Lorgar looked down at the nameless man's outstretched hand. It was pale and slender, with nothing special about it — yet it could change the world at will.
After swallowing hard, Lorgar gently placed his trembling hand upon it.
"My God of supreme authority, I willingly do so."
Lorgar's voice trembled with excitement, his eyes filled with tears.
"I am ready to walk with you."
The moment those words were spoken, a storm suddenly erupted deep within the Warp.
The storm was even more violent and unstoppable than the one that had arisen when Perturabo awakened.
It did not erupt from a single point. Instead, it covered the entire Warp as if countless supernovae had exploded simultaneously.
Within the storm, chaotic energy swirled, tore, and collided, emitting intense screams powerful enough to rip reality apart.
The domains of the Chaos Gods were affected by the storm. Their foundations shook and trembled violently.
Countless daemons screamed as they were torn apart within the storm.
Weaker daemons did not even have time to cry out before being crushed into nothingness by the storm.
The twisted daemons who were avatars of the gods struggled desperately within the storm, a pitiful sight.
In the eyes of the Chaos Gods, Lorgar's fate had been torn apart and transformed into something unknown. No one could predict what path Lorgar would walk in the future.
Witnessing this scene, the Chaos Gods felt despair and rage.
The nameless one was truly powerful.
The more they confronted him, the more they felt that victory was impossible.
They had all considered charging out together to fight that damned nameless man and completely eliminate this destructive force.
But when they imagined the other party's insane yet terrifying methods, they retreated.
In the material universe, they were no match for the nameless ones.
Even if they joined forces, the other side would use some absurd method to win.
Fine. For now, let the nameless ones do as they please.
They had already begun selecting other candidates.
Guilliman and Lion, who had landed on other planets, were also good choices.
Especially Guilliman — a child born with parents and raised with abundant love.
If that collapsed, it would become the most terrifying event in galactic history.
The gods had even planned the scenario. First, Guilliman would live a happy and fulfilling life in a loving family.
Then they would destroy everything, cast him into the abyss, and force him to confront the inherent flaws of humanity. Everything would resolve itself naturally.
...
Somewhere in the Milky Way,
the Emperor, leading Horus toward the battlefield, was also among the first to notice the ethereal storm affecting the entire Warp.
His psychic power pierced the veil of reality and witnessed the anomaly in the highest heavens.
The observed future of fate was chaotic, being completely destroyed by a terrifying will.
Even the future he was trying to build for humanity had become unclear. He frowned.
It was not only the Four Chaos Gods and the Emperor who noticed this problem. The Aeldari prophets led by the great prophet Eldrad, as well as Cegorach the Laughing God who hid within the Webway, had also noticed.
The future of the galaxy was constantly changing, yet they still had no idea of the cause.
It felt as though something major was happening in the galaxy, yet the Aeldari were being shut out.
The Aeldari had once been the dominant race of the galaxy. What did it mean to be excluded?
…
The mastermind, Datch, was completely unaware of the changes in the Warp.
He took Lorgar's hand, turned to face the large crowd gathered in the square, and raised the Primarch's hand high.
"In the name of the nameless one, I hereby enter into a covenant with the world."
Datch did not use a loudspeaker, yet he ensured everyone could hear his voice.
"Anyone who practices the idea that 'there shall no longer be slaughter or war in the world, and that all living beings throughout the world shall be blessed if they perform good deeds for others and strictly punished if they perform evil deeds' is my comrade."
"Stop committing murder for the sake of empty religious ideas. Stop pointing weapons at innocent people in the name of faith."
"All of humanity must unite to explore the secrets of the universe and seek the truth."
"As a sign of my covenant with you, I have placed a rainbow in the sky."
After finishing his speech, Datch opened the World Editor.
His fingers slid through the air, altering the atmospheric conditions of Colchis.
The yellow sand clouds formed by the civil war during the eternal night shattered in the sky, revealing an azure expanse.
Sunlight pouring through the cracks refracted in the post-rain mist and broke into a seven-colored spectrum.
A beautiful rainbow appeared, stretching to the horizon and enveloping the entire planet so that people all over the world could see it.
Above Colchis, the rainbow floated quietly like an eternal promise.
In the square, people looked up at the rainbow. Their excitement was palpable; some even shed tears.
This was a miracle — a true miracle.
It was neither legend nor the vague stories told by priests.
This was the truth they had witnessed with their own eyes.
Ferrus stood in the shadow beside him, looking up at the rainbow surrounding the entire planet, his lips twitching slightly.
He knew very well that the nameless man was probably addicted to role-playing games.
It involved both a covenant and a rainbow.
It was exactly the same plot as countless myths and legends.
After signing the covenant, Datch began reconstructing Colchis with the World Editor.
He altered ocean currents, generating flow once more in the stagnant seawater, carrying nutrients and circulating them throughout the planet.
He completely renewed the landscape of the entire continent, turning barren lands eroded by wind and sand for millions of years into fertile soil.
Former desert regions expanded into grasslands. Once barren lands were covered like a carpet with soft grass.
Forests spread through the folds of the mountains. Trees grew from seedlings into towering giants, their branches and leaves swaying in the wind.
Rivers flowed through valleys that had reappeared. Their clear surfaces reflected the blue sky, white clouds, and the eternal rainbow.
Datch also constructed the highest mountain and erected statues of himself, Skarbrand, Pugh, and the other creatures he had summoned upon it.
The statues of the summoned beings stood in various places on the mountain peak like gods surrounding the Creator.
The people of Colchis who witnessed this miracle cheered countless times, jumping for joy in their excitement.
Lorgar was even more shocked. His belief that the nameless one was a god became even stronger.
The subsequent work proceeded very smoothly.
Lorgar had already been spreading a new religion based on the faith of the "golden-armored savior."
It was the doctrine he had begun preaching after dreaming of the giant clad in golden armor — the weapon he used to oppose the Old Covenant and unify the banners of Colchis.
Lorgar reinterpreted the golden-armored savior as the nameless one and announced to the world that God had descended upon Colchis.
With the protection of various miracles, the Primarch's preaching became even more powerful.
The New Covenant Church influenced the old faiths of Colchis like an unstoppable torrent.
The leaders of the churches from the Old Covenant era felt an unprecedented threat.
The New Covenant Church based on faith in the golden-armored savior — that is, the nameless one — practiced doctrines that were far too extreme.
What does it mean to practice the will of the nameless one? Even if one does not understand the meaning of rituals and prayers, is one still considered the same practitioner?
In that case, who guarantees the authority of the church?
Eh, no need for authority?
Such a thing cannot be allowed.
Without authority, who interprets the will of God?
Without authority, who judges who is a believer and who is a heretic?
Without authority, who collects offerings, manages the temples, and rules the believers?
The remaining city-states formed an alliance to oppose the nameless ones and Lorgar.
The high priests who had held absolute power used every means to organize armies in order to protect their faith, power, and interests by force.
However, no one could match Lorgar in either eloquence or military strength.
His preaching was sharper than any weapon. His voice could easily shatter even the most loyal religious armies.
He could make city-states that had sworn to fight to the end change their oaths of loyalty overnight.
Furthermore, on Lorgar's side there actually existed a powerful being capable of reconstructing the world.
When the allied forces witnessed the miracles Datch casually performed, they all discarded their weapons, surrendered, and chose to defect to Lorgar's side.
The zealous believers of the Old Covenant Church were swept away by Lorgar and his subordinates.
City after city submitted to Lorgar's preaching. City-state after city-state surrendered before Datch's miracles.
Those who refused to surrender were completely annihilated and disappeared.
Lorgar's New Covenant Church swept across the entire planet like a storm, unstoppable.
When the last city surrendered, the last resistors discarded their weapons, and the last banner of the Old Covenant was lowered…
The entire world was dominated by the New Covenant Church.
To commemorate this moment, Datch opened the World Editor once more.
At the site of the final battlefield, he created a beautiful fountain.
The fountain was surrounded by white marble. Water gushed vigorously from the top, cascading down the stepped stone tiers and glittering silver in the sunlight.
Datch also imbued this fountain with magical power, making people believe it possessed the ability to heal illness and injury.
Witnessing such a miracle, even the captured prisoners of the Old Covenant completely surrendered, repented of their sins, and begged the nameless ones for forgiveness.
"Lorgar, you have accomplished the great task of unifying the planet." After finishing all of this, Datch warned Lorgar, who was following behind him. "But be fully cautious of the dark gods who thirst for blood and slaughter."
"Remember, do not start wars or commit murder to please anyone. Slaughter and sacrifice serve no purpose other than pleasing those detestable monsters."
Lorgar gazed at the nameless man with eyes full of piety and enthusiasm.
"I will do so, nameless one."
"Let us cherish all life, explore the power of science and technology granted by fate, and make human civilization prosper once more."
After finishing his speech, Datch used the power of the Reality Stone in the Infinity Gauntlet to create a massive black stone monument out of thin air.
"Let us engrave your words upon the fountain and place it there so that future generations can keep them in their memory."
Lorgar solemnly swore that he would definitely practice the ideals of the nameless ones, devote himself to the development of the nation, and ensure that everyone could live a good life.
After completing the conquest and unification of the planet, Lorgar returned to the city-state of Vharadesh together with Datch, Ferrus, and a large expeditionary force.
The newly conquered city-states sent envoys and believers flying the flags of the New Covenant Church into the returning procession as proof of their piety.
The procession stretched for dozens of miles. Flags fluttered in the wind, kicking up yellow sand dust.
When they appeared on the horizon, deafening cheers rose from the walls of the city-state of Vharadesh, welcoming Lorgar's return.
Kor Phaeron led his subordinates out of the city to greet them directly.
Datch thoroughly examined this human scum who was equivalent to Erebus.
The other party had not yet received the blessings of the chaos gods and still retained the appearance of an ordinary human.
Behind Kor Phaeron followed a group of believers dressed in white robes.
They held censers, scattered flower petals, and sang hymns.
"The first man to be minced has appeared," Datch muttered.
"Next is Erebus. Neither of them can be kept."
Kor Phaeron might appear to oppose the Old Covenant Church, but in reality he believed in the power of destruction and was an extremely cunning individual.
After the New Covenant Church based on the "golden-armored Savior" was established under Lorgar, Kor Phaeron took the position of steward.
It was not for the sake of faith, but for power. He needed Lorgar in order to establish a new order, raise his own status, and continue ruling the believers.
Before Lorgar and Kor Phaeron could catch up, Datch spoke first.
"I can see that the power of destruction has planted a seed in your heart."
"You will become a cancer on humanity's path toward a new civilization."
Kor Phaeron's smile froze. Panic flashed in his eyes for an instant.
He had also heard about the various miracles performed by the nameless man.
He had thought that with another person by his side, his position would become more stable.
Who could have imagined that the first thing the other party would do upon returning to the city-state of Vharadesh was try to kill him?
"He is just a human."
Lorgar's voice rang out from behind Datch, carrying a pleading tone.
"Keeping him by your side will only bring you harm."
"Logically speaking, the evil deeds of a single human are insignificant to civilization as a whole, but you are different. You are destined to guide all living beings."
"If the other party uses you to amplify his evil deeds, countless people will lose their lives."
Datch used the power of the Time Stone in the Infinity Gauntlet.
Countless rays of light appeared and transformed into a massive holographic projection.
The projected images showed a nomadic campsite.
Smoke rose from the tents. Children played near the camp. Women prepared meals. Men patiently sharpened their weapons while waiting for the next hunt.
However, this nomadic clan was chosen to be silenced by Kor Phaeron because he wanted to adopt Lorgar and did not want the other members of the church to know about it.
The scene changed again.
Kor Phaeron stood in the shadow of a temple, whispering something to a believer.
A few days later, another priest who had objected to Kor Phaeron's position was found dead in his room with a knife in his chest. The scene was staged to look like suicide.
The scene changed once more.
In a secret room, Kor Phaeron was conspiring with several other exiled priests. Their faces were filled with greed and ambition as they planned to divide the spoils of the New Covenant Church.
Seeing this, Kor Phaeron's face turned deathly pale. He completely lost his balance.
The surrounding monks and residents also retreated in terror, looking at Kor Phaeron with suspicious eyes.
"There is nothing you can hide from me."
Datch put away the Infinity Gauntlet and said calmly to Lorgar. "He has committed sins and is trying to amplify his evil deeds through you."
"You can keep him by your side, but at the same time you will lose your rights as a companion. How can someone who does not even have the power to purify the evil around him guide the souls of all living beings to the other shore of true happiness?"
Lorgar hesitated, his gaze wandering between Datch and Kor Phaeron.
Suddenly, the scene of the herdsmen being massacred flashed through his mind.
For the sake of truth, even sacrificing one's life is acceptable.
Kor Phaeron had always practiced this philosophy, so now it was time for him to devote himself to it.
He approached Kor Phaeron and said, "I'm sorry."
"What do you intend to do?" Kor Phaeron said in a trembling voice as he staggered backward.
"My son, I am your father. I found you in the desert, raised you, and taught you…"
Datch interrupted Kor Phaeron's words. "Lorgar is not your son. What you are teaching him is nothing but the corruption that the incarnation of destruction is trying to plant."
"Damn it, you are nothing but a fraud, a false god."
Kor Phaeron glared at Datch with hatred. "Stop deceiving my son!"
"Do you think I don't have the means to deal with you?"
"Take action. Summon the angels and destroy that false god!"
When Kor Phaeron shouted, the believers behind him immediately began chanting ancient spells. Some even drew daggers and slit their own throats as sacrifices.
In Kor Phaeron's hand, an ancient Warp artifact emitted an evil light. In an instant, the air was filled with a terrifying smell of blood.
The surrounding people showed expressions of terror and hurriedly retreated or fled.
…