Adam looked down at the crimson planet below, his eyes shifting slightly.
Even at the level of a Level 4 reality warper, his range for warping reality did not naturally extend beyond a planetary scale. He could not completely reshape an entire planet through his own power alone.
However, Adam had a method.
In the preceding days, Adam had dispatched a large number of researchers from Prometheus Labs to place anomalous objects he had personally crafted into key nodes across Mars. These devices functioned as amplifiers, extending the reach of his reality warping until it covered the entire surface of the red planet.
Furthermore, he released a specific anomalous scrapcode virus into every settlement, temple, and workshop on Mars. This code possessed no destructive power and caused no physical damage to mechanical systems.
Instead, it dragged everyone on Mars into a subtle collective hallucination. It was not a violent illusion that caused a loss of sanity, but a shift so minute it was almost imperceptible—a slight distortion in the focus of optical lenses, a millisecond delay in bionic eye imaging, and a tiny deviation in the cogitator core's processing of visual information.
Now, all preparations were complete.
Adam prepared to act. Floating in orbit beside him was a massive shipyard encircling the Martian equator—the structure known as the "Ring of Iron." Data streams flickered covertly across its surface.
The response was swift. The Tech-Magi, encountering an illusion of such scale, immediately attempted to connect to the external sensors of the Ring of Iron via various protocols to view the figure through an alternative lens.
The Tech-Magi of the Cult Mechanicus fell into a deep silence.
From every analytical perspective, the man appeared to be an ordinary human. There were no physical abnormalities, no traces of Warp energy, and no signs of mechanical augmentation. However, he remained suspended in the vacuum of space without any support.
Some of the more radical Magi generated emergency protocols within their cogitator cores. They attempted to seize control of the orbital defense facilities on the Ring of Iron to launch an attack on the unidentified figure. However, the Tech-Magi found that all weapons were controlled by an invisible will. The machine spirits refused their commands.
Adam relaxed his body and mind. Gravity pulled at him, and he plunged toward the atmosphere like a falling meteor. He accelerated. Red flames enveloped Adam's body due to atmospheric friction, wrapping him in a shroud of fire. A massive sonic boom cloud bloomed behind him, tracing a brilliant arc through the air.
Changes occurred at that moment. The Martian atmosphere, which had been polluted by the exhaust of countless forges for millennia, began to purify. The industrial smog and heavy haze vanished, revealing a clear sky typically found only on Paradise Worlds. The radiation indices across the planet plummeted. The atmosphere began to flow and breathe.
The figure pierced through the clouds, falling toward the ground before slowing his descent. His feet touched the red soil of Mars.
As Adam walked, the ground changed. The earth and rock rose up. Mounds appeared beneath his feet, and intricate gear structures emerged from beneath the surface. Mechanical components unfolded—levers, pistons, drive systems, bearings, and circuits—constructed by an invisible hand into massive forms.
The roar of metal sounded. A great bell tolled once.
Accompanied by the sacred sound of the bell, iron colossi rose from the earth. Adam did not stop. He continued to walk, and with each toll of the bell, more God-Machines took shape. Finally, Adam halted. The sound of the bells echoed across the world and within the hearts of every Mechanicus believer present.
The number of machines was twelve.
The machines knelt toward their creator. The mechanical drive systems emitted a synchronized hum, and the sound of rotating bearings merged into a low roar. As Adam stepped forward, the newly formed Emperor-class Titans on either side of his path brought their knees to the Martian soil. The towering bodies of the God-Machines lowered, their cathedral spires bowing along with their heads.
A series of earthquake-like tremors shook the ground, yet no dust was kicked up.
Absolute silence fell over the followers of the Mechanicus. They sought an explanation for the sight. Within the religious doctrine of the Mechanicus, Emperor-class Titans were known as "God-Machines"—the ultimate incarnations of the Omnissiah walking upon the earth.
Ten thousand years ago, Tech-Magi had secured the independent autonomy of Mars and the Forge Worlds by marching Emperor-class Titans directly into the High Lords' Council, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Olympus. Because of this treaty, the Mechanicus held a status that allowed them to remain the only power that did not need to bow to Terra.
The Emperor-class Titan was a holy relic invented during the Dark Age of Technology, older than the Mechanicus itself. Its title was not merely a compliment to its power, but a recognition of its religious status.
Now, dozens of Emperor-class Titans knelt before a single figure.
The realization caused the logic of countless Mechanicus followers to fluctuate violently. Simultaneously, the former Tech-Magi Adam had stationed across Mars—the researchers who had joined Prometheus Labs—began their sermons.
"Do you see it!" they shouted to the confused believers at every location. "That is the true incarnation of the Omnissiah! That is the voice of the Broken God walking among men!"
Large numbers of Mechanicus followers wavered. The Magi, the Tech-Priests who had studied mechanical mysteries for a lifetime, and the believers who had dedicated their lives to gears and circuits watched the scene of the Emperor-class Titans kneeling. They felt a surge of joy from the machine spirits within them. Their faith began to shift.