Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 596 I Came, I Saw, I Recorded

Sak-Tradi Abyss, edge of the Ancient Gan system, Volpa Gorge.

Beside the observation window of the relic-class warship Star, at Lord San Diego Bergkamp's workbench.

The screen of the contemplative machine was filled with a stream of data from the simulated sanctuary, including the reconnaissance results from the reconnaissance fleet and data captured by the 5th Fleet's oracle.

As a seasoned astrologer, San Diego uses the scan data as a reference.

His hands flew across the surface, marking the turning vector for a massive vessel.

The Starship was a battle mothership created by the world of Shana in gratitude to the "Shadow of Order".

The Fifth Chapter, as the first chapter to arrive in the Shana-Wesidax system, opened the gates of Shana.

Based on its achievements in battle, the Fifth Battle Group received the first battle mothership that Shana had built for the Legion.

The battle carrier is a behemoth, larger than other classes of warships such as the Relic-class and Imperial-class, and smaller than the Queen Glory-class battleship among the "Shadow of Order" warships.

The Starship's engines accelerated, and it sometimes rose and sometimes veered, nimbly navigating the Star Gorge Corridor.

They didn't brush against any floating rocks, nor did they touch the uneven surface of the canyon.

The battle mothership released colorful etheric beams, like lumens, illuminating the blurred warship enveloped by layers of spacetime fields.

The light spear shot directly at the Hrud ship, following the distorted time field pierced by the ether cannon.

The intense beam of light was deflected downwards at a tiny angle within the spacetime field formed by the numerous Hrud ships.

The beam of light zigzagged and cut into the enemy ship's underside before exiting from the stern.

The silent explosion of the Hrud battleship sent shockwaves through the spacetime structure.

The battleship's powerful attack capabilities immediately provoked retaliation from the Hruds.

Entropy energy beams create ripples in different times and spaces.

The rocks of varying sizes floating in the starry sky burst into flames.

Some of the stones shattered in the explosion.

Other stones shattered into dust, which drifted in the void.

"Impact...Impact..." The monotonous, repeated reminders from the Starship's servants echoed across the bridge.

The bow was suddenly lifted, and the magnetic boots of the Shadow Order pinned them to the deck, sending dozens of officers and hundreds of sergeants flying.

One of the machine guns crashed into the dome, and amidst the crackling sparks, its mangled body burst into flames.

Several officers tumbled and knocked over the thinker, smashing it onto the crooked control panel.

A dozen or so people were injured or killed, but none of them died from the aging of the distorted entropy energy field.

The ape force field of the space apes protects the people inside the battle mothership from being swallowed by the painful darkness.

As the officers rushed to their posts, the gunnery chief seized the opportunity and launched an attack on the Hrud from the port side of the bow.

As the Starship ascended, two beams of colored light simultaneously shot out from its lower abdomen.

The Hrud ship, swept by the ether beam, floated lifelessly, and flames suddenly rose and burned eerily in the depleted entropy energy field.

San Diego was constantly making arrangements in front of the viewing window.

Black warships, branded with star symbols, stood in a row, their rainbow rays illuminating the dim starry sky of the Volpa Gorge that had remained dark for millions of years.

The warships, with their hulls outstretched, unleashed dense radioactive electromagnetic waves, turning the alien warships into ominous shadows.

Rays of time shot out from the gleaming weapon buoys of the Hrud warship, propelling the black vessel forward with the current.

San Diego inspected the video screen on the control panel. The Starship had endured the most erosion of time, and the ape force field, like a hard tortoise shell, blocked wave after wave of tides.

Every second, the integrity of the force field fluctuates slightly, but noticeably decreases:
90.34%, 90.33%, 90.32%...

The battle mothership drew concentrated fire from the Hruds, but sporadic warships were still attacked by the Hruds.

The old Cobra-class destroyer, Starfall, was besieged by two alien warships. The psionic field projected by its fortress-class energy shield was rapidly weakening.
43.63%, 38.41%...25.74%...

Each time the Starfall is attacked, the shockwave from its spiritual energy field will act as a counter-shock, striking the enemy ship.

On the video screen, the layers of entropy energy fields became clearer and clearer, like an eggshell being peeled open.

San Diego's helmet communicator buzzed, and when he answered it, the resolute voice of the Starfall captain came through.

"My lord, the Starfall is no longer able to shake off the enemy ships' pursuit."

"I will order the illumination of the dark Volpa Gorge."

San Diego glanced at the holographic strategic map; his own fleet was unable to change direction and provide support in the narrow star field.

He quickly calculated that it would take the Starship three minutes and twenty-five seconds to turn around.

He will not issue support orders. His strategic deployment revolves around the Starship, and deviating from the plan would trigger a chain reaction and cause even greater losses.

"I agree with your decision. Salute to you, Commander."

"For the King! For the Star Lord!" The captain's voice was powerful and resounding, like the shadow of order.

San Diego watched the Starfall accelerate, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

Driven by the current of time, the Cobra destroyer accelerated toward the gathering of the Hrud warships.

The entire energy of the overloaded Punishment-class reactor was allocated to the generator of the Fortress-class energy shield. For a time, the shield of the Starfall increased instead of decreasing, until a dozen or so nearby warships all focused their attention on it.

The moment the psionic shield shattered, a colossal wave surged through the Sea of ​​Souls.

A sun rose over the Volpa Star Canyon, and the explosion of the Punishment-class reactor mixed with the psionic turbulence of the Fortress-class energy shield, creating a storm in the center of the Hrud fleet.

A deathly shriek swept past, and within the depleted entropy energy field, colorful flames burned fiercely.

San Diego stared at the blinding light that burst forth, his eyes stinging as if pierced by needles.

He gazed at the tragic scene of the Starfall's sacrifice, and thought to himself.

[The psionic shield, a fortress-level defense, is no match for the ape force field. No wonder our lord hastened the deployment of space apes before the battle.]

When overloaded, the psionic shield of a fortress-level energy deals significant damage, while the ape force field does not have the same effect.

Our Lord once said that the greatest function of the ape force field is to defend against predators in the warp.
Even as the first psionic craftsman of the "Shadow of Order," San Diego still cannot comprehend the principles of the ape force field.

But after he unleashed his psionic attack, he proved the Black Emperor right.

[Our Lord said that the Space Apes are a race created by the ancient saints, specializing in manufacturing. Their skills surpass technology and psionic power... or rather, their fusion of the two are astonishing.]

Hmm... The data crystals issued by our Lord also mentioned that the Hrud were a race created by the Ancient Ones.

The creations of the ancient saints opposed the races he created.
As San Diego pondered, the video screen on the control panel displayed the results of the explosion: forty-one Hrud warships were confirmed destroyed.

The self-destruction of the Starfall unexpectedly broke the stalemate, giving the Fifth Fleet the upper hand.

San Diego decided to capture a Hrud warship. "Prepare to board!"

Fifteen minutes later, San Diego arrived at the flight deck.

Considering that the residual entropy energy field might cause spacetime fluctuations that could interfere with transmission, he decided to use a boarding torpedo method.

He boarded the crew cabin with two mind-controlling servants.

They are taller than the mind-machine servants of the space dwarves.

The back also curves upward, and what covers the dome of the head is not an ornate crown, but a spherical object like a shining star.

It contains a subspace resonator, with complex subspace circuits engraved on its circular outer shell, synchronized with the runic amulets on San Diego's body.

The Mind Servant can both amplify psionic energy and act as a psionic energy fuse.

They have begun experimentally entering the “Shadow of Order” system, equipping think tank directors and psychic lords.

On the back of San Diego's armor hung a warp drive device he had modified from the Eldar Dimensional Spider branch, making the crew cabin appear even smaller.

As a row of boarding torpedoes sped into the void, a bright beam of ethereal light struck the target.

The shimmering bubble burst, and a dozen boarding torpedoes were knocked away by the spacetime vibration.

Hundreds of boarding torpedoes veered and crashed into the Hrud ships.

The moment the hot melt was ejected, San Diego activated the dimensional jump backpack.

His figure vanished from the real world and appeared in an instant in a realm born of powerful minds, intense emotions, and primal impulses.

The nation reflected by the Hrud warship resembled a desolate ruin.

There was nothing there, as if everything had been washed away by time into dust.

Loneliness gripped San Diego's soul, making him feel as if everything was meaningless in the torrent of time.

His thoughts slowed down.

The mind servant's circuit breaker mechanism activated automatically, and the alarm rune lit up.

The amulet on San Diego's body crackled, and he immediately came to his senses.

With a thought, San Diego activated the circuit breaker mechanism.

He ascended to the third level of the Thelma state of mind.

In an instant, the dimensional spider runes lit up.

San Diego leaps into the real world, landing in a dark, tunnel-like corridor.

The experienced astrologer suddenly felt enveloped in a lifeless, gloomy atmosphere, and influenced by some kind of distorted, strange energy.

With a thought, a shadow appeared in the image of the helmet.

The Mind Servant raised its bedrock-type explosive gun and launched an attack on Hrud.

The moment a diamond warhead touches the entropy energy field, either the explosive inside the warhead detonates prematurely due to decay, or it disintegrates in the disintegration of metal atoms.

The influence of Hrud on his surroundings is unpredictable.

Flame weapons are more effective against them, but the experimental mind machines, following the shooting style of the space dwarves, can only master the use of bedrock-type bomb guns on a physical level.

Their greater role lies in psionic abilities, even for the Sages of Grimnir.

Saint Diego and his mind-matter servant vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Hrud.

The psionic crystal shone, and the force field sword slashed at a Hrud.

The psionic field emitted an unusual hiss, yet it still twisted and cleaved through the silicate-scaled armor padding.

The demonic psionicist raised his force field staff, and the passage was instantly covered in frost.

The veil between reality and the subspace was torn apart, and a colorful vortex enveloped more than a dozen Hruds.

As the Hruds screamed in terror, the gap torn by the "Summoning Void" closed, and along with the Hruds, a decaying bulkhead disappeared.

Hrud, who was rushing in, raised his flintlock pistol and aimed it at San Diego.

The dimensional spider rune flashed, and the demon-type psionicist disappeared with two mind servants.

sizzle...

A pillar of fire, hotter than a star, ignited the entire bulkhead, and a raging inferno ensued.

On the other side of the mirror, San Diego wielded his burning force field sword, cleaving through the predators rushing towards him in the waves.

He glanced at it, and countless terrifying, gaping maws of greed lunged at him.

San Diego frowned. [The dimensional warp device isn't mature enough yet.]
As he pondered, a rune flashed, and he returned to the real world.

The collision between the frost and entropy energy field caused by the subspace anomaly resulted in a supernatural mist that permeated the entire passage.

With a thought, Saint Diego activated the amulet on his body and the runes on his two mind servants simultaneously.

He extinguished the light of the force field staff, and as he carried it, along with the activation of the circuit breaker mechanism, he felt his close connection with the subspace suddenly severed.

The loss of power left San Diego feeling weak for a moment, but the "Recorder" immediately regained his strength through the Black Emperor's blessing.

The "Recorder's" eyes reflected an illusory book. As the pages turned, he selected the ability to unleash—"Fire Crow Technique."

The mantra of Dunn, “I came, I saw, I recorded,” leaped forth.

The "Recorder" quickly conjured a flock of fiery crows around himself, and he tried to control their spirituality to guide them toward the Hruds.

The illusory fire crows flapped their wings and flew out, following different routes toward their targets.

They are crooked and skewed, and the closer they get to the target, the more they escape the control of the "recorder".

Fortunately, the narrow passage and the raging flames restricted the Hruds' movement.

Most of the fire crows still hit their targets; the intense heat melted Hrud's tattered clothes and engulfed their hunched bodies.

The pages turned again, and the "Recorder" selected the only person from the warband in his "record" who held the same rank as him in the royal court—the Viscount "Judge."

When “recording” the Viscount Wang Ting’s abilities, the inexperienced “recorder” had to go through thirty-two attempts before his “brain” was activated and the symbols, patterns and signs were correctly arranged.

He raised his right arm and pushed forward.

As the incantation "I came, I saw, I recorded" soared, he roared in Dunn's language: "Imprisonment!"

His extremely viscous, transparent liquid enveloped Hrud in layers.

Within the enormous amber, a pair of huge eyes revealed terror and bewilderment.

　PS: Nimrod's abilities, equipment, and magical items have been added to the game's content. You can check it out if needed. It will be continuously updated.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)