The sudden change of the Holy Sun startled everyone.
Tyrys and the others immediately quieted down, becoming more devout and frenzied in their expressions. They longed for the Emperor's gaze.
Eden looked a bit nervous.
"Tsk~ We better get out of here quickly!"
According to his original plan, he was supposed to bring these people over for a quick look, then send them back and clean up the scene—this way, they could avoid being discovered by the Emperor.
But unexpectedly, the Emperor woke up so quickly. The old man had just woken up to find hundreds of faces staring at him. For someone with social anxiety, this was surely not a pleasant experience.
By the time Eden wanted to react, it was already too late.
The Holy Sun fully awakened. Rings of holy light rippled out in waves, then suddenly pulsed again.
Judging from the psychic fluctuations,
He seemed shocked, almost like that famous question mark meme.
???
Faced with the crowd of onlookers, the Emperor's face was full of confusion as he fixed his gaze on the Little Sun.
Eden froze in place. The psychic waves emanating from the Little Sun formed a stiff smile, a bit like a creepy "smiling dog" expression.
"Ahem, good morning, Your Majesty. I, uh, just brought the Custodians over to have a little chat, to better coordinate our future work and shine brightly for the Imperium..."
The Emperor's gaze lingered on the Little Sun for a while but didn't react too strongly.
In fact, He seemed to be suppressing His dissatisfaction.
Then, He shifted His attention to the Custodians, seemingly communicating with them—though it felt more like a reprimand.
Being trapped on the Golden Throne and under immense strain, it was difficult for Him to project psychic power outward.
Since the Custodians were here, using them to relay some information would help improve the situation.
"His Majesty the Emperor is treating me better and better..." Eden thought, feeling a bit sentimental.
If this had been before, he'd have already been slapped by a psychic backhand.
Wouldn't it be nice to build a few more Holy Towers to help relieve His stress? Offer some tribute?
In fact, he could also construct a temple connected to this place, so people could better worship the Holy Sun. That could result in a huge boost in faith power.
It was perfect for counterbalancing things.
While Eden was indeed bringing more faith power to the Emperor, as long as the Holy Towers were built fast enough, the speed of faith generation couldn't keep up with the construction.
He could also use this to harvest large amounts of holy power.
It was the classic "left foot stepping on right foot" eternal motion spiral!
Eden looked toward the Holy Sun's area—its energy fluctuations had grown stronger. The Emperor seemed to have learned something and was in a state of rage.
Eden quietly tried to minimize his presence.
"Tsk~ I hope the old man won't slap the Custodians with a psychic backhand..."
The Emperor's anger was understandable.
As the Imperium's most elite core force, the Custodians had indeed been underwhelming in terms of achievements over the past ten thousand years. Most of the time, they had been holed up in the palace, contributing little.
Certain forbidden records even hinted at bizarre behavior.
These Custodians would apparently remove their armor within the palace, wearing only their helmets as they atoned for their failure to protect the Emperor.
It was... a bit abstract.
Eden thought to himself, "Those forbidden rumors are probably just hearsay."
He didn't fully believe that things were that absurd. But with the Imperium's level of absurdity, you couldn't completely rule it out either.
From the current situation, it was clear:
The Emperor Himself likely didn't fully grasp the state of the Imperium.
Being trapped here, often slipping into dormancy, and barely able to communicate with humanity—He was mostly acting as a giant psychic lightbulb in the Warp.
He probably only knew that His successors were underperforming, the Imperium's situation was worsening, and Chaos was running more rampant. Occasionally, He'd intervene to handle major crises.
Otherwise, with all the absurdities happening over the past ten millennia, He'd have been infuriated to death long ago.
And then ordered the Custodians to wipe out all those corrupt officials rotting the Imperium from within.
Even Guilliman had been half-dead with fury when he woke up and saw the state of the Imperium.
Those bastards had twisted the rules and systems the Emperor left behind.
Especially in the areas of power structures and religious worship—each development more abstract than the last.
Most of the suffering the Emperor endured today stemmed from these people.
But what was done was done—there was no turning back now.
Eden, following the principle of "report good news, not bad news," didn't disclose too much—after all, if he accidentally triggered the Emperor into turning dark and developing a more terrifying personality, that would spell disaster.
Once the Emperor finished relaying His message and His anger gradually subsided, Eden immediately manipulated the Little Sun to send everyone back to the material universe.
...
Istrad, Ship Landing Zone.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground trembled as the Redeemer-class Titans moved, their thunderous footsteps reverberating.
The blinding light from the Sacred Ash Rounds dissipated, and the people slowly opened their eyes, regaining awareness.
Everything seemed the same as before.
The only difference was a few local officials had collapsed—dying rather miserably.
According to the White Sanctum's intelligence checks, these individuals showed signs of Chaos corruption. They had been deep-cover cultists.
But no one was particularly surprised by this.
Hidden Chaos cultists within the Imperium were practically the norm. It would be abnormal not to find any.
Szzzt—
A sudden burst of psychic arcs erupted from the Savior's body, sending Eden staggering backward.
"Lord Savior!"
Lycias, the Custodian Tribune, and Tyrys quickly moved to support Eden, visibly worried.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
Eden shook his slightly dizzy head, waved his hand, and steadied himself, indicating he was unharmed.
Nothing dangerous had happened—he had just accidentally taken a psychic backhand from the Emperor. It was inevitable.
But this had nothing to do with him bringing people to gawk at the Holy Sun.
After the Custodians left the Warp, Eden briefly mentioned the idea of constructing a special temple to the Emperor—granting devout believers the chance to worship the Holy Sun.
He hadn't expected the old man to blow up the moment he heard it, delivering a fierce psychic strike.
But it wasn't a big deal.
Since the Emperor hadn't explicitly refused, that was basically a green light—just go for it!
Eden wasted no time. Even before the psychic arcs had fully dispersed, he opened his communicator and sent a message to Bishop Doni of the Ecclesiarchy.
He told him to start preparing this sacred project to worship the Holy Sun properly.
That nearly drove the old man crazy with joy.
Lycias gazed at the Savior with deep respect.
"To accuse you of betrayal is blasphemy. We Custodians owe you an apology for our prior disrespect..."
After the Emperor's rebuke, Lycias' attitude had improved drastically.
Moreover, he had witnessed the Savior's immense power—and that same holy Hope Sun.
This Custodian Tribune led the Custodians in bowing their heads collectively, expressing their apology to the Savior.
Eden raised his hand gently, his tone calm.
"I accept your apology. You may rise..."
Now that even a Custodian Tribune under the Custodian Commander showed such an attitude, it meant Eden had gained greater authority over the Custodians.
With the Custodians sorted, he could now strut through the Imperium with confidence. Those pests in Holy Terra wouldn't dare buzz around or chirp behind his back anymore.
This would bring tremendous convenience and freedom for the Savior's domain to develop across the galaxy.
The upcoming Webway development plans would also proceed more smoothly.
Later, Eden issued an order—directing the Custodians to immediately halt the execution of the Exterminatus across all worlds in this region and to completely abandon the Imperium's defensive barrier plan.
With that order implemented, the matter was perfectly resolved, and the gains were substantial.
In fact, the Imperium didn't need to pay such a high price.
Given the current situation, there was no need for a defensive stance—his Savior's forces just had to wipe out the remaining Leviathan tendrils.
Then the Solar Sector would be safe.
"Lord Savior..."
Malachai hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke up.
"The Tyranid activity has intensified. Should we address it first?"
The White Sanctum Captain was debating whether to bring it up.
After all, the firepower on Istrad was overwhelming. What had once been an existential threat capable of dooming the entire planet, the Tyranids, now seemed like a trivial matter.
If they dared attack, they'd be annihilated.
"Yes, that does need to be handled."
Eden nodded, thinking it over briefly, and said:
"Since everyone's here, let's go together and exterminate the Tyranids!"
He decided to personally lead the operation, taking the Custodians, the Thunder Guard units, the White Sanctum, and the escort squads to wipe out the Tyranids.
This approach was necessary. It would help strengthen bonds among the forces and get the Custodians used to taking his orders.
Sometimes, prestige and authority had to be built like this.
The only downside was that their forces might be a bit overpowered—but that wasn't a problem. Just treat it as a team-building exercise.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Eight Redeemer Titans assembled, leading Knight suit formations, elite Storm Guards, Custodians, Thunder Guardians, White Sanctum squads, and escort teams.
The mighty force advanced toward the Tyranid territory.
...
Amidst the Mountains – The Tyranid Hive Bio-Construct Complex
Within a flesh-constructed chamber, a mutated Tyranid Warrior lay dormant, absorbing biomass through nutrient tendrils.
When this special node organism awoke, it would signal the beginning of the assault.
Boom—
A mountain was flattened.
The sudden, violent explosion jolted the mutated Warrior awake. It snapped the nutrient tendrils, roared, and summoned the Synapse creature responsible for reconnaissance.
Time to gather enemy intel.
How dare these human prey attack the Hive? They must pay a terrible price!
However, as the human forces' information was fed into its brain via bio-electrical pulses, the mutated Warrior's compound eyes widened in shock, as if it had frozen.
That data nearly broke its neural logic processor.
The memory database within this node-command organism's genes could accurately assess the combat strength of various human forces.
But the information it had just received almost caused a system crash.
Three Emperor-class Titans. Five Warlord-class Titans or above. Hundreds of Knight suits. A terrifying force of Custodians—at least several hundred of them—alongside countless powerful warriors, and… a Primarch-level combatant?!
Was this really Istrad?
Wasn't this supposed to be a low-tier Hive World?
It was merely a mid-to-low-tier node organism. The swarm under its command barely had any large-scale bioforms, let alone bio-Titans.
How had it provoked such an absurd human force?
One might think the Hive had attacked Holy Terra itself!
While the mutated Warrior was still digesting the bio-electric data and trying to sort out its logic, a fresh wave of bombardments erupted.
The entire chamber was blasted apart.
The mutated Warrior struggled to rise, shaking its head.
The next instant, sheer terror filled its vision—it trembled uncontrollably.
It was the scent of death!
In its field of view—
Several Emperor-class Titans were bombarding the swarm at will. Countless Tyranids howled as they were butchered by human firepower.
A towering figure clad in golden armor was leading powerful warriors into the fray, cutting down the swarm like wild grass, leaving behind mutilated corpses.
Every warrior surrounding that figure had the power to end its life!
Hiss—
The mutated Warrior screeched and fled in panic, driven by pure instinct. More Tyranids also scattered, fleeing for their lives.
"Xenos, prepare to die!"
Malachai roared, coordinating with two Custodians to block the Tyranid Synapse creature's escape route, then savagely beat it down.
As he gazed upon the dying Synapse creature that had once plunged Istrad into the shadow of death, a strange sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.
"By the Emperor… fighting alongside the Savior is truly a joy!"
The White Sanctum Captain couldn't help but praise.
Throughout this campaign—
They had utterly crushed the entire swarm with overwhelming force.
A true slaughterfest!
Malachai dragged the mutated Warrior over to Eden, presenting it like a trophy.
He half-knelt before Eden, as if facing his genetic father.
"Lord Savior, the Tyranid Synapse creature has been captured…"
Eden nodded, quite satisfied.
He then raised his hand and executed the xenos creature.
Thus, he claimed his first personal kill of the battle—not that he had much choice. With the Custodians around, no Tyranids had even made it into his attack range during their charge.
Thankfully, the White Sanctum Captain had the sense to leave this one for him. Otherwise, it would have been pretty embarrassing to lead the charge for so long without landing a single kill.
Once the node Synapse organism was dead, the Tyranid swarm lost its command structure and crumbled into disarray.
The warriors cleaned up the swarm even faster.
In just a single day, the Tyranids in this sector were wiped out.
This had been the largest Tyranid force on the planet.
Afterward, the army split up to thoroughly purge the remaining Tyranid nests across the world…
...
Meanwhile, on Holy Terra—
An emergency session of the High Lords convened. The news that had shaken the Imperium left the High Lords' faces frozen in expressions of shock.
Their gazes kept drifting toward a particular empty seat—reserved for the Lord Commander of the Custodians.
But he was unlikely to return. Ever again.
Not long ago, the Lord Commander of the Custodians, Valoris, had suddenly announced his retirement, resigning from all his positions and relinquishing command of the Custodians.
That warrior believed he was no longer fit to fulfill his duty.
Following Custodian tradition, he donned a black hooded robe and disappeared into the galactic void.
Of course, Valoris hadn't truly vanished. He simply continued serving the Emperor in another capacity—wherever he roamed, he watched, guarded, and remained ever vigilant.
As a dark, ominous figure traversing the Imperium's domains, he silently protected the Imperium.
Now, the Custodians were selecting a new Lord Commander.
Even more shocking was that the Custodians had issued orders to construct a statue of the Hope Primarch in the plaza outside the Imperial Palace—positioned to stand in solemn reflection opposite the statue of the Regent.
The implications were obvious, given the prior reports of a conflict between the Custodians and the Hope Primarch—and the Custodians' current attitude.
The Hope Primarch had subdued the Custodians and won their respect. This was likely the will of the Emperor Himself!
This realization struck fear into the High Lords who had once been disrespectful or schemed behind the Savior's back.
"Gentlemen, I see no need to discuss this further…"
The elderly voice of Lord Lauren, the Ecclesiarch, rang out.
"If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave. By the Emperor's grace, the Ecclesiarchy must prepare the blessing ceremony for the Savior and the Hope Primarch's statue."
Erecting a statue of the Hope Primarch in the palace plaza was a monumental event.
It signified the Imperium's full acceptance of this returning Primarch—recognizing his status and honoring him.
Just like the Primarchs of the Ultramarines.
The Ecclesiarch had to be involved. And involved deeply.
The Ecclesiarch seemed quite pleased.
With the Savior's rise, he had not only solidified his position as head of the Ecclesiarchy, but also gained greater influence in the High Lords' Council.
Moreover, the Ecclesiarchy was flourishing throughout the Imperium. New cathedrals were rising every moment in the reclaimed Dark Side territories.
He owed much of this to his prized disciple, Doni. He wondered how Doni was doing lately—was he well?
They hadn't seen each other in over a century. Perhaps he should find a way to visit the Urth Sanctuary and check on him.
The Ecclesiarch coughed a few times, slowly stood up, and shuffled toward the exit, appearing like a hunched, frail old man.
But somehow, he still managed to stride out with an almost sprightly gait.
The other High Lords watched the Ecclesiarch's departing figure, grumbling inwardly about how the old man was putting on an act.
According to their intel, that old man had recently bludgeoned a high-ranking assassin to death with his staff.
As for who sent the assassin… that would remain a secret forever.
After all, assassinations happened daily on Holy Terra.
It could have been anyone in the room—or an internal rival faction within the Ecclesiarchy—or even a Chaos cult. No one could say for sure.
"Forgive me, I must also take my leave. The construction of the Hope Primarch's statue may require some mechanical assistance."
The new Fabricator-General of Mars, Mina, also rose and followed the Ecclesiarch out.
She was already planning: once the statue's construction and dedication ceremony were complete, she would head to the Urth Moon Forge World to pay homage to the Omnissiah.
"Wait a moment, I'll join you!"
The Lord Commander of the Astra Militarum stood up hurriedly, drawing everyone's attention. The Ecclesiarch and Fabricator-General turned to face him.
He struggled to think of something useful he could offer for the Hope Primarch's statue project.
Thick-skinned, he blurted out:
"Perhaps our soldiers could help transport some materials for Lord Hope Primarch's statue, speeding up the construction process."
He had no choice—given the intensifying wars across the Imperium, the Astra Militarum's finances were increasingly strained. They were practically down to their last pair of pants!
Even basic rations were hard to maintain—antelope meat was considered a luxury meal now.
Having heard of the Hope Primarch's wealth and generosity, he hoped to curry some favor and secure material support.
As the three High Lords left together, the remaining High Lords exchanged glances—there was no point in continuing the discussion.
Without even realizing it—
This figure's every action had already begun to influence the very heart of the Imperium: Holy Terra.
The High Lords quietly dispersed.
Then, through various channels, they sent friendly greetings to the Hope Primarch.
...
One Week Later – Istrad, Temporary Savior's Sanctuary
"Well, that's unexpected…"
Eden stood on the forest-view balcony, looking at Lycias, who had just reported the news, a bit surprised.
According to messages from the Custodians' secret communication channels—
The Lord Commander of the Custodians had stepped down, donned the black robe, and become the Emperor's Eye, vanishing into the galactic void.
In simple terms, he had effectively retired.
And Lycias, as one of the ten candidates beneath the Lord Commander, had been unanimously chosen as the new Lord Commander of the Custodians.
He would now rise further—holding the dual titles of High Lord and Lord Commander of the Custodians—becoming one of the most powerful figures in the Imperium.
Eden gave a warm smile.
"Congratulations. I trust that under your leadership, the Custodians will better carry out the Emperor's will."
Such changes must have involved the Emperor's hand.
It was likely that the Custodians would now engage far more directly in the Imperium's affairs and wars, no longer merely guarding the Palace.
Lycias' expression remained unchanged—no pride, no other emotion.
"The Emperor has issued His will: the Custodians will undergo a complete restructuring, fully participating in the Imperium's wars and supporting your operations whenever possible."
Eden nodded, lightly patting the new Lord Commander's shoulder. No further words were needed.
Some things were better left unspoken.
Soon after, he received new information and headed outside…
(End of Chapter)
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