After Rathalos's defeat in the Void War during the World War, At Elo's suggestion, Urs chose to retreat to the world of Malz.
They prepared to regroup their troops there and fight a decisive battle against the Imperial loyalists.
After all, that Corpse Emperor Saint had thousands of Astartes under his command.
Astartes, on the other hand, excelled at decapitation strikes and small-scale battles.
If they continue to disperse, they are very likely to be defeated one by one by the loyalists of the empire, and ultimately meet their demise.
During the Battle of Rath, the Imperial fleet's rapid advance resulted in many troops being stranded on the surface and in the void, where they were captured or executed.
However, quite a few lucky ones were taken away by Urs' fleet.
The MidnightLord is one of them.
He is the only player still on stealth missions.
He doesn't look like a Space Marine at all now.
They will only be seen as inferior genetically modified humans who clumsily imitate Astartes.
Creating inferior genetically modified creatures by imitating Astartes is not uncommon in the Calixis sector.
Many tech fanatics in the field of bio-genetics envy the powerful abilities of the Emperor Angels and yearn to have such servants and warriors.
But they lacked the wisdom of an emperor, and even more so, the resources and perseverance of Cawl.
They could only seek out suitable targets and frantically modify them with their superficial knowledge, clumsily imitating Astartes.
Imitation of the Astartes isn't even the craziest thing.
Even the Imperial Guard has counterfeit goods on the black market in the Calixis sector.
Some even went so far as to wear a set of golden armor.
Players can only accept such haphazard modifications.
They only need to commit suicide, and they can be resurrected and restored to their original state.
During the escape, MidnightLord showed great loyalty, assisting his superiors in suppressing several rebellions.
These outstanding performances led to his promotion to a junior manager, overseeing several cabins.
After completing his daily patrol, MidnightLord secretly hid in a secluded room.
The sealed room was empty except for cold marble and darkness.
After waiting a moment, he activated a mechanical device implanted in his body.
This device, located not far from the heart, is designed to inject stimulants into the heart.
This device also has another hidden function: providing the lighthouse with communication coordinates.
Shortly after activating the device, the projection appeared out of thin air in front of MidnightLord.
"My lord, guide."
"You did a great job, Saint, MidnightLord. When you return, I will reward you handsomely."
Upon hearing this, MidnightLord's face lit up with excitement.
Hearing the guide's words, the Aquila Medal was a sure thing.
I just don't know what level it is.
I wouldn't even dare to dream of gold, but I'd be happy with silver, and bronze would be acceptable too.
"Serving the Empire is my greatest honor."
"The Divine Emperor is pleased with you." Daniel nodded. "Any news about the rebels recently?"
"There are some. This rebel fleet is going to retreat to the world of Malz and join other rebels there. I've heard there might be aliens."
"I've also heard that the rebels control a stargate on the edge of the Calesis sector."
"..."
MidnightLord recounted all the information he had gathered over the past period of time.
"The Malz World?" Daniel's expression turned thoughtful.
"It seems they want to gather their forces for a decisive battle with us. This suits me just fine; these traitors have been causing trouble for too long."
"We must eliminate them as soon as possible in order to restore peace to the Calixis sector."
MidnightLord didn't say anything, just listened quietly.
Daniel raised his head and looked at his MidnightLord.
"You need to continue your undercover work, figure out their military deployments and hidden forces, and ideally, find out what's going on with the starport they control."
"Understood." MidnightLord performed the Eagle Salute.
"May the Emperor protect you," Daniel said.
Communication was cut off.
MidnightLord stayed in the secret room for a while longer before finally leaving.
"9527, are you hiding inside again, licking your wounds alone?"
A burly, strong man with an implanted electronic prosthetic eye called out to MidnightLord in the corridor.
"Boss." MidnightLord bowed to him.
The other party's name was Jonah, a high-ranking officer in the Urs fleet.
When the slave laborers rebelled, he saved their lives, gained their favor, and became their underling.
"9527, if you have any difficulties, just tell the boss. The boss will protect you," Jonah said. "We're brothers."
"I understand. I'll let you know if anything comes up, boss." MidnightLord nodded.
...
Imperial Glory
Daniel pondered the information he had obtained from MidnightLord.
The Colin family has not given up and intends to rally allies for a counterattack.
"Whether you rally and counterattack or scatter and flee, it will be easier to catch you."
"Gather all your strength in the Malz system, and then face despair."
Daniel pondered the next steps.
The opponent wants to gather an army in the world of Malz to fight a decisive battle with him.
Then he gave the other party enough time.
They also dispatched troops to wage war in other areas of the Calesis Sector, driving the rebels to the world of Malz.
Once the enemy had gathered, they tightened the rope around their necks, suffocating them completely.
At this moment, a golden light screen appeared.
Congratulations on gaining experience!
Lv15->Lv16
Learn the skill: Soul Storm.
Soul Storm: You are the embodiment of the Emperor's divine power, the focus of His gaze upon the human world. His supreme power will be released with you as the anchor point.
Note: This skill can unleash a terrifying soul storm, expelling all warp forces within the area. Its power is determined by the amount of faith points consumed.
Learn the skill: Faith Frenzy.
Faith Frenzy: Faith is humanity's most powerful weapon against the Warp. Faith in the God-Emperor is transformed into power, entering the bodies of believers and giving them a greater chance of defeating the enemies of the Warp.
Note: This skill will cause nearby followers of the God Emperor to enter a berserk state, resulting in a comprehensive amplification. The strength of the amplification is determined by the strength and purity of their faith.
"Another buff for everyone, but this time it focuses on faith. Looks like the players of the imperial cult are going to have a blast."
Daniel looked at the skill prompts and muttered to himself.
With these two skills, faith truly becomes power.
Players from the National Religion faction can stack two more buffs on the battlefield than other players.
After reviewing the skill descriptions gained from the upgrade...
Daniel then devoted his energy to handling government affairs.
With successive victories at the Battle of Sintila and the Battle of Rath, coupled with Guilliman's endorsement,
Daniel is now the highest-ranking ruler in Calixis.
Riding the wave of his great victory, his reform policies began to be implemented on a small scale in the world where those who remained loyal to the emperor were still active.
For example, optimizing the administrative structure, reforming the benefit distribution mechanism, and improving the welfare of the lower classes.
Find ways to make up for the military's arrears in salaries and replace the equipment of troops at all levels with new ones.
Suppressing overly radical national religious ideologies, tracing back to the source, establishing national religious colleges, and spreading a new faith that combines science and rationality with religion.
Reforming the Warhammer universe is like walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff while wearing shackles.
The chaotic gods are watching with predatory eyes; if we are not careful, they will corrupt us.
Faith is the most powerful weapon for ordinary people to fight against chaos, and the state religion must never be abandoned.
But science and reason must also be promoted; the people of the empire can no longer be as ignorant and foolish as before.
The reforms have also encountered many problems.
Many families and planetary governors whose interests were threatened were unwilling to cooperate with Daniel in carrying out reforms.
Needless to say, the situation with the state religion is even worse.
If it weren't for his status as a living saint, someone would definitely have come to Daniel's door with a flamethrower to offer him some warmth.
Daniel could only patiently wait and see.
The empire's accumulated problems did not arise overnight.
Changing it won't be something that can be done in a short time.
After finishing his official duties, Daniel began processing the various applications from the players.
"Request to run naked and jump on a giant bird during the celebration ceremony? Denied."
"You may apply to use 'Shadowmoon Wolf' as your chapter name."
"Approved for the position of Navy Lieutenant Commander for player 'Heading to the Sea'".
"..."
"Requesting the development of a mind controller?"
Upon seeing the application from Minecraft Dynasty, Daniel was stunned for a moment.
He began to look at the information about mind controllers.
This is a device that influences and controls living organisms by emitting brainwaves and nerve impulses.
If you use it on your pet, it will make your pet 100% loyal and able to follow your commands.
This device was developed by a scientist from the Golden Age.
It was originally intended for use in animal training to enhance humanity's ability to survive in extraterrestrial environments.
Later, it was used by some dictators to enslave humanity.
This is why the Mind Controller was listed as a forbidden technology by the Empire.
The Minecraft Dynasty player guild applied to produce this device, certainly not for the purpose of enslaving humanity.
They want to use mind controllers to control behemoths, thereby creating an army of behemoths or serving as mounts for players.
Therefore, they removed the frequency bands and functions that could control humans or beings with advanced intelligence, making them only usable for controlling individuals with lower levels of intelligence.
"Although there are dangers, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Besides, adding a mount system would be a good idea, as it would better stimulate players' enthusiasm."
Even without mind control, those ambitious individuals will always find a way to enslave humanity if they want to.
Alien control, brainwashing, and implantation of enslavement devices—these have all been used.
Leaving aside distant examples, even within the more recent Mechanicus, their Magos can arbitrarily take over the bodies of the Guardians of the Order, turning them into their slaves.
After weighing the options, Daniel approved MC Dynasty's application, but required that the finished product be inspected to ensure there were no problems before it could be put into formal production.
At the same time, he began to formulate regulations concerning the production and management of mind control devices.
Aside from the Inquisition having a limited number of authorized devices for the use of mind control on humans.
No other organization or department is permitted to possess devices that can control and enslave humans.
Anyone found using it illegally will be immediately sentenced to excommunication and treason.
Members of their families and related organizations will be subject to investigation.
Anyone found to have known about the matter but failed to report it will be considered guilty of the same crime and will not be forgiven.
Just after Daniel had signed the document approving production...
The Minecraft Dynasty received the news.
"Start the experiment immediately!" MC Legend shouted. "We need to hurry!"
After the Battle of Ras Forge World ended, the modification of the Exemplary Fist was also completed.
Minecraft subtly tells Doraemon that he wants to try things out on his own.
Doraemon tried to persuade the MC Legend to stay, but then readily let it go.
From the day MC Legend joined Doraemon Workshop, Dora knew that the other person was a brilliant person with ideas and the ability to take action.
Such a person is unwilling to be subservient to others, and leaving is inevitable.
Let's all be straightforward; we can still be friends when we meet again.
MC Legend's orders mobilized everyone in the Minecraft guild.
Under unified command, their ability to act was astonishing.
(TL: Of course it's the minecraft players that enslave animals and people lmao)
They quickly acquired a large number of alien animals for experimentation by purchasing them from merchants or by issuing bounty missions to players in other worlds.
Their experiment went very smoothly.
After all, they had plenty of money and could use the wisdom and computing power of the Star God Arale to fix the equipment problems.
At the same time, they also released some news and pictures to promote their message.
Another set of pictures showing alien reptiles being controlled to perform various actions was uploaded to the regional chat channel, quickly sparking heated discussions among players.
Warmaster: "Your game and my game seem to be different..."
DesertEagle: "Singing is prohibited in the regional chat channel."
Lobster: "Wait, you guys are already doing beast taming?"
Veteran: "This game has once again broadened my horizons. Wow, it really can do anything."
Minecraft Legend: "We're planning to get some beast taming equipment, and we'll get you some mounts while we're at it."
Little alpaca: "A mount? Can I go catch sandworms? I'm so obsessed with these lately!!"
Minecraft Legend: "..."
"Please don't put so much pressure on us. You can find someone smaller; after all, smaller animals are cute too."
Warmaster: "If we can capture mounts, wouldn't it be incredibly impressive to capture a Tyrant as a mount?"
Mount & Blade: "I support you. I don't ask for much. I want to build a Zerg mothership, with cerebrates and breeding mothers, to make it big and powerful, and create glory."
Colonel Dutch: "Am I the swarm?"
John Warhammer: "Are the zergs breedable and submissive?"
...
...
...
...
...
"..."
Daniel also kept an eye on the regional chat channel and saw that players wanted to use mind controllers to control Zerg units, so he pondered the feasibility of this idea.
The Hive Will relies on Terran psionic energy to control all Terran creatures.
The node creatures act as relays, transferring the will of the hive to each lower-level zerg.
Most Zerg units will revert to their beast form after the psionic control leaves.
Unless they are gene-stealers with swarm telepathy, units designed for specific missions, only then can it function normally without node organisms.
Theoretically, as long as the Tyranid creature is prevented from receiving commands from the swarm's will, it can remain in its beast state and be controlled by a mind controller.
Using mind control to enslave the a hive tyrant is a viable practice for the players.
It may take several optimizations to achieve perfect control over these 'Zerg' units.
...
After Angron hit the dirt, a brutal war of attrition spiraled out of control. The Khorne fleet began firing indiscriminately, lighting up anything that didn't bear the mark of the Blood God.
The frenzied World Eaters went so far as to board the Thousand Sons' own warships, screaming incoherently. Most of them couldn't even tell who they were gutting anymore.
Rage had completely eclipsed their reason and their old sense of pride; the noble legacy of the War Hounds died the very day their father returned, much like the great Warmaster Horus fell at Davin.
The World Eaters only knew one thing: the slaughter must go on. They wanted everything in their path to bleed and scream—just more libations for their thirsty gods. It was the only life they had left.
The entire battlefield was a total cluster.
Magnus was so livid he looked like he was about to spit blood.
He finally understood why Perturabo had been driven to such a point during the Siege of Terra.
Who wouldn't be at their wit's end with "teammates" like Angron and his band of lunatics?
Can't you read the room? Magnus thought. Shouldn't we be teaming up to bag Guilliman first?
From a distance, Fulgrim watched the spectacle in stunned silence.
Good grief, he mused. It's been ages since we've seen Angron, and he's clearly lost his marbles. He went after Magnus right out of the gate! Does the guy have a single brain cell left?
Fulgrim suspected the Butcher's Nails had finally finished the job, leaving nothing behind but pure, unadulterated rage.
Nearby, players peering through the portholes watched the Khorne and Thousand Sons fleets tear each other apart.
The BaldCustodian tapped the reinforced glass and deadpanned, "Check it out. That's real loyalty right there. The big brother sits on the Golden Throne, the little brother on the Bronze Throne. Hand in hand, heart to heart—one big, happy, inseparable family."
Pighead: "..."
Krieg: "..."
God help us, they thought. The Golden Throne and the Bronze Throne "connected heart to heart"? Does the Emperor know you're talking this kind of trash?
********
Bridge of the Macragge's Honour
Guilliman watched the crimson meteor that was Angron bypass the Thousand Sons and barrel toward the Imperial Fleet.
He knew his brother was coming for his head. Given the traitor's sheer physical power and the backing of the Khorne fleet, the Imperial forces were going to take a beating if they stayed put. It was time to shift the battlefield.
"Teleport me to that Blackstone Fortress immediately," Guilliman commanded.
Huron Blackheart knew next to nothing about his new prize. He hadn't even begun to scratch the surface of its research, leaving the core and most sectors dormant.
There were no defenses to speak of. Guilliman, the players, Sicarius, and the Victrix Guard materialized inside, instantly clashing with the Red Corsairs.
"For Guilliman! Fire in the hole!" the BaldCustodian barked, pulling the pin on a melta grenade and hurlng it.
Boom!
A handful of Red Corsairs caught off guard were vaporized, their ceramite armor turned to slag by the intense heat. He revved his chainsword—a relic from an Ultramarines captain of a millennium ago—and charged.
To help the players reach their "fifty artifacts" goal, Guilliman had re-equipped his regular Ultramarines with brand-new gear, handing over the Chapter's historical weapons and power armor to the players.
The BaldCustodian and his crew were grinning ear to ear; they couldn't believe their luck.
On the front lines, Guilliman was a whirlwind of destruction. The Emperor's Sword danced, leaving nothing but charred limbs in its wake.
"Stay tight! Protect the Regent at all costs! Give your lives if you have to!" the BaldCustodian shouted, rallying the players around Guilliman.
They were even more gung-ho than Sicarius's elite guard, which left Sicarius feeling a bit slighted.
Who's the Primarch's bodyguard here, me or them?
Guilliman let the arrangement stand—partly because he knew what was coming. A battle between Primarchs was no place for ordinary Astartes.
These "Saints" were blessed by his Father; they could cheat death and be "bought back." But if Sicarius's sons fell, they were gone for good.
Angron had a predatory instinct for his quarry. He felt the moment Guilliman teleported. Pivoting mid-air, he slammed toward the Blackstone Fortress. The station's automated guns tried to lead him, but a blood-red curtain of energy shrugged off the shells.
CRASH!
The Red Corsairs felt the entire station shudder as a massive breach was punched into the hull. Hellfire erupted in the corridors.
Angron had arrived.
He bellowed Guilliman's name, carving a path of gore and flame through anyone—friend or foe—who stood in his way.
Hearing the reports, Huron Blackheart was cursing up a storm. These two Primarchs were turning his hard-won fortress into a demolition derby.
But he knew his limits. Jumping into a fight between those two would be like casting a spell in a porta-potty—pure suicide.
"Angron," Guilliman growled, glaring at his brother. The last time they'd crossed blades was on Angron's home turf, Nuceria—the site of Lorgar's dark ritual. Guilliman had lost that day, saved only by his sons.
Angron stopped his rampage, staring intently at his brother before letting out a deafening roar and charging. Sparks flew as their blades met. The daemon sword Samni'arius clashed with the Emperor's Sword, releasing a shockwave of blinding light that threw both combatants back.
Sensing an opening, the BaldCustodian and the players swarmed the Daemon Primarch. Angron let out a guttural roar and swung his Spinegrinder axe with bone-shattering force, cleaving several players in half instantly.
But they didn't let up, throwing their lives away just to buy Guilliman an extra second of advantage.
Back at the Macragge's Honour Belisarius Cawl was fine-tuning the Pharos equipment. The silent quantum engine began to hum with a low rumble. Using the knowledge Daniel had shared, Cawl had been laboring to adapt this alien tech to the flagship. Today was the first live test.
As the status lights blinked, the engine generated an emotional field that burned like a beacon in the warp. Arale noticed the activation immediately.
"Cawl?" Arale's voice crackled through the comms.
"By the Omnissiah... it actually works," Cawl whispered, his voice tinged with rare excitement. "Inform the Guide. The Primarch needs his help."