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

Chapter 928 The Burner, I am the Void Dragon

The space wolf gladiatorial contest that Roche had anticipated did not take place.

Those wolf lords who were really eager to try their luck and spar with their brothers were brutally knocked to the ground by Lemanrus with a big shovel each, so that they could calm down.

According to Lemanrus's original words, whoever makes him lose face in front of Loxi will never be allowed to go out to fight again and will be forced to stay in Fenris's hometown to guard the homeland forever.

These words immediately struck at the heart of those space wolves. The wolves feared nothing but the lack of battles.

The Fenris system is not far from our solar system, which means that most of the time, the Fenris system has no enemies.

Only on the fringes of the Space Wolves' enclave, such as where they border the Dark Angels and the Iron Hand Legion, is it possible for aliens, pirates, and enemies of chaos whose living space is constantly being squeezed to appear.

For the wolves, being sent on missions is one of the few times they can unleash their fighting spirit. If this channel is cut off, they probably won't have the chance to fight again in their lifetime.

Leman Russ personally selected his generals, taking with him the Iron Wolves Dalian and the Storm Wolves Dalian under his command.

These two space wolves from Dalian are exceptionally skilled at operating heavy weapons, using steel torrents and firepower to eliminate the enemy.

If things get out of control, Ruth will order them to completely destroy Midgardia and throw the Burner fragments into the warp.

After making the arrangements, Loshi and the others once again boarded the Stormbird and arrived in Midgardia.

Midgardia and Fenris are not that different; both are covered in ice and snow, but Midgardia does not have the harsh and extreme geographical environment of Fenris.

Unlike other continental landmasses, Midgardia is characterized by vast, unbroken plateaus, lacking the frequent occurrences of violent earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and massive tsunamis that tear apart continental plates.

Comparatively speaking, this planet is more habitable, so Ruth did not anticipate that there might be any dangers on it.

“I have a question, Rosie.”

Lemanrus was not wearing a helmet; he only had a wolf-skin vest tied around his shoulder. His tall body resembled a mountain as he walked steadily through the wind and snow.

Ice crystals formed by the blizzard clung to his beard, extending further with each exhale of his hot breath.

"Since you say that this fragment of the Burner is extremely dangerous and exceptionally powerful, why has it remained in Midgardia?"

"If it hadn't been contained by those space undead, then it should be free, able to go wherever it wants?"

"If it is contained by the space necromancers, wouldn't that mean there is a dormant space necromancer dynasty within my home planet's territory? But I have never seen any trace of space necromancer activity in all this time."

Putting aside other things, when Lemanrus started to get serious, he was indeed able to discover some subtle issues that were easily overlooked.

After a moment's thought, Luo Xi slowly replied.

I cannot answer your question right now.

"Perhaps the Necromancer dynasty that imprisoned the Burner fragment has already hidden in the dimensional space, or perhaps they have left the Fenris system for some unknown reason, but left behind this Star God fragment."

"Anyway, we'll know the specifics as soon as we see it."

Ruth also pursed her lips, but she quickly put those troubles behind her.

Anyway, with Rosie making the decisions, he only needs to do the work, so why bother thinking about it?

The Fenris people have their own unique way of thinking.

After searching the surface of Midgardia for some time, Loshi and the others finally narrowed their search down to the vicinity of a mountain range.

Deep beneath the mountains lies a unique energy fluctuation.

That energy was filled with pure, destructive "heat" and "movement," as if it were the ultimate manifestation of the frenzied movement of all microscopic particles, eager to transform all order into disorder and all matter into flowing energy.

Strangely, this energy seemed to have stagnated for some unknown reason, only moving deep within the lower layers.

Almost simultaneously as Loshi observed the fragments of the Burner, the will from the earth also suddenly awoke.

It sensed Rosie's presence, or more accurately, it sensed the aura of "Magladros" emanating from Rosie.

A surge of emotion, a mixture of extreme surprise, greed, vigilance, and a hint of ecstatic joy at escaping a desperate situation, erupted from the ground like a volcanic eruption, directly striking Roxi's consciousness.

【Magladeros?!】

A voice burning fiercely exploded in Rosie's mind, initiating a conversation with great initiative.

"It's you?! How could you be so intact?! Those damned metal slaves should..."

The fragmented consciousness of the Burner Nyadrazasa is filled with incredible disbelief.

It itself was already broken and imprisoned in the depths of this backward planet, enduring loneliness, while its old nemesis, the Void Dragon, had almost recovered its full power.
This completely overturned its understanding!

But then, a strong will to survive and a desire to become whole overwhelmed everything.

Although it and the Void Dragons had a strained relationship and often quarreled and even fought during the War of Heaven, they were still of the same kind when facing a common enemy—the space undead who betrayed and imprisoned them!

Help me! Magladros!

The burner's consciousness became urgent and pleading.

[I'm right here underground, break this cage! Take me away from here! We can join forces again, just like before, and make those metal skeletons taste our wrath!]

[Please help me out, for we're both Star Gods!]

It seemed convinced that the Void Dragon had come specifically to rescue it, after all, who else but the other Star Gods could find and understand its suffering?

Loxi immediately made a plan in his mind. The Burner's misunderstanding was an opportunity. Many times, you don't need to fight to achieve your goal.

He swiftly mobilized the power of the Void Dragon within him, mimicking Magladros's cold, arrogant, and slightly impatient unique will fluctuations, and responded to the past:
[Quiet, Nyadrazasa, I don't want to say it a second time.]

He imitated the way the Star Gods communicated, trying his best to convince the other party that he was the Void Dragon, or rather, that he had broken free and become a complete Void Dragon.

Your chatter is pointless and will only attract those damn metal skeletons.

If you want to stay here, I can grant your wish.

The commotion underground subsided considerably in an instant, as if the Burner Shards had been intimidated by the Void Dragon's impatience and arrogance.

[Compared to before, your tone has changed, Magladros.]

You've always been a man of few words.

The burner asked in confusion, but its eagerness to be rescued made it overlook the details.

[But you're here, that's enough, get to it! I've had enough of this cold cage, I want freedom! Freedom!]

Loxi felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that although she had mastered the essence of the Void Dragon, her thought process was still human, and she had almost revealed a flaw.

Time will change many things, Nyadrazasa, but you're still as irritable and impatient as ever.

This is your greatest weakness.

Loxi didn't rush to respond to the Burner. If she seemed too eager, the other party would sense that something was wrong.

Given the eccentric nature of the Star Gods and their terrible relationship with each other, it would be abnormal if they didn't mock and humiliate other members of their kind when they encountered them in distress.

Look at you, you thought you could rival me, but now you're still locked in a cage, unable to escape, while I've almost fully recovered.

This is the difference between you and me; now you even have to beg me to get you out.

Loxi's taunts were exceptionally sharp, and the Burner Fragment's consciousness immediately fell silent.

Anger arose in its consciousness, but it also became more convinced that the other party was Magladros.

That bastard is still as arrogant and cocky as ever.

"How did you become whole again? Those metal skeletons shouldn't have let you escape so easily," the Burner asked.

As I've said before, time changes many things, and this era has already changed.

The space necromancers have fallen into slumber, while a new race called humanity has risen to become the new galactic overlords.

I formed a cooperative relationship with humanity. I taught them technology and knowledge, and they helped me escape my predicament and find the lost fragments.

The Burner's consciousness fell silent for a moment.

Just as even Loshi was starting to worry that he might have said something wrong, Nyadrazasa spoke up again.

It seems you've become whole again, truly changed your personality, Magladros.

【You've just found another race of servants, just like those short-lived, fragile Death-fearing beings we found in the past. They're nothing but tools.】

I'm utterly astonished that you're so polite to the tools, even referring to them as "collaborators."

Loshi then realized what this guy was being silent about; it turned out he was starting to doubt his respect for humanity.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. These Star Gods were indeed incredibly arrogant. In their eyes, the former Space Necromancers were probably no different from ants, completely at their mercy, taking whatever they wanted and acting recklessly.

Even a race with a modicum of backbone would rise up in resistance.

[Servant? No, Nyadrazasa, your mind is still stuck in the past.]

Loxi looked down at him and mocked him.

I reflected on the past and found the reasons why we were betrayed.

We treated the space undead far too badly. If we had treated our tools more kindly, things wouldn't be like this today.

These humans are very useful tools: they are numerous, reproduce rapidly, are spread throughout the galaxy, and are skilled at digging and searching.

It's far more efficient to have them search for scattered debris for us than for us to do it ourselves; more importantly, they can confuse the undead in space.

【oh? 】

The Burner's mind seemed to be somewhat persuaded by this statement.

But are you sure they won't turn on you? Like those damned Death-fearers?

"They dare not, nor are they capable." Rosie's response was cold and confident.

I control their entire civilization; their technology depends on my benevolence. If I were to waver even slightly, humanity's scientific system would collapse.

This statement, filled with the arrogance and desire for control of the Star God, finally stopped the Burner Fragment's simple and irritable mind from getting bogged down in this matter.

"Alright! You've convinced me, Magladros!" it replied eagerly. "Then get these human tools out of here quickly! I don't want to stay in this damn place a second longer!"

"Patience," Rosie continued.

This galaxy is controlled by a human force beyond my control; they worship force, are savage and suspicious.

A large-scale operation would alert them and cause unnecessary trouble. I will send a small team of reliable humans to stealthily approach your prison.

"You need to completely suppress your power and will so that they can transport you out safely, understand?" Rosie deliberately instructed, his deception tactic had reached its final stage.

[Disguise? Concealing power?] The Burner seemed extremely unwilling, which was a humiliation for it, as it was used to crushing everything with power.

Why go through all this trouble?! Let's just...

[This is an order! Niadrazasa!] Loshi's will suddenly became extremely stern, even carrying a hint of the impatient pressure that Void Dragons usually exert on Burners.

"Your actions are too drastic and will attract the attention of those space zombies. Our current strength is not enough; it's best to keep a low profile."

[When we find enough of our fellow Star Gods, that will be the time for us to take revenge on the space undead.]

If you want to gain your freedom quickly, instead of rotting here forever, do as I say! Otherwise, I don't mind skipping you and going to find other Star God fragments.

A direct threat is more effective than any explanation.

Among the Star Gods, it is a world of survival of the fittest. The Burner Fragment could clearly sense that the Void Dragon was far stronger than itself at this moment, and it had no other choice.

【…Fine! Alright!】 It finally gave in, its mind filled with a sense of frustration and helplessness.

[I will conceal my power and disguise myself... but hurry! Magladros, don't keep me waiting too long!]

【I will.】Rosie left behind her last cold thought before severing the connection.

The restless energy deep underground has completely subsided, clearly indicating that Nyadrazasa has gone into complete hibernation.

After doing all this, Loxi slowly opened her eyes and nodded to Lemanrus, who looked nervous and confused, beside her.

"Okay, I've convinced it for now, and it will cooperate with our actions."

Ruth's eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.

"That's it? What did you say to it? I felt like that thing down there suddenly went timid just now?"

"It's just about making it realize the current situation and make the wisest choice," Rosie said casually.

"Now, we need to send a small team down to dig it out."

"Keep a low profile and move quickly. I told the Burner that we had sneaked into this planet, and that the planet's inhabitants were not under my control."

Russ acted swiftly, immediately issuing orders to the fleet in orbit via an encrypted communication channel.

Soon, several Stormbirds carrying elite teams quietly landed near the designated coordinates.

This team mainly consists of technical sergeants from the Sixth Legion, several mechanical priests who have studied space necromancy, and several engineered ironmen that have been calibrated and are specialized in precision excavation and geological stability.

The Ironmen used the parts they carried to assemble an excavator and drilling vehicle on site.

Its massive rotating drill head emitted a deep hum as it began to pulverize the frozen rock layer with extremely high efficiency, continuously advancing deeper into the earth.

Loshi and Leman Russ led their men down into the ever-expanding, metal-reinforced tunnels created by the drilling rig.

As the depth increases, the properties of the surrounding rock strata begin to change, revealing unnatural alloy structures and obvious traces of compression and distortion.

When Loshi went to Fenris to retrieve the Burner's fragments, he naturally couldn't leave behind Tarasin and Orikan, two genuine high-ranking members of the space necromancer faction.

At this moment, Taracin was analyzing the underground rock strata of this area with great interest, searching for information that was easily overlooked.

“Interesting…” Tarasin’s eyes gleamed as he extended a metal finger and carefully scraped a twisted and deformed metal fragment embedded in the rock wall.

"The craftsmanship of this alloy should be in the style of the Nekmunda dynasty, but they usually wouldn't dispose of their unwanted waste so carelessly."

Judging from these signs of melting and structural stress fractures, it doesn't seem like an orderly shutdown or migration; it's more like... it suffered some kind of external attack.

Upon hearing this, Lemanrus frowned. He was extremely sensitive to these things that were happening in the Fenris system, yet he knew nothing about them.

It seems that many things happened in the Fenris system in the past, which he was unaware of.

"An attack? Who could attack the Necromancers' lair in space? Another bunch of ribs?" Ruth guessed.

Tarasin slowly shook his head, pointing to an even larger gap in the passage, as if it had been forcibly torn apart by some immense force. Scattered around were some already damaged metal fragments, which could be vaguely identified as the remains of the Netherworld Scarab.

"Unlike dynastic wars, even if we were to go to war, we wouldn't resort to such primitive and violent destructive methods; the efficiency is far too low."

Our Gaussian weapons can disintegrate targets at the subatomic level, and our other weapons are even more destructive, leaving no residue whatsoever.

Loxi's heart stirred slightly. This unusual situation made him more vigilant, but his primary task at the moment was to obtain the Burner fragments.

Finally, the drilling vehicle found itself in a huge underground cavity.

This place was clearly once a magnificent necropolis hall in space, but now it is a desolate ruin.

The massive stone pillars broke and collapsed, and the walls were covered with charred marks and signs of stress distortion.

In the center of the hall, a hypercube maze, composed of distorted light and complex force fields, constantly folds and rotates itself, floats in mid-air.

It was clearly an extremely powerful spacetime prison, but its surface glow was slightly dim, and its operation did not seem to be perfectly smooth, as if the energy source or control system that maintained it had been damaged.

At the heart of that labyrinth, a mass of intensely compressed, dark orange-colored energy was slowly pulsating.

It exudes suffocating heat and raging fury, yet it is tightly bound by the hypercube maze, forced to tumble within its limited dimensions like a trapped beast.

When Loxi and Lemanrus stepped into the hall, the energy body suddenly paused, then erupted into even more intense agitation, but quickly suppressed it and became "docile".

【Magladeross! Is this your man? Quickly! Release this damned cage! I have already restrained all my power as you requested!】

The burning fragments' intent echoed throughout the hall, and everyone could clearly sense the urgency within them.

Lemanrus stared directly at the Burner fragments before him. Although the fragments were still sealed within the Hypercube Maze, they still caused the Wolf King a strange sense of irritation and burning.

He gripped the Frostblade Battle Axe tightly, warily surveying the surrounding ruins and the eerie hypercube in the center.

He also saw magma seeping from deeper layers, bubbling and gurgling, with a faint smell of sulfur in the air.

As humans opened up a space between the depths of the earth and the outside world, a strong wind, created by the temperature difference, began to howl, continuously drawing out the internal gases.

However, this is nothing to the Astartes, whose power armor is perfectly capable of operating in places a thousand times worse.

Ignoring the Burner's impatient urging, Loxi first carefully examined the hypercube maze and the surrounding ruins.

Taracin's discovery made him realize that the situation might be more complicated than he had thought.

This hypercube maze does not appear to be functioning normally, but rather in a low-power maintenance state after being damaged.

If an unknown entity truly attacked this necromantic tomb world, why was the Burner fragment left behind? Was it something they couldn't handle? Or was it intentionally left behind?

【Magladros! What are you waiting for? Get your human collaborators to do it! I've been holding back for far too long!】
Don't worry, I promise. After we escape, I will help you, and together we'll find the other Star God fragments! Your power far surpasses mine; I have no chance to back out.

The Burner's will grew more fervent, even tinged with a hint of obsequiousness, but this only made Rosie more wary.

Release it right here?

No, that's too risky.

Even if it appears compliant now, once it is free, no one can guarantee what this volatile Star God fragment might do.

Its nature is destructive energy, filled with hatred for all intelligent life, and it is too close to Fenris, so Lothie does not want Ruth's homeland to be destroyed.

【Nyadrazasa.】Loshi's voice rang out again, cold and piercing, interrupting the Burner's incessant urging.

I can't believe your promises. Once you're free, will you even remember them? Trust between star gods... Hmph, you and I both know how ridiculous that is.

【You?!】 A surge of intense anger erupted from the Burner's mind, but even more so, it was filled with anxiety, fearing that the Void Dragon might actually change its mind.

"So what do you want?!"

"It's very simple," Rosie replied unhurriedly, as he stretched out his hand, and a miniature version of the equally complex and ingenious hypercube maze device appeared in his palm.

This is one of the containers previously used by Talasi or Orikan when delivering Void Dragon Shards; its technology is sufficient to temporarily imprison Celestial Shards.

[Once you enter this temporary shelter, I will take you away from this unstable place to a safer and more secluded location, where you will regain your freedom.]

Another cage?!

The Burner's rage was almost uncontrollable, and the surrounding temperature soared instantly, even the air began to distort.

【Magladeross! Are you mocking me?!】

“This is a necessary measure to ensure safety!” Losi raised his voice.

Either you voluntarily enter this portable cage and I'll take you away, or you'll stay here forever, rotting in this collapsing tomb!
The choice is yours, Nyadrazasa, my patience is limited!

The Burner Fragment was extremely unwilling. It was all too familiar with the technology on that tiny container; it was the style of its mortal enemy, the Space Necromancer.

This Magladros not only collaborates with humans, but he's also using the creations of those metal slaves?!
Its senses swept over the crowd around Loxi. Besides the humans who exuded vigorous life energy, there were two... two forms of existence that it hated to the core.

Although they disguised themselves, it definitely smelled the stench of the space necromancers.

【Magladeross! Why do I smell those metal skulls around you?! And those humans, their armor…】

The Burner's mind was filled with suspicion and vigilance; it felt that the shape of those human powered armors seemed somewhat familiar.

[Remember your place, Nyadrazasa!]

Loxi's will exploded like thunder, and the power of the Void Dragon transformed into an invisible giant hand, fiercely grasping the burning energy body, almost crushing it.

You're questioning my decision?! How I use these tools is my business! What right do you have to whine and complain here?

[All the humans in this galaxy are dressed in similar rags! Am I supposed to go out of my way to find a bunch of people in weird clothes just for you?! I'm asking you one last time, are you coming in or not?!]

Rosie's domineering and unreasonable behavior finally overwhelmed the Burner's last doubts and desire to resist.

It may find it strange, but faced with the desire for survival and freedom, it is forced to believe in this strange "Magladros".

[…Go in! I'm going in!]

The burner's mind was filled with humiliation and resentment.

But the dark orange energy ball was eventually compressed to an extreme degree, transforming into a thin stream of light that actively shot towards the miniature hypercube maze entrance in Rosie's palm.

The light on the surface of the miniature maze flickered rapidly, its internal structure operating at high speed before finally stabilizing and transforming into a metallic cube radiating a faint warmth.

Loxi breathed a sigh of relief, quickly closed the entrance, and carefully stored it away.

We've finally managed to get this fragment of the Star God under control.

What Nyadrazasa didn't know was that while getting in was easy, getting out would be difficult...

(End of this chapter)