Warhammer [567-569] (Patreon)

Chapter 567 – The Eldar Death God's Beautiful Fantasy, and the New Eldar Goddess

Aisha stood upon the peak of a colossal mountain on the Cosmic Beast world, her silver-white hair streaming in the wind. No longer did her eyes hold the shadow of Chaos.

Instead, they shone with the clear light of Order. Aisha gently raised her hand, feeling the new power flowing through her veins—not the corrosive power of Chaos, but the pure power of Order, the divine authority of love and beauty that now belonged to her.

"So this is… the feeling of freedom? I've finally awoken from that nightmare." Aisha whispered softly, a long-forgotten smile appearing at the corner of her lips.

It was wonderful—her choice had been the right one. From this moment on, she was reborn: the Goddess of Love and Beauty of the Eldar.

No longer the dark god of Chaos, evil, lust, and excess.

…

At that very moment, in the Holy Palace of Terra, a faint smile appeared on Rhodes's lips as well. He could feel it: Aisha had completely severed herself from Chaos.

A new goddess of the Eldar, a goddess of Order, had been born. All that remained of Slaanesh was its corrupted Chaos divinity.

At the same time, all Eldar across the galaxy felt a joy beyond words. The soul-drain curse that had plagued them for over ten thousand years…

The eternal curse of the Aeldari, the doom from which they had sought countless ways to escape, seemed to vanish in an instant.

In recent years, this curse had already been weakening. Back then, all Eldar believed it was the rise of the Death God that fulfilled the prophecy.

But now it seemed that was not the case. Through the vast sensitivity of the psychic webway, every Eldar knew: their Mother Goddess, Isha, had gained a sister.

A goddess who ruled over love and hope. Another deity of the Eldar had been born.

Across the stars, Eldar everywhere cheered—this was a miracle. A new goddess of their people had arisen.

And with her birth, their ancient feud with Slaanesh had been utterly erased.

…

Meanwhile, the Death God of the Eldar was still adjusting to his new body—the one Rhodes had given him after the War of the Vigilus, a body of Ace Killer.

Merged with it, his divine power over death could now be unleashed to its full extent—many times stronger than before. If he faced Fulgrim again, there would be no humiliating defeat this time.

With Fulgrim defeated by Rhodes and the Emperor, Slaanesh's strength across the galaxy was collapsing, fading as if it no longer touched reality at all.

In its place, a new power arose—seizing dominion over art, love, beauty, and hope.

A new god of the Eldar had been born.

"A blessing indeed, at least for the Aeldari," the Death God muttered to himself. "But Kaela Mensha Khaine, you chose wrongly. You should never have thrown yourself into the arms of mankind."

In his mind, cooperation with the Imperium of Man, maintaining peace between the two races, was acceptable.

But to deepen their ties further—that was debatable. In his eyes, Isha's actions had been shameful for the Eldar pantheon.

Yet since she had chosen this path, it was not his place to intervene. But this new goddess… she was different. He had to find her quickly, and bring her back into the ranks of the Eldar gods. Perhaps then, they could rebuild a new pantheon.

Perhaps he himself could become the Phoenix King, the supreme deity of the Eldar. And perhaps this goddess of love and beauty… could even become his divine queen.

The Death God fell into a dream of grandeur. The new goddess's birth filled him with boundless confidence: the Eldar would be great once more.

Without hesitation, he cast his projection into the Warp, searching for her trace.

He wanted to be the first to congratulate her, to win her favor. Among the surviving gods of the Eldar, he alone, as a male deity, was worthy of such a goddess.

As for that clown—forever hiding in the Black Library, never daring to show his face—just a coward.

And the war god, though resurrected, was nothing but a rat: refusing to even acknowledge his own people, going so far as to join others instead.

Perhaps the war god had never loved the Eldar at all—for he had once sought to destroy them entirely.

Thus, in the Death God's mind, if the new goddess were to choose a consort, the best choice would be him.

…

Meanwhile, in the Black Library, Cegorach too sensed the new goddess's birth. But unlike the Death God, he chose silence.

This was no simple matter.

She had been born at the exact instant a Chaos god was stripped of its divinity. She had cut the soul-drain curse at the very moment of her awakening.

And the domain she ruled—love and beauty—was far too close to the powers Slaanesh once claimed.

This was no coincidence.

At her birth, she had taken a portion of Chaos's divine essence.

The galaxy and the Warp were in upheaval. Rhodes, that being from beyond, was reshaping the universe, heralding a storm that would sweep across the stars.

And Cegorach, as one of the old age's few survivors, knew that if he wished to live in this new age, it was best to keep his head down and remain silent.

…

At that moment, Aisha was within the Warp, purifying Chaos energies with the radiant might of Order.

From the shadows, the Death God appeared—his body cloaked in black robes like flowing shadow, his pale face carefully composed into elegance. He bowed slightly, his voice deep and resonant:

"Welcome back, embodiment of love and beauty—Goddess. May I know your name? I am Ynnead, the Death God."

Aisha turned, her silver hair cascading like a river of starlight in the glow of Order. She looked at him with neither joy nor hatred, only a cool, distant detachment.

"Death God Ynnead," she answered calmly. "Why have you come to me?"

Why was this god seeking her? She remembered him well. Back on Terra, she had crossed paths with him while wearing Isha's guise.

Her impression of him had not been favorable. Had he not once sworn to kill her—calling it destiny?

But that prophecy would never come true now.

Ynnead smiled faintly, stepping closer, trying to appear more amiable.

"Your birth is the hope of our people's revival. As one of the remaining Eldar gods, it was my duty to be the first to congratulate you."

Yet he could sense her faint distance toward him. Was it because his power was tied to death?

Eldar gods cherished life and nature—death was not a domain beloved among them.

His expression faltered briefly, but he quickly recovered.

"I have waited and gathered strength for this moment—to lead our people's gods back to glory. I am now the strongest among us. I carry the responsibility of restoring our pantheon.

I wish to invite you to join me. Together, we can rebuild the divine halls of our kind."

Aisha's lips curved into a cold smile.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested. And you should get one thing straight—you are not the strongest god of the Eldar."

As the goddess of love, she saw through him at a glance. Please. Do you even know your place?

She was already bound, carrying her beloved's child. And her man was very much alive.

"The new goddess of love and beauty seems to have some misunderstanding of me," Ynnead pressed, his tone soft. "May I know why you dislike me so?"

"You're standing in a body given to you by humans, aren't you? Without their help, you wouldn't even exist in this reality." Aisha's eyes sharpened. "And you dare call yourself the strongest of the Eldar gods?"

The strongest… was not some pretender like him, but the child she carried.

Ynnead's temper flared. Why did this new goddess harbor such hostility toward him?

"I have long prepared to sweep away Slaanesh and bring hope to our kind. I even defeated the bearer of Slaanesh's divine shard! I have fulfilled my mission."

Aisha's laugh was cold, her aura of Order illuminating his false facade.

"Prepared? You mean cowering in the Warp, watching our people's souls devoured while you hid?

And stop flattering yourself—the one who destroyed Slaanesh's shard wasn't you."

That was her man's doing—with the Emperor's help. Ynnead had been little more than a background prop… beaten badly by Fulgrim at that.

Ynnead's eyes flickered with anger, but he forced himself to remain composed.

"The situation then was too dire—reckless action would have doomed us all. But now things are different. Humanity shields us from Chaos's fury. We have a chance.

But tell me—who do you call the strongest god of the Eldar?"

Aisha's smile was serene, but her answer firm:

"That's easy. My son, of course."

Chapter 568 – A Death God Broken, and the Task to Find Jaghatai Khan

Aisha's lips curved into a mysterious smile as she gently placed her palm on her flat abdomen. The light of Order flowed from her fingertips, forming a soft halo.

She shook her head, mockery shining ever brighter in her eyes.

"Join hands? With you? A so-called 'Death God' who couldn't even protect his own people—and you dare speak of revival? My son will be the new hope of the Eldar."

This idiot actually thinks he's the savior of the Eldar? The savior of the galaxy?

No. He was gravely mistaken. The only one who could save the universe was her husband—Rhodes.

Rhodes's cosmic beast could evolve even the powers of the Warp. His strength was still growing, and that was the true foundation of everything.

Without Rhodes, Aisha would rather have remained under the corruption of Chaos, still a supreme deity of darkness.

Without Rhodes, she would never have forsaken the dark divinity to embrace Order. Rhodes alone made that possible.

Ynnead's face froze. His pupils contracted, as though he had just heard the most absurd joke in existence.

"You… what did you just say?" His voice trembled with disbelief. "You've only just been reborn. How could you possibly—"

He could not comprehend her logic. How could this newly born goddess already be pregnant? It was utterly impossible.

But Aisha only smiled brighter, her gaze shining with the glow of motherhood and the pride of victory.

"Why not? Who do you think freed me from Chaos? Who granted me new life? Do you think I was just born now? No—I've existed for over ten thousand years.

I was always meant to be the goddess of love and beauty for our people. Slaanesh's birth delayed my awakening, but I was never without awareness.

I witnessed everything. And I chose the one man in this universe with true hope as the father of my child.

And you—you owe even your presence in reality to this man. Without him, you'd still be cowering in the Warp, without a body, without form."

Her words turned Ynnead's face ashen. His black robes stirred in unseen winds, and the aura of death raged uncontrollably from him.

Unlike mortals, gods were not bound by the same cycle of birth. In truth, Ynnead had never been born. Rhodes had forcibly drawn him into reality and given him a vessel.

By prophecy, he should have emerged from Slaanesh itself, shattering it at his birth. But that destiny was gone forever. He would never rise to the level of the four great Chaos Gods.

Especially now that Aisha had changed everything, and Slaanesh's divine shard was soon to be destroyed.

"You… you actually—" His voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth. "You gave yourself to a human?! A lesser, filthy, short-lived—"

Only now did it dawn on him. Just like Isha, this new goddess too had chosen that man.

He had worked with Rhodes, yes, and those collaborations had been fruitful—but to lose both of his kind's goddesses to him? It was intolerable. The Eldar had only two goddesses left, after all.

"Silence!" Aisha's power erupted, Order flaring like a tidal wave. The sacred brilliance forced the Death God back several steps. Her eyes were blades of ice.

No one could insult her man. Where had this fool found such courage?

"Mind your tongue, Ynnead. That 'lowly human' you despise is the one who rescued you from Chaos itself.

Without him, you'd still be trembling in some corner of the Warp, not standing here spouting arrogance at me."

Ynnead's face twisted, shame and rage making his deathly aura surge wildly. His gaze locked on Aisha's belly, as though he could strangle the unborn child with his eyes.

"You've betrayed our people!" he roared. "Your child will be nothing but humanity's puppet! The future of the Eldar cannot be entrusted to a half-breed abomination!"

His fury boiled over, drowning out all reason. He had come to win her favor, but instead, he was humiliated.

And worse, yet another Eldar goddess had chosen that human.

To him, the child was proof enough: she had given herself to Rhodes and now carried a godling.

Aisha's expression turned utterly cold. Slowly, she raised her hand. In her palm, the light of Order condensed into a shining spear.

"It seems we have nothing more to discuss," she said, her voice calm and terrifying. "Leave, Ynnead. Before I lose my restraint."

The Death God wanted to retort, but when he saw the killing frost in her eyes, he faltered.

Though newly reborn, Aisha's divine power of Order naturally restrained his deathly might. And behind her stood Rhodes—the terrifying human he dared not provoke.

He remembered Vigilus: how Fulgrim, even armed with Slaanesh's shard, was mercilessly beaten and captured. Rhodes himself had hardly lifted a hand; his subordinates had been enough.

"You will regret this, Aisha," the Death God spat, retreating into the Warp's shadows. "The Eldar's future must not be destroyed by you. I alone am the true savior of our people!"

As he vanished, Aisha scoffed, touching her stomach gently, her eyes filled with tenderness.

"Don't worry, my child. Mother will never let those rotten old gods harm you. Your father will create a new age for us all."

…

Meanwhile, in the Black Library, Cegorach buried his face in his hands.

What the hell is that idiot doing?

"You're only here in reality—alive and with a body—because of that man's help. And you went and hit on his wife? Are you insane?

What you should've done was fall to your knees, beg forgiveness, and say, 'It was a misunderstanding, I'm sorry!' Then maybe they'd have spared you.

Instead, you throw threats around? Where the hell do you get this confidence?

I worked so hard to build ties with the humans—saving the Lord of the Salamanders, cooperating with the Emperor—and you're out here wrecking it all. If not for me discovering Rhodes's potential early, you'd still be drifting helpless in the Warp, you moron!

Still… Lady Aisha is no meek little goddess. No wonder she once bore the mantle of a Chaos god—her temper is fierce indeed."

Cegorach quickly entered the Warp himself, seeking out Aisha.

"Don't misunderstand, goddess," he said smoothly. "The clown comes to apologize. Don't let that idiot spoil relations between the Eldar and humanity. You know he's not right in the head."

"I am a goddess of the Eldar, after all. And Rhodes already has several wives—this won't harm our alliance.

But as for that Death God, I don't think he'll hold his title much longer," Aisha replied coldly.

Her child would still be half-Eldar. This quarrel wouldn't shatter the bonds between their races.

Besides, every Eldar highborn had seen with their own eyes who had truly crushed Slaanesh. It had nothing to do with Ynnead.

All he had done was get beaten up, then scamper off with a few scraps of benefit.

"That's a relief," Cegorach said with a dramatic sigh of relief. "That fool nearly made me think our pact was doomed!"

Aisha's eyes narrowed with thought.

"Clown, Rhodes may not be pleased with Ynnead's actions. Perhaps you can help smooth things over. Search the Webway for the missing Jaghatai Khan. That shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?

If you find him, Rhodes will be pleased. And if Rhodes is pleased, he won't waste another thought on the Death God."

"No problem at all, Lady Aisha!" Cegorach said eagerly. "I have maps of the entire Webway. I can find him easily—he's still racing through it.

I'll send the Harlequins to fetch him and deliver him to Holy Terra personally!"

For him, it was child's play. With the Black Library, he knew every corridor of the Webway. And in the Webway, time did not exist—Jaghatai likely didn't even realize he had been racing for ten thousand years.

Aisha nodded in satisfaction. After speaking with the Laughing God, she immediately reached out to Rhodes and recounted everything.

…

In the Imperial Palace on Terra, Rhodes could only shake his head with weary resignation.

Aisha had now thoroughly offended Ynnead. But anyone who dared covet his wife deserved no mercy anyway.

Thankfully, the Laughing God had stepped in, salvaging the situation. And recovering Jaghatai Khan was indeed important.

The Death God could not disrupt the alliance between Eldar and humanity. That bond rested with Isha.

And with their son yet to be born, that bond would only grow stronger.

Chapter 569 – The Laughing God's Goodwill, Knocking Sense into the Death God

"Looks like someone needs a good rest. Don't worry—I'll give that Eldar Death God a little knock on the head. You don't need to concern yourself with anything else."

Rhodes could clearly sense that Aisha was about to give birth. Their divine child would soon be born.

This child, from birth, would possess power far above the Eldar pantheon. As long as the child grew safely, their strength would rival that of the Chaos Gods themselves.

Adding to that Rhodes's multiple enhancement opportunities and his alliance with the Emperor of Mankind, they already had enough power to stand on equal footing with Chaos.

Not to mention, Rhodes could summon beasts far beyond the Four Great Chaos Gods—this battle had no suspense.

"Of course, I'll stay on the Cosmic Beast world to rest and take care of myself. When you finish stripping away the Chaos Godhood, our child will be born." Aisha replied softly.

She would now relax, recuperating on the Cosmic Beast world, no longer meddling in outside affairs.

"Don't get distracted, Rhodes. We're working on something extremely important right now. What's going through your head?" came the Emperor's stern voice.

Though 80% of the work of stripping away the Chaos Godhood was being done by the Emperor, the remaining 20% still required Rhodes and the others' efforts.

What we're doing here is something this universe has never seen since its birth.

Rhodes gave an embarrassed smile and resumed working alongside the Emperor, but his mind slipped into his system.

He began contacting his subordinates and arranging tasks. The Eldar Death God needed to be taught a lesson. Taking my gifts and then daring to covet my wife—how much nerve do you have?!

The Ace Killer's body had been built from dimensional metals Rhodes supplied and assembled by the Mechanicum on Mars.

Though not part of the system and without its own independent soul, the body was still woven from extradimensional energy. If Rhodes wished, both he and Yapool could dismantle it in an instant.

"Master! Let me handle this arrogant fool. I'll crush him completely!" declared the Slaanesh Slayer.

Now back at his master's side, strengthened and empowered with the Chaos Gods' energy, his combat power rivaled the First Emperor's avatar. Beating the Eldar Death God would be child's play.

"Better leave him to me. I'm very interested in his power over death. Great Master, his death-force should rightfully belong to me." said the Death Avatar.

His energy came directly from Ynnead, the Death God himself. Enhanced to the extreme, he even possessed a one-time resurrection that ignored all rules and conditions.

His power surpassed even the Emperor's avatar and the Slaanesh Slayer. He also understood death better than anyone else—and might even be able to seize the Death God's divinity.

The three killers all volunteered, and Rhodes was very pleased. Any one of them was among the universe's top fighters.

Still, only the Emperor's avatar could publicly appear in the Imperium. The Death Avatar was borderline acceptable, but the Slaanesh Slayer? Absolutely not.

"It's only a warning mission. I can't just kill him for a few words. Death Avatar, Slaanesh Slayer—this task is yours. Go and 'knock some sense' into the Eldar Death God. Make sure he stays quiet and doesn't cause trouble with the Webway system humans rely on." Rhodes ordered.

The Webway's permissions were technically under the Laughing God's control, but the Eldar Death God still held a large share of influence. If he tried to sabotage things, humanity would suffer unnecessary losses.

Hopefully he's smart enough to keep his head down. Among the Eldar gods, only the Laughing God truly knows how to pick the winning side.

"Yes, Master. Leave everything to us."

—

Elsewhere in the Black Library, the Laughing God summoned the projection of the Death God, Ynnead.

"Laughing God! Humans can't be trusted! They've seduced the newborn Eldar goddess. One life goddess wasn't enough—they're after the Goddess of Love and Beauty too! We must act!" Ynnead declared at once.

"Fucking squid! You idiot—are you trying to kill us all? Our race has only just begun to revive, and you almost destroyed it! Do you even realize what you're doing?" Cegorach, the Laughing God, snapped.

All the ties he had painstakingly built with humanity over decades—nearly undone by this fool.

The Eldar had long since lost their dominance over the galaxy. Their reproductive ability, their resilience—everything was inferior to humanity now.

Even the God of War, Khaine, could see it. The Life Goddess could see it. But this hot-headed Death God? Completely blind.

At this rate, humanity would inevitably rise to galactic dominance—and possibly universal dominance.

So what one chose to do, or not do, was critical. Wrong moves would bring disaster.

"What do you mean? I only want the newborn goddess to join the pantheon. What's wrong with that?" the Death God protested.

"You fool. You just want the Phoenix King's throne. Let me be clear: Asuryan will never return. His throne will remain empty. We've lost our supremacy in the universe—that's a fact." Cegorach said firmly.

"I wield death itself. If I unleash my full power, I'll rival the Chaos Gods. Why shouldn't I become the next King of Gods? Why shouldn't I be Asuryan?" Ynnead snapped.

"Because those Chaos fools won't last much longer either! I have a strong premonition—this is our best chance to survive. By binding ourselves with humanity, we won't be their slaves. We'll be partners. But if you keep chasing your ego, you'll push us into humanity's enemies. You dying is fine—but you'll drag us all down with you!" the Laughing God shot back.

"Heh! Excuses for your cowardice. We're allies, not human lackeys."

"If that's what you think, I'll recall all my Harlequins from your legion. The Life Goddess will pull all Ark Eldar as well. As for the Dark Eldar—once they see us withdraw, do you think they'll stay? They're the biggest opportunists of all." Cegorach warned.

The Death God was powerful, yes—but born far too late. Fate had already condemned him to be forever second place.

"You! Hmph!"

"Don't pout. I'm just stating facts. Behave yourself. Rhodes will be sending someone soon to knock sense into you. Whatever happens—endure it. You won't die, but you'll probably get beaten badly." the Laughing God advised.

Rhodes still had a bit of sentiment left. Otherwise, the Death God would already be finished.

"Remember this—you can walk in realspace, you even have a body—because of him. He allowed your existence because your chosen prophet married him. Because I helped him early on. Because the Life Goddess is his wife." Cegorach continued.

But Aisha's true identity—he would keep to himself. If she had chosen to abandon her past and reforge herself as a goddess of order, he wouldn't expose her.

Better not to tell the Death God—he might just do something reckless.

"We'll see if they have the strength to back it up." the Death God scoffed and left the Black Library.

Unknowingly, it was precisely his help at the Vigilus that had spared him. Without it, Rhodes wouldn't have "just warned him."

After he left, Cegorach shook his head. Hopefully, the fool would take his advice. Rhodes was lenient if one bowed his head.

Still, he needed to offer Rhodes a gift. Entering the depths of the Black Library, Cegorach began searching through his records.

Back when the Khan first entered the Webway, he had logged his coordinates. The Khan had been racing aimlessly inside ever since—without any sense of time.

Finding him was nearly impossible for others—the Webway was far too complex. But for Cegorach? Child's play.

Soon he pinpointed Jaghatai Khan's exact location.

The White Scars' speed king was racing endlessly through the tunnels with his honor guard. Sometimes they fought Dark Eldar, sometimes they clashed with daemons of the warp.

A portal opened before them, drawing their attention. From it stepped a jester in comical garb.