Chapter 234: The Great Bell Rings Twenty-Two Times!

The Forge World Hephaestos, near Baal, is a major arms factory long responsible for producing void ships and various weapons for Baal and the entire Crimson Scar Expanse.

Not long ago, it was seized by the Swarm, and Dante failed to enact the Exterminatus in time.

As a result, many unfinished machines remain here, and Sanguinius, leading the Blood Angels and countless humans, is recovering what can still be salvaged from these ruins.

The whirring of chainsaws never ceases; Seth leads the Flesh Tearers in forming the first battle line, clearing Tyranid swarms hidden among the steel wreckage.

"My Lord, Forge Site Sixteen has been reclaimed, and the remains of the original Hephaestos Forge Lord were found within."

Alongside Seth and the Flesh Tearers, who had once mistakenly believed their gene-father was Guilliman, the Crimson Blades Chapter also joined the operation.

Influenced by the Ultramarines, the Crimson Blades Chapter is more rational than other Blood Angels Chapters, excelling in management, analysis, and administrative work.

Sanguinius chose them to oversee the entire Forge World's resource recovery efforts.

"The Forge Lord protected most of the vital machinery and a precious STC; we can almost immediately restart Site Sixteen."

Goren's voice carried a hint of excitement; Sanguinius understood his fervor.

A complete Standard Template Construct, or STC, is exceedingly precious.

Each STC is an ancient relic from the Dark Age of Technology, storing a full suite of complex automated production programs—essential tools for ancient humanity's expansion among the stars.

When humans of the Dark Age of Technology arrived on a new world, they only needed to feed the STC local materials, and it could produce any or all technological artifacts humanity required.

But over time, most STCs have been damaged or lost, now capable of producing only one or two specific technologies.

Even so, they remain invaluable, as the vast majority of Dark Age of Technology artifacts have been lost in humanity's fortieth millennium.

Sanguinius entered Site Sixteen accompanied by Goren.

The two-meter-tall, heavily mechanized corpse of the Forge World's Forge Lord was being prepared for burial.

Titles for the heads of different Forge Worlds vary—Forge Director, Forge General, Forge Lord—but all hold duties equivalent to a planetary Viceroy of the Imperium, often wielding even greater authority and autonomy.

This is largely because most Forge Worlds only nominally pledge loyalty to Mars; internally, they often operate under their own complete systems.

The Hephaestos Forge Lord clearly died defending Site Sixteen's vital machinery and STC; his heavily mechanized body had been torn apart by the Swarm.

The Mechanicus may not be great seekers of knowledge, but they are unquestionably its protectors.

Without their sacrifice, humanity would have lost even more technology.

Sanguinius knelt on one knee beside the broken remains of the Forge Lord and bowed his head gently.

"The true God of Machines is about to be born; the Primordial Power shall echo across the galaxy."

"May your spirit find rest in His domain; may you know eternal motion there."

Saying this, Sanguinius rose and walked with Chapter Master Goren of the Crimson Blades to the STC deep within Site Sixteen.

The STC's exterior was a white ceramic sphere, its surface covered in chromium alloy pipes, tangled and interwoven like a metal ball of yarn.

At first glance, the sphere seemed utterly alien amid the dark, iron-heavy shipyard, as if it belonged to a different reality.

Yet Mechanicus members had plastered its surface with sacred wax seals bearing the symbol of the God-Machine and binary prayers written on parchment, while incense burners releasing fragrant smoke hung nearby.

Sanguinius knew these things had real effect, but since discovering that the location of the Malicious Artifice was being occupied by Zhou Yun, he had begun to think offering the STC a copper bell cake might be more useful.

As he pondered, Sanguinius placed his hand on the STC's surface, attempting to sense its machine-soul.

Having been corrupted by Zhou Yun, he theoretically should now possess the abilities of the domains Zhou Yun occupies.

Yet Zhou Yun himself occupies three positions within the Warp unconsciously—one of which was forcibly given to him by the Emperor.

He has not yet truly recognized his own Warp nature, leaving Sanguinius able to draw only faint traces of the Malicious Artifice's power.

Currently, the Malicious Artifice domain has been partially divided into three layers; the one Zhou Yun occupies is closest to what the Mechanicus calls the Primordial Power.

Awakening and activating machine-souls; operating and driving all machines.

Sanguinius made a slight attempt and felt the complex, chaotic emotions within the STC.

If Zhou Yun himself were here, this STC's machine-soul might awaken to the level of a hateful intelligence, possessing a degree of sentience.

Sanguinius sighed faintly, just as he was about to withdraw his arm—he felt a surge of jubilant emotion from the STC's machine-soul.

Praise praise praise

The song echoed within the machine-soul—not just this STC,

but the entire shipyard, even the machine-souls of the whole Forge World, sang in ecstatic fervor, rejoicing and acclaiming.

Assembly lines began operating without human control; broken machinery repaired itself inexplicably; idle factories roared to life; smelting furnaces burst into brilliant flames.

All machines rang out—twenty-two praises echoed across the planet!

All machines roared—twenty-two bellows forging the Primordial Power!

All machines rejoiced—twenty-two thunderous peals celebrating the return of our Lord!

"It's done." A faint smile touched Sanguinius's lips.

He could feel it—the dark, profound part of his own Warp nature, known in Baal's faith as the Dark Angel, the source of the Blood Angels' Black Fury—was being slowly eroded by streams of metallic blue light.

As this erosion progressed, the blue figure connected to Sanguinius's Warp essence within the Warp grew increasingly clear.

A thunderous resonance echoed in the Warp; the three layers of the domain were gradually being claimed by this blue figure.

Sanguinius felt His power awakening bit by bit, and with it, the part of Sanguinius corrupted by Him began to touch the power of those three layers.

He could now better perceive machine-souls, draw strength from death, and seemed to have gained a greater appetite.

This change must be even more pronounced on Zhou Yun's side.

Even back at Asford, Sanguinius had vaguely noticed

that the items Zhou Yun sold—particularly those involving the Warp—had not vanished into nothingness, but instead merged into Zhou Yun's reflection within the Warp, stimulating Zhou Yun's gradual awakening of his Warp nature and becoming part of his power.

Letting Zhou Yun consume the Dark Angel would deepen His corruption of Sanguinius, helping Sanguinius shed the dark, profound part of his essence.

But more importantly, the Dark Angel is fundamentally part of Sanguinius himself—and since Sanguinius has already been corrupted by Zhou Yun, His consumption of the Dark Angel could gently stimulate Zhou Yun's awakening of his Warp nature without triggering loss of control.

Sanguinius gently rubbed his temples.

He could not clearly define what Zhou Yun's Warp nature truly was—it had emerged inexplicably, and the domains it occupied were bizarrely tripled; should it ever lose control, the danger might rival the opening of another Great Rift.

He could only guess that Zhou Yun, like himself,

had a Warp nature born in the future, which then retroactively influenced his past self.

"Will Zhou Yun one day become the God of Machines, the Dark King, and the Eternal Dragon?"

"But if so, his birth should have already pierced time, existing simultaneously across past, present, and future."

"Or… has he somehow precisely locked himself into the final moment before ascension, like the Emperor?"

Sanguinius pondered for a moment, but found no answer.

Yet regardless, with his Warp nature further awakening, Zhou Yun should now have deeper command over the domain of Corruption and Destruction.

It's time to pull Guilliman into this.

Zhou Yun stirred awake on the sandy ground, clutching his head; though dizzy, he felt his mind clearer than ever—many things once veiled in mist now felt within reach.

He could see his reflection in the Warp—the Doraemon-like form growing sharper.

"Lord Zhou Yun?" Nearby, Mephiston noticed Zhou Yun's awakening and hurried forward.

"I'm fine." Zhou Yun gently waved off Mephiston, clutching his head as he felt instincts and knowledge surge from deep within his soul.

His Warp nature had awakened further; he now sensed he occupied three domains.

Corruption and Destruction, Greed and Dissolution, and Malicious Artifice—each granted Zhou Yun new powers.

Zhou Yun glanced at Mephiston; now he could sense every component of Mephiston's power armor, the flow of its mechanical power, and the presence of its machine-soul.

With a single thought, Zhou Yun could control the armor—not just this armor, but any machine powered by energy—he could manipulate and amplify its function.

This was the power granted by Malicious Artifice.

Corruption and Destruction—the power the Emperor's Death God aspect had carved into Zhou Yun—

now allowed Zhou Yun to draw strength directly from death, just as Angron drew strength from battle; as long as someone died nearby, Zhou Yun could continuously repair his body, making him nearly impossible to kill.

Additionally, those who died near Zhou Yun would lose a fraction of their essence to him; those he killed directly yielded far more.

Moreover, things slain by Zhou Yun became partially corrupted—useful for demons.

Finally, Greed and Dissolution granted Zhou Yun another ability:

He could now consume three or four fire scorpions at once, instead of just one.

Having gathered his thoughts, Zhou Yun slowly rose from the desert, glancing back at the site where the Sheath Fortress once stood.

Mephiston had completed all his tasks before Zhou Yun awoke.

His potent psychic power had nearly overturned the entire Sheath Fortress, burying the alien city beneath the sands, its silhouette low beneath Baal's setting sun.

Zhou Yun saw from afar the statue at the fortress's center, now tilted and embedded in the yellow sand.

The statue depicted two angels—Dark and Golden—locked in combat.

Now, with the Sheath Fortress destroyed, the Dark Angel's statue lay shattered beneath the Golden Angel, as if heralding the Golden Angel's ultimate victory in this conflict.

"Let's return," Zhou Yun said to Mephiston, turning his gaze from the ruins of the Sheath Fortress.

(End of Chapter)