Chapter 299: Then I

In the Warp, brilliant light blazed forth, scorching all existence near Macragge; the tides within the Immaterium were vaporized in an instant.

The malevolent entities spying on Macragge screamed in terror.

Abaddon watched in horror as the sorcerer he had recently recruited to replace Zalathis began to howl, golden flames gushing from his eyes, turning him to ash that scattered across the Soul Reaver; instantly, all demons aboard the ship curled up in fear.

Inside the pyramid-like towering voidship, Magnus, who had been whispering strange sorceries, shuddered; his single eye reflected the blazing golden figure, and as his terrified cry rang out, the holy beetles formed from his words burst into flame.

On the Plague Star, Mortarion's wings trembled, shedding scales; he curled his body like a boy caught misbehaving, only gathering a sliver of courage once he realized the blazing figure had not turned its gaze upon him.

Fulgrim was utterly terrified; he was already gravely wounded, and even a single spark of that fire could mean total annihilation—had not Slaanesh been cradling him in his palm at that very moment, he would have been reduced to dust long ago.

Instantly, the Warp around Macragge and all of Ultramar was wiped clean; no one dared cast a glance save the other three High Ones.

Aside from the hazy, naive blue spherical figure, the golden angel repeating its final moment of death, and the conflicted blue-gold vortex,

the only entities left in this expanse of the Immaterium were Slaanesh and those behind Him.

Slaanesh turned his head with stiff, jerking motion.

Behind Him hung a blazing, cold, intense, hollow, golden, dark sun, filling the entire sky of the Warp and completely obscuring the domains of the Four Gods.

Within that sun, a silhouette emerged: a withered corpse seated alone upon the Golden Throne, saturated with the scent of death, as if on the brink of its destined end.

But then, the corpse moved.

Its hands pressed upon the armrests of the throne, as if straining to lift its body.

Instantly, a hundred million sacred bells across Terra's hundred million worlds tolled thirteen holy chimes simultaneously.

Followed by an earthquake within the Warp—everything twisted, collapsed, and perished.

The Warp was not a material world; in this reflection of emotion, will was everything, all was will.

And now, a vast, colossal will suddenly towered above the entire Warp, beginning to reshape this Immaterium.

On Terra, before the Golden Throne, the Imperial Guard guarding the throne let out incredulous roars.

They saw the figure upon the throne engulfed in blazing fire—a majestic man with brown hair, clad in golden armor and crowned with a gemstone laurel—his form overlapping the Emperor's corpse.

"You have acted too recklessly!"

The majestic voice echoed across both reality and the Warp.

In Slaanesh's eyes, the corpse within the sun became a golden titan of annihilation, raising a sword forged from countless blazing stars, gazing down upon Him.

He was terrified, utterly lost.

He could feel the corpse's condition had never been better.

For ten thousand years, human prayers, souls, and self-destructive impulses had weighed upon the corpse; He had absorbed too much of the domains of corruption and destruction, standing on the very edge of ascension.

Why had His condition suddenly improved? Hadn't He released much of the excess corruption and destruction He had absorbed? Though still stuck on the brink of ascension, His state was far better than before?!

And why, as a rival in the domains of corruption and destruction, was He helping Zhou Yun?!

Zhou Yun had corrupted two of His sons! He, Slaanesh, had corrupted only one!

What possible reason could they have to be entangled?! Didn't Zhou Yun say He only liked human women?!

Could it be…

Slaanesh, bewildered and dazed, searched the tides of the Warp for answers.

But he found only a long stretch of history near humanity's third millennium erased by the blazing golden flames within the Warp.

All content related to Zhou Yun was obscured by a tangled web of flickering afterimages.

He found nothing.

The withered corpse upon the Golden Throne leaned forward slightly; flesh began to regenerate upon His body; the tremors within the Warp grew stronger, as if something new was about to be born.

The blazing golden titan within the sun gazed down upon Slaanesh; He said nothing, yet the meaning was unmistakable.

If you don't leave, I'm going to stand up.

"No!!!" Slaanesh shrieked in terror.

He hastily retreated toward His chamber, only to see the golden titan's sword—composed of billions of stars—plummet from the heavens.

The sword, gripped in both hands, plunged deep into one side of Slaanesh's Sixth Ring; blazing flames erupted, consuming Slaanesh's gardens of indulgence.

Meanwhile, the other three entities watching this scene let out low, mocking laughter.

Countless shattered crystals, roaring tornadoes, and ever-shifting mirrors appeared along the edges of Slaanesh's domain; with cawing bird cries, Tzeentch's legions began their invasion.

Then came Khorne's roaring legions—the steel bulls shattered the cages of the pleasure-seekers; the places of indulgence crumbled under the Blood God's roar, and He too began to invade Slaanesh's domain.

Next came Nurgle, the Father of Plagues; His legions did not appear directly within Slaanesh's domain, but Slaanesh's demons and Greater Daemons alike began contracting venereal diseases—syphilis, AIDS—Nurgle's demons born from these diseases erupted from the bodies of Slaanesh's own demons.

Such is the Warp: when one god shows weakness, the others swarm to attack.

Slaanesh's chief Greater Daemon, Shalasi Muzai, attempted to resist the invasions from all sides.

But the blazing golden titan suddenly hurled a burning chess piece from His hand.

It was a broken Iron General.

The piece landed in Slaanesh's garden, before Shalasi Muzai, transforming into a towering giant with silver arms, wielding a warhammer, wreathed in dark red flames.

The giant had no skull, but Shalasi Muzai felt the hatred radiating from him—

Especially when the warhammer smashed directly into his face.

Slaanesh roared in fury and flew frantically toward His chamber.

Yet at the very last moment, He felt a part of Himself stolen, pulled away, devoured by some force.

He turned in rage—and saw the "horn" into which He had poured some of His power being seized by Zhou Yun and shoved into a pocket on His abdomen.

Slaanesh laughed in fury.

"Very well!"

"Then consider it my first gift!"

"You will come to understand! A corpse is not a good partner!"

He even twisted His body, pouring even more power into the "horn" now being stuffed into Zhou Yun's fourth-dimensional pocket.

This was His gift—generosity was always the virtue of the pleasure-seeker.

Besides, though He had barely glimpsed Zhou Yun's past,

He had glimpsed, in the future, Himself standing beside Zhou Yun.

Slaanesh returned to His chamber; upon the bed of purple velvet, His power began to reclaim the occupied territories.

The mirrors of Tzeentch no longer shifted; instead, they reflected beautiful faces, from which Slaanesh's demons poured forth, battling Tzeentch's legions.

Khorne's iron cavalry, flushed with the honor of conquest, suddenly became androgynous, turning upon each other in mutual slaughter.

A new trend emerged in the Sixth Ring and reality: people began proudly displaying syphilis and other diseases as fashionable expressions of lust; Nurgle's demons of AIDS and syphilis within the Warp were swiftly corrupted by Slaanesh.

Only the golden titan moved with perfect grace: He seized the headless steel giant from Slaanesh's Sixth Ring, transforming it back into the broken Iron General, which vanished at the edge of Slaanesh's domain.

His arms, which had been bracing the Golden Throne, slowly lowered; His back settled against the chair, and He sat upright once more.

The other three gods and Slaanesh began a new round of battles and games over the conquered territories.

In those days, the other three gods were not allies; they constantly waged war, launched ambushes, and betrayed one another.

Today's Warp remains as vibrant, as teeming with life, as ever.

The only two changes: Fulgrim had been gravely wounded, dragged into Slaanesh's chamber to heal—he would be unable to re-enter the Warp or the material universe for a long time.

And Shalasi Muzai, who had been knocked unconscious by the Iron General thrown by the Emperor at the very start of the invasion, had taken no part in the battle; this enraged Slaanesh once more, and the recently reinstated Shalasi Muzai was cast back into the Punishment Palace.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yun stared blankly into his fourth-dimensional pocket.

The horn he had just shoved inside—it seemed like it was about to explode??

【Item Name: Horn (Slaanesh Avatar)】

【Origin: Webway - Black Library / Slaanesh's Sixth Ring】

【Evaluation: A unit in the Eldar Clown's play portraying Slaanesh, observed and corrupted by Slaanesh; its soul is bound to Slaanesh upon death. This horn has received abundant blessings from Slaanesh, transformed into a material embodiment; its flesh is about to collapse, approximately sixty-six seconds until disintegration. Sweet and cold in nature, effectively treats low libido, depression, and erectile dysfunction, but may induce homosexuality, gender dysphoria, or sexual addiction. Suggested: Initiate parenting program: Child Behavioral Correction and Re-education.】

【Production Time: 999. 41】

【Status: Imminent Collapse】

【Value: 666, 66, 66】

【Noticed: Item has changed; evaluation and price updated.】

【Supplemental Evaluation: At the final moment of being shoved into the fourth-dimensional pocket, Slaanesh infused it with massive additional power; explosion expected in six seconds within the pocket. Prepare accordingly.】

【Status: Imminent Explosion】

【Value: 1, 66, 66, 66】

【Sell? Or initiate parenting program: Child Behavioral Correction and Re-education?】

(End of Chapter)