Emperor? When Did He Arrive?

"To serve you is the sacred mission the Omnissiah bestowed upon me."

Because a considerable number within the Adeptus Mechanicus believed the Emperor to be the Omnissiah's representative in the mortal realm, one of the Emperor's creations, the Astartes, was regarded by its members—especially the Genetors—as sacred and inviolable.

This was a creation of the Emperor, the pinnacle of genetic engineering fused with the divine power of the Omnissiah.

Of course, that attitude did not stop them from occasionally indulging their own imagination while cultivating Gene-seed in secret.

Though this Tech-priest was not one of them, he still maintained the proper reverence.

Especially when facing an Astartes of extraordinary size, one capable of instantly killing a Chaos Terminator in single combat.

Since that Ultramarine had already agreed to cover the materials for his operation, refusing to show respect would simply be courting death.

Did he want to die?

He most certainly did not.

Thus, with extraordinary quickness, he accepted the opening Romulus offered him. He respectfully performed the Rite of the Cog before the two Angels, then obediently brought his Tech-priest Enginseers to the operating table blessed by the Sisters.

The Tech-priest then ordered the soldiers guarding the Augmetic Warehouse to open the compartments storing the augmetics, intending to behold the exquisite craftsmanship of another Forge World.

Then he stared at the replacement augmetic materials and fell into deep thought.

This model, this quality, and this precision...

Watching the Sisters continue to stamp Purity Seals onto the surfaces of those prosthetic limbs, the Tech-priest forcibly suppressed the urge to stop those foolish fanatics from ruining their perfect structure.

There were simply too many.

He could even use these augmetics to turn a group of serfs into Skitarii capable of rivaling an Astra Militarum infantry regiment.

Had Ryza III really released this many augmetics?

Casually picking up a set of respiratory augmetics stamped with serial markings, the Tech-priest began operating on an Astra Militarum soldier beneath the horrified gazes of the others. His electronic eyes, filled with countless doubts, remained fixed on the warehouse full of augmetics, while his mechadendrites moved with flawless fluidity, as though they had rehearsed this countless times.

In less than thirty seconds, the Astra Militarum soldier was sent off the operating table by the Sisters, his face full of confusion.

There was no need to be confused. These Tech-priests' mechanical arms could operate with atomic-level precision. To them, augmentation surgery was merely simple removal and connection.

"Looks like he's very skilled."

Arthur let out a sigh of relief.

"Because he scanned all of it from himself. Oh, and from his little private stash too."

Romulus replied solemnly.

To make sure they had augmetic materials for every part of the body, Karna had also swept through the inventory of those gearheads.

If they had not deliberately altered the production codes, this Tech-priest would probably have begun doubting his entire existence.

"Sorry."

Arthur said to Romulus, "I acted on my own."

"What are you saying? Right now, we lack people, not equipment. These Astra Militarum soldiers are valuable combat power. Whether it's helping us fight in conflicts that may erupt later, or using military strength to secure more influence among our allies, they all... Uh, why do I make saving people sound so utilitarian?"

Romulus slapped his forehead in frustration.

"Anyway, how can saving people be wrong?"

Arthur had stepped in because he had an idea. After all, no one else could think of an appropriate explanation at the time.

With an Imperium military force that combined religious fanaticism with a death cult, they could hardly say, "It would be too tragic if you just died like this. We don't want you to die, so stay alive," could they?

If they said that, these Astra Militarum soldiers would probably commit suicide on the spot.

Arthur's approach, on the other hand, gave them a graceful way out, raised morale, and provided a suitably appropriate means of bringing these Astra Militarum soldiers into their ranks.

After all, no loyal soldier of the Imperium would refuse the honor of stepping onto the battlefield alongside the Astartes and dying there.

"But honestly, I'm not optimistic about their future."

Arthur watched the soldiers who had been given new life through augmetics.

The nice words had all been said, but they still needed to find a way to solve the actual problem.

"If we can't fundamentally cure the Warp's influence on their minds, then their fall under Chaos's influence will only be a matter of time."

Other than cases where the Chaos Gods stopped playing fair and intervened directly, Chaos corruption was not actually that violent. It was more like an omnipresent suggestion.

People with strong wills might not be corrupted easily, but whispers would continue to sound in their ears, along with countless psychological suggestions that affected their senses. Given enough time, they would eventually be unable to endure it and would naturally fall to corruption.

Even elites like the Vostroyan Firstborn had been corrupted into rebellion during their prolonged war against Chaos, killing the Lord Castellan of Cadia during a joint military parade with Cadia.

"Then, just as I said before, dying on the battlefield will be the best ending for them."

"Indeed."

Romulus nodded as well, his expression grave.

"The ways this world has to resist the Warp's influence are all far too demanding."

Death, especially death on the battlefield, was indeed a sorrowful ending for Transmigrators.

It was hard to imagine that, among the several thousand people still alive aboard this ship, probably no more than a handful would live out their natural lifespans.

And death was only the beginning.

Unlike Space Marines, who only needed to remain loyal and pure and fight for the Emperor until death to reach the Golden Throne—

Other than a handful of Living Saints or Sisters of the Ecclesiarchy whose devotion was terrifyingly deep, the souls of mortals such as Astra Militarum soldiers would enter the Warp directly after death.

If they were lucky, the Emperor might sense them and pull them out. With average luck, they would spend some time in ignorance before naturally dissipating. With bad luck, they could simply wait to become food for Demons.

And given the Warp's current state, entering it so nakedly would most likely mean bad luck.

After all, there was only one Emperor, while the Warp had four Chaos Gods.

The four Chaos Gods were constantly rummaging through your pockets. Being able to keep even a portion of yourself from getting completely emptied out was already impressive.

Arthur fell into quiet thought, recalling the methods that could theoretically resist the Warp's influence.

The C'tan. As incarnations of physical laws, they naturally created an extremely stable barrier of reality around themselves, isolating the influence of the Warp.

But the C'tan were on roughly the same level as the Chaos Gods. Unless someone like Old Man Gold appeared, asking, "Do I look like a man or a god?" they could basically be ignored.

Next came the Aeldari's three methods.

The Drukhari sustained themselves by siphoning spiritual power from other races, while relying on technology so advanced it bordered on mysticism to ensure they did not truly die so easily.

The Craftworld Aeldari relied on Spirit Stones to protect their souls. After death, they entered the Infinity Circuits constructed from Wraithbone within those Craftworlds.

The Exodite Aeldari lived on planets possessing World Spirits, and after death, they merged directly with the World Spirit of that planet.

Of course, the simplest method was still to have the Emperor notice you before the Chaos Gods got their hands on you, while also possessing enough value for him to expend power to pull you out.

In short, there were still quite a few methods, though every one of them came with harsh requirements.

"Emperor above!"

A cry of alarm interrupted Arthur's thoughts.

It was light!

Arthur turned around, only to see sacred golden radiance emanating from the Astra Militarum soldiers.

The Emperor? When had he arrived?