The Grand Plan

"Of course, my old friend." Opening his eyes, Emperor spread his palms to show Gato the fruits of his journey into the Warp.

Twenty-one godheads of minor deities hovered above his palms, shimmering with faint, flickering light.

Colors swirled and flowed, illuminating the surrounding environment.

It was a stone chamber where the rough walls were carved with mysterious runes, and the floor bore the eight-pointed star—a symbol of the Warp and blasphemy—while Emperor sat cross-legged in the center.

The light of the minor gods dimmed the next moment; when a deity appeared in the material universe, its power was suppressed by the laws of physics, and its radiance was no longer as dazzling as it had been in the Warp.

One godhead, however, was strange; its light flared brilliantly, outshining all the others.

Emperor recognized it: a special existence, a red soul upon which the four gods had fixed their gaze.

Gato's frame was thin and lean, his back slightly hunched as he stood at Emperor's side.

Due to the influence of psychic power, Emperor's image in his eyes was glorious and magnificent, radiating a holy light, manifesting in the form Gato considered most perfect.

Gato's fingertips brushed the Aquila Scepter; his expression was slightly tense, the muscles beneath his high nose bridge pulled tight, and his nasolabial folds deepened as his lips twitched.

His eyes shone beneath the hood of his linen robe as he lowered his voice to ask Emperor: "What is this?"

As a psyker—a very powerful one at that—Gato knew well.

The great powers of the Warp, even the high and mighty Chaos Gods, had their power suppressed by physical laws in the material universe, their strength weakened without limit.

Yet the red soul seemed entirely unaffected by reality, a miraculous display that defied the nature of the Warp—it was highly anomalous.

Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze scrutinizing the red soul: "A special existence, the only condition the four gods set during our trade."

With that, Emperor voluntarily let his dazzling psychic radiance fade, revealing the image of a weary middle-aged man.

He wore a white robe, the collar, cuffs, and hem lined with gold thread.

He wore an olive wreath upon his head, his long black hair falling to his chest; every line of his noble face was clearly visible, his brow ridges prominent, his eyes emitting holy light, and his nasolabial folds were long and thin, a look of exhaustion hanging upon his noble cheeks.

To face the four gods directly was an inhuman feat; the four gods possessed infinite evil energy, and they would erode external things silently and invisibly.

The power of the Warp gods was partly about world-destroying might, but what was more terrifying was the pervasive, seamless corruption of the Warp.

"Can it not be destroyed?" Gato's brows locked together, orange psychic flames igniting from his left hand and spreading to the scepter he gripped tightly.

The Aquila sculpture at the top of the scepter stood firm in the flames like a phoenix rising from the ashes, wings spread as if to take flight, while the unpredictable psychic power condensed into a written symbol in his hand.

That was a "Sigillite," a symbol Gato had created to harness psychic power, a force exclusive to him that also symbolized his identity.

The immortals among humanity called him "Sigillite Gato."

Opening his right hand, red psychic light coiled like silk along his five fingers, condensing in his palm into a mark representing "destruction."

Gato's narrow eyes squinted further, fully prepared; at Emperor's command, he would thoroughly annihilate this unclean thing from the Warp.

Anything forced upon them by the four gods was never a good thing; to avoid further variables, destroying it was the superior strategy, the safest course of action.

Emperor stared at his old friend, slowly shaking his head, and raised a hand to press down on Gato's, extinguishing the destruction Sigillite without a trace.

Deep helplessness showed in his weary eyes: "I cannot break the contract, at least not now. It is part of the trade, the only requirement the four gods made."

"It must be born in the material universe; as for what it is, I do not know."

Emperor paused, thought for a moment, and added: "Perhaps even the four gods do not know what it is."

"That is truly a great trouble, my friend." Gato also gave a bitter, shaking smile, his face flickering in the light and shadow of the scepter's flames.

This was the helplessness of Emperor and Gato, and it was also the predicament of the Imperium of Man.

If humanity wished to return to the deep cosmos, complete a great renaissance, and reclaim the galaxy from the xenos, it had to cooperate with the powers of the Warp.

Even though cooperation with the Warp was no different than quenching thirst with chronic poison, humanity had to drink that cup of poison.

Humanity was about to die of thirst; what future could they talk about otherwise?

The constant storms in the Warp had been blown away by the birth of Slaanesh, creating a window of safe Warp travel.

Emperor had to seize the opportunity to reunite humanity.

The massive plan required the support of the four gods; violating the contract now was not a wise choice.

"Let us go. They may be growing impatient. We must race against time; time is not on our side." Emperor shook his head, slowly rising, and walked out of the stone chamber on his bare feet.

With the trade with the Warp successful, Emperor had already taken the first step in his great plan.

From now on, they must race against time, reclaiming the galaxy and reorganizing the human race within a short period, before the gods could perceive the true plan.

Humanity would once again depart from Terra, striding toward the galaxy.

"Indeed, time waits for no one."

Gato casually cast a mark that merged into the stone wall, and the seamless chamber opened a crack, light streaming in and causing both men to squint instinctively.

Shadows flickered outside the door, and a deep male voice shouted, unable to hide his excitement:

"My Lord has returned safely; it seems everything went smoothly."

Emperor walked out of the room, with Gato following closely behind.

The two revealed smiles and nodded gently; the great plan they had mapped out had taken its critical first step, obtaining the most essential raw material from the Warp.

Standing outside the door were two figures, one tall and one short, the taller a man over three meters in height, perhaps even taller, who could be regarded as a "giant."

Beside him stood a woman of slender build, possessing an air of extraordinary elegance and beauty.

The man had a sharp, resolute face, his formidable frame encased in golden power armor.

This power armor was the pinnacle of human technology, providing not only immense protection but also augmenting the wearer's strength.

The armor worn by the man was exquisitely ornate; the chest plate featured a relief of lightning bolts topped with an "Aquila," the symbol of the Imperium of Man, its wings spread wide as if ready to take flight. The pauldrons were carved with massive, shimmering golden eagle wings, every feather meticulously crafted with the artisan's full devotion.

The arm guards, bracers, thigh plates, and greaves were inlaid with pebble-sized gemstones and engraved with intricate, beautiful reliefs.

Without a doubt, the giant was worthy of this magnificent armor; his eyes were filled with unquestionable resolve, his sharp features stern and noble.

The man complemented the golden armor, and the golden armor complemented the man.

Looking at his left hand, he rested it upon a primitive-looking spear, which stood in stark contrast to the ornate gold armor.

The golden shaft served as the spine, while the spearhead housed a "Bolter," a "barbaric weapon" that fired large-caliber self-propelling rounds. Below the Bolter, a blade rose from the grip and curved toward the tip of the weapon.

It was gleaming and polished. Runes were etched into the Bolter's casing, and inscriptions were carved into the cold, sharp blade.

This primitive spear was no ordinary weapon; it had been forged by Emperor himself and possessed incredible, extraordinary abilities, bestowed specifically upon the Captain-General of the Custodian Guard.

The Guardian Spear contained an internal disruption field; once activated, it could disintegrate whatever it struck at a molecular level, a display of terrifying power.

The giant's power armor was exceptionally ornate, the golden exterior covered in exquisite reliefs that made it look like a work of art, where beauty and power coexisted.

The woman standing beside the magnificent giant was beautiful, with flowing hair, emerald-green eyes, slender and elegant eyebrows, a refined, straight nose, and full, rosy lips.

Draped in a white courtly silk robe, her charm was boundless, radiating a noble, elegant, and sacred beauty as she watched the two figures emerge from the stone chamber with a smile.

The giant was Constantin Valdor, a talent Emperor had traveled vast distances to seek out, appointed as the Captain-General of the Custodian Guard for the nascent Imperium of Man.

He was the most powerful and loyal servant at Emperor's side.

Constantin Valdor and his Custodian subordinates were masterpieces of genetic engineering, created by the Master of Mankind using "Bio-alchemy" combined with his own genes.

They were unaffected by the Warp, possessed no psychic talent, were insulated from Warp influence to a certain degree, and held an extremely high resistance to psychic powers.

Bio-alchemy also unleashed the potential held within every cell of the Custodians' bodies on another level, developing their capabilities to the absolute limit.

Emperor's great technology reshaped the Custodians in both soul and body, molding the frail human form into the pinnacle of combat prowess in the material universe.

They moved with lightning speed, and the velocity at which they wielded their Guardian Spear reached the physical limit of any creature in the material universe.

In a single second, an unarmored Custodian could tear an entire platoon of fully armed ordinary men to pieces with his bare hands.

The endurance of the Custodians was even more astonishing; they could engage in high-intensity combat for days and nights without sleep or rest, and even then, they would not feel fatigue.

Theoretically, the Custodians could kill every living creature in the material universe.

Constantin Valdor was the pinnacle of martial prowess among the Custodians, having risen above his many peers to be elected to the position of "Captain-General."

When Emperor rose to power, Valdor stood by his side, witnessing every conquest and all the dark, hidden secrets.

The woman was named Erda, a close friend of Emperor and a Perpetual.

She had existed on ancient Terra since the moment humanity stepped into civilization.

Like many Perpetuals, Erda hid among the human population, playing her role throughout history and silently guarding and guiding the development of human civilization.

She had known Emperor since the distant past and had even spent a long time together; in those days, they were as close as water and milk, intimate and inseparable.

When Emperor launched the Unification Wars and prepared to conquer Terra, Erda allied with him to realize the grand vision of restoring humanity.

As Emperor led his armies to war, Erda served as his intimate advisor, offering strategies, persuading city-states to surrender, and helping to defeat stubborn enemies.

Emperor trusted and valued them both highly, and the two of them devoted themselves to assisting Emperor in unifying Terra, working together to build the framework of the nascent Imperium of Man in support of a grander plan for the future.

Yes, Emperor had a grand vision.

He would establish an Imperium of Man that spanned the galaxy and settle accounts with all of humanity's enemies.

What they were doing now was obtaining the power to conquer the galaxy from the gods of the Warp.

"Let us go, my servant," Emperor said, spreading his palms to display the souls within, their light dimmed yet still dazzling.

He spoke solemnly to Erda: "To the laboratory; we must anchor them in reality immediately. Without a vessel for too long, they will return to the Warp."