Zeke was truly silent this time. He genuinely couldn't understand why, simply because he had suppressed the Emperor's desire for ascension, all these guys were now lining up to ally with him.
While it was true that in this world, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
When interests are on the table, even if they were fighting to the death moments before, both sides can unite. But Zeke felt very annoyed.
It was a feeling as if he was being isolated by the entire galaxy, where everyone else knew everything, and only he was completely clueless.
"I don't think so. You can obtain your respective origins, but I believe you must have investigated that universe. My existence isn't there, so fighting this battle is meaningless to me."
An alliance was a good thing for Zeke, but it couldn't be formed so easily. At the very least, he needed to extract some benefits from these people.
"But don't you want the resources of the real universe? Won't those resources be yours after we conquer that universe? We each take what we need!"
"We few will go together to intercept the Chaos Gods of the other galaxy. We will deal with the Chaos Gods; you only need to freely wreak havoc in the real universe."
As the wisest of the gods, Tzeentch, of course, understood what this battle would mean for Zeke if it commenced—it would mean a win-win situation.
He didn't want to pay a higher price, as no matter how he looked at it, the benefits Zeke would gain were greater than theirs.
"Not enough!"
"You should have seen the current plight of humanity. We need to resist the Tyranid Swarm, and you..."
"The Tyranid Swarm brings destruction. If the Tyranid Swarm wipes out the entire galaxy, you will also suffer greatly, so our struggle is for the peace of the entire galaxy."
The necrons and humanity had already joined forces against the Tyranid Swarm, but even so, facing the endless and countless attacks of the Tyranid Swarm, the necrons and humanity were struggling to hold on.
In such a situation, although Zeke didn't need the various buffs provided by the Chaos Gods—which would weaken their combat power and prevent them from fighting the Chaos Gods of the opposite galaxy—
the Chaos Gods' Warp daemon were still very useful for fighting the Tyranid Swarm.
For the Tyranid Swarm, consuming Warp daemon would yield no replenishment and would be a pure consumption, unlike in battles with humanity and the necrons, where the Tyranid Swarm could at least gain some meager biomass.
Especially in battles with the Terran Dominion, because the basic combat units of the Terran Dominion all possessed extremely high quality, every ordinary Dominion warrior represented a huge amount of biomass.
The quality was there; even if the quantity was negligible, for the Tyranid Swarm, quality was equally important.
"My request is simple: send half of your respective Warp daemon to the edge of the galaxy to fight the Tyranid Swarm."
"Agreed!" This time, it was Khorne who spoke, not Tzeentch.
"I will send two-thirds of my daemon legions to fight at the edge of the galaxy, but for our armies to establish themselves in the real universe, you need to use the Warp Incursion ritual; otherwise, not much can be accomplished."
Khorne loved war, and since there was a war to be fought, he naturally wanted to get involved. Moreover, the outbreak of war would make him even stronger.
Khorne bypassed Tzeentch and agreed, even proactively changing Zeke's request of sending half the Warp daemon to two-thirds. This gesture greatly pleased Zeke. He nodded slightly, then looked at the other three.
"What about you three?"
"I'll also tell you briefly: my current allies are Szarekh, Gork and Mork, and now the Emperor can also stand up. Whether I include you three or not makes no difference."
"With Khorne, we now have five people. Five people fighting four on the other side is more than enough. I certainly have enough time to handle other matters."
Zeke made a small threat, indicating that the remaining three Chaos Gods were actually not that important.
This was a very straightforward open scheme, not a conspiracy.
By simply presenting the comparison of combat power to Tzeentch, Tzeentch would see that the situation had completely changed, and the source of this change was Khorne.
For the sake of war, Khorne readily agreed.
Tzeentch was still thinking, but Slaanesh stepped forward.
If one were to remove those grotesque parts of Slaanesh, he certainly looked good, but those parts were precisely there.
Slaanesh twisted his alluring body and made an extremely seductive expression, looking at Zeke.
"I can also send Warp daemon to fight, even all of them, but I have one condition: you must give me a chance."
For Slaanesh, although his own origin on the other side was very appealing, his desire for Zeke was even stronger... "No!" Zeke flatly refused.
"I can only tell you, don't even think about it. I am a very devoted person."
Slaanesh said, somewhat unwillingly, "Is there no chance at all? For a strong person like you, what's wrong with having a few more partners? I can let you enjoy endless pleasure, and besides, I was here first."
Zeke looked at the other party with an expression like he was looking at an idiot.
"I'm not interested in your so-called pleasure. I don't have such low-level pleasures, and do you really think your pleasure can truly attract me?"
"I have no interest in giving you a chance because I am devoted. Alright, our conversation is over. Now make your choice: go or not go."
Zeke was already too lazy to continue talking nonsense. His explanation was already an attempt to win over an ally.
And wasn't it just rejecting this request for four years? Zeke could guarantee that this guy would go 100%, after all, power was also very important.
"Go!"
With Slaanesh's agreement, only Nurgle and Tzeentch remained. Nurgle also decisively stated that he would go.
"I'll go too, I'll go too, as long as you don't hit me, I'll go!" Nurgle was the most cowardly because he had been hit the most by Zeke.
Since his two companions had already sided with Zeke, if he stayed there, he would likely get hit again, so he quickly expressed his intention to go. Soon, only Tzeentch remained.
"What about you, two-headed bird?
To me, you seem to be no longer important..."
"I'll go too, and I'm even willing to send my Ascended Primarchs to fight at the edge of the galaxy. If you need to vent some anger, you can transfer your wrath onto these Ascended Primarchs."
Tzeentch indicated that he would also go, and even took a small revenge on his companions.
Are they all backstabbing him? Then let's not play anymore!
I, Tzeentch, have even sent my Ascended Primarchs. Let's see if you send yours. If you don't, you are disloyal!!
"Oh?" Zeke raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his face, his gaze sweeping over Khorne, Slaanesh, and Nurgle.
"Tzeentch's proposal is quite interesting. It is willing to offer its Ascended Primarch, both as a fighting force and… a punching bag. What about you three? Should you not also show an equivalent 'sincerity'?"
Khorne let out a deep roar, his battle-axe thudding heavily against the ground: "The actions of a coward! True warriors seek glory on the battlefield, not as scapegoats! However, if it is what you, Zeke, require, then I am, of course, willing to send my Ascended Primarch, Angron."
It was still Khorne; he was still the most pragmatic one. After Tzeentch said it would send an Ascended Primarch, he was also the first to step forward and respond to Zeke's wishes.
Khorne had betrayed them twice in a row, even agreeing so readily, which filled the other three Chaos Gods' eyes with distrust and an 'I knew it' expression when they looked at Khorne, especially Nurgle.
The last time they fought, this guy had cooperated quite well with Zeke, tormenting him together. He had suspected then if these two had colluded, and he was right!
These two guys had indeed colluded!
Slaanesh let out a coquettish laugh, its voice filled with a sticky allure.
"Oh, Tzeentch, you're so naughty… But, since you, Ezekiel, desire it, then that useless fellow under my command is yours to command as well.
As long as… you occasionally remember me…" Its words still carried an undying ambition, but its posture had lowered.
Nurgle quickly interjected in a booming voice, fearing he would be a step too slow: "Give, give, give! All yours! My Primarch, Mortarion, is already fighting Guilliman in the Ultima Segmentum. I will issue him a divine decree to head to the edge of the galaxy.
Things have already reached this point; what's a Primarch more? After they absorb their respective origins, they'll just be Warp Sub-Gods. It's no big deal to create a few more.
And although the universe opposite does not have Primarchs, perhaps the next galaxy they open up will have them.
The universe is vast, and he believes they will surely find all sorts of universes and gain sufficient benefits for themselves. The words of Yuan Shen still echoed in their ears.
The Warp of their universe is peculiar; it can connect to many universes and galaxies. They do not know which specific universes and galaxies it connects to, but it can connect, and that is what matters.
As long as they can unite, there is no amount of profit they cannot reclaim. Giving some to Zeke now is acceptable; you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a child.
As these four agreed to Zeke's demands and negotiations, a new Warp agreement was finalized. The Chaos Gods of the Warps would no longer affect the Imperium of Man's Warp routes.
The Chaos Gods of the Warps would send two-thirds of their forces to the edge of the galaxy to fight the Tyranid Swarm, and not just when the Tyranid Swarm attacked, but by actively launching offensives.
The Chaos Gods of the Warps would continue to gather other daemon armies to act as vanguards when the portal fully opened.
Once this agreement was signed, Zeke was very satisfied. After sending a copy of this intelligence to the Emperor, he left the Warp again. Szarekh had already understood the outcome of the Warp negotiations as soon as Zeke appeared.
When Zeke returned to Cadia, the fortress world at the forefront of the galactic hell-Warp, Szarekh proactively greeted him.
"How did the negotiations go? They should have been smooth. Those four theoretically shouldn't refuse our demands. Do you plan to launch an attack on the other galaxy anytime soon? If you've decided, I'll go back and mobilize troops now."
Although most of the necrons dynasties' forces had already gathered at the edge of the galaxy, this did not mean that the Infinite Empire, which once ruled the entire galaxy, only had this much military strength.
After all, the armies gathered here currently were mostly from awakened dynasties. There were still some necron Dynasties that had not awakened. Szarekh could order the Triarch to go back and reawaken them, then organize a joint army to enter the battle.
"War is not needed in the short term, estimated to be about a year from now, Terra Standard Year, you should be aware of this. However, you don't actually need to mobilize your own armies; that universe should also have legions of your The necrons Empire."
"For you, you only need to awaken those dynasties to gain control over them."
"As for mine, you should be aware that I cannot move the armies at the edge of the galaxy, and most of my main forces are already fighting at the edge of the galaxy. Therefore, I can only mobilize the Imperium of Man's armies."
"At most, a small number of Dominion legions can be added, so the upcoming war will definitely be primarily fought by the Imperium of Man's armies…"
"It will be very difficult to have such a large-scale army fighting here as at the edge of the galaxy."
Zeke first informed Szarekh about the situation of the human legions, and Szarekh responded.
"I am well aware of this. If we only speak of the legions in the border regions, then our necrons armies are indeed not as numerous or as powerful as yours. So, I can understand that in the upcoming cross-galactic warfare, your armies not being as strong as mine is acceptable."
Szarekh expressed his understanding.
This is why the necrons are interesting; they have always adhered to combat etiquette similar to the Yaeger dynasty. They are a reasonable race.
Especially towards civilizations of similar strength, they are a very reasonable race.
Their conversation ended there. Zeke did not continue to talk with Szarekh.
Since the main force of the upcoming war would rely on the Imperium of Man's armies, he now needed to go back and see if Guilliman had completed the preparation and training of the armies.
To put it bluntly, the Astra Militarum organized by Guilliman was the top priority in this war, because a new galaxy was simply too vast.
Only countless Astra Militarum forces, like grains of sand, could truly become a main fighting force.
As for genetically modifying all newly formed armies to be like Astartes, Zeke had not considered this, because the resources required would be an enormous number.
Most of humanity's resources had to be prioritized for the production of warships, and even a small portion of resources was needed for the transformation of other planets.
Every planet that needed to be transformed required a large amount of resources to successfully complete the transformation, and transforming planets was the most important task besides war.
Because every planet represented endless productivity!
Zeke could not sacrifice the future for the present.
After entering his parents' palace and having dinner with them, Zeke left the edge of the galaxy. Now, he had to go find Guilliman.
Because the galactic rim had become an important battlefield, Stargates were also placed in these areas.
Zeke's journey back to Terra was very simple: a fleet escorted him through the Stargate and into Terra's airspace.
Looking at the emerald green planet beneath his feet, Zeke couldn't help but sigh.
"This is what Terra should look like; the way it was before was really..."
As humanity's homeworld, Terra received a large amount of resource allocation, and Zeke transformed it into a Gaia world.
Vast resources were poured into this homeworld of humanity, and at the same time, a large number of human citizens were relocated from Terra, leaving only a reasonable number of people.
How could a small Terra have trillions of people? This population was truly excessive, so under Zeke's orders, at least 2 trillion people were removed from Terra.
Now, this homeworld of humanity only has a total of 100 billion people, and among these 100 billion, a full 10 billion are government officials, while the remaining 90 billion, 80 billion of course, are the houses of these officials.
In the Imperium of Man, only a small portion of people can reside on humanity's homeworld, Terra.
This was an order personally issued by the Emperor, and even if some nobles were very dissatisfied with it, they had no choice but to comply once they understood it was a direct imperial command.
The Emperor's orders allowed no room for discussion, unless you wished to die.
It was precisely because of this series of transformations that the current Terra can be described as having green mountains and clear waters, a stark contrast to the previous Terra that didn't even have oceans.
To describe the current Terra using the old words of the Imperium of Man, it is like a world even more of a Shrine world than a Shrine world.
Zeke took a shuttle from the battleship and arrived at the Imperial Palace on Terra.
the Emperor still sits on the golden throne; the one in the Warp is merely his projection in the Warp, while Guilliman continues to handle various government affairs within the Imperial Palace on Terra.
When Zeke issued commands, he only needed to move his lips, which seemed very easy, but in reality, after implementation, Guilliman was almost exhausted.
A simple command, combined with the vast scale of the Imperium of Man, could make the command no longer simple.
When Zeke entered the Imperial Palace accompanied by the Custodes, he saw Guilliman diligently reviewing documents at his desk.
Thanks to the extensive application of AI, the documents in front of Guilliman were no longer a large quantity of paper files as before, but were all compressed into a small device.
For Guilliman, reviewing and approving documents only required a thought, but even so, the Guilliman displayed before Zeke looked like a robot.
His method of handling government affairs now involved directly inputting these matters into his mind and then processing them through his thoughts.
The advantage of this was that his efficiency in handling government affairs had increased by more than a thousandfold compared to before, but the disadvantage was that when Zeke walked into his office, he still hadn't reacted.
He was completely unaware of external matters; if the eldar were to assassinate Guilliman at this moment, it might actually succeed.
Of course, the prerequisite would be to bypass the Custodes omnipresent in the Imperial Palace, and then defeat the Custodes inside the office.
Zeke was not in a hurry; he pulled out the chair in front of Guilliman and sat down.
Then he took out his personal device and began to look at various genetic modification surgeries and technologies.
Guilliman has always been very diligent; it's time to strengthen his body to prevent him from getting exhausted by the increasingly numerous government affairs.
Such a good Imperial Regent must be cherished; whether he can take a vacation and play outside in the future depends entirely on Guilliman.
The two of them continued like this, one handling government affairs, the other looking at various technologies. Soon, as Guilliman finished the day's documents, he slowly awakened and opened his eyes.
The benefit of AI is here: compared to his previous 24-hour workdays, Guilliman now generally only needs to work 22 hours a day if no unexpected situations arise, with two hours of free time.
"Finally done! Now it's my free time!" The newly awakened Guilliman stretched and casually picked up a pre-arranged vial from the table, injecting its contents into his body.
Sleep?
Sleeping was out of the question; with only two hours of rest time in a day, going to sleep would be a complete waste.
Just after injecting the potion into his body and feeling his endless energy, Guilliman saw Zeke sitting in front of him.
"You, you, you, you..." Seeing Zeke was a huge shock to Guilliman; the syringe in his hand dropped directly to the ground and bounced a few times.
The next second, Guilliman lunged forward and tightly hugged Zeke's leg, tears flowing like a torrential river, unstoppable.
"I can't do it anymore, I don't want to do it anymore, I need someone to help me, I can't keep going!"
"Those ordinary citizens, they only work 6 hours a day, why do I have to work 22 hours a day? This is abuse, this is illegal."
Guilliman was a mess of snot and tears, utterly heartbroken.
Guilliman could accept working a bit more, but while he had to work for so long, ordinary human citizens only had to work 6 hours... This directly stimulated the diligent and hardworking Guilliman.
Looking at Guilliman, who was clinging to his leg, not letting go, and with tears and snot streaming down his face, Zeke somewhat disdainfully kicked his leg, trying to shake Guilliman off.
But how could Guilliman be shaken off so easily?
He just held Zeke's leg even tighter, determined not to let go no matter what.
Helpless, Zeke had no choice but to try again, attempting to pry Guilliman off his leg.
But having finally met Zeke and feeling that he was about to be liberated, how could Guilliman be willing to let go?
A big guy over three meters tall looked up at Zeke with a pitiful gaze, tears still flowing like a waterfall.
If Guilliman wasn't a big guy over three meters tall, if Guilliman wasn't a grown man, such an expression would definitely soften many hearts.
But unfortunately, Guilliman was a grown man.
Seeing a grown man make such an expression, Zeke's skin immediately crawled.
Discovering that physical strength was insufficient, and fearing he might accidentally harm Guilliman if he used too much force, yet unable to affect him with too little, Zeke had no choice but to resort to psychic powers.
A lifelike psychic giant hand appeared behind Guilliman, then two fingers pinched his nape, lifting him up by his fate.
But even so, as Guilliman was lifted, he still flailed and struggled.
"Let me go, let me go! I don't want to work anymore, let me go, I'm going to die from exhaustion!"
"Wuwuwu…"
The Imperial Regent cried so sorrowfully, and this was the only time he could express his emotions.
As the Imperial Regent, Guilliman had to maintain his dignity in front of everyone else, except when he was before the Emperor.
"Alright, alright, stop crying, stop crying. Haven't I come to help you?"
Unable to bear it any longer, Zeke had to comfort Guilliman, but the frown on his brow never eased.
After all, Guilliman's first wave of snot and tears was still stuck to his trousers, which was truly disgusting.
"Really?" Guilliman completely ignored the slight disdain in Zeke's eyes, as if he were a slave who had just heard he was finally to be freed, his eyes shining as he sprang to his feet.
"Does this mean I can finally live a normal life of one day on, one day off, with six hours of work per day across three shifts?"
It was as if light had entered Guilliman's eyes; he felt his hard days were finally coming to an end.
"Look, look, look, look at how this child has been pushed. the Emperor is truly not a competent father. Luckily, I'm here."
Zeke grumbled in his heart that the Emperor hadn't treated his son well, elegantly kicking himself out of the matter mentally, then took out a gene-serum from his hand.
"Whether you can live a life of one day on, one day off, working six hours a day, depends on yourself."
"After all, you have been the Regent for such a long time; you should be aware that the working and resting hours of government departments are fundamentally different from those of ordinary people."
"Ordinary citizens and common folk can work one day and rest one day, working six hours a day, precisely because people like you, who work in the government, work hard. Don't be discouraged."
"Look what I have in my hand?" Zeke raised the serum in his hand and handed it to Guilliman.
Originally, Zeke expected Guilliman to be excited when he saw the serum, but to his surprise, when Guilliman saw it, his face immediately fell.
The next second, he appeared in the corner, forlornly drawing circles on the wall, with a self-generated dark cloud above his head, pouring down rain.
"I thought my workload was going to decrease. Who knew it was just to strengthen me so I could work faster?"
Guilliman mumbled to himself.
As the Imperial Regent, Guilliman naturally understood the meaning behind Zeke suddenly producing a gene-enhancement serum.
Wasn't this just implying that his current processing efficiency was too slow, and they were preparing to enhance his mind, brain, and ability to handle matters?
Alright, alright. Although his ability to handle affairs would be greatly improved, the problem was that the amount of work he had to do hadn't decreased at all.
The Thirteenth's eyes were misty with tears.
"I'm just saying, is there really no way to get another Primarch to do these things?"
"Even Russ would be fine."
Guilliman was so resentful and sad that it made Zeke feel a bit awkward.
"Don't worry, don't worry, Guilliman, your brothers will be back soon. Then I'll send all your Ascended Primarch brothers to you and let them work, how about that?"
Zeke immediately thought that the Chaos Gods would send those Ascended Primarchs back, which could also help Guilliman with some work.
But to Zeke's surprise, when his words fell, Guilliman showed no happiness at all.
"Forget it. What good would those Ascended Primarchs do, even if they came back? Who can guarantee they would do anything human?"
With an expression of resignation, Guilliman extended his hand.
"Give me the serum. Although the work certainly won't decrease, and might even increase, speeding up the processing of things will at least allow me to rest for a while."
Uh.
Zeke wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and handed the serum to Guilliman.
Since this was merely to strengthen Guilliman's body, once Zeke had selected the areas to enhance for The Thirteenth, the Dominion's scientists quickly produced these items.
Guilliman looked at the deep blue liquid injection in his hand, without a moment's hesitation, he plunged it into his arm, then pushed the plunger, injecting all the liquid into his body.
The next second, his body underwent a dramatic transformation. Five minutes later, although Guilliman's appearance hadn't changed, his internal structure had been completely altered.
An unprecedented clarity appeared in Guilliman's mind. To verify his current efficiency, Guilliman quickly connected to his administrative processor.
A massive wave of administrative tasks surged in again. These were things that should have been done tomorrow, but now Guilliman released them ahead of schedule.
After two hours of diligently writing and processing administrative tasks, what should have been 12 hours of work for tomorrow was completed in two hours.
"Awesome!" After taking off the device on his head again, Guilliman couldn't help but shout out this word!
What used to be 12 hours of work could now be completed in just two hours!
This meant that if he continued with his previous work efficiency, he would only need about four hours to complete a day's worth of tasks.
Even if Zeke added more tasks, he could still finish them within six hours. Although one day on, one day off wasn't achieved, at least he had time to rest, right?
Guilliman desperately comforted himself in his heart, for just as Zeke had said, in any civilization, there are always some people who cannot enjoy its benefits, especially those in high positions.
And such a statement was perfect for fooling himself.
The lifelessness that had been on Guilliman was now completely processed by him, and he became vibrant once more.
Zeke watched him without interrupting his joy.
He could understand it; finally being able to escape such a massive amount of administrative work for a while was indeed a delightful feeling.
It would be better to tell Guilliman about the upcoming war a little later, lest he suddenly break down.
Zeke managed to keep Guilliman happy for a full half standard Terran hour, and after half an hour, Zeke slowly began to speak.
"Guilliman…" Zeke had barely opened his mouth when Guilliman's previously joyful expression instantly froze, and his heart sank.
He knew without a doubt that Zeke had once again enhanced his brain's operational capacity and his administrative processing abilities, and now, with his opening remarks, his intentions were naturally self-evident.
Guilliman, who had been all smiles moments ago, now looked like a man resigned to his fate, sitting back down in front of Zeke.
"Sir Yaeger, please tell me. Whatever arrangements you make, I will do them."
Guilliman sat in his seat, as if resigned to his fate, listlessly looking at Zeke with an expression that suggested all hope was lost in this life.
Such an expression made Zeke wonder if he was being a bit too wicked.
But the next second, that thought was cast aside by Zeke.
Could he be blamed for this?
Of course, he couldn't be blamed. What was the purpose of waging war on another galaxy?
Wasn't it for his father, Guilliman?
It was for his father to ascend safely to godhood, without losing his humanity, and for him not to become an orphan, but a man with a father.
Zeke comforted himself in his heart, asserting that he was absolutely not doing it for himself, but for the other party.
He was already working hard to save the other party's father, so what was wrong with the other party contributing a little?
Watching Zeke's gaze shift repeatedly, Guilliman knew that his previous resigned, pitiful act was completely useless; Zeke wasn't falling for it.
Zeke, who felt he owed Guilliman nothing, spoke up.
"It's like this: I previously asked you to reform the Astra Militarum and the space marine legions. How are those reforms coming along?"
To make it easier for Guilliman to accept, Zeke didn't immediately state his intentions, but instead first inquired about the army reforms.
Guilliman, who had been constantly handling administrative affairs, was naturally very familiar with these figures. As soon as Zeke asked, he had already found the exact data in his mind.
"According to the report from the Departmento Munitorum last month, 4,600 clusters of our Astra Militarum forces have completed reorganization."
"Each cluster has 10 million Astra Militarum soldiers, totaling 46 billion Astra Militarum who have completed reorganization. The remaining forces are still undergoing reorganization."
"On one hand, the number of Cadians required by the Astra Militarum Codex is limited, so the pace of reform has slowed. On the other hand, the Imperial Departmento Munitorum is still compiling the number of Astra Militarum and the new Astra Militarum unit standards."
"It is precisely because of this aspect that the number of troops is naturally difficult to increase."
Guilliman naturally knew that such a pace of reform was too slow. What did 46 billion people mean for the vast Human Imperium?
It meant absolutely nothing.
But he had to admit that he had already done his best. There were only so many Cadians, and to be able to expand such a large legion after assigning them to various Astra Militarum units was already a remarkable feat.
"Hmm." To Guilliman's surprise, Zeke didn't comment on his efficiency at all, but instead nodded calmly.
"Military reform in the Imperium is indeed very troublesome, as the Imperial army is a bit too abstract.
To achieve this without improving other special forces, you've done very well, Guilliman."
"While the reform of the troops needs to accelerate, just proceed at your own pace. I believe it will get faster and faster later on."
Zeke did not blame Guilliman; instead, he offered words of reassurance, expressing his approval and understanding.
And Zeke's words were indeed correct. Army reform is like that; the initial speed is indeed a bit slow.
But later on, it will be different. The training standards of various Schola Progenium academies have already changed, mainly because the time he gave was too short.
Guilliman could only use those Cadians to directly and strictly reorganize and train the army, so the number of Astra Militarum obtained was naturally relatively small.
However, once the first batch of officers from the Schola Progenium are trained, then in just a few years, the Astra Militarum will complete reorganization at a percentage rate.
"You are the Imperial Regent, so I won't hide anything from you. The Imperium's mission will change next."
"The primary mission of the Imperium will no longer be to resist the tyranids. We have discovered a new tunnel in the Warp, and that tunnel will lead us to another universe."
"Preliminary estimates suggest that it is in the Dark Age of Technology for humanity, but in the later years of warlord strife. There are enough human compatriots there who need us to save them, and there are also sufficient resources there."
"To fight the tyranids, we need enough fleets and enough resources to support our fleet operations. Therefore, I think you should know what's next, right?"
Guilliman, who was already like a dead fish, feeling his future was hopeless, became even more of a dead fish after hearing what Zeke said.
Could he not know what Zeke's words implied? It meant they were about to launch a war against a new galaxy.
And it was the Terran galaxy, which was in a period of warlord strife.
This was equivalent to a new Great Crusade that was about to be reignited, and they would also soon see that Terra, which had kept his father fighting for hundreds of years.
More importantly, most of them could only rely on the armies of the Human Imperium to fight.
What kind of place was Terra?
His father conquered the entire galaxy in less than 200 years during the Great Crusade.
Yet, his father fought on Terra for hundreds of years. How formidable was Terra's combat power?
More importantly, the amount of logistical coordination required to sustain such a large-scale crusade made Guilliman feel nothing short of terrified.
Currently, most of the Human Imperium's resources were continuously being transported to Zeke's planets, then manufactured into alloys, and swiftly sent to shipyards to be built into warships.
Guilliman not only needed to maintain the material transport and allocation for this war front but also had to sustain the supply for the upcoming massive troop deployments.
"Father, save me! Father, I can't do this anymore!" The anguished Guilliman couldn't help but cry out.
And the Emperor, at the opportune moment, made his psychic projection appear before Guilliman, once again stroking Guilliman's head with his warm hand.
The next second, that warm hand once again firmly pressed him back into his chair; that position, symbolizing the Imperial Regent, now seemed to represent an endless pile of documents.
"Do well, my son, I believe in you!" After saying this, the Emperor's Warp phantom disappeared again, and he returned to his Golden Throne.
For someone with social anxiety, appearing before his offspring and uttering these words was already extremely difficult.
Looking at Guilliman's expression, as if his mother and father had died, even Zeke couldn't bear to see him continue like this.
He had to give the kid something to look forward to, right?
Otherwise, a workhorse as useful as Guilliman would be worn out. So, Zeke thought for a moment and then said,
"Don't say that I, your uncle, don't care about you. This is also for your own good. If we win the war against that galaxy, maybe we can bring back Malcador."
Zeke said these words, and it was precisely these words that reignited Guilliman's spirit.
Malcador!!!
That was the Imperial Regent! If he could bring back the Regent, wouldn't he be able to escape his current painful life?
Even if he couldn't escape his current life, wouldn't life be much better with the Tall One around?
Guilliman couldn't help but get excited. With his spirit restored, he shook off his previous appearance, which was like a dead salted fish, and instantly stood up again, shouting loudly,
"Understood! I will do my best to mobilize the army and prepare for the Empire's conquest of another galaxy! All for humanity's Manifest Destiny! All for the 6-hour workday! All for the three-day weekend!!!"
"Good! Very spirited! Just do exactly what you're shouting now!"
Zeke found Guilliman's shout very spirited, even though it seemed to have included some things that shouldn't have been there at the end, but Zeke chose to ignore them.
Who doesn't want to live a happy life with a three-day weekend and only six hours of work a day?
Everyone wants that, but as high-ranking officials, as the rulers of the Empire, as the Tall Ones of humanity, they cannot.
Their hard work and struggle are so that the common people below them can live such a life.
This is their consciousness, and they must abide by it.
At the same time, this is also the responsibility that Imperial officials will have to bear in the future.
All Imperial officials, once they reach a certain rank, will have to work according to a schedule similar to Guilliman's.
You gain power, but you must pay a price.
Power cannot be obtained for free. The government will guarantee your basic social needs, various medical benefits, and everything you should have.
You also enjoy more power than others, so you must pay a greater price.
Don't say your elders have already suffered your hardships for you; the Emperor doesn't care about that!
What the Empire wants to do is to be fair, so that everyone can enjoy benefits, and equally fair, so that everyone can experience hardship.
After giving Guilliman a pep talk, Zeke left. His discussion with Guilliman was over, and now he had to continue developing his own planets... Just as Guilliman couldn't rest, neither could Zeke.
He had to continue selecting new planets and forming them into colonial worlds among the stars to provide more resources.
In addition, he also needed to build more Bastion-class fortresses and the like to strengthen his warship production capacity!
Currently, the Terran Dominion, which is Zeke's current command, has a total of 260 shipyards.
With 260 shipyards, producing a frigate takes 14 days.
Producing a destroyer takes 24 days.
Producing a cruiser takes 40 days.
Producing the best and most cost-effective battleship at this stage takes 99 days.
Producing the best and most cost-effective Titan-class ship at this stage takes 148 days.
In addition, there are also planetary-class warship production shipyards.
These shipyards are larger than others and fewer in number. Currently, Zeke has a total of 11 such shipyards.
It takes 365 days to produce one Battle Moon, and 11 can be produced each year.
The Human's standard small combat fleet system consists of one Titan-class warship, 4 battleships, accompanied by 16 cruisers, 26 destroyers, and 32 frigates.
Three such small combat fleets are combined into a medium combat fleet, which can have a Battle Moon as its flagship to command operations.
Four medium combat fleets can be combined into a large combat fleet. Currently, large combat fleets do not yet have their own unique flagship.
Zeke also wanted to build Stellar-class warships, but the resources required for Stellar-class warships are not a small number.
At present, Zeke cannot afford this level of warship, and warships do not require any maintenance costs once built.
Each warship consumes a portion of alloy resources, energy, various food resources, and consumer goods each month to supply the crew on board.
For Zeke, there is actually a limit to warships; overly large warships are somewhat not worth it.
Moreover, the monthly maintenance cost of a Stellar-class warship is simply an astronomical figure. Zeke does not want to consider Stellar-class warships at this time.
War is not just about whose army is more elite, or whose army is more high-tech; it's also about whose army can sustain its supplies.
The Swarm can clearly sustain itself.
To maintain the balance of war, if the Swarm truly deploys Stellar-class Leviathan warships, then humanity will certainly build warships of that level. However, before the Swarm deploys them, humanity cannot do so.
Moreover, it's not that Zeke doesn't want to order the fleet to leave the galaxy, but rather that there is a very special environment around the galaxy.
Don't think the galaxy is very large; the Mechanicus has never stopped exploring the outer reaches of the galaxy.
But Zeke possesses the technology of the Terran Dominion, and he has already investigated the situation outside the galaxy.
This desolate place is a large void, practically a wasteland.
The diameter of this void is approximately 150 million light-years.
What's the point of fighting through such a massive void? And having to break through the Swarm's heavy encirclement!
With the existence of this massive void, Zeke cannot directly order the fleet to break out.
So there is only one option: if they are to deal with the Swarm, either wait for the main force of the Terran Dominion to arrive.
Or they can only attack another galaxy, given Zeke's current situation.
But then again, his current warship production scale is somewhat insufficient. The intensity of the Swarm's war is constantly increasing, so Zeke also needs to continue increasing the number of colonial worlds and shipyards he controls.
At the same time, a large amount of resources needs to be allocated for the conquest of another galaxy. If the Imperium's fleet takes too long to fight, it won't be a good thing.
Under these circumstances, a distinct social view has formed within the entire human race.
The common people, those who have accepted the reforms of the Terran Dominion, now live a life of three days off for every four days worked.
They only need to work 6 hours a day, and because they are not atoning, overtime earns them 10 times their salary. Things like seven insurances and three funds are fully covered, and the government is responsible for their food, clothing, housing, and transportation.
The previous atonement, which paid 4,000 credit points, has been abolished.
Or rather, without the atonement, the minimum wage standard is 16,000 credit points.
The citizens of the Imperium live such good lives that everyone envies them.
In fact, when such a life began to appear in some worlds of the Empire, the local humans exclaimed that they had never even dared to imagine it.
This was truly a golden age of paradise!
However, the human bigwigs at the top were not so happy; they were working harder than anyone else.
Someone always has to bear the burden in this society and this world. Since the people are living good lives, the leaders must work hard.
Under Guilliman's deployment, the Terran Dominion's legions continuously prepared vast amounts of supplies, and merchant fleets were launched.
The merchant fleets were fully loaded with all the supplies needed by the Terran Dominion's legions, and the first batch of 46 billion Astra Militarum troops was assembled.
The Space Marines, originally fragmented into Chapters, were also reassembled under Guilliman's coordination during this period, returning to their respective legions. The Imperium of Man once again had nine legions.
These nine legions received a massive allocation of resources from the Imperium of Man, with each legion's strength expanding to 2 million.
At the same time, to deal with the upcoming war, each legion was equipped with 4 titan-class warships, 16 battleships, and 72 frigates and destroyers.
These warships were supplied by the Terran Dominion, meaning they constituted the Imperium's frontline fleet groups.
In addition to these frontline main fleet groups, there were also second-line fleet groups composed of Imperial warships, including reserve fleets made up of emperor-class battleships and gloriana-class battleships.
Currently, the actual combat effectiveness of these two types of battleships is not weak.
Due to the emergence of the Terran Dominion, and since these types of warships had already been manufactured, they underwent improvements with the help of scientists.
They were equipped with hyperspace engines, so their speed would not be too slow, and the surface of the warships was also fitted with null-material armor to enhance their defense.
After a year, the army was fully assembled at the edge of the solar system in Terra's solar sector.
The vast fleet directly obscured the sky of the entire star.
And due to the importance of this war, Zeke personally took action.
The Terra Administration remained under Guilliman's leadership.
Aside from Guilliman, all other Primarchs joined this expedition.
Rogal Dorn, Lion, Khan, Kraks, Vulcan, and Leman Russ all returned to their respective legions, preparing to lead their legions into battle.
Sanguinius and Vulcan were in the process of resurrection, and they would soon revive and appear within their fleets.
After all, Zeke had already reached an agreement with the Chaos Gods of the Warp, so he had obtained the resurrection sequences for these two Primarchs.
When Zeke wished for a certain entity to come back to life, he could make it happen.
As for Leman Russ and Khan, they were even easier to deal with.
If Zeke wanted to find them, the Warp would naturally cooperate. With the combined search efforts of several Chaos Gods, they couldn't hide for long.
On Terra, an expedition second only to the Great Crusade was about to begin.
This Great Crusade, unlike the previous one, lacked exactly 11 Primarchs, but otherwise, nothing was missing.
This was a Great Crusade to another galaxy!
And these Primarchs would also experience how intense the wars fought during Terra's Unification Wars once were, as in that galaxy, humanity had just fallen from its Golden Age.
Many techno-warlords existed in that galaxy; they still possessed powerful combat capabilities and still controlled a large amount of human technology, including a series of weapons such as black hole weapons and time weapons.
The Iron Legion, like a surging tide, was still under human control. Although humanity had already fought the Iron Wars, this technology was still retained.
This was not the minor skirmishes of the Great Crusade era, nor was it a time when, apart from Terra, humanity had no high-intensity wars when the Emperor launched the Great Crusade.
This was the time when humanity had just fallen from its position as Overlord of the galaxy, and even though humanity was already fragmented, no race dared to challenge human authority.
One by one, the Primarchs were found again by Zeke and conversed with their sons. Legion after legion looked at the Primarchs standing before them, as if they had returned to the age of myths.
Here, all the loyal legions had assembled, and they were each about to welcome back their respective Primarchs.
Originally, Zeke wanted to leave someone, such as Sanguinius or Horus, to help Guilliman with administrative affairs.
However, whenever Zeke brought up the matter, the Primarchs would always find various reasons to refuse.
Even the Angel, whom Guilliman most admired and was closest to, expressed his refusal in vague terms.
No one was willing to give up this glory, for it was the glory of conquering another galaxy. For warriors, such glory was an irresistible temptation.
The army assembled in the galaxy, a vast and mighty force. In such a scene, Zeke should have said something, but he did not.
Zeke, traversing the galaxy in his physical body, did not say a single word. He merely raised his right hand and gently pointed at an empty expanse of space.
A massive Warp tunnel opened. It was then that Zeke spoke his first words there.
"All forces enter the Warp tunnel, prepare for the expedition!"
The Emperor's command was given, and the legions swiftly obeyed.
And large numbers of renowned Astartes Legion fleets also began to follow the Primarchs' fleets into the Warp.
The fleets flowed endlessly, demonstrating the Imperium of Man's powerful war mobilization capabilities.
Everyone was excited; they were eager to forge new glory, ready to follow the Emperor on another Great Crusade.
Amidst the surging emotions of the crowd, only one person's mood was deeply depressed.
Guilliman sat despairingly at his desk in the Terra Administration, watching his brothers lead their legions into the Warp, preparing to forge new glory.
He watched as his Ultramarines legion, led by Calgar, also joined this expedition.
When the last Terran Dominion fleet left this galaxy's real universe, although the Warp tunnel's gate remained open, Guilliman's heart was broken.
"Alright, alright, everyone's off to create glory, no one wants to help me, no one!"
A sad Guilliman looked at the documents still continuously streaming in like a tide, wanting to cry, but as Imperial Regent, how could he cry?
He could only force himself to maintain his spirits, trying to continue dealing with these administrative affairs, he could only comfort himself that there would always be another chance.
Perhaps?
At least the passage had opened, and the war in that galaxy had begun, so in the future, humanity would certainly not be limited to just this small galaxy; more wars should also break out.
Once Malcador returned, he would eventually be able to return to the battlefield.
As Guilliman comforted himself, the Emperor, who was originally not good at words and interacting with his sons, noticed his most miserable son.
The Emperor's avatar appeared in the Terra Imperial Palace, in the Terra Central Administration.
This time he was not an illusion, but a physical entity. He slowly paced behind Guilliman, gently stroking Guilliman's head with his large hand.
"You've worked hard, Guilliman."
"Do you want to go and create glory?"
"Then go, you can leave the rest to me."
The Emperor spoke these words to Guilliman. The administrative affairs that Guilliman could handle, he could, of course, also handle. Seeing his son's dedication, the Emperor emerged from his reclusiveness.
Meanwhile, in the Warp, Zeke, who was still keeping the Warp gate open and commanding the fleet to wait in place, had a smile on his face.
This was a good start, wasn't it?
The Emperor's family could finally get better.
Guilliman could barely believe his ears.
He abruptly looked up, turning towards the figure behind him, who was emanating a warm, psychic glow.
It wasn't the cold statue on the golden throne, but a father with a hint of... apology and understanding.
His eyes no longer held only burning divinity, but also a few traces of the 'fatherly' emotions that had long since blurred in Roboute Guilliman's memory.
"Fa... Father?" Guilliman's voice was hoarse with emotion. "Are you saying..."
"I say, go, Robert," the Emperor's avatar, or rather, the part of the Emperor closer to 'man,' said calmly and firmly, even with a touch of tenderness for Robert.
"You have given more than enough to the Imperium. Your brothers pursue their destinies on the battlefield; you should not be bound by this mountain of paperwork and meetings.
Your place, by rights, is by your sons' side, at the forefront of the Ultramarines."
An indescribable warmth washed away all the depression and grievances in Guilliman's heart.
He stood up almost instantly, his master-crafted power armour humming softly with his excitement. He glanced at the mountain of documents piled on his desk, then back at the Emperor.
"But... the Imperium's administration..."
"During the ten millennia you slept, it was I who managed this Imperium, though the method... was somewhat different."
The Emperor's mouth twitched when he said this, as he himself found his management style quite absurd.
"Although the process was circuitous, at least it still exists. Now, with a clearer direction and... 'external assistance,'"
He was referring to the existence of the Terran Dominion and Zeke.
"Temporarily handling these matters is not difficult for me. Moreover, it is inherently my responsibility; I should not completely burden you with it."
"Plus, with the help of other officials from the Dominion, I believe your absence for only a period of time shouldn't have too much of an impact."
"What's more, the gate in the galaxy is still open, isn't it? Zeke is actually waiting for you to go. Go..."
At this moment, Guilliman's last trace of hesitation vanished. He nodded heavily, not even taking the time to perform a standard Aquila Salute, simply stating in a deep voice: "Yes! Father! I will not fail your expectations!"
He rushed out of the Administratum like a blue whirlwind, heading towards the hangar where landing craft were on standby.
He was going to catch up with his legion, to lead his Ultramarines, to that unfamiliar galaxy, to expand the Imperium of Man's territory!
Watching his son's departing, energetic back, the Emperor's avatar slowly walked to the window, looking out at the huge Warp passage maintained by Zeke in Terra's orbit.
His gaze pierced through the dimensions, seeing his companion at the other end of the passage, smiling at him.
This was a companion like Malcador, perhaps even one who thought more for him than Malcador had.
Or perhaps it was because they were of the same status, which allowed Zeke to help him so much, something Malcador couldn't do.
Although Malcador and the others were no longer there, Zeke's appearance filled that slight void and absence in the Emperor's humanity.
It prevented him from continuing to be like a riddler.
"Thank you." A silent thought, crossing the barriers of reality and the Warp, was transmitted.
At the entrance of the Warp passage, Zeke felt this thought, and the smile on his face deepened.
"You're welcome, old friend. A harmonious family is the cornerstone of all prosperity," he murmured to himself.
Just then, a dazzling blue streak of light sped from the direction of Terra—it was Guilliman's personal Glorious gloriana-class battleship, the 'Pride of Macragge'! Without the slightest deceleration, it plunged directly into the Warp passage, precisely merging into the Ultramarines Legion's formation.
"Lord of the Thirteenth Legion, Roboute Guilliman, reporting!"
All waiting legions witnessed this scene.
The public communication channel was first met with a deathly silence, then erupted into deafening cheers! Especially the Ultramarines, whose Chapter Master Calgar almost roared into the channel:
"The Primarch returns! For Macragge! For Guilliman! For the Emperor!"
"Courage and Glory!"
"For the Emperor!!!" The morale of the warriors of the nine legions was ignited to its peak.
A Primarch returning, the nine loyal Primarchs once again leading the Imperial Army, and the Emperor himself presiding over the expeditionary force right before them—this was a myth!
Lion El'Jonson, aboard his flagship 'The Unyielding Truth,' looked at the familiar battleship on the screen, snorted, but his tightly pressed lips relaxed slightly.
"Finally, someone capable of discussing tactics properly has arrived."
The Khan's communication came through, with a wind-like laugh: "It seems Robert has finally crawled out of the paperwork pile? I almost thought his power armour would rust."
Dorn's steady voice chimed in: "Robert's addition will make logistics and strategic planning more complete. This is a good thing."
Sanguinius was even more delighted for his dear friend: "Welcome back, Robert, I knew you would return."
Even the usually silent Corax sent a brief message: "Welcome."
The Primarchs' channel was uncharacteristically filled with... a lively atmosphere.
Zeke watched as the Primarchs in their channel offered one blessing after another to Robert, and after Robert responded to his brothers, he thanked Zeke separately on the public channel.
"Thank you, Sir Yaeger. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid Father wouldn't have treated us this way."
"I can feel that he has once again become our father, and not just divinity without humanity, as before."
After Leman's words, the Primarchs' channel fell silent again for a second, then almost all the Primarchs echoed Guilliman's statement.
Their father, the Emperor, had become their father again!!!
How exciting this was.
In their excitement, almost all the Primarchs, even though they knew Zeke was not in front of them, still knelt on one knee and heavily struck their chest plates.
"Loyalty!"
Zeke rightfully accepted the salute performed by the Primarchs, then with a gentle tap of his left hand, a soft force lifted the Primarchs back up.
"You're welcome. Your family relationships should naturally improve. I merely did what I could. Now, no more talk, let's prepare to depart."
"We've been waiting here for quite some time; I estimate those Chaos Gods in the Warp are getting impatient. Let's not waste time; we need to act quickly, as the Tyranid Swarm won't give us much time."
Zeke concluded, and then his body appeared in the captain's cabin of the only battle moon in this fleet.
It wasn't that Zeke didn't want to build and deploy more moons of war, but rather that the Tyranid Swarm needed these gigantic combat weapons even more.
The human fleet sailed through the warp without encountering any further resistance, as the various Chaos Gods in the warp had already signed an agreement with humanity to jointly invade another galaxy.
With no opposition from the warp, Zeke's human army sailed freely through it.
Soon, his legions arrived at the channel connecting the warp to the other galaxy.
There, the legions of the Chaos Gods were already prepared.
The traitor Primarchs, who were originally supposed to be handed directly to Zeke, now led their respective organized legions and had also formed their ranks.
Originally, they should have been dealt with directly by Zeke, but the ascended Primarchs were beyond saving.
Adhering to the idea of repurposing waste, these Primarchs still existed, but they would serve as the vanguard of this galaxy's attack on the other.
When the legions led by Zeke appeared at the channel, the four Chaos Gods all turned their gaze towards Zeke, and Gork and Mork also directed their attention to him.
The ork legions were equally impressive; after their previous battle with Zeke, they had once again deployed over 20 War Moons, and this time they brought 20, sending the remaining ones to the edge of the galaxy.
This was a combined force of the most powerful legions from this galaxy, comprising the human armies of the real universe, the ork armies of the real universe, and the daemon armies of the warp. They were mighty and unstoppable.
Upon reaching the designated location, Zeke left his flagship and went to the meeting hall of the Chaos Gods.
Gork and Mork and the Four Chaos Gods were already waiting there. Seeing Zeke arrive, Khorne could no longer hold back and stepped forward first, saying,
"You're here! Can we start the war now?!"
Khorne had been impatient for a long time. A war against another galaxy—what a massive scale of conflict!
Khorne, who loved war, could not resist such a temptation.
Facing Khorne's roar of battle intent, which was almost tangible, Zeke merely glanced at him. His gaze was calm but carried a majesty that made even the Chaos Gods momentarily falter.
"Start the war? Of course, we can, but you didn't hand over those ascended Primarchs to me earlier, which makes me very unhappy. You will lead the first charge."
Zeke hadn't directly demanded these ascended Primarchs before, partly because they could lead the Chaos Legions in battle, and partly for this very day.
"You can't..." Tzeentch was about to say something to refute Zeke, but before he could finish, Slaanesh and Khorne interrupted him.
"Alright!"
"Our armies will fight first!"
Khorne, being warlike, could no longer suppress his desire for battle, while Slaanesh was simply trying to curry favor with Zeke, blindly siding with him.
His two companions' betrayal made Tzeentch very uncomfortable. He couldn't help but look at his last companion, Nurgle, hoping that this fellow would show some backbone.
But it was clear that his hope was utterly futile. As soon as his gaze fell upon Nurgle, Zeke also looked at Nurgle. The next second, Nurgle caved in.
"Good! I also support your statement. Indeed, it was our fault for not handing over those Primarchs to you, so my army will lead the charge!"
Who said Nurgle had no brains?
Anyone who gets beaten enough will develop some intelligence!
Trying to reason with Zeke is pointless. If you try to reason with him, be careful, he might stop reasoning and start talking physics with you. Then, not only will you get beaten, but you'll also have to listen to him.
It's better to listen to him from the start; not only do you avoid a beating, but he might also think highly of you.
Tzeentch fell silent.
His teammates had already agreed directly, so what else could he do? Could he still turn the tide by himself?
That was simply absurd... Tzeentch cast a desperate glance at Gork and Mork, who hadn't yet expressed their stance. The next second, he closed his eyes, because those two were with Zeke.
Without Tzeentch even needing to speak, they both shouted directly,
"WAAAGH! No problem, our armies will also participate! This will definitely be an extremely exhilarating, great, unprecedented WAAAGH!"
The orks also loved war. Faced with an unprecedented war, how could they retreat? They only found joy in war; they were a joyful race.
Alright, now most of the entities in the warp had agreed, leaving only Tzeentch, who had already felt Zeke's gaze upon him.
As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances. Although the Lord of Change was very displeased about this matter, he still chose the most appropriate answer.
Tzeentch stepped forward, came before Zeke, and then, with a deep breath and great force, shouted,
"I agree too!"
"I think you are absolutely right. This is exactly what we should do. You spared the ascended Primarchs, so we should lead the charge!"
Tzeentch said the most submissive words in the loudest voice, and as the Lord of Change, knowing the situation was unchangeable, he even flattered Zeke a little, standing out among the others.
Tzeentch's actions naturally drew angry glares from the other Chaos Gods in the warp, but they could only lament their own failure to speak up, allowing Tzeentch to take the lead.
The situation was now very clear: the daemon armies of the Chaos Gods in the warp would be the first to attack, while the other forces would enter sequentially, with the human armies entering last.
Everyone adhered to the previously established agreement, each getting what they needed. Humanity needed territory and resources, while the Chaos Gods would conquer the warp and obtain the primordial essence they desired.
It's hard to say who lost or gained; one could say everyone got what they wanted, except for Vashtorr, who watched from a corner of the warp with a look of immense suffering.
The powerful entities in the warp held a meeting, but he was not included. Even Gork and Mork were there, but he had no part in it, which caused Vashtorr immense pain.
He always felt that those guys were up to something, but he dared not approach them, fearing that if he did, Zeke would directly annihilate him.
After all, the things he had done were quite resentful, and besides Zeke, the other Chaos Gods might not hesitate to annihilate him either. He dared not take that risk.
He could only watch from afar, clutching his Soul Forge.
From a certain perspective, Odin was clearly isolated, and in reality, he was indeed isolated.
However, being isolated was actually the best outcome, because Zeke soon noticed him.
Following the massive entry of the Chaos Gods' army through the passage, the ork Beasts' legions also began to enter, leaving only the human armies still in the Warp.
Zeke was not in a hurry to order the human army into the Warp.
Before departing, he needed to ensure that the rear would remain secure and that no one would stir up trouble. Under Zeke's scrutiny, Odin appeared.
"This fellow's abilities are treacherous, skilled at manipulating the threads of fate. Leaving him in the rear might lead to unforeseen changes." Zeke's mind stirred, and the massive Warp projection descended once more.
The Warp would either stand with him or be sealed; there was no second option!
The figure of the Human Colossus appeared in the Warp, and a giant hand reached towards Odin's soul forge.
"Odin, your power is too great, so I must seal you away."
With that, Zeke's giant hand, almost unimpeded, easily seized Odin.
It wasn't until Odin was clutched in Zeke's giant hand that he looked at Zeke, utterly bewildered.
"Did you just say I'm too powerful, and you want to seal me away?"
"Me!?"
"Are you talking about me?"
Odin, who felt incredibly shocked while being held in Zeke's hand, extended his right hand and tapped his head with his index finger.
"Are you sure you haven't made a mistake? My power is too great, and you want to seal me away?"
Zeke's words had too many absurdities, so Odin couldn't help but ask this question.
"Yes, your power is too great. If I let you roam free, it might threaten the survival of humanity. With all of us gone, only the Imperium of Man keeping you in check, I wouldn't feel at ease."
When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king. Although the Imperium of Man should have 100% confidence in keeping Odin suppressed, this didn't mean Zeke was willing to let a hidden danger exist.
Before departing, he would either kill him or bring him into his army to add a trial to the conquest of another galaxy—this was Odin's ultimate destiny.
Odin himself knew what Zeke meant; asking that question was mainly because of the many absurdities in Zeke's statement.
"Then, may I ask the great Imperium of Man, if I accompany your expeditionary fleet to another galaxy, will you then not seal me away? I am willing to serve humanity with all my might."
"Of course, I am pleased that you are so sensible, but asking me a question when I haven't asked you one displeases me greatly."
Although Odin had shown such good sense, Zeke still did not give him a pleasant look.
An existence like him possesses immense ambition, and this ambition could inevitably harm the Imperium of Man. For the safety of humanity, Zeke needed to properly suppress this ambitious fellow.
Even if this fellow seemed quite docile now, seemingly incapable of affecting humanity, and had done nothing wrong since his appearance.
But safety is always about prevention; waiting for things to happen before dealing with them, wouldn't that be a bit too late?
Zeke didn't want to see this guy cause some major trouble and then deal with it; he wanted to deal with him beforehand.
Holding Odin in his hand wasn't a sustainable situation, so Zeke quickly withdrew his projection in the Warp, and Odin was also brought with his hand into his flagship.
Zeke, having returned to his normal human form, naturally couldn't continue to hold the other party in his hand; instead, he directly threw him into one of the ship's chambers.
"Stay here, and study diligently how to help humanity. Think about what value you have. If you plan to cause any major trouble, under my watchful eye, if you can pull it off…"
The words stopped there, but Odin should have understood what he would face if he tried to cause any major trouble.
What else could he do, having fallen into Zeke's hands?
Naturally, he would be his prisoner and act according to Zeke's wishes. Otherwise, while the Chaos Gods might be hard for Zeke to kill, killing him… Before he completed his ascension and became a new Fifth Chaos God, he was nothing; Zeke could kill him at will, with no impact on the universe.
Odin stood in the empty chamber, looking around.
Rather than a cell, it was a well-equipped, even luxurious, quiet room, but all exits were sealed by an invisible force, and even his most proficient psychic powers could not penetrate it in the slightest.
He smiled bitterly and shook his head. Zeke's excuse of "too much power" was so absurd it made him want to laugh, yet he couldn't.
Because behind this seemingly preposterous reason lay naked, unquestionable power. The other party didn't care if he was convinced; he merely needed an excuse to "deal with" him.
"Too much power…"
Odin repeated the phrase softly, feeling the surging psychic energy within him, originating from the Warp and forbidden knowledge.
This power was indeed immense, enough to make him look down on mortals, and even in the Warp, he had few rivals and could easily survive there.
But in front of that giant hand that had so easily abducted him from the Warp, this power seemed so minuscule.
Unable to become a Chaos God, unable to truly ascend and become a god, he would always be just… Facing such a fate, he could not control his own destiny!!
But when Odin thought about his fate even after becoming a god, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Could those Chaos Gods truly control their own destinies?
No!
They couldn't. At most, they could temporarily prevent Zeke from killing them, giving them a tiny bit of leeway.
Facing a top-tier Warp Colossus like Zeke, he was powerless to resist. Even if he successfully ascended to godhood, he would still be captured and sealed by Zeke.
Thinking of this, Odin, who had seen the truth, felt his recently burning ambition doused as if by a bucket of cold water.
He walked to a bookshelf in the corner of the room. It held not recreational reading, but a series of official Imperial documents and new ideological guidance readings, such as "Imperium of Man Basic Law (Expeditionary Force Revised Edition)," "Imperial Truth (New Edition)," and "Regulations for the Treatment of Xenos, Heretics, and Abhumans."
"Learning how to help humanity… thinking about my value…"
Since he could no longer resist, he might as well think hard about what value he could offer Zeke. If he remained valueless, he would probably never leave this room in this lifetime.
His opponent was irresistible and had noticed him.
So, he could only be the other party's dog. If he couldn't even be a dog, he would probably be thrown into this room for the rest of his life, unable to move.
Whatever the future held, he first had to figure out a way to escape.