Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 918 The Key Lies in the Star God

"I wonder how Guilliman and his team are doing with their mission."

“Although it’s just dealing with a small cult, I’m still a little worried that Guilliman might act impulsively.”

Most of the people in the conference hall had left, leaving only Rosie and the Emperor.

With no one else around, Rosie immediately felt much more relaxed.

Neos seemed to have temporarily switched out of his "Emperor" persona, and the seriousness on his face eased slightly.

Repairing the Eye of Terror, or even rebooting the Warhammer universe, is undoubtedly a very significant undertaking, perhaps even more so than the War of Unification.

"Don't worry, Guilliman has already taken care of it."

"They have destroyed the cult and captured most of its members, as well as their hive ship that has been wandering the galaxy."

“The Tantric religion has been basically eradicated. Even if there are some remnants, they can no longer cause any trouble.”

Neos pulled out a bottle of wine from somewhere and slowly poured it into two glasses.

The rich, mellow liquor swirls and rolls in the crystal glass, releasing an enchanting aroma that carries the weight and depth of history.

Rose took the glass without hesitation, held it to her nose and savored it carefully before finally taking a sip.

"To have the Emperor pour me wine is a privilege that probably few in the entire galaxy can match."

"Your wine isn't some old Terran stock, is it? While wine does get better with age, that doesn't mean it's still drinkable after tens of thousands of years, does it?"

Loshi joked that he loved seeing Neos so humane, just like the fellow disciple he remembered.

Although the emperor, high above all, is radiant and majestic, he is like the sun hanging in the sky; if you get too close, he will burn everything to ashes.

Since we are human beings, it's always better to be a little more humane.

However, Neos did not answer the question, but instead asked a question in return with great interest.

"Don't you want to ask me how I knew about Guilliman's situation?"

"Does this question matter?" Loshi laughed directly. "Because you are the Emperor, the most powerful human in the galaxy. What can't you do?"

"Even if you told me now that you could easily close the Eye of Fear without going through the trouble that everyone is talking about, I wouldn't be surprised."

Neos's lips twitched, realizing that Rosie was making fun of him.

"I think I've told you many times already. I'm human, not a god, and even a god might not be able to directly repair the Eye of Fear."

“Yes,” Luo Xi suddenly sighed and said, “You’ve said it many times, but only now do I believe you’re human.”

"Before the God-Emperor was separated, you were no different from a god."

The emperor swirled his wine glass, gazing at the amber light reflected from the liquid within.

"It was because of the existence of the God Emperor and the human local area network that I learned about Guilliman's situation immediately."

"Since it's a local area network, the influence is naturally bidirectional. All devout humans can perceive the God Emperor through the local area network, and the God Emperor can also perceive the movements of every human being."

"Among all human souls and beliefs, the Primarch is definitely the most prominent one, and their every move is closely watched."

"Just now, during our meeting, I could feel the intense joy emanating from Guilliman, which clearly indicates that they have completed their mission."

Rosie was genuinely happy for Guilliman.

Once the matter of the esoteric sect is settled, things can proceed smoothly with Ms. Eudon's endeavors, and this most important woman in Guilliman's life can continue to be by the side of her proudest son.

"Is there anything else you want to say? I feel that you care about more than just Guilliman."

While delighted, Rosie also keenly sensed that Neos seemed to have other ideas.

"indeed so."

A smile also appeared on Neos's face.

Olpeson, Macardo, Rosi... the tacit understanding between him and these old friends had long transcended language; a single glance or a subtle gesture was enough to convey their feelings.

"Regarding the repair of the Eye of Fear, I have just considered the possibilities and found a possible path."

"god."

"We need the help of the true God."

Rosie's pupils contracted slightly, and a look of confusion and contemplation briefly appeared on her face.

But then he realized that the god Neos was referring to was not the god of the warp.

After all, those Warp Gods would never close the Eye of Fear; that would be no different from tripping themselves up.

The Emperor refers to... the Star God.

Gods exist not only in the subspace, but also in the real universe, although most of them have been shattered.

“Star God…” Loxi repeated the word in a low voice, as information about these powerful beings flashed through his mind.

"You mean we need to use the power of the Star Gods to fight the warp and repair the cracks in the real universe?"

“That’s right.” Neos nodded.

"Back then, the Necromancers used their black stone obelisks to form a galaxy-level matrix, forcibly suppressing the overflow of subspace energy. It was like filling an abandoned mine with mud and sand. It looked like it had been repaired, but in reality, as long as the mine was pressurized, water would still seep out."

"This is a temporary solution, not a permanent one. Even without Slaanesh's first cry, other evil gods will gather their power and break through it."

"The existence of the Eye of Fear is essentially the result of subspace energy eroding the real universe. It is a manifestation of non-material forces completely suppressing and distorting the rules of matter within a certain range."

The veil of the real universe should have protected against this erosion, but it is now too fragile.

"We have always believed that the decline of the real universe is due to the continuous wars in Heaven, or even the wars that took place billions of years before the wars in Heaven, which consumed too much matter and energy and destroyed too many galaxies. This is true, but it is only one aspect."

The emperor's voice carried the calmness of a researcher.

"I've been thinking about why the self-repairing ability of the real universe has become so weak? Why has the veil become so thin that the warp can penetrate so easily?"

"Until just now, I suddenly had a new idea and realized a very important reason that we have overlooked—the rules of the real universe themselves have been weakened."

"The real universe we live in does not exist out of thin air; it operates based on a complex and precise set of physical laws."

These laws... are not abstract concepts; they once had more concrete and powerful manifestations.

Loxi immediately understood: "That is the Star God."

“Yes, Star God,” the Emperor affirmed.

"They are not the gods of the subspace based on emotions and beliefs. They are the manifestation of consciousness born from the rules of the real universe itself. They are pure and absolute material beings and absolute insulators of the subspace."

Each complete Star God governs one or more fundamental rules of the universe.

His finger pointed to the void, listing information about the known star gods: "Niadrasa the Burner, it does not represent the appearance of 'flame,' but the essence of 'thermodynamic motion,' a symbol of the eternal, disordered motion of all microscopic particles."

“Azagorod the Nightbringer may represent the ultimate trend of entropy increase and annihilation; Magladros the Void Dragon may be associated with machinery and technology... They are the rules themselves.”

The Emperor's tone carried a barely perceptible hint of regret: "However, the Necromancers of the Space launched that earth-shattering war of god-slaying in order to seek revenge."

They succeeded; the vast majority of the Star Gods were shattered and reduced to fragments.

These fragments still contain terrifying power, capable of triggering energy storms, manipulating minds, and distorting spacetime, but they are no longer complete rules.

He looked at Roxi with a sharp gaze: "Imagine what would happen to the universe if most of the core rules that support its operation suddenly became incomplete?"

Will its structure remain stable? Will its self-repairing capabilities remain intact? Will its ability to resist external erosion, especially from the purely non-material realm of subspace, remain strong?

Rosie instinctively felt a chill.

This reasoning is logically sound and convincing, seemingly pointing directly to the truth.

"So, it was the large-scale shattering of the Star Gods that fundamentally weakened the universe's own rule system, making the universe more fragile, easier to damage, and harder to heal?" Losi murmured.

“This is a vicious cycle of mutual interaction,” the Emperor said in a deep voice. “Endless wars have destroyed the surface structure of the universe, while the shattering of the Star Gods has damaged the universe’s inner workings and even its ‘soul’.”

The reason why the real universe has suffered repeated defeats in its struggle against the warp, and why the Eye of Terror cannot heal itself, lies in the fact that the Star Gods, who represent the will and power of the real universe, are no longer whole.

A brief silence fell over the conference room, with only the swirling liquid in the glasses seemingly silently telling the story of the passage of time.

The Emperor's words offer a fresh and awe-inspiring perspective on the ultimate problem of closing the Eye of Fear.

“So,” Losi began slowly, organizing his thoughts, “to repair the Eye of Fear, and even pave the way for a future cosmic reboot, we not only need the relevant technology, but also need to repair or even reshape those weakened key cosmic rules?”

“That’s right.” A hint of certainty flashed in the Emperor’s eyes.

“We need to restore those rules to their original state. We need to collect as many Star God fragments as possible, and even try to… reunite the Star God.”

Loshi now understands why Neos didn't bring this up when everyone was around.

The reason he spoke to himself privately was to prevent Tarasin, Higoki, and Aisha from finding out too quickly.

These beings include the overlord of the space necromancers, who has an irreconcilable blood feud with the Star God, and the other two are gods of the Eldar race. They were originally born from the hands of the Ancient Saints and share a deep-seated blood feud with the Star God who destroyed the Ancient Saints.

And it's not just for these reasons; the idea itself is so bold it's almost insane.

The fragments of the Star God are extremely dangerous beings. They greedily crave energy and souls and will do anything terrible to become whole.

Furthermore, the vast majority of the Star God fragments in the galaxy are actually in the hands of the numerous dynasties of the Space Necromancer race.

Actively seeking out and collecting them is tantamount to playing with fire and could even create a disaster more terrible than the Eye of Fear.

“I know the risks involved.” The Emperor seemed to see through Rosie’s thoughts. “The Star Gods are pure material gods. They originally did not have the concepts of good and evil as understood by humans. However, after the Necromancers in space helped them create bodies, their process of personification has greatly increased.”

"Their logic may be more alien and ruthless to us, so dealing with them is no less dangerous than dealing with warp gods." "However, this is the only path we can see that could fundamentally strengthen the real universe and reverse the imbalance." He changed his tone, his voice becoming incredibly firm.

“By utilizing the power of the Star God fragments, especially those rules that may be related to space and time, we might be able to create an unprecedented anchor of stability in reality, forcibly pushing the boiling non-material energy of the Eye of Fear back into the subspace and reinforcing the reality structure there, so that it can truly heal.”

Rosie subconsciously held her breath, thinking about the specific execution method.

Everything should be done by starting with the easy and then moving on to the difficult. If we really have to do it this way, then the best approach is to start with the fragments of the Star Gods that humans can access.

“We need to look for those fragments that are relatively ‘moderate’ or whose rules are favorable to our goals.”

Following the Emperor's train of thought, Luo Xi continued, "..."

"For example, do star god fragments exist that represent the concepts of [matter], [order], and [entropy reduction]?"
Another important character is Danteok, whose fused fragment of the [Overlord] Star God can be used in this regard?

"A reasonable speculation." The Emperor nodded approvingly.

"This requires the full assistance of Tarasin and all possible space necromantic dynasties."

No one understands the Star Gods better than them, nor are they more familiar with how to find, imprison, and even utilize the fragments.

This was also one of the main reasons I previously asked Tarasim to contact other dynasties.

"But this is still a huge gamble, Neos."

Loxi's voice was extremely solemn; he had absolutely no idea what to expect.

“We are trying to harness the power of the Star God. If we lose control, we may not be repairing the universe, but rather hastening its demise.”

"Moreover, most of the Star God fragments are being held by the Necromancers of Space. In fact, the underlying architecture of many of their superweapons utilizes the power of the Star God fragments, and they will not let go of them easily."

"Therefore, we need to be more cautious and plan ahead."

The Emperor stood up, walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and looked out at the vast starry sky beyond Holy Terra.

"And the closest and most powerful fragment of the Star God to us is the Void Dragon Magladros, which is sealed on Mars."

“I defeated and sealed it back in the time of Ancient Terra, right there in the Labyrinth of Eternal Night.”

“Around it, I guided the birth of the Mechanicus and shaped the existence of the Om Messiah.”

"Now, this imprisonment that has lasted for tens of thousands of years should perhaps come to an end. The largest fragment of the Void Dragon should be used for something more important."

The emperor's tone carried an unprecedented sense of challenge and a hint of excitement.

“Mars… Void Dragon…” Loxi repeated the two words, feeling as if the wine in her mouth had taken on a metallic chill and the smell of engine oil.

He put down his wine glass and looked warily at the emperor.

“Nios, from the very beginning you invited me for drinks not just to celebrate Guilliman’s success or to discuss the theory of the Star God, right?”
"You did this so that I would face the monster imprisoned beneath Mars."

The Emperor did not deny it; his golden eyes met Rosie's gaze openly, once again unleashing that damned charm.

"Yes. This plan requires the most suitable person."

And you, Rosie, my dearest friend, you are the only and best choice.

"My choice was not made without reason, but was based on many considerations."

"First, you have inherited, or rather, you yourself represent the authority and power of the Om Messiah."

"The combined power of humanity's faith in the God of Machines and Om Messiah has converged upon you. This power, a fusion of matter and psychic energy, is the best weapon against the Void Dragon."

"Secondly, the spark source you brought back from the Celestial Universe also possesses the power of rules for 'mechanics,' 'creation,' and 'giving life.'"

This highly overlaps with the rules of 'matter,' 'mechanics,' and 'technology' that the Void Dragon Magladros governs.

With this divine artifact, you will understand its power more deeply than anyone else, and you will be able to fully integrate its power.

"Third, in the previous Comoros War, you defeated and killed Vashtor, the Lord of the Soul Furnace. His power and authority have actually become your spoils of war."

The Emperor mentioned Vashtor, whose death meant that Loshi was now the only candidate on the path to ascension.

If Lothie truly intends to go further, he could very well sit on the Chaos Throne of [Vicious Arts].

But he believed that his best friend would make the same choice as him—to reject the throne of chaos.

They were human, resolute human, and ascending to the throne of Chaos was a curse, not an ascension, for them.

"Finally, experience and precedent."

"Dantiok, the steel of rebirth that fused with the fragments of the Overlord Zahurash, has proven to us a crucial point: the will of the Star God fragments is not absolutely unshakable, nor is it invincible."

Loshi's expression became even more focused; the existence of Danteok was indeed a miracle.

But he didn't know if he could replicate Danteok's miracle.

"What does Danteok rely on?"

"It was his extraordinary, unbreakable willpower, his absolute loyalty to me and humanity, and the fact that the fragment of the ruler was in a relatively weak state of mind after it was shattered."

"He successfully imprinted his will onto the Star God Fragment, forcing the Star God Fragment's power to be used by him, rather than being controlled by it."

This proves that the will and essence of the Star God can be viewed separately.

We can attempt to annihilate or suppress its raging primal consciousness, destroy its personification, while preserving and guiding its essential power as a fragment of the rules.

Loxi took a deep breath. The Emperor's analysis was clear and logical, breaking down the enormous risk into problems that seemed to be solvable step by step.

“So,” Loshi said slowly, “your plan is to let me enter the eternal night labyrinth of Mars and find the largest fragment of the sealed Void Dragon.”

"Then, like Danteok, use my will, the authority of the Om Messiah, and the power of the same source as the AllSpark to fight against, suppress, and ultimately attempt to overwrite the will of the Void Dragon, thereby seizing control of this fragment?"

"That's a very accurate summary," the emperor nodded.

"This does not require you to immediately fully integrate or control it; that is unrealistic. The nature of the Void Dragon is far more powerful and complex than the Dominator Fragment."

"We can take it one step at a time. Let's set a preliminary goal: if we can control the Void Dragon fragments and guide their power for our own use, especially to create that envisioned massive 'reality anchor,' then it's not necessarily about overriding its will," the Emperor said.

Loxi remained silent for a moment, her fingers unconsciously tracing the cold rim of the wine glass.

He could feel the weight of the task and the almost suffocating danger it contained.

Magladros, the Void Dragon, is one of the most cunning and powerful beings among all the Star Gods. Even as a fragment, its will is not to be trifled with.

If he fails, he may be devoured by the Void Dragon's consciousness, becoming an incredibly terrifying mechanical god possessing both the power of a star god and the power of chaos, which would be a catastrophe for the empire and humanity.

"...This wine was definitely worth drinking for nothing."

Luo Xi finally gave a wry smile and shook his head, but his eyes gradually became firm.

"I knew it. From the moment I took the glass from your hand, trouble was inevitable."

The emperor smiled but said nothing.

"But you still chose to accept it, didn't you?"

“I think it was inappropriate for you to hide the truth from Tarasin and the Laughing God,” Loshi said.

"The lessons of history should not be ignored; concealment will sow the seeds of disaster, which will erupt when we least expect it."

Loshi said sincerely, "Although he may object to our idea of ​​targeting the Void Dragon, his knowledge of the Star Gods is invaluable."

I need him to provide all the information about Magladros, even just a few words could be crucial.

"And those spirit gods, those who understand you best are often your enemies, and they are the nemesis of the star gods."

“Alright,” the Emperor agreed. “I will convene a second meeting, and this time, there will be no secrets.”

"Since they are allies, let's be frank and see what they really think."

With the general framework of the plan finalized, Losi felt a heavy pressure, but also an indescribable excitement flowing through his veins.

Challenging the Star Gods, attempting to control the fundamental rules of the universe...

When he defeated Vashtor, he had thought that one day he might devour the Void Dragon, but he never expected that day to come so soon.

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing.” Rosie suddenly remembered something, her expression becoming somewhat subtle. “You still haven’t told me, is this wine actually from the ancient Terra era? How did it survive for tens of thousands of years?”

"I don't want to get an upset stomach from drinking a wine that's tens of thousands of years past its expiration date before I even have a chance to challenge the Void Dragon."

Upon hearing this, the emperor revealed a sly smile: "Who said this was preserved?"

He gently swirled the remaining liquid in his glass: "This is a wine I recreated from my memory. It's almost exactly the same as the original. Thank goodness for the magical psychic powers. No need to worry about the expiration date."

Loxi was stunned, staring at the rich liquid in the glass, unsure whether to admire the Emperor's superb skill or criticize his arrogant "I am the standard" attitude.

“So,” Rosie finally chuckled, “what I was just tasting was actually the flavor of your memory?”

"You could say that," the Emperor nodded. "How was the taste?"

Rosie downed the last drop of wine in her glass, savoring the complex and lingering aftertaste, and laughed, "I must say, your memory is outrageously good. This wine is absolutely amazing."

He put down his empty glass, his smile fading, and his tone becoming serious again: "Alright, the wine's finished, and I've accepted the consequences. So, when shall we begin?"

The emperor's gaze was fixed on the distance, as if he could already see the giant dragon imprisoned on that red planet.

"Soon, Rosie, once Guilliman returns and all the necessary preparations are complete, we will head to Mars."

It's time to visit that neighbor who's been imprisoned for ten thousand years.

(End of this chapter)