
The child—Yuki and Yuno's child—was the sole priority that mattered.
A fraction of Yuki's soul had interwoven with Yuno's. Yuno had even concluded that a fundamental fragment of her own primordial essence had been carved off to nurture the seed.
Now, this tiny life was quietly developing, consuming the spiritual energy gifted by its parents and forging it into an independent soul.
This growth did not follow physical rules. The child's soul resided within Yuno's current biological avatar, and to sustain its staggering energy demands, the Hive Fleet poured its reserves into her continuously.
Even the primary hive fleet beyond the galaxy was beaming vast reserves of psychic energy across the void.
While the spectacle was grand, it imposed little actual strain on Yuno. She could still tease, play, and share moments of passion with Yuki just as she always had.
Yuki, however, could not stop his mind from racing.
'A child... A father—'
His thoughts drifted back to his former life as a human, before he had ever transmigrated into the grim dark world of Warhammer. He had once dreamed of raised a family, but after arriving here and enduring endless slaughter, he had assumed such a human luxury was forever beyond his reach.
He had been wrong. He could still become a father. The love between him and Yuno now possessed a living testament, proving that his existence in this universe was far from meaningless.
A genuine smile finally broke across Yuki's face.
"My, my, aren't we in high spirits? Though I suppose accomplishing a miracle like this gives you every right to celebrate," the Void Dragon mocked casually, watching Yuki's unmasked joy.
"A construct like you could never understand this feeling," Yuki retorted smoothly.
"And a good thing too! If Star Gods could reproduce, this entire universe would have fallen under our rule eons ago."
"Listen to yourself..."
"Still, a word of caution," the Void Dragon added, his tone sharpening slightly. "Since this involves the splitting and merging of your very souls, the child's birth may permanently diminish a fraction of your and Yuno's fundamental power. Whether such a loss can be restored later remains unknown."
"What are you getting at?"
"Nothing sinister. Simply reminding you to consider the reality. If you two end up arguing over this down the road, at least you can't say no one warned you."
A prickle of anxiety stirred in Yuki's chest. A child brought joy, but it also brought unprecedented vulnerability and complex challenges.
Could he truly handle it?
"If you want my advice," the Void Dragon offered, "you had better go spend some time among humans. Not to adopt their foolish mindsets, mind you, but to learn how normal beings interact. The dynamic between you and Yuno cannot be replicated. If you fail to build a proper bond with your child, you'll only end up heartbroken."
The words struck a nerve.
Yuki truly lacked the confidence to be a good father.
How ironic.
Just then, Yuno approached, her smile as radiant as ever.
"Yuki, what do you think we should name our child?"
Noticing the brief trace of anxiety flickering in his eyes, she stepped forward and pulled him into a warm embrace.
"I am frightened too, Yuki. This is the very first time I have ever experienced what fear truly feels like. I am terrified that I won't know how to be a good mother... but I have you by my side, don't I? As long as you are with me, I know I can learn to be a good mother."
Yuki wrapped his arms tightly around her.
"You will be," he whispered softly into her hair. "You'll be incredible. And I'll learn to be a good father."
Recognizing that he was intruding on their moment, the Void Dragon quietly floated away.
A short distance off, he encountered War watching the scene.
"What? Touched by the tender scene?"
"Hmph. The creation of life is simply what it is—nothing more to say."
Gazing at War, whose physical form closely mirrored Yuno's, the Void Dragon asked, "Can you sub-entities feel it too?"
War shook her head.
"No. We are aware of the event's existence through the network, but we cannot process the actual emotional sensation. Truthfully, it feels rather bizarre."
"Hardly bizarre, considering the Tyranids are a bizarre species to begin with. By the way, I suggested to Yuki that he spend some time wandering human worlds. What are your thoughts?"
"It is acceptable," War replied neutrally, "so long as the child does not develop sympathy for humanity. I—or rather, the Hive Mind—have considered this. If the child refuses to stand as an enemy to mankind, our future operations will become far more complicated. That was likely why the God-Emperor manifested himself in the Immaterium as well."
"Will this conversation be monitored by the Great Devastator?"
"If she wishes to know, she knows."
---
A funeral.
A grand, sweeping memorial service was underway, organized to grant spiritual peace to the fallen defenders of Baal.
Though most veterans understood that such rituals brought no real salvation in this cruel universe, they chose to believe nonetheless.
Furthermore, the ceremony was personally presided over by none other than the resurrected XIII Primarch, Roboute Guilliman.
Upon waking, Guilliman had returned to Terra and launched the Indomitus Crusade, rushing to reinforce Baal. What had taken decades of objective travel through Warp distortion felt like a mere matter of weeks on the surface of Baal.
"The swarm retreated? That is highly unusual," Guilliman remarked, reviewing the tactical data logged by Calgar. "By all established behavior, Tyranids do not disengage unless met with absolute destruction or catastrophic casualties."
"Lord Guilliman, I suspect the Astartes Fleet assumed command from the Leviathan armadas during the final phase," Dante interjected, picking up where Calgar left off. "This fleet previously appeared at the Hall of Truth. Their tactical flexibility and intelligence are entirely distinct from standard Hive Fleets."
Guilliman felt a deep, troubling weight settle over him. The Imperium's situation was dire enough, yet their enemies were becoming increasingly unpredictable.
"The Tyranids... I fear they will prove to be our greatest long-term threat."
Dante voiced a cautious reminder: "Lord Guilliman, that specific fleet may not have strayed far. We must remain on high alert."
While the high command conferred inside the staging hub, crowds of survivors gathered outside to pay their respects to the recovery teams' few retrieved remains.
Among the crowd, a couple stood quietly before the serene body of the Living Saint, Hope.
"What a remarkable woman," Yuno murmured softly.
"Indeed," Yuki agreed.
"A pity I didn't get to slay her with my own hands," Yuno added with a faint sigh.
"Do you want to take a look at Guilliman?" Yuki asked.
"Best not. If his Emperor's Sword were to nick you—"
A massive hand clapped down gently onto Yuki's shoulder.
"If it isn't Yuki! You're actually alive! Outstanding! Come on, let's grab a drink!"
Yuki looked up to find Harriman standing beside him, wearing simple civilian robes rather than his power armor.
Harriman leaned down and whispered, "No fighting today—just two veterans catching up."
He gestured for Yuno to go on ahead, muttering about how noisy the memorial ground was.
Yuno offered a subtle nod and drifted into the crowd. The two men made their way toward a makeshift tavern hastily thrown together amidst the post-war reconstruction.