The Great Plan

"Of course, my old friend." Opening his eyes, the Emperor spread his palms and showed Malcador the fruits of his journey into the Warp.

Twenty-one Lesser God godheads floated above his palm, gently swaying as they emitted faint glimmers.

A kaleidoscope of colors flowed and shifted, illuminating the surrounding space.

It was a stone chamber. All manner of mysterious runes had been carved into the rough rock walls, while an eight-pointed star representing the Warp and blasphemy had been etched into the floor. The Emperor sat cross-legged at its center.

The Lesser Gods' radiance dimmed the next moment. When gods appeared in the material universe, their power was suppressed by the laws of reality, and their light could no longer compare to the brilliance they possessed within the Warp.

One godhead among them was strange, however. Its light blazed brightly, outshining every other godhead around it.

The Emperor recognized it: a unique existence, a red soul watched over by the Four Chaos Gods.

Malcador was lean and tall, though his back was somewhat stooped. He stood at the Emperor's side.

Under the influence of psychic power, the Emperor appeared radiant and majestic in his eyes, giving off a holy glow and presenting himself in the most perfect form Malcador could imagine.

His fingertips lightly rubbed the Aquila Scepter as Malcador's expression grew somewhat tense. The muscles beneath his high nose bridge were drawn taut, and when the corners of his lips twitched, the lines beside his mouth appeared especially deep.

His eyes gleamed beneath the hood of his flaxen robe as he lowered his voice and asked the Emperor, "What is that?"

As a psyker—and an exceptionally powerful one—Malcador knew very well.

Even the great powers of the Warp, even the lofty Chaos Gods, had their power suppressed by the laws of physics in the material universe, their strength weakened without limit.

The red soul seemed entirely unaffected by reality. Its extraordinary behavior violated the nature of the Warp and was highly abnormal.

The Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze examining the red soul. "A special existence. The only condition the Four Chaos Gods proposed in the bargain."

As he spoke, the Emperor deliberately dispersed his dazzling psychic radiance, revealing the image of a weathered middle-aged man.

He wore a white robe, its collar, cuffs, and hem trimmed with gold thread.

An olive laurel wreath rested on his head, and long black hair fell to his chest. Every line of his noble face was clear: prominent brow ridges, eyes that shone with holy light, thin lines beside his nose, and weariness hanging over his distinguished cheeks.

Facing the Four Chaos Gods was no act for mortals. Their evil power was limitless, and they could silently corrupt all things around them.

The destructive might of the Warp's Chaos Gods was only one aspect of their terror. Far more frightening was the Warp's all-pervading corruption.

"Can't we destroy it?" Malcador frowned deeply as orange-red psychic flames ignited in his left hand and spread across the scepter clenched in it.

The Aquila sculpture atop the scepter stood firm within the flames like a phoenix reborn from fire, spreading its wings as though about to take flight. Ever-changing psychic energy gathered in his hand and formed a written symbol.

That was the Sigillite, a symbol Malcador had created to wield psychic power. It was a power unique to him and a mark of his identity.

The immortals among humanity called him "Sigillite Malcador."

His right hand opened, and red psychic light curled up his five fingers like threads of silk, condensing in his palm into a mark representing "destruction."

Malcador narrowed his long, narrow eyes even further and made every preparation. At a single command from the Emperor, he would utterly destroy this unclean thing of the Warp.

Anything imposed by the Four Chaos Gods could not possibly be good. To avoid further complications, destroying it was the best and safest option.

The Emperor gazed at his old friend, slowly shook his head, and raised a hand to press down on Malcador's. Without leaving a trace, he extinguished the Sigillite of destruction.

Deep helplessness showed in his weary eyes. "I cannot violate the pact. At least, not yet. It is part of the transaction, the Four Chaos Gods' only demand."

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

The Emperor paused, considered it for a moment, then added, "Perhaps the Four Chaos Gods do not know what it is either."

"That truly is a great trouble, my friend." Malcador gave the same bitter smile and shook his head, his face flickering between light and shadow in the glow of the scepter's flames.

This was the helplessness of the Emperor and Malcador, as well as the dilemma facing the Imperium of Man.

If humanity wished to return to the depths of space, achieve a great revival, and reclaim the galaxy from the xenos, it had to cooperate with the great powers of the Warp.

Even if working with the Warp was no different from drinking slow poison to quench thirst, humanity still had to drink that cup of poison.

Humanity was about to die of thirst. What future could it possibly speak of?

The ceaseless storms in the Warp had been scattered by Slaanesh's birth, creating a window for safe Warp travel.

The Emperor had to seize this opportunity to reunify humanity.

His vast plan required the support of the Four Chaos Gods. Breaking the pact now would not be a wise choice.

"Come. They may be getting impatient. We must race against time; time is not on our side." The Emperor shook his head, slowly rose to his feet, and left the stone chamber barefoot.

With the Warp bargain complete, the Emperor had successfully taken the first step in his great plan.

From this moment onward, every second counted. Before the gods discovered his true plan, he had to restore the galaxy and reorganize humanity in the shortest possible time.

Humanity would once again set out from Terra and stride into the galaxy.

"Yes. Time waits for no one."

Malcador casually cast a mark into the stone wall. The perfectly sealed chamber opened along a narrow crack, and light streamed through it, making both men instinctively squint.

Shadows shifted beyond the door, and a deep male voice cried out, unable to conceal its excitement:

"My lord has returned safely. It seems everything went smoothly."

The Emperor stepped through the doorway, with Malcador close behind him.

The two smiled and nodded gently. Their great plan had taken its crucial first step, obtaining the most important materials from the Warp.

Outside stood one tall figure and one short one: a man over three meters tall—perhaps even taller—who could be called a giant.

And beside him stood a beautiful woman with a slender figure and an extraordinarily elegant bearing.

The man's face was handsome and resolute, and his imposing body was clad in golden power armor.

Power armor was the crystallization of human technology. It not only offered powerful protection, but also enhanced its wearer's strength.

The power armor worn by this man was exceptionally gorgeous and exquisite. A lightning relief covered its chest, upon which was cast an Aquila, symbol of the Imperium, its wings spread wide as though ready to soar. Vast golden eagle wings were carved into the shoulder guards, every feather finely wrought with the full devotion of its maker.

Its arm guards, bracers, greaves, shin guards, and other major pieces were set with gemstones the size of pebbles and engraved with ornate reliefs.

Without question, the giant was worthy of such magnificent armor. His eyes were filled with unquestionable resolve, while his handsome face was solemn and noble.

The man suited the golden armor, and the golden armor set off the man.

In his left hand, he held an ancient spear, standing in stark contrast to his ornate golden armor.

Its golden shaft formed its spine, while a Bolter was mounted at its head—a "primitive weapon" that fired large-caliber self-explosive ammunition. Beneath the Bolter lay a spear blade that rose from the grip along the shaft to the weapon's front.

It gleamed brightly. Runes were carved into the Bolter's body, while markings were etched into the chilling blade.

The ancient spear was no ordinary weapon. Forged by the Emperor's own hand, it possessed incredible supernatural abilities and had been bestowed specifically upon the commander of the Custodes.

The spear contained a Disruption Field. Once activated, it could disintegrate anything it struck at the molecular level, making it immensely powerful.

The giant's power armor was exceedingly magnificent, its golden exterior engraved with exquisite reliefs like a work of art where beauty and strength coexisted.

The woman standing beside the resplendent giant was beautiful, with smooth long hair and emerald-green eyes, slender elegant brows, a refined high nose bridge, and full rosy lips.

A white silk court robe draped over her body. Her charm could not be contained, and she possessed a noble, sacred elegance as she smiled at the two emerging from the stone chamber.

The male giant was Constantin Valdor, a talent the Emperor had traveled great distances to find, appointed as commander of the Custodes of the newborn Imperium.

He was the Emperor's strongest and most loyal servant.

Constantin Valdor and his Custodes subordinates were masterpieces of genetic engineering created by the Master of Mankind through Bio-alchemy combined with his own genes.

Unaffected by the Warp, they possessed absolutely no psychic talent. To a certain extent, they were insulated from the Warp's influence and had extraordinarily high resistance to psychic power.

Bio-alchemy had also completely unlocked the potential contained within every cell of a Custodes' body, developing that potential to its utmost limit.

Through the Emperor's great technology, the Custodes were remade in body and soul, transforming humanity's weak flesh into the pinnacle of combat power within the material universe.

They moved as swiftly as lightning, and the speed with which they wielded Guardian Spears reached the limit attainable by living beings in the physical universe.

In a single second, one unarmored Custodes could tear apart an entire company of fully armed ordinary humans with his bare hands.

The Custodes' endurance was even more astonishing. Days and nights of uninterrupted high-intensity combat could not even make a Custodes feel fatigued.

In theory, the Custodes could kill every living creature in the material universe.

Constantin Valdor was among the foremost warriors of the Custodes. He had stood out from countless comrades and been chosen as their commander.

When the Emperor rose to power, Valdor stood at his side, witnessing every conquest and every dark secret.

The woman was named Erda. She was a friend of the Emperor and an immortal.

She had already existed upon ancient Terra when humanity first entered civilization.

Like many immortals, Erda hid among humanity, playing her role throughout history and silently protecting and guiding the development of human civilization.

She had known the Emperor since ancient times and had even spent a long time with him. Back then, they had been inseparable and intimately close.

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

As the Emperor led his armies into battle in every direction, Erda served as his close adviser, offering strategies, persuading city-states to surrender, and helping defeat stubborn enemies.

The Emperor trusted and valued them both deeply, and they in turn devoted themselves to helping him unify Terra. To support the greater plans they held for the future, the three of them jointly established the framework of the newborn Imperium.

Yes, the Emperor possessed a great vision.

He would establish a human Imperium spanning the galaxy and settle accounts with all enemies of humanity.

What he was doing now was obtaining from the gods of the Warp the power needed to conquer the galaxy.

"Come, my servants." The Emperor spread his palms, revealing the souls in them. Their glow had faded, yet they remained brilliantly dazzling.

He solemnly said to Erda, "To the laboratory. We must anchor them in reality immediately. Without vessels for too long, they will return to the Warp."