Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 686 Tuchulcha Engine
As Leon Aljonsen, like a lion unleashed from its cage, charged onto the battlefield with millennia of pent-up fury, announcing his return with the wreckage of his enemies, Chen Xi and his squad did not remain stationary.

At the silent guidance of the two Dark Watchers, they swiftly departed the boiling vortex of the main battlefield and headed towards the deeper, more secluded heart of the "Stone" fortress. Here, the passage became even more ancient, the rock walls rough, as if carved directly from the core fragments of Caliban's destruction. The air was thick with the somber scent of cooled rock and ancient machinery, a stark contrast to the shouts and explosions outside.

Their destination was a secret chamber protected by layers of runes and a static field. The heavy adamantine doors slid open, revealing the interior. The space here was much smaller than the Lion King's slumbering cave, but the oppressive atmosphere was no less intense. In the center of the chamber stood a massive and complex device—the Tuchucha Engine.

Its main body is composed of countless tangled metal pipes and glowing crystals, its surface covered with incomprehensible ancient runes, some parts even slowly writhing as if alive. A thick, translucent biomass pipe extends from the engine's core, connecting to a shriveled corpse placed on a metal support. The corpse has long since lost all life, its skin clinging to the bones, exhibiting a waxy texture, yet it is the medium through which this ancient engine produces sound.

At this moment, there were already three people in the secret chamber. The High Master Azrael stood tall and straight, his brows furrowed as he stared at the engine; the Chief Think Tank Ezekiel stood beside him, the faint light of psychic energy flowing in his eyes, as if sensing the invisible fluctuations; and the third was Cypher, a "fallen angel"—clad in worn power armor, with a weathered face and complex eyes.

The intrusion of Chen Xi and his companions immediately alerted the three. Azrael's sharp gaze swept over them, filled with scrutiny and displeasure; Ezekiel's eyes held a hint of inquiry; Cypher's hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword, watching the uninvited guests warily, especially the short figure shrouded in a hood beside Chen Xi.

"...Inquisitor?" Azrael's voice was low, tinged with impatience at being interrupted from his important business. "This is not the place for you right now."

However, Chen Xi's attention was first drawn to the Tuchucha engine. The mummified corpse's lips were trembling slightly, and a sound, a mixture of mechanical synthesized sounds and some kind of hollow echo, was emanating from its mouth, reverberating in the secret chamber:
"...The time has come, Azrael. The rift has opened, and the path to salvation lies before you. Lead your children back to that moment, back to before Caliban fell, to stop the tragedy, to save our king, to save our homeland..."

The sound of the engine was incredibly alluring, as if striking directly at the deepest regrets of the past in one's soul.

Almost simultaneously, Chen Xi could sense a subtle distortion occurring within the sealed chamber, a resonance transcending time and space intensifying. He could vaguely perceive that somewhere in the distant void, another artifact known as the "Heart of the Plague" was being controlled by the Death Guard, while fragments of the third artifact, the "Ouroboros," scattered across the Kaliban Fragment Belt, were also resonating intensely with the engine before him. It was the interaction between these three that tore apart the structure of reality, opening the warp rift leading to Kaliban ten thousand years ago.

"It's bewitching you, Azrael," Ezekiel's voice rang out, carrying the calm and alertness characteristic of a think tank. "Going back in time to change history? The idea itself is fraught with chaotic traps. Consider the consequences—Typhons' fleet is watching closely, and they could also use the rift to bring those... truly 'fallen angels' who have turned their backs on the light from ten thousand years ago to our time on a massive scale! That would be a catastrophe!"

Azrael's facial muscles tensed, his eyes filled with struggle. The temptation to save Caliban and the Lion King was immense, almost the deepest obsession in the hearts of all dark angels. But he was equally aware of the gravity of Ezekiel's warning. After a moment of silence, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he abruptly raised his hand, his power-armored fingers pointing at the constantly whispering engine: "Destroy it. Eliminate this threat!"

"No!" Cypher stepped forward abruptly, blocking Azrael's path between him and the engine. His voice was urgent and hoarse. "Azrael, you know very well! The Tuchucha Engine transcends linear time! It exists simultaneously at every point in the timeline! If you destroy it here, it means that all Tuchucha Engines throughout the entire river of time will simultaneously fail!"

He stared intently at the Grand Master, emphasizing the consequences word by word: "Think about it! Without the Tuchucha Engine, how could the Lion King have broken through the warp storm ten thousand years ago, arriving in time to join Lord Guilliman and Lord Saint Gilles in forming the Second Empire? Without it, how could the Lion King have launched those deadly raids on the traitors' homeworld, destroying their manpower and laying the foundation for the final victory of the Great Rebellion? Destroying it would be denying our history of the past ten thousand years, and personally burying the Empire's hope of victory!"

Just as the three were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch, Chen Xi's calm voice broke the fragile balance:
“The Lion King has returned. You don’t need to make a choice.” His words were clear and certain, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. “Just trust the Lion King.”

The three people in the secret chamber were startled at the same time, their gazes all focusing on Chen Xi. Azrael was surprised and doubtful, Ezekiel was deep in thought, and Cypher had an indescribable complexity. Then, their gazes fell simultaneously on the short, hooded figure beside Chen Xi, who had been silent since entering the secret chamber.

Although the cloak was large and covered most of his features, the vague facial contours and the indescribable aura that naturally emanated from him, closely connected to the fortress and the history of the Dark Angels, made these three experienced warriors feel that something was unusual.

“You speak of the Lion King’s return…” Ezekiel spoke first, his gaze like a probe trying to pierce the thick hood, his voice carrying the cautiousness characteristic of a think tank, “Do you mean the one beside you… does she exist?” His guess wasn’t baseless; after all, there had been rumors in the galaxy that the Primarch of the Iron Hand Legion, Feralus Manus, had returned in some female form. He suspected Chen Xi might be trying to deceive the Dark Angels using some kind of illusion or clone.

(End of this chapter)