The Emperor? When did he arrive?

"Serving you is the sacred mission bestowed upon me by the Omnissiah."

Because a significant number of members within the Adeptus Mechanicus believe the Emperor to be the earthly representative of the Omnissiah, the Astartes—as one of the Emperor's creations—are viewed as sacred and inviolable by members of the Adeptus Mechanicus, especially the Genetor.

This is the creation of the Emperor, the pinnacle of the fusion between genetic engineering and the divine power of the Omnissiah.

Of course, this attitude does not prevent them from occasionally exercising their own imagination while secretly cultivating Gene-seed.

While this Tech-priest is not one of those, he still maintains the proper reverence.

Especially when facing an Astartes who is exceptionally tall and capable of killing a Chaos Terminator in a one-on-one duel.

Since that Ultramarines had agreed to cover the materials for his surgery, refusing to give him face would be tantamount to a death wish.

Does he want to die?

Certainly not.

Thus, with an extraordinary reaction, he accepted the graceful exit Romulus offered, respectfully performed the Rite of the Cog to the two angels, and then obediently led his Tech-priest Enginseer to the operating table that had been blessed by the Sisters.

Immediately, the Tech-priest ordered the soldiers guarding the Augmetic Warehouse to open the storage compartments, intending to witness the exquisite craftsmanship from other Forge World.

Then, he fell into deep thought as he looked at the replacement augmetic materials.

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

Watching the Sisters who were still busy applying Purity Seal to the surfaces of those prosthetic limbs, the Tech-priest suppressed the urge to stop these foolish fanatics from ruining their perfect structure.

The quantity was too vast.

He could even use these augmetics to build a Skitarii force from a group of serfs that would rival an Astra Militarum infantry regiment.

Did Ryza III really leak this many augmetics?

Casually picking up a set of respiratory system augmetics that had been stamped, the Tech-priest began to operate under the horrified gazes of the Astra Militarum. His electronic eyes, filled with countless doubts, stared straight at the augmetics in the warehouse, his mechadendrites waving with the fluidity of someone who had rehearsed this a thousand times.

In less than thirty seconds, the Astra Militarum soldier was sent off the operating table by the Sisters, looking utterly bewildered.

Do not be confused; the mechanical arms of these Tech-priest are fully capable of atomic-level precision. To them, surgical modification is merely a simple matter of excision and connection.

"It seems he is quite skilled."

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

"Because they were all scanned from his own body—oh, and his private stash, too."

Romulus replied with a straight face.

To ensure that augmetic materials for every part were available, Karna had taken the liberty of scanning the inventory of these gear-heads.

If they hadn't deliberately edited the production codes, this Tech-priest would likely be questioning his entire existence.

"My apologies."

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

"What are you talking about? We are short on people, not equipment. These Astra Militarum are precious combat assets. Whether it's assisting in potential future conflicts or leveraging military strength to gain a voice among allies, it... uh, why does saving people sound so utilitarian?"

Romulus patted his forehead in annoyance.

"In any case, there is nothing wrong with saving lives."

Arthur stepped in; he had the right train of thought, as the others couldn't come up with a good justification on the spot.

After all, in an Imperium army that combines religious fanaticism with a death cult, one couldn't exactly say, "It's too tragic for you to die like this; we don't want you to die, so live for me."

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

Instead, Arthur's approach provided an exit, boosted morale, and offered a perfectly suitable way to absorb these Astra Militarum.

After all, no loyal soldier of the Imperium would refuse the honor of marching to death alongside the Astartes.

"But to be honest, I don't hold much hope for their future."

Arthur looked at the soldiers who had gained a new lease on life with the help of the augmetics.

The flowery words had been spoken, but the problem still had to be solved.

"If the influence of the Warp on their minds cannot be cured, then falling to the corruption of Chaos is only a matter of time."

Except for cases where the Chaos Gods play dirty and intervene directly, the corruption of Chaos is actually not that violent; it is more like an omnipresent suggestion.

Perhaps those with strong wills won't be easily corrupted, but they will constantly hear whispers in their ears, or be subjected to various psychological suggestions that affect their senses. Over time, they will inevitably succumb to the natural corruption.

Even elites like the Vostroyan Firstborn were corrupted and turned traitor during long-term campaigns against Chaos, eventually killing the Lord Castellan of Cadia at the time during a joint parade.

"When that time comes, as I said before, dying on the battlefield will be their best ending."

"Indeed."

Romulus nodded with a heavy expression.

"The ways to resist the influence of the Warp in this world are all too harsh."

Death, especially dying on the battlefield, is indeed a sad ending for the Transmigrators.

It is hard to imagine that of the thousands of people still alive on this ship, the number of those who will live to die of old age is likely less than the fingers on one hand.

Death, moreover, is merely the beginning.

Unlike the Space Marine, who need only remain loyal and pure, fighting to the death for the Emperor to earn a place at the Golden Throne, the fate of others is far bleaker.

Save for the rare Living Saint or those Sisters of such terrifying piety, the souls of mortals like the Astra Militarum simply drift into the Warp upon death.

If you are lucky, the Emperor might sense you and pull you to safety; if you are moderately fortunate, your soul will simply dissipate after a period of oblivion; if you are unlucky, you can look forward to becoming food for a Demon.

Given the current state of the Warp, entering it so nakedly means the odds of being unlucky are overwhelming.

After all, there is only one Emperor, while there are four Chaos Gods.

With the hands of the Chaos Gods constantly rummaging through your pockets, managing to keep even a fragment of your soul intact is considered an achievement.

Arthur pondered slightly, recalling the theoretical methods for resisting the influence of the Warp.

The C'tan, as embodiments of physical laws, naturally generate stable barriers of reality around themselves that isolate them from the influence of the Warp.

However, the C'tan are of a similar weight class to the Chaos Gods; unless someone like Old Man Gold appears—the kind who asks, "Do you see me as a man or a god?"—they are essentially off the table.

Next are the three methods of the Aeldari.

The Drukhari ensure their survival by consuming the psychic energy of other races, while relying on technology so advanced it borders on metaphysics to ensure they do not die too easily.

The Craftworld Aeldari rely on a Spirit Stone to protect their souls, which, upon death, enter the Infinity Circuit constructed from Wraithbone within their Craftworld.

The Exodite Aeldari live on planets possessing a World Spirit, merging directly with the World Spirit of the planet upon death.

Of course, the simplest way is for the Emperor to notice you before the Chaos Gods can snatch you, provided you possess enough value for Him to expend the power to save you.

In short, there are many methods, though all are somewhat demanding.

"The Emperor protects!"

A cry interrupted Arthur's train of thought.

It was light!

Arthur turned back, only to see a divine golden radiance emanating from the bodies of the Astra Militarum.

The Emperor? When did He arrive?