I left Speranza with the task of creating the gene Crucible needed to clone Primarchs, which was way too advanced for me or my sons. Still based on the Demiurg design for Kin-cloning Crucibles, but the AI had enough knowledge to expand on it with his ancient genetor expertise.

Was Speranza a he? Eh, better get used to it. He was already experimenting with a dead Ironkin body I found on the Gnostari ship, perhaps trying to build himself remote robotic helpers.

Soon enough, I will have a robot bodyguard like those Mechanicus Adepts.

Inside the Pharos, Lash and Zarhulash awaited eagerly for me to release the third shard.

"I think there are a thousand of your shards scattered around the galaxy, Mighty Zarhulash. How do you see this kind of trade work? More wolves?" I asked curious, while holding out a prison pyramid.

Lash shifted back to his humanoid form and collected the tesseract from my hand. "Well, brother?" he asked with a glance at the C'tan bound to the wall with living metal chains.

"Tempting, but no. Already we are being revealed to those close enough to you, Lash. It is better to start integrating. A wider overwatch will help more." Zarhulash decided in a grave voice, then ate the pyramid like a tic-tac.

"My tesseract..." I muttered in surprise.

Zarhulash glared at me for some reason, then spat back the pyramid, making it change shape and insert into my glove, copying the design I used for the Thanos glove so long ago. Must have been 5000 years already, due to time dilation inside the tesseract.

"You've grown a bit, Pef Lancefire, but not enough. And I don't care about your human muscles." the C'tan said with a disappointed voice.

"Still haven't lost a war. And I have some new weapons, in case things get bad." I answered with a casual shrug.

"That weapon you seek, is called the Breath_of_the_Gods. Caoineag is simply the name the Aeldari gave it in fear. But it was made by C'tan." the old C'tan Star God recalled in a grieving voice.

"Wait! How do you know?" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Did you notice a dimensional shield around that Omega Vault? Do you think your encrypted mind implant is in any way secure? Those hex wards might as well be crayon tigers drawn by a child. Only your soul is protected." Lash quipped in an amused yet cruel voice, revealing a hidden side. I mean, I already knew he was sadistic.

My Chekov gun appeared in my hand and fired before I could realize. A darklight beam struck the C'tan shard straight into his chest, leaving a burning black hole. "Don't test me, Lash. Bad dogs get punished!" I shouted in anger, although my heart raced wildly. A warm glow began to emerge from my heart as well.

"Okay, okay. Don't get angry, young Lancefire. That kinda hurt..." Lash grumbled with a subdued voice, although he didn't really seem injured. The gape in his chest closed with flowing metal, leaving him pristine once more.

"Stop aggravating him, Lash. Don't cry for me when you're locked in a box." Zarhulash demanded in a brotherly, yet callous tone.

The Drukhari Blaster pistol returned to my storage, yet another precious shot wasted. Mostly a calibration shot to be fair. A C'tan wouldn't be killed so easily.

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I also wasted a shot on Ahriman, although I deliberately targeted his bird bracelet, hoping to ignore his reflexive teleport. So I only took his right hand out, as the Dark Matter Beam continued through his bracelet and vaporized everything below the elbow.

"Anyways, I also found some Necron stuff. I need it identified and ready for work. Lord Trazyn might ask for a C'tan shard in exchange, if I have to ask him." I continued in a more relaxed tone, and dumped the ancient artifacts onto the floor.

"A gift of the Flayer. You already know this, Pef Lancefire." Lash spoke a bit more respectful.

I nodded. "For me, the Nexus cube is more valuable than the contents. I could empower someone for planetary scale warfare. Ship boarding too." I explained curtly.

"Even so, the contents could be used to lay waste to an entire Necron Crownworld. Or perhaps help you besiege a powerful Necron. Like the one down south in the Nephilim_Sector torturing your fellow humans. He is called Szeras " Zarhulash explained patiently.

"You know the Necrons are millions of years too advanced. Even their weakest weapons outmatch humanity's best. I can only strike them for afar, for any reasonable chance. And even then, it is doubtful." I sighed while focusing my mind through the Pharos on the new battlefield. I thought Ferrus Manus had solved this with Trazyn. Then again, even Trazyn had a boss, and maybe his boss had another boss...Not the Pariah Nexus again!

Armies of Necrons Warriors and constructs even some Triarch_Praetorian , the equivalent of Imperial Custodes. And culling defenseless civilians, or flaying alive anyone who resisted.

This was going to be a mess. And I also had important quests to do!

"So, you see now." the C'tan observed with a knowing tone.

"Not getting involved! No way!." I grumbled to myself.

"The Pylon network will suppress the Warp, and all psykers or astropaths. Regular humans...they can't shine anymore." Lash added with a grin.

"Good! They shouldn't shine, feeding the Warp with more psychic energy. I want a Blank humanity anyways." I muttered with a grimace.

Duty or purpose? Damn it. I will have to be smart about this.

"I knew you were going to fight. It is your nature." the C'tan proclaimed in a lazy voice.

"If you ate the third shard, does it make you stronger?" I asked instead.

"... A bit slow, but you finally realized. The Pharos may be a prison, but it also honed my senses. Now I'm maybe half again that strong. Should be possible to conduct a hidden war, setting traps and sabotaging them while they fight your humans. So who do you trust to send in there?" Zarhulash asked, possibly meaning one of my sons, or maybe Canis.

But I had someone else in mind. She did fine even without me, the first time. Now she will terrify the Necrons.