strokinit Chapter 257 258: The Holy Solar Satellite
Chapter 257 258: The Holy Solar Satellite
Inside the hovercar, Eden gazed up at the towering Holy Tower, a massive machine structure bathed in sacred light, standing at the heart of the Sanctuary.
Spanning several kilometers at its base and rising over ten kilometers into the sky, it was an awe-inspiring sight that could overwhelm anyone who beheld it.
This was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in his domain.
Without access to sector-wide resources, along with technologies from humanity's Golden Age, Aeldari, Orks, and even the Old Ones, such a colossal psionic-mechanical construct would have been impossible to build.
Nowhere else in the galaxy had the freedom to develop such "heretical" technological marvels.
The Holy Tower shone with divine radiance, its light covering nearly half the Sanctuary, further deepening the holy aura of the land.
But the glow wasn't just for aesthetic or religious purposes—it provided actual defensive capabilities.
That light was the raw energy radiating from the Golden Sun, harnessed and redirected through the tower's hundreds of warp-energy siphoning devices, extracting massive amounts of psionic power from the Immaterium.
Due to the Golden Sun's overwhelming concentration of faith energy, the God-Emperor had long suffered under its crushing weight—his consciousness was fragmented, teetering on the brink of collapse.
But with the Holy Tower, large-scale energy extraction could be performed, effectively relieving some of the Emperor's immense burden.
This both alleviated the Emperor's suffering and provided the territory with a high-quality source of psionic energy.
A win-win situation!
Recently, during his trips into the Warp, Eden had noticed a subtle change—the Emperor's attitude toward him had improved.
Though He still remained silent, there was a faint sense of acknowledgment.
Eden was beginning to understand.
The Emperor's silence wasn't merely stubbornness—it was because He was constantly battling the dark personalities within His fragmented mind.
Even transmitting a single message was a monumental struggle.
This was why divine revelations and prophecies were so rare—the price of communication was too high.
Unless the situation was dire, the Emperor would not interfere directly.
The realization struck Eden.
Even under such agonizing conditions, the Emperor had repeatedly reached out to him, even providing direct assistance at crucial moments.
Not to mention, He had continually shielded the Miniature Suns that Eden deployed.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
"The Emperor truly cares for me!"
This strengthened his resolve.
He had to do more to help the Emperor—draw more energy, ease His suffering.
Of course, the energy extracted from this single tower was merely a fraction of what was needed.
It barely scratched the surface of the Emperor's agony.
But it was a start.
As resources grew, more Holy Towers could be built across multiple worlds, further reducing the Emperor's suffering.
This wasn't just about helping the Emperor—it was about ensuring humanity's own survival.
After all, the Imperium relied on the Emperor to seal the Webway rift, to maintain the Astronomican, and to keep the Imperium's vast communication networks intact.
The very existence of the Imperium hinged on the Emperor's endurance.
If, one day, the strain broke Him—if He succumbed to madness, or exploded from the sheer pressure—humanity would plunge into eternal darkness.
"At least... this provides some relief, for now..."
Eden sighed deeply.
But it was only a temporary solution.
As long as the Four Chaos Gods and the Xenos threats existed, humanity would never know peace.
Humanity had always been plagued with endless suffering.
Fortunately, Roboute Guilliman had returned.
At the very least, he could slow down the Imperium's descent into total collapse.
This was the beginning of a shift.
Would humanity rise to glory, or plunge deeper into darkness—perhaps even face complete annihilation?
No one knew.
For now, all Eden could do was continue growing stronger, forging his own path forward.
To protect his people.
To give humanity a fighting chance.
As the hovercar glided to a stop at the tower's entrance, a group of figures was already waiting.
"Lord Savior~"
The Magos, along with several Tech-Priests, bowed in reverence.
They had been waiting for quite some time.
Eden composed himself, stepping out of the hovercar, following Magos into the tower's depths.
The Holy Tower was far more than a mere mechanical monument—at its core, it was a weapons manufacturing facility.
Today, Eden was here to witness an experiment.
This was one of the key technological projects of the Grand Star Zone Development Plan—a crucial piece in constructing a planetary defense network.
The sacred light radiating from the tower?
Merely a byproduct of the weapons manufacturing process.
Inside the elevator, Eden glanced at Magos.
"This time... there won't be another failure, right?"
He had reviewed the previous experiment reports.
The new weapon's trials had already failed multiple times.
Magos, his voice reverent yet mechanical, responded:
"In the Savior's name.
We have now mastered all essential components of the new technology. The chance of failure has been reduced to less than 1%.
Only with such certainty did we dare invite you to witness this trial."
The Holy Tower project had consumed massive resources.
As one of the project's chief overseers, Magos was under immense pressure—he was desperate to showcase results.
Eden nodded, reassured.
In truth, the original designer of the tower had been Belisarius Cawl.
However, after laying the initial framework, Cawl had abandoned the project, shifting his focus to other Forge World operations.
Still, if the Tech-Priests were confident, Eden couldn't help but feel a growing anticipation.
The elevator halted, arriving at four to five kilometers above ground level.
As the doors slid open, a wave of sacred energy surged outward, flooding Eden's senses.
His vision was filled with golden light.
The chamber before him was the size of a vast plaza.
At the center, multiple warp-energy siphoning devices continuously extracted golden energy, their power roaring like a storm.
The air trembled with surging heatwaves.
The red-robed Tech-Priests had their robes billowing wildly under the energy surges.
Dozens of them were busily monitoring and calibrating machinery.
Eden followed Magos into the depths of the sanctuary.
Along the way, he saw row upon row of Holy Ash Bombs.
Since the construction of the Holy Tower, the manufacturing of these relic-weapons had been relocated here.
With more space, greater energy density, and improved containment fields, the Holy Tower provided the optimal environment for crafting and storing the sacred bombs.
At present, there were three completed Holy Ash Bombs ready for deployment, with eleven more in various stages of fabrication.
That meant—aside from the two bombs expended at Matira and Macragge—there were now fourteen Holy Ash Bombs in total.
For years, Eden had been painstakingly extracting his own bone marrow and blood, stockpiling materials to create more bombs.
Yet, despite all efforts, the number of bombs had not increased.
Why?
Because Eden was hoarding materials for something far bigger.
He was building a monster.
It was truly massive.
Eden looked toward the center of the mechanical framework, where an enormous Holy Ash Missile was currently being charged.
Measuring ten meters in length and three meters in diameter, it stood as tall as a four-story building, an imposing sight to behold.
This colossal divine weapon was named "Tsar"—the ultimate among holy munitions.
However, firing it was another matter entirely.
Its deployment options were limited—ordinary Chaos incursions weren't even worthy of it.
But for Eden, this weapon wasn't meant to be used—it was meant to exist.
A strategic deterrent, a nuclear-level threat in his arsenal.
He might never fire it, but he couldn't afford not to have it.
The only downside was the excruciatingly long manufacturing process.
The energy requirements were astronomical.
Even with the Holy Tower amplifying energy extraction speeds several times over, it would still take decades to fully charge the missile.
After observing Tsar for a moment and asking a few questions about its status, Eden moved on.
Today's main focus wasn't this.
It was a new defensive weapon system.
Following Magos , Eden arrived at the sealed mechanical laboratory, its walls reinforced with powerful anti-psionic barriers.
The moment he stepped inside, a deep, guttural roar echoed through the dimly lit chamber.
A howl filled with rage and despair.
Eden followed the sound.
His eyes immediately fell upon a high-ranking daemon, bound in psionic-nullification collars and rune-inscribed chains.
Scorch marks covered its body, evidence of continuous suffering.
"Wait a second... this thing looks familiar..."
Something about the daemon's appearance rang a bell, but Eden couldn't quite place it.
After all, to him, most daemons looked the same—horned, fanged, and monstrous.
As the Tech-Priests adjusted the experiment parameters, Magos explained in a mechanical tone:
"This is Demon Test Subject No. 1. We spent considerable resources securing it from Mao, that stingy miser."
"If he hadn't recently obtained a Hell Drake daemon embryo for his re
The mechanical framework also allowed light beams to be redirected, providing flexibility in targeting.
"Perfect. Exactly what I wanted!"
Eden was thrilled.
The Holy Solar Satellite experiment was a resounding success.
This marked a major advancement in planetary defense systems!
Of course, this prototype was only a small-scale test unit.
The real deal awaited above.
After concluding the experiment, Eden and Magos ascended to the Holy Tower's highest platform.
There, they beheld several fully completed Holy Solar Satellites, each two hundred meters in length.
Dozens of Tech-Priests were busy conducting final adjustments.
Unlike Holy Ash Bombs—which were purely offensive—the Holy Solar Satellites were defensive.
These massive constructs would be deployed into planetary orbits, forming a holy defense grid.
If daemons invaded, the solution was simple:
Bathe them in holy sunlight.
Of course, if Eden somehow managed to deploy these into the Chaos Gods' domains…
The results would be hilarious.
In the future, his domain would establish more Holy Towers, manufacturing even more satellites, ensuring every world under his control was protected.
These satellites, combined with turrets and force-field defense arrays, would form an impenetrable planetary defense network.
A multi-decade project aimed at fortifying the entire sector.
Eden's goal was clear:
Seal the sector like a fortress—an ironclad bastion.
A secure stronghold, from which he could expand outward freely, without fear of losing his core territories.
This was not like Holy Terra, constantly besieged and vulnerable.
No Warp rift bombs under his throne, no desperate defenses, no pleas for reinforcements.
Just stability, power, and control.
And when the time was right…
A decisive strike.
The perfect long-term strategy:
"Fortify. Accumulate. Then, strike hard."
...
Tower's Peak—Luxury Bathhouse
Wrapped in a bathrobe, Eden reclined on a lounge chair, watching a performance troupe dance.
It had been a while since he felt this relaxed.
Just then—
BZZZT.
His data panel vibrated.
He checked the message—his eyes lit up with joy.
It was from the Lunar Forge World.
The psychic-automated production lines were now fully operational!
(End of Chapter)
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