Chapter 314: It is the Twenty-Second Day, Twenty-Two Hours, Twenty-Two Minutes

"I propose that Inard's true form manifest outside the Black Library."

Inside the Eldar embassy, Efraini spoke to Khimian.

This left Khimian slightly confused.

"Little girl, Inard's true form has not yet fully been born—wouldn't that make it even more dangerous?"

Inard indeed possesses immense power, but until fully born, He mostly channels His strength through His avatars: Inkani, the Chosen Khimian, and Efraini.

Beyond that, His true form can only act on crude instincts and desires.

"The closer Inard is to Inkani, the stronger Inkani becomes."

Efraini whispered:

"And even though Inard himself, relying only on instinct and desire, has not yet fully manifested his power, his identity as the Eldar Death God allows him to restrain Sighoki to some degree—and don't forget, the power composing Inard includes not only the Infinite Loop but also the residual power of the Phoenix King Asuryan."

"If He himself arrives at the Black Library—or rather, beside the Pantheon—the residual Asuryan power within will become His to command."

Then even Sighoki himself could not harm Inard.

Unless Sighoki has other allies.

Efraini fell silent, pondering.

The Five Chaos Gods? No, impossible—Sighoki would never ally with the Chaos Gods. Slaanesh? Naturally not. Khorne despises the Jester. Nurgle exists because of Isha. And Tzeentch and the Emperor are both liars—could they ever cooperate?

Then is it some force from the material universe?

The Orks would beat Sighoki senseless before even laying a hand on Inard.

The Wotan Alliance has little involvement in Warp affairs.

The Tyranids are not capable of alliance.

It can't be the Tau—can it?

A flicker of hesitation crossed Efraini's face.

Could it be the humans?

But Guilliman is on Macragge, Sanguinius is fighting on the frontlines of Auspex, leaving only—

The human Death God? Could it be the human Death God? He's always been elusive.

Could the human Death God be working with Sighoki to hunt Inard?

It's entirely possible—their domains in the Warp overlap. But Inard is one of the Eldar's last hopes.

The human Death God, Zhou Yun—what kind of price could Sighoki possibly demand to betray Inard?

Could he even save the Eldar?

Efraini shook her head, banishing these thoughts from her mind.

It was probably just her paranoia.

Even if there truly was a problem, she and Khimian could still use their bond with Inard to reach Him directly.

"It must be Efraini's idea," Zhou Yun declared at once.

The three leaders of the Death Guard: Efraini, Khimian, and Inkani.

Khimian is a narcissistic, fractured soul with a crush; Inkani is Inard's premature birth.

In truth, the entire Death Guard shares only one sane mind—Efraini's.

Precisely because of this, Zhou Yun had prepared in advance.

"With the true form so close, Inkani's strength will surge—and given that Inard carries some of Asuryan's power, his authority over the Black Library and Pantheon likely exceeds mine."

"I'll handle restraining Inard's true form. You can deal with Inkani, right?"

Sighoki grinned.

Zhou Yun gave a slight nod.

No problem—this scenario hadn't exceeded the plan he, Sighoki, and Guilliman had devised.

To prevent Efraini from sensing anything amiss, both Primarchs remained on Macragge—but if needed, a teleport gate could bring them here instantly.

Still, unless everything spiraled completely out of control, Sanguinius and Guilliman would likely remain unused.

The heavy doors of the Black Library slowly opened. Inkani, wreathed in alien flames, stepped inside like Death itself, entering the Eldar's treasury of knowledge.

"I am Inkani, avatar of the Death God Inard!"

"Sighoki, at your invitation, I come to discuss the Eldar's future."

Inkani opened his mouth slightly, uttering a cold whisper.

The voice did not come from his throat, but from somewhere colder, deeper.

But the Black Library offered no reply.

No voice from Sighoki. No voice from the Jester. It seemed empty.

Inkani twisted his hovering form, frowning as he scanned the surroundings—

BOOM!!

The sudden crack of bolters erupted—automatic weapons hidden behind bookshelves unleashed their payloads.

These were pre-set weapons designed by the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, firing two thousand two hundred searing bolter shells in a single instant, forming a perfect fan that completely surrounded Inkani.

Even an experienced Space Marine could not survive such a sudden, concentrated barrage.

But to Inkani, it was merely a comical prank.

As the bullets neared his body, Inkani began a dance of death—the Sword of a Thousand Souls, Velliszar. It stirred the whispers of spirits, weaving a dense net.

Bone blade met bolter shell—each bullet striking the blade seemed granted death itself, instantly turning to pale ash.

Not a single bolter round touched Inkani's body. Beneath him lay a thick layer of pale, ashen grit—all the "killed" bullets.

"Jester, is this your ridiculous prank?"

The whisper rose again, scornful.

To him, this wasn't even an attack—just a vile joke.

Only the sound of triggers being pulled answered him.

He dismissed it—another dull joke. How could bullets possibly harm an avatar of Death?

Velliszar lifted slightly, and Inkani sidestepped—

But he did not dodge.

A searing laser consumed everything within ten meters around him; all was melted into liquid by the thermal fire.

【Item Name: Thermal Lance】

【Origin: 22nd Century Earth—Future Department Store】

【Manufactured: 231. 3】

【Function: Powerful weapon item. One shot can destroy a building. Common 22nd-century rodent exterminator.】

A simple, direct item—perfectly paired with Zhou Yun's flawless marksmanship.

Zhou Yun had aimed for Inkani's head—and hit.

But it was hard to say whether a Death God's avatar even had a mortal head.

Even if it did, one shot alone was unlikely to kill Him.

Zhou Yun, hidden by the Blindspot Star, observed from above.

"Sighoki!!!"

A furious roar echoed through the void as Inkani's body emerged from bursts of flame.

"I came to discuss the Eldar's future! What are you doing?!"

His body was scorched and melted; half his face had liquefied, revealing the spirit and bone beneath.

Yet swirling across his face were intricate Eldar runes depicting wings, flames, bird heads, a single eye, and crowns.

Asuryan's power—Inard had activated the residual Asuryan energy within the Black Library and Pantheon to protect His avatar.

Inard inherited Asuryan's power; in a sense, He was the true heir of the Phoenix King.

His position within the Pantheon far surpassed Sighoki's, and his control over the Black Library and Pantheon was stronger.

Meanwhile, outside the Black Library, laughter and cold whispers rose together.

Clearly, Sighoki had already detained Inard's true form.

Zhou Yun only needed to subdue Inkani.

Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!

Three low shouts echoed in Inkani's ears—Efraini's warning.

But Inkani felt no fear. The barrier wrapped around him now was forged by Asuryan himself—even the full-strength Kain could not break it. Unless Sighoki summoned one of the Chaos Gods, he could never shatter it head-on.

Still, since Efraini warned him, retreat was acceptable.

He turned to leave the Black Library—only to see a massive human figure blocking his path.

The human held a baseball bat, his face broad and round, like a tiger's.

"Do you know what time it is?"

The human asked, then answered himself:

"Today is the twenty-second day of the Kanno Month on Macragge, at 22: 2."

"It is the first-ever celebration and ritual honoring Saint Doraemon of the Galaxy."

Saying this, the human drew a deep breath.

"Fus"

Complex, intricate tones poured from his throat.

Macragge, Hera Fortress, Eldar Embassy District,

"Damn!" Efrine let out a low growl,

Through Inani's perspective, Efrine had confirmed that Sighoki had truly betrayed Inard.

She whirled her head toward Qianmian beside her,

"Use Inard's blessing to take us into the Black Library."

Before Qianmian could respond, the elf embassy began to tremble slightly.

"If I had Doraemon, I'd call him Little Dinging,"

"With his bamboo helicopter and time tunnel, he could go anywhere."

"Turn all kids, adults, and villains into good people!"

"Ding ding ding! Little Dinging grants me all my wishes."

Light, joyful hymns rose beneath the seven hills bearing the Hera Fortress,

This was the first celebration of Saint Doraemon, a ritual by the Saint Doraemon Sect to praise that great figure,

They chanted hymns, shared dorayaki made from the food-tablecloth's copper gongs, juice brewed from leaf-decomposing bacteria, and offered two hundred and twenty-two praises to Saint Doraemon, as well as to Saint Gileas, Guilliman, and Fat Tiger.

Leina took a deep breath; she actually wanted to attend the celebration,

but Zhou Yun had given her, Digeris, and Mufusidun a task.

The three psychics stood together; Digeris, his face weary, looked at Leina and Mufusidun.

"What's our task?" he asked, having just left the Ptolemaic Library.

"It's Zhou Yun's task; specifically—"

Leina paused, then mimicked Zhou Yun's tone:

"Use your psychic power to blow every last elf sprout into the sky!"

(End of Chapter)