Noah was clearly eyeing the Star God Shard at this moment, but the Star God Shard was not so easily obtained.
As one of the absolute treasures of the Necrons, the Star God Shard would never be handed over so easily.
Too many things within the Necrons relied on the Star God Shard for maintenance, so even Noah, who didn't fully understand the Necrons, knew very well that the other party would never easily give him the Star God Shard, even if he possessed souls.
Souls are the foundation for a civilization's continued existence, but they already had souls now, which could sustain them somewhat.
And the Star God Shard was the absolute military support and pillar of the Necrons.
Don't be fooled by his current good relationship with the Necrons, making it seem like the two sides were about to become allies. In reality, it was only because the Necrons needed Noah, and humanity's fleet power was not weak.
The Necrons had observed humanity's battles at the edge of the galaxy, so they were well aware that humanity's combat power was not to be underestimated.
At the very least, their technological level was gradually approaching that of the Necrons, even if the current number of warships was relatively small.
Although the warships were few, their quality was undeniable, especially the Moon of War, a heaven-and-earth-spanning warship that utilized a second-tier starting point.
Under such circumstances, both sides maintained a good relationship.
However, no one could bet on how long this relationship would last. Once the Necrons were comprehensively weaker than humanity in terms of power, they would undoubtedly become anxious and would never hand over the Star God Shard.
Noah had, in fact, only thought about it briefly.
After continuing to show the other party around the Moon of War, and also visiting their World Engine to observe Necron technology, the two shook hands amicably and then bid each other farewell.
Mesophet's objectives for this trip were largely achieved; he had successfully established a trade relationship with humanity, and both sides were now in a honeymoon period.
As a member of the Triarch Council, he now had to return to the council to explain the matter to his companions and attempt to re-summon Szarekh.
They needed to restart the Triarch Council and inform all Necron dynasties of this matter, to prevent anyone from foolishly provoking Noah.
Mesophet departed... For humanity and the Infinite Empire, this was undoubtedly good news, except for Trazyn.
His exclusive business was now essentially on the verge of collapse. Once Noah's affairs were publicized, the profits from his unique business would plummet... But unfortunately, no one informed him. He was still holding out for a better price, preparing to continue selling the souls in his possession for a large sum.
After the other party left, Noah once again returned to his laboratory.
However, he wasn't preparing for new experiments in the lab; instead, he quickly entered the lab's lounge.
The current situation no longer required his constant presence. Everything on the Moon of War was being constructed in an orderly fashion, and its core 28 planets were also developing systematically.
The knowledge from the Union was now expanding to the other 28 core planets.
Once these 28 core planets were fully transformed, the 108 worlds would follow suit, and his idea of rebuilding the Terran Federation in this universe would essentially take shape.
After working for so long, Noah was now going to rest... Having toiled so much for the Imperium and for his own ceaseless endeavors, Noah was about to embark on his journey of rest.
And the Imperium did not stop after Noah began his rest. Guilliman truly lived up to his reputation as the Primarch most suited for administrative work; the Imperium continued to flourish with endless vitality under his leadership.
Everything seemed to be thriving, except for the Tyranid fleets at the edge of the galaxy, which had once again returned in force... Ten standard Terran days later.
Noah, who was in a deep sleep, recuperating his energy, was awakened by an urgent communication.
"Trajan? What's the matter, why are you looking for me at this time?" It was clear that ten days was a rare period of rest for Noah; he had fully recovered to his peak state.
However, in stark contrast to Noah's demeanor was Trajan's face... Trajan's face was anxious, as if his eyebrows were on fire.
"Report, Warmaster! The Tyranids, who had originally retreated, are now pressing against our borders again! Their scale has become even larger!"
"According to our scans, they have at least 120 planet-sized leviathans capable of faster-than-light combat!!!"
Noah's expression instantly became serious: "120? Are you sure you haven't misread it?"
"Absolutely certain!" Trajan pulled up the reconnaissance data. "And their evolution speed is astonishing. Although almost all of the planet-sized leviathans are at least one-third smaller in size, the surface armor of each planet-sized leviathan has become much harder now.
Previously, we only needed two Titan battleship main gun volleys to destroy a planet-sized leviathan. Now, it requires at least two rounds of strikes!"
Noah quickly scanned the data, his brows furrowing deeper. The Tyranids' evolution speed exceeded his expectations; this was clearly not a speed achievable through mere evolution.
It was evident that the Tyranid threat far exceeded his imagination... Perhaps the so-called Great Devourer was not the Tyranids' main consciousness, or the scale of the Tyranids was not just the small fraction he saw before him... These bugs must have already possessed this kind of technology, but they hadn't needed to use it before, so they hadn't made their bodies that hard.
And now, after the previous engagements, these Tyranids felt it necessary to employ this technology, thus utilizing a large amount of biomass.
"Trajan, if I let you continue to lead the fleet in combat, how confident are you that you can hold back those Tyranids?"
Although Noah could analyze it himself, he had only received data. A more accurate analysis would come from Trajan, who had actually engaged the Tyranids.
"Report, Warmaster, I have about 20% confidence that I can delay the enemy. At the same time, I estimate with 80% certainty that they can break through my defenses within a month!"
"This is a result I've obtained at the cost of everyone's lives. The enemy's scale is simply too immense, and since they have specifically strengthened their surface skin, their weapons will undoubtedly be strengthened as well."
"One month is my most optimistic estimate."
Trajan's face was extremely grim. As the commander of the Custodes, he should not have spoken such words.
To say such a thing was undoubtedly to abandon all the dignity of the Custodes.
But no matter how powerful the Custodes were, what could they do on the level of interstellar combat?
In true large-scale fleet engagements, warships were the main theme of everything.
Although the Custodes were powerful, they were merely ground units.
Trajan's words made Noah realize the seriousness of the current situation.
Even though the War Moon was being built with overtime, it would still take at least another 6 months!
But Trajan had just said that he could only hold out for one month with his life, and that was an optimistic estimate, meaning the time might be even less than he imagined.
"Damn it!"
Noah's face became extremely grim, and he began to use his super brain to find a solution to this incident.
The next second, a solution appeared in his mind.
Necrons, he could seek help from the Necrons!
The Necrons were also once the overlords of the galaxy, and this galaxy did not entirely belong to humanity. The Necrons also had a place in the galaxy, and no one would escape the arrival of the Swarm.
Coupled with the Necrons' means of faster-than-light travel and large planetary-class battleships, seeking their help in the face of such a large-scale attack from the Swarm was undoubtedly the wisest choice.
"Trajan, you first mobilize your fleet and prepare for battle. You wait, I'll go get you some foreign aid!"
With that, Noah hung up the communication with Trajan and began to contact the Necrons.
Noah's communication went directly to Overlord, making him shiver and hastily answer the call, even as he was fantasizing about his dynasty's imminent awakening.
"I'm here, I'm here! Is there anything you need my help with?" After the communication, Overlord eagerly tidied his appearance while also not forgetting to ask Noah what he needed.
"Overlord, do you have the contact information for the Shadow Hand, Mesophet?"
"I need your help, but you alone cannot help me with this matter. I need the help of the Infinite Empire. Do you understand what I mean? This matter concerns the crisis and survival of the entire galaxy."
"Yes, yes!" Overlord quickly pulled up the communication code. "I will connect you to Lord Shadow Hand right away!"
The communication was quickly transferred, and Mesophet's holographic projection appeared before Noah.
At this time, he was in the Triarch Council, preparing to deal with a large number of matters and summon all the Necron Overlords for a meeting.
But when he saw Noah, he immediately put down his work.
"Warmaster, what's wrong?" Mesophet keenly noticed the urgency in Noah's expression.
"The main force of the Swarm is approaching, and its scale far exceeds expectations," Noah directly transmitted the reconnaissance data. "We need the support of the Infinite Empire."
Mesophet quickly scanned the data, and a hint of shock flashed in his mechanical eyes: "120 planetary-class Leviathans capable of faster-than-light combat? This is impossible!
How could a Swarm of this magnitude appear on the edge of the galaxy? Has there been a breach in our Infinite Empire's defenses?"
Mesophet said, somewhat disbelievingly, that he couldn't believe a Swarm fleet of this scale on the edge of the galaxy had quietly bypassed or broken through their defenses.
The Necrons had long known about the arrival of the Swarm, and the Swarm that the Imperium was dealing with was merely a small batch that had slipped through the Necron defenses.
But now that this Swarm fleet had appeared on the edge of the galaxy, did it mean that the Necron defenses had a problem?
"Warmaster, please wait a moment. I will now contact the Infinite Empire fleet on the outer defensive line of the galaxy to find out where this Swarm fleet leaked in from!"
Now it was no longer just Noah who took this matter seriously; the Necron Empire also took it extremely seriously.
These almost all-consuming Swarm represented a devastating blow to any life form in the galaxy, and they needed to ensure that these guys could not continue to advance into the inner galaxy.
Just as Mesophet said this, Noah also keenly noticed the meaning in his words.
"Wait, did you just say that your Infinite Empire has a defensive line on the outer edge of the galaxy to block these Swarm?"
As a top scientist, how could Noah miss a few words? So he immediately focused on the key point.
"Yes!" Mesophet immediately admitted it, as there was nothing to hide about this matter. The Infinite Empire bore the important responsibility of guarding the galaxy.
Because this was their home, it was only natural to send fleets to block the approach of the Swarm.
In the past, there was no need to tell the forces within the galaxy because they simply weren't qualified to fight the Swarm, and even the Eldar were already like waste.
But now it was different. The rise of humanity and their mastery of faster-than-light combat capabilities showed the Infinite Empire the emergence of reinforcements.
"As early as when these Swarm were attracted by a Necron beacon established by you humans, our Infinite Empire had already detected their arrival.
Their arrival meant destruction, so the awakened dynasties and our Triarch Council issued a war directive at that time."
"Warmaster, you should also know that our Infinite Empire also possesses faster-than-light travel speed. Our faster-than-light travel can directly ignore physics and can reach speeds far beyond what ordinary civilizations can imagine."
"Therefore, for the Infinite Empire, the Milky Way galaxy is simply too small. For an Infinite Empire with a soul, we can completely expand beyond the galaxy.
It's just that a civilization without a soul means no future, and no heart to do it."
Noah agreed with what the other party said. Indeed, for a civilization that has mastered faster-than-light travel, as long as their travel speed is fast enough, the territory they can control will increase with their speed.
At the Necrons' faster-than-light speed, how could their range be limited to such a small area as the Milky Way? Just like after the Terran Federation reached a larger universe, the Terran Federation's territory had expanded to the scale of countless galaxies.
If the Necrons were still only within the Milky Way, that would be the biggest problem, so Noah nodded in agreement.
"We have already clashed with these destructive Swarm earlier. At that time, we set up a net on the outer edge of the galaxy as a defense.
But as you know, our Infinite Empire's people suffer from a severe lack of troops, especially intelligent life forms, due to the absence of souls."
"Such a lack of troops made it impossible for us to completely block the Swarm on the outer edge of the galaxy."
"During our resistance against these bugs, some small-scale Swarm did break through our defenses, but the Imperium should have been able to handle them at the time. We have never encountered such a large-scale Swarm breaking through our defenses before."
"So I need to go check the defensive line now. You contacting me now should be for reinforcements, right? I will contact a group of reinforcements to fight alongside you."
The matter of contacting the Necrons for reinforcements thus came to a simple end.
After Noah personally requested reinforcements, the Necrons quickly agreed and immediately prepared to dispatch them.
This was something Noah had never expected.
He had underestimated the importance of the soul to a civilization; if Noah were to suffer any misfortune, the Necrons' Infinite Empire, having just begun to rise, would have its hopes directly extinguished.
This was the hope for a civilization's continuation, and no amount of caution was too much; as long as Noah deemed it necessary, the Necrons would spare no effort in providing aid.
Of course, this full effort of aid definitely did not include resources, as resources were used to purchase souls.
It wasn't until he hung up the communication with the Necrons that Noah slowly turned his head and sat in his seat, deep in thought.
This communication with Mesophyt had yielded no small harvest for him; he had gained a large amount of information, especially concerning this part of the universe.
In other words, the Necrons had established a solid defensive line on the outskirts of the galaxy to resist the attacks of the Tyranid Swarm.
Therefore, under these circumstances, most of the Tyranid Swarm's main force should have been intercepted by the Necrons.
He then had to re-evaluate the threat of the Tyranid Swarm and the true strength of the Necrons' combat power; the former was his enemy, the latter was his potential ally, or rather, definitely his ally.
As long as the Necrons remained dependent on souls, the entire Infinite Empire would be Noah's ally.
What could the Necrons, who no longer possessed bodies, pursue?
Mostly things of a spiritual nature, or things symbolizing status and nobility.
For example, luxury goods, those things simply did not conflict with humans.
This was also why the Terran Federation could easily accept robots.
Noah needed to understand the true scale of the Tyranid Swarm, and at the same time, he needed to know how powerful the Necrons currently were.
He needed to know what kind of help and threats his enemies and allies could bring him.
However, after about two minutes of thought, Noah stopped thinking.
There was still too little information; there was no need to continue pondering. The priority was to inform Trajan of this news first.
Standing up, Noah reconnected with Trajan, who immediately appeared in the communication.
"Warmaster? What were you just doing?"
"Trajan, I've secured a batch of support for you from the Necron Empire. They will send a contingent of reinforcements to your location to fight alongside you. Remember, they are allies, so don't call them 'xenos' or 'aliens'."
"Machine life can be our allies. There's no need to be overly exclusive towards them. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish, understand?"
Noah first informed Trajan about the impending reinforcements, and at the same time, he emphasized some matters regarding the Necrons.
The Imperium of Man could be said to have developed severe PTSD regarding the Iron Warriors, or robots.
Furthermore, the Necrons had nothing to do with xenos. To prevent the Commander of the Custodes from doing anything detrimental to humanity, Noah couldn't help but add a few extra words of caution, to avoid any scenes he didn't wish to see.
Trajan was clearly stunned for a moment, but he quickly nodded seriously.
"Understood, Warmaster. You can trust me; I am not a rash person. However, given how powerful the Necrons are, do we need to be wary of them to some extent?"
As Custodes, they considered many issues, such as whether the Necrons would pose a threat to the Imperium of Man. To Trajan's question, Noah answered decisively.
"There is no need. Their overall strength far surpasses our current situation. Their military power should be far stronger than ours, intercepting most of the Tyranid Swarm outside the galaxy. This is meaningful for us."
"Moreover, if they truly harbored any ill will towards us, it wouldn't take them long to destroy us. We and they have only reached an agreement on a certain level."
"But the gap in overall strength is vast, so trust them completely. If they truly have any ill will, we are powerless to resist."
"And as long as the Necrons still need souls, they will not fall out with us. You only need to know this much."
Noah was not like the Emperor, who kept many things from his subordinates. On the contrary, he explained everything clearly to his subordinates, providing a detailed analysis of the Necrons' situation.
Considering the character of the Custodes, Noah specifically emphasized the disparity in overall national strength between the Necrons and the Imperium of Man at this time, to prevent the Custodes from doing anything unnecessary.
"I understand, Warmaster. I will handle it appropriately and will not do anything superfluous to disturb your plans."
As the Commander of the Custodes, Noah had already said so much, and Trajan naturally knew how to deal with the Necrons moving forward.
If Noah hadn't told him that the Necrons' power far surpassed that of the Imperium of Man, he might have actually tried to be wary.
But after Noah said this, he no longer had that idea.
Even the Warmaster had stated the Infinite Empire's power, so the other party must truly be powerful.
"Of course, you don't need to worry too much. Our moon of war will be ready soon. As long as we get the basic things done, humanity's development will also be very fast.
We will eventually reach a point where we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Necrons, or even surpass them.
After all, they have developed for so many years; it won't be easy to catch up with them in just a few tens of thousands of years."
Although directly telling Trajan how powerful the Necrons' combat power was, was to prevent this Commander of the Custodes from doing anything superfluous.
However, to prevent this Commander of the Custodes from losing his fighting spirit, Noah still explained to him.
Have confidence in your future!
With a scientist of his caliber supporting humanity's development, reaching parity with the Necrons was 100% certain, and even surpassing the Necrons would not be difficult.
He had that confidence and that brain!
"Yes, Warmaster, I understand. I will not lose confidence, you can rest assured!" Trajan said, and it was visibly clear that his mood had also become more spirited.
The Custodes had little emotion; this problem had been resolved by Noah. If they lost their emotions, were they still human?
Certainly not.
Hearing Noah's words, Trajan's morale could be said to have soared considerably.
"Very good, go. Although the Infinite Empire is our ally, you must also show your backbone and not let our allies look down on us.
"The glory of humanity now rests entirely on the shoulders of your Custodes."
This made Trajan feel the immense weight of responsibility on him.
"Understood. The Custodes will never let the glory of humanity fall to the ground. We will defend humanity's glory!"
The humans in this part of the universe have a significant characteristic: an almost incomprehensible pursuit of glory.
Glory, glory is everything to them. They are willing to pay with their lives for their glory!
Trajan ended his communication with Noah and then began to mobilize the Custodes fleet. The Custodes fleet had previously suffered losses, but had received new reinforcements during this time.
As of now, the total number of Custodes main fleets is 10, with patrol fleet strength.
Fleets from the 108 worlds of the Ethereal Starfield continuously provided support to the Custodes.
More importantly, in addition to the strength of 10 patrol fleets, the Custodes also possessed something more crucial: a larger number of auxiliary vessels.
The mass production of warships by Noah's 108 Ethereal Worlds took time, but the simplest modifications to the Imperium's existing warships did not take long.
A batch of existing Imperium warships had already completed preliminary modifications and began to be dispatched in the direction of the Custodes. At the same time, while the Imperium's weapons might have been somewhat lacking in lethality, their strength lay in sheer brute force!
The Imperial fleet possessed a large number of redundant facilities. After these facilities were removed and improved, each Imperium warship became a vessel capable of posing a threat to the Swarm!
In addition to the 10 patrol fleets serving as main battleships, the Empire's various auxiliary vessels combined exceeded 400,000.
This number was still continuously increasing, with large numbers of Imperial warships completing modifications and being directly dispatched to the edge of the galaxy almost every day.
Watching the number of warships under his command steadily increase, Trajan's mood also grew day by day.
He was now waiting for the arrival of the Necrons, and on the tenth day of Trajan's wait, the Necron reinforcements arrived.
The Necrons deployed over 10 World Engines, plus other types of warships, bringing the total number of combat-ready warships to 788.
The Necron fleet's numbers even surpassed the combined total of the 10 patrol fleets deployed by humanity. After all, the total number of human warships combined was only a mere 610, and they didn't even have planetary-class warships like the War Moon.
Undoubtedly, the Necron fleet at this time was far superior in strength to the Imperium, as this was merely one fleet dispatched by the Necron Overlords, not all of the Necron warships.
Although Obyron and Trajan were not particularly close, they both knew of each other. Therefore, Obyron sent a direct communication to Trajan.
"human commander, I believe your name is Trajan, correct? You previously served under Warmaster Noah. I am responsible for leading this fleet to support you."
"Our upcoming operations will be cooperative. My World Engines and I will do our best to eliminate the Swarm's planetary-class Leviathans for you. I know your Titan warships also possess sufficient lethality against those planetary-class Leviathans, so I will send you the specific combat plan shortly."
"You can review it, and if you have any other opinions, you can communicate with me, and we can discuss it further."
Since Obyron and Trajan were acquainted, he did not display the arrogance typical of Necrons. Instead, he spoke to Trajan as an equal, in a tone of discussion.
He was willing to discuss and then execute combat missions with Trajan. He held an equal attitude towards humanity, unlike ordinary Necrons; even common minor nobles among them viewed humans as pests.
The galaxy belonged to the Necron's Imperium of the Undying. They viewed all races within the galaxy as transients, or rather, as long-term guests and pests in their home. This was the old Necron perspective.
However, now, communications from the Triarch Council had informed all Necron nobles and overlords, causing them to set aside their prejudices against humanity.
After all, it was just a mere Milky Way galaxy. Although it was the homeworld system of their Imperium of the Undying, it wasn't anything super important.
Compared to the vastness of the universe, the Milky Way was just a small speck.
They were still willing to share it with humanity.
Putting everything else aside, if humanity could provide them with souls, then sharing one galaxy with them was perfectly acceptable.
"Alright, many thanks. It's you again assisting us in battle."
Trajan added a word at this moment. After all, this was an acquaintance, and given the Necrons' attitude, he shouldn't be too arrogant to avoid hindering the relationship between humanity and the Necrons.
It was understandable not knowing what the Necrons meant before, but Trajan had been with the Warmaster for so long now. If he couldn't figure out the true nature of the Necrons, he would truly be going backward in life.
The Imperium's previous advantage in battles against the Necrons was because the Imperium's weapons were too primitive, considered by the Necrons to be merely Stone Age technology.
The Necrons' various shields and weapons were prepared for god-level warfare, which led to the Imperium's macro-cannons, weapons that still used physical projectiles, being able to pose a certain threat to Necron warships.
Advanced civilizations like the Necrons truly found it difficult to understand why any civilization would still use physical weapons in the space age.
However, now that Trajan commanded the patrol fleet, he had already realized that the shields on Necron warships might not be able to withstand the attacks of Imperial macro-cannons, because they had never anticipated such low-tech weapons.
But now, his warships were not those garbage Imperial warships, but the warships given to him by Noah, and such warships possessed a certain level of technology.
Trajan knew very well that his fleet only needed 3 to 4 Titan ships, and with a combined main gun attack, a planetary-class Swarm Leviathan would be annihilated.
However, if such an attack were directed at a Necron warship, it would not have the same effect.
Once the Terran Federation's warships, which had entered a god-level civilization, engaged the Necrons, the weapons equipped by the Necrons would be effectively utilized.
While the Necrons' defenses might not be able to withstand the ancient macro-cannons of the Imperium, their weapons did not mean they couldn't block the Terran Federation's inferno rays.
Sometimes, being backward is not necessarily a bad thing; at least, being so backward that others don't understand you can also be a form of strength.
As the human fleet and the Necron fleet united, thousands of warships began to head towards the edge of the planet.
Since both fleets could travel at hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times the speed of light, they could be said to be neck and neck.
Of course, it wasn't that the Necron warships couldn't go faster, but the current speed was sufficient, and it also allowed them to look after their human allies.
The massive fleet headed in the direction of the Swarm, while the auxiliary warships of the Imperium advanced leisurely on their way.
Although they had undergone certain modern improvements, due to their inherent limitations, the Imperium's warships, even after modifications, could only reach 2,200 times the speed of light.
This speed was far too slow compared to the 60,000 times the speed of light at which both main fleets were advancing.
Therefore, by the time the main fleets of both sides arrived at the exact engagement position with the Swarm, the Imperium's auxiliary fleet was still slowly making its way.
However, these auxiliary warships were not meant to be deployed immediately; it didn't matter, they were only used to annihilate ordinary Swarm units.
The initial phase of the war was, of course, dominated by the main battleships.
When the Necron and human fleets arrived, hundreds of Swarm planetary-class Leviathans also appeared within their detector range.
"Lord Oberon, shall we attack?" The Necron fleet was more powerful, so Trajan chose to ask for his allies' opinions.
"Of course!"
"Just press forward with the entire army; these planetary-class Leviathans are merely low-tier warships, destroying them will be easy!"
Unlike humans, who rarely engaged the Swarm, the Necron database contained extensive combat data against the Swarm. Thus, Oberon could clearly see that although the Swarm units before him appeared to be planetary-class Leviathans,
if you were to talk about their combat power, they weren't much; after all, even Titan warships could inflict devastating blows on them. Such warships were merely substandard goods.
This operation, being at the edge of the planet, mostly took place in a void, so the battlefield was set in the emptiness of space. The desolate cosmos was broken by the clamor of warships at this moment.
Thousands of streaks of light fired from the surface of the warships before the Swarm even truly entered firing range.
Trans-light-year strikes were not exclusive to humans; the Necrons, of course, also possessed them, and their trans-light-year attacks had already hit the Swarm.
The Swarm fleet clearly did not anticipate the allied forces would take the initiative to attack. When the first wave of trans-light-year strikes hit, blinding flashes of fire erupted from the surface of several planetary-class Leviathans. Their bio-armor rapidly carbonized and disintegrated under the bombardment of energy weapons.
"Target hit! Confirming destruction of 18 Leviathans!" The observer on the warship reported excitedly.
The combined strikes of the Necrons and humans were almost a fatal blow to this ordinary Swarm fleet.
Despite such a devastating attack, the bugs did not immediately flee.
The Swarm fleet was not made of clay; they quickly began to regroup.
The surviving Leviathans immediately changed formation, releasing dense spore clouds as cover.
Strangely, these spore clouds were able to block some of the federation fleet's detection, and a portion of the Necron fleet's detection was also obstructed by them.
Within the detectable range of both fleets, the destroyed Leviathan wreckage, under the cover and repair of the spore clouds, began to writhe. New biological tissue regenerated at a visible rate.
The destruction of these warships was not an issue for the Swarm; their focus was simply to devour enough biomass to restore their combat capabilities.
However, the human fleet was not afraid of this tactic this time. Just two hours later, the main cannons from both the Necrons and humans fired another volley!
The magnificent attack once again fiercely struck the Swarm in space, destroying dozens more planetary-class Leviathans.
Even if these bugs could endlessly devour their own remains and transform back into sufficiently powerful combat units, what of it? All fear stems from insufficient firepower, and with the assistance of the Necrons, the human fleet's firepower was entirely sufficient.
More importantly, their main cannons only fired every two hours, but that didn't mean their secondary cannons couldn't. The secondary weapons continuously poured firepower onto the Swarm fleet, causing heavy losses to their warships on their way to the human legion's fleet.
Although the Swarm had undergone some minor evolutions in response to the previous human fleet, they had completely underestimated the Necron fleet joining the battle at this moment.
Furthermore, the Necrons had even dispatched such a massive fleet to support humanity, which meant that this war had virtually no suspense from the very beginning.
By the time the Imperium's auxiliary fleet belatedly arrived, most of the Swarm's large warships had already been destroyed.
The planetary-class Leviathans were all completely destroyed, and the remaining large Swarm warships, though attempting to devour the Leviathan wreckage to recover and grow stronger, were no match for battleships and cruisers.
Coupled with the Necron cruisers and tomb fleets, the bugs' plans were destined to fail, and they were quickly almost completely annihilated.
However, perhaps the Great Devourer realized that continuing to advance would only lead to a dead end.
Therefore, a small portion of the Swarm fleet hastily fled the battlefield before the human auxiliary fleet arrived.
The number of the Swarm fleet was not comparable to the combined numbers of the Necron and human main fleets. Relying on their vast numbers and smaller scale, a single tendril directly fled the area.
Normally, a small tendril of the Swarm fleet wouldn't have its own consciousness.
But this one was different.
Perhaps the main Swarm fleet knew it was doomed, so the Swarm consciousness transferred to this small tendril.
Or perhaps it was for some other reason.
In any case, during the time the human fleet arrived and began clearing the battlefield, it secretly headed in the direction of the Extreme Starfield.
It could sense a large amount of food there; as long as it could get in and devour a few planets, it could quickly bring back a new Swarm fleet.
Although it wouldn't be comparable to the current large scale, there was still hope.
A Tyranid hive Fleet stealthily bypassed the horrifying battlefield, continuing its approach towards the border of the Ultima Segmentum; it was hungry.
"Hungry, food..."
With an insatiable hunger and a desperate craving for sustenance, it continued to draw closer to the human frontier. But how could such a hive Fleet escape human detection?
When the true battle ceased, Trajan and his fleet soon discovered this small, fleeing Tyranid fleet.
When he realized the enemy was still heading towards the Ultima Segmentum, he immediately led his fleet in pursuit.
After all, this particular Tyranid fleet was incomparable to the main Tyranid force and was a somewhat unique entity.
When Trajan's fleet arrived before this Tyranid fleet, the creatures showed signs of panic.
Although its size couldn't compare to a Planetary Leviathan, it wasn't small either.
Yet, despite its size, this hive Fleet still displayed human-like panic.
Trajan looked at the Tyranid tendril before him, preparing to order an attack.
"Prepare..." Before his command was fully issued, an ineffable stream of consciousness linked with his brain.
"Spare me, I just want to eat. If you give me food, I will serve you!"
Trajan was stunned. He had never imagined that the Tyranids would initiate communication.
As the Captain-General of the Legio Custodes, he instinctively suspected it was a trap.
"Who are you?" Trajan cautiously inquired through the Psionic link.
"I am... static... hungry, I'm so hungry, I want to eat." The information transmitted by the stream of consciousness was intermittent.
As a result, Trajan couldn't understand what the other party was trying to express, nor who they truly were.
"You want to eat? I have no food for you here!" Unable to grasp the other party's meaning, Trajan chose to refuse directly and prepared to issue an order to continue eliminating this Tyranid fleet.
"No, please don't do that... I just want to live... I just want to eat."
Perhaps due to something else, but in the face of the threat of death, the consciousness of the Tyranid tendril managed to convey its intentions.
Trajan fell silent. He hadn't expected a Tyranid consciousness to beg for mercy, even expressing such simple desires as wanting to live and wanting to eat.
Of course, even with such fervent pleas from this Tyranid tendril, Trajan would never let it go.
But just as he was about to give the order to attack, he paused.
The powerful forms of those Tyranid Leviathans appeared in Trajan's mind, particularly the scene where even after being destroyed, other Tyranids could devour them and transform into different combat units.
Perhaps?
Perhaps he could try informing the Warmaster and let the Warmaster make the decision?
Thinking this, Trajan did not proceed to destroy the Tyranid tendril. Instead, he issued another command.
"Surround this Tyranid tendril! Do not allow it to run off! Ensure it remains here!"
"All fleets maintain encirclement formation!" Trajan ordered, "Do not open fire without my command!"
The Custodes fleet swiftly spread out, completely surrounding this unique Tyranid tendril.
The Necrons, naturally, also detected this fleeing small Tyranid fleet, but under Overlord Obyron's command, they did not approach.
Obyron merely cast his gaze upon the scene, and a moment later, he issued orders to his fleet.
"Our mission is complete. You may now return to your assigned defensive lines and continue to repel the Tyranid invasion. As for this small Tyranid fleet here, leave it to the humans."
"As a reward for your assistance this time, I shall personally grant you a soul."
As he spoke, Obyron's form vanished into his Crypt Blade, reappearing within a World Engine.
In his hand, he held a pure, flawless orb of light – the soul that all Necrons yearned for, a complete and pure soul.
"This soul is my personal thanks for you leading your fleet to assist and for obeying my command."
Saying this, the judge, who in front of one of the Triarchs, Mesophet, and his spouse, seemed like an imbecile, pushed the soul towards the other party.
As a Phaeron, he was indeed incompetent in many areas and acted like a fool.
However, this didn't mean he was inherently foolish. It was merely because when facing two beings of far higher status than himself, thinking of other things was useless.
When facing Noah and Mesophet, the best thing he could do was to be himself honestly and not attempt any schemes. But apart from facing those two, he still possessed some of a Phaeron's capabilities.
The pure and flawless soul exuded a power that all yearned for, and even the commander of this Necron fleet salivated at the sight of it.
He could feel his body's craving for this soul, an urge he himself found somewhat uncontrollable. Just as some dynasties enjoyed flaying, his need for a soul was irrepressible.
Irrepressible desire made him instinctively reach out with his mechanical hand towards the pure soul, and Obyron was not stingy; instead, he gently pushed the soul towards the other party.
The process of soul fusion had no visible special effects or anything of the sort. It was merely a very ordinary transformation: the Necron Overlord before Obyron became a complete Overlord possessing a soul.
"Hiss—I feel like I lack nothing now!"
The feeling of having a soul was simply too good. After acquiring a soul, the Necron Overlord couldn't help but groan.
"Thank you very much, Your Majesty Phaeron. Although you are not the Phaeron of our dynasty, I will remember your actions."
He who eats from another's hand is beholden to them. Since he had taken a soul from the Phaeron, he naturally had to show a little respect, and he was no fool.
Although the Necron Phaeron before him seemed to be merely the Phaeron of a small dynasty and appeared unremarkable.
His status was not as high as his own as an Overlord, but he had the favor of the Triarchs.
The Triarchs had personally appointed him as commander, which was undoubtedly a signal. As a competent Necron Overlord, he certainly knew what he could and could not do, what he should and should not do.
The Necrons' fleet departed, and Trajan quickly established communication with Noah.
"Warmaster, we have successfully eliminated the Tyranid Fleet that charged into our position, but a small accident occurred during the elimination of the Tyranid Fleet. A Swarm Tendril detached from their main fleet. Now it is requesting to join us; it only needs food."
Relic... In an instant, this term appeared in Noah's mind. Just like during his time in the Terran Federation, after defeating the Norn Parasite invasion, the federation fleet had once captured a Norn Parasite Queen.
At that time, the task of modifying this Norn Parasite Queen was handed over to him.
After his modifications, this Norn Parasite Queen successfully became a Relic of the federation.
the federation supplied it with food and maintained its vitality. In addition, they could spend 10,000 units of food at once to give to the Norn Parasite Queen.
Then, she would directly produce a small Norn Parasite fleet for the federation.
However, after instantly producing a Norn Parasite fleet, it would need to rest for 10 years... Of course, they could continuously provide it with food and have her produce, but it might not be controllable.
As one of the natural disasters, the Tyranid Swarm possesses powerful combat capabilities, even the Tyranid Swarm under the federation's control was no exception.
Although the Tyranid Swarm does not have a shield system, their hull value and armor value are far higher than those of the federation's ordinary warships.
They are a biological civilization that has successfully evolved biological armor almost identical to neutron armor using their own bodies.
In addition, when used by the Tyranid Swarm, the performance of these biological armors even exceeds neutron armor by about 80%. This is an extremely powerful unit.
Therefore, after hearing Trajan say that a Swarm Tendril had been captured, Noah was somewhat moved.
"If it needs food, give it food! Bring that tendril back to me!"
The losses of the human army and the federation fleet both require personnel and resources, and these expenditures made Noah feel a little distressed. However, if a portion of the fleet, especially the suicide fleet, could be replaced by the Tyranid Swarm, then Noah would not feel distressed at all.
Seeing Noah's rather excited expression, Trajan was suddenly somewhat shocked. It was the first time he had seen such a pleasantly surprised expression on the Warmaster's face, as if... as if he had encountered some rare treasure. This was truly astonishing.
He immediately understood the importance his Warmaster placed on this Swarm Tendril, so he solemnly replied.
"Yes, Warmaster, we will safely bring it to the Segmentum Tempestus!"
"Hmm, remember to maintain its vital signs. If it needs food, gather some food nearby to sustain its life, but do not let it produce new Tyranid units. At least not until it reaches me, and I have had a chance to modify it. Do not do that before."
"If it attempts to escape at any point during the journey, do not hesitate to destroy it without mercy!"
Although Noah was very happy to see this Tyranid Fleet and felt that he would have a suicide squad to use, he was still cautious.
However, this did not mean Noah was willing for the Tyranid Swarm to cause losses to humanity. If the Tyranid Swarm caused losses to humanity, Noah would rather destroy it!
"Understood!" Trajan responded solemnly. "I will personally escort this Swarm Tendril back to the Segmentum Tempestus."
After ending the communication, Trajan immediately adjusted the fleet deployment. He ordered three Patrol Fleets to lead the way, another three to guard the rear, and the remaining four fleets to tightly surround that special Swarm Tendril.
"Provide it with the minimum necessary nutritional supply," Trajan ordered, "but all weapon systems are to remain locked. If there is any abnormality, open fire immediately."
During the return journey, the Swarm Tendril behaved unusually docilely. It quietly absorbed the provided nutrient solution, showing no aggression.
This was enough to suggest that this tendril might indeed have a will different from the great devourer; otherwise, it should not have been so well-behaved.
Of course, specific matters still needed further analysis. the great devourer was the highest will of the Tyranid Swarm; this was a conclusion previously reached by the Imperium and was not so easily overturned.
On the way back, the Tyranid Swarm gradually caught up with the fleet's speed, beginning to accelerate its travel rhythm. They quickly arrived at the forward defensive positions of the Ultima Segmentum and then passed through the stargate.
The existence of the stargate indeed brought too many changes to the Imperium of Man. Having such fast travel allowed the Imperium of Man to move unimpeded throughout the entire galaxy. Even with the Imperium's abstract flight speed, this was still the case!
As soon as the fleet arrived at the Segmentum Obscurus 108 Worlds, Noah's communication came through once again.
"Take it away from the Segmentum Obscurus 108 Worlds. I will give you the coordinates of a barren planet. Take it there!"
"A biological laboratory is under construction there. Take it to that desolate place to avoid causing losses to humanity."
Trajan immediately adjusted course, leading the fleet to the coordinates specified by Noah. It was a barren star system on the edge of the Segmentum Tempestus, with only a few desolate planets and a large asteroid belt.
When they arrived, a newly built biological research station was already faintly visible within the asteroid belt. This research station utilized the most advanced biological isolation technology, with multiple layers of protective force fields covering its exterior.
More importantly, two Heaven-Supporting Fortresses and a large number of orbital defense facilities were also built in this asteroid belt to deal with any potential riot by the Swarm Tendril at any time.
For Noah, although he wanted to transform this Swarm Tendril into one of his units, it was, after all, a Tyranid Swarm, so extra precautions were necessary.
The Swarm Tendril, which had been very quiet while following the fleet, also became somewhat afraid after seeing the Heaven-Supporting Fortresses and their orbital defense facilities.
It could sense the immense destructive power of the weapons carried on the Heaven-Supporting Fortresses, which were even more terrifying than the titan warships it had faced previously.
The Heaven-Supporting Fortresses deployed here were built by Noah during the reconstruction of the Segmentum Obscurus 108 Worlds, and their weapon performance was naturally far superior to the main cannons of the previously built titan-class warships.
After all, the Heaven-Supporting Fortress is much larger than a titan warship, and because they are only fixed in the void, they can also be better equipped with more terrifying weapons.
If a titan warship hitting the Swarm Tendril would merely damage its entire tendril to the point of near death, then being targeted by a Heaven-Supporting Fortress would result in its complete annihilation with just a single shot from a secondary cannon.
Fear appeared in the consciousness of the Swarm Tendril.
However, although the Swarm Tendril was very afraid, she ultimately managed to suppress the fear in her heart and became calm.
Because she knew very well that if she showed any sign of abnormality, the human fleet opposite would open fire, and the terrifying weapons around her would completely atomize her.
Noah was very satisfied to see that the hive Mother Ship could remain calm, and he nodded in the laboratory.
Staying calm is very important.
If the Swarm Tendril opposite was currently panicking, he would undoubtedly immediately lower his evaluation of its value.
It's not that simple to domesticate a Swarm Tendril; the most important thing is to first establish communication with the other party, and with his powerful Psionic, this was not difficult for Noah.
"Tell me your name?" Noah asked the name of the Swarm Tendril opposite through a psionic link.
A very pleasant female voice emanated from the Swarm Tendril.
"Ouk Lier, sir, if necessary, you may call me Ouk Lier."
The Swarm Tendril showed no surprise at Noah directly speaking to her; instead, she obediently offered her name to Noah.
"Hmm, you can call me Noah or Warmaster Grand Marshal, either address is fine."
"I've heard about your request from Trajan, you want to eat a full meal, you want to be full, is that right?"
Having obtained the other party's name, Noah didn't waste words and went straight to the point.
"Yes, yes, Great Warmaster, I just want to eat my fill, nothing more..." The Swarm Tendril's voice became a little weak. Hunger constantly tormented the Tyranid Swarm, making them try to devour and expand.
"Do you know that you can never eat your fill?"
"Your gene sequence is problematic; there's a set of genes in your gene sequence that causes you to never be full. As soon as you eat your fill, you will decompose into a massive fleet, and then you'll be hungry again."
For Noah, understanding a Tyranid Swarm's gene sequence was not a difficult task. He only needed to look at it a few times and scan it with equipment to see where the problem lay.
"I know, but we cannot improve this part of our genes. We are hungry, but this is also the gene sequence we rely on for survival; it is the foundation of everything we are."
The Swarm Tendril knew very well what the hunger gene sequence on her body brought her, but she couldn't modify or improve this sequence because it was the foundation of everything they were. Without this foundation, all their genetic codes would instantly collapse.
Genetic collapse would undoubtedly be fatal for a race like the Tyranid Swarm, whose primary focus is biotechnology.
Furthermore, this core hunger code was also exceptionally robust, and no method could process this core code.
"It seems you are well aware of what the genes within you bring. Your race has become so powerful because of this gene, and likewise, it is because of this gene that you are now so hungry."
"I cannot help you remove that gene sequence from your body, but I can give you some food. While I cannot remove your hunger gene, it is entirely possible to maintain your numbers within a certain limit and then provide you with food. It can preserve your temporary feeling of fullness."
That's right, the Tyranid Swarm would indeed always be hungry and never eat their fill, because they were constantly consuming and producing various combat facilities.
However, at a certain volume, they also had limits. Once that limit was reached, the Tyranid Swarm could also experience an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and fullness.
Noah's words undoubtedly conveyed to this Swarm Tendril that humanity could accept them and provide them with food.
The Tendril was excited, she was exceptionally excited!
"Thank you very much, sir, thank you very much. Please command me if there is anything you need me to do; I am willing to serve you."
To eat one's fill and have a sense of satiety, what a blissful thing that was! The Swarm Tendril gesticulated wildly, overflowing with excitement.
"The thing I need you to do is simple: fight for me!"
"To be safe, I will implant some means into your body to ensure your loyalty. If you are willing, you can make your choice now.
I will have the engineering ships install what I need to install on you."
"I will not hide anything from you. As long as you agree to let us install those devices on you, your life will be in our control.
I know you can transfer your primary consciousness to any Tyranid Swarm unit you produce, but trust me, once I do this, you will no longer have that ability."
"Of course, relatively, because of this device, the Tyranid Fleet you produce can also receive our command. In this way, it also means you have completed our transaction, and we will provide you with food."
"This is naked exploitation, without any pity or anything like that. We have only just met, so there is no so-called friendship or affection. Whether you are willing to do this, you can make your decision now."
Noah told the Swarm Tendril opposite him everything and gave the choice to the Tendril.
He had no need to hide these things from a Swarm Tendril, because he disdained to do so... Ouk Lier didn't even think. After Noah explained everything to her, she almost immediately gave her answer the moment Noah finished speaking.
"I am willing, I am very willing!!!"
There was no intention of refusing at all. After Noah finished speaking, she eagerly expressed her willingness, without the slightest resistance.
Heaven knew how much the endless hunger tormented the Swarm Tendril. This Tendril could be said to have been driven mad by this hunger. Now that Noah had given her a choice, how could she not be excited? How could she not be tempted?
To her, the things Noah mentioned had nothing to do with her. She could eat her fill here, so why would she run away?
Wasn't the sole goal of all Tyranid Swarm to eat their fill?
As for severing ties with the Tyranid Fleet under her command and obeying human orders, that was even less within her consideration.
Why do you think the will of the Tyranid Swarm is always hungry? Isn't it because they expand after eating their fill, and then their numbers increase?
If consumption increases, how can they not be hungry?
If the situation of consciousness transfer with those below was cut off, then she wouldn't feel the hunger of those fleets below, wouldn't her life be much better?
Only a fool would refuse such a good thing!
Moreover, she actually had no choice. If she didn't agree to the humans, then this Swarm Tendril would be an enemy.
humanity's attitude towards enemies was clear: undoubtedly, the surrounding fleet and those terrifying orbital weapons would destroy her.
Ouk Lier felt that she was not a fool; she was willing to pledge her loyalty to humanity.
"Excellent!" Noah was very pleased with the other party's sensible attitude.
"As a token of humanity's sincerity, I will now provide you with 100 units of food. This food is enough for you to have a full meal. At the same time, I do not require you to produce combat units with the swarm you generate; instead, use them to produce your production species."
"humanity is willing to support you, but you must also Daemonstrate your value. humanity is not yet wealthy enough to keep such a large pet, do you understand?"
"Understood, understood," Oakh Riel nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood Noah's meaning. He stated that he would prove his worth.
Noah's psionic link with him was severed after this conversation. Subsequently, a large number of transport ships, fully loaded with food, headed in that direction.
100 units of food, if conserved, could feed a normal human imperial planet with hundreds of billions of people, sustaining the entire planet's population for at least ten months.
The amount of food Noah provided this time was incredibly generous. Such a vast quantity of food was delivered to the swarm tendril, continuously being fed into its mouth, allowing it to devour everything.
"Great!" For a bug, eating—especially eating its fill—was the greatest pleasure.
Moreover, this round of eating required no effort on its part, which undoubtedly made it even happier.
As for serving the other party like a dog and being fitted with equipment, that was not an issue in its eyes.
Numerous feeding orifices began to constantly chew the delivered food, rapidly converting it. Along the edges of the tendril, a large number of production chambers started to appear.
Oakh Riel understood the difference between continuous full meals and a single full meal.
If he now enhanced his production capabilities and Daemonstrated his value, these humans would undoubtedly continue to provide him with food.
The joy of eating and the feeling of satiety were simply too delightful for him; he couldn't help but continue to enjoy such pleasure.
Over the next few days of feeding, he displayed his powerful production capabilities, with a large number of production chambers appearing within his body.
Meanwhile, scientists in the biological laboratory collected his data and made inferences.
It wasn't until all the food had been consumed by the tendril that a scientist approached Noah to report on the current situation.
"Reporting, Warmaster, we currently cannot directly quantify its production capacity, but given that we can provide it with sufficient food, it should be able to easily produce billions of units of troops daily."
"Although many of these units are common Ripper Swarms and the like, this still Daemonstrates its powerful production capacity. We can use this Norn-Queen tendril as a troop source to launch attacks against any civilization that dares to resist humanity!"
The scientists were quite satisfied with the Norn-Queen tendril's performance. After all, this creature could produce vast numbers of troops, and these troops would undoubtedly make the best cannon fodder.
These creatures lacked consciousness and would not be controlled by Chaos, so there was nothing more suitable than such a large army to serve as cannon fodder.
The scientists were excited. When these swarm armies were deployed to the battlefield, they would undoubtedly become a backbone in reducing casualties for the Imperium.
And listening to their report, Noah was also very pleased.
This is good, isn't it?
With such an efficient source of troops, the Imperium could employ human wave tactics when conquering and striking hostile planets.
Although the Imperium also had massive numbers of Astra Militarum forces, the Astra Militarum were ultimately human, and the cost of heavy casualties was high.
Noah did not want to see large numbers of human deaths unnecessarily.
"Alright, now observe and learn as I perform the next operation on it, especially you, Vita.
Follow me closely and learn well. You are a student I am currently focusing on cultivating. If you cannot learn thoroughly, don't blame me for expelling you from my tutelage."
Noah specifically named Vita, the student he had just taken from the Adeptus Mechanicus. This Archmagos was kept by his side, receiving direct instruction.
Besides Vita, Archmagos Belisarius Cawl also stood beside Vita.
Compared to Vita, who was merely accepted as a prospective student by Noah, Belisarius Cawl was different.
As one of the few upright scientists in the Imperium who was willing to explore and conduct his own research, Noah had long ago taken him as his disciple and personally taught him.
"If there's anything you don't understand, ask your senior brother Cawl. He possesses enough knowledge to guide you."
"Yes, Master!" Vita saluted respectfully, his mechanical eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge. Cawl nodded steadily, gesturing for Vita to stand beside him.
Noah walked to the control console in the center of the laboratory and began a deep modification of Oakh Riel. His hands moved quickly across the control panel, and the holographic projection displayed the detailed physiological structure of the Norn-Queen tendril.
Initially, the two Archmagi of the Adeptus Mechanicus could observe Noah's actions, but once the operation officially began, Noah's hands moved so rapidly that the two Archmagi could only see streaks of afterimages.
Correspondingly, a large number of engineering ships around the Norn-Queen tendril also began to move.
Numerous metal components began to be installed into the Norn-Queen tendril's body, and at the same time, pieces of unknown metallic fittings also formed a huge array within the Norn-Queen tendril's body.
Six standard Terran hours later, the modification of the Norn-Queen tendril was completely finished. From its outward appearance, it seemed as though the Norn-Queen tendril had not undergone any modifications.
It still looked the same as when it first arrived, but the identical exterior did not mean there were no changes within.
At this moment, the Norn-Queen tendril's interior had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Unlike other organs composed of flesh and blood, its flesh-and-blood organs now contained a massive chip crafted from null-element armor, and this chip was constantly expanding throughout its entire body using a nano-core.
A force field, almost invisible to everyone, was appearing around this tendril.
Oakh Riel could even feel a terrifying sense of mortal danger ringing alarm bells in his brain whenever Noah showed even the slightest dissatisfaction with him.
That human Warmaster had not lied; he truly held the power of life and death over this Norn-Queen tendril.
Now, he had no other path but to sincerely serve humanity.
The transformation of the Swarm Tentacles can be considered a great success; now, Li has a suicide squad that can be deployed to the battlefield.
But looking across the galaxy, how many battlefields would require humanity to deploy such an army?
Currently, does humanity no longer have enemies in the galaxy that require them to commit all their national strength to combat?
The only powerful opponent, the Necrons, have now become humanity's allies.
As for the orks, these remnants of the Old Ones are indeed somewhat powerful.
However, for humanity, the threat of the orks is not how powerful they are, but simply how annoying they are; their characteristic ability to grow anywhere makes them impossible to completely eradicate.
If they didn't have this trait, these green-skinned armed units would have long been annihilated by humanity and would have become humanity's best production units.
The Imperium seems to have entered its golden age; no enemy can threaten the security of the Imperium, and with the alliance with the Necrons, the threat of the Swarm to them has been greatly reduced.
With Noah at the helm, the Imperium can fully develop at this time and truly make its million worlds useful, turning them into the foundation of the entire empire.
At least in terms of food supply, there is no longer a need for so-called corpse starch, and the populace can now barely afford to eat normal food.
More importantly, as Noah's forces are increasing on a large scale, the Emperor's humanity is also gradually returning, and those chaotic divine natures are being continuously dealt with under the actions of the Psionic Legions.
The true golden age has arrived; this is the era belonging to humanity!
The interior of the galaxy is dazzling, except for those scattered green-skinned dots, which Noah found very displeasing, but it doesn't matter, the War Moon will soon be completed.
Possessing a Level 2 singularity as its energy source, the War Moon's power surpasses any planet-class battleship.
A planet-class battleship with seemingly infinite energy brings an unmatched combat capability; on this planet-class battleship, humanity has equipped a series of anti-planet weapons such as Neutron Flux and Chibaku Tensei.
Even the Chibaku Tensei here has been enhanced; the War Moon can attack stars, causing them to enter a decay period, thereby destroying the entire star system.
The existence of a planet-class battleship is inherently like a bug; more importantly, although it is equipped with a void shield, it does not rely solely on it.
Dark matter shields, a technology from the Terran Federation, are also equipped on this War Moon.
All of this further makes the War Moon at this time impregnable.
Aside from the Necrons, no one seems capable of destroying such a massive planet-class battleship, and the Necrons would not dare to destroy a human planet-class battleship.
Even if one planet-class battleship were destroyed, what then?
Who can guarantee that when the battleship is destroyed, that Level 2 singularity won't explode, leading to everyone perishing together?
The golden age has arrived... It has been a full ten thousand years since the Emperor launched the Great Crusade, and after these ten thousand years, humanity has finally ushered in their golden age once again.
After completing the reconstruction of the Swarm Tentacles, Noah returned to the United Star once more.
Some time had passed, and the construction of the War Moon was nearing its final stages; at this critical juncture, Noah needed to remain at the main star to ensure the smooth production of this battleship.
United Star Planetary Shipyard —
The colossal War Moon has reached the final stages of its construction; everyone can see a planet-class battleship, no less impressive than the United Star itself, taking on its complete form next to it.
And at this moment, a large number of engineering ships are still continuing to install various facilities and carry out production beside it.
Upon returning to the galaxy Star, Noah quickly made his way to the main control room of the planetary shipyard.
Next, he will oversee the final procedures for this planet-class battleship, ensuring that it can smoothly enter service with the human Legion's naval fleet.
While Noah was resuming the final procedures for the War Moon, Guilliman, who was handling various government affairs on Terra, lazily stood up and stretched.
"Ah~" After a stretch, Guilliman felt much clearer.
As intelligent AI became widespread, the matters Guilliman had to handle were significantly reduced, only needing to deal with high-quality issues.
This allowed Guilliman, who had been burdened by complex and a pile of useless documents, to find his happiness.
His life was much better now; after dealing with a pile of matters, Guilliman could even stand at the top floor of the Administratum with his coffee cup, overlooking the entire Terra undergoing transformation.
"This is how humans should live!" Guilliman was now standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of the Administratum, holding a cup of Blue Mountain coffee, taking a light sip.
Terra was also much better than before; the old Terra, apart from the hive cities, was just hive cities, It can be said it was ugly, but the current Terra is different.
Although there are still no oceans, green mountains and clear waters have appeared on Terra, maintaining the ecological environment of this giant planet.
Every time he finished all his work and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window looking at the scene outside, it would fill Guilliman with joy and peace.
Today, in Guilliman's eyes, was also a beautiful day, but just as he finished his cup of Blue Mountain coffee, an emergency communication from the High Lords of Terra Council arrived in his information terminal.
The High Lords of Terra Council, although this form of governance was extremely inefficient, now seemed still usable; they were responsible for handling minor matters that Guilliman didn't need to personally deal with.
This included a series of foreign relations.
Even though there are hardly any civilizations left in the Milky Way that the Imperium hasn't discovered, the High Lords of Terra Council indeed has such a function.
"Let me see what kind of message it is that it came directly to my information terminal."
Guilliman muttered, then opened his information terminal.
The Imperial Martian Mechanicus Archmagos Philox, leading a forge fleet, encountered a starfish-shaped xenos attack in the Large Magellanic Cloud; the xenos are formidable, and the xenos in that area have the ability to increase their speed to 60 times the speed of light during extreme periods.
Guilliman looked at the message before him, quickly put down his coffee cup, and carefully read the meaning conveyed in the message, word by word.
He was not shocked by the fact that the Imperial fleet encountered an alien civilization in the Large Magellanic Cloud; he was shocked that these "oil-boys" had traveled so far out, considering that area was a full 160,000 light-years away from Terra!!!
Guilliman was quite relieved that the Adeptus Mechanicus was willing to explore beyond the galaxy, but their actions left him utterly bewildered.
The Imperium of Man lacked the spirit of enterprise because the Imperium of Man in the past could barely even hold onto its existing territories.
Therefore, the Imperium of Man at that time could not venture beyond the galaxy, which was a regret for humanity, but what did he see now?
Those tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus had actually traveled 160,000 light-years to the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy!
Such an operation was somewhat abstract. At its peak, the Imperium of Man's sacred domain was about 50,000 light-years, which was all the area the Emperor's light could reach and where Warp travel was possible.
Once outside this area, Warp travel would be dim and without any guidance, leading to complete disorientation in the Warp.
Theoretically, the Warp envelops the entire universe, but in reality, even the activity areas of the four gods are basically confined to the galaxy.
The Warp outside the galaxy is very barren. More importantly, there is a 150 million light-year void zone outside the galaxy. Although it's not a complete void, desolation is the general tone.
There aren't as many people in that area as in the galaxy for the four gods of the Warp to contract and harvest, or perhaps there are no races with Psionic characteristics there... Of course, besides these two reasons for disinterest, there might also be powerful entities out there that even the Chaos Gods of the Warp are unwilling to venture out for.
No one knows exactly which one, only that under some influence, even the Chaos Gods of the Warp rarely leave the galaxy, at most just circling its edges.
The further away from the center of the galaxy, the less likely it is to be affected by Warp interference.
Although Guilliman had long known that with Noah providing many methods of faster-than-light travel, the Adeptus Mechanicus would inevitably be tempted to explore beyond the galaxy, he never imagined that someone would explore 160,000 light-years away!
If this speed were to be achieved within a year of exploration, then the speed of his daily travel would have to increase to roughly 160,000 times the speed of light!
It's not that Noah doesn't have this technology, but Noah is currently based on the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the fastest-than-light engines they possess can only reach a maximum of 5,000 times the speed of light.
Moreover, the technology he provided was given two years ago. Even if the Adeptus Mechanicus had built a Mechanicus Ark capable of 5,000 times the speed of light two years ago and had been exploring for two years to reach the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy, they would still need to maintain a speed of at least 80,000 times the speed of light daily.
Unless... unless these guys from the Adeptus Mechanicus risked traveling through the Warp at 5,000 times the speed of light, which would make it more possible.
"These oil-stained tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus are truly a bunch of lunatics!"
With a plan to achieve this in his mind, Guilliman couldn't help but exclaim, these oil-stained tech-priests were all lunatics.
The difficulty of navigating the Warp, especially in the Warp at the edge of the galaxy, without the light of the astronomican shining upon them... it could almost be said that one careless mistake would lead to complete disorientation in the Warp, where they wouldn't even know where they were going and couldn't make any judgment.
Guilliman just complained, then planned to throw this message directly back to the High Lords Council for them to handle as they pleased.
The Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy is 160,000 light-years away; what if the Imperial Fleet came under attack?
Could he really send a fleet from the Imperial homeland to support him?
That's 160,000 light-years, not 16 light-years. If it were 16 light-years, Guilliman could still choose to send the Imperial Fleet to help and rescue that Forge Fleet of the Imperium.
But 160,000 light-years, that's truly beyond help, even for the combat fleets under Noah.
To reach that place 160,000 light-years away, abandoning all means of attack and without considering what to do if attacked en route, and fully supplying energy to the engines for faster-than-light travel, would still take a full year.
By the time they got there after such a long time, it's likely that the ashes of that Forge Fleet of the Adeptus Mechanicus would have already been scattered.
Furthermore, the number of such fleets within the Imperium is relatively scarce, making it impossible to dispatch them for such a matter.
If sent 160,000 light-years away, the energy core of ordinary warships would have run out long ago. Even if the fleet arrived, it would not be able to engage in combat and would need to find a place for resupply.
But how could they resupply there? It's simply impossible. Therefore, Guilliman never even considered that this message could cause any ripples. He simply chose to classify it as junk information and dismiss it.
However, just as he was doing so, a suggestion from the golden throne stopped him.
"Do not make your own decisions. Send this information to Noah and let him decide."
Compared to the basics, the Emperor understood Noah more deeply. After all, he had experienced the Dark Age of Technology when human technology reached its peak.
The humans of that era were almost indistinguishable from the current Noah; they were equally arrogant, equally proud, and would ruthlessly kill any race that dared to offend human dignity.
It was precisely because the Emperor had personally experienced that era that he did not let Guilliman make his own decision. Instead, he told Guilliman to contact Noah.
"Huh? Father, why is that necessary? Will the Warmaster really send a fleet to rescue that Forge Fleet of the Adeptus Mechanicus?"
From his own perspective, Guilliman felt that Noah should not send out a fleet, as there was no meaning to it... Perhaps the Emperor had now largely recovered his humanity, and so he spoke without hesitation.
"My son, you have not experienced such an era. You do not understand how incredibly proud humanity truly is."
"I have experienced things you haven't, so I know better than you. You only need to give this information to Noah, and then, believe me, that Warmaster of mine will certainly send a fleet to support them."
"Even if he doesn't send a fleet to support them, there will be no loss for the Imperium."
"For you, it's merely the transmission of a message. What's so difficult about that?"
The Emperor was convinced that Noah might send a fleet to support them, and besides, it was just sending a message. What was the harm in that?
Transmitting a message was now completely unproblematic for the Imperium.
Guilliman, who had originally intended to directly discard this message as junk, heard these words and retrieved the message again.
"I understand, Father. I will transmit this information to the Warmaster, and the Warmaster will make the decision."
Guilliman had not experienced the Dark Age of Technology; he did not understand how arrogant humanity truly was.
But he was very receptive to advice. Since his father had spoken, he naturally chose to obey.