Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 732 The Return of the Psionic Titans
Under Chen Xi's command, the human evacuation operation in the Hades Galaxy was largely completed after paying a heavy price.

However, in this final stage, a thorny problem arose—the combat nun squads deployed on the vast plains, who were fighting to the death with those giant mobile solar arrays, and the stubborn local tribes, were completely stalled in their evacuation by the sudden appearance of a terrifying presence.

Through the last images transmitted back by the reconnaissance unit, Chen Xi clearly saw that enormous creature—a Titan-class being known as the "Insect Saint".

Its massive, mountain-like body moved in the shadow of the mobile array. Each stomp of its thick biological legs caused the ground to tremble. The thickness of its carapace far exceeded the effective penetration range of conventional heavy weapons. The spore cloud surrounding its body and the constantly opening and closing biological cannons that seemed to devour light exuded a sense of oppressive despair.

Conventional ground forces are like ants in its presence; only by deploying Titan units of the same rank from the Imperial Titan Legion can it possibly stand against it head-on.

Chen Xi frowned; his first instinct was always to find the most efficient and direct solution.

He immediately connected to the fleet's fire coordination channel, his tone urgent: "This is Chen Xi! A Zerg Titan-class unit, 'Zerg Saint,' has appeared in the coordinate area, posing a serious threat to the last evacuation force and key support nodes."

Can you immediately deploy orbital firepower for a surgical strike? Repeat, requesting orbital laser lances or macro cannons for coverage!

However, the fleet's reply was cold and realistic: "Inquisitor, all capital ships are tightly bound by the swarm's main biological fleet and cannot break free! The squadrons attempted to conduct orbital firing, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed, and there is a high risk of friendly fire and damage to the solar array structure! We... cannot spare the resources!"

Chen Xi cursed under his breath. What he least wanted to get into was this kind of war of attrition that required ground troops to tackle tough challenges, especially when facing monsters of this level.

Time ticked by, and with each passing moment, the chances of the defenders surviving diminished. Moreover, the destruction of the solar array would also affect the effectiveness of the subsequent "purification."

Left with no other choice, he established a communication line with the traveler Anlaqir, his tone grave: "Anlaqir, a Tyrannosaurus-class creature known as the 'Insect Saint' has appeared near the seventh mobile solar array. Our forces lack effective countermeasures and are unable to provide orbital support."

That's one of the planned auxiliary energy nodes. Do you... have any way to deal with it?

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication, as if the tomb engineers were making a quick assessment.

Soon, Anlaqir's ancient, resonant consciousness flowed in, his tone carrying an almost indifferent calm: "...The large biomass aggregate has been observed."

Indeed, allowing it to continue to exist would disrupt the stability of the energy network and reduce its ultimate efficiency.

Since your... toys are insufficient, then the Murphy dynasty will remove this obstacle.

There were no extra assurances or inquiries about details, as if dealing with a Tyrannosaurus was simply a somewhat troublesome task to be completed—at least that's how the Murphyritt dynasty initially appeared.
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On the plain, the battle nuns and tribal warriors put up a desperate resistance, relying on the massive tracks and structure of the mobile platform. The Insect Saint's appendages, like living battering rams, slammed heavily against the edge of the platform, causing violent tremors. The bombardment of the bio-plasma cannons left scorched craters on the platform.

Initially, the Murphylid dynasty attempted to resolve the issue through conventional means.

Several massive, spider-like tomb structures appeared on the battlefield via short-range teleportation; their Gaussian decomposer rays and phase swords were enough to easily tear through the armor of the Empire's heaviest tanks.

However, the chitinous carapace surrounding the Insect Saint is not only physically indestructible, but also surrounded by a powerful bio-psychic energy field, which stems from the massive amount of biomass invested by the Insect Nest's will and the special node organisms that may exist inside it.

The decomposition effect of Gaussian rays is greatly weakened, and the phase sword's slashes are unable to penetrate deep into its core.

Attacks from the tomb structure are like stones thrown into a deep pool; they create ripples but cannot cause fatal damage.

Instead, a single violent psionic shock from the Insect Saint overloaded the internal circuitry of a construct, causing it to collapse to the ground amidst sparks.

The ineffectiveness of conventional forces forced the Memphis dynasty to resort to even deeper measures.

The space above the plain suddenly distorted, an unnatural gravitational singularity briefly formed and disappeared, and in its place was a fragment of a super-burning star god that was forcibly bound and activated.

It was not a complete Star God, but merely a fragment. However, the moment it appeared, the surrounding space was distorted by unimaginable heat, and light bent around it, as if a miniature, violent star had been forcibly crammed into the atmosphere.

It has no fixed form; it is more like an aggregate of pure energy and destructive desire with basic consciousness, whose very existence is scorching reality.

The Insect Saint immediately sensed this unprecedented threat. It let out a roar that was a mixture of rage and a hint of instinctive fear. Powerful psionic energy converged into a substantial shockwave that blasted towards the Star God fragment. At the same time, the bio-plasma cannon fired at full power, attempting to annihilate this dangerous creation.

The Superburning Star God Fragment responds in its essence—a pure and ultimate release of energy.

Instead of dodging, it transformed into a scorching stream of light and collided head-on with the Insect Saint's psionic impact.

Two forces beyond mortal comprehension collided, and the resulting energy storm instantly swept across the entire plain. The massive structure of the mobile solar platform groaned in the shockwave, and any swarm units or even the remains of undead constructs that got too close were instantly vaporized or melted into crimson metal droplets.

The battle nuns and tribal warriors were forced to huddle behind the strongest bunkers, feeling the apocalyptic tremors and intense heat.

This is a savage and primal confrontation, a collision between the pinnacle of bio-psychic energy and fragments of the violent nature of the physical universe.

The Insect Saint brandished its giant claws, tearing apart the energy barrier surrounding the Star God fragments. Its own carapace was also melted through by the Star God's high temperature, revealing the pulsating, severely damaged biological tissue beneath.

The fragments of the Star God constantly change form, sometimes transforming into energy spears that pierce through heaven and earth, and sometimes spreading into a raging storm that incinerates everything.

Finally, in a concentrated burst of energy like a supernova explosion, the fragment of the Superburning Star God pierced through the core of the Insect Saint. The enormous Tyrannosaurus let out a final, earth-shattering wail, and its mountain-like body was ignited from the inside, quickly turning into a pile of fiercely burning, collapsing giant charcoal.

However, victory came at a price.

After completely destroying the Insect Saint and venting its destructive desires, the fragment of the Super Burning Star God did not quiet down as expected, but was reclaimed by the Tomb Technician's binding force field.

It hovered above the battlefield, its energy surging violently, as if it were "breathing".

It began to continue attacking all Tyranid swarms within its line of sight indiscriminately, turning them to ashes, but its attack patterns became increasingly "purposeful" rather than controlled weapon behavior.

Even more unsettling, a faint but undeniable ancient fluctuation of consciousness began to emanate from the fragments.

It seemed to be drawing energy from the battle just now, or perhaps it was recalling its broken past.

Its behavior, which was originally driven solely by simple commands, began to be mixed with... a primal rage and a yearning for freedom. "The control protocol is failing!" Anlaqir's voice, for the first time in Chen Xi's communicator, carried a tone that could be described as "urgent." "The fragment is regaining basic consciousness... it's trying to break free!"

After clearing out the swarm of insects in a small area, the Star God fragment ignored all other targets and began to rise slowly. Its energy intensity continued to climb, clearly attempting to break through the atmosphere and return to the boundless space—if it were to enter the void, given its current state, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Anlaqir's voice followed closely, carrying an undeniable urgency: "The obstacles have been cleared, but new variables have arisen. Continue your evacuation procedures, humans."

The final agreement stipulates that the timeline remains unchanged, and the Murphylid dynasty will handle the...unexpected aftermath.
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Looking at the images transmitted back showing the Star God fragments rising out of control and scorching reality like miniature suns, and the energy binding field that the Mauricet Tomb Technicians had clearly strengthened but seemed unable to completely contain its struggles to break free from, Chen Xi instantly made a judgment—these metal undead had probably gone too far.

While cooperation with the Necromancers in space brings immense power, the unknown risks they pose are equally deadly. We must not place all our hopes and efforts to clean up the mess on them.

Time is of the essence, and there is no room for hesitation.

Chen Xi immediately gave his adjutant a brief order: "Maintain the command link, I have important business to attend to." Then he closed his eyes, and his consciousness, like a boat that had broken free of its mooring ropes, quickly withdrew from the chaotic and noisy battlefield of the Underworld Star System. Following that mysterious and indescribable connection, he traveled upstream and briefly returned to the quiet room where the Emperor's Army Chest was stored.

His gaze once again fell on the ancient and mysterious box.

Without a moment's hesitation, he lifted the lid of the box, and a chessboard with flowing golden energy came into view.

The chess pieces stood silently, representing the power he had accumulated in the Rostov sub-sector. His consciousness bypassed the Ash Knights, Battle Sisters, and other chess pieces, precisely locking onto the largest and heaviest piece on the board—the Warmaster-level psionic Titan.

It is it.

Chen Xi's will, like an invisible hand, firmly "pinched" this chess piece that represented the strongest individual force under his command.

He could feel the immense power contained within the chess pieces, like a dormant volcano.

Without the slightest hesitation, he set the coordinates for placing this chess piece in the Hades Galaxy, below the space where the out-of-control fragment of the star god was rampaging and rising!

With a thought, the chess piece was placed.

The "cost" of the placement was paid instantly, and the piece temporarily disappeared from the chessboard in a golden glow.

The next moment, the space above the ravaged plains of the Underworld Galaxy was forcibly torn apart by an incomparably tyrannical force!

With a deafening roar, like the mournful cry of a metallic structure, a colossal, mountain-like machine descended with a thunderous crash!

The forty-meter-tall Warmaster-class psionic titan's deep armor gleamed with a cold, hard metallic sheen under the light of the binary stars and the flames of the Stargod fragments. The psionic runes engraved all over its body lit up one after another, emitting a ghostly blue energy that resonated with the warp.

Its heavy feet crushed the remains of the insect swarm and the scorched earth below, and the resulting shockwaves made the retreating nuns and tribal warriors in the distance almost lose their footing.

The appearance of this steel behemoth instantly attracted the "attention" of the Star God fragments.

The violent energy aggregate seemed to sense something completely different, yet equally threatening. Its upward momentum paused slightly, and the surging energy flow turned, aiming at the newly appeared Titan.

Chen Xi's consciousness had returned to the command post. Through the Titan's sensors, he coldly stared at the scorching source of destruction. He wasted no time and issued the most concise command to the psionic Titan: "Target, energy aggregate. Use the psionic cannon to completely annihilate it."

Energy began to gather at the uniquely shaped, conduit-covered muzzle of the right arm of the Warlord-class Titan.

This time, it's not a destructive energy targeting the material world, but a more bizarre and profound force—the nothingness and devouring power emanating from the warp itself.

Accompanied by a buzzing sound that made all psionicists' souls tremble, a jet-black energy beam, seemingly capable of absorbing all light, shot out from the cannon's muzzle. It wasn't aimed at the Star God fragment, but rather at the space in front of the fragment.

There, an unstable subspace rift with edges pulsating with colorful halos was forcibly torn open!

The fissure twisted and expanded as if it were alive, generating an irresistible and terrifying gravitational pull.

The fragments of the Star God, which were trying to break free of their restraints and fly into space, were suddenly captured by this gravitational force originating from the subspace.

Its violent energy bursts lost most of their effectiveness in the face of pure "nothingness," like sinking into an invisible quagmire.

The fragments emitted a sharp "hiss" that was not a sound, but reached the level of the soul. It was the instinctive resistance of its newly revived, fragmented consciousness in the face of the threat of complete annihilation.

The pitch-black rift greedily devoured the light and heat released by the Star God fragments, like a gaping maw of an abyss that could never be filled.

The fragment struggled, trying to escape, but the gravity of the subspace held it firmly in place—this incredibly "delicious" energy entity from the material universe.

Under the incredulous gaze of everyone, the fragment of the Star God, powerful enough to destroy a planet, was forcibly dragged and stretched, and finally disappeared completely into the suddenly closed subspace rift, like a whirlpool being sucked into a sewer.

As the rift disappeared, the sky above the plains returned to "normal," leaving only the battlefield ravaged by the energy storm and the steel behemoth that stood silently, its azure psionic runes gradually fading.

Chen Xi confirmed the threat was over using Titan's sensors. Without hesitation, he immediately restarted the "redeployment" procedure, "picking up" the psionic Titan's pieces from the coordinates of the Hades system, preparing to send them back to Rostov.

This ultimate weapon cannot be exposed to the gaze of the Necromancers of space, or even the Empire's allies, for an extended period.

He switched back to the command channel, his voice still calm, as if the astonishing scene that had just occurred had never happened: "Threat eliminated. All units, proceed with final evacuation procedures. Countdown begins!"

The final obstacle was cleared away in an unexpected way.

The charging progress bar for the stellar lens array has finally reached its end.

(End of this chapter)