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

Chapter 955 Mortalian and the Death Guard

The appearance of Blackrock Fortress immediately attracted the attention of everyone on the battlefield of Kadia, whether human or demon.

These black rock fortresses are comparable in size to small planets, and their overall shape presents a unique double-layered quadrangular form. The visible area is covered with countless intricate and perfectly geometric prisms, ravines, and platforms.

They have no conventional thruster nozzles, yet they can glide effortlessly through the void, exuding a tranquility and elegance that defies physical intuition.

As they arrived at the battlefield, visible, water-like gray-white ripples spread outwards from the six black stone fortresses.

Wherever the ripples swept across the Cardia space, the blue-purple and scarlet light that had been contaminated by the aftershocks of the subspace storm began to fade and dim rapidly.

With the support of the six Blackrock Fortresses, the immense pressure on the Kadia defenses finally began to ease, and the Warp Demon Army's offensive cooled down as if it had been temporarily extinguished.

"By the Emperor, the subspace energy readings detected on this battlefield have decreased by 37% in just half an hour."

"As long as Blackrock Fortress can maintain its suppressive effect, we can completely push back to the first line of defense that has been breached."

"These pointy-eared Idas have finally turned out to be reliable after all."

"They actually managed to pull out six of those Blackrock Fortresses? I knew these Eldar must have a lot of trump cards up their sleeves. Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Those who underestimate them are sure to suffer a great loss."

Perturabo watched the fluctuating data and curves on the screen with great excitement. With the Primarch's sensitivity to data, he was fully able to discern the escalating tensions between the warp and the real universe from the pure numerical changes.

"Compared to our original policy of indiscriminately exterminating all aliens, Rosie's strategy of first suppressing and then uniting is indeed very commendable."

Dorn saw things much further; he realized that the changes Lothie brought to the Empire and humanity were not merely leaps in technological advancement.

If humans and the Aidalings had maintained the same attitude of overall hostility and partial coexistence, this crucial reinforcement would never have appeared here.

It would be a miracle if the Eldar didn't stab humanity in the back at a crucial moment, let alone mobilize the entire race to provide support.

The Blackrock Fortresses can do more than just suppress the power of the warp. Under the control of the Eldar scavengers inside, three of the Blackrock Fortresses slowly adjusted their posture, forming a stable three-dimensional triangle.

Then the three Blackrock fortresses pointed one of their angular structures, which was riddled with complex energy conduits, at each other.

The next second, a dazzling crimson beam of pure subspace energy was released from a corner of Blackrock Fortress.

The beam of light pierced the void and merged with the beams released from the other two Blackrock Fortresses at the focal point, creating a magnificent and spectacular torrent of energy, resembling a supernova explosion.

Blackrock Fortress is capable of suppressing the warp as a whole, while also extracting energy from the warp and converting it into its own destructive force.

Before it crossed the Cardia defense line, the diameter of this energy torrent could be observed with the naked eye. However, when it entered the space realm completely controlled by the subspace, the energy torrent suddenly expanded, turning into a vast expanse of white, instantly engulfing numerous Chaos Demon armies.

Those wrecked spaceships carrying countless warp creatures, whether their hulls were made of heavy, abandoned debris or their twisted psionic shields, were as fragile as paper in the face of this violent power that originated directly from the essence of the warp.

They were decomposed, dissolved, and completely annihilated, leaving not even a trace behind.

After clearing its target, the destructive torrent of energy continued its relentless advance into the depths of the Eye of Fear, until its energy was exhausted, leaving behind only a void that had been thoroughly purified, so clean it sent chills down one's spine.

The entire chaotic battlefield fell into a shared, deathly silence in that instant.

Whether it was humans, the Chaos army rushing to the battlefield, or the Ark Eldar following behind, all were deeply shocked by this destructive power that transcended conventional understanding.

Even the Eldar who came with Blackrock Fortress had never actually seen what Blackrock Fortress looked like when it was fully activated.

Uslan and many Eldar prophets, witnessing the retreating Blackrock Fortress, felt a deep longing for the former Eldar Empire, imagining how prosperous and powerful it once was.

This is the ultimate weapon left over from the War of Heaven. In the past, it was used as a weapon against the Star Gods, but today its enemy has become the malice from the warp.

Ryan Johnson took a deep look at the six black behemoths on the star map that stood like pillars of strength along the Cadia defense line.

Under the influence of Blackrock Fortress, the combat planets of humanity that had suffered numerous malfunctions due to the effects of the warp began to gradually stabilize.

The continuous artillery fire and space weapons from the battle planet took on the responsibility of outputting firepower while the Blackrock Fortress was buffering and accumulating energy, and immediately repelled the warp demon army's attack once again.

The second line of defense, which was originally in danger of collapsing, finally stabilized at this moment, and a rare smile of relaxation appeared on the Lion King's serious face.

“Very well, Ada allies, we have received this gift. Now let’s drive these warp scum back to their homeland!”

"It is our honor to be part of the Anti-Chaos Alliance," Uslan replied proudly.

"People of Ida, this was once the crown jewel of our race. The Great Fall destroyed everything, forcing us to wander the galaxy and eke out a living."

"Now we have returned, and together with our human allies, we will drive out the Chaos, we will reclaim our old lands, and we will restore the glory of the Eldar!"

With the help of the power of the Laughing God, Uslan's impassioned speech reached the ears of all the Idas.

A passion and glory that had long been dormant and extinguished in their souls were reawakened. At this moment, even the most cautious and hesitant Eldar felt an exceptionally strong desire to fight.

They must fight, win this seemingly hopeless war, and achieve final victory!
The Eldar would never deploy their Arks to fight unless it was a matter of life and death. Therefore, their main warships were the Eldar fleets that came with the Ark world and were much larger in number.

In stark contrast to the Imperial Navy's heavy, bulky, and mobile fortress-like ships, the Adarin warships possess a stunning elegance and fluidity.

They lacked heavy armor and layers of turrets; their hulls were mostly long and smooth ovals or spindles, like pebbles polished by flowing water for thousands of years, or perhaps some strange creatures with life, swimming in the sea of ​​stars.

Like a semi-transparent membrane, "solar sails" extend from the sides or rear of the hull. These sails are not just decorations; they capture the light of stars and convert it into energy to propel the ship at high speeds.

A rapid strike group consisting of three Dragonship-class cruisers and dozens of Phantomship-class light cruisers emerged like ghosts from behind a massive wreckage of a battle planet.

Eldar starships are generally much smaller than human warships. Even the largest Eldar warship, the Dragon-class, has a maximum length of only about 5.5 kilometers.

The Eldarin have always made up for their defensive deficiencies with absolute mobility, a trait shared by their tribe warriors and void warships.

With a slight adjustment of its angle, the Eldar starship's solar sails cut into the flank of a Khorne demon fleet in a bizarre trajectory that turned almost at a right angle.

The Blood God's wrecked spaceship was filled with massive cannons made of brass and rusted iron. Each time these cannons roared, they would fire a volley of skulls of the defeated, blessed by Khorne.

Once these skulls come into contact with enemy warships, the blasphemous energy they contain will instantly explode, causing terrifying damage.

Although the Eldar warships were extremely well concealed, they still could not escape the hostile perception of the Khorne demons. The bloodthirsty freaks on the space wreckage noticed the presence of those who were quietly approaching the Eldar starships.

"Lock on them! Kill all those damned cowards!" The bloodthirsty freaks were furious at the Eldar's sneak attack, and they instantly turned their anger on the Eldar warships.

Humans would at least engage in direct, real combat with them, while the Adaling, due to their limited strength and racial inclinations, would focus more on guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. This behavior was practically teetering on the edge of Khorne's territory.

The barrage of fire from the wrecked spaceships blotted out the entire starry sky, and the dense skull-shaped shells almost completely blocked any escape routes for the Eldar warships.

However, the Eldar had already anticipated the reaction of the Khorne's army.

They created numerous illusions in advance, while the main starship had already been quietly moved to a safe location.

Beneath the long bows of the three Dragonship-class cruisers, clusters of several turret-like plasma generators instantly lit up with a blinding blue-white light.

The Eldar's unique Starlight Cannons fired, dozens of highly condensed plasma beams shooting out with surgical precision. They traced brief, scorching trajectories in the air, easily penetrating the relatively thin side armor of the space wreckage.

The area hit instantly turned into a molten state, and then pulsed light spears were fired one after another, aiming at the place where the space ship had just been attacked.

Although these attacks were insufficient to completely destroy the wrecked spaceships, the Eldar at least drew the attention of a significant portion of the warp demons, relieving some of the pressure on humanity.

Meanwhile, more than ten Shadow Hunter frigates, like deadly assassins, used the chaos created by the holographic field to close in on the other two smaller Chaos ships with dazzling maneuvers.

They launched high-precision psionic torpedoes in a dense, beehive-like pattern from both sides of their hulls.

These torpedoes possess extremely high intelligence and penetrating power. They skillfully bypass chaotic intercepting fire and precisely penetrate the structural focus and weapon array base of enemy ships, causing paralyzing damage from within.

After unleashing their firepower in a very short time, the Eldar starships immediately turned and fled. Their solar sails glowed softly once more, and the ships gracefully turned and accelerated in a manner that defied the laws of inertia, quickly withdrawing from the combat airspace.

Only the chaotic artillery fire still exploding in vain in that airspace, and the increasingly enraged Khorne demons, proved that they had been there.

Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously in multiple areas of this battlefield.

The Eldar warships attacked with lightning speed and surgical precision. Each appearance tore a bloody wound in the enemy, disrupting the demons' offensive rhythm, destroying key points, and then disappearing before the enemy could even react.

Through the observation screen, Ryan Johnson calmly watched the Eldar fleet perform this dance of death on the battlefield.

He saw an Eldar cruiser weaving through heavy artillery fire, relying on its holographic field and incredible maneuverability, as if dancing on a knife's edge.

“Impressive technology and tactics,” Dorn commented, with a hint of cautious appreciation in his tone. “They compensate for our fleet’s lack of maneuverability.”

The Lion King did not give a long speech; he simply nodded slightly.

The Eldar proved their value as allies through their actions.

These pointed-eared aliens did indeed bring what humanity needed: a completely different, highly efficient, and deadly method of warfare that perfectly complemented humanity's rock-solid defenses and devastating heavy firepower.

"However, this Eldar fleet feels completely different from the others?"

"The tactical characteristics it exhibits give me a strange sense of familiarity; it's as if I've seen it somewhere before." Dorn touched the star map in front of him slightly, and the holographic image in front of Ryan also rippled.

While the other Eldar warships employed guerrilla harassment tactics, this fleet employed a far more aggressive approach.

It will decisively devour enemies weaker than itself, while enemies stronger than itself will be forced to board and attack after continuous harassment.

The Adarin also use boarding maneuvers, but they are far inferior to humans, who are particularly adept at this.

In such a chaotic battlefield, boarding a wrecked spaceship teeming with warp demons is an act that requires immense courage, even for the human Astartes Legion.

Ryan's expression was slightly complicated. He sighed softly and answered Dorn's question.

"It's normal to feel familiar, because the commander of that Eldar fleet is an old acquaintance of ours."

The Fist of the Empire reacted instantly, and the confusion on his face vanished in an instant.

“It’s Mortalian. She’s been quiet ever since she was traded to Eldar. I don’t know how she is now.”

"I may not know the specifics, but judging from the current situation, she has already gained a certain degree of influence within the Adaling tribe."

"Otherwise, that Eldar fleet would never have made such a risky and aggressive tactical strike strategy."

Dorn nodded in deep agreement. After going through so much, they no longer harbored much hatred for their former Primarch brother.

Since Mortalian is doing well with Eldar, let her be.

Moreover, in such a chaotic battlefield, having an Eldar Primarch commanding the Eldar fleet is not a bad thing for them.

Just as Llane and Dorn were discussing Mortalian, the Pale King, who was commanding the Eldar warships in a surprise attack, also sensed something.

At this moment, Mortalian was standing on the bridge of a Dragonship-class cruiser called "Breath of Life," which was filled with living plants and psionic crystals.

Led by the Breath of Life, it was followed by forty or fifty light cruisers of various types. The hulls of these starships were all adorned with remarkably similar emerald green vine-like energy patterns, which were the symbols of the Aisha followers.

“Someone is talking about me; I sense them.”

Mortalian spoke softly to Camille Neil, the Ark prophet beside her. This prophet came from an Ark world called Nature's Howl, where all the Idas worshipped the legendary goddess of life, Aisha.

After Elsa was rescued from Nurgle Gardens by humans, the world of Howling Ark was filled with excitement and traveled halfway across the galaxy to Comoros, sending its oldest elder to pay homage to the goddess.

The prophet Camille witnessed the legendary goddess of life, and Aisha, in front of many Eldar, formally declared that Mortalian was her child, and that half of her blood flowed in her veins.

Mortalian's origins cannot be hidden from the Eldar, and Aisha and the daughter of the hunter god Kronos had already perished in the catastrophe that gave birth to Slaanesh. Where did the goddess get her child?
However, with Elsa's personal statement, these Ark worlds that believe in Elsa have no choice but to accept the fact that they have an additional Primarch.

They relinquished command of the war almost without complaint, uniting closely around Mortalian.

"Who?" Camille asked nervously.

“Perhaps it’s my brothers; they must have noticed my presence on the battlefield,” Mortalian said, her expression unchanged.

“They might not be very friendly to you, after all, in their eyes you are a disgrace who has sided with the ‘Aliens’,” Camille said bluntly. “But we are different. You are the child of the goddess Elsa, and naturally you are our closest kin.”

“We are willing to obey your commands and fight for your will, Mortalian. From the moment the goddess acknowledged you to us, you and we have been one.”

Mortalian felt a pure warmth emanating from the prophet beside her, which warmed her heart.

After arriving on Eldar's side, Mortalian was forced to try to break out of her old worldview and had to get along with the Adas with an inclusive attitude.

To this day, Mortalian gets along fairly well with these Eldar, and she has gradually found a sense of belonging and warmth, which has greatly filled the emotional void she experienced after escaping from Nurgle Garden.

"What they think of me doesn't matter. I will prove that even if I join the Eldar, I will be no less than them."

"I will prove my ability with undeniable victories and the deaths of my enemies."

As the prophet Camille listened to Mortalian's bold words, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement in his heart.

Primarchs possess a natural ability to convince and sway, and even seasoned Ark prophets are not immune to this.

“We will follow you, and follow the will of the goddess Elsa.”

Mortalian focused her attention on the bone screen, locking onto the Chaos army formation, searching for opponents who could be selected as targets.

Since the start of the war, she has led her fleet to destroy more than fourteen enemy spaceships, while suffering only a hundred or so tribe warriors as casualties. This dazzling record of almost zero casualties has completely won over the hearts of these Eldar.

They began to genuinely believe that as long as Mortalian could lead them, the Eldar's revival was just around the corner.

Among Mortalian's chosen targets, the most numerous were the spaceships controlled by the Nurgle demons.

Because of her past traumatic experiences, Mortalian's hatred for Nurgle was almost ingrained in her bones and she could never let go of it. If it weren't for the scheming of this Chaos God, she would never have become the way she is today.

Moreover, a significant portion of her former offspring, the Death Guard of the Fourteenth Legion, are still under Nurgle's control and are now on the opposite side.

The thought of this made Mortalian's heart clench with pain, and the intense sense of shame made her face grow increasingly gloomy, like a rose covered in frost.

Using her psychic senses, Mortalian spotted a familiar giant ship among the densely packed demon warships.

Although it was already severely corrupted and looked like a mobile plague fortress, with a large amount of superfluous flesh and writhing tissue covering the warship's hull, Mortalian recognized it at a glance.

That was the End, which belonged to her former best friend and company commander, Typhon.

This ship, which once carried the glory of the Fourteenth Legion and was second only to the Glory Queen-class battleship Endurance in the legion, has now become a breeding ground for filth and corruption.

"Typhons!"

The name echoed repeatedly in her mind like the most vicious curse.

Rage consumed her reason; Mortalian loathed Typhon's betrayal, his folly, and how he had led the Death Guard down this path of irredeemable corruption.

She understood that Typhons wasn't the only one on the End; there were other Death Guards as well.

She felt more sadness and guilt towards the Death Guards still aboard the End and on other Nurgle ships.

Aren't they victims too?
The Death Guard followed her and trusted her, but because of her oversight and Typhon's conspiracy, they both fell into the endless nightmare of Nurgle Gardens.

The Astartes' superhuman bodies were tormented by plague and disease, their spirits were seduced by the whispers of evil gods, their egos were forcibly buried, and their souls were twisted and bound, from which they have not yet been freed.

"They deserved a more glorious ending..."

A whisper, almost a sigh, escaped Mortalian's lips, only to be replaced by an even stronger resolve.

As the Primarch gazed at the colossal ship shrouded in corruption and despair on the Spirit Bone screen, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished.

“Typhons himself brewed this bitter fruit, and he must pay the price. As for my children, I must give them eternal peace.”

As if sensing the complex emotions in her heart, a mixture of endless grief and resolute killing intent, a warm power flowed from the ark where Elsa was behind her.

The emerald green life force, like a mother's embrace, enveloped Mortalian's entire fleet.

Aisha's blessing created a powerful purifying field, greatly enhancing the fleet's resistance to the Nurgle plague.

"Aisha, please release your aura from different directions to disrupt the senses of those Nurgle demons."

"There are too many of them and they are too densely distributed. I need them to disperse in order to carry out a decapitation strike."

Mortalian spoke to Aisha in her heart, and the goddess responded to her beloved daughter's request.

"as you wish."

At Mortalian's request, the goddess Aisha cautiously released her aura from different directions.

That life-giving psionic energy was like the brightest beacon in the darkness for the Nurgle demon.

"Elsa, it's Elsa's scent!"

"By the Father above, Elsa is here too!"

Instantly, the Nurgle demons mixed in with the warp demon army, whether they were tiny Nurgle spirits or enormous Great Unclean beings, all became excited as if a pot had exploded.

Bringing the stolen Elsa back to Father's Garden is one of Nurgle's deepest obsessions and those of his demons.

A noticeable commotion immediately broke out within the demon legion. Some demon warships began to break away from the group and blindly rush towards the direction where Aisha's aura was emerging. As a result, the entire wave of demonic attacks in the warp was unnecessarily dispersed and weakened.

"Now!" Mortalian's eyes flashed with a sharp light as she seized this fleeting opportunity, ordering her fleet to begin advancing at high speed.

(End of this chapter)