Artillery fire poured onto the airdrop pod, which was wreathed in psychic energy, creating ripples of psychic power.
The seemingly thin psychic shield, under the continuous barrage, was as solid as layers of heavy Void Shields, protecting the airdrop pod like a rapier, cutting through the concentrated fire and plunging directly onto the hive city's streets, exposed to the crimson sky.
The Astra Militarum's armored forces immediately mobilized, with steel cannon shells wreathed in scorching flames firing towards the airdrop pod, which was half-embedded in the hive city's ruins.
Terrifying psychic power, mixed with lightning, burst forth from the airdrop pod; the artillery fire aimed at it instantly froze in mid-air, as if someone had stopped the flow of time.
A metallic wail sounded, and those metal cannon shells were instantly crumpled into scrap metal, falling to the ground.
The curled airdrop pod opened its thick, fleshy petals, revealing its occupants.
These were large, slender Tyranid creatures, like long snakes, with overly developed brains.
Waving the slender scythe-claws on their serpentine bodies, these monsters semi-floated out of the airdrop pod, allowing the Astra Militarum soldiers on the battlefield to see their full form.
On the monster's head, which occupied most of its body, beneath a crown-like chitinous carapace, were large brain tissues exposed to the air, covered with dense folds and furrows, looking from a distance like layers of coiled worms.
This Tyranid creature looked so slender and fragile, so vulnerable.
Lyttin snipers, hidden by the roadside, raised their sniper-specialized lasguns, aiming at the exposed brains of these Tyranid creatures—
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Before the Lyttin snipers could pull their triggers, they involuntarily let out cries of agony.
Their faces were ashen, clutching their chests tightly, their eyes bloodshot.
With a 'bang' sound, it simultaneously erupted from the chests of the Lyttin snipers, like harmonious drumbeats.
Then, the Lyttin snipers fell from the windows in unison, like kites with severed strings.
Hobien, the Lyttin sniper commander, covered his mouth, his eyes wide as he watched his compatriots die one by one under the influence of powerful psychic energy.
He and some other Lyttin, who were better at hiding, barely evaded the massive serpentine monster's psychic search, hiding in the shadows and barely preserving their lives.
He recognized it; it was the Brainworm mentioned in the battle briefing.
Bang!!!!
Before Hobien could ponder further, the head of a Lyttin hiding to his front right exploded like an over-inflated balloon, leaving only scattered brain matter.
Perhaps his breathing was slightly too loud, perhaps he revealed some killing intent, or perhaps his heart just beat a little faster, leading to him being discovered by the Brainworm, which crushed his brain with psychic power.
Hobien could only place his hopes on the armored forces outside the window.
Armored units, already hidden between buildings, began to flank the battlefield, unleashing layers of artillery fire onto the Brainworms.
Each tank had a psyker from the governor's forces assigned to it; these psyker used their power to conceal the tanks' tracks, preventing them from being discovered.
The Brainworms were caught off guard, and the unleashed artillery fire bombarded the psychic shields floating around them, creating ripples.
The psyker within the tanks also roared in unison, layers of soul fire bursting forth and striking the psychic shields.
The attacked Brainworms began to sway, and their psychic power fluctuated.
It's working!
But before Hobien could get excited about it,
the situation on the battlefield immediately changed.
The Brainworms stabilized their forms in mid-air, twisting their brains towards the armored forces attacking from the flank.
An invisible psychic wave rippled through, penetrating all the tank armor.
The psyker hiding in the tanks let out cries of agony, their eye sockets erupting with scorching, uncontrolled soul fire.
Subsequently, tank after tank began to burn from the inside out.
In the blink of an eye, these steel torrents, the pride of the Astra Militarum, turned into a soft, molten metal slag.
The massive Baneblade tank began to advance towards the Brainworms, crushing the streets beneath it, like a moving fortress.
Rocket-propelled vector shells were unleashed from the ten-meter-long Baneblade autocannon.
The Brainworms erected layers of psychic shields, attempting to block these vector shells.
Psychic energy and shells collided in the air, exploding into dazzling sparks.
However, the seemingly evenly matched situation changed with the appearance of a larger Brainworm with a more ferocious head-crest.
Hobien, observing this scene, recognized it.
That was an Illithid, the leader of the Brainworms, a terrifying and ferocious alpharius psyker.
A concentrated psychic power, glowing with a deep blue light, formed in front of the Illithid's head-crest, like a profound dark blue spear.
The spear turned into a streak of light, flashing by, piercing into the Baneblade tank's interior, instantly penetrating its reactor and ammunition bay, like a precise surgical knife.
An explosion emanated from the Baneblade tank, and a shockwave mixed with flames charred the entire Baneblade tank into a colossal piece of black scrap metal.
The Illithid quickly mobilized its powerful psychic energy, lifting the entire Baneblade tank and throwing it heavily towards the positions the Cadians had built using a collapsed statue.
"Ray!!!! Aminos!!!"
Reyna let out an almost angry roar, her voice mixed with unknown syllables.
The illegal psyker unit beside her also began to assist her, injecting their psychic energy into the Warp lightning Reyna had summoned.
The scorching Warp lightning converged into a blinding pillar of light, striking heavily at the Baneblade tank in mid-air.
The lightning forcibly penetrated the tank's wreckage, throwing it aside.
Reyna couldn't help but gasp for breath; some of the illegal psyker beside her had already rolled their eyes and fainted.
What terrifying psychic power! Even without a direct collision, Reyna could feel the immense psychic power surging from the group of Brainworm.
It was psychic power several times greater than her own; even with these illegal psyker beside her, it was far from comparable.
Reyna touched the Holy Word Records tattoo on her cheek, praying softly to the Emperor.
More psychic attacks were released by the Brainworms, and Reyna led the remaining illegal psyker unit in a counterattack.
Alexander looked at the frontline before him; the Brainworms' attack was temporarily held back by Reyna and the illegal psyker unit.
Without the Blood Angels present, it was extremely difficult for Sanguinius to pass through the Warp Shadow and fully manifest its power.
Perhaps he could only appear in the material universe for a short while.
So Alexander and he both had to wait patiently, waiting for the Brainworms to approach the frontline before launching an attack.
Before that, Reyna and General Drost had to hold the line.
Under the cover of the Brainworms' psychic power, the Tyranid roared and charged towards the Cadian frontline.
"Cadia Stands!!!!" General Drost stood on the frontline, roaring loudly.
Ogryns, armed with clubs and war shields, formed a thick shield wall, while the Cadians, armed with lasguns, fired at the Tyranid under the protection of the shield wall.
The Brainworms floated little by little towards the Cadian positions; with each inch they approached, another vein bulged on Reyna's and the illegal psyker unit's faces.
The closer they got to the positions, the stronger the psychic pressure exerted on the Astra Militarum became.
But for now, they could still hold on.
Rip!!!!
The sound of blades cutting through the air rang out, and Ogryns, along with their shields, were cut in half, blood gushing onto the ground.
A breach in the Cadian frontline appeared in the blink of an eye, and Alexander's gaze quickly turned in that direction.
It was a giant beast, a little shorter than a Screamer-Killer, but with more solid muscles, a thicker chitinous carapace, and eyes filled with more malice.
It had four ferocious arms; the upper two held a biological greatsword and a flesh whip respectively, while the lower two arms wielded a monstrous flesh autocannon.
Beside it were three burly guards in heavy chitinous armor, protecting it.
hive Tyrant!
One of the highest-ranking units among the Tyranid, the commander of the entire Tyranid, the representative of the hive mind!
An elite unit dispatched only when the Tyranid encountered an enemy that must be eliminated.
The hive Tyrant tore through the bodies of the Ogryns and Cadians around it, but its gaze was constantly fixed on Alexander.
Alexander could feel the malice emanating from it, so intense it was almost tangible.
This was the opponent the hive mind had specifically arranged for him.
Crimson spore clouds surrounded the Tyrant, like churning blood mist.
"Will you fight?" General Drost asked in a choked voice.
This was completely unexpected; the appearance of a hive Tyrant could easily sway the entire battle.
Its threat was no less than that of the Brainworms, even if there was an alpharius psyker among the Brainworms.
Because the hive Tyrant was capable of instantly overwhelming the frontline organized by the Cadians.
"When I was still living a peaceful life, I always wanted a hive Tyrant."
Alexander grinned, remembering his early days of getting into Warhammer in his previous life.
At that time, he was captivated by the miniature of the Tyranid Tyrant; its elegant yet fierce posture drew him into the Tyranid faction.
He never expected... that the Tyranid would deliver it right to him now.
Alexander put on his Superpower Hat, the Speed-up Clockwork was wound, both hands wore Superpower Gloves, and a Rebound Cloak was wrapped around his arms.
But this was not enough; that was a hive Tyrant, one of the most vicious creatures in the entire galaxy.
He needed more comprehensive, more powerful enhancements.
Alexander glanced at his savings; thanks to three days of fighting on the battlefield, his savings had reached ten million.
His gaze fell upon an item in the Future Department Store.
Mephiston stood on the bridge of the Avenging Blade.
psyker, Navigators, and Star Speakers stood by his side, powerful psychic energy creating ripples in the Empyrean, igniting a spark in the endless, profound darkness.
Logically, by this time, malevolent entities from the Warp should have already targeted the Avenging Blade, attempting to tear apart the Geller Field surrounding it and invade the ship with Warp tides.
But there was nothing; only profound darkness enveloped the Avenging Blade.
Darkness did not mean a reduction in the Warp's malice; the hunger, greed, and endless craving emanating from this darkness were chilling.
It was a gnawing hunger, devoid of joy or purpose, purely for the sake of consumption.
The blasphemous entities in the Warp seemed to fear this darkness, scattering away.
Mephiston channeled all his psychic energy, turning his will into a sharp blade to carve a path for the Avenging Blade through the darkness.
This also meant Mephiston's will would be exposed to that profound darkness.
He could feel the hungry, malicious, and restless gazes at all times.
However, strangely, not many of those gazes were directed at him.
Instead, they were focused in another direction. Could it be that within the Netherworld Star System, there was something even more attractive to the hive mind than a ship full of Blood Angels?
Mephiston was somewhat puzzled.
However, taking advantage of the hive mind's attention not being on him, Mephiston was able to try and extend his will deeper into the Netherworld Star System.
The hive mind twisted its tendrils, slowly licking the planet named Ashford.
But its attention also shifted slightly from feeding, turning its gaze to the battlefield.
It had hatched a hive Tyrant to counter its competitor.
The hive Tyrant swung its sword so fast that the Cadians couldn't even see it.
In the blink of an eye, several Ogryns were cut in half by the biomorphic great bone sword in the hive Tyrant's hand.
The already crimson, eerie longsword was instantly covered in fresh blood.
The Cadia soldiers raised their lasguns, unleashing lasers towards the hive Tyrant.
However, the hive Tyrant's speed was faster than their trigger fingers.
Its other hand, a tentacle whip, whistled with bio-electricity, savagely whipping the nearest Cadian into a pulp.
More deadly than visible weapons were invisible ones.
Crimson spore clouds hung over the battlefield; each spore was a Tyranid smaller than a mite.
They corroded the Astra Militarum's armor, gnawed at the Cadia soldiers' flesh, making their skin erupt in horrifying blisters under the effects of toxins and acid.
Just by looking, one could feel the pain of the Cadia soldiers.
But they did not retreat; though the front line was broken, it still held.
But the Tyrant seemed unwilling to waste energy on them; its guards charged towards the Cadians.
The Cadians screamed, and the Tyrant's guards clashed.
It is said that these heavily armored beasts were created by the Tyranid swarm based on the Astartes' genetic sequence.
Alexander had written about this in 'an Ogryn's guide to Tyranid biology', and every Cadian standing there knew it.
The opponents before them were terrifying xenos on par with Astartes, enemies of the same caliber as the Death Angels.
But the unmodified Cadians still managed to stop the charging Tyrant guards.
The poisonous spores were even close to blinding them.
Suddenly, a gust of wind—no, a powerful surge of psychic energy—swept through, forcefully dispelling the toxic spore clouds.
Alexander, wearing a Superpower Hat, Superman Gloves, with a Rebounding Cloak wrapped around his arm, and a light red bow tie around his neck, stood before the Tyranid hive Tyrant.
"Roar!" A beast's low growl echoed.
The Tyranid hive Tyrant stood on its bent hind legs, staring intently at Alexander.
In its eyes, there was none of the bestial nature common to Tyranids; instead, there was a cruel, ancient, and powerful intelligence.
Every hive Tyrant is immortal; their consciousness is uploaded to the hive mind again and again, then loaded into new bodies again and again, and sent back into battle again and again.
Every hive Tyrant is an unparalleled master of combat, the most experienced commander and general.
Alexander subtly composed himself.
The hive Tyrant also lowered its body, its muscle fibers between the chitinous plates contracting and tensing into strands.
Screech!!!
The bone biomorphic greatsword, enveloped in a strange energy field, cut through the air.
Even Alexander, enhanced by the Speed-up Clockwork, could only barely make out a blur slashing towards him.
Alexander's figure instantly vanished from his original spot.
After prolonged use of the Superpower Hat, Alexander's teleportation was almost instinctive.
His figure appeared behind the hive Tyrant in a blink of an eye, his fist, wearing the Superman Gloves, swinging down.
The hive Tyrant, however, was completely unfazed; dense spore clouds erupted from its back.
This was a move it had prepared for Alexander.
The Tyranid observe and learn constantly.
They had long discovered Alexander's biggest weakness: his physical fragility.
No matter how many strange technological creations he possessed, how much his reaction speed was enhanced, or how miraculous his marksmanship, Alexander's body remained as fragile as a human's; in terms of physical strength alone, he might not even be as strong as some Cadia soldiers.
These almost irresistible biomorphic spore clouds were the best enemy for Alexander.
Even that strange red cloak could at most only deflect the foremost spore clouds.
Screech!!!
A thin card shot out from the highly corrosive spore cloud, piercing irresistibly into the chitinous carapace of the hive Tyrant's head.
It was a Notice with a phantom thief symbol and a string of text.
A slender figure, over two meters tall, leaped out of the spore cloud, landing on a pile of rubble not far from the Tyranid swarm.
It was a humanoid entity wearing a black top hat, a long black velvet cloak, a suit, a monocle, an elegant handlebar mustache, and covered in metallic carapace.
Strangely, despite emerging from a spore cloud capable of corroding Ceramite power armor, there was no sign of corrosion on the humanoid entity.
"Warning: hive Tyrant! Your days of endlessly resurrecting are over!"
"I, KDDX, will steal your life."
A low mechanical voice emanated from his throat.
Alexander, covered in the metallic carapace, awkwardly twitched the corner of his mouth. If it weren't for the item's settings, he really didn't want to utter such a somewhat chuunibyo line.
[Item Name: Phantom Thief DX Suit]
[Origin: 22nd Century Earth — Secret Gadget Museum]
[Production Time: 271.M3]
[Function: A gadget designed and produced by Kurt and Pippla, grandsons of the inventor of the anywhere door and secret gadgets, 'Dr. Hartman'. It uses Pippla metal instead of common all-metal. Its appearance is a small butterfly bow tie; when used, it transforms into a full-body phantom thief suit, significantly enhancing the user's physical abilities and providing high-strength protection, with performance sufficient to engage large war robots.]
[Value: 2,500,000 credits]
An item priced at 2.5 million, the effect of this item was simple and clear.
This was equivalent to a power armor utilizing 22nd Century technology and materials, with technical content and performance far exceeding 40k power armor, capable of comprehensively enhancing Alexander's abilities and defensive power.
Coupled with the enhancements from the Superman Gloves and Speed-up Clockwork,
Alexander's figure instantly became a blur, moving at a speed almost comparable to teleportation.
The hive Tyrant hastily raised the bone biomorphic greatsword in its hand to defend.
However, this time Alexander could see clearly.
He lightly leaped onto the bone greatsword; the energy field wrapped around the greatsword sparked against the Phantom Thief DX Suit.
But the metal parts of this item were entirely forged from Pippla metal, a product of the 22nd century, with terrifying strength.
Alexander's fist became a blur as he swung it, smashing towards the hive Tyrant's head.
The hive Tyrant hurriedly twisted its body, using the chitinous carapace covering the side of its head to block Alexander's fist.
Bang!!!!
The strength of Pippla metal, combined with the power provided by the Superman Gloves and Phantom Thief DX Suit, instantly sent the hive Tyrant's body flying backward in a blur.
Smoke billowed, but the hive Tyrant quickly transformed into a huge shadow, charging towards Alexander, its great whip crackling with electricity as it lashed out at Alexander.
Alexander extended his hand in time, grabbing the tentacle great whip.
But at the same time, the biomorphic bone greatsword in the hive Tyrant's hand also swung down towards Alexander's head.
Alexander turned his wrist, using the thick metal gauntlet on his wrist to block the fierce sword strike.
He noticed that his previous punch had shattered the chitinous carapace on half of the Tyrant's shoulder, exposing the muscles beneath.
Alexander's legs moved lightly; the Phantom Thief DX Suit instantly made his movements agile and powerful, and he leaped to the side in a blink of an eye.
The Tyrant's greatsword, wrapped in an energy field, plunged into the ground, and a series of crackling explosions rang out.
Alexander was about to take this opportunity to strike, but a rapid static sound suddenly rang in his head, as if a thousand insects were chirping in his mind.
But Sanguinius instantly appeared, helping Alexander suppress the deafening insect chirping.
Alexander then noticed that the Norn-Queen had already approached the Cadia defense line.
All the illegal psyker around Reyna had almost fallen, leaving only her kneeling on one knee, gritting her teeth and struggling to resist the Norn-Queen's psychic power.
"It's time, Alexander!" The voice of Sanguinius rang out.
Alexander abruptly pulled away from the Tyrant, shouting loudly to the Cadia soldiers and Battle Sisters praying beneath the Sanguinius statue behind him:
"Start the prayer!"
The Battle Sisters and Cadians, receiving Alexander's command, immediately raised their heads and, in neat formation, shouted:
"Power Fist! Blood Angels! For the GSC are causing chaos in the Central Plains!"
"Serve the Four-Armed Emperor! Summon the Tyranid! Do not believe the Adeptus Ministorum and forget the Emperor!"
"Humans are without morals! Tyranid are treacherous! All Tyrants are born from mother and child!"
"If you don't believe it! Look closely! The Tyranid's eyeballs are all red!"
"No rain in the sky! The earth is parched! All because the Tyranid ships block the heavens!"
"Blood Angels resent! Angels rage! Together from Baal to purge the Tyranid!"
"Present the yellow memorial! Offer incense! Please send down all the Primarchs from their caves!"
"Primarchs appear! Angels manifest! Possess human bodies to spread the Dao!"
"No guns! Only prayer! To abolish the Tyranid swarm is not difficult!"
"Chicken balls! Angel sauce! Emergency damage to the Avenging Blade!"
"Great daemons! Heart and guts tremble! The Second Empire Emperor appears!"
"Devourers! All eliminated! Sanguinius pacifies the galaxy!"
"Huh???" A string of golden question marks appeared above the head of Sanguinius.
One hundred sixty-nine pious and unmutated pure Cadians loudly recited the prayer written by Alexander.
They and the thirteen leading Battle Sisters all held three brightly burning candles, their flames flickering with their loud prayers.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"For humanity's 400,000 years, Power Fist Saint Blood Corps!"
"Help the Emperor destroy the Tyranid, fifty-five days in the Netherworld!"
"No rain in the sky, the earth parched, the Tyranid's eyes all red!"
"The Archangel worried, descended the mountain together to spread the Dao!"
A powerful and uniquely flavored song rang out from behind the position.
General Drost looked back in confusion, and Reyna's eyes were also full of bewilderment.
As their song began, several wisps of smoke emerged from the burning candle flames, floating and swirling in the sky. The barrier between the Warp and reality became somewhat thinner.
"Damn!!!!"
The Norn Queen seemed to sense something, letting out a sharp roar. Its powerful psychic energy directly lifted the collapsed statues on the position.
The rubble transformed into flying projectiles, smashing towards the Cadian warriors in the position.
However, before these projectiles could touch the Astra Militarum, they suddenly hovered in mid-air.
Reyna manipulated her psychic energy to resist the Norn Queen's powerful attack.
She forced herself to stand up, feeling the Holy Word Records tattoo on her cheek seemingly heating up slightly.
With the strange prayers and songs of the Astra Militarum warriors behind her, she felt the presence of the Warp more clearly than ever before.
She could even sense a certain light in the Warp flying towards Ashford, growing brighter as time passed.
"It actually worked?!" Reyna couldn't help but exclaim.
She suddenly remembered Alexander saying he was an Archangel's chosen.
Reyna was truly the Emperor's chosen, and Alexander seemed to truly be an Archangel's chosen.
"No way, am I the only fake one?"
Reyna's eyes twitched a few times, but she knew there was no time to think about such things now.
The white light gradually emerging from the Warp was amplifying her psychic energy and weakening the Norn Queen's psychic energy.
She had to hold the line!
"Not alien! Not Chaos! Recite prayers, Holy Word!"
"Raise the yellow petition! Burn incense! Invite all the Primarchs from various caves!"
Seeing the white light in his peripheral vision grow brighter, Alexander knew the Astra Militarum's prayers were starting to work, and immediately joined in, shouting loudly.
The monstrous and colossal hive Tyrant also possessed considerable psychic power, and he too noticed the white light rising in the Warp.
"Roar!!!"
It roared and lunged at Alexander, who was calling for Sanguinius.
The Tyrant understood that Alexander was the center of all these changes; as long as it interrupted him — — — — — —
Splat!!!
A smell of burning flesh came from the Tyrant's left shoulder, instantly interrupting its action.
Scorching lasers shot from the ruins of the buildings around the street, precisely hitting its left shoulder where there was no chitinous carapace covering.
In the ruins, the Lightling sniper Hobien gripped his sniper-specialized lasgun.
He and the remaining Lightling snipers had been hiding in the shadows, waiting for the last moment to cover Alexander and the Cadians as they completed their prayers.
"Champion, mark this one down for me." Hobien chuckled.
Half of his body was rotting flesh due to the corrosive spore clouds.
Streams of scorching and precise lasers shot from various parts of the ruins, all aimed at the Tyrant's left shoulder where there was no chitinous carapace covering.
These attacks could not cause substantial damage to the Tyrant but successfully delayed its assault, creating an opportunity for Alexander.
"Big heads work together diligently! Transform into soldiers in the Warp!"
"By the art of immortals, surely destroy the Tyranid in one sweep!"
The prayers of the Astra Militarum, Battle Sisters, and Alexander merged into one.
The smoke spiraling from the candles gradually permeated the entire battlefield, like endless clouds.
Reality became hazy, and dazzling golden lights burst forth from the candle flames.
This miraculous scene quickly boosted the morale of the Astra Militarum present, who seemed to feel an inexhaustible strength surging within them.
"Cadia Stands!!!!"
General Drost seized the opportunity to roar, leading the high-spirited Astra Militarum to charge towards the Tyranid led by the Tyrant's guards.
For a moment, on the battlefield, the Imperial side seemed to rekindle hope.
"Second Empire Emperor commands! Saint Blood Corps advance!"
"Drive all the Tyranid devils out of the Netherworld!"
"Chicken meatballs, hit them all, destroying the Tyranid is not difficult!"
"The Great Devourer, utterly terrified, Tyrants and Warriors all vanish!"
"Demolish the spawning pools, pluck out the fine hairs, urgently destroy the bio-ships!"
"Tyranid devils, completely eradicated, Archangel unites and governs the galaxy!"
General Drost looked with surprise at the increasingly bright white light in the sky.
That light seemed to possess infinite holiness, like the sun, like a furnace fire, like never-ending hope.
It actually worked!
Although Alexander's string of prayers contained words like "chicken meatballs," "Archangel sauce," and "Second Empire Emperor," which Drost didn't understand, it seemed to really summon the Archangel!
"Most hateful are those poisonous Tyranid beasts! Devouring all our flesh and blood!"
"Bloodthirst boils! Fifty-five days in the Netherworld!"
"Black Rage erupts! Fifty-five days in the Netherworld!"
As the prayers of the one hundred sixty-nine pure Cadians reached their peak, a brilliant white light, like a furnace fire, burst forth in the sky.
This light radiated over the entire position, spreading to the city ruins occupied by the Tyranid.
"Damn!!!!" The Norn Queen let out a wail; the psychic power surrounding it was actually dissolving and retreating little by little, like dewdrops encountering bright sunlight.
The Cadians on the battlefield involuntarily looked up, gazing with reverence at the brilliant white light in the sky.
"Sanguinius above," General Drost said involuntarily.
"Archangel…" Reyna also looked, dazed, at Sanguinius gradually taking shape.
Sanguinius, would that Archangel truly appear on the battlefield?!
"Hmm?" Alexander blinked. He vaguely felt something strange.
He always felt... always felt... something was approaching him... approaching a more fundamental, deeper part of himself.
That glowing, bright, quite tempting thing...
Unable to resist the temptation, Alexander instinctively reached out and gently grabbed at the approaching object.
"Hmm?" Sanguinius let out a confused cry.
The brilliant white light in the sky violently shook, and something metallic blue quickly began to infiltrate him.
"What the hell?!"
Sanguinius—no, now the Winged Figure in Blue Light—let out a bewildered cry:
"What the hell?! What are you doing?!"
Alexander blinked in confusion.
Mephiston looked at the scene before him in disbelief.
As his consciousness searched for a path to the Netherworld Star System in the dark Warp Shadow, he suddenly saw a brilliant and dazzling white light pierce through the darkness.
In the light, he saw a flickering figure.
That figure had wings as white as condensed light, exuding the tranquil scent of incense. Pure silver chains hung from his wings, gleaming brightly.
Mephiston could feel the power on him.
It was like the sun in the desert, shining in the midday glow, revealing scorching power and divinity in its radiance.
Mephiston's heart pounded. He felt something in his soul being summoned, wanting to fly towards that figure.
"Sanguileno?" Mephiston whispered the name.
That ancient, mysterious warrior always appeared in the most dangerous battles the Blood Angels encountered.
Some suspected it was the remnants of Sanguinius' soul after he was killed by Horus, others suspected it was Azkaellon, captain of the Saint Blood Guard ten thousand years ago, and still others suspected it was Sanguinius' former shadow warrior.
Mephiston only knew that the sacred figure possessed a Warp nature.
But he quickly noticed something was wrong. Mephiston had seen Sanguileno's figure on the battlefield before.
That figure was not the same. Compared to Sanguileno, that figure was like a purer, more complete Warp creation.
Moreover, Mephiston saw that a smaller figure was entwined around that figure.
That figure wore a golden Sanguileno mask and golden armor—that was Sanguileno.
Mephiston only felt dizzy.
If that nobler, brighter figure was not Sanguileno, then it could only be...
Mephiston quickly let his consciousness, enveloped by powerful psychic energy, follow closely behind the pure white figure.
He saw that the bright light emitted from the figure dispelled some of the shadows shrouding the Warp, revealing the turbulent Warp beneath the shadows.
At the position illuminated by the pure white figure's light, the boundary between the Warp and reality seemed to have become thin, almost breaking, due to some ritual.
The figure in white light slowly extended a hand, cradling the Sanguileno entwined around him, about to cast him into the boundary between reality and the Warp.
Mephiston vaguely understood that such things must have happened many times before. It was this figure who, time and again, cast Sanguileno into reality, helping the Blood Angels overcome their difficulties.
A sense of resonance from the depths of his soul made Mephiston's body tremble slightly.
If one were to ask which Astartes Chapter had the deepest connection with their gene-father today, it would undoubtedly be the Blood Angels.
For most other Astartes, their gene-father seemed to be just an ancient legend or landmark.
But the Archangel was linked to every Blood Angel's soul through the Black Rage.
"Father?" Mephiston asked involuntarily.
Sanguinius gently turned his head to look at Mephiston.
He seemed to hesitate, but after hesitating, he gently opened his mouth and said, "My son — — — —"
The figure's voice suddenly cut off.
Mephiston's eyes instantly widened.
He saw a larger shadow appear behind that dazzling figure.
A blue, enormous, metallic-sheened shadow, reaching out a large, round hand towards the figure suspected to be his gene-father.
"Ah!!!!"
Mephiston collapsed on the bridge of the Avenging Blade.
Under Dante's shocked gaze, his Chief Librarian, who always seemed so composed, began to twitch and tremble.
Mephiston's face was etched with deep fear, as if he had witnessed something utterly terrifying.
"Blue…"
Mephiston rasped.
"Blue, mechanical, a figure like a raccoon."
Mephiston's voice was full of wavering, as if even he couldn't comprehend what he had just seen.
He only knew that it was identical to what he had seen on the emperor tarot.
The Emperor's will, conveyed through the tarot, didn't seem to be a warning against him.
But the aura emanating from that thing was so terrifying it made Mephiston tremble.
During the days when Mephiston was consumed by the Black Rage,
he had seen Horus corrupted by the Four Gods in an endless stream of illusions.
That blue figure was even more terrifying than Horus!
That blue figure seemed to carry pure finality and destruction, foretelling the end of the entire universe.
That figure also seemed to be a collection of many unimaginable technological creations, symbolizing the pinnacle of creation and invention.
That figure was also like an eternal dragon, yearning to devour everything, desiring to feed on all.
Mephiston was almost about to vomit from fear.
Yet…
Yet, strangely, although the blue figure took something from the entity suspected to be Sanguinius, that entity, suspected to be Sanguinius, seemed to bear no ill will towards the blue figure.
The entity only seemed to feel some exasperation and helplessness at the blue figure's act of intercepting his power.
Dante helped Mephiston to his feet.
Mephiston tried to keep his words rational and coherent, relaying what he had seen in the Warp to Dante.
Even Commander Dante, who had endured countless years of battle, was left bewildered and confused by Mephiston's words.
"Should we still proceed to the Netherworld Star System?" Mephiston asked, still shaken.
He was called the Lord of Death, but compared to that blue figure, he felt incredibly insignificant.
Dante pondered for a moment, then shook his head:
"Whether this is some kind of illusion or if there truly is a more terrifying Warp entity lurking in the Netherworld Star System, we must go there to provide support."
"If the vision you saw is real, then… we must determine what that blue figure truly is."
"Since you have located Ashford, we should proceed with the fastest possible speed."
Dante, with a look of worry and fatigue, patted his old friend's shoulder and said in a low, hoarse voice:
"…May Sanguinius protect us."
"*Beep beep beep* Baal curse words *Blood Angels curse words* 30K curse words*"
Alexander looked on blankly as Sanguinius, interspersed with half-blue, half-white light, cursed.
He had only just seen Sanguinius being encroached upon by a burst of blue light,
and then he seemed to resist, the white and blue lights gradually merging and intertwining until they became the current appearance.
Sanguinius looked as if it had been polluted and corroded by something.
As for Alexander himself…
Alexander couldn't help but scratch his back.
Damn… his back was so itchy, it felt like wings were about to grow.
And on the not-far-off front line, the white light suspended in the air had also been completely dyed blue,
the figure within it also taking on a peculiar metallic blue, seemingly a little fatter, becoming round and plump.
General Drost and Reyna watched this change with blank expressions.
Their eyes, filled with confusion, turned to Alexander, pointing at the figure in mid-air that clearly didn't resemble Sanguinius.
As if asking Alexander, what was going on.
"Yeah, what's going on?" Alexander asked, looking at Sanguinius interspersed with blue and white light.
Alexander vaguely understood that this might have something to do with him, but he couldn't explain it clearly.
"You ask me? You ask me!" Sanguinius, amidst the blue and white light, retorted with an utterly exasperated tone.
His tone was as if Alexander had, in his presence, forcefully violated the Emperor.
After a few seconds of silence, Sanguinius, amidst the blue and white light, took a deep breath and said, "You… you have corrupted me to a certain extent."
"Me?" Alexander pointed to himself, his face utterly bewildered: "I'm not a god, how could I corrupt you?"
"Don't slander me!"
"…" Sanguinius, amidst the blue and white light, fell silent again.
Alexander's mouth twitched. He really wanted to know what exactly was happening, but now was not the time to argue.
Sanguinius, amidst the blue and white light, clearly understood this as well: "The part of my power that I tried to seep into the real universe was intercepted by you."
"My power will be able to manifest in reality through you. Use it according to your instincts, utilize it."
Alexander nodded, half-understanding. He could vaguely feel that there was indeed a certain power within him that did not belong to the real universe.
Within that power were intertwined fervent prayers, praying for Sanguinius to save them.
And Alexander could answer these prayers.
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!!!!"
Wails erupted from the psyker beside Reyna; their bodies began to burn, and soul fire spewed from their eye sockets, nostrils, and mouths.
As if sensing danger, the Brainworms clearly increased their psychic output, especially the leading Illithid, which was frantically unleashing its terrifying psychic power upon the front line.
The blue light suspended behind everyone was indeed still amplifying Reyna's psychic power and weakening the Brainworms' psychic power, but Reyna was still at an absolute disadvantage, almost unable to resist.
General Drost's dwindling Cadian Shock Troopers launched another charge.
They roared the name of Cadia, unleashing lasers upon the Brainworms, attempting to disperse their psychic power.
General Drost, enduring the Tyranid attack, stood firm on the defensive line formed by collapsed statues, like a steadfast pillar, commanding the Cadian soldiers to resist the Tyranid assault.
Suddenly, the psychic power exerted on Reyna weakened abruptly.
Reyna noticed that the Brainworms were looking at General Drost.
"Look out!!!!" Reyna shouted to General Drost.
General Drost didn't hear Reyna's voice; in an instant, he felt thousands of voices roaring and screaming in his mind.
Powerful psychic energy frantically tore at the old general's mind; he felt his head was about to explode.
"By the Emperor… By Sanguinius… By Cadia…"
General Drost gritted his teeth; he could clearly feel his will being torn into fragments little by little.
No, no, no.
He knew he couldn't fall here, but his knees still gave way, and he knelt on one knee.
Drost looked at the figure in the blue light behind him.
Now he wasn't sure what it was, but whatever it was… let it come and save this collapsing battlefield.
Then, Drost saw wings cut through the air.
Pure white wings, tinged with a bit of blue, sliced through the sky, and hopeful blue-white light radiated onto his face.
He saw that divine figure.
"Sanguinius?" Drost exclaimed.
Then, as his eyes gradually adjusted to the light, he saw the face of that figure.
"Alexander?" General Drost murmured in confusion.
"Huh????" Reyna, beside him, looked at Alexander, who had grown wings and was flying in mid-air, a string of question marks appearing above her head as well.
The blue light suspended in mid-air surged towards Alexander.
Then, under the bewildered and astonished gazes of Reyna, Drost, and the Cadian soldiers,
a pair of pure white wings, interspersed with blue light, unfolded from Alexander's back.
The wings appeared out of nowhere, causing Alexander to float in the air in a manner that defied the laws of physics, emitting light like a sun in deep space.
Only, that light was blue-white, like light reflected from some metallic construct.
"What did you do?" Reyna asked, with a mix of confusion and surprise.
She could feel that the psychic power gathered on Alexander had already far surpassed her own, even exceeding the Brainworms that were approaching not far away.
Yet, Alexander had previously possessed no psychic talent whatsoever.
Alexander's eyes burned with blazing psychic flames as he looked at Reyna.
"Yes, actually, I am Sanguinius himself."
"Come, quickly and respectfully bow to me."
"Huh???" Reyna looked utterly stunned.
Under the bewildered, fearful, and astonished gazes of everyone, Alexander slightly vibrated the wings on his back.
His figure vanished from its spot in an instant, leaving only an afterimage.
Neither the highly observant Lightling sniper nor Reyna, the psyker, had clearly seen Alexander's movements.
Even the Tyrant, one of the most advanced creations in the Tyranid hive, only saw an afterimage left by Alexander as he streaked across the sky.
"Damn!!!!"
The Brainworms let out sharp roars, and powerful psychic energy converged into bolts of lightning, striking towards Alexander.
But Alexander merely flickered his body slightly, and these lightning bolts were dispersed by the wings around him.
The Illithid leading the Brainworms splattered with points of psychic light.
The psychic power from all the Brainworms converged, forming a psychic spear on the Illithid's head crest.
This spear burned with scorching flames, and its powerful psychic energy seemed to tear reality nearby.
The now unpowered Denkōmaru was taken from the four-dimensional pocket and appeared in Alexander's hand.
Scorching psychic flames instantly ignited this 22nd-century children's toy.
Psychic energy, shimmering with dazzling white light, converged into a shaft, using the Denkōmaru as its blade, transforming into a spear.
Alexander brandished his wings, raising the spear in his hand high.
The Cadian people around him involuntarily let out a gasp, and some even began to pray to Alexander's figure.
For at this moment, Alexander, holding the spear and vibrating his wings, perfectly overlapped with the holy statue of Sanguinius behind him.
"Yah!!!!"
The Illithid roared, and the sharp tip of the psychic spear thrust towards Alexander, stirring up ripples in the Warp.
Alexander, his eyes burning with psychic flames, looked down at the Brainworms, and the spear in his hand was thrown with unstoppable force.
Splat!!!
The spear easily pierced through the Illithid's psychic spear tip, heavily embedding itself in the Illithid's head crest, and piercing through its brain.