A pale golden light rippled like water across Datch's vision as the mission interface materialized sharply before his eyes.
[Mission: Support Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman in achieving victory in the Battle of Ax.]
The Imperial forces were mustering, and the decisive battle against the Death Lord Mortarion was about to begin in the Ax System. This battle would determine the future of humanity.
If victorious, humanity would issue a declaration to the Warp itself.
The Imperium was no longer a lamb led to the slaughter.
The balance between the material universe and the realm of illusion had been shattered time and again by corruption—and now the Imperium would deliver fitting retribution.
Should they fail, the gods' imprint of invincibility would be etched deeply into the hearts of every Imperial citizen.
The Imperium's morale would collapse, and countless souls would fall into despair.
Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman, please grant your support so that we may secure victory in this grand battle.
[Quest Rewards: 2500 points, 2500 experience, +500 reputation, 1x Time Restoration Controller.]
Datch stared intently at the quest screen, his eyes narrowing slightly. When his focus shifted to the reward item's icon, the details panel expanded.
[Item: Time Restoration Controller]
Function: Returns a designated object to its state at any chosen point in the past. Description: "A shattered mirror is restored, withered bones regenerate—here, time is merely a traceable current."
"That's interesting…"
A faint smile curved at the corner of Datch's mouth after he finished reading the item's description.
The Time Restoration Controller and Golden Hammer were functionally almost identical. However, the hammer could only repair. A skeleton once shattered and restored by the golden hammer remained nothing more than a skeleton.
The difference between the two was the gap between a broken frame and a perfect restoration.
In short, both were merely frameworks.
The Time Restoration Controller was different—it could turn back time and transform bones into flesh and blood. Even if the target had been reduced to nothing but a skull, it could be restored to its former vibrant state.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency. I will definitely help you achieve victory in the Battle of Ax."
Datch accepted Guilliman's mission and drew his teleportation gun. He fired once at the ground, opening a glowing green portal, and stepped through.
The next instant, he was back in the driver's seat of the Astral Express.
"Pam, new destination. This time we're heading to the Ax System. At the same time, we need to lay a route so the Imperial fleet can pass through."
While giving instructions to Pam, Datch inputted the spatial coordinates for the Ax System.
"Understood, Nameless guest. Conductor Pam here—departure will commence shortly. Passengers, please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts."
Pam shouted energetically while swiftly manipulating the buttons and levers on the control panel. As the train began to move, it emitted a soft glow. Its leading edge stirred the air, creating ripples like those on water.
The ripples spread, and a dazzling portal of light and spacetime opened.
When the train plunged through, the streaks of light outside the windows instantly stretched into endless lines. In the blink of an eye, the scenery beyond the windows shifted from flowing galaxies to a starfield radiating an evil aura.
"We have arrived at the border of the Ax System."
Behind the train, a massive hole of light slowly rotated.
After Datch activated the Astral Express and laid down the star track leading to Ax, Guilliman ordered the entire fleet's communication system activated. He delivered a pre-battle address and mobilization to everyone.
"All forces, heed my command! Set sail immediately, suppress the rebellion, and reclaim the Ax Star System!
In this battle, we shall avenge the dead and fight for a better tomorrow for the living!
Under the Emperor's will, advance in the name of humanity. Seize victory and drive the enemy from Imperial territory!
We wish to declare to the Warp that their era is over—the future belongs to humanity!"
The Primarch's voice transmitted through the communication array, echoing through every compartment of every warship.
"For the Emperor! For the Nameless! For the Nameless! Victory shall surely be ours!"
A thunderous roar erupted like an avalanche from thousands of chests, merging into a terrifying sonic wave.
The shockwave reverberated through the sealed cabins, even drawing faint resonant sounds from the thick armor plates. Countless hands gripped weapons tightly, operated turrets, and stared fixedly at instrument panels. Knuckles whitened from tension.
In the eyes of innumerable soldiers burned an unyielding flame of passion. They would challenge the gods and continue advancing even in the face of despair.
The sailing order reached every warship. Captains began issuing commands to their crews.
The propulsion systems of thousands of warships activated in unison, spewing dazzling plasma flames. The brilliance was so magnificent it was as if countless tiny stars had suddenly ignited across the dark curtain of the universe.
Under the Primarch's will, the massive fleet advanced in orderly fashion toward the orbital entrance. The engine exhaust flames painted scorching trails of light dozens of kilometers long, brightly illuminating the cold void. That immense power was like a silently collapsing galaxy—or thunder quietly tearing through vacuum. With firm resolve to crush all filth and purify all darkness, they fearlessly marched toward the plague-infested galaxy.
Many Imperial soldiers and tech-priests who witnessed this scene through heavy portholes, observation slits, or projection screens felt tears welling in their eyes, their chests surging with boundless patriotism.
This was no longer a desperate struggle—it was a grand counteroffensive by a civilization and a people united against the evil that sought to destroy it.
The Eldar bone warship floated like a ghost near Macragge's Honour.
The Eldar Seer Natase stood quietly before the arched window of the observation deck. In his eyes was reflected the sight of the human fleet setting sail on its expedition—a grand spectacle that seemed capable of swallowing the stars.
The Eldar Seer's expression was complex, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on a spirit-bone plaque.
By the decree of the Emperor and his son, the Imperium of Man had indeed assembled such a massive fleet. This greatly unsettled him.
The human Imperium was undeniably barbaric, yet equally undeniably powerful. In the entire galaxy, there were probably fewer than ten species or civilizations capable of opposing this Imperial fleet.
And for the Imperium, assembling another twelve fleets of this scale was entirely possible.
In this era, humanity was truly the undisputed ruler.
Could the Eldar once again achieve true victory in the war between the Imperium of Man and Chaos, and reclaim their former glory?
Natase was caught in a vortex of confusion. Witnessing the miracles created by the Nameless and the terrifying military might of the Imperium of Man, he felt only despair for the Eldar's future.
…
The Imperial fleet systematically utilized the space route laid by the Astral Express, reaching the outer edge of the Ax Star System and beginning operations to eliminate the rebels.
The flagship, Macragge's Honour, was the first Imperial warship to arrive at the outer edge of the Ax Star System.
The moment of arrival brought a piercing alarm that instantly drowned out every other sound on the bridge. Crimson warning lights spun at high speed, dyeing corridors and hatches red.
"Highest level alert: Reality veil coefficient has dropped to zero. Local collapse of physical laws in progress."
"Gravity well anomaly detected. Spatial structure showing non-Euclidean geometric distortion!"
"Optical observation system forcibly activated… Emperor protect us…"
The instant everyone on the bridge looked at the observation windows or tactical holographic screens, their gazes froze and their pupils contracted sharply from extreme shock.
They initially thought they were hallucinating, but after rubbing their eyes, they realized what they were seeing was reality.
The Ax System had completely transformed—it could no longer even be called a galaxy. It had become an endlessly spreading living nightmare hell, composed of blasphemous architecture woven by an indescribable power. What appeared were colossal fortress complexes that completely trampled reason and common sense. They floated in the void, their scale so vast it shattered astronomy and drove technicians to madness.
Their height reached hundreds of millions of kilometers, spanning hundreds of billions of kilometers horizontally, with volumes exceeding the main stars of many galaxies. Their material was undefinable—like coagulated pus, rusted lamentations, writhing geometric paradoxes, and polymers of pure malice. On the surfaces of the countless giant fortresses were embedded enormous eight-pointed star emblems from which fluorescent pus flowed or evil flames blazed, radiating a spine-chilling blasphemous spiritual pressure.
These colossal structures, which should not exist in the real universe, blatantly emanated the corrupted aura of the Warp. They represented the most blatant mockery and the most violent defilement of reality's framework by the will of the Warp. Clearly, the gods had intervened directly in this war.
Through these absurd constructions, they flaunted their power before the people of the Imperium. Merely gazing directly at those incomparably grand buildings inflicted not only visual shock but also eroded the viewer's mind.
"Emperor…"
On the bridge, several Navigators groaned in pain, covering their eyes as tears and blood seeped between their fingers.
The logic cores of multiple mechanical calculators overloaded, spewing blue smoke and emitting piercing failure noises. Officers swallowed hard, terror evident on their faces. They had never seen buildings so magnificent. Not even humans—nor xenos races like the Eldar or Necrons—could likely construct them.
Guilliman suddenly clenched his fist, knuckles whitening. Bitter memories long buried in his heart resurfaced. During the Horus Heresy, Horus had used Davin as a catalyst, sacrificing countless planets like Calth and innumerable Imperial citizens to unleash a destructive storm that swallowed the galaxy.
Upon learning the Emperor still lived, he, Leman, and Sanguinius had immediately set sail from Macragge toward Terra for support. However, they were obstructed by Chaos en route. They passed through the Pirohan System tainted by the Warp and witnessed exactly the same scene now before them.
The combined fleet of the three Legions had seemed like mere specks of dust before those grand Warp structures. Even if they could easily create rifts large enough for planets to pass through, it would be insignificant compared to those colossal constructions.
Uwaaa…!
Deep and ancient, like a powerful summons woven from the death throes of billions of worlds, the sound arrogantly defied the laws of silence in vacuum. It reverberated through the entire internal space structure of every Imperial warship.
The sound waves violently shook the ships' steel skeletons, propagating along corridors, pipes, and bulkheads, transforming into an unending, ear-splitting roar.
It was like the heartbeat of the fortress, pounding fiercely against every crew member's chest and inducing nausea, dizziness, and deep-rooted terror.
This was the true power of the Warp. With the existence of the Great Rift, the Chaos Gods could easily influence the real universe, completely ignoring physical laws and creating at will anything that defied common sense.
"Something unusual is happening on the outer walls of that fortress," the avian oracle supervisor reported to the Primarch. "Let's focus the augur array at maximum power and scan. Power up the image capture devices and confirm what they actually are."
Guilliman suppressed his memories and various emotions, regained his composure, and issued orderly commands.
The crew followed the Primarch's will, acting swiftly to concentrate scans on the fortress and gather information.
After intense flickering, the screen image stabilized, magnifying the towering form of the grand fortress before them.
The sight that greeted the eyes of many bridge personnel froze their spines, filling their eyes with shock and terror.
Countless daemons—Nurgle's bloated plague walkers, Khorne's crimson blood daemons, Tzeentch's treacherous Dreadlords, Slaanesh's alluring succubi, and many other unclassifiable, twisted, writhing Warp entities—were packed densely and endlessly. They clung to, writhed upon, and squatted across the surface of the grand fortress like a carpet of fungi and maggots furiously breeding on rotten flesh, howling hungrily toward the Imperial fleet.
Their innumerable gazes were filled with insatiable hunger, pure malice, and a desire for destruction. They pierced through the void and armor, fixed firmly on the newly arrived Imperial fleet. With but a single thought, this sea of daemons would boil over, erupt, and transform into a destructive tsunami that would submerge, tear apart, and drag the Imperium's steel behemoths into the abyss of eternal corruption.
The once high-spirited Imperial fleet was now enveloped in a deathly silence born of shock.
The true power revealed by the Warp was like being doused with ice water, extinguishing the passion in most people's hearts. Even with an unprecedentedly large fleet, who could confidently declare victory in this situation?
A thick fog of despair quietly enveloped every Imperial soldier. Everyone keenly felt that this would become a bloody hellish battle, where mountains of corpses and wrecked ships would carve the path forward.
The price of victory would be terrifyingly high. Among those who participated in this battle, only a very few would return alive.
On the bridge of Macragge's Honour, Guilliman stood before the main observation window, solemnly gazing at the desecrated galaxy. This battle was far more difficult than anticipated.
Just then—
The void directly in front of Macragge's Honour suddenly distorted. Countless eerie green lights and gray mists converged, condensing into Mortarion's projection.
The Death Lord appeared even larger and more grotesque than when Guilliman had last seen him. Another figure wore an unmistakable, arrogant and terrifying smile. His gaze pierced the void and locked onto Guilliman.
"Poor Guilliman." Mortarion's voice echoed through the internal communications of all warships. "How do you like this magnificent gift I have prepared? Don't you think it far surpasses the fleet you painstakingly assembled?
Why aren't you laughing? Are you naturally bad at laughing? Or have you simply lost the ability to do so?"
The Primarch's words were thickly steeped in excitement and malice, almost tangible. What greater pleasure could there be than shattering the hopes of a brother who hated him and flaunting absolute power?
"Do you want to defeat me? I await you on Ax.
Even if some glory of the Emperor remains, and with the help of that Nameless one—what exactly can you change?
In this eternal war, the ultimate victor is Chaos. Everything you have done is merely adding a few futile logs to a fire destined to burn out."
Blatant mockery and contempt pierced the hearts of every Imperial soldier like venomous thorns. Anger burned quietly, yet it was nearly crushed by the despair before their eyes.
Guilliman slowly relaxed his clenched fist, desperately trying to maintain composure. Arguing with the traitor was pointless.
After mocking Guilliman, Mortarion's phantom vanished.
A green light point appeared in an open area on the bridge not far from Guilliman, quickly expanding into a stable elliptical portal of light.
The next instant, a mechanical warhorse covered in bionic skin, with ghostly blue flames flickering in its eyes, emerged carrying its master, Datch.
It leaped elegantly and steadily from the portal.
The horseshoes struck the adamantium deck with a sharp clang, echoing through the silent bridge. Where the horse's hooves landed, a thin layer of frost formed, with white cold mist drifting.
Crew members, officers, and tech-priests along the way instinctively stepped back, making way for them.
Datch lightly tugged the reins, and the mechanical warhorse confidently strode to Guilliman's side. He dismounted smoothly and silently. The mechanical warhorse stood quietly in a corner, blue flames quietly burning in its eyes.
Now, all eyes and expectations were focused on Datch.
Under Guilliman's slightly wavering gaze, Datch spoke calmly in a clear, composed voice that resounded through the silent bridge.
"Your Excellency the Regent, is there anything I can assist with?"
Upon hearing this, the commanders and technicians all showed expressions of joy.
The ways of the Warp gods were terrifying, but since the Nameless had made his move, victory was already assured.
Guilliman suppressed his excitement and tried to remain as calm as possible.
"Mortarion is cunning and a traitor. In truth, he used the power of the Warp gods to summon those terrifying fortresses. If the Imperial fleet launches a direct assault, it will undoubtedly suffer catastrophic losses and be forced to retreat in defeat.
If possible, please help destroy the Warp fortresses and open the path to the planet Ax."
The moment he finished speaking, the true nature of the mission became clear in Datch's eyes.
[Mission: Support Imperial Regent Roboute Guilliman by destroying the Warp fortresses and opening the path to the planet Ax.]
To prevent Roboute Guilliman from achieving victory in the war, the Warp gods demonstrated their overwhelming power on the planet Ax by constructing grand fortresses that defied physical laws. They are extremely dangerous, and reckless attacks could result in massive casualties. Roboute Guilliman hopes you will find a way to resolve this issue.
Quest Rewards: 1500 experience, 1500 points, +300 reputation, 1x Infinity Gauntlet (no infinity stones).
Datch gazed at the icon of the Infinity Gauntlet, the item awarded as a mission reward. It was the silhouette of a simple, antique-style metal glove with distinctive grooves at the knuckles.
This was an item from the Avengers. By collecting all six Infinity Stones that embodied the fundamental laws of the universe and embedding them, one could gain terrifying power and the ability to grant wishes. Once, that famous purple sweet potato-headed being had used this magical artifact to erase half of all life in the universe.
"If I could collect all six stones, wouldn't I be able to take off right away?"
Datch pondered inwardly, then nodded to Guilliman and accepted the mission.
Under everyone's gaze, Datch took out the Human Alliance Fleet Summoning Card he had recently acquired.
"Now is the time for the Warp gods to witness the power of humanity."
Datch tossed the card into the air and shouted,
"Come forth, Human Alliance Fleet! Shake this universe beneath humanity's feet and make the gods scream!"
The next instant, the card transformed into streaks of light, passing through bulkheads and windows before vanishing into the vast void.