Adam raised his hand, watching as the four divine domains expanded before him.
These four distinct manifestations of divine power each held enough weight to drive every psyker in a star sector insane instantly. They spread across the Warp—a place devoid of constant concepts—like four tides from different dimensions, surrounding Adam completely. The edges of these domains collided, eroded, and merged, producing a sound that defied linguistic description.
It was not a sound, yet it was louder than any roar. It was not light, yet it was more blinding than any star.
Across the galaxy, every living being with even a slight connection to the Warp or a psychic gift felt a shudder deep in their marrow. The Astropaths of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica on Terra fell silent collectively as their psychic crystals shattered. Their vision was filled with golden light and a four-colored tide, as if witnessing the end of the universe.
In the Craftworlds of the Aeldari, Farseers bolted upright from their Seer Seats. The wraithbone domes groaned under the strain, and every future they had glimpsed was torn apart by the violent power. Even the Weirdboyz on the galaxy's fringes stopped their slaughter, clutching their heads and screaming in terror as they sensed a pressure capable of crushing all their WAAAGH! energy.
They could not see the confrontation deep within the Warp, but they sensed this apocalyptic event in their souls.
Even though the four Chaos powers did not descend in their true forms—merely projecting their attention—the resulting fluctuations were horrific. Their existence was a negation of the material universe. Wherever their attention fell, the structure of the Warp underwent fundamental distortions. Countless vortexes spread wildly at the edges of their domains, each capable of swallowing an entire fleet. These vortexes collided, releasing energy ripples like stars reaching their end, illuminating the Warp as if it were midday.
At the core of this brilliance, Adam stood still.
He did not wait long. Although there is no clear concept of time in the Warp, and this battle could have lasted ten thousand years or been decided in an instant, Adam's subjective judgment fixed a timeline.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
Time moved at a nearly frozen pace. This concept of a countdown was something the four Chaos Gods found intolerable.
So, they struck.
First was Khorne. Endless weapons rose from the desert. Every weapon had tasted the blood of countless beings; every blade had been tempered in the emotional waves of the Warp for eons. They merged into a scarlet torrent, crushing toward Adam.
Then came Tzeentch. Every crystal in the labyrinth began to turn simultaneously. They rearranged themselves in ways that defied logic, transforming into twisted spells. These spells had no fixed form, shifting from lightning to mist to countless eyes, peering at Adam from every imaginable and unimaginable angle.
Next was Slaanesh. The fragrance overflowing from the purple palace intensified ten-million-fold. Behind that scent were countless blades of extreme beauty. These blades were nearly transparent, and the paths they carved through the air possessed a sinister aesthetic. Any existence touched by them would collapse under the weight of simultaneous pain and pleasure.
Finally, Nurgle's listless green garden woke up. The stench of decay and disease spread, containing plagues capable of turning a star sector's population into pus within a single breath. Nurgle compressed these plagues into a green torrent that surged toward Adam.
Slaughter, change, pleasure, decay.
Four powers capable of overturning the galaxy converged on Adam from four directions. The Warp seemed to tear apart. A rift spanning the entire dimension appeared where Adam stood, its edges burning with four distinct colors, swallowing everything.
Adam's response was simple. He raised his hand calmly.
The brilliance of the Emperor behind him grew more intense. The golden light swept out like a tide in all directions, colliding head-on with the powers of the four Chaos Gods.
In various parts of the galaxy, priests of the Ecclesiarchy praying in their cathedrals suddenly stopped. They looked up, staring vacantly in a specific direction. In dimensions they could not see, massive amounts of faith rose from every corner of the galaxy, turning into points of golden light. These currents crossed the boundaries of time, space, and dimension, pouring into the sea of golden light behind Adam.
The golden light became more fierce, more pure, and more unstoppable. It draped down from above Adam like a curtain of divine protection, enveloping him completely.
Then, Adam spoke. His voice carried an unquestionable certainty.
"I hereby announce the result of the confrontation between the four Chaos Gods and my reality-warping."
He paused.
"—I win!"
The moment the words fell, an explosion occurred. It was an explosion beyond description. The entire Warp vibrated violently, the magnitude felt clearly even by psykers in the material universe. Under the joint suppression of the four gods, the golden light thinned considerably, but it remained unmoved. Like a lighthouse in a storm, it flickered but did not go out.
Adam raised his hand and wiped his cheek. His finger moved across his skin, clearing a faint streak of blood. On his body, strike marks were slowly appearing—traces of every melee weapon used throughout the history of the galaxy.
But they were merely bloodstains. Adam wiped over them. An invisible force spread from his fingertips. Along with the very concept of "injury," the damage was negated.
This was the power of a reality warper.
When Adam's finger left his cheek, the bloodstains had vanished as if he had never been hurt. He smiled. This was already much better than the worst-case scenario he had envisioned.
He would win. The foundation of victory was laid. With the Emperor's support and his own level-four reality-warping ability, the four Chaos Gods could not kill him instantly even when focusing their fire.
There was a chance to fight.
The four gods seemed to realize this instantly. They acted. A black Warp vortex generated beneath Adam's feet. This vortex carried pure Chaos energy, not intended to kill, but to drag Adam into the deepest part of the Warp to sever his connection with the Emperor.
Simultaneously, the powers of Slaanesh and Nurgle shifted direction. The intoxicating wind and the rotting plague no longer rushed toward Adam but aimed at the veil between reality and illusion—the barrier to the material universe.
The Chaos Gods were changing their approach. If they could not kill Adam in the Warp, they would shift their fire to the six thousand Pride of Macragge battleships in reality. If that fleet were destroyed, Adam's layout in the material universe would collapse.
The reaction of the four powers was swift. However, Adam remained a bystander. He knew that protecting the veil against the full impact of the four gods would carry a heavy price.
At this moment, his preparations showed their worth. Six thousand Pride of Macragge battleships were like six thousand massive obstacles. Even if the four gods acted personally, it would take a long time to consume them. Furthermore, not only were the ships hand-crafted by Adam, but the crews were "daemons" under the Emperor from the Legion of the Damned—they did not fear death.
Even if 90% of the fleet were destroyed, the remainder would still hold an overwhelming advantage over the Chaos vessels in the void.
Adam could now take the strongest tactic.
He ignored the threat to the veil entirely.
Instead, he chose a different classic strategy: a counter-siege.
Adam raised his right hand, fingers spread, a sharp murderous intent flashing in his eyes. His gaze did not look at the trembling veil but locked onto the four divine domains of Chaos.
He swung his arm down. Carrying the Emperor's golden light and his own power to negate reality, he launched an unreserved frontal assault on the four domains of Chaos!