Man in Warhammer, starting Primarch

It is said that at the beginning of the Diaspora, the Emperor, in a humble act, discovered a portal to the realm of the Immortal Gods. He gained their trust by promising to offer them treasures that only those destined to become gods could provide. In return, the gods granted a portion of their power to the Emperor, who used it to delve into the mysteries of science and ultimately unlock the secrets of creation.

The Emperor thus created twenty-one demigod Primarchs and, in doing so, broke his covenant with the gods.

When creating the Primarchs, the Emperor infused them with divine power. Consequently, the Primarchs were humorously referred to as great demons in the Warp who walked the real universe cloaked in human skin.

As the Primarchs matured, the essence of the Warp within them began to awaken.

By embracing their innate essence, the Primarchs became creatures of Chaos capable of moving freely within the Warp.

This transformation bore a superficial resemblance to the demon ascension blessed by the Four Gods, but it was fundamentally different.

If the subspace nature of the Primarchs were likened to a company:

Accepting the blessings of the Four Gods and becoming a demon would be akin to selling one's company in exchange for a lump-sum payment, thereafter working as an employee.Embracing their subspace essence, however, would be comparable to going public, growing stronger, and competing with established entities like the Emperor or the Four Gods.

Dukel had now reached this stage, having realized the nature of his own subspace.

But he wondered,

"If my subspace is essentially a network server, what is stored in the system?"

Using the computational power of the MindNet, the Progenitor sought to deduce an answer.

Unfortunately, with limited information, he could only propose two hypotheses:

The second Primarch had awakened to the essence of subspace ten thousand years ago. After traveling through time and space, his essence, influenced by a traveler's thoughts, manifested as a system.The system, with its supreme power, forcibly altered the properties of the second original body.

Dukel deemed the first possibility more likely but did not entirely dismiss the second.

Lacking definitive answers, he chose to cease his computations for now. The gaps in the original body's memories meant that the truth would have to be uncovered by his future self.

In time, all hidden history would be revealed.

In the real world, Dukel's gaze seemed to pierce into the distant future.

After gaining insight into his essence, the Primarch could clearly perceive his growing power, accompanied by cheers and fervent faith from those around him.

The future expedition was certain to be fraught with challenges.

He could feel the malice lurking within the subspace—a hunt aimed at the Primarchs.

But Dukel resolved to declare to all existence that the galaxy, and even the subspace, was his hunting ground.

Now attuned to his essence, Dukel decided it was time to upgrade his spiritual cultivation methods.

Mental energy, with its capacity to decompose and purify subspace energy, became a key aspect of his essence.

This new system, wholly distinct from psionics, was certain to surprise those harboring malice toward him.

Dukel concluded his speech amidst thunderous applause.

He retained dozens of planetary governors to collaboratively plan future policies.

The Ministry of Military Affairs was also formally established during the discussions.

With nearly 10,000 members now in the Heart Network—and the number still rising—these loyal elites would assist the Primarch in managing every future conflict.

A new research institute was established, uniting the Mechanicus with Empire scientists to analyze and refine every piece of technology perfected by Dukel.

This marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Empire's stagnant and regressing technological tree.

A new fleet, a new Second Legion, and innovative technological support were all in development.

Additionally, a massive academy, the size of a major city, was set to be established on Ophelia VII.

Dukel named it the "Imperial Cathedral" and served as its first dean.

The academy would provide a steady stream of highly skilled individuals for scientific, religious, cultural, military, and political endeavors, tailored to the students' talents.

After half a month of deliberations and finalizing decrees concerning the citizens of the Empire, Dukel returned to his quarters.

By then, the Heart Network had grown to nearly 20,000 members.

Each member was an elite with unwavering loyalty, enabling Dukel to achieve a multitude of objectives.

To his surprise, the first psychic had joined the Heart Network—Anna, the young girl he had previously rescued.

She possessed exceptional talent in fire magic. In an empire where psykers' futures were often tragic and bleak, Dukel was her sole beacon of hope.

Anna displayed absolute faith in the Primarch and was successfully integrated into the Heart Network.

"Squeak!"

The sharp sound startled the little girl, curling her toes in apprehension. She silently chanted Dukel's name, seeking strength to withstand the torment of the piercing noise.

Time passed, and the sound finally ceased.

"Bite!"

A pleasant chime rang out, and a translucent panel appeared before her eyes.

The scrolling messages on the holographic screen were bewildering:

"The Ultra Brain Assist System is on sale today? Never mind, I've already grabbed it.""Notes on spiritual cultivation techniques, 10 points each—don't miss out!""Oka Planet Demon Expulsion Mission, 3=1, hurry up!""Ophelia VII black market cleanup mission: Any sisters from the Order of Nuns who can provide intel? Compensation guaranteed!"

Anna's breathing quickened as understanding dawned upon her.

A new message appeared:

[Detected: High-level fire magic psychic talent. Upload to the Heart Network? Uploading grants 5000 points.]

[Warning: You will lose this talent after uploading.]

Anna hesitated only briefly before making her choice.

"Upload!"

To her, psychic power was more curse than gift. She had no desire to hold onto it.

"Congratulations! You have received 5000 points."

At the Heart Network's core, a sphere of mental energy formed in Dukel's hands. It encapsulated Anna's psychic talent, rapidly analyzing it.

Having realized his essence, Dukel awakened several extraordinary abilities, including absolute control over Heart Network members: memory modification, subconscious alteration, talent deprivation, and even soul retrieval into the network after death.

In many ways, Dukel, the Master of the Heart Network, was no different from the Chaos Gods of the Warp.

All souls that joined the Heart Network belonged to him.

Even if Anna had rejected the Heart Network's proposal, Dukel could still have taken her psychic talent.

But he chose not to.

The Heart Network's computational power surged, packaging Anna's talent into blessings and listing them in the Heart Network Mall:

[Blessing: Burning Disinfection – Price: 100 points][Blessing: Breath of Fire – Price: 500 points][Blessing: Fiery Incarnation – Price: 1000 points][Blessing: Fire Spirit Shield – Price: 500 points][Blessing: Manipulation of Fire – Price: 300 points][Blessing: Natural Law – Price: 200 points]

Soon, notifications echoed among Heart Network members as these blessings became available.