Warhammer 40: Doom

Chapter 6 Cunning Schemes
As the Lord of Change spoke, the world in the Warp turned upside down, and Tzeentch used his divine power to bring the golden sun deep into the Warp.

As heaven and earth returned to their original positions from their distortion, the surrounding scenery had changed dramatically. Several powerful wills arrived at the place where the four divine realms intersected.

The four evil gods and the near-god-like being descended upon the edge of the Four Gods' Domain, a place that was once the most desolate, but has now been drastically changed.

Khorne built war fortresses here, with towering brass walls and flowing lava.

Various war machines moved through the smoke of battle, and the Great Demon Khorne trained his demon army, ready to prove the power of the God of War at any time.

Opposite the war fortress is another dreamlike building, a completely transparent maze that distorts the sense of space, making it impossible for those who enter to discern distance or direction.

The Demon Lord of Myriad Transformations chanted ancient incantations, his mysterious whispers echoing through the labyrinth.

Those incredible magics flowed, and the labyrinth, which seemed fragile enough to crumble at the slightest touch, was in fact a fortress built of invisible walls.

A pink haze permeated the Slaanesh territory, and decadent music rose and fell.

A forest of thorny towers stands, where torment and pleasure coexist on the spires. In the magnificent, twisted palace, sadomasochistic dancers move with light steps, offering their never-ending dance to the dark prince.

Laughter filled the Nurgle Garden with peace and joy; twisted tree trunks swayed, and decaying grass sang.

Maggots and germs lie dormant in the swamp, while the filthy creatures chase and frolic, carefree and full of laughter.

The large, unclean creature was bloated with a festering, rotten belly, and with each laugh it shook off dead flies.

The four armies of the gods stood in formation, wary of each other, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder. A battle between the gods needed only one reason.

This place has been completely transformed; time is distorted here, and space is warped in the invisible clash of the four divine powers.

Blood rain, symbolizing Khorne, fell from the sky; the air was filled with the magical winds of Tzeentch; the power of Slaanesh drifted into a sticky mist; and the ground was a filthy, swampy mess.

Between the four evil forces stood a tall bronze tower, 888 meters high.

Countless limbs, some in joy and others in agony, appear on the tower's surface, entwined with ghastly green, vibrant branches.

The spire is a chaotic eight-pointed star made of brass, burning with blue psionic fire, in which a red soul floats.

A tower built by the four gods to house that mysterious soul.

As time passed, the red soul absorbed the power of the subspace, its essence grew stronger, far surpassing the four great demon gods, and reaching the level of a "sub-god".

The will of the four gods descended, and all demons bowed their heads. Thousands of demons knelt on the ground, restraining their demonic power and shouting in unison, "Our gods are here!"

The evil god did not respond to the demon's praise.

Khorne's fury erupted, and after countless eons, His true form rose from the bronze throne.

Holding a sharp sword, he questioned Tzeentch across the entire realm of Asgard: "What do you want? This wasn't part of the deal with this human."

The cunning man smiled as before, remaining silent, and used a gesture to send a secret message to the gods through magical power.

"In the past years, we have tried countless methods to unlock its secrets, but to no avail, wasting our time."

From this transaction involving "humans," my wisdom glimpsed the future and I saw a possibility.

“What possibility?” Nurgle whispered, hating the unknown.

"When a soul leaves the subspace and is given 'thought' again by this human, its perfect purity may become weak due to so-called 'humanity'."

A human with immense power? Or perhaps a demigod wandering the real universe? He's nothing more than food for us.

The Lord of Change spoke in a sinister tone, slowly recounting His plan to the gods.

For them, this was only a small part of the plan.

That "human" who radiates golden light and dares to challenge the majesty of the gods will also be held in the hands of the chaotic gods in the future.

Humans cannot defy their fate; their gods possess humanity and are destined to be contained and assimilated by the Warp.

After the conspiracy was plotted, the gods nodded in satisfaction. Although the cunning was extremely deceitful, his schemes were indeed shrewd.

"I agree." After careful consideration, Khorne finally agreed to the plan described by Tzeentch. He would use the wisdom of the God of War to seize control of the future.

Perhaps by actively bringing pure souls under one's control, once a soul possesses an independent will, everything about it will no longer be within its control.

The gods will surely use all their power and means to seize it for themselves. And He, the god of war, will win the new battle for it.

Khorne is never afraid of intrigue and trickery; He possesses all the war strategies of intelligent life, and He fears no challenge.

“Agreed.” Nurgle thought for a moment and, unusually, agreed to Tzeentch’s plan.

Although He dislikes change, change is an undeniable process when all things in the world return to nothingness and all destinies come to an end.

In any case, the benevolent father will toll the death knell for the universe when the last atom comes to a standstill, awaiting the inevitable end of fate.

Tzeentch's so-called "infinite changes" are merely a necessary interlude in the end of all things.

Nurgle only needs to strike at the crucial moment, and after countless twists and turns in his destiny, he can sit at the end of all the roads and quietly wait for the end.

“I agree as well.” Seneca agreed. He always knew that as the “youngest” evil god, his voice was far too weak.

He participated in the great game and enjoyed all the happiness it brought.

Scythia was confident; he possessed the power to corrupt everything, and corrupting a demigod would only require a little effort. The gods, each with their own agendas, added a new covenant to the deal, presenting it to the "Lord of Mankind."

The gods have already discerned the true nature of the newcomer; He is the "protagonist" of the next cycle, a new driving force in the grand game.

The four gods agreed to the deal, and an ancient parchment scroll took shape in the warp. The four gods stamped their own marks on the contract and presented it to the Lord of Man.

In that instant, the gods' voices became unified and harmonious: "Humans, sign it with your souls, and do not attempt to betray it."

They never worry about their trading partners breaking their contracts.

Those who break their vows will suffer even greater losses at the hands of the gods, reaping the consequences a thousandfold.

They were not worried that the Lord of Mankind would refuse the revised deal.

He decided to come to the subspace and take the initiative to approach the gods, destined not to refuse the small request they made.

The golden sun remained silent, but looked at the soul on the tower with some surprise. How could a demigod's soul cause the four gods to join forces?

How many of these things are unknown to Him?
He did not investigate further, because He had no time to negotiate with the gods; humanity awaited His salvation amidst suffering.

"I agree."

He sighed softly and pressed his soul onto the parchment scroll, leaving behind a trace of his essence.

"Hahahahahahaha..." The transaction was completed, and the four gods left the frontier with wild laughter, their unrestrained laughter echoing in the subspace.

The golden sun waits in place, and the four gods will deliver the items in the deal to it.

A turbulent wave surged in the warp as the four gods used their supreme power to unleash their authority within it.

Wherever their will passed, the sea of ​​souls suddenly exploded as they searched for the "lesser gods" hiding in the warp.

Lesser Gods. Each Lesser God is a unique being in the Warp, and like the Four Gods, is a manifestation of a certain extreme aspect of the Warp.

They exist independently of the Four Gods system, wielding secondary powers below the Four Gods. They possess divine power and authority, yet are subordinate to the omniscient and omnipotent Four Gods.

They usually hide deep within the warp to prevent the four gods from eliminating them in order to ensure their rule remains unshaken.

The powers of the four gods roamed the warp, startling their hidden prey like a snake catcher slapping a blade of grass.

The subspace was churning, and the power of the four gods was like pouring a bucket of cold water into a boiling oil pot.

The lesser gods hidden within were forced to reveal themselves and flee deeper into the warp, a move that played right into the hands of the four gods.

Although the lesser gods are gods, they are still too weak in the face of the four gods. They cannot directly confront the power of the four gods, and their appearance means their death is imminent.

Khorne, clad in bronze armor, gazed into the void from his throne.

With a single slash, the Dog-Headed War God shattered the essence of a demigod, casually erasing its consciousness and leaving behind a pure soul.

The soul of a minor god is a trembling flame, containing the authority of the minor god, which is what people understand as "divinity".

A magical wind blew, and Tzeentch sat suspended in the void. His hands moved in unison, both at once, magical power flickering from his withered fingertips.

His fingers brushed across the void, stirring up a ghostly blue magical flame that ignited the entire subspace void, refining the will of a demigod.

Slaanesh swayed his hips and rose slowly from his fragrant bed with seductive steps, walking out of the luxurious palace with utmost elegance.

His perfect body swayed gently, and with a casual strike, he pierced through the subspace with a serpentine rapier. With an elegant flick of his sword, a demigod's divine essence slid from the tip and fell into his hand.

Nurgle crouched deep in the garden, his small eyes narrowed as he searched for a target. He took a large ladle from the cauldron and gently scooped it into the depths of the warp.

The minor god screamed in terror in His spoon, was stuffed into a large pot, and when he was pulled out of the pot again, he was a pure god.

The power of the Four Gods swept through the subspace, causing the fall of a large number of high-level gods, and many more gods fled to the depths of the subspace to escape the fate of being killed by the Four Gods.

"That's enough. The transaction requires twenty. Any more will affect the stability of the Sea of ​​Souls."

Five divine sparks floated in Tzeentch's palm as he spoke to stop Khorne, who was about to wreak havoc.

The existence of secondary gods is an equally indispensable part of the warp.

If we compare the warp to a vast ocean, the existence of the Four Gods is unquestionable, an unshakeable continent, and they hold absolute power over the warp.

The lesser gods are extensions of the subspace, constantly testing new boundaries like waves.

The inherent and the newly created are worlds apart.

The four gods guard their respective territories and are eternal beings. The lesser gods represent new life but are also prone to premature death.

If God disappears into the subspace multiple times, it will cause the extreme emotions of those who possess the Lord to lose their anchor and disrupt the chaotic order of the subspace.

The Warp is inherently the most chaotic place, and the Four Gods are the strongest beings within it. Their extreme guidance of the Warp in pursuit of their own power has ironically created order—a contradictory order that is both extreme and chaotic, unique to the Warp.

"Hmph. I'm not done yet." Khorne snorted coldly, returned to the Skull Throne, and casually tossed out five divine sparks.

Five came flying from a distance, followed by five more from another direction.

Twenty pure divine sparks floated before Tzeentch. The four gods each completed their required share, and he handled the rest of the transaction.

(End of this chapter)