The Adeptus Custodes(DC)

(I will retcon the population of Mars, rather than 120 Million I will say it is around 450 Million. That seems fair for a slow-growing and breeding alien species on a smaller planet.)

With just an order, Justinian had effectively ignited the desire for war in New Cadia City. Though at this point it was just Cadia City and the White Martians were all feeling the fervor of going to war once more. 

To them, Justinian was the greatest Master for them because while he did enslave them he did not take away their rights or joy. They could still wage war, they could fight to their heart's content as long as they did so under his rule. 

With a smile, Justinian looked down at the urbanizing underground city that was Cadia city. The red stone that made up the walls had been reinforced with Adamantium, engraved with Formations and Runes to prevent any cave-ins. They even allow for a much more comfortable atmosphere down here which sped up the growth of crops. 

The babies who were born were all treated through science, and magic to make sure they were all healthy and strong. It did not matter if they were a Laborer or Elite as they all had a job to do and with effort, they could change their status. 

Already besides the 20,000 soldiers, were called Space Marines, and there were another 5000 Laborers who had joined the Imperial Guard. Their title was the Tempestus Scions as they were armored in Carapase Armor. 

From the look of it, Auralina down below was using both her voice, Psychic and Magical means to give the word. He could hear her from here. 

"THE REALM OF THE DIVINE HAS BEEN INVADED! OUTSIDES TRIED TO TAKE OUR PEOPLE AS SLAVES! THIS IS HERESY OF THE HIGHEST ORDER AND IT MUST BE CLENSED IN BLOOD! OUR LORD AND MASTER HAS CALLED FOR A CRUSADE OF CONQUEST! ANY WHO DECIDE TO JOIN SPEAK UP NOW! 

THE GUARD ALWAYS HAS NEED FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS! COME ONE AND ALL! WAR WILL BE PLENTY!"

Remnosh crossed her arms as she looked down at her fellow Elite. 

"When did she become a believer in your divinity?" 

Justinian smiled as it was quite funny. 

"When her Patriarch kneeled. To her, I might as well be a god in the flesh." 

Remonosh turned to him with a raised eye brow. Her helmet held in he crook of her arm. 

"Are you?" 

He shook his head. 

"Not yet at least." 

That made her smile. 

"Not yet eh? When will you take that leap?" 

Justinian rose to his feet and held his arms behind his back. 

"I don't know yet, but worship is the key. Every time I receive a prayer, I can feel my power rise ever so slightly. It will take time, but eventually, all of Mars, Terra, the Solar System, and the Galaxy will be mine." 

As Justinian looked across the city he could see a stream of Martians rushing to the recruitment stations. His current population was not going to be enough so he would need to make sure Andoviding was not exterminated. 

Slowly he would assimilate them into his rule through purges, better benefits, and harsh punishments. He turned to his right where another one of his Honor Guards stood. 

"Sigismund, how many Mastodon Heavy Tanks do we have, and how many Baneblades." 

Sigismund answered directly. 

"My King, the Shapers in the past 6 months have created 5 Mastadons and 10 Baneblades. Most of their resources are being spent on the construction of the Invincible Reason Emperor Class Battleship. 

The amount of resources dedicated to it is not allowing for the production of more tanks than the few we have." 

Justinian shook his head as building a single Emperor Class Battleship was a nightmare. 

"How are the modifications to the Warp Drives? Unlike in my time, there is no Warp to travel in so I have modified them to act as massive teleport devices." 

From the look of it was not good. Sigismund said as such. 

"The Warp Drives consume a massive amount of energy. So much that it takes 2 Fusion Reactors to supply it with the power another one to supply the thrusters and a 4th for the ship itself. 

At the rate the construction is going it will take at least 10 years if the speed does not change." 

Justinian nodded as his Shapers were using all his schematics and knowledge to build and improve on the design as they went. Massive amounts of Adamantium and Beskar were needed to form the hull. 

The few Shapers who knew how to use Magic were spending hours every day engraving the Runes, Glyphs, and Formations to increase the ship's durability and survivability. 

As for the wiring it was all made up of Mithril which was a mixture of Silver, Copper, and Gold and forged in a Psymagic Forge. It was both very conducive to Mana and Energy on top of being extremely resilient. That was then coated in Plasteel which was a Dark Age of Technology creation. 

It was a plastic that had the tensile strength of steel. As for the Windows, they were being formed of enchanted Transparasteel rather than glass which meant that the entire ship needed an astronomical amount of resources and time to build. 

Then the Weapons along with some special weapons not from 40k. To pilot it he had been working to create a sentient A.I help manage its systems like Dark Age of Technology ships. 

When his ship was ready, he would be ready to lead his Crusading Armies through the Galaxy to begin to take planets for his Imperium. Of course, when the Solar System was completely compliant and his future Super Soldiers were ready. 

He grinned to himself as he could barely keep himself relaxed. He was not strong enough yet he would not be satisfied until even Darkseid would be just a smear at the end of his boot. 

Until then, he would keep training, improving, learning, and growing. 

---

Preparations for the war took around 2 weeks to not impede current projects. Through her sermons, Auralina managed to recruit another 5,000 Laborers to join the Imperial Guard. That meant that Justinian's Forces not counting his Honor Guard or War Shapers numbered 30,000. 

The War Shapers were more limited, as they numbered only 2,000. Out of them, only 250 had learned magic and even fewer could use Psymagic. When they were not in War, they were researching technology and further studying the magical arts. 

As for the 20,000 Space Marines, they were split into 20 Chapters much like their namesake. Each Chapter was not yet named and they had not been differentiated. Their armor was all the same and the weapons they used as well. 

That would change in the coming years, but for now, unity was preferred. As for the Laborers, they were also separated into 10 Battalions that were to move alongside the Space Marines. 

The Marines were juggernauts expected to get in close which was why they were armed with Psymagic Power Armor, Bolters, and Psymagic Focus Weapons. As for the Guard, they were in weaker Carapace Armor made of Ceramite and Beskar.

They would fight up close, but with Hotshot Plasma Guns, and if needed with Plasma Swords. Then Justinian's pet Predacons were effectively living siege engines and they had been growing stronger this entire time.

When the 2 weeks ended and Justinian had drawn everything from the Slaver's mind he had sealed his soul inside away in a diamond for future study. At the current moment, Justinian was in his pyramid meeting with his 20 Chapter Masters who were in charge of the 20 Chapters.

They were sitting around a large computer projecting maps of the surroundings to plan the war effort. Justinian sat surrounded by his Honor Guard while his Chapter Masters Spoke. Each of the Martians who made up the soldiers averaged around 10 feet so every room had to be built up to scale which made space a small issue. 

They all wore their black suits of Power Armor which hummed with energy. The runes and glyphs covering the armor surged with Psymagic from the crystals embedded underneath the armor making him happy of his improvements on the Space Marine Power Armor. 

Their helmets were removed and placed around the table as they spoke. The first Chapter Master pointed at the location of Andoving on the hologram. 

"My Lord, as you know the City State of Andoving is considered the main ruling power in this area. Before the former Patriarch and his forces attacked you, we were the only City State who could stand up to them. 

They probably assumed that after the slaughter we were weak and they did not know that you have made us stronger instead." 

Justinian stood up as he looked at the maps of the area." 

"If Andoving is the strongest in this area, how many more are around?" 

Remnosh answered that. 

"Besides Cadia City and Andoving, there are 3 more City States. They are small with populations averaging around 50,000. Each one pays tributes to Andoving of resources, and slaves in exchange for not being destroyed. 

However, Andoving is a vassal of the ruling Kingdom in this region of Mars. The Thaiddavia Kingdom, they are a true Kingdom with a population of 5 million. Since those are Martians they are truly powerful as the total Martian population grows very slowly. 

In reality, it shrinks more than it grows since the city-states, Kingdoms, and Empires are always warring with each other. The main rival of Thaiddavia is the Olovalon Empire which has around the same population as Thaiddavia. 

Plus it is a known fact that the Kingdoms have access to better technology than the City States. They rule over the major ore deposits and resources." 

 Another Chapter Master walked forward and zoomed the projected map closer. 

"My King, I suggest we leave Andoving as it is for now. Instead, I say we move our focus to these 3 City States. Their populations are small, but through magic rituals, each Soldier like me could match regular Elites and we are well equipped with our Power Armor and Psymagic Focus Weapons. 

We should take the population of these city-states and use them to bolster our numbers before moving against Andoving since that will set off the Kingdom of Thaiddavia. We can take them now I would say, but it will give us time to assimilate the populations of three City States and to expand Cadia City." 

Justinian considered his words before accepting them. 

"Agreed. Andoving is 25 Kilometers to the West yes? I want the exact locations of these three City-States." 

Another Chapter Master clicked a few areas on the projected map to mark them. 

"Here, here, and here. Andoving is the closest to us, but these three City States are all within a 70-kilometer distance from us. Mostly to the North and North West meaning if we move fast and use Bounded Fields they will have to fight us on our terms. 

We take control of their ruling families, take their Psychic Pillar, and add it to your Crystal Throne and the rest of the population will fall into place. Of course, there will be those who will not submit and they will have to be purged, but that is a loss we have to take." 

The rest of the Chapter Masters all nodded as that seemed fair. Justinian also agreed with this as conquests were brutal for a reason. 

"Alright. Get Laborers and War Shapers to begin to clear the way to allow the Mastaton and Baneblade Tanks a clear path. They are powerful War Machines, but they require space to move.

The same goes for my Predacons, but they are just as deadly on the ground as they are in the sky." 

Remnosh brought up a big issue. 

"Will we have to pull Laborers from the building of the Fortress and the Invincible Reason? Both of those projects are taking a big chunk of Laborers on top of those who are working in the factories and the mines." 

Justinian knew that numbers were an issue at the moment and only because his subjects were Martians could they use fewer workers than humans. However, it was still an issue which was why these three city-states had to be compliant. 

Their numbers would fix so many issues that he currently had. He stood up from his chair and began to give orders. 

"First order of business, I want a War Shaper to go to each of those City States and to seal them in Bounded Fields. As long as they are trapped they will have to fight on our time." 

One of the Chapter Masters closed his eyes and through the Psychic Net began to give some orders. Three War Shapers who could use Magic received the order and they began to prepare to do the job. When he opened his eyes he turned to Justinian. 

"The War Shapers will get it done soon my King." 

Justinian nodded as he overlooked the map. He wanted to look at the tunnels and where they would need to build more to allow the use of his heavy artillery Tanks. Even his Predacons needed bigger tunnels because they had been growing larger. 

This was the disadvantage of underground living, you were limited by the tunnel systems. 

'It is a damn good thing we have magic on our side.' 

"Alright then, once the tunnels are expanded and reinforced we will move in full force. There are 3 City States so this is how it will be done. 6 Space Marine Chapters will move against each city-state with 3 Battalions of Tempestus Scions. Take 500 War Shapers per assault. 

Rampage and Devastator will move to the first city-state with the troops. Grimlock and Grendel shall go to the second. Predaking will be sent to the third and I want at least 5 of my Honor Guard to lead the attacks. 

These attacks will happen simultaneously so I will be leading things from afar with my magical and Psychic abilities. Any suggestions?" 

From the look of it, his Chapter Masters all felt the plan was safe. Each Space Marine or Soldier was modified through magical rituals to increase their strength, resilience, and speed, and they were well armed. 

If Justinian was going to be leading things like he was the attacks would go well. Once things were agreed upon, Justian grinned. 

"Fight like Nightmares, I want zero losses. I still haven't created any Soul Stones to capture your souls to resurrect you and I have yet to become a god so my Divine Realm is not a thing yet. Until then, do not die." 

"BY YOUR WILL OUR KING!" 

Justinian was honestly curious about what the Justice League was up to about now. He had not talked to or seen any of them in months. Knowing them, it was more about defending Earth from their recurring villains whom they let live. 

He would change that once he began to take over in the coming years. Now as Custodian, Justinian knew that Doctor Doom and The Emperor were right. Only under a firm leader like them or Justinian could mankind flourish. 

Otherwise, they would keep squabbling over stupid reasons. They had to be protected from themselves and he knew that full well now. They would fight him when he started to take them over, and so would the Justice League. 

By then, his infiltrators would be so engraved that even if his forces lost he would still win. 

'It is fun to be the mastermind. Vandal Savage is not the only long lived schemer now.'