Warhammer [475-476] (Patreon)

Chapter 475: Queen of Beasts

Queen Zoiger's powers of flame and lightning slowly receded inside the training room. Her body gradually stabilized, her wings gently fanned, stirring up a wave of scorching air. Her gaze shifted from wild to gentle, finally settling on Rhodes. In those eyes, flickering with fire and lightning, deep gratitude and loyalty shone through.

After being baptized by warp energy and transformed into a cosmic beast, her intelligence had risen to an unprecedented height. She was no longer the savage she once was.

At this moment, she was a truly advanced intelligent lifeform, not merely a Zoiger Queen that only knew how to reproduce.

Queen Zoiger slowly bowed her head, her massive body curving slightly as if saluting Rhodes. Flames and lightning flowed across her skin, emitting a low hum, as if expressing her inner feelings.

"Great master…" Queen Zoiger's voice was deep and powerful, with a raspy undertone, yet filled with determination. "Thank you for granting me new life. I, Queen Zoiger, hereby swear my loyalty to you.

From now on, my flames and lightning will burn and shine for you. No matter what enemy stands before me, I will stand at your forefront and clear all threats from your path."

The voice of the cosmic beastified Queen Zoiger echoed in the training room. Flames spewed from her mouth, turning into a scorching blaze. Lightning danced between her wings, producing deafening roars, creating a truly awe-inspiring atmosphere.

Rhodes looked at Queen Zoiger before him, a difficult-to-describe sense of accomplishment surging in his heart.

This time, he had not relied on Emperor's power. It was entirely thanks to the help of his own cosmic beasts. Even the goddess of life, Isha, had only helped open a warp portal and guide warp energy.

In the future, if any monsters with special attributes appeared, Rhodes could use warp energy to help them gain the corresponding traits.

This time, the warp energy he guided was transformed into flame, while the warp energy guided by Aisha was transformed into lightning, granting Queen Zoiger both fire and lightning attributes, making her a powerful cosmic beast.

"You've just finished your transformation. In the future, I don't intend to assign you a host to merge with.

You will reside on the planet of cosmic beasts, and your task will be to purify the planet's energy and breed more offspring," Rhodes said.

Queen Zoiger would need to rest for a while before she could lay eggs.

This time, when Anrakyr came, he would also bring a fragment of a cosmic C'tan. By then, a few of Rhodes's newly-created cosmic beasts could absorb the C'tan's power and evolve even further.

"As you command, great master. Your orders are my mission," Queen Zoiger replied.

"Oh, right! If you're going to reproduce, you'll probably need a male Zoiger as well? But I'm a bit short on system coins right now.

You'll have to wait alone for a while. In a few months, I'll transform a male Zoiger for you to keep you company," Rhodes said.

Queen Zoiger needed a male Zoiger to reproduce; she couldn't lay eggs just yet.

But Rhodes had just completed a conversion of warp energy and was a bit tired. He needed to rest and recover his mental strength, and save up some system coins before he could perform the conversion for a male Zoiger.

"Great master, actually it's not that complicated. If I were in a material state, not a cosmic beast body, then I'd need a male Zoiger for assistance.

But now, having transformed into a cosmic beast, I can reproduce asexually through my own energy, producing powerful offspring," said Queen Zoiger.

Honestly, cosmic beasts originally didn't have reproductive abilities. A male and female cosmic beast together couldn't create a new cosmic beast.

"Oh! So that means you can lay eggs now?" Rhodes asked.

"Yes, master! But I need a large amount of energy. As long as I have enough, I can hatch small Zoiger," Queen Zoiger replied.

"What's your energy source?" Rhodes asked.

"Great master, I can absorb matter from the universe and convert it into cosmic beast energy. I can hatch a few small Zoiger beasts each day. But if I were to lay eggs on a large scale, I'd need a massive amount of energy," Queen Zoiger replied.

"I understand. Soon, I'll arrange for you to absorb a C'tan fragment, and then the power of a red giant star. That way, you'll have enough energy. But for now, I have some experiments, so hatch a few small Zoiger for me first," said Rhodes.

"I understand, master. I'll begin immediately. I can finish the task in 24 hours."

Rhodes nodded and left the training room with Aisha. Having just completed a transformation, drawn a huge amount of warp energy, and stabilized a warp rift, both of them were exhausted and needed a good rest.

The night passed without incident.

…

Early the next morning, Rhodes first went to the detention chamber and processed the cloned Primarchs.

First, he tossed Horus, Angron, and Fulgrim—their cloned, traitorous Primarchs—into the incinerator for burning.

All these gene-clone Primarchs were in a dormant state and had never awakened, so they felt no pain. For them, it was the greatest mercy.

Rhodes paid special attention to Fulgrim, wanting to see if, as fans speculated, part of Fulgrim's soul remained in his body. But unfortunately,

Rhodes's powerful divine sense swept over him and found no sign of warp essence or fragments of a warp god.

This Fulgrim was a thorough clone. He still retained loyalty, but he was a clone all the same.

Sending him back would only disgust Guilliman, Sanguinius, Lion El'Jonson, and the other Primarchs and the Emperor. He had no other use.

Soon, only the last cloned Primarch remained—Logar.

He wasn't destroyed because he was very useful to Rhodes. At this moment, Logar was terrified.

He had just watched his brothers be completely incinerated by this demon, not even ashes left.

Though they were clones, they had all the Primarchs' memories and pride. But now, that pride was completely replaced by fear.

"No, don't kill me, I—I don't want to die," Logar said with terror, looking at Rhodes.

If I have to die, could you at least let me die in my sleep? Why did the others get sent to the incinerator asleep, feeling no pain, while I have to watch all of this awake?

Is it just because I betrayed the Emperor? But that shouldn't be—the others are traitors too! Why are you holding onto me?

And the real traitor was the original me, the Chaos Undivided Daemon Prince, not me, the clone. I only have his memories.

"So you finally realize what you are. You're not Primarchs, you're just clones. Your real combat power is about on par with the Custodes. Actually, these days, you might not even be able to beat the latest Astartes," Rhodes said.

"You're not going to kill me?" Logar asked.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't keep you awake. I'd just let you go painlessly. I'm not one of those Chaos gods or cultists. I'm not interested in torturing flesh or soul.

The reason I'm letting you live is because I have a task for you. If you do it well, not only will I spare your life, I'll grant you true Primarch-level power and make you a real Primarch," Rhodes said.

"Really? You're not lying? You can really grant me Primarch powers?" Logar asked excitedly.

"Of course I can. There's much you don't understand about this universe. I have something called a cosmic beast that can raise your life to a higher level.

As long as you fuse with a cosmic beast, you can become a Primarch. Even your gene-seed could be used to create a new Astartes legion."

"I'm willing! No matter what you demand, I'll do it!" Logar blurted out, not waiting for Rhodes to finish.

If he could become a real Primarch, who would want to be a fake? Who would want to be someone else's clone?

Now that the opportunity was in front of him, he'd grasp it tightly.

"I like talking to smart people. The thing I need you to do is very simple: I want you to establish a cult for me, write scriptures, and train clergy," Rhodes said.

Over on AsanethAyu's side, he needed to establish a religion, and he needed a professional. And Logar, the founder of the Imperial Cult, was the perfect candidate. Even as a clone, he had all the memories. Except for lacking warp essence, he was the same as the original.

"No problem, this is what I do best. If you make me a real Primarch, I will be your devotee," Logar said.

Chapter 476: The Role of Clone Logar, Fusing a Small Cosmic Beast

For him as a clone, this was a dream come true—an opportunity to surpass the original and even the Primarchs themselves.

Rhodes nodded in satisfaction. Professional matters should be left to professionals. In the entire Warhammer universe, if anyone could out-preach Logar, no one would dare claim first place.

Rhodes had considered bringing back the original Logar to help preach, but decided against it. The original Logar, with his Primarch pride, would never submit. Rhodes's strength was not yet enough to become a god in Logar's heart.

Primarch pride was no joke; even after their fall, it remained. Moreover, in the Imperium, both the Emperor and other Primarchs had very poor opinions of Logar.

So the best choice was this clone. The clone had nothing—no status, no power—but Rhodes would grant him everything he wanted, even exceeding the original.

"Serving me is the best choice you could make. You'll gain things you can't even imagine," Rhodes said.

"Of course, my god," Logar replied.

His original self once worshipped the Emperor to an unparalleled degree, seeing him as a god and willing to do anything at his command, even give his life. But the Emperor betrayed him, destroyed the Monarchia, and refused to acknowledge himself as a god. After that, the original Logar became numb, until he met a true god in the warp.

Then the plot against Horus began, leading to the Warmaster's corruption, and after the Heresy ended,

Logar returned to the warp, becoming a Chaos Undivided Daemon Prince, refusing to serve any one Chaos God, choosing instead to hide.

But this clone only had memories up to before the betrayal. He had no memories after the original's fall, as by then, the power of Chaos had already tainted the body, making it impure.

The prison holding the clones opened, and Logar nervously stepped out, kneeling before Rhodes and showering him with praise.

"Come with me!" Rhodes beckoned, and Logar followed respectfully.

"Next, you'll write scriptures for me. Soon, you'll start your task. During this time, I'll prepare a cosmic beast for you. What kind do you want?" Rhodes asked.

Even as a clone, he was a cloned Primarch, so his strength was above Custodes. Rhodes wouldn't fob Logar off with a weak beast.

He needed a real, lower-level cosmic beast to bring him up to the new era's Primarch standard.

"Great god, whatever you grant me is a blessing. I dare not ask for anything specific," Logar replied.

As the servant of a great god, how could he dare make demands?

"Be serious. I'm talking about what's most suitable for you. You only get one chance to choose a cosmic beast," Rhodes said.

"If that's the case, great god, I'd like one with the power of flight, able to survive in space and fly freely," Logar replied.

Flight was a huge advantage—Sanguinius was the only flying Primarch, and his speed let him solo Emperor-class Titans.

Being able to survive in space and move quickly was a huge benefit.

"I see. The cosmic beast I'll get for you is called Behemoth Stan, a giant bird monster. It can travel faster than light in space, fly, and has a terrifying devouring ability," Rhodes said.

Behemoth Stan fit the bill best. Most of his older monsters couldn't go to war now. It was a good choice to convert them all into cosmic beasts, raising their intelligence and life level.

Once the Necron overlord Anrakyr arrived, everything would proceed. Rhodes needed to save up system coins—he needed at least 2 million for a single cosmic beast enhancement, so he'd have to work his daemon ranch, his orks, or maybe raid the Black Legion to get enough coins as soon as possible.

"Great god, thank you for your gift," Logar replied.

"You still can't walk freely on the ship. Your identity would never be accepted outside. I'll arrange a room for you to write scriptures and texts.

Once your cosmic beast is ready and you merge with it, you can keep your height at three or two meters and walk around with a helmet on," Rhodes said.

"As you command, great god! I will do my work diligently," Logar replied.

"Good!" Rhodes nodded in satisfaction, bringing Logar to the secret room and letting him settle in.

After handling the clone Primarchs, Rhodes summoned Titus and Tyberos, having them select four Astartes captains to gather in the training room that evening.

Receiving the order from their gene-father, Tyberos and Titus didn't dare slack, and soon picked four strong captains.

That night, as instructed, they arrived in the training room.

Queen Zoiger had successfully hatched four small Zoiger beasts.

These small Zoiger beasts were 3.5 meters tall and 5 meters long. As cosmic energy beings, they had no weight—they were pure energy lifeforms.

"Great gene-father, as you ordered, we've brought the men. They're all excellent warriors and captains," Titus said, bowing.

"Good. Now, a sacred mission awaits you. You've heard of cosmic beasts.

A full cosmic beast can make an ordinary person a Primarch, and I've bred several small cosmic beasts.

These can't make you super lifeforms, but they'll double your power and lifespan, and enhance your cosmic beast martial art.

The four of you have been chosen to fuse with these small cosmic beasts. Do you accept?" Rhodes asked.

The four chosen Astartes immediately stood at attention, bowed to Rhodes, and gave the Imperial Aquila salute.

"Great gene-father, it is a great honor. We accept this trial," the four Astartes replied.

"You haven't disappointed me. Relax your bodies and minds and prepare for your new power," Rhodes said.

Most of his gene-sons had trained in cosmic beast martial arts for a long time and already had residual cosmic beast energy.

Now, fusing with a small cosmic beast was perfect.

Soon, four small Zoiger beasts were released. These, created by Queen Zoiger, didn't inherit her dual fire-lightning powers, but rather either fire or lightning. So, two could control fire, two could control lightning.

The four small cosmic beasts turned into red and blue lights, pouring into the four Astartes.

They merged instantly, cosmic beast power fusing within them.

The air in the training room seemed to freeze as all eyes focused on the four warriors, waiting for a miracle.

At first, their bodies trembled as if enduring a massive energy impact.

Cracks appeared on their armor, energy arcing out as lightning and fire.

Next, a faint energy glow enveloped their bodies as they merged with the cosmic beast power.

The first warrior suddenly jolted, eyes snapping open, pupils blazing with fire.

With a swing of his arm, a pillar of flame shot from his palm, scorching a corner of the training room red-hot, flames swirling around him.

He could control fire at will, and his cosmic beast martial arts became more powerful, with fiery attacks and even ranged strikes.

His destructive power now rivaled that of melta weapons.

"Gene-father, I've gained the power of fire. It's not warp power—it uses my stamina," he said.

Rhodes nodded in satisfaction.

"Great gene-father, I have gained the power of lightning," said the second Astartes.

He was enveloped in blue arcs, crackling with electricity.

The blue lightning coiled around him, letting him wield thunderbolts. His martial arts were enhanced, and he could unleash powerful lightning attacks, just like a sanctioned psyker, but without drawing from the warp.

The third and fourth warriors completed their fusion, their bodies filled with fire and lightning.

Rhodes's four gene-sons—two now wielded fire, two wielded thunder.

"Success!" Rhodes nodded, his eyes full of relief.

These four were now far beyond regular Astartes, nearly at old Primarch level.

Their lifespans and strength were greatly enhanced, and their martial arts perfectly empowered.

Now, barring battle or accidents, his gene-sons could live for ten thousand years.

As their cosmic beasts grew, theoretically, they could even reach super lifeform status.

"Great gene-father, thank you for your gift!" the four warriors shouted in unison, kneeling and giving the Aquila salute.

Their voices were full of respect and gratitude—for this was a precious gift from the great gene-father.

Rhodes smiled and waved for them to rise. "Your power has made a qualitative leap, but this is only the beginning.

You now bear an even greater mission: fight for me, conquer all humanity's enemies."

"As you command, great gene-father!" the four replied, eyes blazing with resolve. After fusing with cosmic beasts, their loyalty was beyond words.

"Titus and Tyberos, would you be interested in fusing with these special cosmic beasts?" Rhodes asked.

Tyberos had only undergone the new Astartes surgery, and while strong, he lacked the ability to grow huge. Titus was the only one who could, but didn't have cosmic beast power. Now, Rhodes could give both a small cosmic beast.

Titus's super lifeform body would help the cosmic beast evolve, and Rhodes could beastify Tyberos as well.

"It would be our greatest honor, great gene-father," Titus and Tyberos said, bowing.

To gain cosmic beast power meant the gene-father's trust.

…

Meanwhile, in his secret room, Logar quietly wrote scriptures, his pen flying across the page, every word full of praise for Rhodes. He knew a transformation was coming, one that would let him surpass his original and become a true legend.

"Great god, thank you for giving me this chance," Logar murmured, a fanatical light flashing in his eyes.