"Looks like someone needs a good rest. Don't worry—I'll give that Eldar Death God a little knock on the head. You don't need to concern yourself with anything else."
Rhodes could clearly sense that Aisha was about to give birth. Their divine child would soon be born.
This child, from birth, would possess power far above the Eldar pantheon. As long as the child grew safely, their strength would rival that of the Chaos Gods themselves.
Adding to that Rhodes's multiple enhancement opportunities and his alliance with the Emperor of Mankind, they already had enough power to stand on equal footing with Chaos.
Not to mention, Rhodes could summon beasts far beyond the Four Great Chaos Gods—this battle had no suspense.
"Of course, I'll stay on the Cosmic Beast world to rest and take care of myself. When you finish stripping away the Chaos Godhood, our child will be born." Aisha replied softly.
She would now relax, recuperating on the Cosmic Beast world, no longer meddling in outside affairs.
"Don't get distracted, Rhodes. We're working on something extremely important right now. What's going through your head?" came the Emperor's stern voice.
Though 80% of the work of stripping away the Chaos Godhood was being done by the Emperor, the remaining 20% still required Rhodes and the others' efforts.
What we're doing here is something this universe has never seen since its birth.
Rhodes gave an embarrassed smile and resumed working alongside the Emperor, but his mind slipped into his system.
He began contacting his subordinates and arranging tasks. The Eldar Death God needed to be taught a lesson. Taking my gifts and then daring to covet my wife—how much nerve do you have?!
The Ace Killer's body had been built from dimensional metals Rhodes supplied and assembled by the Mechanicum on Mars.
Though not part of the system and without its own independent soul, the body was still woven from extradimensional energy. If Rhodes wished, both he and Yapool could dismantle it in an instant.
"Master! Let me handle this arrogant fool. I'll crush him completely!" declared the Slaanesh Slayer.
Now back at his master's side, strengthened and empowered with the Chaos Gods' energy, his combat power rivaled the First Emperor's avatar. Beating the Eldar Death God would be child's play.
"Better leave him to me. I'm very interested in his power over death. Great Master, his death-force should rightfully belong to me." said the Death Avatar.
His energy came directly from Ynnead, the Death God himself. Enhanced to the extreme, he even possessed a one-time resurrection that ignored all rules and conditions.
His power surpassed even the Emperor's avatar and the Slaanesh Slayer. He also understood death better than anyone else—and might even be able to seize the Death God's divinity.
The three killers all volunteered, and Rhodes was very pleased. Any one of them was among the universe's top fighters.
Still, only the Emperor's avatar could publicly appear in the Imperium. The Death Avatar was borderline acceptable, but the Slaanesh Slayer? Absolutely not.
"It's only a warning mission. I can't just kill him for a few words. Death Avatar, Slaanesh Slayer—this task is yours. Go and 'knock some sense' into the Eldar Death God. Make sure he stays quiet and doesn't cause trouble with the Webway system humans rely on." Rhodes ordered.
The Webway's permissions were technically under the Laughing God's control, but the Eldar Death God still held a large share of influence. If he tried to sabotage things, humanity would suffer unnecessary losses.
Hopefully he's smart enough to keep his head down. Among the Eldar gods, only the Laughing God truly knows how to pick the winning side.
"Yes, Master. Leave everything to us."
—
Elsewhere in the Black Library, the Laughing God summoned the projection of the Death God, Ynnead.
"Laughing God! Humans can't be trusted! They've seduced the newborn Eldar goddess. One life goddess wasn't enough—they're after the Goddess of Love and Beauty too! We must act!" Ynnead declared at once.
"Fucking squid! You idiot—are you trying to kill us all? Our race has only just begun to revive, and you almost destroyed it! Do you even realize what you're doing?" Cegorach, the Laughing God, snapped.
All the ties he had painstakingly built with humanity over decades—nearly undone by this fool.
The Eldar had long since lost their dominance over the galaxy. Their reproductive ability, their resilience—everything was inferior to humanity now.
Even the God of War, Khaine, could see it. The Life Goddess could see it. But this hot-headed Death God? Completely blind.
At this rate, humanity would inevitably rise to galactic dominance—and possibly universal dominance.
So what one chose to do, or not do, was critical. Wrong moves would bring disaster.
"What do you mean? I only want the newborn goddess to join the pantheon. What's wrong with that?" the Death God protested.
"You fool. You just want the Phoenix King's throne. Let me be clear: Asuryan will never return. His throne will remain empty. We've lost our supremacy in the universe—that's a fact." Cegorach said firmly.
"I wield death itself. If I unleash my full power, I'll rival the Chaos Gods. Why shouldn't I become the next King of Gods? Why shouldn't I be Asuryan?" Ynnead snapped.
"Because those Chaos fools won't last much longer either! I have a strong premonition—this is our best chance to survive. By binding ourselves with humanity, we won't be their slaves. We'll be partners. But if you keep chasing your ego, you'll push us into humanity's enemies. You dying is fine—but you'll drag us all down with you!" the Laughing God shot back.
"Heh! Excuses for your cowardice. We're allies, not human lackeys."
"If that's what you think, I'll recall all my Harlequins from your legion. The Life Goddess will pull all Ark Eldar as well. As for the Dark Eldar—once they see us withdraw, do you think they'll stay? They're the biggest opportunists of all." Cegorach warned.
The Death God was powerful, yes—but born far too late. Fate had already condemned him to be forever second place.
"You! Hmph!"
"Don't pout. I'm just stating facts. Behave yourself. Rhodes will be sending someone soon to knock sense into you. Whatever happens—endure it. You won't die, but you'll probably get beaten badly." the Laughing God advised.
Rhodes still had a bit of sentiment left. Otherwise, the Death God would already be finished.
"Remember this—you can walk in realspace, you even have a body—because of him. He allowed your existence because your chosen prophet married him. Because I helped him early on. Because the Life Goddess is his wife." Cegorach continued.
But Aisha's true identity—he would keep to himself. If she had chosen to abandon her past and reforge herself as a goddess of order, he wouldn't expose her.
Better not to tell the Death God—he might just do something reckless.
"We'll see if they have the strength to back it up." the Death God scoffed and left the Black Library.
Unknowingly, it was precisely his help at the Vigilus that had spared him. Without it, Rhodes wouldn't have "just warned him."
After he left, Cegorach shook his head. Hopefully, the fool would take his advice. Rhodes was lenient if one bowed his head.
Still, he needed to offer Rhodes a gift. Entering the depths of the Black Library, Cegorach began searching through his records.
Back when the Khan first entered the Webway, he had logged his coordinates. The Khan had been racing aimlessly inside ever since—without any sense of time.
Finding him was nearly impossible for others—the Webway was far too complex. But for Cegorach? Child's play.
Soon he pinpointed Jaghatai Khan's exact location.
The White Scars' speed king was racing endlessly through the tunnels with his honor guard. Sometimes they fought Dark Eldar, sometimes they clashed with daemons of the warp.
A portal opened before them, drawing their attention. From it stepped a jester in comical garb.