Ahzek Ahriman and hundreds of Thousand Sons immediately complied with their Gene-Father's command, raising their hands toward the Primarch's direction.
The shimmering glow of psychic power drowned out the roar of the electromagnetic storm.
Magnus raised his left arm high. Psychic energy gathered in his upturned palm.
The Primarch's body swelled. He strained to control this devastating power, to bring it under his mastery.
He felt that this colossal force could rival the powerful barrier shields created by the Raptora Cult in Tizca, capable of resisting orbital bombardment.
But for him, it was not enough. The falling colonization ship contained not just the impact force from gravity, but also the immense power exerted by the being named Shai-Tan.
Magnus raised his right arm. Multicolored psychic light shot from his palm, flying into the device he had forged.
The device was engraved with all the runes related to Warp power that he commanded. Nine hundred and ninety-nine runes, all activated under his guidance.
Among them, the nine core runes: five came from the natural patterns formed by the fallen bird-shaped statues on Prospero, and the other four were obtained by Hathor Maat.
A beam of light descended from the heavens, tearing through the dust clouds, and struck the cube.
The Primarch maintained the Tenth Enumeration, completely transcending his physical form with his mind, using his psychic might to harness the vast Warp power drawn from hundreds of his sons and the device.
Magnus pushed both hands upward. The immense force collided with the falling colonization ship.
Rolling thunder echoed across the entire Morning Star.
Hathor did not infuse his psychic power into the Gene-Father; his strength was nearly exhausted from before.
His gaze shifted from the slowing, ever-closer behemoth. The power gathered by his father had already halted the descending vessel.
Hathor looked toward the arriving Ahriman and the others, seeing them connected to the Gene-Father through psychic links.
Four breaths later, his pupils contracted sharply.
A Thousand Son, his body and the red armor upon it, visibly disintegrated, turning to dust that scattered upon the ground.
Hathor didn't need to extend his biomancy to understand the reason.
The Thousand Sons psychically linked to their Gene-Father endured immense pressure on both their minds and bodies.
The Primarch could withstand it, bearing the brunt of the strain, but the Thousand Sons could not endure such colossal power.
Seeing one Thousand Son after another turn to dust, Hathor couldn't help but recall Shai-Tan's words.
"Thousand Sons, all is dust."
He seemed to see the shadow of misfortune looming over the future fate-threads of the Thousand Sons.
Hathor reined in his thoughts. The shadow that had appeared on his marble-like features, combined with the swirling dust, made his handsome face seem even more obscure.
BOOM!
The deafening crash of the colonization ship hitting the ground refocused Hathor's attention on the present.
Under telekinetic influence, the ship's landing was relatively controlled, but the sheer weight of its massive frame was still devastating to the shattered ground.
Amidst the violent tremors, Hathor felt the ground beneath him sink. A shockwave carrying rocks and dust surged toward him.
He infused bio-energy into his body, standing firm amidst the series of impacts and the shockwave.
Ahead, Hathor saw Magnus's robes, the armor on his shoulders and back, all turn to dust in an instant, sliding from his form.
He widened his eyes, searching in the direction of the listing colonization ship. Sure enough, Shai-Tan was not dead.
His red armor was shattered, blood continuously flowing from his nose and mouth.
Shai-Tan swayed, letting out a derisive sneer, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Crimson King, everything you cherish will turn to dust!"
Thousands upon thousands of voices echoed within the minds of Magnus, Hathor, Ahriman, and the dozen or so surviving Thousand Sons.
Magnus's upraised arms paused, then he thrust them upward again.
The Warp device flashed with blinding light once more, piercing through dust and clouds.
A pillar of light descended from the sky, striking Shai-Tan.
The light pillar split into countless golden chains, wrapping around Shai-Tan's form.
Magnus let out a roar. Shai-Tan was lifted, ensnared.
Shai-Tan roared in turn, his body swelling as he struggled desperately against the psychic bonds.
Storms raged within Shai-Tan, but no matter how he struggled, he could not break the shackles imposed upon him.
In terror, he sought to leave Atharva's body, to return to the Immaterium.
The book at Magnus's waist suddenly flew into the air unaided, hovering.
As he chanted, its pages flipped rapidly.
Hathor gazed up at the Book of Magnus, his eyes shining. He couldn't help but think inwardly:
'If I were to present the Book of Magnus, which contains the most precious knowledge and immense power, to my Lord, it would surely please him.'
As Hathor pondered, a golden beam of light struck the golden device.
Atharva's body plummeted rapidly, crashing heavily onto the cube.
With a thump, the upward-facing side of the cube was shattered by the red ceramite.
Atharva's body rolled inside.
The metal sphere immediately flew up, striking the shattered cube, filling the broken side, then stuffing itself within.
Magnus took a deep breath, banishing Shai-Tan's words from his mind.
"Hathor, your intelligence and your performance during this operation have satisfied me."
Without prior preparation, dealing with the threat of Shai-Tan would have resulted in far heavy casualties.
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Hathor's face.
In the contest for Chief Librarian, he had won the final victory.
'Father will likely make the formal announcement during the next Fellowship Council, after the operations on Morningstar conclude.'
As Hathor thought, he saw his father walk to the device.
He drew his khopesh, swiftly tapping and inscribing rune after rune.
"He is entrusted to you. But he is too powerful. The runes I inscribe can only bind him for approximately ten solar days."
Hathor nodded. To fulfill his Lord command, he would exert his utmost effort.
The "Psychiatrist" approached the device. In a "oothing tone, he addressed Shai-Tan, whose shoulders and arms trembled, struggling fiercely within.
"We hadn't finished our conversation earlier. Now, let us continue."
Eleven solar days later, as the Thousand Sons excavated the damaged colonization ship Shai-Tan...
Magnus emerged from the colonization ship, walking toward the Warp device. He spoke with appreciation to Hathor, now clad in fresh power armor.
"Your conversations have been remarkably effective. Your talent for matters of the mind is no less than that of Ahriman."
"At least a thousand psykers have found peace."
As Magnus spoke, the "Psychiatrist" felt as if a star had shattered within him.
Hathor thought inwardly: 'I have mastered the power bestowed by my Lord, becoming a true 'Psychiatrist.''
As he pondered, a sudden explosive crack sounded. The device before him shattered and disintegrated.
The book at Magnus's waist flew up, its pages flipping rapidly.
"All is dust!" Shai-Tan said venomously, his form being sucked into the pages of the book.
Hathor watched the Book of Magnus fall into his Gene-Father's hands, his eyes gleaming with brilliant light.
.....
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