Chapter 286: What

At the highest point of Hera Fortress, the peak of Macragge, where earth, mountains, and sky meet,

Here, the highest point of all Macragge, the wind is biting, the air thin, the morning light blinding—the star of this galaxy rises above the horizon between the mountains, casting golden dawn light like Saint Guilliman's hair over the layered Roman-style marble architecture of Hera Fortress, carving every shrine, dome, and marble column into sharp relief,

While on the other side of the sky, the morning star remains sparse, hanging over the deep-blue expanse of the celestial wilderness, suspended beside four towering statues,

Zhou Yun gazed at the newly risen sun far away and couldn't help exhaling a slow breath,

"Roboute Guilliman awakens on Macragge's morning, greeting the sun just risen on the horizon: 'Good morning! Sun!'"

"'And you, Lord of Ultramar! Good morning!' the sun replies with solemn respect."

"At noon, Roboute Guilliman, during his midday break, lifts his head and says to the sun: 'Good afternoon, Sun!'"

"'You too!' the sun replies, hurrying toward the horizon as it departs."

"At dusk, Lord Guilliman of the Space Wolves finishes his day's work and waves to the sun sinking on the horizon: 'Good evening, Sun!'"

"'Screw you, I've already fled to the Tau Empire,' the sun says as it vanishes instantly beyond the horizon."

Hearing this, Saint Guilliman beside Zhou Yun let out a soft laugh.

Leina's expression was slightly bewildered: "If Macragge's sun has defected to the Tau Empire, why does it rise normally the next day?"

"You'd have to ask Lady Gravex," Zhou Yun chuckled. "The Inquisition made the sun understand its mistake in just one night."

Guilliman frowned at Zhou Yun, his tone serious: "Your joke has a serious logical flaw. My work does not begin at dawn, nor end at dusk."

For a moment, silence fell atop Macragge's peak—then Zhou Yun and Saint Guilliman burst into laughter; Leina struggled to hold back her chuckles, and even Guilliman's lips curled into a faint smile.

"Don't laugh," Guilliman turned to Saint Guilliman. "Remember—you claimed half of Macragge's authority. Tonight, I'll send you half the state affairs."

Saint Guilliman's smile vanished instantly; his face darkened as if recalling some grim history.

And his smile clearly transferred to Guilliman's face.

"Don't think Guilliman looks happy now," Zhou Yun told Leina. "If we go to the Stone Monastery and bring back the Lion, all three of them will be miserable together."

Leina blinked in confusion—she clearly didn't understand why the return of another Primarch would make Guilliman and Saint Guilliman unhappy.

Both Saint Guilliman and Guilliman's faces twitched simultaneously.

The galaxy is so fucking awful, yet few empires have ever caused such universal misery as this Second Empire,

Each Primarch carries their own burdens and frustrations.

Guilliman sighed, gazing at the four statues standing atop Macragge's peak,

They were himself, his adoptive father King Konor, Lady Yudon, and the Emperor,

Nothing else stood atop Macragge's peak—only a vast platform of thick, heavy marble.

"This is a good place," Guilliman surveyed the surroundings. "Just as empty and silent as ten thousand years ago."

Guilliman recommended this spot as the site where Zhou Yun would create Fat Tiger the Daemon,

No other disturbances here—no risk of others witnessing the daemon's creation,

And if the Fat Tiger Daemon went out of control, or if Zhou Yun himself briefly lost control, it would not damage Hera Fortress, and would give both Primarchs ample space to subdue either the daemon or Zhou Yun,

Even if the two Primarchs failed to contain the Fat Tiger Daemon or Zhou Yun due to unforeseen circumstances, the Blood Angels and Space Wolves stationed at Hera Fortress could respond swiftly.

This place was nearly perfect.

"What level do you think this new daemon will reach?" Guilliman turned slightly toward Zhou Yun and Saint Guilliman.

Zhou Yun waved his hand slightly, indicating he didn't know.

"The core is Kabanha—he's no match for me," Saint Guilliman stroked his chin. "Even two Chaos Daemons of Slaanesh combined still fall far short of me."

"The greatest risk is whether Zhou Yun's Warp essence will briefly lose control upon first truly entering the material realm. Of course, there's also the portion of the Power of Death my father injected into him—but that portion has already been consumed by Zhou Yun's Warp essence."

At the mention of "Zhou Yun losing control," Guilliman's face showed clear concern.

"Don't worry. I understand the Warp better than you. And in a sense, I am Zhou Yun's Demon Prince."

Saint Guilliman gestured for Guilliman to relax,

"I can sense the strength of Zhou Yun's control over his own essence. Even if he loses control, it will be only a fleeting moment."

"We only need to contain the out-of-control Fat Tiger Daemon for a short while."

"If it's just a daemon, I should be able to handle it," Guilliman nodded slightly. "But I'm more worried about harming Zhou Yun. His value is too high—I won't risk it."

Zhou Yun's lips twitched slightly—he couldn't shake the feeling that Guilliman was setting a flag.

Still, Zhou Yun wasn't truly concerned; before arriving, they had confirmed via the Divination Machine that this operation would cause no major harm.

"Shall I begin?" Zhou Yun placed his hand lightly on his fourth-dimensional pocket.

To prevent complications, the Blood Angels and their ships inside the fourth-dimensional pocket had been temporarily removed—since Fat Tiger the Daemon would be born within it.

"Begin," Saint Guilliman said. "I'll summon a Warp storm to ensure most entities within the Warp won't notice Fat Tiger's birth."

Saint Guilliman nodded to Zhou Yun, then turned to Guilliman:

"If it truly goes out of control, it's up to you."

"No problem," Guilliman nodded to Zhou Yun and Saint Guilliman.

Watching Guilliman's assurance, Zhou Yun still felt a faint unease—

His own created daemon shouldn't reach Primarch-level strength, right? Guilliman shouldn't lose to it…

As he thought this, Zhou Yun fixed his gaze on the fourth-dimensional pocket, watching the faint, indistinct silhouette within—its appearance like Fat Tiger, bald-headed,

【Use for juvenile behavioral correction and re-education materials?】

Seeing the prompt, Zhou Yun gently tapped confirm,

The Sannyaris and the Keeper of Secrets hovering beside Fat Tiger were instantly seized by the daemon,

The two Slaanesh Daemons struggled to resist, but Fat Tiger's arms surged with power, crushing their bodies with both hands—the very force the Dark Prince used to stabilize their forms, existence, senses, and purpose was ripped away,

They disintegrated into pure Warp vortices, drawn together with the Dark Prince's power into Fat Tiger's body,

Beneath Fat Tiger's human-like shell, Warp tides surged violently—Khorne's destruction, the Emperor's judgment, Slaanesh's artistry, and Zhou Yun's consciousness intertwined and merged, weaving a new existence, gradually birthing new senses and being,

Zhou Yun attempted, cautiously, to let his consciousness seep into this new Warp body, to control this fresh vessel,

His awareness slowly sank into it, gradually fusing with Fat Tiger the Daemon—he felt a deeper, more profound connection forming,

Fat Tiger's eyes snapped open—each eye contained Khorne's bloodlust, the Emperor's judgment, Slaanesh's artistic yearning, and Zhou Yun's consciousness,

In a daze, Zhou Yun felt himself become something vast, transcending material limits, viewing all of the material universe from a higher plane,

He faintly saw himself dragged from the garbage heaps of Asford by Lagg,

Saw himself and Mengge brothers navigating the ruins of Old District Eight,

Saw himself battling the Gene-Stealer chieftain in the Underhive,

Saw the Star-Deity sinking into his fourth-dimensional pocket,

Saw himself resurrecting Saint Guilliman on Baal,

Saw himself standing beside the two Primarchs atop Macragge's peak,

Then Zhou Yun saw more—fainter, more distant visions,

He faintly heard the Laughing God's laughter cut short, saw Inader storming from the Webway,

Saw Kain, cloaked in a blood-drenched hood, standing beside him, his bloody greataxe cleaving through his flesh, while the Blood God slashed a sword through the void toward the entire planet,

He also saw the Necrons praying beside him, Tzeentch shrieking like a bird, Khorne drawing his throne's greatsword, while Slaanesh and Nurgle stood beside Zhou Yun,

Then he shoved a dumpling into the Queen of Norns' mouth—the dark, hungry Hive Mind confronted him directly. "I'm here to negotiate," Zhou Yun's voice echoed through the darkness,

Then came the Revenge Soul and the entire galaxy burning—Roboute Guilliman and Horus's bodies shifted endlessly among overlapping visions, each possessed by the Four Gods, yet ultimately Zhou Yun killed them all, and killed the Emperor,

Finally, all fell into silence.

Zhou Yun stood atop Macragge's peak, unmoving, statue-like, his eyes flickering with bizarre, shifting visions,

Simultaneously, a tide surged through the Warp, expanding outward from Macragge's peak,

At that moment, every believer of Saint Doraemon heard a roar erupt from the Warp,

"What's yours is mine. What's mine is still mine."

The words carried the Emperor's arrogance, Slaanesh's greed, and Khorne's power.

"Here it comes," Saint Guilliman murmured.

From within Zhou Yun's fourth-dimensional pocket, a figure slowly emerged.

(End of Chapter)