In Warhammer, please don’t mix Doraemon with the Omnissiah.

The moment Zhou Yun realized the meaning behind that string of numbers, he felt a torrent of chaotic digits surge forth from the depths of his mind.

These numbers wove themselves into a constantly shifting spiral, intertwining into layers of networks that wrapped around his consciousness, enmeshing his very soul.

All numbers change, all numbers lead to nine…

Zhou Yun gritted his teeth against the dizzying sensation flooding his mind and leaned heavily against the wall.

Corruption—corruption from Tzeentch.

He'd been cautious all along, obsessively trying to unravel the secret behind Nama Karl, thinking only then would he feel at ease.

But he'd overlooked that Tzeentch was not only the god of plots and secrets, but also of curiosity, exploration, wisdom, and revelation.

Fail to solve Tzeentch's riddle, and you risk his corruption. Solve it… and you also risk his corruption.

The numbers themselves weren't corrupted, but the act of deciphering their meaning was.

In Tzeentch's schemes, wisdom and thought were dangerous. Foolishness and ignorance, paradoxically, were safe.

This corruption came fast and subtle, because it wasn't just external—it arose from Zhou Yun's own mind, his own thoughts.

He even suspected the house itself was imbued with some power to accelerate his thinking, making his thoughts sharper the moment he stepped in, pushing him toward solving the riddle—and toward corruption.

Not just him. Those children who'd studied in Nama Karl's home likely also solved the riddle and fell to the same corruption.

"Damn that blue-feathered bastard," Zhou Yun cursed Tzeentch through gritted teeth.

His nerves burned, the corruption snaking through his awareness.

He caught sight of the winged figure of white light at the edge of his vision, its wings trembling violently as it fought to fend off the spiraling vortex of numbers invading Zhou Yun's soul.

And then he saw himself reflected faintly in the warp's shadow beneath his feet…

"Zhou Yun?!"

Rena's voice, full of fear, snapped him back.

She stared at him, horrified—ever since stepping out of the study, Zhou Yun had stood frozen, his soul wrapped in an obscene, shifting warp energy.

This power was twisting, churning, pouring in from the immaterium, merging with his soul.

Corruption.

Zhou Yun was being corrupted by some power!

How?! How could he suddenly be corrupted? Was it Nama Karl?!

"He has solved the riddle left by the Master for mortal fools… and so he now beholds the Master's ever-changing wisdom."

A gentle, aged woman's voice spoke behind Rena.

Rena spun around toward the study.

The desk lamp had flared to life, its blue-white glow illuminating the room.

It also lit up the figure of a dark-skinned, silver-haired woman in a pale blue robe.

She held in her hands a cheap black notebook, its cover inked in pale blue numbers:

387,420,489.

"Nama Karl?!"

Rena spoke her name one syllable at a time, glaring at the woman who'd once been her teacher. It was all too clear now—Zhou Yun's caution had been right all along. This woman was a heretic.

"Rena… you're still so dull."

Nama Karl looked at her almost pityingly.

"Before you even set foot in the upper hive, the Master revealed your presence to me through mathematics and calculation."

"And so, I decided to let you both share in the Master's blessing."

"Only by solving his riddle can you receive the blessing of change. And yet you couldn't even memorize that sacred number."

Nama Karl looked past Rena to Zhou Yun.

"He's smarter than you. More cautious, too. That's why he recognized the sanctity of those numbers."

"And when he comprehended their profound meaning, the Master blessed him."

Rena felt her stomach churn with cold dread.

That string of numbers was a trap. The numbers themselves weren't heretical—but unlocking their meaning invited corruption. Thought itself, overthinking, was dangerous.

"You've betrayed the Emperor!"

"Nama Karl—did you forget your husband? Did you forget the man who died loyal to the Imperium?!"

Rena's voice rose in fury, her psychic presence swelling like a storm.

"You should repent!"

Nama Karl flinched slightly but only looked regretful.

"You're still as foolish as ever. Your whole family was."

"The Emperor is nothing but a corpse on a throne, unchanging and unmoving."

"What does faith in him get you? Blind impulse, ignorance, mindless loyalty and stupidity."

"You throw away your reason in your superstition."

"You chase after signs and portents but refuse to believe the results of calculation."

"My husband was just as stupid as you. His sacrifice meant nothing. With or without him, the Orks would still have invaded."

Her face lit up with an expression of reason and wisdom, her eyes whirling with spiraling numbers.

"I'm different. I didn't blindly worship the Master—I found him through calculation."

Nama Karl opened the notebook, revealing lines and lines of formulas Rena couldn't even begin to understand.

"See how beautiful mathematics is? Everything can be explained with it—and it always changes, always reveals more."

"If there is a god in this universe, it must dwell within the dance of numbers."

"I spent decades computing, deriving, solving—until at last I found the Master within the infinite digits."

She pointed to the last line of every equation in her book, where all the formulas led to one answer: 9.

Every answer… was 9.

"Do you see it, Rena?!"

"The Master equals 9!"

Nama Karl jabbed her finger at the number, as if to make Rena understand. As if trying to lure her into guessing the number's secret and thus corrupting her.

But Rena didn't understand.

"I don't care what you're saying—and I don't even want to understand it!"

Rena's fury erupted, her eyes blazing.

Her psychic power flared violently with her rage, the air turning icy cold. She raised her arm and swung it down hard.

"Rai!!!"

A bolt of warp lightning split the room, igniting the papers full of equations as it struck Nama Karl in the chest.

"Aaahhhh!!!"

Nama Karl screamed inhumanly as she convulsed and collapsed.

"You really dare strike me?! I taught you! When you were little! Along with all the other children!"

"You can't! How dare you?! Rena, have you forgotten everything?!"

"Traitor! Heretic! Blasphemer!"

Rena roared, her psychic flames blazing as she smashed her power into Nama Karl, who reached desperately for her notebook as though it could shield her.

But Rena gave her no chance.

"Don't! You! Move!!!!"

(End of Chapter)

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