Hum.
An eerie green light flickered across Eden's cloned living-metal body, while waves of radiance pulsed through the cables extending from the back of his skull.
It was a sign that vast quantities of pulse data were being transmitted.
Wave after wave of information flowed into the tomb flagship, then passed through specially designed transmitters that penetrated the barrier and forcibly broadcast the data throughout the Sindor System.
The Silent King and every Necrontyr under his command could receive the broadcast through their cortical fields.
Put simply, Eden was running an illegal broadcast network inside the Sindor System.
Its contents included, but were certainly not limited to, denunciations and insults aimed at the Silent King, along with propaganda intended to win over the Necron dynasties within the system and persuade them to surrender.
"If I don't provoke Szarekh, he might find an opportunity to slip away."
Eden had long since figured out the Silent King's personality. The moment Szarekh realized that victory was impossible, he would most likely flee instead of making some pointless stand for the sake of dignity.
If the Silent King escaped, he would become a massive problem.
When driven by pressure and hatred, that bastard could unleash terrifying power. His abilities were not far inferior to those of the Emperor.
After all, Szarekh was the most gifted and capable individual ever produced by a dominant galactic species. There was no telling when he might return from beyond the galaxy with another army.
Eden didn't want to receive news ten thousand years from now that the Silent King had returned at the head of some new force.
More importantly, Szarekh was far too good at hiding and waiting.
Eden wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully until the bastard was dead.
No one knew whether the Silent King would exploit his infinite lifespan to lurk beyond the galaxy for another hundred thousand or even a million years, only to return and start dancing on humanity's grave after the species declined.
He had already done something similar once.
After the Aeldari Empire weakened, Szarekh returned and viciously settled old scores with the Aeldari.
A significant number of craftworlds had been destroyed by the Silent King's attacks.
That bastard could hold a grudge.
Whatever happened, Eden had to ensure that the Silent King remained in the Sindor System until his forces arrived and completed the encirclement.
Only then could Eden close the gates, trap the beast inside, and eliminate him once and for all.
In addition to the insults and propaganda targeting the Silent King, Eden's illegal broadcasts transmitted other information as well.
They included the teachings of the New God and adorable footage of Eden's child, Charles Zarsis, the one and only newborn Necrontyr.
Eden wanted every Necrontyr to see him.
The broadcasts also called upon them to dismantle the blackstone pylons in their territories. According to the message, the abominable structures built by the Silent King emitted radiation that damaged the faint remnants of the Necrontyr soul and threatened the newborn's health.
According to Eden's latest research and propaganda, the C'tan had not consumed the Necrontyr souls in their entirety.
Every Necron still retained an exceedingly faint remnant of a soul.
It was so weak as to be almost negligible, and even the Warp could not detect it, but it still existed.
That was one of the foundations of the New God's teachings. No living being could survive without a soul, including the Necrontyr.
As this propaganda and faith spread, many Necrontyr were ecstatic to learn that they still possessed souls and could restore them through faith in the New God.
They joined the Lord of Hope's faction without hesitation and converted to the new faith.
The promise of restoring their souls through faith alone was a temptation that the Necrontyr found nearly impossible to resist.
With Eden spreading the emotion virus throughout the Pariah Nexus on a massive scale, the propaganda became even more effective.
It was another devastating blow to the Silent King.
The moment many Necrontyr heard that blackstone pylons emitted radiation capable of damaging their souls, they flew into a rage and tore the structures down.
To the Necrontyr, anything that threatened their souls was about as terrifying as something guaranteed to render a human permanently impotent.
Who wouldn't be horrified by that?
After Eden's child, the first newborn Necrontyr, appeared, the backlash became even more severe.
The moment the Necrontyr heard that blackstone pylons might harm the infant, they launched an even broader crusade to destroy pylons in other regions.
This dismantled the Blackstone Veil across vast areas, allowing the Imperial armies to make further preparations. The power of the Warp could once again seep into those regions, providing the Imperium with even greater support.
No matter how one looked at it, the Silent King's territories and power were rapidly disintegrating.
Only the Sindor System remained defensible.
Eden believed that once his illegal broadcasts and emotion virus penetrated the system, even the Necrontyr living there would begin to question the Silent King's rule.
"The only thing I need to do is break through every stellar defensive line and crush the Silent King beneath the weight of an unstoppable offensive."
Eden's thoughts hardened.
His fleets crossed another stellar defensive line, bringing them closer to the Sindor System than ever before.
The defenses of the would-be ruler of the Infinite Empire could no longer halt his advance.
...
The western reaches of the Sindor System.
The war between humanity and the Necrons continued unabated. Flames of battle burned along the immense defensive line.
A Savior Colossus had fallen beneath the concentrated assault of the tomb fleets, leaving only wreckage drifting through space.
But another Colossus soon arrived to replace it, and the roar of colossal guns once again shook the void.
Aboard the colossal tombship.
The throne chamber.
"Damn them. How many reinforcements do these human vermin possess?!"
Imotekh the Stormlord stared at the unyielding human battle line, his voice growing colder by the moment.
He was furious that anyone dared challenge the Necrontyr.
More importantly, he had boasted not long ago that he would breach the human blockade within five planetary cycles and relieve the pressure on the Sindor System.
Yet he had achieved nothing.
Every offensive had been stopped by the human defensive lines.
The failure would severely damage the Stormlord's prestige. The Triarchal Council and the other Phaerons would look down upon him.
"My lord, the human intruders have reached the designated location. The containment protocols have been successfully executed."
A Royal Warden approached and bowed as he delivered the report.
The human strike force had boarded the colossal tombship some time ago, but the Necrons had not immediately moved to eliminate it.
They had waited for the enemy to penetrate deep into the vessel before sealing every route of escape.
"Come. Let us destroy those vermin. I wish to see whether a Primarch's blood differs from that of an ordinary human."
Imotekh seized the Staff of the Destroyer and rose from his throne. Sparks flew as the edge of his emerald cloak scraped against the steps.
He had devised this trap not only to strike at a crucial human command node, but also to ambush and kill the human Savior.
Unfortunately, only one human Primarch had taken the bait.
That was still a worthwhile prize.
Imotekh intended to present the Primarch's severed head to the human Savior as a gift, provoking him into finally revealing himself.
Since the war began, the human Savior had supposedly remained hidden inside the command fortress, refusing to appear on the battlefield.
That had denied Imotekh any opportunity to kill him.
Still, beheading a Primarch would serve nicely as a sacrifice before the true confrontation.
After the Stormlord descended from his throne, eight more Phaerons appeared and joined him on his journey to eliminate the human Primarch named Guilliman.
They intended to surround and kill him as quickly as possible. His death would be used to provoke the human Savior and force Eden to show himself.
Among the Necrontyr, high-ranking nobles often settled serious disputes through single combat.
The same custom could be extended to enemies, but only opponents of exceptional status and strength were worthy of such honor and respect.
Imotekh did not believe this human Primarch deserved to duel him.
The very suggestion was insulting.
Among humanity's race of fleshly vermin, perhaps only the Savior possessed the qualifications to duel the Stormlord.
Of course, the opponent Imotekh most desired to challenge was the Silent King upon the Throne of Dominion. Once the conditions were suitable, he would formally issue a challenge.
Then there was the Lord of Hope.
That bastard also coveted the Throne of Dominion, yet was cowardly enough to dream of abandoning his living-metal body and returning to weak, organic flesh.
Imotekh found the very idea intolerable.
If he encountered the Lord of Hope on the battlefield, he would gladly challenge him to single combat and destroy that coward once and for all.
Hum. Hum. Hum.
Several waves of phase energy rippled through the throne chamber.
Imotekh and the eight Phaerons teleported to the engine sector at the bottom of the colossal vessel.
The human Primarch would soon arrive.
That place would become his tomb!
Elsewhere aboard the ship, Guilliman and his warriors were staring at one another in numb disbelief.
Guilliman looked at Calgar, a faint tremor entering his voice.
"You're saying that nine more powerful pulse signatures are hidden aboard this tombship, and every one of them belongs to a Phaeron?!"
"The xenos Phaerons concealed their pulse signatures through some unknown method."
Calgar nodded gravely.
"Father, I believe we may have fallen into a xenos trap."
In truth, they had evaluated the danger before boarding.
They had scanned the tombship with specialized pulse-detection instruments before deciding to launch the assault.
A Phaeron's pulse signature was extraordinarily intense. Their mere presence disturbed the electromagnetic fields of the surrounding space.
Imperial research institutes had developed specialized detection instruments based on that principle.
According to their scans, only one Phaeron had been aboard this tombship.
That had made the boarding action worth the risk.
Now, however, the situation had clearly deviated from everything they expected.
At least ten Phaerons were aboard the vessel, and one of them possessed an exceptionally powerful signature.
There was only one possible explanation.
The colossal tombship itself was a trap.
"Do we still have a teleportation signal?" Guilliman asked after taking a deep breath.
If this was an ambush, they had to withdraw immediately instead of throwing their lives away.
Ten Phaerons had gathered here, and several possessed combat strength comparable to a Primarch. There was no possible way Guilliman's force could defeat them.
Even completing the sabotage mission might now be impossible.
Calgar met his gene-father's gaze and shook his head, his expression grim.
"All teleportation signals have been jammed. The Librarians also cannot establish contact with the Warp, so psychic teleportation is impossible."
They could not even retreat into the Warp.
They were completely trapped inside the tombship.
Guilliman's expression barely changed.
He had expected as much.
If the enemy had gone to the trouble of arranging an ambush, they would naturally seal every route of escape.
It was clear that the boarding forces now faced the worst possible outcome.
They could not expect rescue from Guilliman's brothers, either.
The Lion, the Khan, and the other Primarchs were occupied on their own battlefields. None could withdraw from combat.
Besides, Guilliman's force couldn't even transmit a distress signal.
Even worse, one of the boarding teams had already come under an attack it could not resist.
Contact with the unit vanished instantly.
They had most likely sacrificed their lives for the Imperium.
In less than a second, those mighty warriors had fallen. Over the channel came the hiss of blood boiling away and the dull impacts of bodies striking the floor.
They had all been elite Primaris veterans.
A dim, oppressive metallic hum suddenly emerged from the crackling communicator, bringing with it the suffocating silence of the grave.
"Vermin of flesh, wait patiently. I am coming to claim your heads..."
The voice and the oppressive force behind it sent chills through the Primaris Ultramarines.
Even the Primarch himself trembled faintly.
"We have entered a hopeless situation."
Deep lines gathered between Guilliman's brows, making him appear much older.
Even his hearts were trembling.
This might be the most desperate situation he had ever faced.
Not even when he boarded the flagship of Fulgrim, the fallen Phoenician, alone and was later surrounded by Greater Daemons had he faced such overwhelming danger.
Within the galaxy, those xenos Phaerons were even more dangerous than Greater Daemons, especially the most powerful among them.
Guilliman had begun to suspect that the Stormlord himself had arranged this ambush.
Only Imotekh could command so many Phaerons at once.
Perhaps only Brother Eden can rescue us.
When faced with this hopeless situation, the Savior was the first person Guilliman thought of.
Only Eden could simultaneously confront nine powerful, high-ranking Phaerons.
There is also Father. Perhaps he might find some way to help us.
The Primarch of the Ultramarines thought of the Emperor.
Although the Master of Mankind had lost his supreme power, he remained an extraordinarily powerful psyker.
Unfortunately, the Emperor was still within Imperial territory. He had not traveled to the Pariah Nexus, remaining behind as a strategic reserve to protect humanity's homeland.
Guilliman's thoughts raced.
Then he noticed the gazes directed toward him and slowly raised his head.
Calgar and the others were watching him.
His sons were waiting for their gene-father's decision.
"We continue the mission!"
Guilliman's resolute voice rang through the corridor.
"Those metal skeletons once rampaged across the galaxy. They regard humanity as insects and all life as dust.
"But they have forgotten one thing. Humanity has never surrendered, and it never will!"
The Primarch of the Ultramarines had made his decision.
There was no route of retreat.
Even if they all sacrificed themselves here, they would destroy the engines, foil the enemy's plan, and protect the vital command node.
"For humanity!"
"For Ultramar!"
Calgar and the Primaris Ultramarines answered with absolute resolve.
This was their final oath.
Guilliman led Calgar and the others in a charge toward the engine sector. They slaughtered every Destroyer in their path, advancing without fear or hesitation.
He knew the xenos Phaerons were waiting to surround and kill them.
But Guilliman would show those xenos the courage of humanity.
"We're coming for you, xenos!"
Guilliman blasted open a funerary-stone gate weighing hundreds of tons, leaped high into the air, and charged into the engine sector with absolute determination.
This would be a battle without hope!
Then his feet struck the floor.
Guilliman froze.
Even his previously unyielding expression stiffened.
What?!
The vast central engine sector before him was completely empty.
There wasn't a single xenos in sight.
There were no Phaerons and no guards. The only sound was the faint hum of the funerary-stone engines and the surrounding conduits.
It was strangely quiet.
Guilliman wasn't the only one left speechless.
Calgar and the other warriors who charged in behind him were equally dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Had they stormed into the wrong place?
"Plant the pulse charge. Destroy the engines first!" Guilliman ordered, recovering before anyone else.
He did not waste time dwelling on the strangeness of the situation.
Whatever had happened, they needed to destroy the engines and halt the tombship's advance.
Otherwise, the colossal vessel could obliterate the command fortress through the force of impact alone.
Boom!
The pulse charge detonated in a blinding eruption of white electrical arcs.
The entire engine sector seemed to become infected by some form of energy virus. Its systems gradually shut down.
Guilliman and the others felt the colossal tombship losing speed.
It no longer posed a threat.
They had successfully stopped the assault on the vital command fortress!
Reports soon arrived from the other boarding teams.
The Necrons aboard the tombship had vanished one group after another. They appeared to have collectively withdrawn through phase teleportation.
When Guilliman received the news, a possibility occurred to him.
"Could Brother Eden's breakthrough operation have succeeded?"
Only that could have forced the Stormlord and the other Phaerons to abandon their attack on the human defensive line and withdraw to confront the threat on another front.
While Guilliman considered the possibility, sacred music honoring the Savior suddenly echoed from outside the vessel.
Its specialized frequencies penetrated almost every barrier.
It was the signal for the final offensive!
The Primarch of the Ultramarines immediately became energized.
His theory had been correct.
This war zone had achieved its strategic objective. The human forces had withstood the xenos offensive here long enough for Brother Eden to break through.
Tears nearly filled Guilliman's eyes.
The pressure he had endured throughout this period had been immense. Commanding the battle alone had nearly exhausted his mental strength.
But at last, all that effort had produced a result.
Brother Eden had broken into the Sindor System.
Humanity would now launch its final offensive and settle accounts with the Silent King and his xenos dynasties once and for all.
"Calgar, it's time for us to return."
Guilliman's voice trembled with excitement.
He needed to reunite with his Primarch brothers and prepare for the final battle.
The balance between attacker and defender had shifted.
Perhaps this time, Guilliman and his brothers could launch a joint boarding action, surround the xenos Phaerons, and decapitate them instead!
(End of Chapter)
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