Warhammer 40k : Starting as a Primarch

"I'm sorry to tell you, I'm not a hero, and mankind has never needed a savior!"

"Today, the survival of the Imperium is sustained daily by the sacrifices of countless loyal soldiers."

Everyone in the square looked at each other in bewilderment. In their minds, the Emperor and the Primarchs were symbols of invincibility, the end of all nightmares.

But now, the Primarch himself was denying his own abilities, leaving everyone confused and lost.

Dukel continued to speak, his voice unwavering.

"I have witnessed the loyalty and courage of soldiers countless times on the battlefield. They stood their ground in toxic gas clouds and charged fearlessly through storms of artillery fire. On the battlefield, they lost companions, brothers, lives—everything they had. Yet they never hesitated. Whenever war calls, they give everything they have, so that the glory of the Imperium might endure forever."

His voice grew louder, and the air vibrated with the force of his immense spiritual presence. As he spoke, it was as though everyone in the square could see the soldiers' fearless charges on countless battlefields across the galaxy.

Even the most stoic warriors felt their memories stir, and tears welled in their eyes as they gazed at the Primarch on the platform.

It had been too long since anyone had spoken for them like this.

Ten thousand years after the Heresy, the Imperium had decayed into a bureaucratic machine, forgetting its warriors as heroes.

The past glories were gone.

Now, the nobles and lords saw soldiers as expendable, mere numbers in a ledger. The eyes of these powerful officials were cold and filled with contempt.

"The survival of the Imperium is not just the legacy of the Emperor and the Primarchs. It is built on the honor and sacrifice of these soldiers, who gave everything. Yet there are those who would exploit them, steal their pensions, and rob them of the dignity they earned with their blood!"

A little girl was escorted onto the platform by the Sisters of Battle.

The countless eyes of the crowd turned toward her, making her instinctively shrink behind Dukel.

Her shy movement incited jealousy among the onlookers. What an honor it was to stand so close to a Primarch, to touch greatness with just a stretch of the hand.

An honor reserved for the noblest of mortals, yet here it was granted to a frail child.

But Dukel ignored their envy and introduced her calmly.

"This child's father was a soldier in the Planetary Defense Force. I grieve for what happened to her. It is a disgrace that the warriors of the Imperium, who give everything for its citizens, are left to be crushed by corrupt powers with no place to call home."

"From today, if this happens again, I will punish the guilty without mercy. No matter their rank or influence, I will obliterate them!"

His words carried a cold, deadly intent that made everyone shiver.

The faces of countless dignitaries turned pale. The Emperor's son had demonstrated that his threats were not idle.

This moment was recorded by countless vox-casters, destined to echo across the galaxy.

Today, as the Emperor remains upon the Golden Throne, his Primarchs act as his agents. Dukel's words carried the weight of absolute authority.

Grand Sister Efilar and the Sisters of Battle saluted Dukel with solemn respect.

"Praise the Emperor! Praise humanity!"

The Astra Militarum and Space Marines knelt on one knee, tears streaming down their faces as they proclaimed their loyalty.

"Praise the Emperor! Praise humanity!"

The people in the square followed suit, the chant spreading like wildfire.

In an era where the Imperium teetered on the brink of decay, Dukel's iron resolve didn't alienate the populace. Instead, it eradicated their fear and despair.

"Praise the Emperor! Praise humanity!"

The square resounded with the deafening chant, growing ever more unified.

Under Dukel's subtle guidance, the crowd's collective will coalesced into a terrifying force—an unshakable faith.

[Absorbing human faith to enhance the host.]

The system's voice echoed in Dukel's mind, reappearing after a long absence.

The immense power of the gathered faith surged through him, transforming rapidly.

The square had become a crucible of human emotion and fervor.

This was not the first time Dukel had received a system prompt or stood in such a scenario.

But this time, the feeling was entirely different.

The real world around him seemed to slow, trembling until it froze completely.

An indescribable presence surrounded him.

Between his brows, an unbearable itch grew until, with a sudden surge—

"Puff——"

A single eye opened on his forehead, staring into the immaterial depths of the Warp.

In this moment, the boundary between reality and the Immaterium blurred.

His senses fused into one, and he perceived countless surreal, magnificent visions.

Finally, he saw it. He heard it, felt it, and even smelled it—a titanic entity buried deep within the Warp, incomprehensible to mortal minds.

A colossal structure of flaming wheels, each wheel nested within another.

The wheels' edges bristled with countless tendrils forged from raw faith, working in perfect synchrony.

Eyes covered the surface of the wheels, each holding a distinct will.

There were exactly 9,632 eyes.

This number was not something Dukel counted, nor was it discerned through his extraordinary abilities.

It simply was.

At the heart of these blazing wheels lay an enormous, singular eye.

Its immeasurable psychic energy dissected all it gazed upon within the Immaterium.

As Dukel locked eyes with the entity, the distance between them seemed to collapse.

Each step closer sent an unbearable itch across his body.

One by one, eyes began to open across his power armor.

With every new eye, his vision of reality sharpened.

Endless streams of knowledge flooded his mind—interwoven with overwhelming, negative emotions.

Dukel's own eyes reddened, blood vessels bursting under the strain.

The sheer volume of despair and rage threatened to consume him.

Suddenly, the countless eyes began to close, one by one.

Finally, even the massive eye on Dukel's forehead shut completely, leaving no trace.

The strange phenomena vanished, as though they had never existed.

"Praise the Emperor! Praise humanity!"

The crowd's cheers surged back into Dukel's ears.

It was as if nothing had happened. No one noticed the anomaly he had just endured.

The members of the Heart Network felt a momentary blackout in their vision, followed by a wave of fatigue. They dismissed it as excitement.

Only Dukel was left to wrestle with monumental doubts.

The titanic entity he had seen defied comprehension.

A wheel within a wheel, blazing and eternal.

Absorbing, transforming—it was his essence.

Yes. The system.

"Is this my essence?" Dukel murmured.

"My essence is absorption and transformation. Am I a system? A server for the Heart Network?"

"If I am the server... then what is the system?