6kv Chapter 799 - 799: 798
Chapter 799 - 799: 798
Inside the valley.Fluid empyric corruption flowed down along the mountainsides and gathered at the dark mechanical engine in the center.
That complex, bizarre engine rumbled as it ran, like the dying whimper of some colossal lifeform.
"So this is the ancient artifact the Chaos Gods and Horus were relying on? They wanted to use this thing to suppress the Emperor?"
Eden looked at the ancient creation spread throughout the valley, and an old, heavy aura rushed toward him.
Just seeing the creation was enough for him to sense the immense power contained within it.
It was the Shadowlight.
Not long ago, Eden had received information about this ancient artifact's existence from the Machine Goddess, then rushed over in a hurry.
An artifact relic of this level was enough to affect the outcome of a large-scale campaign, perhaps even the fate of an entire species.
It was probably far more valuable than all of New Dragonwood itself, a rare creation that humanity was currently incapable of manufacturing.
The ancient creation as a whole was made from hard, smooth blackstone. There were almost no gears, pistons, or similar structures visible, making it unlike any human machine.
At the very least, Eden could not understand what kind of mechanism this thing relied on to activate and operate.
Although it was difficult to describe, it gave off a strange presence that could not be ignored, drawing everyone's eyes.
"Your Majesty, according to our research, the Shadowlight is older than humanity itself.
"Its age is roughly comparable to the oldest Necron xenos creations we have collected..."
Regubor addressed him as "Your Majesty" with remarkable smoothness, then eagerly reported their research on the ancient artifact.
This Dark Archmagos was utterly fascinated by the ancient artifact. That was also one of the reasons he had surrendered so quickly.
He hoped that by defecting, he would be allowed to continue studying this ancient creation.
After all, everyone knew that the Savior, the Emperor of the Imperium, enjoyed researching Chaos and xenos technology.
Dark Mechanicum members like them could still have the chance to continue their research under him, rather than being exterminated as they would have been in the old Imperium.
In truth, this Dark Archmagos had not done anything particularly evil. He had simply become obsessed with studying xenos technology, then been branded a heretic and expelled by the Adeptus Mechanicus of the old Imperium.
Back then, far too many tech-priests obsessed with technology were forced to join the Dark Mechanicum after violating doctrine, all so they could obtain the chance to continue researching relevant technologies.
Regubor's mechanical tendrils stroked the engine structure of the ancient artifact, feeling the old mysteries within it.
His electronic voice was filled with longing and reverence.
"By the Machine Goddess, according to legends from the craftworld Aeldari xenos, we have reason to suspect that the Shadowlight was created by the Old Ones.
"In the later stages of that grand war, the Old Ones created the Shadowlight to deal with those hateful C'tan. It can alter the structure of the universe itself. It was the final measure those ancient overlords of the galaxy prepared against the C'tan.
"Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, it was never deployed on the battlefield. Perhaps there was no time, or perhaps there was some other reason.
"Ah, I wish I could have seen that grand war with my own eyes, and the moment these artifacts were brought into use.
"That would have been the most beautiful moment in the galaxy..."
"So in other words, this thing is insanely powerful. Good stuff." Eden had no real interest in appreciating the beauty of technology, and quickly seized on the key point.
The Shadowlight was a huge device created by the Old Ones near the end of the War in Heaven, intended to be used against the C'tan.
He was no expert in technology and did not understand it all that well. But he recognized the Old Ones. That was a premium brand.
Whether it was the Webway, teleportation technology, Ork biology, or other technologies, products made by the Old Ones were basically top-tier goods. Their reputation was guaranteed.
Moreover, the Shadowlight had most likely been created by the Old Ones during a crisis, after they poured all available resources and technology into it.
It should count as one of the galaxy's most precious ancient legacies.
What made it even more absurd was that the Shadowlight had once belonged to humanity. It had first been discovered, excavated, and studied jointly by the Adeptus Mechanicus and the Ordo Xenos.
They built a Mechanicus shrine to study its secrets, believing that it possessed terrifying power and could draw upon the power of the Warp.
However, after high-ranking Imperial psykers examined it, they discovered that the Shadowlight was extremely dangerous. They believed researching such a hateful xenos creation was unbelievably foolish, and that it was highly likely to attract daemons.
It might even cause the Eye of Terror to expand and destroy the entire galaxy.
This made the relevant Imperial forces wary and defensive. Certain conservative factions even believed the Shadowlight's very existence was complete and utter blasphemy.
Later, while Orks were invading the planet, Inquisitor Killian joined forces with a fanatical Order of battle-sisters and raided the Mechanicus shrine. They killed the tech-priests conducting the research and seized the Shadowlight.
That radical Inquisitor wanted to use the ancient artifact to create a psychic army even more powerful than the Grey Knights.
That way, they could better destroy the daemons of Chaos and fight for the Imperium.
However, during Killian's research, he was opposed by another conservative Inquisitor, who not only declared him expelled from the Inquisition, but also sought to arrest him for treason against the Imperium and heresy.
Because of this, that radical Inquisitor had no choice but to flee with the Shadowlight. In the end, however, he failed to shake off pursuit.
During his escape, he was killed by the side effects of the Shadowlight.
After that, the ancient artifact was sent back to its original planet and placed under tight guard. The old Imperium's factions fought fiercely over whether it should be sealed away, destroyed, or continue to be studied.
But not long afterward, they no longer needed to argue. During the 13th Black Crusade, Abaddon the Despoiler seized the Shadowlight in passing while conquering Imperial territory.
Afterward, Cain and other Imperial forces pursued him to stop it, and resolved the matter with the help of the Necrons.
They lured in the Necrons, allowing those ancient xenos to take the Shadowlight from Abaddon.
That prevented the dangerous artifact from falling into the hands of Chaos.
Of course, as a result, Cain and the others no longer had the ability to take the Shadowlight back from the Necrons, nor did they have the motivation to do so.
Those Imperial conservatives believed that leaving the Shadowlight in Necron hands was safer than leaving it with Chaos or humanity.
Those ancient xenos were anti-psyker and anti-Chaos beings. At the very least, they would not actively use that thing to open a door for daemons.
From that point on, humanity lost the Shadowlight.
"The old Imperium really was impressive when it came to infighting and conservatism."
Eden lowered his head and browsed the Imperium's internal records about the Shadowlight, feeling somewhat numb.
Such a precious ancient artifact, and they simply decided they did not want it. This was probably an old mindset inherited from the Emperor Himself.
The old Imperium was extremely conservative, always filled with vigilance toward technology and power that came from outside humanity.
But to a certain extent, leaving the Shadowlight in Necron hands really had been more reliable than letting it fall into Abaddon's hands, or the hands of some deranged Inquisitor.
Of course, that was before. Now this was the new Imperium. The safest place for the Shadowlight was in Eden's hands, where it could also help maintain peace in the galaxy and the Warp.
Through the accounts given by the Dark Archmagos and the others, Eden roughly understood what happened afterward.
Several decades ago, Erebus used some unknown method to retrieve the Shadowlight from the Necrons, and even gathered all its components.
With the assistance of the Chaos Gods and the Dark Mechanicum, he reconstructed this ancient artifact on New Dragonwood.
"Wait. With Erebus's abilities, how did he get the Shadowlight back from the Necrons?"
Eden was deeply puzzled. The forces of Chaos did not have an advantage against the Necrons. In fact, they were at a disadvantage.
Forget them. Even if Eden wanted to snatch something from those living-metal lifeforms, it would not be easy.
No matter how badly the Necrons had declined, they were still the galaxy's second-generation overlords. Humanity, without having recovered its strength, would find it very hard to withstand them.
Especially now that the Silent King had returned, and the Necron Dynasties were collectively awakening and gradually uniting.
In any case, with the capabilities of that slippery bastard Erebus, the success rate of stealing something from the Necrons should have been extremely low.
"Perhaps he didn't achieve it by plunder, but through some kind of special transaction."
Eden thought of one possibility. Erebus might have used some rare collectible to trade with the Infinite, the collector, the professional home-invasion specialist:
The Necron Overlord Trazyn the Infinite.
"That might be the truth..."
Eden considered it. That was probably the only way to obtain an ancient artifact from the Necrons.
After all, Trazyn had a strong reputation, and his name was known far and wide.
Of course, that did not mean Trazyn was definitely the owner of the Shadowlight. Even if he was not, it would not matter.
Erebus could place an order with him, and that collector could then quietly slip into some Necron treasury that did have the ancient artifact and help himself at no cost.
Quality guaranteed. Reliable service. Professionally done.
"But what kind of precious collectible could be traded to Trazyn for an ancient artifact?"
Eden was extremely curious.
After all, Trazyn's standards for collectibles were not low. Eden could not think of what sort of thing could be exchanged for an ancient artifact.
Could it have been the Prince of Pleasure's worn bra or underwear?!
Most of the time, that Necron Overlord and collector valued historical meaning and artistic significance more than practical use.
To him, the worn underwear of the Warp's Dark Prince of Pleasure might indeed be more valuable. The same might even be true for something belonging to the Emperor Himself.
That guy might even collect pillows, sleepwear, and the like that certain important figures had slept with, and he would swipe them while the other party was asleep.
Truly audacious beyond reason.
As for those who had been robbed, they usually would not publicize it widely. They would simply search in secret, quietly wishing to hack him to pieces.
After analyzing it for a while, Eden felt that Trazyn was actually rather honest. At the very least, his reputation in the field of cost-free procurement was not bad.
He never accepted fakes.
In the future, perhaps Eden might have the chance to cooperate with him, exchanging resources, technology, power, and the like.
That guy would betray all family and principle for the sake of his collection.
As long as the benefits were sufficient, perhaps he could sneak out that very night and steal Horus's claw, or go to the Silent King and swipe some small trinket, such as a scepter.
If Trazyn did not dare, or was not willing to do it, that could only mean the price had not been high enough and the collectible was still not precious enough.
Perhaps he would even include after-sales service. If the item was lost, he could steal it back for you again.
After considering it, Eden had the intelligence department search for a way to contact the collector Trazyn.
This campaign would not make it in time, but when Eden fought the Silent King in the future, perhaps it could come in handy.
After this small interlude, Eden learned the general function of the Shadowlight from the Dark Archmagos.
This ancient artifact could awaken the latent power of psykers and raise the psychic concentration of active psykers, making them extremely powerful.
But the price was that those psykers might not be able to withstand the vast power. Psykers without protective measures might die on the spot.
Aside from that, the Shadowlight could also use some kind of device to absorb the energy of the Warp and then release that power outward.
This would weaken the target's power.
Put simply, this thing was a Warp-energy regulation machine. The Old Ones had likely created it to marshal Warp power against the C'tan.
Now, the Shadowlight had been further modified, and the Chaos Gods and Horus had intended to use it as a tool to suppress the Emperor.
"Well, isn't that convenient!" After learning the function of the ancient artifact, Eden was pleasantly surprised.
It could provide immense help to humanity. He could use it alongside the technology of the Eternal Soul to better repair the Throne.
Moreover, the Shadowlight could also amplify Warp energy and psychic power.
Ordinary psykers might not be able to withstand the artifact's amplification, but for the Savior and Emperor of the Imperium, it was just right.
Since the Chaos Gods had wanted to use the Shadowlight to suppress the Emperor, then in reverse, perhaps Eden could also use this thing against Chaos.
It all depended on how it was used.
If the research institutes under Eden's command could derive a technology from this ancient artifact that could be applied on a large scale to suppress or counter the Warp, then they would make an enormous profit.
"Regubor, under the blessing of the Machine Goddess, adjust it to its optimal condition. I will need to use this artifact soon."
Eden looked at the Dark Archmagos before him and gave the order.
He might need the Shadowlight to strengthen certain psychic powers.
Webby had already devoured the remaining authority of Vashtorr, increasing her strength considerably, especially in terms of authority over dark machinery.
She had completely taken over every region of New Dragonwood, allowing the tech-priests to research and maintain the related Chaos facilities at far greater speed.
Not only this region, but the entire planet's Chaos defense system was rapidly recovering.
"Everything is thriving. The advantage is mine..."
Eden stood with his hands behind his back and looked up. The airspace was packed with dense waves of landing craft descending from above.
There were also some large platforms slowly lowering into place.
Now that New Dragonwood fully belonged to the Imperium, the Departmento Munitorum could transport enormous quantities of defensive supplies without obstruction.
The engineering departments would cooperate with the Dark Mechanicum to further reinforce the planet's defensive lines.
For example, they would add new low-orbit defense platforms, land-based defense arrays, and so on, making the defenses of this Chaos fortress world even stronger.
Eden never fought a battle he was not confident in. After Holy Terra transferred to Dawnlight City, humanity still lacked a great rear base in the Sol System.
Now New Dragonwood could be built into humanity's main base, fortified into an iron barrel, and used to block the escape route of the Chaos coalition, Horus, and the other beings.
Then they would see what those Chaos abominations and traitors could do.
"Fighting under Eldest Brother really is satisfying. It's even much better than it was during the Great Crusade..."
Rogal Dorn chewed on the Chogorian roast leg of lamb the Khan had handed him. The two of them chatted, and their relationship had eased somewhat.
The Praetorian, Lord of the Phalanx, was filled with emotion.
Before, he had been barely holding on through bitter struggle. The moment his elder brother returned to the Sol System, the situation had completely reversed.
The only thing he felt somewhat guilty about was damaging his elder brother's armor, which might have caused the other man's combat strength to decline.
But no matter what, the Imperium had almost no possibility of failure.
As for Horus and those fallen traitors, they were already trapped beasts in a cage.
Next would come their end.
(End of Chapter)
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