The influx of nascent technical data ignited a spark of cold excitement within Axion.
Currently, the most promising avenue for experimentation lay in the synthesis of this new data with the recently discovered properties of psychic energy. The Void Sword, presently undergoing extensive reconstruction, became the first vessel to synchronize with this technological update.
If the profane energies of the Ruinous Powers could be converted into stable forms to unleash such catastrophic destructive potential, then surely raw psychic power could be woven through the same energy-conversion modules. With synchronized modifications and a massive upscale in design, the Void Sword might manifest a psychically-charged variant of a Doomsday Weapon, a warp-infused Oblivion Cannon.
However, this technology required rigorous testing. Axion's repeated encounters with the scions of Khorne had yielded a wealth of data; the necessity of facing foes who could not be overcome by conventional physical force alone compelled Axion to venture further into the perilous study of the empyrean. This discovery offered a potential solution for dealing with such entities of pure energy once and for all.
Fleets of Guardian-class integrated vessels, laden with captured psykers, began to alter their headings. Since the Void Sword remained immobile during its refit, the psykers were ferried to the massive vessel to expedite the research. New energy-conversion modules were integrated into the primary siphon arrays.
To address the volatile psychic variances previously observed in the massive psychic crystal, a unique auxiliary structure was integrated into the Void Sword's hull. Once the first shipment of psykers arrived at the half-completed starship, testing commenced immediately within its skeletal frame.
Every drop of psychic essence siphoned from the subjects was processed through the conversion arrays for standardized refinement and filtration. Once the pure psychic residue was isolated, it underwent high-pressure compression and condensation.
The results aligned perfectly with the logic-engine's projections. The repeatedly converted and filtered psychic energy manifested as a translucent, shimmering cerulean. Occasional leaks of power manifested as layers of white frost around the compression chambers. As the devices hummed to life, the emotionless psychic energy began to crystallize. Crucially, the process did not result in the immediate, catastrophic feedback that had previously claimed the lives of all psyker subjects.
A crystalline spire of pure psychic energy, standing dozens of meters tall, emitted a soft, steady radiance, a testament to its unique stability. With the psychic crystals secured, weapon testing began in earnest.
Equipped with the new conversion arrays, the Automated Sentry-Troopers' neutron beam projectors were no longer limited to binding psychic energy into simple force-fields or power blades. Now, lances of pale blue light erupted from the projectors, striking their practice targets with unerring precision.
The effects were nothing short of anomalous. Psychic energy, stripped of emotion and conscious will, displayed its inherent, chaotic versatility. Upon impact, the cerulean beams would erupt: some bloomed into pyres of psychic fire that consumed everything; others flash-froze targets, rendering them as brittle as glass.
The warp-energy even triggered localized collapses of physical laws. Multiple gravitational vectors manifested simultaneously within a single target, twisting the reinforced plating into scrap metal in a heartbeat. While machine-grade void shields could utilize raw energy to repel these strange beams, once the shields failed, no material, no matter how exotic, could withstand the reality-warping damage of these psychic armaments.
Recognizing the potential, Axion escalated the testing parameters. A Fragmentation Cannon was modified with an energy-conversion module and fed by a psychic crystal. It was discharged against the prow of a heavy assault cruiser that had its shields deactivated.
The thick beam struck the cruiser's lance emitters, instantly obliterating the reinforced ramming structures and their particle oscillation fields. Upon impact, the cerulean light fractured into a web of psychic lightning, unleashing a terrifying energy detonation. Internally, the ship's nanites slowed to a crawl, their restorative functions paralyzed by the interference. The entire vessel seemed frozen in time.
Only after several dozen minutes, once the residual energy had fully dissipated, did the nanites resume their work, slowly repairing the shattered lance batteries and the prow.
It was clear: the higher the energy output, the more exaggerated the reality-defying effects. Yet, Axion remained dissatisfied with the inherent randomness. The unpredictable nature of the attacks made them difficult to defend against, but it also meant the effects were not always the ones required for a specific tactical objective.
A weapon had to be reliable. It had to be controllable.
In the hands of the Iron Men, the psychic energy's lack of reliability and control was glaring. Neither the Imperium nor the Iron Men truly understood the depths of the warp. The soulless Iron Men possessed no concept of "will," and this fundamental lack of understanding regarding the psychic arts meant further complications were inevitable. Psychic energy devoid of a guiding will was nothing more than a volatile, runaway force, a dice roll of cosmic proportions.
Despite these concerns, the effectiveness of the new technology was undeniable. The Void Sword proceeded with further modifications to its primary weapon systems. A prototype Doomsday Weapon, designated the Soul Annihilator, was mounted upon the ship. Its design was predicated on the Oblivion Cannon, though augmented with massive psychic conversion arrays. Several gargantuan chambers were cleared within the Void Sword, destined to hold forty psychic crystals, each exceeding sixty meters in height, to serve as the magazines and power source for this god-killing weapon.
…
Within the Warp, the tides of Chaos continued to churn. The pure psychic crystals forged by the Iron Men cast a faint but distinct shadow across the empyrean. The previous grey-black crystals, saturated with despair, had caused daemons to recoil in wariness.
This time, it was different.
To the entities of the warp, this pure psychic energy was as conspicuous as a blank space on a crowded canvas. The high-density power began to thin the veil of reality, acting as a beacon to the horrors of the Deep. Every time a new crystal was formed, the Materium around the Void Sword grew more fragile.
Axion remained oblivious.
This was the edge of the Segmentum Obscurus, the very fringes of the galaxy, a place where even the Emperor's Light struggled to reach. But the talons of Chaos were everywhere. Countless malformed daemons waited in the tides, watching as the psychic crystals eroded the barriers between worlds. They waited for the moment the veil would tear, allowing an endless tide of Neverborn to manifest within the hull of the Void Sword and begin their psychic feast.
Nearby, Kairos Fateweaver watched and waited. The two-headed Oracle of Tzeentch, master of the past and the future, was busy weaving new possibilities for the Great Weaver of Destinies. He had peered through the corridors of time again and again, identifying every thread of potential failure and severing it. This victory would be his to deliver to his master.