Warhammer 40k: Melee Warriors

Oh well, never mind...

Amidst the puzzled gazes of those around him, Koken slumped back onto his throne in frustration; this was clearly not a good direction. Gabriel probably had no interest in such ambiguous statements; he'd rather tell a funny story to Slaanesh's demons.

The ship finally broke free of the subspace, and Komi was able to see the pitch-black universe once again, instead of the colorful soul realm of the subspace.

Vashtor's warships were huge, wrecked spaceships that had strayed into the warp. After his modifications, many unnecessary structures were removed, but the wrecked ship Ark, which Vashtor called the beginning of a nightmare, still looked bloated and grotesque.

Compared to the Ark of Nightmare's Beginning, the Fifth Walker is like a pitiful little fish stuck to a whale.

Solemnas was still some distance away from them, so Vashtor released some Voidwarks collected from the Eldar Old Woman's World to fly forward, providing valuable reconnaissance information for the Nightmare's Beginning Ark and the Fifth Walker battleship.

Vashtor's passion for collecting technological artifacts in the Warp is the same as that of the orcs who like to roam the junkyards, except that Vashtor's collection is more targeted. He clearly understands what he lacks and makes up for these shortcomings with his own efforts and luck.

In the dark future, he will surely be a formidable opponent.

Komi gazed at the Ark of Nightmare's Beginning in Vashtor, pondering how to make the relationship between him and Tarasin irreconcilable.

Ideally, the moment Vashtor appears in the real universe, Tarasin would be terrified and lead his legions to besiege this demon, wishing he could imprison him in a hyperdimensional prison and torment him for eternity.

Vashtor didn't think that far ahead; he was simply gathering information from the reconnaissance troops and calculating whether the demon army he had brought could plunder enough treasures.

Of course, disguise was also essential. Vashtor did not want to expose himself to the public too early, so he chose a more famous demon's symbol to disguise his army.

That is the shadow mark that will never choose Bilak. Scholars who know a little about demons will surely blame this attack on Bilak.

Solemnas remains calm, unaware that he has been caught in the eye of the storm.

This was thanks to the planet's barren appearance and the tireless efforts of Tarasin, who disguised himself as a high-ranking official of the Empire; Solemnas was of no value in the eyes of the human Empire.

If an Inquisitor were to issue an extinction order to this planet, the first reaction of the human empire would be to accuse the Inquisitor of wasting precious ship fuel and an extinction weapon on such a barren world.

The warriors of the Nihilarchian dynasty are in slumber. Their dynasty plundered over a thousand ancient civilizations during the War of the Heavens, and their wealth amounted to more than 70% of the entire Necromancer civilization.

Such wealth did not mean that their undead warriors had better tombs and Netherworld Scarabs to maintain the coffins of their conquests. The Emperors and Overlords did not care about the undead converted from commoners; they were focused on building even larger treasuries to preserve the treasures of civilization they had plundered during the War of Heaven.

It was precisely because of this indifference and neglect that Solemnas was unable to stop an entire army from attacking before the resurrection protocol was activated; it only had a few dozen diligent Dynasty Technicians, a few thousand Undead Warriors, and hundreds of thousands of Netherworld Scarabs.

Chapter 171: They're fighting, and you're here to do the experiments, right?

Solemnas's museum was not simply laid out on the planet's surface. Tarasin went to great lengths to clear out the dilapidated parts of the Dynasty's Blackstone Tomb, moving less important facilities into them, and then leaving the more stable Blackstone Hall to his collection.

The technology used to contain the artifacts was enough to make the Mechanicus sages excited to the point of crashing on the spot, but for the wealthy Tarachin, it was not a particularly extravagant practice.

The prism museum was the one that captured Tarachin's attention the most. It looked unremarkable from the outside, but once someone stepped through the seemingly narrow door, they would find that the space behind it was unbelievably vast. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it could hold a new planet.

Countless high platforms are neatly arranged, and the ghostly scarabs move among them, carrying out maintenance work according to Tarachin's instructions.

The high platform holds either a sacred artifact that could drive civilizations mad or a part of an ancient war. Legions are collected into the hyperdimensional labyrinth, providing Talazin with a variety of different endings in endless cycles.

Outside of Solemnas, the Dark Angels and their summoned minions are conducting psionic reconnaissance.

In the Imperial Warfare, psionic reconnaissance is an indispensable element. In the face of overly complex battlefields, psionic reconnaissance can always find the most critical defensive nodes and predict those that pose a deadly threat to assault forces.

However, sometimes psionic reconnaissance fails for strange reasons. In the Space Marines’ extensive war experience, the most common reason for the failure of psionic reconnaissance is that the chaotic forces on the planet are constantly accumulating, interfering with the psionic reconnaissance work.

Ezekiel, the chief strategist of the Dark Angels Chapter, emerged from the meditation room, his face pale and covered in sweat, clearly a sign of overusing his psionic powers.

The chapter's high command was gathered here. Samuel and Belial, who had just escaped the war, stood there without even wiping the dust off their armor.

Under Azrael's somewhat urging gaze, Ezekiel exhaled a breath of cold air mixed with icy shards and stiffly replied, "I find it difficult to see through the true nature of this planet with my psychic eyes; there is a thick barrier blocking my vision."

"What is that? Is it a demonic membrane constructed by a traitor using a blasphemous ritual? Just like the one we saw on Beta 4."

“It’s not magic…” Ezekiel frowned. “In fact, I can’t sense any warp energy flowing on this planet. It’s as heavy and silent as a tomb, a pool of stagnant water that will never flow… All my power disappears without a trace when it enters it.”

"Your description reminds me of those space ghosts, the kind of feeling we get when we explore graves that have been dead for who knows how many years."

"So the traitor escaped into a tomb of undead that has not yet awakened? He wants to use these alien creations to finish his terrible and blasphemous plan?"

Belial and Samuel whispered amongst themselves, trying to understand the motives of Cypher, the leader of the fallen angels, through this intellectual exchange.

Azrael remained silent. He was unusually calm after heading to the edge of Solemnas, and the impatience and anger that had been stirred up by Komi's few words had vanished without a trace.

Space necromancy...

Compared to the Orcs, who had fought the Empire for millennia, and the Eldar, who had been in contact with the Empire since the Great Crusade, the Necromancers were a rather novel adversary.

The Empire of Man is studying these mechanical skeleton-like beings. Some sages of the Mechanicus claim that these mechanical creations are an abominable intelligence that should be completely destroyed, and that every second of their existence is a desecration of the glory of the Archon.

Other sages believed that the Necromancers were an alien race excessively obsessed with machines, to the point of replacing all flesh and blood with metal. This overly radical approach to progress did not lead to the race's prosperity, but instead plunged them into the abyss of extinction. These sages discovered that the Necromancers' bodies showed no trace of souls, and they used this to criticize the Mechanicus school of thought that insisted on replacing flesh and blood with machines.

Meat mixed with iron, iron mixed with meat.

Azrael was indifferent to the academic disputes within the Cult of Mechanics. He only knew that although these space necromancers were incredibly clumsy and rigid, the weapons they wielded were astonishingly powerful, and even the Terminator would have difficulty withstanding a second shot.

If Cipher were to gain the power to awaken an entire tomb, the Dark Angels and their offspring would suffer devastating casualties.

Hunting down fallen angels is important, but is it really worth paying so much blood?

Why is the price of loyalty always so high...?

Azrael closed his eyes, hating his momentary weakness.

He had inappropriate thoughts. Hunting down the fallen angels was of course the most important task. If the Dark Angels Chapter could not kill all the traitors for the Emperor and the Lion King, then what was the point of his existence?

He has made up his mind.

"Prepare for battle. Since we cannot rely on the Psionic Eye to obtain information about the battle, we will rely on our own experience and unwavering loyalty to defeat all enemies. The Dark Angel will never leave the battlefield without drawing its sword."

Ezekiel, who was unable to utilize his psionic talents on the planet, was left behind. He was also tasked by Azrael with activating the ancient weapons sealed by the Chapter during the most dangerous and difficult times.

This was an immense honor and a great trust. Ezekiel took the heavy Lion King Key from Azrael's hands, praying that the upcoming battle would proceed smoothly and that he would not have to activate those ancient and dangerous weapons under immense pressure.

After all preparations were completed, divine punishment descended from the heavens.

A drop pod carrying scouts landed first on the planet's surface. These agile and nimble warriors explored the wilderness and, after confirming that there were no enemy ambushes, the main force landed in the safe landing zone.

Deep beneath the planet, beneath the museum, the Dark Angels cautiously advance toward the treasure trove. They may discover along the way that Cypher's existence is a lie, but their duty will not allow them to let a space necromantic tomb rest peacefully within the human empire's borders. War is inevitable.

Further away from the Dark Angels Combined Fleet, Vashtor placed Nightmare Beginning and Fifth Walker among some broken asteroids, relying on the distance and the asteroids' cover to avoid exposing them to the battleship-class oracles.

The warplanes salvaged from the Eldar legacy have greatly aided Vashtor. Although they are not equipped with overly powerful weapons, their dreamlike hulls allow them to remain undetected even when near the Dark Angels fleet.

Relying on the information transmitted by these Eldar fighters, Vashtor and Koji were able to grasp the Dark Angels' work situation well and decide when to help.

“I do have some experiments I want to conduct on the survivors of the last great war,” Vashtor said to Komi, holding the metal withering disease he had created in his hand to show Komi.

Chapter 172: Dementia Common Among Space Necromancers

"Can they really get through the Necromancers' defenses?" Vashtor asked Gujian, not believing that a group of Space Marines could wreak havoc on Solemnus with their so-called loyalty.

Komi responded calmly, "Of course they can. Tarasin's arrogance will make him pay the price. He's always the one messing with others, but no one has ever messed with him."

"So what do you want to get from the museum?"

"For example, a fragment of a star god on the crown of the overlord? I think it will definitely be of great help to my cause."

Komi's casual remark silenced Vashtor for a long time. He didn't even listen to the hissing sound of the boiler being propelled by steam coming from the other side of the screen; he just stared intently at Komi's face, trying to make sure that what he said wasn't a lie.

Koji's mind was as clear as a mirror; he had been using the truth to lure Vashtor little by little into the abyss of greed. What Vashtor chose next was entirely his own business.

Taracin will defend his museum at all costs, and will put in ten times more effort to protect the Star God Fragments of the Overlord's Crown.

That was the source of his power, and his greatest asset in earning him the title of the Endless One.

If Vashtor reaches for this fragment, Tarasin will forge an irreconcilable hatred with this god of furnaces.

Komi firmly believed that Vashtor would seek out the fragment, because his ambition to become a god was so vast that even Tzeentch would chuckle in admiration.

The Ark of Nightmare's Beginning and the Fifth Walker remain silent, while the Dark Angels, led by Azrael, have already ventured beneath the planet's surface.

The deeper you go, the more the feeling of deathly stillness seeps into your bones. The power armor is equipped with a temperature regulator, ensuring that the Space Marines don't have to worry about their body temperature rising or falling under any harsh conditions.

But this coldness acted directly on the soul, causing even a steadfast warrior like Azrael to tremble slightly.

At this moment, the only one who can maintain such intense passion is the Master of Repentance, Azmodan. He tries his best to remain silent, constantly hating the strange creatures around him whose principles are unknown. When the battle begins, he will unleash all his anger and fury with his battle cry.

Azmodari is a lunatic; that's what anyone who's ever met him would say.

Even Chapter Master Azrael was not immune to this, but he was willing to overlook Azmodari's minor flaws in light of his unparalleled loyalty and rage.

If anyone could overcome the cunning lies of Tzeentch with sheer anger, Azmodari would certainly be one of them.

"Stay alert. We're surrounded by dead aliens. We need to make sure they get back up and continue to embrace death." Belial rallied the team in the internal channel, his guns aimed at every possible hiding place.

The tunnel eventually came to an end, and what they saw after passing through the opening made everyone's eyes widen in surprise.

Their eyes held no appreciation, only deep doubt and hatred; they could not comprehend how such a massive collection could exist beneath the planet.

"Is that...is that ancient armor from the Great Expedition era?"

"What are those things? A legion of orcs standing fourteen meters tall?"

"On the throne, a large number of heretics are sealed in a mysterious crystal."

The channel was filled with the sounds of communication, and Azrael suppressed the warriors' whispers with a low, beast-like growl. "Don't let these creations cloud your minds; they are all traps to lure us into the abyss!"

"Hello, young and naive guests."

A mechanical sound came from above, and a group of ghostly scarabs escorted a tomb engineer who landed in front of them. He was polite, but his speech and manners revealed a strong sense of stiffness.

Azrael stopped Azmodari's frenzy, wanting to see what the unarmed tomb builder was up to.

“Although my master enjoys inviting guests to visit the museum, this is the first time I’ve seen so many people come at once.” The tomb engineer held up a list, his eyes gleaming as he traced the names of the visitors. “Which exhibits have you been allowed to visit by your master? I need to plan a clear route for you…”

"What nonsense is this necromancer spouting?" Samuel asked, his finger already on the trigger of the powered weapon.

Belial, drawing on his own knowledge, quietly replied, "I suspect this necromancer has gone mad. The sages of the Mechanicus once submitted a report, suggesting that the abnormal behavior of space necromancers sometimes stems from confused memories. They are still trapped in their lives before they had physical bodies, with the parts in their brains repeatedly playing those fragmented memories, which drives them insane."

"Is this a common symptom?" Samuel asked again.

"It's common, at least in the Cult of Mechanics, when a sage lives too long and learns too much, his mind becomes increasingly fragmented and eccentric... They call it Azhamo system malfunction."

The tomb engineer continued to sort through the list of visitors, completely oblivious to the murderous intent directed at him by the crowd before him.

After working for a while, he suddenly stopped, slowly looked up at the crowd, and said in a puzzled tone, "Wait... you're not on the list. You're just petty thieves who accidentally wandered into the museum! Ring the alarm..."

Two shots rang out. One shot shattered the tomb engineer's skull, and the other shattered his waist. But the alarm signal had already been sent out, and the entire museum seemed to come alive.

The artifact descended along with the platform, falling deeper underground where it was protected. The smooth, reflective ground was quickly assembled into obelisk-shaped defensive towers that could release Gaussian electric arcs. Each lightning strike could turn a Dark Angel, armor and all, into dust.

"Attack! Sons of the Lion King! For Llane!" Azrael ignited the passion of all the warriors with a battle cry, and his brothers, equipped with heavy weapons, blasted down the rising obelisks with several scorching ion orbs.

As long as their weapons don't overheat, they can destroy them before the obelisks form.