Within the deep, mysterious breach in the Warp, the Sword of the Void had barely left the Warp Route before assuming a formidable combat posture. The weapons systems atop the ship activated instantly.
However, the targets of the Sword of the Void's test this time were not ordinary Chaos Warships.
Below, Longlin Star radiated a chilling glow of Warp power. Layers of eerie halos surrounded the planet, like a summons from the abyss. This planet was the Sword of the Void's target.
Inside the ship, the enormous Gray-Black Psychic Crystal slowly activated. As energy poured into it, psychic patterns within the crystal began to flicker and shift as though alive.
Vast psychic power surged like a raging tide, erupting into a dazzling pillar of light from the Sword of the Void's prow. The gray-black beam held boundless power, its radiance so intense that no one present could look directly at it.
Even Cawl, a veteran of countless battles who had witnessed all manner of strange phenomena, felt a faint surge of despair the instant he saw the beam through the warship's sensors via the Throne Mechanicum.
Psychic power's unique ability to affect the mind was laid bare at that moment. Like an invisible blade, it pierced deep into everyone's soul, seeking to crush all resistance on a mental level.
But Cawl was still Cawl. He swiftly shook off that brief emotional disturbance and issued the most appropriate orders.
All Imperial Ships and Adeptus Mechanicus vessels responded, their heavy viewport armor plates slowly sliding shut.
This armor had originally been fitted to prevent mortals from going mad at the sight of the Warp's twisted vistas during transit. Now, it became the first line of defense against mortals seeing that gray-black beam of despair.
Even after the armor blocked the view, Cawl