"Hiss…"
"Why the hell is it shaking this hard? Can the Golden Throne even hold?"
Eden felt the violent fluctuation and sharply sucked in a breath.
In the past, whenever the Emperor awakened, the Sacred Sun would send out ripples, but never anything this intense.
This time, the disturbance had nearly wrecked every warp-extraction device around it.
That was extremely dangerous. Once those devices stopped functioning, the Sacred Sun's expansion would exceed its final limit.
"I hope the Adeptus Mechanicus can repair the damaged warp-extraction devices in time and bring the backups online. Otherwise, the Imperium is well and truly screwed."
Eden was grim with worry—and felt his own life was very much in danger.
This was one of the Imperium's darkest moments. He, the Savior, was under siege by the gods, while something had gone wrong with the Sacred Sun.
Trouble within and enemies without. Perfect.
"The Emperor reacted this violently… maybe because of me."
That thought stirred a thread of hope in Eden's heart.
Perhaps the old Emperor could unleash divine might from across that vast distance, drive back the Chaos Gods, and fish him, the Savior, out of here.
That would solve the immediate crisis.
"The Anathema… the Dark King… He has awakened again. Has he already broken free of his restraints…?"
Grandfather Nurgle muttered to himself, his voice carrying a trace of fear.
His massive body trembled. Even the Nurglings crawling over him were so frightened that they burst into wailing.
Among the Chaos Gods, the Plague Lord had suffered the worst at the hands of the Anathema. Even after hundreds of years, the memory still haunted him.
Worse still, that cursed being had become even more terrifying. If he appeared as the Dark King, he might devour Nurgle's Garden and his very domains outright.
That was what Nurgle feared most.
And not only the Plague Lord. The other three supreme Chaos Gods all shuddered at the awakening of the Sacred Sun, fear showing on their faces.
They became sharply alert, even forgetting to continue their attack.
"As expected, the Emperor's deterrent against the Chaos Gods is still the strongest. No contest."
Eden looked at the scene and sighed with feeling.
The old Emperor had only released a wave of power, yet that alone had eased the pressure on him and created a better chance to run.
Eden immediately gathered more strength and began breaking through Tzeentch's Labyrinth, intending to smash his way out before the Chaos Gods recovered.
Yet he was only halfway through when the Sacred Sun's fluctuations abruptly stopped.
Clearly, the Adeptus Mechanicus had repaired the relevant warp-extraction devices and activated the backup equipment.
The moment the Chaos Gods sensed the disturbance vanish, their attention snapped back to the Hell King. They maintained the encirclement.
Those hateful attacks began building again.
???
Eden went numb.
The Mechanicus worked way too fast. He had not even managed to escape yet, and they had already fixed it?!
Still, he did not blame them.
The Sacred Sun's condition was too important. No one dared delay in the slightest. After all, every second wasted could cause irreversible consequences.
Fortunately, Eden had used that precious window to break Tzeentch's Labyrinth and gather enough power to injure a supreme Chaos God.
"Forget it. Break out!"
Eden made the decision on the spot and hurled himself at the Changer of Ways.
As the Hell King moved, the sea of magma rose in towering waves.
The runes on his crimson divine body blazed to life, radiating a wicked hue, while the Hell Furnace in his abdomen brewed molten flame.
Even the Chaos Gods felt threatened by the hellish power about to erupt.
Caw!
The Changer of Ways saw the Savior's movement and immediately became wary, constructing layer after layer of iridescent shields to withstand that desperate strike.
The next instant, the Hell King endured the incoming attacks head-on. His abyssal maw snapped open, and molten fire poured toward the big blue bird.
The extreme heat melted the magma all over again. Even the planet's crust cracked, and several layers of iridescent shields were blasted through.
A suicidal attack like this was hard for even a supreme Chaos God to withstand.
Under such a ferocious assault, the Changer of Ways began to consider retreat. Tzeentch had no desire to suffer too much damage over this.
After all, this siege had been organized by all the gods. Why should He alone take the beating?!
That was exactly the Savior's goal: exploit the Chaos Gods' mutual scheming to create an escape route.
"There's a chance!"
When Eden noticed the big blue bird's intent to retreat, joy flashed through him.
He accepted further injury and forced out even more power in a manner that exceeded his limits. Cracks appeared across the Hell King's body.
Eden had prepared for this moment for a long time. He had already mapped out a route that could shake off the gods' pursuit.
As long as he escaped this Chaos planet, everything else would be manageable.
But in the next second, the power of Khorne and the other two Chaos Gods surged in, blocking the Changer of Ways and taking part of the damage for Him.
This time, the Chaos Gods were united as never before.
"Savior, you attempt to flee the end of your fate. Yet all of it is nothing but pitiful delusion.
"All of this was ordained long ago…"
At some point, the Changer of Ways had recovered His composure. He mocked Eden's overconfidence.
He was perfectly calm.
"I saw your failure long ago. I saw your little tricks, and your unraveling of the Labyrinth was always within my sight.
"It was merely another jest played by fate."
As He spoke, the layered Labyrinth surrounding the Chaos planet sealed itself once more, and Eden's heart sank completely.
Just as the Changer of Ways had said, the Savior had never had any hope of escaping this place. It had merely been another game played at his expense.
The Savior's growth was terrifyingly fast, yes. But he had still not ascended into a supreme god, nor had he been granted enough time to accumulate power like the Anathema.
He was only a newborn deity. Even if he possessed tremendous wealth, he could not compare with gods who had existed for countless tens of thousands of years.
And they would not give the Savior the chance to grow and become another Anathema.
"All the roads out have been sealed. This planet is the prison they chose for me…"
Eden felt as though his heart had been clenched in a fist, and the abyss itself was staring back at him.
Especially when he saw the cunning look in the Blood God's eyes.
He realized that the God of War and Blood had most likely been putting on an act earlier. Khorne was greedy enough to arrive before the other gods and squeeze a pile of wealth out of him first.
Those pure faith-based daemonic energies were not much to Eden, but it was still deeply irritating.
Who said the Blood God was just a brute? The old bastard was cunning as hell.
"Savior, compared to the Anathema, you are still a little too young."
Khorne said this calmly.
Without realizing it, He had already begun comparing this newborn god with the Anathema.
Perhaps that counted as praise, but it was not exactly friendly to the Savior. It meant that without the Emperor's strength, he would find it very hard to contend with the gods.
Much less escape alive.
This might be the darkest moment of his life. Facing the true forms of all four supreme Chaos Gods at once would drive any being into total despair.
"You tried to use faith to win over the God of War. How foolish."
After seizing those supercharged rockets of pure faith-based daemonic energy, Khorne had eased His famine somewhat, and His posture had become firmer.
As He spoke, sulfurous steam leaked from His mouth and nose.
"Once we destroy you, the Savior, will the galaxy's faithful and all that pure faith-based daemonic energy not belong to us?"
That meant the Blood God, having relieved His hunger, had developed even greater greed. Eden's previous strategy of throwing money at Him was no longer very effective.
"These old bastards probably want to drain my domains and faith-based daemonic energy dry on this Chaos planet, then tear up the ticket once they are done.
"Great. I've been locked in a Chaos sweatshop and turned into livestock!"
Facing the Chaos Gods as they advanced step by step, surrounding him with savage grins, Eden could not stop a trace of despair from rising in his heart.
The Chaos planet's blockade became increasingly solid. The domain of slaughter, the filth of plague, the mists of pleasure, and kaleidoscopic flames spread toward him, constantly squeezing the Hell King's living space.
A prison that involved both the natural and the unnatural, one from which there was no escape, had been completed. Even the soul would be sealed.
Time itself had been frozen by the gods' domains, meaning that no matter how long passed here, the outside situation would not be affected.
They had all the time they needed to deal with him, the Savior.
Eden frowned.
The Hell King's domain was sturdy. Its resilience even surpassed that of some supreme Chaos Gods. But they could fight him inside this prison for ten thousand years, and even the strongest domain would eventually be ground away.
Unless he could immediately obtain power on the level of the old Emperor, there was no hope of escape.
But how could that be possible?!
Even the Emperor had spent thousands, even tens of thousands, of years brewing such might. Eden's growth was faster than the old Emperor's, but even so, it was impossible to reach the level of suppressing evil gods in just a few hundred years.
The worst-case scenario he had predicted had arrived. This was practically an unsolvable death trap.
"What now?!"
Eden gathered all his power to build his defenses, resisting the endless corruption of Chaos while frantically searching for any possible countermeasure.
"What if I forcibly ascend to an unclaimed divine throne right now? Could I break through the prison?"
Under the pressure, that thought suddenly surfaced in Eden's mind. It was incredibly tempting.
He was fully capable of ascending into a supreme god right now, becoming one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy and the warp. He had merely been suppressing it all this time.
But Eden quickly abandoned the idea.
If he ascended into a supreme god, he could indeed escape, but that would also mean losing his humanity and taking a seat at the same table as the Chaos Gods.
That was no different from eternal torment. Better to die outright.
Eden restrained the temptation of godhood and did not take that terrifying step.
At the same time, however, the Chaos Gods' attacks came one after another. The Hell King endured wave after wave of strikes and was left covered in wounds.
Even the crown-like giant horns on his head were broken, leaving him battered and wretched.
The damage caused by the Chaos Gods fed back into his soul, bringing him unbearable agony. Perhaps it was the most terrible torture that could exist within the warp.
Fortunately, Eden had sat on the golden toilet before. He could still withstand the pain before him.
At least, he would not completely lose his will.
But the continued loss of his domain power still filled him with worry.
If he could not find a way out, these greedy Chaos Gods would tear him apart and devour him completely. Even if he did not die, he would become their slave!
"If that happens, maybe I'll have a chance to turn this around…"
After an unknown span of time, Eden finally found the only path to survival among countless possibilities. Perhaps it was his last hope.
After that, he waited patiently, waiting for that possible moment to arrive. He believed fate would ultimately stand on his side.
Resolve filled Eden's eyes as he secretly sent out a psychic transmission.
He was taking the initiative and creating the opening himself.
Once that moment arrived, he would carry the fate of the galaxy, the warp, and all humanity with him, drag the Chaos Gods onto the table as well, and make one brutal wager.
That was how he would overturn everything.
Both he and the old Emperor were already at rock bottom. No matter which way they went, it could only be upward.
The giant hands formed from the Chaos Gods' domains continued tearing at the Hell King's body, ripping away that delicious power bit by bit. They also sought to seize the pure faith-based daemonic energy hidden deep within his soul.
From there, they would corrupt the faithful who belonged to him.
They were so greedy, so excited, that they poured nearly all their attention into it, lest the other gods take the opportunity to devour more.
The Savior was doomed.
Yet just as the Chaos Gods were greedily feasting, an even more terrifying shockwave came from the void outside. Profound darkness tore open the void completely.
Even the blockade inside the Chaos planet was affected.
"It's here…"
Eden's voice trembled slightly. Although he had predicted this, a trace of fear still remained in his heart.
This time, the old Emperor had truly lost control. Half his ass had already lifted from the Golden Throne.
Every warp-extraction device around him had been shattered to pieces.
Even more terrifying, the Sacred Sun, which had originally radiated brilliant golden light, had faintly begun turning into an abhorrent black, containing the deepest darkness.
"The Emperor… no. That is something else!"
At that moment, the Chaos Gods were terrified to the extreme and could not stop themselves from uttering the name of that being.
They realized what they had overlooked. Their bodies went rigid, and they no longer had any appetite to devour the delicious power before them.
That was the aura of the Dark King.
He was not an illusion. Not a loss of control. He had truly taken form. The Anathema had placed one foot upon the stairway and was about to let out His first cry.
The ripples before His birth alone shook the entire warp. They were far, far more terrifying than when Slaanesh was born.
The Chaos Gods realized they were about to face their end, and immediately lost their appetite.
That meant the countless faith-based daemonic energies they had devoured over the ages might all be vomited back out and handed over to the Dark King.
For the greedy Chaos Gods, nothing could be more horrifying.
Their domain powers and faith-based daemonic energy would be stripped away. Their realms of Chaos would collapse, and they would become weak, homeless curs.
"No! Savior, stop His descent!" the Changer of Ways screamed at the Savior.
He seemed to have seen some terrible fate, and His blue body trembled like a sieve.
The Sacred Sun was now in the distant region of extinction, while the Golden Throne was located in the webway beneath Dawn City. Only the Savior could stop the Dark King's descent.
Though there was only a 0.99 percent chance of success, it was their only hope.
"Sorry. I'm not doing anything. Right now, I only want to be destroyed together with all of you…"
Eden took a deep breath and spoke coldly.
This was not merely a verbal threat. He truly did exactly that.
The Sun of Hope simply watched as the Sacred Sun gradually turned black. Even the Adeptus Mechanicus stopped repairing the warp-extraction devices.
The faith that continued to gather accelerated its awakening.
That sight of everything descending into the abyss drove the Chaos Gods into deeper panic and despair.
(End of Chapter)
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