Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 914 War of the Nest Ships
Meanwhile, as Saint Gilles received two defected agents and rushed towards the cult's main ship, the massive vessel that had sunk to the bottom of the sea was rapidly rising to the surface.

This hive ship, which incorporates the technologies of many races and is capable of evading physical or psionic scans by human empire warships and even directly altering planetary terrain, now faces a very pressing threat.

It... is leaking.

The esoteric sect had considered many dangers that their nest ship might encounter, but they never anticipated that one day a leak would become a fatal threat.

Because some of the ship's hull operators had forcibly separated in an attempt to escape, this massive, nest-sized combined ship was frantically swallowing seawater like a submarine with its hull broken.

The once calm sea surface had long since become a raging whirlpool, swallowing up large amounts of floating ice floes, and occasionally the bodies of drowned Tau people would surface from the seabed.

Even more critically, Guilliman personally led a team, along with numerous Primarch clones, directly into the underwater battlefield, launching a simple and brutal boarding attack on the Cult's main hive ship.

Astartes rarely fight in marine environments; in most cases, they are active in space battles or are elite troops on the land surface.

However, this does not mean that the Astartes cannot fight in the ocean. Their power armor, which has been upgraded many times, is already capable of high-speed and free maneuverability in the seawater environment.

Conversely, the underwater environment poses a real threat to the cult's hive ship. Large amounts of seawater are eroding the behemoth's systems and pipes, and the longer it is submerged, the greater the damage to the hive ship.

Moreover, the esoteric Buddhist defense forces were simply unable to mount an effective resistance in the harsh conditions of the flood.

They only saw some blurry figures seemingly brought in by the surging, backflowing seawater, before they were torn to shreds by Deathwatch's sonic or pulse weapons.

"Surface! Surface!"

"We have no chance at all underwater, but we can fight back better on the surface."

Inside the cult's hive ship, Sage Yu Hai and several other high-ranking members used psionic energy to seal the nearest fault line, preventing the seawater from continuing to flood in.

The rest of the nest ship also began to urgently close its watertight gates to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.

At the same time, they are working urgently to control the situation and prevent a repeat of the situation where the high-ranking sages of the mechanical lifeforms only care about their own escape.

Even if the cult's nest ship is infiltrated, it will take a long time for it to be completely overrun. They will still have time to think of countermeasures and assess the current situation.

Before the humans attacked, these high-ranking members of the esoteric sect were filled with anxiety, but when the humans actually attacked, they suddenly calmed down.

Although these high-ranking members of the Tantric sect came from different races, they shared a common characteristic: they generally had very long lifespans.

Slau Da, the War Master of Eldar, is over three thousand years old, and he is not considered old among the senior members of the cult.

A long life may not bring wisdom, but it will certainly accumulate experience.

They quickly realized that the current situation was not quite what they had imagined.

The fact that the humans did not resort to orbital bombardment or extermination orders after the hive ship fell into their trap speaks volumes.

Humans went to such great lengths, from predicting a counterattack to setting a trap to ensnare them here, and finally launching a boarding attack, they must have wanted to obtain something.

Humans are hesitant to act, fearing that indiscriminate firepower will destroy what they want, which is why they act so cautiously.

Now that we've figured this out, as long as we find what humanity wants, we'll naturally have leverage to negotiate with them.

Both Sage Yu Hai and Slau Da understood one fact: even if they pulled out all their cards now, they would have absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on battle against humanity, even if it meant fighting to the death.

Unless Regent Guilliman loses his mind again and abandons his guards to rush to the front of the battlefield, they might still be able to use their psychic advantage to capture him.

After all, it is well known that Guilliman is not good at psionic powers, a fact that the cult deeply agrees with.

As the cult hive continued to rise, the roaring of the surging seawater outside the psionic barrier and the sickening metallic twisting sounds coming from the crack gradually diminished.

Inside the hive ship, the emergency lights flickered, illuminating the unpredictable faces of the Sage of the Sea, Slau Da, and the energy life form sage.

The air was thick with the pungent smells of burnt food, engine oil, and the salty, briny smell of the sea, creating a suffocating atmosphere.

"Why?" Slau Da was the first to break the silence, his voice filled with confusion and a hint of barely perceptible excitement.

"Why didn't the humans go all out? They could have easily plowed us off the seabed with their light spears, or just dropped a whirlwind torpedo. Why did they have to board us? It doesn't make sense!"

The crystal on the forehead of the Sage Yu Hai flashed rapidly as he quickly searched the memory bank and the supply list of the nest ship.

"What do we have that warrants such a massive undertaking by the human regency? Ancient technological relics? Certain forbidden knowledge about the warp? Or... some special sample we captured?"

He looked at Slau Da: "Warrior, your Eldar race has the longest history. Does the Nest Ship Library contain lost records that even human emperors covet?"

Slau Da shook his head in frustration: "Perhaps, but Guilliman is not his father. His thirst for knowledge is not so obsessive. He would not launch an expedition of this scale for a few ancient books."

"What is that for?" the energy life form sage almost roared.

"Most of our conspiracies against humanity remain in the planning stage. We have indeed instigated civil war among them and orchestrated several alien invasions."

But compared to the corruption and strife within the human empire itself, this is utterly insignificant. Why is Guilliman fixated on us?

Their discussion has once again reached a stalemate.

No matter how you calculate it, the direct threat esoteric Buddhism poses to humanity seems insufficient to warrant an imperial regent personally leading an army across such a vast distance to lay a trap and annihilate it.

The input and output are completely disproportionate.

Just as a deathly silence began to spread, a voice, full of mockery and ridicule, rang in their ears once again, like a ghost.

In the chaos just now, Hydra suddenly disappeared. Even Sage Yu Hai and others thought that he must have escaped in the chaos. After all, if his brothers caught Omega, Hydra's fate would be even worse.

"You're still fixated on the so-called threat level and strategic value?"

Omega's voice hissed like a venomous snake, making the already drenched esoteric sages feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Have you ancient relics who have lived for thousands of years really become so rigid in your thinking that all you have left are cold calculations?"

“Omega!” Slau Da responded sharply. “What do you know? If you want your plans to remain undisturbed, tell me now.”

What good would it do you if we both went down together?

"Don't rush. Rushing will impede your brain and won't do you any good."

"I just suddenly thought of a detail that all of you have overlooked."

He paused, as if appreciating the anxiety of the aliens before him, before slowly saying, "Among my brothers, Robert Guilliman is an extremely special one."

"He also has an adoptive mother, a mortal woman named Tarasha Euton, who is still alive, although... well, by mortal standards, she is old and frail and not far from death."

The high-ranking members of the esoteric sect were stunned.

Ms. Euton? Guilliman's foster mother? What does that have to do with their current predicament?
"And your esoteric sect, besides those conspiracies and planetary modification technologies, seems to have considerable expertise in life extension, especially in the field of artificial immortality, doesn't it?"

I remember you guys successfully created quite a few immortal agents, like those two guys named John and Damon.”

hum-

Like a lightning bolt piercing through the dark fog, all the clues instantly connected in the consciousness of Sage Yu Hai, Slau Da, and the Energy Lifeform Sage.

Guilliman spared no expense.

It's not about destroying them.

It's not about acquiring some powerful weapon or knowledge.

But it was for… to prolong the life of his pitiful mortal foster mother?! For their artificial immortality technology?!

"This...this is utterly absurd!"

The emotional fluctuations emitted by the energy life form sage were filled with an unbelievable meaning.

"Just for a mortal old woman? A fragile life that could be taken away by time at any moment? He launched an expedition?! Mobilized more than a dozen Primarchs who appeared out of nowhere? This... this is so foolish! So emotional!"

"With his strength and energy, what else could he do that would be better?"

Slao Da's expression was also extremely interesting; the Eldar's long lifespan made it difficult for them to understand the persistence of such a short life.

"Unbelievable... This can't even be described as stupid, but for us, it's a weakness, a weakness we can exploit."

The crystal light on Sage Yu Hai's forehead shifted and changed. After the initial shock, a surge of overwhelming joy welled up in his heart.

He suddenly looked at the other two executives: "Guilliman's weakness is our only way out now."

Unless they are truly in dire straits, they are unwilling to follow Omega into the warp; this hydra is equally dangerous and unpredictable.

They would never give up trying if they could leave with some of their possessions.

“Guilliman is afraid of destroying the Nest Ship, afraid of losing the technology he wants. He’s hesitant to act, which means… we have leverage in negotiations!”

"Negotiation?" the energy lifeform sage hesitated. "Technology in exchange for our departure?"

“That’s right!” Sage Yu Hai’s mind raced. “We must immediately find all the core data and samples related to artificial immortality technology and take control of them. Then, we must contact Guilliman!”

"Not only that, but we also need to add a guarantee that we can leave safely with our property. If he wants the technology to remain intact, he must agree to our conditions. Otherwise, we will destroy it and leave him with nothing!"

The high-ranking members of the esoteric sect felt as if they had instantly transformed from desperate lambs to the slaughter into negotiators with their trump cards in hand, and the gloomy mood on their faces dissipated considerably.

Although they still couldn't understand Guilliman's "weakness" in making such a fuss over a mere mortal, that didn't stop them from taking full advantage of it.

"Act immediately!" Sage Yu Hai ordered.

"All units should prioritize identifying and controlling all laboratories, databases, and sample banks related to life extension, cell regeneration, and artificial immortality projects."

We must protect them at all costs; they are our only hope for survival.

"At the same time, attempt to establish communication channels with the human fleet."

Slau Da added, his face displaying an air of authority cultivated over a long period of time.

"It's time to have a proper talk with that human regent."

The remaining cult forces within the hive were immediately mobilized, frantically searching for a "lifeline" to negotiate with humanity, especially John and Damon, two readily available artificial immortals.

However, after the cult searched their nest ship inside and out but failed to find the two human agents, the Sage of the Sea and his companions were enraged.

"Can anyone tell me where those two human agents went?"

“They can’t just die in the floodwaters like this. We’ve trained them for so long, it would be too pathetic for them to die like this.”

"And even if we take a step back and assume they are dead, they can be resurrected; they won't just disappear without a trace."

The high-ranking members of the cult were talking amongst themselves, unaware that their unintentional thoughts would be noticed by these human agents, and that Damon would be directly turned and taken away by John.

...The emergency surfacing order issued by Sage Yu Hai and others did indeed interfere with the human boarding forces.

Accompanied by deafening metallic groans and the roar of surging water, the massive cult nest ship, like a wounded sea monster, struggled to rise from the dark depths of the ocean.

The enormous pressure difference allowed the seawater, which had not yet been completely emptied from the ship's interior, to find a new outlet. The surging seawater, like a burst dam, crashed and surged wildly between the passageways and compartments.

This was undoubtedly bad news for the Imperial boarding forces that were advancing inside the ship.

"Hold on tight, grab onto something stable!"

The roar of the clone Lemanrus even drowned out the roar of the water. His massive body was nailed to the center of a main passage like a reef, and the transmission system on his power armor made a dull sound as it resisted the impact of the violent water flow.

The Death Watchers behind him also clung to pipes or protruding structures on the walls, linking themselves together to form human chains to fight against the power of nature.

The water flow not only brought impact, but also extreme blurring of vision and extreme instability of the center of gravity.

Broken wreckage, mangled corpses, and various unsecured devices tumbling and colliding in the water pose extremely difficult-to-detect threats.

"For the Emperor, advance!"

On the other side, Clone Ryan's voice remained incredibly calm. Ignoring the obstruction of the water flow, he used the full power of his power armor and the magnetic locks of his power boots to firmly grip the ground, like a beast swimming upstream, forcefully charging forward.

Deathwatch's plasma weapon traced brief, scorching trails in the water, evaporating the water in its path and vaporizing the cult guards who were trying to approach under the cover of the water.

"Switch weapons, prioritize sonic pulse weapons, use molten metal weapons with caution!" a Deathwatch squad leader ordered through the squad communication channel.

In the current environment, weapons such as thermal and plasma weapons would react with large amounts of seawater, which would interfere with the Astartes' ability to observe the battlefield.

In an instant, the Space Marines put away their plasma weapons and replaced them with special weapons that emitted high-frequency sound waves.

The sonic cannon generates a deadly cavitation effect in the water, and the visible shock waves propagate with extremely high efficiency in the water.

Wherever it passed, the internal organs of the esoteric creatures hidden in the murky water were shattered, and they spewed out a blood mist mixed with tissue fragments from their mouths and noses before silently collapsing.

Although the high-energy particle beam fired by the pulse weapon decays rapidly in water, it still retains considerable lethality at close to medium range. At the same time, it does not react violently with seawater, making it highly effective against lightly armored targets. The blue energy beam penetrates the water flow and precisely strikes the enemy.

Those original Space Marines with teleportation or ethereal abilities became the Xenomorphs' true nightmare.

Ignoring the obstacles of terrain and the influence of water flow, they would sometimes suddenly appear on the flanks and rear of the enemy's defenses to launch deadly attacks, and at other times they would penetrate walls or hatches to directly attack command nodes or firing points.

Their elusive nature made it impossible for the esoteric Buddhist guards to defend against them.

Clone Lane looked at the elite Astartes around him, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

As the leader of the First Legion, Ryan's vision is arguably the highest among all Primarchs.

His elite inner-circle veterans, who had experienced the wars of unification, the Great Expedition, and the Great Rebellion, were mostly extremely low-key and unassuming. However, when compared with soldiers from other legions, they often displayed incredible strength.

Ryan had initially thought that this mixed band called Deathwatch wouldn't give him the same feeling of complete control as the Dark Angels, but now it seemed that they also had their own unique strengths.

At least when dealing with aliens, their tactics were exceptionally flexible and adaptable, showing no signs of being constrained by their old habits.

They abandoned their original fighting principles, focusing solely on victory and killing the enemy.

However, the resistance of the Tantric sect was by no means weak. As the nest ship surfaced, the internal drainage system gradually came into play, and the water level in some areas began to drop, which provided an environment for the Tantric sect to use other methods.

Swarms of intelligent mechanical bees began to appear. These small, gravity-defying drones were as agile as a swarm of bees, their sensory wings constantly scanning the environment and sharing information with the entire cult's defense network.

Ignoring the residual effects of the water flow, they sped between passageways and open compartments, their twin pulse carbines beneath the fuselage spinning wildly and firing.

Puff puff puff——

Dense beams of pulsed energy form a crossfire network.

Although a single shot is not powerful enough to penetrate power armor, its extremely high rate of fire and accuracy pose a significant threat to the Astartes' helmet optical sensors, weak joints, and exposed backpack interfaces.

Several Deathwatch warriors charging ahead were targeted by multiple Swarms of Zealots, their armor exploding in a series of sparks.

Although these shots did little to harm the Deathwatch Space Marines, they effectively slowed their advance.

What's even more troublesome is that these machine bees are extremely agile, and the complex environment of the cult hive ships makes the elimination work even more difficult.

Following the appearance of the automatons were the core of the Cult's ground defense: the heavily armed Tau Fire Clan warriors.

Each of them wore streamlined protective combat suits, armor made of high-density nanocrystalline alloys that demonstrated astonishing defensive capabilities, almost comparable to the original Space Marines' terracotta power armor.

The Fire Clan warriors are equipped with powerful pulse blast guns, whose high-energy particle bursts are far more powerful than the carbine guns of the Beetles, enough to damage the weak points of Astartes' power armor.

"For the Greater Good!"

The Fire Clan warriors shouted their slogans, and the thrusters on the back of their combat suits spewed short bursts of flame, enabling them to perform rapid tactical maneuvers and jumps.

They worked in groups of three, providing cover for each other, and using the vision and harassment provided by the intelligent machine bees to block the passage with precise and fierce firepower.

A Deathwatch warrior attempted to force his way through, and the explosive bomb struck the Fire Clan warrior's breastplate, exploding in dazzling sparks. However, it failed to penetrate immediately and was instead deflected by the unusual arc of the bomb.

The Astartes was caught off guard by the Fire Clan warrior and a precise pulse energy blast struck his shoulder armor, causing him to stagger.

Another Fire Clan warrior flanked from the side, his plasma rifle mounted on his arm charging and emitting a dangerous glow.

"These blue-skinned aliens have some shooting skills."

A Deathwatch warrior roared in the communications, dodging a burst of pulse fire while instantly vaporizing a Fire Clan warrior who had charged too far ahead with his molten gun.

But more Fire Clan members and Mech Bees immediately filled the vacancy.

The battle entered a fierce, all-out phase, with Deathwatch gaining the upper hand due to its greater experience, stronger individual combat skills, and special abilities.

However, the Fire Clan, relying on their superior equipment, fearless courage, and skillful cooperation with the Mech Bees, managed to significantly slow down the Imperial army's advance.

It must be said that the investment the Tantric sect made in these Tau warriors was no small sum.

The Death Watchers could tell that the weapons and equipment worn by the Fire Clan warriors were unusually mixed, as if the technologies of multiple races had been fused together.

Within the channel, pulse energy, explosives, sound waves, and plasma beams intertwined and danced, accompanied by a constant stream of explosions, metallic clanging, and the screeching of weapons overload.

Amidst the chaos, a figure as swift as a ghost darted along the edge of the battlefield.

He is Narek, and also Uslan, a mercenary who has dealt with cults for decades.

He was extremely familiar with the tactics and equipment of these blue-skinned aliens, but he did not participate in a head-on charge. Instead, he used his observation skills to constantly search for the enemy's command nodes.

The Tau are actually quite similar to humans in their system. Their army is highly dependent on superiors and the guidance of the ether. Once they lose their on-site commander, their resistance efficiency and morale will be greatly reduced.

His tactical helmet scanned the battlefield, filtering out irrelevant information and quickly locking onto targets.

At the entrance to a relatively spacious auxiliary passage, several Fire Clan warriors, whose equipment was clearly superior and whose armor bore unique honor marks, were surrounding a figure.

The figure, whose combat uniform was even taller, was constantly using hand gestures and brief commands to mobilize the surrounding troops, and even occasionally used the heavy pulse cannon mounted on his arm to fire precise shots, suppressing the Imperial soldiers' offensive.

it's him!
A thought flashed through Narek's mind.

The next moment, Narek disappeared into the complex environment of the cult hive ship; he needed to find the best position to snipe the enemy commander.

At this moment, Cullen Shova was completely unaware that he had been targeted by Narek.

The elderly leader of the Fire Clan was filled with conflicting emotions.

After many years, he once again faced the human demons from his memories head-on, and countless fragmented and painful memories surged forth, becoming incredibly clear.

Those slaughtered people, those arrogant and invincible human space warriors.

They have undergone a complete transformation; they have replaced their bronze spears with superweapons provided by the ether, and their simple animal hide armor with sturdy metal suits.

Moreover, they have automatons as support, so Cullen is confident he can put up a fight against those demons.

But now, with war truly upon them, the Fire Clan leader sensed that things were somewhat different.

His soldiers were being rapidly depleted, at a rate that made Shova's heart pound.

Those Proto-Forged Space Marines, who were quite different from those in my memory of Astartes, possessed the same deadly combat prowess. Elite Fire Clan warriors often couldn't withstand more than a few rounds against them before being blown to pieces.

Under such extreme pressure, his suspicion and fear of ether were amplified infinitely.

But his long years of arduous training and his faith in the highest good have kept him dedicated to his duties.

More importantly, human invaders are attacking his home and slaughtering his people, and Kuren must not allow the nightmare of his memories to repeat itself.

"Suppress the left flank! Harass their heavy weapons crew with swarms of machine guns!"

Kulen Shova's voice came through the speaker on his combat uniform, calm and rational.

His heavy pulse cannon roared again, forcing a Deathwatch soldier who was trying to throw a molten bomb back into cover.

However, while he was fully focused on the frontal battlefield, a deadly threat quietly descended from his flank and rear.

Narek's figure appeared like a ghost from a gap in a wall that had just been breached by the floodwaters, landing silently.

His Brontus sniper rifle was aimed at Cullen Shova, targeting the vulnerable spot where his combat uniform connected to his helmet.

The next second, Narek pulled the trigger without hesitation, and a deadly bomb silently flew out, heading straight for the target.

But Cullen Shova, a battle-hardened field commander, possessed a beast-like instinct for danger.

The instant Narek fired, Cullen Shova whirled around, forcibly shifting his body several centimeters.

The sniper bullet narrowly grazed his neck, the intense heat from its blast even penetrating his armor and reaching Shova's senses.

Narek cursed under his breath at the damned alien's sharpness. The next moment, he vanished from his spot, and the Tau's firepower struck the place where he had been standing.

"I have located the alien commander's coordinates, as follows—"

Although Narek failed to snipe, he didn't hesitate and immediately reported Cullen's location to Ryan.

He originally intended to use the alien commander's head to curry favor with Guilliman and try to improve their relationship as much as possible.

"receive."

Clone was overjoyed and immediately moved swiftly toward the coordinates sent by Narek, as fast as a deadly beast in a dark jungle.

(End of this chapter)