"Chaos is almost certainly running some kind of plot against me… and it looks like it touches fate and causality too."
Eden thought to himself as he walked down the fortress corridor toward the private meditation chamber deep inside.
Every major vehicle of his basically had a special meditation cell like this built into it.
Crack.
He was only halfway there when a sharp sound rang out.
One of the lumen strips blew.
On its own, that would have been perfectly normal.
But the scene that appeared before his eyes made Eden's pupils contract hard.
Nine.
Once again he saw the sacred number of the Changer of Ways.
Because of the blown lumen, the pattern of light and shadow had shifted.
His own silhouette and the shadow of a cable on the wall combined into a huge, unmistakable "9".
That twisting "9" swayed with the light, like some fanged, grinning shadow-daemon baring its teeth at him and laughing without restraint.
This was no coincidence anymore.
It was naked provocation.
The Changer of Ways had seized hold of his fate and was brazenly flaunting the threat.
It meant the god was absolutely confident that Eden would, by his own steps, walk into the trap exactly as foreseen.
How terrifying was that?
In this galaxy, no one dared claim they did not fear or dread the Changer of Ways.
Even the Emperor Himself had to be wary of His schemes.
Otherwise, even He could be dragged into a tragic destiny.
"So that damned stirrer-of-shit has basically come straight out and told me I'm about to get screwed, and there's nothing I can do about it?"
Eden understood one thing with absolute clarity.
The reason he'd been able to live so comfortably until now was because he had managed to sidestep the Changer of Ways' interference.
Otherwise, he would already have slid, unknowingly, into defeat and some miserable fate.
He considered a disturbing possibility.
"Have I simply become more and more integrated into this world?
Is my bond with it tightening to the point that Tzeentch can now use His power to directly interfere with the course of my fate?
My deepest-level disguise shouldn't have blown already… right?"
The more Eden thought, the more his mind spun. His confidence was not what it had been.
Anyone who knew they were walking step by step toward a trap, yet had no idea where the trap actually lay,
would be anxious.
As his thoughts wandered, the "9" on the wall seemed to draw closer and closer, turning into a grotesque maw as if to swallow him whole.
Such an in-your-face manifestation of the uncanny made Eden even more uncomfortable.
He took a long breath, turned, and strode faster toward the meditation chamber.
"Amitabha… God bless me."
If it came to a straight-up fight, Eden would not worry at all.
Head-on clash, hammer it out, that was all.
He believed in science.
But when it came to metaphysical nonsense like this, anybody's heart would start to feel uneasy.
Especially when that metaphysics was tied to karmic causality.
For a former Cantonese like him, this kind of thing really hit where it hurt.
You had to respect auspiciousness.
Just for good luck, he had even planted two money trees at the entrance to the Savior's Sanctuary in the Webway, and set up defense fields around them.
Couldn't have someone accidentally knocking over the money trees and wrecking the feng shui.
Now that the war on Kalisde had reached its decisive moment, every factor had to be taken into account, metaphysics included.
Doing more positive things was better than doing nothing at all.
Faced with such a blatantly ill-omened sign of the Changer's sacred number, he had to find something to offset it.
Eden's choice was a fortune-changing rite, using positive things from his previous life to counter and suppress the bad omen.
"Your Majesty the Savior, your rite has been prepared."
A priest of the Urth Ecclesiarchy approached, bowing deeply.
The scent of incense clung to him.
It was the Ecclesiarchy's purging incense mixed with sacred oils, proof they had already conducted a round of benedictions.
The rest of the rite would be performed personally by the Savior.
No one else was allowed to enter that meditation chamber.
"Good. After this, go to the engine section and pray there as well. Burn more incense.
Dispel as much Chaotic interference as you can."
Eeden nodded with satisfaction as he spoke.
Then he issued several orders.
Not only the Ecclesiarchy clerics inside the fortress, but even the Mechanicus adepts would be using nano-incense to purge heretical taint.
This was not purely metaphysical concern.
There was science behind it as well.
The Ecclesiarchy's purging incense now contained compounds effective in suppressing Chaotic corruption, and it was good for repelling things like plague-flies and other vermin.
That would make it harder for Grandfather Nurgle to spread his diseases inside the fortress.
The Mechanicus' nano-incense, on the other hand, contained anti-rust and anti-moisture agents, and active metal particulates that could even mend micro-damage.
It helped the machines run better.
Of course, Old Imperial incense had plenty of unscientific elements.
Mix it with air or engine oil and it could create toxins, and the stench was choking.
It made your eyes sting so badly you couldn't keep them open, tears streaming down your face.
But after the Savior's Realm refitted the formula, incense had become quite reasonable and scientific, with no real downsides.
Burn the hell out of it.
Burn it however you like.
Once Eden finished giving orders, he headed for the chamber itself. He keyed the wards with his psychic signature and passed into the meditation room.
It was about fifty square meters in size. Other than a statue of the Emperor, the surrounding alcoves were crowded with all kinds of other effigies.
From the Buddha and God to the Earth Mother Gaia, the Nine Pillars, and more, all were represented.
There was even an icon of Diablo the Destroyer.
It was what you might call a "the more the merrier" approach. Full-coverage devotion.
If any one of them worked, that'd be just fine.
More unusually, there was also the GW sigil.
That was a creator-level symbol, so he obviously had to include it.
Maybe it would help keep things in line.
Not only that, he had even brought the ancestral tablets of his own family and set them up here.
Even in another world, he still had to burn incense to his ancestors.
What if his own forebears happened to bless him?
"Ancestors, watch over me…"
Eden lit incense with full solemnity, hands pressed together. Before leaving, he bowed once more to the God of Wealth.
There was never a wrong time to pay respects to the God of Wealth.
When he stepped out again, his mood had improved vastly, like he had received a deep psychological comfort.
He had done everything he could. Multi-layered metaphysical protection.
At the same time, in the crystal labyrinth of the warp…
A region of endless mirrored surfaces, shifting and warping, refracting hazy prismatic light.
It rendered all sense of direction meaningless.
In one particular chamber, the walls were an infinity of starry void, laced through with countless interwoven threads.
A vast, rainbow-hued raven floated within, its form constantly changing.
The Changer of Ways watched those threads intently, always ready to adjust their length and nodes.
Each node represented the intersection of events.
Each movement of a thread was a new scheme.
He had to constantly adjust, controlling the variables, to ensure the Savior took that one critical step.
To make him walk into the trap and have his warp-nature and faith-power transmission suppressed.
Hum.
Suddenly, one of the fate-threads tied to the Savior trembled, sparking a flicker of concern in the Changer.
The multicolored raven sprouted eyes across its entire body.
Countless wicked gazes converged, focusing on one region.
The cluster of threads representing Kalisde.
Tzeentch examined that section in minute detail, and finally confirmed that nothing new had changed.
Only then did He let out a breath.
The Savior's fate was infuriatingly unpredictable.
There was no room for even the smallest carelessness.
Otherwise, the entire plan might fail.
Fortunately, for now, everything remained on schedule.
"Our plan should be sound, right?"
After finishing the fortune-changing rite, Eden felt much lighter and returned to the observation deck to sit.
The Imperial Emperor fortress was still leading the host forward, heading straight for the heart of the Chaotic zone: Fulgrim's daemon palace.
Tarko reported respectfully, "High Command has followed your orders and redeployed four additional armored regiments to reinforce the line.
We now have thirteen armored regiments in this theater. They're allowing a faster push. According to the latest projections, we can reach the target in around eight hours."
"Good. We should have done this ages ago. That's a much more appropriate rate of advance."
Eden nodded, satisfied, and noticed that the platter of pastries in the observation deck had been swapped out.
Each plate now held thirteen Aken-berry cakes.
Thirteen was a pretty lucky number for the Imperium.
After this whole sequence of gestures, the worries in his heart steadily eased.
This felt much safer.
"Old G, you look a little wound up."
Eden clapped Guilliman on the shoulder, having noticed his brother's mood. The Primarch of Ultramar was quiet, deep in thought.
Eden could understand.
Guilliman's last defeat had been so miserable, and he had suffered every angle of humiliation from the Fallen Phoenix for ten millennia. Of course he wanted to wash away that shame.
If he failed again, he'd never be able to raise his head in front of Fulgrim.
It would be a disgrace in front of his Primarch brothers as well.
"Brother, you don't need to cling so hard to it… I mean, this duel between you and Fulgrim may not happen this time."
Eden spoke with real seriousness.
"If we arrive before the other corrupted Primarchs show up, we're going to pile on him together, capture Fulgrim, and take the Margata Stone relic from his hand.
We must get our hands on that artifact. The technology it contains is our hope for fighting Chaos in the future."
The Margata Stone's ability to draw out warp-nature and divine power was simply too tempting.
For the Savior, there was no need to worry about dueling honor in a situation like this.
If you could gang up on someone, why would you ever insist on a one-on-one?
Once they located the Fallen Phoenix, four Primarchs would rush him, beat him down, and pin him in place.
Then they'd interrogate him until the coins dropped, forcing him to vomit up every treasure he had, the Margata Stone included.
"Brother, my duel with Fulgrim is a matter of personal honor. I will not place it above the interests of the Imperium. Never."
Guilliman's granite-hewn features softened with a small smile.
He stated his position with absolute gravity. He would not make this harder for his brother.
Even though the Primarch of Ultramar very much wanted that duel.
"The duel will absolutely happen. I'm not about to let my brother be left with regrets."
Eden handed Guilliman a cake and popped one into his own mouth.
"Once we've got Fulgrim in chains and handled the important business,
I'll build a massive dueling arena just so you can pound him into paste.
Broadcast live to the entire galaxy."
"That might be a bit…"
Guilliman's eyes lit up at the idea, but he hesitated a moment later.
Such a grand dueling complex would demand considerable Imperial resources.
It did feel a bit excessive.
"What's there to be afraid of? If we get the chance, we should absolutely do it. And it's a good thing."
Eden felt the idea getting him excited too.
"If that's still not enough, we'll just rebuild the Senatorium on Holy Terra and hold the duel right inside it. That'd be even more meaningful."
The ancient Colosseum of the Senatorium had originally been a gladiatorial arena in Old Terra's Roman age.
Perfectly suited to serve as an arena for beating traitors.
Such a high-profile broadcast would draw the attention of countless beings, boost Imperial morale, and crush the arrogance of Chaotic turncoats.
Of course, this all depended on actually catching Fulgrim, and on Guilliman not choking in the rematch.
Otherwise, the effect would be… somewhat reversed.
Over the next several hours, Eden, Guilliman, the Khan, and the Lion continued to monitor the front.
They personally struck down several Greater Daemons that attempted to launch assaults.
He could feel that they were drawing steadily closer to the core. The Chaotic energies were surging stronger and stronger.
He needed to finish this quickly, to eliminate the Fallen Phoenix and the other corrupted Primarchs as soon as possible.
At this density of warp-taint, the armored corps would not last long.
According to Medicae recommendations, operations here should not exceed three days.
Beyond that, the single-suit armored troopers' minds would suffer progressive damage.
Eventually, Eden spotted the towering shape of the daemon palace from the observation tower.
It coiled around the corrupted mountains like the body of a serpent.
For some reason, his heart rate quickened and that old sense of crisis returned.
"???"
A bad feeling swept through Eden. He suddenly realized a problem.
Something was wrong with the timing.
He turned to Tarko.
"How long has it been? Eight hours… or nine?"
This was a very serious question.
The warp-gods' rituals and schemes often revolved around sacred numbers, tightly bound to time.
Seven layers, seven days… or nine days, nine hours, and so on.
"Your Majesty, our chronometers are experiencing interference. We need some time to give you a precise answer."
Cold sweat beaded on Tarko's brow.
The rate of time distortion was slight. The tech-priests had only just noticed something was off and were working to extract accurate data.
Several minutes later, the tech-priests gave their report.
"The Imperial Emperor stepped into the core region exactly at the nine-hour mark."
Eden sucked in a sharp breath.
So he still hadn't been able to shake this damned number.
If he assumed the worst, if the Changer of Ways had set some trap or sorcerous array,
then it had already been triggered.
"Brother Eden, what do we do next?"
The Lion had understood at once that something was wrong, his face grave.
Guilliman and the Khan also turned to look at the Savior, awaiting his decision.
"Let me think…"
Eeden hesitated.
After several seconds, he raised his head sharply.
"We keep pressing the attack. Take down that daemon palace. We absolutely cannot let Fulgrim slip away this time.
But we must be careful of traps. The Changer's scheme may already be in effect.
Or we can just not worry about it. Overthinking it might be the bigger problem."
If the Changer of Ways' trap had already deployed, then whether he retreated or advanced, he might still get caught.
And if they pulled back, they would fail to shatter the Chaotic ritual network on this world, which was the entire point of this campaign.
If that was how it was… then they might as well charge.
This was, in fact, one of the ways to deal with Tzeentch.
After all, the Changer of Ways didn't have much luck manipulating Orks.
Besides, his fortune-changing rite might not be useless.
He chose to believe in his ancestors.
"Open with a volley!"
Eden pointed at the distant daemon palace and gave the order.
An ocean of fire thundered toward the palace.
The fortress's primary weapon, the ship-mounted lance, fired and ripped apart the teetering sorcerous barrier, collapsing most of the palace.
The Fallen Phoenix's aura was instantly laid bare.
"Brothers, this is our cue. Use every means at your disposal to seize Fulgrim.
Do not let him escape!"
The moment Eden sensed Fulgrim, he led the other Primarchs in a direct strike.
He had not expected that the man would refuse to flee and instead come to meet them.
Heh heh heh heh…
Fulgrim's figure drifted into the air before them, posture elegant and affected.
He covered his mouth and laughed softly. His voice was so sultry, his mood so clearly delighted.
"Hypocrite. Your every move is laid bare to me. You have trudged pitifully, step by step, along the path I foresaw and stumbled into the trap, marching toward your defeat—"
Bang.
Black powder smoke puffed.
"Stop running your mouth. Hit him!"
Eden snapped up his weapon and fired an antimatter shell. The resulting micro-black hole forced the Fallen Phoenix to blink away, several of his tentacles being ripped off and sucked into the void.
Then he and his Primarch brothers swarmed forward.
"The hour is struck. At nine hours and ninety-nine minutes and nine seconds, the might of the Gods descends."
To their surprise, Fulgrim seemed anything but alarmed. He acted as if he were waiting for something, smug and serene.
He smiled, spreading his arms wide to greet the Khan's high-speed charge.
"Fools. What can you possibly do to me?"
In that instant, the Khan's blade slammed into some irresistible, special shield. He was flung away.
Even Guilliman's furious blow bounced off.
Some strange law was protecting the Fallen Phoenix. The ninefold sorcerous array had finally begun to function.
"Savior, you have stepped into the trap and will soon be stripped of your warp authority and cast into the torture-hell I have prepared for you.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine ravenous beings await you there!"
Fulgrim was beside himself with excitement.
Eyes blossomed along the tendrils on his body, and those eye-studded limbs began to pull him toward some unseen space.
The Fallen Phoenix was already savoring the image of his silver serpent-rapier sinking into the Savior's flesh.
Eden drew in a sharp breath, his scalp prickling.
That was it. If his warp-nature was taken away, wouldn't he just get ground into the dirt?
But a heartbeat later, he noticed something else.
"I think you're a little confused.
I'm not the one who stepped on your trap…"
Eden's tone was dry as he looked at Fulgrim.
He was on the verge of tears.
Old G really lived up to his reputation. Born late, and born to eat the traps for him.
Even the "exclusive trap" had been triggered by his dear brother on Eden's behalf.
Now that was true causality.
"???"
Fulgrim snapped out of his ecstasy and finally saw that Guilliman too was wrapped in those eye-spawned tentacles.
(End of Chapter)
[Get +30 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on "Zaelum"]
[Every 300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]
[Thanks for Reading!]