"What need is there for Cegorach's blessing now!"
Sylandri Shadowseer looked at the corpses of the Black Legion scattered on the ground and the reddish-brown star in her hand, exclaiming with a sigh.
Alexander, the Human God of Death, had bestowed upon her this artifact named Blind Spot Star.
The effect of this artifact was not to make one physically invisible; in fact, Sylandri Shadowseer was certain that after using this item, she herself underwent no changes.
There are 'blind spots' in human vision and even psychology that cannot be perceived.
The function of this artifact was to exploit this, allowing the user to always remain within the 'blind spot' of others' perception, no matter how they moved.
For one hour after using this item, the user would not be seen by any means, only indirectly perceived through other methods like sound or touch.
This effect was far more effective than the holographic suits worn by the Harlequins, which merely allowed the Harlequins to hide in the gaps of light and shadow, using force fields to simulate the surrounding environment and confuse perception.
This made Sylandri Shadowseer feel a bit overwhelmed.
The technology of holographic suits was even a relic of the Eldar from the War in Heaven, developed to counter the Necron gauss weapons.
No form of armor could withstand those Necron weapons, so the Eldar developed holographic suits, equipment that replaced armor with evasion and concealment, capable of distorting light, points, and most forms of detection.
After that, the Eldar's technology in this area was mainly patchwork, with no significant progress.
This was actually easy to understand: from the War in Heaven until the birth of Slaanesh, the Eldar had not encountered a true crisis, so naturally, they had no intention of updating their equipment.
Our technology could even handle the War in Heaven, so what else could it not handle?
This was the mindset of most Eldar.
However, this device called the Blind Spot Star, created by Alexander, easily surpassed the Eldar's proud technology.
This was also the reason why Sylandri Shadowseer's state of mind was a little shaken.
She thought everyone was in decline, so how did humans come up with something new??
Moreover, this artifact called the Blind Spot Star seemed to be mass-producible and without significant restrictions.
Sylandri Shadowseer even saw a Human Astartes Dreadnought equipped with this thing.
She now began to ponder whether to try to trick a few more out of Alexander.
After all, if such an efficient artifact entered the Harlequins…
"Ah ah ah ah!!!" Sylandri Shadowseer's chest suddenly ached.
The Lockheart Scarab had apparently sensed her thoughts through Sylandri Shadowseer's neurons, directly emitting a jolt of electrical warning.
"Why are you, a Necron creation, so loyal to humans!"
Sylandri Shadowseer complained, clutching her chest.
After the Black Legion was cleared, the combined forces of humans and Eldar emerged.
Sylandri Shadowseer watched Yvraine stand in the hot wind of the barren mountains, with Thousand Faces beside her, letting the hot wind sweep over his red armor.
Most of the Eldar Death Guard retreated into the Webway; this was Ultramar, the territory of the Human Ultramarines.
The appearance of a large number of Eldar would only cause conflict, so only Yvraine, the prophet of Ynnead the Death God, and her chosen warrior Thousand Faces, accompanied the humans.
Oh, and Sylandri Shadowseer herself, the unlucky one.
She was now Alexander's captive, waiting for Cegorach to redeem her. But the Laughing God kept 'read' but 'no reply'. Could he have abandoned her? No way, right?
"Hot winds blow on Ultramar Mountain, fate's armor rings, the Primarch returns." That Human Death God, Alexander, stood beside Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, muttering something under his breath.
Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, meanwhile, seemed to be calculating something.
"This is a mistake," the Archmagos said slowly, his mechanical voice dry as iron ringing: "According to the cartography-gyroscope within me, we are currently approximately 250 million kilometers from Macragge."
"Evidently, we are within the Macragge System, but we have not directly reached the surface of the planet Macragge."
Hearing this, Yvraine did not reply but fell into a deathly silence. Her entire being was filled with a tomb-like coldness. She averted her head to the side, her mouth slightly ajar, seemingly communicating with something in the void that others could not see.
For a moment, the atmosphere on the field was a bit awkward.
At this moment, it was time for the Harlequin to make an appearance.
Sylandri Shadowseer thought this, then did a somersault and came closer:
"Even the Eldar cannot know where every Webway leads."
"We probably haven't used this Webway for tens of thousands of years. It's thanks to the guidance of Ynnead and Cegorach that we found the exit."
"We also cannot be sure where we have arrived. Lady Yvraine is probably seeking guidance from Ynnead."
In fact, Sylandri Shadowseer had also tried to ask Cegorach, but Cegorach still did not reply.
"Shrine World, Raphes."
Before Yvraine could answer, Alexander slowly spoke:
"This is the Shrine World of Raphes. The Eldar do not have a direct Webway to Macragge."
Sylandri Shadowseer's gaze involuntarily turned to Alexander, then she jumped up in fright.
Alexander was also enveloped in an aura similar to Yvraine's.
Cold, silent like a graveyard, but even more so than Yvraine.
Yvraine was like a mortal touched by death, while Alexander looked as if death itself was speaking.
The reason Alexander quickly determined this was the Shrine World of Raphes, besides his memories from his previous life, was because this Shrine World buried the remains of many pious Adeptus Ministorum believers and saints, as well as many Ultramarines and Black Legion.
These corpses whispered in churches, cemeteries, wilderness, and plateaus. Their deaths transformed into power, nourishing Alexander's body, and also told Alexander what was happening on this planet.
The portion of the Human Death God authority the Emperor threw to Alexander was taking effect.
Death not only strengthened the power Alexander gained from the domain of Erosion and Destruction, but also elevated the powers of the Malicious Art and Greedy Dissolution domains.
He could sense the millions of mechanical creations on this planet, and he also became more 'hungry' than before.
The whispers of the dead and the machines informed Alexander of the situation on this planet.
The Black Legion was besieging this Shrine World. The Ultramarines' Second Company, the Temple Guard, was defending the cathedral on this planet, using Void Shields to resist the Black Legion's assault.
Yvraine's expression was somewhat uncertain as she looked at Alexander, her gaze filled with wariness.
"We need to reach an agreement with the Ultramarines on this world and use their ships to continue our journey," she said.
Alexander did not object to Yvraine.
The anywhere door could indeed directly reach the planet Macragge, but without an accurate map, there was no way to directly go to the Ultramarines' monastery, Hera Fortress.
And Guilliman was currently placed in a Static Field within Hera Fortress.
Of course, Alexander could also not use a ship.
If he could steal a relatively complete map from the Ultramarines on Raphes, Alexander could also directly go to Guilliman's Shrine via the anywhere door.
However, Hera Fortress and Guilliman's Shrine would undoubtedly be heavily guarded. If Alexander and his companions appeared without permission, they could easily face suspicion, doubt, and obstruction from the Ultramarines.
Alexander, with the thousand Blood Angels he carried, could indeed force his way through, but this would inevitably cause casualties among the Ultramarines or Blood Angels.
The Black Legion was already in the Macragge System, so there was really no need for infighting, causing unnecessary trouble for themselves.
It would be best to go through the Ultramarines on Raphes and inform Chapter Master Calgar, the current Ultramarines Chapter Master, in advance.
Besides, after confirming that the warriors defending this place were from the Ultramarines' Second Company, Alexander also became interested.
In his memory, the Second Company had always been known as the 'cheat company' among the Ultramarines; the Ultramarines within it would be embarrassed to call themselves members of the Second Company if they didn't have some kind of cheat.
Just looking at the two company captains of the Second Company at the end of the 41st millennium would tell you everything.
Cato Sicarius was a formidable individual who could carve his way out of the Warp alone with a single sword.
And his predecessor was the even more famous Titus, jokingly referred to as the dual chosen of Khorne and the Emperor.
It's just a pity that, by the timeline, Titus might have already been taken away by an Inquisitor.
This matter was also bizarre; a venerable Captain of a Founding Chapter's Second Company was detained by an Inquisitor for over a century, and Chapter Master Calgar apparently couldn't even rescue him.
This is where the Ultramarines are more reasonable and rule-abiding.
If it were the Wolves, Cats, or even Birds, that Inquisitor had better never leave Terra in this lifetime.
Thinking of this, Alexander glanced at Greyfax.
After resurrecting Guilliman and heading to Terra, he would take Greyfax to demand Titus' release.
"I can come too." Sanguinius' voice echoed in Alexander's consciousness.
Alexander's lips curved into a slight smile upon hearing this.
He nodded, then slightly adjusted his mind, trying to listen to the whispers of the dead on this Shrine World.
The whispers of the dead quickly guided Alexander in a direction.
He saw that on the other side of the ridge, a squad of Ultramarines Second Company was defending a fortress converted from a church.
Sivathus Archela of the Ultramarines Second Company stood at the front of the battle line.
His power sword ignited, its azure light flashing as it cleaved through the body of a Black Legion Astartes that lunged at the front line.
Captain Sicarius trusted Archela, assigning him responsibility for the defense of the Shrine World Raphes.
This planet was the center of Adeptus Ministorum faith in Macragge. While the Ultramarines did not worship the Emperor as a god, everyone understood what it would mean if Raphes were defiled by the Black Legion.
Even if they did not worship the Emperor as a god, the Ultramarines could not tolerate the Emperor's holy images being desecrated by the Black Legion.
The churches were converted into fortresses, holding every important stronghold in the plateau.
Anti-aircraft guns were firing, and Hell drakes circling in the clouds continuously spewed their vile flames.
War machines burned the already scarce oxygen in the thin air, and the somber statues in robes on the stone pillars around the churches toppled under the Black Legion's firepower.
"We will achieve victory," Archela said to himself.
Macragge had endured one disaster after another, but neither traitors, Chaos, nor the Tyranids from beyond the galaxy had managed to break this jewel of the Imperium of Man, the home of the Ultramarines. Abaddon's Black Legion would not succeed either!
Archela raised his bolter and unleashed a torrent of bullets at the continuously surging enemies on the plateau.
Joy—
A surge of joy suddenly emanated from the bolter and power sword in Archela's hands.
From the church walls around him, mixed with the ashes of saints and the bones of martyrs, pale, ethereal mists suddenly seeped out, and the whispers of the dead echoed in everyone's ears.
Archela watched in astonishment as Imperial Knight Titans suddenly appeared in the distance, standing tall on the horizon.
At the same time, the movements of the Black Legion began to stutter, as if the power armor they wore were not armor but shackles.
On the ground, the daemon engines' artillery ceased firing, and the Hell drakes in the sky struggled in agony.
In an instant, the Black Legion stopped in their tracks as if they were wooden puppets.