Warhammer 40: My Fiancée Fulgrim.

Chapter 250 The Will of the Hive? Just a Biological Mother
At Kasgar's request, a stasis field device, bound by multiple chains and equipped with psionic suppression and corrosion protection, was carried into the Phoenix Sons' defensive fortifications.

In the center of the confinement device and the static force field, a slender Tyrannosaurus Rex lay half-reclined.

The imprisoned individual's face was covered with disgusting tentacles, resembling those of an octopus. These tentacles could be used to kill the target while simultaneously extracting memories from their brain to obtain intelligence.

This insect, known as the "Licat," is a Terran Zerg creature specializing in stealth, typically serving as a scout in a Zerg fleet.

Its agile body allows it to move silently and at high speeds in various complex terrains. Its color-changing carapace can conceal its movements to prevent being discovered by prey. It even possesses a certain amount of psionic energy and a carapace that absorbs electromagnetic waves to aid in camouflage.

A stealthy, assassination-style elite unit comparable to the Night Lords.

Compared to typical symbiotic creatures such as gun bugs or ordinary Tyranid warriors, Licartars, as scout units of the Zerg hive fleet, possess greater autonomy.

"—!"

Just as Casca released its stasis field, Licat emitted a high-frequency sonic shriek at an extremely fast speed and spat out a large amount of highly corrosive acidic liquid from the throat beneath its tentacles.

In its rapid evolution, Tyrannosaurus had long since acquired unimaginable survival experience and evolutionary means.

As a unit capable of infiltrating enemy lines alone, Licatl possesses far more attack and escape methods than a typical cannon fodder swarm—though it may sound unbelievable, a Licatl specializing in stealth is actually no less powerful than the chief warrior of the Tyranid swarm.

But this still had no effect on Casgar.

Just as the acidic venom was about to corrode the restraining devices surrounding it, the acidic liquid instantly vanished under the scorching heat of tiny, almost invisible psionic flames.

This Licaterworm was recently discovered by Casca in the care of the monastery of Baal Fortress, also known as Fort Angel.

After capturing him using his psychic powers, Casca planned to bring him to Melusin as a research sample for the Grand Apothecary's next research experiment.

However, it seems that before it was used for dissection experiments, Casca suddenly came up with a better experimental method.

“There’s no need to be so wary, Licarta. I just wanted you to experience the beauty of the Centaur Gold Ring.”

Looking at the wary Licat, Casca said with a smile.

Now, let's sing together!

As Casca opened the curtain, as if conducting a musician, a psionic shield capable of blocking all sound and detection unfolded from Casca's center.

The more than one thousand fully armed Phoenix Sage Space Marines standing behind him did not draw their blades or guns, but instead sang together like a choir.

Although the Phoenix Children's pre-loaded knowledge did not include content unrelated to combat such as the Centaur Ring, Kasgar took the opportunity during the deployment of Bastion to teach the Centaur Ring to all Phoenix Children, whether they were new recruits or veterans.

It is obvious that they were taught the Sanguis version.

Despite its oddity, the Phoenix Children mastered it as a required course of study.

Just think of it as the warband clerics requiring them to perform daily prayers, only the content is slightly different.

It's all about disguise, the Phoenix Sons can understand.

—Of course, for those few veterans of the Holy Blood Angels who were rescued from the Comoros, this was even warmer than returning home!
"!"

Just as Kaska gave the order and the many Phoenix Sons began to sing in unison, a silent scream emanated from the open mouth of the Nalicat worm.

It was screaming in agony—though it was unclear why the Licater bug would be so distressed by the mention of the Centaur gold ring, it might be an excellent insect-repelling method that Casca and his crew could use in the future.

[Singing "Centaur Gold Ring" at the same frequency can induce a forced shriek in the Tyrenlea caterpillar (this is a hypothesis based on individual cases and has not been confirmed; more experimental samples are needed)]

Looking at the lithopterus that had been used as a test subject, the Grand Pharmacist Melusin helplessly recorded what she saw in her Thinker Database.
She sensed that her belief, which she had held for millennia to explain all the unknown with the truth of the Empire, was crumbling as Casca awoke.

In her past view, even chaos was nothing more than an unknown and powerful subspace being that could be observed and eventually explained by science.

Chaos is not a god, nor is the emperor.

—But what about Centaur Gold Ring?

What science can explain this nonsensical thing? And what powerful force does it possess that can distort the will of the hive and cause even the elite war beast, the Licat, to collapse?
In any case, she could not explain this situation scientifically.

I don't want to explain it scientifically either.

"!!!"

Under the sonic waves of the thousand-person choir, Licatt's struggles within its confinement intensified—like a desperate human, it kept trying to emit shrieks to resist the sonic attacks of the Centaur Ring—but to no avail.

As the golden light patterns of the thousand-person choir covered it, its struggles grew weaker and weaker, until finally, like the first Soul-Eating Bees of Prospero who heard "The Centaur's Golden Ring," it collapsed under the weight.

"Woo——"

Its strong hind legs struggled a few times before collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

It looks like it.

Licat died after hearing it.jpg
"The experiment is over. Our chorus did indeed have a certain killing and shielding effect on Tyrannosaurus."

This discovery may play a crucial role in finding the Licats lurking on the planet's surface in the future.

"But we cannot let our guard down—the strength of the Terran swarm lies in their ability to exploit their own weaknesses. It is very likely that the next time we encounter them, they will have the means to counter our plan."

Having recorded everything she saw and heard on the data plate in her hand, Melusin turned around and prepared to take the half-dead Licaterworm back to her laboratory.

She has much more to investigate and research.

Does "The Centaur Ring" necessarily require a human chorus? Can a sound array broadcast achieve the same effect?
Does the Astartes have to lead the chorus? What about mortals? What about machine servants? Would their participation or leadership of the chorus negatively influence the outcome?

Will the degree of affection the participants have for Saint Gillespie himself affect the final results of the experiment?
There are still many more experimental variables waiting for her to study, and in Melusin's view, the Casca experiment should end here.

Next is her field.

"and many more."

But just as she was about to step forward and pick up the unconscious Licat, Casca interrupted her.

--No.

it's not finished yet.

What Kasgar wanted to do was never just stop the Zerg hive fleet's expansion attacks with some centaur gold ring.

In his mind, there was a more insane, yet also more realistic, conjecture.

The behavior of the Leviathan hive fleet is completely incomprehensible by common sense.

In the many battles between humans and the Tyranids, they gained some understanding of the habits of the swarm—for example, they were all under the unified command of the hive's will and connected to the entire swarm through synaptic organisms as nodes.

Their code of conduct is also very easy to understand: all their actions are aimed at acquiring more biomass. If an attack on a planet would prevent their fleet from harvesting enough biomass to replenish what they have lost during the conquest, they will choose to turn their attention to other planets.

Is the hive's will always striving to fill its insatiable hunger?
—If that's the case, then why would the Leviathan Hive fleet abandon other more valuable targets and instead choose to head straight for Baal in the Eastern End Starfield?

Dante had already created vast scorched earth regions ahead of the Zerg hive fleet's path by issuing the Extinction Order.

Moreover, even if they could force their way through the scorched earth using up the biomass they had accumulated, the three planets of Baal were not extremely rich in biomass. Even if they could conquer them, they would not be able to make up for the biomass losses.

The Baal system has highly toxic radiation zones like the Red Scar, making it impossible for the number of human inhabitants on Baal Stars to compare with that of a normal hive world—yet the Leviathan hive fleet relentlessly marched toward them.

Even though this move was purely a waste of biomass, these swarms of insects defied all reason and charged straight at Baal, disregarding their hunger.

Why are they coming for Baal?

Two possibilities.

Either Baal's location holds a fatal attraction for the Hive's will;

Alternatively, Baal may have been seen as the most terrifying and powerful threat by the Hive's will, leading it to believe that he must be eliminated before it can exist with peace of mind.

This was precisely the purpose of Kasgar's experiment—he wanted to figure out what exactly was attracting the Hive Will to Baal.

His conjecture was also quite outrageous—that the angel Saint Gilles could actually use her charm to attract not only humans, Eldar, Chaos, and the Silent King, but also other beings in the real warp!

Even Tyrion was captivated by the angel's charm!

This is exactly the situation that the Hive's will fears most!

She even attempted to devour the angel's remaining flesh, thus becoming an absolutely perfect being in the eyes of all living beings.

"Increase the dosage!" The coma of the Licaterworm was never the end of "The Centaur's Golden Ring." What Casca wanted was for it to call Sanguis "Mom" too!
"Keep singing!!!"

While unconscious, the licorice seemed to feel a warmth it had never experienced before.

That was the radiance of an angel—though it didn't know what angels represented or what symbolism they held. After all, it had sacrificed everything in its early life to serve the greater will of the hive.

Even if he were captured by a cunning enemy during the infiltration, Licat had no regrets.

It believed that it was all worthwhile for the sake of the Hive's will and the Great Devourer.
What?
Perhaps it was worth it before, but now Ricardo understands the bond between the Blood Angel and Saint Gilles.

Thirty years, Baal III (star); Centaur, gold ring.

An emotion that had never appeared at the beginning of Licarta's evolution quietly sprouted and erupted in its heart!

why!
Why do other people's mothers, like Saint Gillespie, treat their children so well?

Saint Gilles even tried to free her offspring, and although she ultimately failed, her selfless sacrifice and dedication are worthy of being moved by every Holy Blood Angel, and even by the non-human Tyranids.

What a wonderful mother!

On the contrary!

The Hive's will has never regarded these insectoids as its own children since the very beginning of their creation!
Everything, the entire swarm of insects, is a tool created to satisfy her insatiable appetite!

Despite being an elite Zerg unit of the Terran, the Licater has never abandoned its utility attributes.

It will always be an insignificant pawn that sacrifices its entire being for the will of the hive.

Mother is like a treasure of Saint Gillespie, Mother is like a blade of grass of the insect hive's will.

【.】

Children, do not be deceived by their wicked sweet talk.

No matter what, you will always be a member of the Swarm, and you will always be my child.

Seemingly sensing the Licater Insect's dissatisfaction and resentment, the Hive Will attempted to soothe it.

As for the questions Licarta asked about the Hive's will.
How to answer this?

I can't answer that!
【Wow! 】

Sensing the evasion and hesitation of the Hive's will, Likat's worldview completely collapsed at this moment.

You! You are not my mother!!!

My mother is Saint Gillespie!

[You're just my biological mother!!!]

The filthy family members burst into laughter.

After a brief period of deliberation, Licat chose the side that was more worthy of its allegiance.

Before it appeared a radiant angel with four forelimbs (Saint Gilles' wings also count as a pair of forelimbs). She always opened her arms to her children, providing each child with absolute tenderness and warmth.

【Mother!!!】

So it turned and walked toward Baal.

A few days later.

During these final weeks of preparation, Dante directed all of Sangilius's sons to complete a major upgrade to the fortifications of Baal's Three Stars—the fortresses from the Great Crusade were excavated from the sand, repaired, and put into use.

With the help of numerous sub-clusters, dense and impenetrable ground defenses were built on both Baal's two satellites and on the main star.

In addition to their impregnable surface defenses, the Blood Angels also deployed a naval fleet consisting of numerous combat barges and strike cruisers in the Void Naval Wars. Although this was still a drop in the ocean compared to the Zerg Hive fleet, their guerrilla force was enough to inflict the first wave of bombardment from the Blood Angels before the enemy could land on Baal, destroying as much of the Zerg swarm as possible.

They might be able to resist the Zerg fleet.

Once everything is fully armed, some mortals or space soldiers might have such unrealistic hopes.

But at the very moment the overwhelming shadow of the warp descends, everyone will understand that the idea of ​​stopping the Zerg fleet's advance is nothing but wishful thinking.

"Full Fire!!!"

The battle began the moment the Zerg hive fleet appeared.

Torpedoes carrying nuclear warheads burst from the torpedo bays of the Blood Angels fleet, while the naval fleet, equipped with macro cannons, laser spears, and plasma cannons, used everything in its power to kill as many insects as possible.

This sudden attack did cause considerable losses, but under the massive size of the Zerg hive fleet and its relentless, indiscriminate attacks, the fleet began to be devoured and driven away by the frenzied swarm, leaving only a few more maneuverable ships still conducting guerrilla warfare in the void.

—But this could not stop the Zerg swarm from landing on Baal's Star Triumph.

A swarm of insects, large enough to blot out the sky, descended upon Baal's land the instant the fleet was torn apart.

The brutal tug-of-war has officially begun.

Angel Keep was impregnable; with the added firepower of its walls, even the Zerg swarm was cleared out, creating a no-man's-land.

As for the Zerg swarm's siege artillery fire...
Unfortunately, the human side's Void Shield defended against almost all of the Zerg's ranged firepower.

This unreasonable long-range firepower defense system is the most troublesome thing the Zerg fleet faces.

Moreover, Dante prepared a large amount of Baal's "special products" for the swarm in advance.

Take, for example, the moat in front of them: it may seem harmless, but once the thirsty swarms try to replenish their water, the "water" will devour them first.

The Thirst Water—this eerie "water" produced by the Barts is not actually water, but a terrifying weapon capable of breaking down and devouring its ingestors. No one knows where the Thirst Water comes from, but it is conceivable that it will be an effective aid in stopping the swarm of insects from advancing.

But the swarms of insects remain endless.

Once the number reaches a certain level, even thirsty water cannot devour all the insects, leading to saturation.

Eat until you're full and spicy!
The Tyranids filled the entire moat with pure corpses, and continued their advance toward Baal's fortress walls, overcoming the barrier of the thirsty waters.

However, at the same time, once the pile of corpses was high enough, the human side, equipped with flamethrowers and high explosives, blew it into pieces.

This is the most thorough tug-of-war – exchanging ammunition for the swarm's biomass, with both sides waiting for the other to run out of ammunition first.

But why are the swarms so persistent?

Given the current scale of the devastation, every garrison soldier seems to have only one thought in mind.

Why hasn't the Zerg fleet given up yet?

rustling.

After the swarm successfully surrounded Angel Keep, a large number of swarms of insects gathered in a corner on the outskirts of Angel Keep that no one had paid attention to.

That was a secret tunnel-digging team composed of Licat and the Digging Python.

The Hive Fleet's strategy was simple: if overloading the Void Shield units was too costly and not worthwhile, they would send Ragnarok and Licat to dig tunnels underground into the enemy Void Shield units' power supply equipment and destroy it.

Obviously, it is more economical in terms of biological material.

"squeak--?"

But just as Licat discovered the human drainage system and prepared to dig it through from underground, as the vanguard of the probe tunnel excavation, Licat seemed to hear something it couldn't understand.

"!"

His body stiffened instantly, and then with a thud, the once lively Licat collapsed to the ground as if petrified.

"?"

Just as the serpent and the other liticats sensed something was wrong and were about to go forward to investigate...

Nalicat suddenly opened his eyes again.

It understood all of this.

(End of this chapter)