Warhammer [395-397] (Patreon)

Chapter 395:

That night, after Rhodes left, the two goddesses couldn't wait to begin studying the mysterious extra-dimensional energy crystals.

Now, both goddesses could even split their consciousness: Aisha used Lilith's body, while the Goddess of Life, Isha, used the body of a life giant.

When they conversed, each goddess used her own chaos divinity and life order divinity to put the two cosmic phantasmal beasts inside them to sleep.

Aisha picked up one of the extra-dimensional energy crystals and began to examine it closely. Ever since she temporarily detached from her chaos divinity by sealing it, she'd rarely used her chaos power, relying mainly on her divinity of love and beauty.

Order divinity was much weaker than chaos, but analyzing an energy crystal like this was still no problem.

"This is a very mysterious crystal! Its energy level is almost as strong as Warp energy. Moreover, clearly it comes from another dimension—similar to the Warp—but it can exist in solid form.

It can even form an extremely hard metal. Really, this is an excellent energy source," said Aisha.

"Isn't it? Rhodes was generous this time—he sent over 2,000 kg at once. Aisha, what do you plan to do with all these crystals?" Isha inquired.

"I have an idea. These extra-dimensional energy crystals might become a new power source for us. Let's split them half and half, and each try to absorb them," Aisha replied.

"If you're interested, you go ahead and absorb them! For me, my life divinity is already sufficient, plus with this giant's body I'm not afraid of anyone in realspace. I don't want to risk meddling with weird energies," said Isha.

Now in a giant's body, her life form was almost perfect, able to move freely between realspace and the Warp.

Her power was many times greater than ten thousand years ago. So why risk engaging with unknown energies?

She and Aisha were different. Aisha was determined to give up her chaos divinity and needed a new power to strengthen herself.

The cosmic phantasmal beast's power could only convert part of her chaos divinity into order divinity.

Even if she shed her chaos godhood, Aisha's power would plummet, dropping her from the rank of the Four Chaos Gods—she wouldn't be much stronger than the Goddess of Life.

Aisha's only trump cards were her soon-to-be-born divine child and Rhodes as her backer.

Chaos divinity was indeed incomparably strong—the most powerful force in the universe—but extremely restrictive and corrupting.

"Alright! Since you're so generous, I won't be polite. I really do need a new power to strengthen myself. Much of my chaos divinity has already been purified by the cosmic beast's power.

The longer I'm separated from my chaos divinity, the clearer my mind becomes. Since my birth over ten thousand years ago,

I feel like I was never in control—it was always the chaos godhood, and after being born, the four highest chaos godhoods seemed to develop self-awareness," Aisha said.

Chaos divinity was terrifying!

To rid herself of this evil, even if she became much weaker, she'd gladly accept it. She was once a goddess of love and beauty, but was corrupted into something else entirely!

At first, when she met Rhodes, she even tried to corrupt him. But the cosmic beast and her sister's order divinity allowed her to break free.

"Now you have partly freed yourself from chaos corruption. Things will get better. Soon, the War God Khaine will be resurrected, but I don't plan to tell him your true identity," Isha said.

Khaine's revival was only to attract the attention of Chaos, to act as a decoy, not to restore the Eldar.

"Isha, there's another thing I'm worried about. After I completely shed Slaanesh's godhood, it will pick a new host—another Slaanesh will be born!" Aisha said.

Such things must be guarded against. The chaos godhoods were self-aware. She could already sense Slaanesh's godhood was rejecting her, even starting to despise her.

"That's not good news. I thought we could finally get rid of a Chaos God," Isha said.

"It's not that easy. The Four Chaos Gods are immortal. Even if I shed Slaanesh's godhood, it will find a new host. We must be prepared for that," Aisha replied.

"You worry too much, Aisha. We're goddesses, not fighters. You were the bottom of the Four Chaos Gods for over ten thousand years!

Don't overthink it—just shed the godhood. If Slaanesh's godhood leaves you and chooses a new host, just let Rhodes deal with it.

Have a little faith in our man and divine son. We've put so much into raising this child—even if Slaanesh is reborn, he'll protect us!" Isha said.

 "Alright!" Aisha patted her belly. "It's all up to you, baby! Mommy is betting on you to beat up the new Slaanesh."

After their chat, Aisha began absorbing extra-dimensional energy, merging it with the cosmic beast's power and linking it to her order divinity.

She continued converting chaos power into order power. At least before losing Slaanesh's godhood, she planned to leech as much chaos power as possible.

…

A few days later, Elena's due date arrived. This time, the delivery room was set up right next to the Golden Throne, with the Emperor personally ensuring the child's safe birth.

All Custodian Guards were on duty, and Rhodes personally selected some Space Marines to stand guard.

The Grey Knights deployed a psychic defense around the Imperial Palace, securing it tightly against any Chaos interference.

Several older Hospitaller Sisters were helping Elena deliver.

Rhodes, Guilliman, Magnus, and Lelith all waited before the Golden Throne.

"Don't worry, Rhodes, I can sense Sister Elena's life signs—and the child's—are both very stable," Guilliman said.

"I'm still a bit nervous. After all, this is my firstborn!" Rhodes replied.

Elena was a super lifeform, and the cosmic beast's vast energy ensured the baby's safe birth, but Rhodes was still a little anxious!

After all these days of waiting—after two years in this world—his firstborn was finally arriving!

"Don't worry, every first-time father is nervous. Strictly speaking, you already have a bunch of offspring—your gene-sons," Magnus joked.

"Don't worry. With the Eldar Goddess of Life and my power, Elena will be 100% fine," the Emperor reassured.

This child was the hope of the Imperium—possibly the only one who could rival the Eldar-human hybrid. The Emperor would devote all his attention to this child!

"Let's talk about something else. I plan to create a new Legion," the Emperor said.

"A new Legion—for my son?" Rhodes asked.

The Emperor had mentioned forming a new Astartes Legion for his son.

So, the baby would soon have gene-sons of his own?

"Your son's legion will only be recruited when he's an adult, after we can extract a perfect gene-seed.

I'm talking about Deathwatch—a force specialized against Xenos," the Emperor explained.

Deathwatch was a unique force, established for 10,000 years, invaluable to the Imperium. Without them, many Xenos would threaten the Empire.

He and Guilliman previously considered disbanding Deathwatch, sending everyone back to their chapters.

But Deathwatch now numbered over 10,000, with gene-seed from all factions, including some of Rhodes' gene-sons.

After the discussion, he and Guilliman decided to keep Deathwatch as a training ground for all Astartes, to fight the enemies of the Empire.

Rhodes' son, unlike a gene-primarch, would only have stable genes upon adulthood.

So, unlike the primarchs, his gene-seed wouldn't be extracted in infancy to make his own Legion.

"That's fine by me. I agree," said Rhodes.

Deathwatch deserved its own legionary status.

Suddenly, cries of pain echoed from the delivery room beside the Golden Throne.

"Lady Elena! Please hang in there—you're about to give birth to humanity's hope!"

"He's almost here! Lady Elena, just a bit more!" the Hospitaller Sisters encouraged.

A loud baby's cry rang through the Imperial Palace.

All Space Marines, Custodians, and Grey Knights instantly knelt on one knee upon hearing the newborn's cry.

They celebrated the birth of the first naturally born gene-primarch in history.

Chapter 396:

That cry moved Rhodes deeply. Two years in this foreign Warhammer world, he'd survived with the help of a powerful system and risen to the top of the universe.

He had a family, a beloved, and now his first son!

Guilliman patted Rhodes' shoulder and gave a thumbs up.

"Congratulations, Rhodes! You're the first gene-primarch to have your own child! You're now a true father," Guilliman said.

Primarchs were destined to be lonely—created by the Emperor as ultimate weapons.

Though worshipped by all humanity, they were fundamentally different—almost a separate species.

Each primarch was unique and godlike; their souls were born from lesser gods!

"Thanks! If you want, I can find you a wife and turn her into a super lifeform like you—having kids is no problem," Rhodes said.

Mass-producing cosmic beasts was no issue. Even without them, pairing every primarch with a wife wasn't hard.

"If that's possible, so much the better!" the Emperor chimed in.

His goal was the evolution of all humanity. The primarchs he created were already perfect—if they could evolve further, becoming even stronger super lifeforms, all the better.

A new golden race could be born—a step above ordinary humans, but still human at their core.

If his plan worked, humanity would achieve a great ascension!

"I'll consider it. For now, humanity is still in peril in the galaxy—I'm not thinking about such things yet," Guilliman shook his head.

As a proper primarch, he never thought about things like that. Frankly, he was still a virgin!

There simply weren't any suitable women for primarchs—but Rhodes changed that!

"Maybe in the future, we can enjoy life and the feeling of being a real father," Magnus mused.

He found the prospect novel—and it was something he'd always wanted!

"Mother and child are fine! Congratulations, Lord Rhodes!" a Battle Sister came over, kneeling, and handed a black-haired, black-eyed baby to Rhodes.

The child looked typically Asian, with some slight Western features from Elena—high nose bridge and defined facial features, but clearly Rhodes' genes were dominant.

Rhodes gently took his son and lifted him overhead.

A powerful cry came from the baby, whose body was incredibly strong—even as a newborn, he was stronger than many super Space Marines.

The Emperor, using his psychic senses, verified that the baby was indeed excellent!

This child was even stronger than the primarchs at birth, and his soul far surpassed normal humans—though still a bit behind a minor god.

But with time, his soul would grow. He was, after all, a naturally born lifeform.

"How's Elena? Is she alright?" Rhodes asked.

"Don't worry, Lord Rhodes. The Lady is fine, just weak. After the birth, she saw the baby and asked me to bring him to you," the Sister replied.

"Thank you. Take him back to see his mother—he should be with her now," Rhodes said, returning his son.

The baby had been smacking his lips as if searching for food—the first thing a newborn should do!

Breastfeeding was crucial, especially for a super lifeform infant, who needed huge amounts of nutrition.

Elena's energy needs would be massive, so Rhodes had Yapool prepare cloned monster meat for her—far more nutritious than ordinary food.

The Sister nodded and took the baby back to Elena.

"Have you chosen a name for him, Rhodes? If you like, I'd be honored to name him!" the Emperor offered.

Many in the Imperium had names from ancient human heroes—even the primarchs inherited such names.

This child was so special, the Emperor even considered names like Caesar or Alexander.

To bestow a name was a great honor.

"Thanks, but I've already decided. I want to discuss it with Elena first," Rhodes replied, smiling and heading to the delivery room.

"Father, naming should be left to his real father. Don't butt in," Guilliman said, laughing.

"I wanted to give him a hero's name from Holy Terra," the Emperor sighed.

"Don't spoil a father's joy!" Magnus chimed in.

…

Inside the delivery room, Rhodes sat by Elena, looking at his wife with great tenderness.

"You've worked hard, Elena. Now you need to rest and recover—I've prepared highly nutritious food for you," Rhodes said.

Meats from Earth monsters: Red King, Gomora, Golza, Melba—all tens of thousands of times more nutritious than beef!

"Mm! Rhodes, have you decided on a name for our child?" Elena asked.

She was most concerned about her son's name!

"Stark! That's the name I chose. It means strong. He will the strongest human in the story!" Rhodes declared.

"Stark? Good, let's call him that! His name will one day echo throughout the galaxy," Elena replied.

As a mother, she hoped her son would become a great hero—maybe even surpass the other primarchs.

She also wanted her son to outdo Rhodes' other soon-to-be-born son!

She was irked by certain things—why was her child just a super lifeform, while the other was a divine child? Why should her son be lesser?

Just because the other woman was the Eldar goddess of life?

By Rhodes' calculations, the Eldar-human divine child wouldn't be born for another hundred years, so Stark had a century to catch up!

He must surpass his younger brother—to prove to that Eldar goddess that divine blood alone doesn't decide everything!

"Haha! You're wrong, my love. His name will echo not just through the galaxy, but the whole universe.

The galaxy is just a speck—his potential is not limited to a single universe, but the multiverse," Rhodes said.

With his system, Rhodes' future wasn't limited to one universe.

"Haha, I like the sound of that!" Elena giggled.

As the couple embraced, the baby in Elena's arms suddenly let out a loud cry.

A sky-blue light shone from him, and a red-and-blue divine dragon floated out of his body, then slowly slipped back in.

This red-and-blue phantasmal dragon radiated both intense heat and cold.

"Rh—Rhodes! Th-this is a cosmic beast!" Elena exclaimed in disbelief.

"It seems so! Cosmic Water Buffalo, come explain what's going on!" Rhodes called out to the cosmic buffalo in his system space.

Why did his son suddenly manifest a cosmic beast? And it looked so young!

A flash of crimson light, and the cosmic buffalo appeared in front of Rhodes.

After Rhodes explained, the buffalo joyfully examined the baby.

"This is a wonderful surprise! Master, congratulations! For some unknown reason, the two cosmic beasts' powers fused, birthing a new cosmic beast," the buffalo explained.

Elena had a cosmic beast, upgraded. Rhodes had one, plus some of his own power.

Both were super lifeforms, so by coincidence, the newborn had a symbiotic cosmic beast—a dragon with ice and fire powers.

A new cosmic beast, not artificially created, but born from this unique confluence.

"So, this is a good thing, right?" Rhodes asked.

"Absolutely! The cosmic beast will grow with your child. It's a high-level beast, born with mastery over fire and ice. Its future potential is at least as great as mine. It'll enhance your child's body and soul," the buffalo replied.

Rhodes nodded—the fire likely came from the cosmic fire phoenix Baton, and the ice from Elena's cosmic frost leopard!

So, it was like the child of those two beasts. But how could a leopard and a phoenix produce a dragon?

"Form doesn't matter, master. What matters is the power. Cosmic beasts don't have parents as humans do.

It was born because two beasts' powers fused, and Lady Elena was carrying a new life. By coincidence, a new beast was born with him. You can name it—it'll grow with your child," the buffalo explained.

"Well, since it has both fire and ice, let's call it the Cosmic Red-Ice Dragon!" Rhodes said.

Born with a cosmic beast, his eldest son's achievements would be no less than any divine child!

"No problem, master. It'll be called the Cosmic Red-Ice Dragon. This little guy is just born. In the future, let him absorb some cosmic beast power.

But before he's fully grown, don't try to use C'tan power—it's too dangerous," the buffalo warned.

"Of course, I know," Rhodes replied.

C'tan power was dangerous—he'd never risk his son's beast like that.

After a brief chat, Rhodes sent the buffalo back to the system space.

"My son is the best!" Elena cheered, hugging her child.

No one was happier than Elena—her son had a newborn cosmic beast inside him. Nothing could be more joyous!

After some time together, Rhodes had Elena's gene-daughters help her back to her residence.

The Frost Sister sisters were excited—the child was technically their gene-brother, but far superior in status.

This was a true gene-primarch!

Then came the time to notify all of Holy Terra, and the entire Imperium. All human worlds began to celebrate.

People cheered the birth of a new gene-primarch, and the Emperor himself decreed a tax cut across the Imperium, bringing tangible benefits to all citizens.

Chapter 397:

The newly rebuilt Imperial legions all sent congratulations to Rhodes!

Rhodes brought Elena to his secret lab, instructing Yapool and Balt to enlarge themselves and cook the prepared monster meat.

As for cooking methods, the best ingredients need only simple preparation—just sprinkle on spices and roast!

Elena transformed into a 50-meter giant, sat at a huge table, grabbed a chunk of Red King tail, and started chewing, her face lighting up in delight as she swallowed the meat.

On the table were not only Red King tail, but also Gomora tail and other Earth and cosmic monster meats.

"How does it taste?" Rhodes asked.

He was the only one who could afford to feed a super lifeform—feeding alone would break most people. Ordinary food couldn't satisfy them; cosmic energy was an option, but Warhammer cosmic energy was dangerous.

"Oh! I never imagined monster meat could taste this good," Elena said after swallowing.

"Which monster meat is best?" Rhodes asked.

"Golza's meat is too dry and tough, Melba's is like chewing a stick.

The best is Red King's tail, then Gomora's tail—Earth monster meat is far better than cosmic monster meat, which is barely edible and should be off the human menu!" Elena wiped her mouth.

She never thought Rhodes would feed her monster meat, but it was delicious—especially Red King's tail, with a bit of crunchy bone.

Of all the monsters, only the Earth ones were suitable for food; cosmic monsters were out.

"So, Earth monsters taste better—they're native, after all," Rhodes nodded.

"I'm full. After this meal, I probably won't need more nutrition for a long time."

Each time, she ate tens of thousands of tons of food—she couldn't believe she could digest it all!

Now, she felt full of power and energy.

"Eat more—once a day. You need enough milk for Stark, and don't forget he has a cosmic beast inside!" Rhodes said.

"Don't worry, I'll eat my fill. I'll head back now," Elena smiled, waving goodbye.

She needed to rest, enjoy her gene-daughters' care, and then help Rhodes deal with the Void Dragon C'tan shard.

"Master, the lady's condition is excellent. Your eldest son is growing very well," Yapool said, wiping his hands.

The monster meat they'd painstakingly cultivated, meant for making super beasts, was now all for the mistress' table.

"You'll be busy for a while," Rhodes smiled at his subordinates.

"Serving you is our honor, Lord Rhodes!"

After comforting his staff, Rhodes found Tartarus. For convenience, Tartarus had been traveling constantly.

He had to visit Rhodes' territory, report to Holy Terra, and observe the Octarius warzone.

"Tartarus, what's the situation in the Octarius sector?" Rhodes asked.

"Master, the Ork army is still marauding, liberating Ork worlds in Octarius. Regular Tyranids are no match for the Ork super-beasts.

Only the new Hive Tyrant Titans and giant motherships pose a threat, but Mefilas will help handle those," Tartarus reported.

He didn't know much about the future—his master in the future summoned him, gave no info, then sent him back in time using a time-travel ability fueled by the master's energy.

The last time-travel felt like a permanent loop.

"I might not have time to go to Octarius for years. Tartarus, keep an eye on things there with the Mefilas," Rhodes instructed.

Now he had to start preparing for the Indomitus Crusade. Originally, it should have happened a year after Guilliman's return to Terra.

But Rhodes' presence delayed it, as his scientists improved the Golden Throne, extending the Emperor's psychic light.

Although there was still an Imperial Dark Side, the front-facing Imperium was still under control, and some worlds on the edge were relit.

The Dark Side wasn't totally cut off, either—Horus occasionally sent information to Rhodes.

After fusing with the Black Giant, Horus could use the system space to communicate, sending real-time intel from the Dark Side.

Horus had taken over the Red Corsairs and was reclaiming human worlds, but not giving them to Chaos—just protecting them from Abaddon's forces.

The Imperium was gathering armies; only after the legions were rebuilt, the new armies upgraded and re-equipped, would the crusade begin.

This crusade would mainly target the Dark Side—on the front, as long as worlds could contact Terra, they stayed loyal.

Any rebellious worlds would be swiftly crushed by the newly rebuilt legions.

Some front worlds were under Tyranid invasion, or attacked by Xenos—these were Rhodes' real threats.

The Tyranids had tendrils beyond Baal and Octarius—other new Imperial regions had huge Leviathan tendrils.

Preparations for the crusade didn't need Rhodes' attention—Guilliman handled it. He just had to lead the army when the time came.

Another matter was also on the agenda: after Elena recovered, Rhodes, Elena, Guilliman, Magnus, and several Emperor avatars would go to Mars to fight the C'tan shards.

After defeating the C'tan, the cosmic beasts would devour its power and purify the dark energy.

"Understood, master. The Octarius sector isn't core—I'll keep watch," Tartarus replied.

…

Meanwhile, on a barren planet, a giant in green power armor stood five meters tall, with black skin and red eyes.

"My deal with the Emperor is done. Vulkan, you're resurrected. Now, the Emperor must keep his promise to revive our Eldar War God," said a Harlequin.

The Harlequin was being possessed by Cegorach, the Laughing God. After stealing Vulkan's soul from the Ork gods, he'd kept it safe.

Only recently did he take it to a human world and let Vulkan's soul re-enter a new clone body.

Such immortals, unless their souls were utterly destroyed, were undying—even if their bodies perished, they could resurrect in time.

Moreover, the Emperor gave him a primarch's clone body, fusing soul and flesh.

The Salamanders' primarch was finally reborn.

"I know. I haven't been back to the Imperium for millennia—I want to see it. I'll pass on your message to Father," Vulkan replied.

The Beast Wars ended seven or eight thousand years ago. After so long imprisoned by the Ork gods, he was finally free.

"I'll have my people take you to meet Eldar god Prophet Yvraine. They've gathered all of Khaine's soul fragments. Hopefully, this goes smoothly," said Cegorach.

Afterward, the Harlequin's eyes went dull—Cegorach's spirit had departed.

"Please, Lord Vulkan, I'll take you to meet Lady Yvraine and the other Farseers," said the Harlequin.

"Alright. Can you tell me about the current state of the Imperium?"

"Oh, things have changed a lot. Let's start from the beginning…"