Vashtorr let out bursts of sharp, piercing shrieks. He stared at the Emperor's Sword in Zeke's hand, which flowed with sun-like radiance, and said:
"Human, this broken mechanical avatar of mine is nothing more than an anchor point projected into the materium universe. Killing me will bring you absolutely no tangible benefits, other than earning you the eternal hatred of a Chaos God in the depths of the Empyrean."
Vashtorr was very clear about His own weaknesses. He was not the type of demigod who excelled in brutal, flesh-and-blood melee combat.
Facing Zeke's personal strength and the Primarchs glaring at Him like tigers watching their prey, fighting head-on would only result in the destruction of the material anchor He had painstakingly established.
Furthermore, as a Warp demigod, the greatest obstacle to Vashtorr's ascension to becoming a true Chaos God was His lack of influence over the material universe.
He desperately desired a foothold in the materium. The Crafting Table in Zeke's hands—capable of creating matter out of thin air—offered Vashtorr a second path well worth trying.
Zeke acutely caught the wavering in Vashtorr's tone. He let out a light chuckle and smoothly sheathed the Emperor's Sword, the blade that made the Warp tremble in dissonance.
True, without finding Vashtorr's true body, killing this physical form doesn't seem to be of much use.
Since that's the case, I might as well beat on Vashtorr a bit more and see if I can squeeze some extra value out of Him.
Zeke pulled out a Minecart from the Create mod and released his Ender Dragon Titan, which had been modified using the Valkyrien Skies mod.
During the previous battle with Angron, the Titan had displayed near-absolute defensive capabilities, but it still possessed some flaws: it lacked decisive, one-hit-kill offensive output.
"Help me modify this Titan." Before Zeke could even finish his sentence,
Vashtorr had already twisted His bizarre mechanical chassis and leaned right up to the Titan, like a vulture that had caught the scent of rotting meat.
"An absurd construct. It completely deviates from the physical logic of the material world."
Vashtorr's fingers roamed across the surface of the armor, attempting to analyze the mechanical structure known as "Valkyrien Skies" within it.
Drawing upon the mighty power of the Warp, He had enhanced countless steel creations of the Imperium, causing them to erupt with blasphemous power that surpassed their limits.
Yet what was contained within the Titan before Him was a completely unfamiliar form of technology.
"What do I get out of modifying it?" Vashtorr buzzed mockingly. "Don't tell me you intend to get something for nothing."
Zeke stepped forward, starting to play his petty mind games again. "I'm letting you modify it. Isn't that the best possible exchange?"
"During the modification process, you can comprehensively analyze this Titan. If you manage to research and deduce anything from it, that knowledge will belong entirely to you."
"Is this opportunity to touch true knowledge not the most generous compensation?"
Vashtorr revealed a kind of anxious frustration bordering on humiliation and anger. He knew full well that this was yet another of Zeke's open conspiracies.
How could there be a human whose heart is even blacker than a Warp daemon's?!
But He had to admit that this technology did indeed possess a temptation He could not refuse.
The Chaos Gods of the Warp all possessed their own domains of authority, but at the same time, those authorities inversely influenced the Chaos Gods themselves.
Just as Khorne was forever pursuing battles to please Himself, and Nurgle was constantly creating and spreading new viruses...
Vashtorr could not suppress His thirst for a brand-new mechanical creation.
Vashtorr secretly ground His gears together, cursing this human.
He swore that when He finally achieved the throne of the Fifth Chaos God, He would absolutely wash away this humiliation. However, His hands had already subconsciously begun to dismantle the Titan's structure.
"This Titan has been modified before." Sweeping His gaze over the modification traces left behind by Archmagos Cawl, Vashtorr let out a disdainful sneer. "Truly a crude and vulgar modification."
As the object of worship for the Dark Mechanicum, He naturally looked down upon the petty parlor tricks of the Martian Adeptus Mechanicus.
"Under the light of my forge fires, it will break out of its shell and reveal true ferocity."
After a brief handover, Zeke temporarily entrusted the Titan to Vashtorr.
He also stipulated that Vashtorr must perform the modifications on Caliban, under the strict surveillance of the Lion.
This coincidentally aligned perfectly with what Vashtorr wanted. He also wanted to stay on Caliban so He could better observe when they would arrive at the Old Ones' vault.
"Is that Warp demigod truly trustworthy?" The Lion still held deep reservations about Vashtorr. "Conspiring with a daemon is no different from strolling on the edge of a blade."
"The foundation of cooperation is never trust, Lion, but rather that both sides can derive benefits from it," Guilliman said, standing to the side.
Having analyzed countless political gambits, he offered a trenchant observation: "As long as the technology in Zeke's hands remains something Vashtorr desires, this fragile contract will continue to hold."
"Exactly." Zeke nodded. "Even if He tears up the contract, all I lose is a mass-producible Titan. But what Vashtorr will have to face next is the retaliation of an incredibly petty human. Let's go. The Dissonance Engine won't be able to find the Old Ones' vault anytime soon. I'm heading back to Terra first, and I'll be taking Abaddon along with me."
The Lion chose to remain on Caliban. He still had a massive amount of reorganization work to do for this newly resurrected planet.
"I will garrison here with the Dark Angels to act as the gatekeepers for this Key. If anything goes wrong, I will notify you immediately."
"Do not be careless, Lion. The T'au of the Farsight Enclaves and those xenos forces entrenched on the fringes of the darkness will absolutely not turn a blind eye to a planet wandering among the stars. A power capable of altering the galactic map to this extent will draw countless greedy, prying eyes."
Sanguinius reminded the Lion, leaving behind an elite squad of Blood Angels to garrison Caliban.
In silence, the Primarchs ended this brothers' farewell that spanned ten thousand years.
Subsequently, Zeke dragged Abaddon—who was burdened with heavy chains—and stepped into the Nether Portal.
–
Holy Terra.
Using his terrifying administrative efficiency, Guilliman locked down the news of the Angron's return.
This was to prevent the eruption of old grudges between the World Eaters and the other Space Marines.
Zeke, on the other hand, made absolutely no effort to hide the fact that Abaddon had been captured. Holding Abaddon prisoner, he walked openly and brazenly along the passageway leading from the hive city to the Inner Palace of Terra.
The hive city could no longer even be called a hive city. Thanks to the efforts of the Officio Logisticarum, it had become a modernized city radiating with vitality.
"This is Terra?" Abaddon couldn't believe his eyes.
Even before the Emperor was confined to the Golden Throne, Terra hadn't enjoyed such prosperity—let alone after He became a rotting corpse-emperor. Where did He get the ability to turn Terra into this?
The smog that once blotted out the sun was gone. Towering, modernized buildings were arranged neatly and aesthetically along the pristine streets.
The underhives, which had once been nothing but mud pits and tunnels, were now covered with lush greenery and crystal-clear canals.
The banners of the Ecclesiarchy still fluttered, but the academies established beneath them filled every corner. They no longer taught blind faith, but had instead shifted to systematic, compulsory education.
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Goal = 500 Powerstones (Not Complete)