Devouring the Power of the Warp

(My body... yearns to devour this Warp energy? Is this a trait of the Vitruum people?

Or is it potential I possessed as a Primarch all along, but which was never awakened?)

Guilliman's thoughts raced.

(No, it is most likely a new mutation born from the combination of both!

Vitruum's Smart Atoms, creations at the pinnacle of materialism, fused with my Primarch's Warp essence—this should have greatly enhanced my ability to interfere with the Warp as well!

The only question is, to what extent can I interfere with it...)

Without the slightest hesitation, Guilliman yielded to the craving within him.

He took a step forward and walked straight into the blue mist of energy that was trying to escape.

Like a giant whale drawing in water, or a black hole capturing light.

The blue smoke that had been about to return to the Warp touched Guilliman's body.

Then an invisible, powerful suction force dragged it in by force, and it poured madly into his body like countless rivers flowing into the sea!

The energy mist seemed to retain the daemon's final flicker of terrified psychic intent.

It struggled and twisted, trying to escape this unnatural devouring, but everything was futile.

Within only a few breaths, all the blue smoke was completely devoured by Guilliman, leaving not a trace behind.

A vast, pure sensation of energy instantly flooded Guilliman's limbs and body!

He could clearly feel that his strength had truly increased by a fraction!

Both physically and mentally.

Though the increase was not dramatic—perhaps only one-thousandth stronger than before—it was genuine progress!

(That Tzeentch daemon just now was far weaker than a Greater Daemon, probably only comparable to a Primaris Space Marine...

Devouring someone like that actually increased my strength by one-thousandth?!)

Guilliman was shaken to the core.

(My body can now directly absorb and digest Warp energy to strengthen itself?!)

He understood all too clearly what this meant.

In the cruel universe of Warhammer 40,000, paths to greater power were exceedingly limited and came at a steep price.

If mortals wanted to transcend themselves, they either had to endure the near-fatal Astartes transformation or fall into Chaos and embrace its twisted blessings.

As for Primarchs like them, they had already reached the pinnacle of biological power. Taking another step forward was as difficult as reaching the heavens!

They either had to completely awaken and master their dangerous Warp essence, or... that was seemingly the end of the road.

Their power had been given an insurmountable upper limit by the Emperor from the moment they were born.

But now, Guilliman saw an unprecedented new path filled with limitless possibilities!

His body had become a furnace capable of digesting Warp energy and turning it into nourishment for himself!

Not only that, after devouring that Tzeentch daemon, he felt as though fragments of knowledge and the rudiments of power had appeared within him.

With a slight shift of thought, a wondrous sensation surfaced.

He lightly beckoned to an Ultramarine nearby who was watching curiously.

At his command, the golden glow of Smart Atoms in his palm intertwined and flickered with a thread of newly acquired blue psychic energy.

The Ultramarine immediately felt an invisible force wrap around him, and his body floated several steps toward Guilliman against his will!

But he was, after all, a warrior forged through countless trials. He immediately let out a low roar as the servos of his power armor thundered.

Relying on his formidable physical strength and will, he forcibly resisted the pulling force and steadied himself.

Guilliman lowered his hand at the right moment.

(If I unleash that tiny bit of newly gained psychic power with all my strength, I can probably toss around one or two ordinary Space Marines at will.

*But I still cannot completely suppress them or perform more precise manipulation.)

But this was already tremendous news!

He had gone from a "physical-type" Primarch with virtually no psychic talent to a Primarch capable of initially wielding psychic arts—a "warrior-mage" Primarch!

This was undoubtedly a qualitative leap!

(In the end, the power of the material universe has limits.

No matter how strong the Vitruum people are, rashly charging into the chaotic depths of the Warp and facing the true forms of the four Chaos Gods would still be almost certainly fatal.)

Guilliman's gaze grew ever brighter, like a burning star.

(But if... if I, Guilliman, can continuously hunt Warp creatures, seize their power and essence, and endlessly strengthen myself...

Then one day, perhaps I too can grow to stand on equal footing with those Chaos Gods—or even surpass them!)

The temptation of power was eternal.

Who would ever complain about being too strong?

In the material universe, Guilliman was confident that he already stood among the strongest.

Yet above him still loomed terrifying beings like the C'tan, incarnations of the laws of the universe themselves.

The Vitruum people were powerful, but compared to complete C'tan capable of freely manipulating the laws of physics, they were likely still inferior.

(But if... my Warp essence becomes powerful enough to rival the Chaos Gods, and I can move freely through the material world, imposing the power of the mind upon reality...

Then the laws controlled by the C'tan may not be as broad as the "influence" I can exert!)

At that thought, a clear strategy took shape in his mind.

(It seems that even if I obtain a faster-than-light engine in the future and can avoid Warp travel...

For me, journeys through the Warp must never be abandoned!)

(Only by actively venturing deep into that realm of chaos can I seize the initiative in hunting, find and destroy more Warp creatures, and absorb their power!)

After all, the great Warp had no shortage of Chaos, daemons, or the energy of the Chaos Gods!

A blood-soaked path toward the supreme divine throne, paved with daemon corpses, seemed to slowly unfold before Guilliman's eyes.

Inside Macragge's guest chambers, an aura of luxury washed over the senses.

The walls were set with rare gemstones from the Five Hundred Worlds.

Soft light streamed through carved crystal lattice windows, bathing the room in a glittering radiance.

Every detail reflected the host's utmost regard for his visitor.

Yvraine awoke upon a broad platinum bed covered in snow-white goose-down bedding.

Her snow-white hair spilled over her smooth shoulders like a waterfall.

Her deep green eyes, as tranquil as an abyssal pool, slowly opened, carrying the Eldar's distinctive calm and detachment.

She peacefully surveyed this room belonging to humans, yet one that rarely suited her aesthetic tastes.

She had remained on this blue planet for a week already.

According to the original plan, after completing her mission of awakening Guilliman, she would observe for at most another two months before quietly departing and returning to the star regions belonging to the Eldar.

But now, she felt that the plan needed to change.