As peace reigned over Cadia, the Celestial Engine relentlessly monitored the entire star system.
In the core of this planetary structure, a Stoneman, responsible for directing this colossal war machine, sat within a sealed metallic chamber.
This chamber, forty kilometers long and high, housed a central control mechanism as vast as mountain ranges. The Stoneman only used an auxiliary humanoid shell when leaving the chamber, otherwise melding his consciousness with the control system, maneuvering the Celestial Engine as though it were an extension of himself.
The chamber itself served as a protective measure, existing within the interstitial layer between the material universe and dimensional space—utterly undetectable or observable from the outside. To anyone approaching the chamber's threshold, there appeared only a boundless void.
Time did not exist in this space. Dimensional energy permeated the area, distorting all concepts except spatial orientation. The Stoneman relied on intricate, mind-bending calculations to discern his place within the temporal stream by interpreting these dimensional fluctuations. Through a medium forged by Qin Mo himself, the Stoneman could harness power from the Star Deity, subtly altering dimensional space by manipulating the outflow of energy, adjusting his position in time.
Simply put, he could direct the Celestial Engine from both past and future vantage points.
"Scan attempt number forty-four thousand, four hundred."
"Commencing."
Pale blue energy surged across the mountainous machinery, triggering the planetary array into action as waves of dimensional energy swept across the star system. This array spanned over a million square kilometers of planetary surface, with a two-million-square-kilometer buffer zone that no being could survive crossing; even a fraction of the energy would annihilate any physical form, erasing body and soul alike.
The energy wave reached the system's edge, feeding astronomical volumes of data into the control mechanism. Within the core, tens of thousands of processors worked in unison, elevating the chamber's temperature to a searing three hundred degrees Celsius. Within a millisecond, the heat was siphoned off, dropping the temperature back to near zero. This heat energy could not be reused and was instead vented into the interstitial void.
The Stoneman analyzed the data.
"Scan result: high-speed warp energy detected in the system."
"Source of warp energy: a rift within the system."
"Processing…"
Immediately, drones were deployed across Cadia, and alerts sounded planetwide to contain the spread of the warp's adverse effects.
Yet, it was already too late.
A comet-like warp energy descended upon Cadia, not with speed, but with the intrinsic nature of psychic power, traversing infinite distances in an instant.
Through the observation array, the Stoneman beheld the moment the energy struck Cadia. Hovering in the air was a grotesque figure, his body twisted and distorted, with another head sprouting from his own, and limbs protruding in bizarre configurations. Gradually, the monstrous form imploded, becoming a vivid blue vortex.
From this whirlpool surged a torrent of demons, slaughtering every living being in sight. Those pink and blue creatures spewed psychic flames, reducing tanks and buildings to ashes. Then emerged a twin-headed bird creature from the vortex, wielding a scepter to summon a psychic storm that twisted and disfigured everything in its wake—flesh, ground, and structure alike.
The storm tore towards the bastion, leaving a trail of crystalline residue in its path.
The Stoneman observed without emotion, calmly recording the data.
"Warp energy impact location: Toyoko Plains, coordinates precisely 332, 111."
Once the record was complete, he redirected his attention, ignoring the conflict erupting on the ground, and refocused on the control mechanism.
Machinery embedded in the planetary structure sprang into action, translating dimensional energy fluctuations into readable data. The medium within the control mechanism activated, channeling the Star Deity's boundless energy into dimensional space, causing ripples along the lines of time and space.
The chamber's miniature dimensional engine began to charge.
The hidden chamber flickered and returned an hour into the past.
"Warp energy will impact in one hour, location: Toyoko Plains, coordinates 332, 111."
A stream of information and imagery transmitted directly into Qin Mo's consciousness through his metal shell.
---
On Cadia.
Qin Mo, who was conferring with Creed on defense plans, froze suddenly.
"What's wrong?" Creed, alarmed, rose and tapped the metal shell, worried it had malfunctioned.
After a second, Qin Mo returned to normal, hastily ordering, "Evacuate the garrison from the Toyoko Plains."
"What's going on?" Creed, bewildered, struggled to understand. He'd been discussing defense strategies only moments before, and now Qin Mo abruptly ordered a complete withdrawal from the plains, leaving Creed baffled.
Qin Mo offered no explanation, sending out orders through his data interface instead.
The Toyoko Plains' garrison—composed of Talon forces—received immediate orders to retreat to the plains' edge and construct defensive lines. Only the Thirteenth Regiment was commanded to head to the plains and prepare to destroy anything that might appear.
Without his power armor, Creed was excluded from Qin Mo's communication channel and could only wait, bewildered. His second-in-command, Kyle, soon called through his communicator.
"My lord… the Talon troops are all retreating from the plains. What's going on? Is an asteroid about to strike?"
Hearing the report, Creed turned to Qin Mo, whose eyes flashed as he sent another round of commands without a word of explanation.
Creed trusted Qin Mo implicitly; he knew his actions were always grounded in reason. He issued a swift command to Kyle: "Order all forces on the plains to withdraw immediately."
"Yes, sir." Kyle acknowledged, ending the transmission.
Anticipating what might come, Creed summoned his officers and issued two more directives.
"All other bastions prepare to support the plains."
"Send a request to the Mechanicum: deploy the Inferno Titan Legion and the Centurion Brigade stationed near the plains immediately."