Warhammer [449-451] (Patreon)

Chapter 449: 

Watching the colossal mothership depart Terra, Roboute Guilliman couldn't help but feel a lingering worry.

"Father, are you sure this is alright? After all, that guy is the most unique of the Necron Overlords—his combat power is on par with a major Necron dynasty, if not greater."

"No need to worry. Trust in Rhodes's strength, believe in his ability to accomplish this, and then wait patiently," the Emperor replied with a smile.

The Emperor wasn't particularly concerned about Rhodes going alone to subdue a Necron Overlord. Rhodes had already taken down a minor dynasty before, so this time shouldn't be much of a problem.

Rhodes's combat ability had been growing steadily. Times had changed; the Imperium itself, under Rhodes's help, had reached an unprecedented peak. Its military potential now far exceeded what it had been ten thousand years ago.

"I still think it'd be better to have the Lion, or Sanguinius, accompany him. Rhodes is far too important to the Imperium. Losing him would be disastrous beyond imagining," Guilliman said.

"I used to think like you. I never trusted you all to handle things on your own, I always wanted power in my own hands. But now I understand—sometimes, I have to let go. When I sat upon the Golden Throne, I thought the Imperium would be lucky to last a few centuries.

When one after another of you fell asleep, vanished, or went into hiding, I thought the Imperium was finished. But it survived for ten thousand years.

Time has proven me wrong. Humanity always finds a new path. Even in these darkest hours, someone will stand up for mankind."

"Let's hope so. The world, ten millennia after your era, is so much worse. When I first awoke, I was nearly in despair—I even blamed you, wishing it had been me who died instead of Sanguinius," Guilliman admitted.

Many say Roboute Guilliman thirsted for power, even secretly building a Second Imperium. But back then, when he and Sanguinius and the Lion founded it, it was under the assumption the Emperor was dead.

He never made himself Emperor, instead elevating Sanguinius to the throne. Later, they realized everything they'd done had been a joke.

If only he'd arrived at Holy Terra with his fleet a bit sooner, perhaps none of it would have happened!

"Don't overthink it. You could never have reached the battlefield in time. Anything you could think of, Horus could as well. Even under the sway of the four Chaos Gods, he was still a Warmaster.

As for Rhodes, the reason I'm letting him go alone is because his power far surpasses what Horus wielded ten thousand years ago, and he will never be tempted by Chaos."

"You really do have faith in him. Let's hope he returns victorious," Guilliman nodded.

…

Aboard the Pedan mothership, Rhodes was in his room carefully wiping his hands, taking a deep breath, and eyeing the little gift box floating in the air.

This was a gift from the Advanced System Shop—surely it had to contain something amazing. He'd even bathed and changed clothes just to open it!

"Rhodes, what on earth are you doing?" Aisha frowned, watching him.

"You don't understand. This is about luck. Doing this increases my chances!" Rhodes replied.

"You just want to boost your luck, right? You should've told me. I can help," Aisha said, rolling her eyes as she sat on the bed.

After all that, all he wanted was luck? As a Chaos God, now also wielding Order's power, she could easily cast a blessing to increase his luck.

"You can cast luck spells?" Rhodes asked.

"Of course! Don't underestimate me—I am, after all, an Eldar goddess."

"Oh! Then let's try it!" Rhodes nodded.

Aisha stood up, hands glowing with violet light, and gently touched Rhodes. Instantly, Rhodes felt invigorated, filled with an indescribable sensation.

"All done—I've boosted your luck. Right now, you're the luckiest human alive. Do whatever you want!" Aisha said.

"Alright!" Rhodes nodded, finally opening the system gift pack he'd saved from his hundred-draw.

After opening it, the system shop's chime sounded.

[Host has received: One free Advanced Shop monster of your choice. You may select any monster from the shop—basic, intermediate, or advanced—and draw it for free.]

Pick any monster at all! This was huge—worth more than a hundred draws, even two! And those didn't let you pick, while this one did.

Excited, Rhodes clenched his fist and spun Aisha around in a hug.

"Looks like your luck paid off—what did you get?" Aisha asked with a sly smile.

Having followed Rhodes for years, she knew he'd get all sorts of rewards from odd places. But this time, whatever he'd gotten was clearly exceptional.

He'd never been this excited.

"It's great stuff. This time, I can get a super-powerful subordinate," Rhodes said, clapping his hands.

"Oh? Stronger than Tartarus?" Aisha asked.

"Not quite."

Tartarus was top-tier—costing ten billion system coins to unlock the ultimate shop, then three billion more to buy him. Monsters of Tartarus' class were rare boss-level types—even among Ultraman monsters, there were only a few stronger.

In the advanced shop, only the bosses from the Gamera, some movie bosses like Ultimate Super Beast, Five Emperor Monarch, Black Mephisto, Evil Tiga, Evil Trigger, and the Ultra Ancient Dark Giants could compare.

"So, what type will you choose? Maybe I can give you some advice," Aisha said.

This Necron Overlord was just an appetizer. In the future, Rhodes would face Nurgle, who she sensed would go all out this time.

To counter Nurgle, you'd need someone with holy, light, or life powers for a perfect counter.

"This time, since it's a Necron Overlord, I'm going to summon someone with mastery over space-time abilities," Rhodes said.

Time and space talents always held the initiative—they were the ultimate all-rounders.

"You already have people like that. The Overlord isn't really a problem. What you should be thinking about is the Chaos Gods, and the first to come after you will definitely be Nurgle," Aisha reminded him. "You should be more worried about Nurgle than that Necron Overlord!"

There's no grudge greater than stealing Isha—Nurgle will be after him with everything he's got!

The news about the goddess of life was out, but Rhodes's divine offspring was still secret.

Only the Emperor and Primarchs knew in the Imperium; among the Eldar, only the Phoenix King's seers, the Death God, and the Laughing God knew.

But with so many in the know, it was only a matter of time before Nurgle found out—after all, the Chaos Gods' reach was everywhere. Rhodes may think he's hidden it well, but they know everything.

As a peer, Aisha knew full well how far Nurgle's spies extended. Full preparations were a must—this time, Nurgle might go after Rhodes, not the Emperor.

"Nurgle! You're right. Now your identity is exposed, and you're carrying my divine child—Nurgle's face will be something to see!" Rhodes laughed.

Anyway, Nurgle's face is already green; turning him even greener shouldn't matter. Besides, he's always been after Isha but never got anywhere. So picking the right monster was crucial.

"Among the Chaos Gods, Nurgle's power is second only to Khorne. To counter him, pick someone with holy, light, or life energy," Aisha advised.

With Tartarus, Rhodes's new subordinate, and herself, plus the Emperor, it would be four on one—Nurgle wouldn't stand a chance!

"Speaking of light, there is one candidate," Rhodes said.

In the system, there was a unique light monster from the Jack TV series.

But as a Showa-era monster, its value was only 100,000 points. Though it had light power, it couldn't move or fight well—not especially strong.

The only other suitable light monster was the Angel of Ruin, Zog. Though only her first form, her presence and intimidation were far beyond her second.

With Zog's power, maybe even Dark Giants could be evolved—she could recharge Gaia and Agul, after all.

Rhodes explained Zog's abilities to Aisha.

"Angel of Ruin! Power of both light and dark! She can become a tall female angel, or a fierce dragon!" Aisha said in amazement.

She'd never heard of anything wielding both light and darkness.

"Exactly! Her light is incredibly strong, and I can boost her further," Rhodes said. 

"She sounds perfect. Her light power should be able to counter Nurgle," Aisha nodded.

"I have another option—a former Giant of Light whose core is still light, but who absorbed the power of the cosmic Chaos God Grimdo and sealed it inside himself," Rhodes said.

Rhodes had found something special in the advanced shop—a top researcher from the Land of Light's Blue Tribe, besides Hikari: the famous Tregear!

His research abilities matched Hikari, plus he had the Land of Light's black tech. Invaluable!

Land of Light's black tech was formidable.

Having Tregear in the shop was a happy surprise. Technically, he wasn't a Dark Giant, but a Giant of Light; he only became a Dark Giant because he sealed Grimdo, a cosmic evil god, inside himself.

Rhodes was torn: should he summon Tregear, the former Giant of Light, or the Angel of Ruin, Zog?

"A giant as well? And with free will, like Daram?" Aisha asked.

"Exactly. Though very powerful, he's not really a fighter. To restore him to being a Giant of Light, you just have to remove the Chaos God Grimdo from him," Rhodes said.

"A Chaos God-level monster? Is it as strong as the four Chaos Gods?" Aisha asked, intrigued.

"I can't say for sure—probably not," Rhodes replied.

But summoning him would be like a two-for-one!

So, which to pick—Zog or Tregear?

Chapter 450: 

Both monsters were very suitable. The Angel of Ruin Zog, the final boss of the Gaia TV series, was pure style—and her terrifying light powers would be a huge help. With system upgrades, Zog could grow even stronger.

After evolving into her cosmic beast form, her power would reach high-level cosmic beasts—possibly rivaling even the likes of the Ultraman Cosmos.

Tregear, meanwhile, was the Land of Light's top scientist, and housed the Chaos Evil God Grimdo—a being so terrifying it existed before light, darkness, or even the universe itself.

Like Hyper Zetton, Grimdo was once called the strongest monster ever, but such titles are always temporary.

Still, Grimdo's reputation was off the charts—an existence beyond dimensions. Thanks to him, Tregear could travel freely across dimensions.

In the new generation, with so many Earths, the Ultra universe had countless parallel worlds; Rhodes felt Tregear's overall combat power was not far behind the Golden One.

"Rhodes, I know you want to summon the Land of Light scientist, but have you considered whether we can handle the monster sealed inside him, Grimdo?" Aisha said.

From Rhodes's hesitation, Aisha could tell he wanted to summon Tregear. If he did, it would be a huge help.

But the question remained: what about Grimdo, the so-called Chaos God monster? In terms of status, Aisha felt Grimdo might even outrank the four Chaos Gods.

A being from before the universe itself—surely stronger than their own pantheon. Could Rhodes really control such a being?

If it calls itself a Chaos God monster, it's not likely to be weak.

"Supposedly, but the best it's done is destroy planets—there's no record of it wiping out star systems. Still, controlling it would be a problem. Technically, Grimdo wouldn't be my summon," Rhodes said.

He'd be summoning Tregear, while Grimdo was just sealed inside him—a being even Tregear himself couldn't control.

Grimdo's power, on paper, even exceeded that of Greeza, though the sense of dread wasn't as strong.

But as the strongest new-gen enemy, surpassing all previous monsters, in the system, Grimdo could only be summoned from the top-tier shop—he didn't even appear in the advanced shop.

So, if Rhodes summoned Tregear, would he be glitching the system to also get Grimdo?

"Why not ask Tartarus? See if he can handle Grimdo. If so, even just sealing him and siphoning his power would work," Aisha suggested.

You don't always need an enemy as a minion; sometimes sealing and draining their power is just as good.

Rhodes nodded and summoned Tartarus. A golden portal opened in his room, and Tartarus stepped through, bowing to both Rhodes and Aisha.

"Master, did you call for me?" Tartarus asked.

"Sit. Here's the situation, Tartarus. I'd like your opinion: which monster should I summon? And could I control Grimdo?" Rhodes asked.

"Master! If it's that legendary Chaos God monster, its power equals even the Mysterious Four Ultras—I'm not its match.

When I heard the New Generation Land of Light Ultras defeated him, I was shocked and couldn't understand how they managed it.

As for the Angel of Ruin, her light power would indeed be very useful to you. She's one of the few monsters able to recharge Giants of Light," Tartarus said.

"So, you think I should summon Zog?" Rhodes asked.

"First, you need to clarify something: it's odd that Tregear appears in the advanced shop's lottery.

Are you sure he still has Grimdo sealed inside? Tregear has two forms: his original, and the one with Grimdo sealed.

The Tregear here might be the one I brought from the past—he was always a Land of Light Ultra, whose power, frankly, is unremarkable. He's weaker than most Ultras.

Any of your monsters could defeat him; his only real value is his research ability," Tartarus explained.

That stunned Rhodes. 

Which Tregear was it? 

He'd assumed it was the strongest version, but maybe not.

He checked the advanced shop, pulled up Tregear's info, and read carefully.

Turns out, it was the Blue Tribe warrior Tregear—not the one with the black mask and Grimdo sealed inside, but just a regular Land of Light Ultra with top knowledge.

Probably an alternate-universe variant, lured from the past by Tartarus.

Aside from his knowledge, he had no special abilities and was weaker than most Silver or Red Tribe Ultras.

After exposure to the Absolution Kingdom's light, he gained some strength, but not much—just a top-tier Ultra at best.

And Rhodes didn't have the Kingdom's light, so Tregear would be even weaker—less than an Ace Killer.

"Looks like you've figured it out, Master!

The choice is yours—you are the true master. I can only offer advice," Tartarus said, bowing.

Aisha smiled and nodded as well, indicating Rhodes should decide.

After a moment's thought, Rhodes finally chose to use his free advanced shop selection to pick the Angel of Ruin, Zog.

Tregear was in the advanced shop now, and in the future, more draws could get him.

He already had several top-tier Ultra talents—he wasn't desperate for Tregear.

And soon, Rhodes would face the Plague War. On the original timeline, Nurgle himself hadn't gone all out, leaving it to his Daemon Prince Mortarion.

But this time was different—Nurgle's vengeance would be personal. Having a light monster as insurance was the smart move. For Rhodes, Zog's first form—angel state—was her greatest asset; he'd avoid using her dragon form unless absolutely necessary.

That form was hideous, and her record was unimpressive—defeated by the TV show's final Ultra forms.

No, wait—in the stage play, Gaia's Supreme Form was even stronger, so not even the final form!

The Angel of Ruin, Zog's first form, stood 127 meters tall, a pure white, beautiful goddess-angel, weighing 90,000 tons!

In this form, Zog could use wormholes, energy supplies, eye beams, confuse enemies, pulse shots, telekinesis beams, energy absorption, and many other abilities.

She could easily overpower elite Ultras, wielded immense light power, and was a purely light-aligned being.

Her stats didn't match her delicate, angelic appearance!

Rhodes summoned the Angel of Ruin, Zog.

Chapter 451: The Mighty Angel of Ruin Awakens Planetary Consciousness!

A beautiful silver-white woman appeared on Rhodes's ship, clad in a long gown and silver mask, with elegant adornments atop her head.

Her figure perfectly embodied feminine beauty, exuding an aura of holy grace.

Her first form was truly perfect—stunningly impressive!

Noticing the cramped room, she even shrank herself to about 1.8 meters tall.

"Great master, the Angel of Ruin, Zog, greets you," she said, bowing.

In her memory, she'd already been sent to Earth and destroyed by the Light Giants born from Earth's land and sea. Yet, thanks to Rhodes's power, she was revived.

"She looks great—her radiance is pure and compassionate, different from the Emperor's golden light," Aisha observed.

Her aura would definitely discomfort Chaos Gods, though their first thought would be to corrupt her.

Had Aisha not traveled with Rhodes and encountered other universes' powers, her first impulse upon seeing Zog would have been to corrupt her.

All in all, Zog was perfect for countering Nurgle—her light power had a purifying aspect.

"Right," Rhodes nodded, checking Zog's upgrade options.

Her second form, the dragon, was 666 meters tall, weighing 660,000 tons—the true form beneath the angelic facade.

Her face turned draconic, body became massive and quadrupedal, with huge wings and no sense of pain—a brutal beast.

She looked like a four-legged dragon, reminding Rhodes of an Abyssal Lord from Azeroth; give her a giant polearm and she'd fit right in.

Rhodes figured it was worth forging a giant power weapon for her—on the battlefield, she'd be apocalyptic.

Zog's light abilities and energy supply could each be upgraded three times for over 10,000 coins each; about 500,000 coins would max them out, boosting power and range.

Her size could be upgraded five and eight times, respectively—each time, height by 5 meters, weight by 10,000 tons; final upgrades would add 30,000 tons.

Fully upgraded, she'd be 152 meters tall and 200,000 tons—heavy, but given her height, still not great at melee. That form wasn't suited for advancement.

Her light power could be upgraded three times: 1 million, 10 million, and 100 million coins.

Each upgrade made her light more immense and powerful. For example, after the first, she could recharge at least ten Giants of Light at once. After the second, she could heal human populations, even cover entire cities or planets.

After the third, her power would be overwhelming, able to purify darkness—no need for the Emperor's help anymore.

This boost even extended to her dragon form, though it was still pure light, not darkness.

So, Zog wasn't a light-and-dark monster, but purely light. The dragon form was just her full melee mode.

"Didn't expect you to be pure light, not light-and-dark. How much stronger is your dragon form?" Rhodes asked.

"Master! I am a pure light being. While I have a second form, I dislike that ugly state and avoid it unless in mortal danger.

That form multiplies my melee power by ten, keeping all beam abilities, though my speed drops greatly," Zog replied.

If not for the ugliness, she'd never have created her angel form—she was, after all, female; what woman doesn't care about looks?

"No worries—don't transform unless necessary. I'll upgrade your angel form and light power so you can purify darkness, even turn them into Giants of Light," Rhodes said.

"Thank you, master. If my light is further strengthened, I can even awaken planetary consciousness," Zog said.

She was created as the ultimate weapon against the Giants of Light; after defeating them and destroying humanity, her job was to guide the planet to new light. 

"You can awaken planetary consciousness? As in, turn a planet's will into a Giant of Light, like Gaia or Agul?" Rhodes asked, delighted.

Planets like Fenris or Catachan had their own will—could those be turned into Light Giants?

Earth could have two: one for land, one for sea. Why not other planets?

"Sorry, master—I can't turn them into Giants of Light directly. For that, you need an extremely powerful Giant of Light to guide them, or the planet's will must be righteous and want to become one. Otherwise, I can only awaken their will as a light being," Zog said.

"No problem. I'll summon Dark Giants for you to purify into Giants of Light, then you can awaken planetary consciousness," Rhodes said.

Would awakened planetary wills be like Titans in Warcraft or the Warhammer universe?

Planetary wills are born from the world itself, while Tyranids devour worlds—they're natural enemies. Was Rhodes about to create a whole new set of bosses for the Tyranids to hate?

But that was for the future; fully upgrading Zog would cost over a billion coins, and Rhodes was already deep in debt with Tartarus.

"Can you purify plague? We're about to face a terrifying opponent with plague powers," Rhodes asked.

The main point of summoning Zog was to counter Nurgle.

"Master, if you upgrade my light, I can infuse it into ordinary humans to protect them from all plagues.

Right now, I can protect an entire planet from any plague," Zog replied.

"Got it. I'll power you up in the future," Rhodes said.

"As you command!"

"Tartarus, show our new companion around our territory and introduce her to our colleagues. Bring her back when she's familiar," Rhodes instructed.

Tartarus nodded, bowing, and took Zog to tour Rhodes's holdings and learn about this world.

"This Angel of Ruin smells very human! If she didn't have her own body and no psychic signature, I'd suspect she was a minor human god!" Aisha said.

She wasn't human, but somehow, Aisha sensed humanity everywhere in her.

"In her universe, her creator was actually future humanity.

So you could say she's a god created by human science," Rhodes explained.