Chapter 916 - 915

“So, they’ve arrived?”

Eden turned to look.

The visiting Phaerons entered the banquet hall one after another.

They were clearly different from the Phaerons already serving under him. Some tried to conceal themselves, seemingly uncomfortable in such a festive setting.

Yet there was no mistaking the intensity of their emotions. Their data-logic overflowed with envy and longing.

That proved the emotion virus was working.

From the moment they entered New Life City, they had been infected by the emotion virus permeating the entire city.

Crackle.

“We remember now. We once attended grand banquets like this.”

“We wish to witness that life with our own eyes, a genuine and noble Necrontyr.”

After offering their respects, the visiting Phaerons voiced their request.

They had risked provoking the Silent King by entering the territory of the Ramses Dynasty for one reason: the newborn described by the Lord of Hope.

For most of them, that child might be the only hope they could still grasp after their species’ fall.

“My friends, you made the right choice.

“The Silent King’s foolish reverse-biotransference plan will only destroy the life of this galaxy and rob the Necrons of their opportunity for renewal,” Eden said.

With a gentle motion, he guided the blackstone baby carriage before the gathered Phaerons, allowing them a clear view of his son.

Charles Zarsis.

The little boy was noisily drinking highly concentrated energy fluid, his expression utterly content.

He looked rather adorable.

The moment the visiting Phaerons saw the newborn, the emotions flooding their systems nearly brought their data-logic to a complete halt.

They stood motionless, staring at the tiny life-form.

They seemed terrified that the slightest movement might disturb the only living member of their species who currently possessed both flesh and a soul.

“Look at this little… being. How magnificent!”

“I can hear his breathing and heartbeat. He is just like we once were.”

“It wasn’t a lie. Our species can finally escape the C’tan’s curse…”

The visiting Phaerons communicated through pulse transmissions without making a sound.

Their excitement was overwhelming.

What they had witnessed with their own eyes proved beyond doubt that the Lord of Hope had told the truth.

Every Phaeron carefully restrained their movements and silenced their voice.

The only sound within the banquet hall was the newborn gulping down his energy fluid.

Whenever they saw him smile, joy rose instinctively within them.

Eden was not surprised.

For most intelligent species, the instinct to protect newborns was written into their very genes.

For an empty and stagnant species like the Necrons, the appearance of new life was like finding a clear spring in the middle of a barren desert.

Mechanical wails suddenly echoed through the chamber.

Several Phaerons could no longer contain their emotions. They fell to their knees before the Lord of Hope and the newborn, weeping openly.

They released feelings that had been suppressed for ages and could no longer be contained.

Even they had failed to notice the changes taking place within themselves.

Under the combined influence of the emotion virus and the newborn, they had broken through part of the C’tan’s curse and regained a measure of emotion and physical sensation.

Inside the blackstone carriage, the child appeared frightened by the Phaerons’ mechanical sobbing.

He dropped his bottle and looked at Eden. Tears welled within his large eyes, and his mouth twisted as he prepared to cry.

Seeing this, Eden opened the crystal barrier and lifted the boy into his arms.

“There, there. Don’t be afraid. Your dad’s right here.”

Eden possessed a reasonable amount of patience with children.

If this had been the Emperor, the old man probably would have thrown the infant Primarch into some extreme survival trial.

If the child kept crying and failed to act like a man, the Emperor might have given him a tremendous slap to teach the little Primarch what courage meant.

Eden would never do that.

He had always treated the Emperor as a cautionary example when it came to raising children.

Naturally, the Emperor could never be allowed to learn about this.

The old man still had his dignity to consider.

Under Eden’s gentle reassurance, the child’s fear gradually faded.

Charles rested against his father’s chest and looked around curiously, seemingly attempting to understand what was happening.

The boy had already developed a basic level of intelligence.

Eden looked back at the Phaerons and seized the opportunity to preach.

“The New God’s blessing has ended tens of millions of years of stagnation and given our species hope for a future.

“Once the New God fully awakens, the Necrons will escape the endless emptiness and torment.”

According to the doctrine Eden had created, the day the New God fully awakened would be the day the Necrons regained their flesh and souls.

Of course, he had never specified exactly when that would happen.

Once Necron faith and devotion reached the necessary level, the New God would naturally awaken.

Only Eden knew that the promised day might never arrive, unless he eventually gained authority surpassing the Chaos Gods and deciphered the power of the C’tan.

Yet even this hope and promise were enough to make the Necrons risk everything.

Eden spoke of the New God’s omniscience and omnipotence, along with his own dream of restoring the Necrons to greatness as the Lord of Hope.

He urged the Phaerons to join him and unite against the shameful traitors led by the Silent King.

“We must stop the Silent King before he leads our species into the abyss,” Eden declared, his tone permitting no argument.

“If you wish to regain your flesh and souls, and if you wish to bring more new lives into existence, then offer me your faith and loyalty.

“Otherwise, leave immediately. None of this concerns you, and you will remain trapped in this pitiful numbness for all eternity!”

“No. We cannot lose this.”

The Lord of Hope’s words awakened uncontrollable panic within the deepest layers of the Phaerons’ data-logic.

They could not bear to lose these precious emotions again.

Living like cold metal was a form of eternal torture.

To preserve the emotions they had regained, they were willing to worship any being, including the New God sustained by the faith of the Necrons themselves.

That was the brilliance of Eden’s approach.

He had bound the New God deeply to the Necrons, presenting the deity as something created by their own faith.

The New God was not an invader or enslaver like the C’tan.

This greatly reduced the Necrons’ instinctive resistance.

Gradually, every Phaeron accepted the Lord of Hope’s proposal and agreed to surrender their command authority.

“It hasn’t been easy. More than a century of planning, and the harvest has finally arrived.”

Eden could not help feeling emotional.

His plan to research the emotion virus and gain control of the Necrons had begun when he first encountered the Kalozasa Dynasty and the Flayed Ones.

That had been before the battle against the Chaos Gods and Horus in the Sol System, and before he prevented the Emperor’s ascension as the Dark King.

If Eden had not laid the groundwork in advance, and instead waited until the Silent King began expanding his blackstone veil, it would have been far too late.

The Imperium and the Necrons would have been dragged into a genocidal war comparable to the War in Heaven.

There could be no victor in a war of that intensity.

One species would be exterminated, while the survivor’s potential would be crippled beyond recovery.

Fortunately, Eden’s plans had prevented the worst possible outcome.

He had also received an extraordinarily rich reward by taking control of one of the most powerful military forces in the galaxy.

It was a wonderful feeling.

“This is secure. Everything’s secure now.”

Eden was in an excellent mood.

Any ruler who gained control of such a powerful army would have been thrilled.

Throughout the banquet hall, the Phaerons lowered themselves onto one knee, one after another, and looked up at the Lord of Hope.

They were willing to surrender their command protocols and accept his unified authority.

From this moment onward, Eden had formed a new Triarchal Council belonging entirely to himself.

Its members were Eden, Phaeron Fahela, and their son, Charles Zarsis.

This arrangement was hardly unreasonable.

The previous Triarchal Council had consisted of the Silent King and two attachments who followed his every command.

It called itself a council, but in practice, it was a dictatorship.

Naturally, Eden had improved upon the old system.

Beneath the new Triarch, he established thirteen Lords.

Those positions would be held by thirteen high-ranking Phaerons with Primarch-level personal strength, each balancing the authority of the others.

By creating his own rival Triarchal Council, Eden had formally split the Necron Empire.

In a sense, the threat of humanity’s extinction had already been eliminated.

A Necron Empire divided in half and locked in an irreconcilable war could never defeat the Imperium of Man.

Holding the child in his arms, Eden accepted the Phaerons’ pledges of allegiance one by one.

Each Phaeron raised their head and allowed the boy to place his small hand against their cold forehead.

In Necrontyr tradition, this was a blessing bestowed by a superior upon a subordinate. It also represented the establishment of a relationship of fealty.

The short-lived Necrontyr had commemorated death and revered new life.

Furthermore, this child was both the Lord of Hope’s heir and the only living member of their species who currently possessed flesh and a soul.

That granted him indisputable legitimacy to rule.

Unless the Silent King immediately produced a newborn of his own, he had already suffered a complete symbolic defeat.

What right did an empty shell, stripped bare by the C’tan, have to continue representing the Necrons?

How could Szarekh remain seated upon the Dais of Dominion?

He had been the one responsible for their tragedy, the ruler who invited the terrible C’tan into their civilization.

“This little guy reached the top the moment he entered the game.”

Eden watched his cheerful son pressing his palm against one forehead after another without understanding what any of it meant.

He could not help feeling emotional.

When Eden had first begun, all he possessed was half the upper spire of a hive city.

Any Phaeron in this hall could have destroyed it with a breath.

His journey had been so difficult…

Actually, perhaps it had not been that difficult.

Eden abandoned the thought after suddenly remembering that he, too, was a cheater blessed with absurd advantages.

Beyond his hard work, relentless development, and careful management of his territory, he had also relied heavily upon the Hope Sun that formed the essence of his soul.

After all, anyone who entered this universe without exceptional abilities would not survive past the second episode.

As the Savior, Eden could be considered the galaxy’s second greatest born powerhouse after the Emperor.

He had merely been somewhat weak during the early stages.

Of course, the Emperor had now retired and gone off to enjoy foot massages. Eden had inherited his position as the galaxy’s greatest powerhouse and the fifth Chaos God of the Warp.

There was still some room for improvement.

As Eden continued performing the traditional Necrontyr blessing ceremony, another disturbance erupted outside.

It sounded like the shouting of a high-ranking Necron.

The intruder appeared to be clashing with the Royal Guard and the Phaerons stationed outside.

Dozens, then hundreds, of layered force fields activated, along with numerous ancient relics.

Together, they formed an interception system with no openings in any direction.

“What appalling discourtesy! I only wish to… preserve history. Why would you deny me even that right?”

“I only want to see that precious and magnificent new life!”

Trazyn was completely exasperated and looked deeply aggrieved.

Overflowing with excitement, he had attempted to use a dimensional blade to sneak inside and look at the flawless newborn.

He had absolutely no other intentions.

After all, the historical significance of such a perfect Necrontyr life-form surpassed everything in his museum.

If he failed to witness it personally, he would die with eternal regret!

Unfortunately, the defensive systems had intercepted him before he could enter.

The guards had attacked without even discussing the matter, nearly beating him senseless.

“Who said I was trying to steal anything? When a collector takes something, it isn’t theft.

“It’s borrowing!”

“I’m… I’m merely a helpless collector without the strength to restrain a chicken…”

Trazyn had been struck repeatedly by ancient relic weapons and now looked thoroughly battered.

Nevertheless, he stubbornly continued protesting his innocence.

In truth, the Overlord possessed greater personal strength than most Phaerons.

He was a dangerous opponent.

He was also one of the most infamous habitual thieves among the Necrons.

He had even attempted to steal the Stormlord’s Staff of the Destroyer. The Silent King himself remained wary of this bizarre collector.

That was why Eden had invested so much effort into constructing an elaborate defensive system after his son’s birth.

It had been designed specifically to stop this collector and notorious galactic thief.

If Charles, the future Silent King, were stolen by Trazyn immediately after his birth, Eden would probably cry himself to death.

Fahela would suffer a complete breakdown.

All of Eden’s careful planning would collapse, turning him into the greatest clown in the galaxy.

Fortunately, the interception system he had constructed was sufficiently thorough.

It employed saturation defenses and caught Trazyn on the spot.

Every form of teleportation, displacement, and dimensional rift had been sealed.

Even if Trazyn activated his reanimation protocols, the process would be intercepted and redirect him into the nearest tomb prison.

No one could escape!

Eden heard Trazyn protesting his innocence outside and responded with a cold laugh.

There was no chance this collector could keep his hands under control when faced with the Necrons’ only newborn.

That remained true even if he did not dare harm the child and genuinely had no malicious intentions.

Even if the chance of theft were only one in a hundred million, Eden would never risk it.

The potential cost was far too great.

“Despicable thief!”

“Trazyn, how dare you covet the noblest hope of the Necrons!”

“We cannot spare him. He must receive the harshest possible punishment!”

The Phaerons realized that Trazyn had come specifically for the newborn and flew into a rage.

Those whose possessions he had previously stolen were particularly furious. They intended to settle both their old and new grudges at once.

A vast crowd of Phaerons charged outside, surrounded the habitual offender, and began beating him mercilessly.

If the Lord of Hope had not ordered them to avoid inflicting fatal damage, they might have destroyed Trazyn’s living-metal body and forced him into his reanimation protocols.

“Please… just let me see that incomparably precious new life once.

“I’ll trade any exhibit in my collection for the opportunity to witness history with my own eyes…”

Even as he was dragged away half-dead, Trazyn refused to give up.

“Trade?”

Eden shook his head.

Why would the Lord of Hope ever agree to a trade?

Naturally, he intended to take everything.

Now that Trazyn had been captured, Eden could empty his museum and let the collector discover how it felt to be robbed.

Trazyn’s arrival did not disrupt the grand banquet or the Phaerons’ pledges of allegiance.

Eden acquired the command protocols of hundreds of high-ranking Necrons and used their submission to determine the timing of the final offensive.

This gathering was less a banquet than a mobilization meeting before the decisive battle.

The Necron forces now under his command were more than sufficient to launch a direct assault upon the Xendu System.

In fact, their strength was overwhelming.

Shortly afterward, just as Eden formally issued the order to attack, a new pulse transmission arrived.

The Silent King had launched his offensive!

“It seems Szarekh chose to break out through the Imperium’s front…”

Eden studied the arriving battle report, green light flickering within his eyes.

That meant Guilliman and his Primarch brothers would come under tremendous pressure.

Would they be able to hold?

Still, this was also an opportunity.

Without the slightest hesitation, Eden led the assembled tomb fleets toward the Xendu System.

The final offensive had begun.

…

The outer reaches of the Xendu System.

The western front, Departmento Munitorum command fortress.

Rumble!

The entire region shook beneath the violence of the battle.

Across the immense front, wave after wave of warships fashioned from living metal and steel alloys were reduced to drifting wreckage.

Guilliman stared at the colossal crescent-shaped xenos tomb ship advancing upon the command fortress.

His expression became extraordinarily grave.

That vessel posed a critical threat to the command center.

He had to stop it!

(End of Chapter)

“Zaelum”]