Usarka E. Kreed took a deep breath, suppressing the turbulent waves in his heart, adjusted his dust and blood-stained military uniform, and resolutely walked out of the heavy door of the communication base station.
He raised both hands, signaling that he was unarmed, and walked step by step towards the Custodian Guard who stood solemn like golden statues.
The Custodian Guard remained motionless; only Levi, who was at the forefront, slightly raised his gaze, his eyes, hidden beneath the ornate helmet, calmly watching this Cadia commander who had reached a dead end.
"Lord Custodian Guard!" Usaka stopped ten paces from the Custodian Guard, using all his strength to maintain composure and respect. "I am Usarka E. Kreed, Supreme Fortress Lord of the world of Cadia!
I represent all Cadia warriors holding out here, requesting an audience! We... we need to know the truth!
Why are the Emperor's Custodian Guard appearing in the ranks attacking us? Could it be... could it be that we have truly been abandoned by the Imperium?
Or are... are we the traitors?"
"Cadia has never betrayed the Imperium, and the Cadia Shock Troops are willing to fight for the Imperium until the last moment; we will never be traitors."
His voice, even though he was the Supreme Fortress Lord and had to remain firm and resolute, still trembled.
These few short sentences almost exhausted all his courage.
What he feared most was hearing those two words he least wanted to hear from the Custodian Guard: traitor!
The Cadia Fortress World was the Imperium's bridgehead against the chaos gods; there had never been traitors here, and they were unwilling to bear the title of traitor.
Levi fell silent. He was considering whether to answer such a question from the Supreme Fortress Lord before him, as the other party was undoubtedly a brave warrior.
His gaze swept across the resolute eyes of the Cadia soldiers, and then Levi decided to tell them.
"You have not betrayed the Imperium of Man, and you have never been traitors. You are merely fulfilling your duty, and as for us, we are your enemies!"
Although Levi's words affirmed that the other party was not a traitor, the Cadia soldiers clearly could not understand the meaning of this statement.
What did it mean that they were not traitors and had not betrayed the Imperium of Man, but were merely fulfilling their duties, while the Custodian Guard were their enemies?
That was the Custodian Guard! They were not ordinary beings. If the Custodian Guard were their enemies, how could it be said that they had not betrayed and were still fulfilling their duties?
Levi knew very well that the other party would likely not understand the meaning of what he had said, so he directly offered a choice.
For soldiers, it's always better to give a direct choice. The Custodian Guard did not care whether the other party would resist, because the Custodian Guard could not be defeated by ordinary Cadia soldiers, not even the Castellan's Guard.
Let them die as enlightened spirits; this was the honor the Custodian Guard bestowed upon them.
"Simply because we do not pledge allegiance to the same humanity, not the same Imperium of Man, you, as the most important armed force of this Imperium of Man, must naturally be eliminated!"
"I give you two choices. One choice: die peacefully, as if falling asleep. When the matter is over, you will awaken again and continue to fight for humanity."
"The other choice is to fulfill your duties and fight for your Imperium!"
To commit suicide or choose to fight for his Imperium. Although Usarka E. Kreed still couldn't understand the meaning of the previous words, he could understand the two choices he now faced.
One was for them to commit suicide and die, as if taking a nap, and perhaps they would have a moment of reawakening?
Although he didn't believe in resurrection, since the Custodian Guard said so, it was probably because the Emperor had some ability, so if the Custodian Guard said it, he would believe it.
The other was to fulfill their duties and fight for their Imperium!
Fulfill duties?
Fight for their Imperium?
Usarka E. Kreed understood.
"You and the Custodian Guard behind you are not the Custodian Guard of our Imperium. Can I understand it this way, but you are indeed the Custodian Guard, aren't you?"
Although Usarka E. Kreed somewhat understood the Custodian Guard's meaning, he still had some questions, so he spoke again, asking the Custodian Guard for this answer.
Since the Custodian Guard on the other side had answered his previous question, they might answer this one too.
"Yes!"
"You are right, we are not the Custodian Guard of your Imperium of Man, but we are indeed the Custodian Guard. Your duty is to resist us. Now you can go back and choose to fulfill your duty or commit suicide and sleep."
"When all is settled, you will also be resurrected and fight for humanity!"
The re-employment center was not to be trifled with. Since Zeke had collected the souls of this region, it meant he could also resurrect these loyal Cadia soldiers when he wanted to.
All that was needed was a body that matched their souls, which was not a problem for humanity at this time. As for nurturing their souls and whether they would dissipate, Zeke could also directly explain.
The States's soul storage devices were not so weak; ordinary souls could survive at least 4000 years in the States's soul storage devices!
And for more resilient souls and firmer wills like those of the Cadians, their duration could even reach 5000 years before completely dissipating.
What is a soul? A soul is matter composed of energy, which happens to appear within a body, and this body happens to possess will, thus forming a person's soul.
After a human or creature dies, these souls usually appear in the Warp and are rapidly decomposed.
After the soul disappears, it naturally becomes primordial energy, continuing to wander in the galaxy, awaiting the emergence of new bodies to form new souls.
At this moment, Zeke could completely preserve the souls of these Cadia soldiers, which was also why he had previously directly ordered the army to prepare for the task of eliminating these Cadia forces.
"I understand," Usarka E. Kreed said very solemnly. "I understand what you mean. You mean that my resistance to your attack here is fulfilling my duty, and after I die, I can be resurrected by the Emperor to fight for humanity!"
"Combining what you said, although I still can't figure out the exact situation, how could the Imperium become like this? Could there be many Emperors, and many Imperiums of Man?"
"Although I really don't want to believe this, I have no choice but to believe it."
"Since in the end we will all fight for humanity and be resurrected, then please allow us to fulfill our duties at this time."
Usarka E. Kreed struck his chest heavily with his right hand and performed the Aquila salute in Levi's direction.
"Hmm," then, warrior, you may go back now. Prepare your resistance. We shall grant you an honorable death!
Usarka E. Kreed bowed in Levi's direction, then resolutely walked back to his defensive line and informed all the soldiers of the situation he had learned.
Cadia stands! Cadians will not fail the Imperium!
They will fulfill their duty, fight to the last here, and everything will be for the Imperium.
No Cadian soldier chose to retreat; they decided to have a good fight with the Custodes... One minute later... Usarka E. Kreed appeared before Levi once again, but this time he had no such etiquette as before; instead, he knelt on the ground as if resigned to his fate.
"Is this the gap between us ordinary mortals and the Imperial Custodes? It's truly vast!"
The Custodes granted these Cadians an honorable death; otherwise, they could have easily taken their lives in an instant using their psychic powers.
But the Custodes did not do so.
The Emperor's command was to grant these Cadians an honorable death, which meant it was not an ordinary way of dying; being directly annihilated by psychic power was not honorable at all.
The Custodes chose to grant these Cadians a dignified death with their melee weapons.
Even for these 20,000 Cadians, the time each person received was less than a second.
But in the last moments of their death, these Cadians were content, because the Custodes had indeed given them enough honor.
"Tell me your name, Commander," Levi did not directly take the Supreme Fortress Lord's life; instead, he asked for his name.
"Usarka E. Kreed." Although death already loomed over him, the Supreme Fortress Lord still told the Custodes his name.
He was proud, because their more than 20,000 Cadian soldiers had made 4,000 Custodes take a minute!
Even though much of that minute was spent by the Custodes pushing open doors and then effortlessly taking their lives.
Pushing doors accounted for 90% of their dying time.
And the Custodes could have killed all of them at once, but they chose to kill them one by one.
But what did it matter? They held on for a minute!!
Was that not something to be proud of?
Their death was honorable, and in the last moments of their death, no one laid down their weapons; they fulfilled their duty.
"Very good, I remember your name. Now, close your eyes, Supreme Fortress Lord. We will meet again one day. I hope that then you will fight for humanity, and for your duty, just as you did today."
Levi's voice was calm, yet carried respect.
The Guardian Spear in his hand lifted slightly, without killing intent, only a solemnity akin to a ritual.
Usarka E. Kreed closed his eyes, his face showing no fear, only a sense of relief and the tranquility of having fulfilled his duty.
He straightened his chest, as if accepting a high honor.
"For Cadia... for humanity..." he murmured softly, these were his last words.
The Guardian Spear transformed into a golden streak of light, striking precisely and swiftly, without pain, without struggle.
Usarka E. Kreed's body trembled slightly, then collapsed to the ground, his breath of life instantly dissipating.
On his face, a look of satisfaction was fixed.
Although he still hadn't figured out why all this was happening, it no longer mattered... at least he had fulfilled the duties and responsibilities he needed to bear at this moment.
A transparent soul emerged from his body and was collected by the soul collector. These Cadian soldiers were valuable assets of the Imperium of Man.
Naturally, they couldn't just die so easily. Although humans are generally friendly to their own kind, Cadian soldiers usually have to die for humanity several times.
Elite soldiers should not be wasted; it is necessary for humanity to sacrifice them multiple times. If they die, they can always be resurrected.
As long as the soul has not dissipated, then everything is fine.
"Reporting to the Emperor, these Cadians have been eliminated. They have died with composure."
After all this was done, Levi naturally reported the current situation to Zeke immediately, and Zeke's voice also came from his communicator.
"Return!"
"You are going to the next planet. Cadia is just a bait. Our more important task is to spread the ideas and the will of resistance to the people of the entire Imperium of Man, and let them raise the banner of rebellion!"
Cadia was just a place to attract the attention of the Imperium of Man; it was naturally not the region Zeke valued most.
What he wanted, in fact, was a single spark that could start a prairie fire.
"Yes!" Levi understood his Emperor's plan, and he also knew how to achieve his Emperor's goal.
It was actually very simple: they just needed to tell these people that their lives shouldn't be like this, that they could have had good lives, and that would be enough.
Of course, the most important thing was to continue believing in the Emperor. For the people of the Imperium of Man, they don't care which ideology you use.
As long as you believe in the Emperor, everything is negotiable, but if you don't believe in the Emperor, no matter how good you are to those commoners, they will still resist you.
But what did it matter? Which Emperor it was, was up to them. The common people of the Imperium of Man didn't know what the Emperor actually looked like, and even Planetary Governors could only be vague.
Most Planetary Governors had never seen what the Emperor looked like, and even with the Webway system, that didn't mean they could know the Emperor's true appearance.
Couldn't it just be the Ecclesiarchy saying whatever it wanted?
And Zeke had the Custodes here. If the Custodes directly informed the Ecclesiarchy, wouldn't everything be settled?
Therefore, Levi actually knew very well what his mission would be after Zeke called him back.
And the situation was as he expected. When he returned to the battleship, Zeke immediately sent a message to him and instructed him:
"Next, proceed according to the plan. Transmit the ideas and thoughts to the people of this galaxy, letting them spread the spark from a single point to a wider area."
"This matter is entrusted to you Custodes to handle. I need to stay here to attract the attention of the Imperium of Man and fight a battle with the Imperium of Man's army!"
Zeke could not personally carry out this matter, because he himself was the best way to attract firepower. As long as he appeared on Cadia, even if his power was clearly inferior to his original self sitting on the golden throne.
But what did it matter?
The common origin and aura between this avatar and the main body were enough to make the Chaos Gods of the Warp turn their gaze towards him.
As long as he was here, the Custodes would face no obstacles in doing anything.
Zeke's Ten Thousand Strong Custodes Regiment set out, each leading a portion of Space Marines and Solar Auxilia towards every planet, ready to spread their ideology and bring military force.
Only by simultaneously wielding both the pen and the gun could Zeke truly achieve his goals, and he personally watched his Custodes depart.
After their battleships disappeared within dozens of surrounding star systems, Zeke took one last look at the fortress world Cadia, which was now fully prepared.
Then, he no longer concealed his aura, and with a grab, he seized the Eye of Terror.
A vast aura manifested above Cadia, instantly drawing the attention of the Golden Emperor and the other Chaos Gods. The Golden Emperor and several other Chaos Gods, who had been blocking the passage, immediately turned their gaze towards Cadia.
They saw Zeke's presence, and then Khorne attacked first, striking at Zeke from across the Warp. However, his attack, after being heavily weakened by the reality of the universe, was utterly feeble by the time it reached Zeke.
Zeke merely extended a single finger and lightly tapped the red wave of attack, shattering it into pieces.
That seemingly casual flick of a finger contained power so precise it was as if he had merely flicked away a negligible speck of dust.
This effortless demeanor was more intimidating than any arrogant declaration.
It implied that as long as he remained within the real universe, these Warp deities would be powerless against him, even if they attacked in a fit of rage, it would have no effect on him.
The Chaos Gods were not fools; they clearly understood what Zeke's actions meant. Khorne did not get angry; instead, he withdrew his weapon.
Indeed, unless a Warp ritual was performed on Cadia, he would be unable to attack Zeke.
The limitations of the real universe on these Warp deities had to be broken, otherwise, Zeke would be unbeatable there.
The Chaos Gods of the Warp all knew this, but not a single one of them sent their subordinates to perform a Warp desecration ritual there.
What did matters of the real universe have to do with them? The real universe had long belonged to the Golden Emperor and his Imperium of Man.
The greater the losses suffered and inflicted by the real universe, the stronger the weakening of the Golden Emperor would be!
The more the Golden Emperor, this human Chaos God, was frustrated, the happier the other Chaos Gods became. After Khorne's probing attack ended, the four Chaos Gods all withdrew their attacking stances.
Odin did the same; their gazes were fixed on the Golden Emperor. It was clear they would not intervene in this matter.
Facing the gazes of these guys, the Golden Emperor didn't even look at them. He merely turned his head, glanced indifferently in the direction of the Cadia region, and then spoke.
"It's just a minor matter."
The Golden Emperor did not take Zeke's threat seriously. In his opinion, these were just minor problems.
Zeke suddenly appeared on Cadia and made Cadia a bridgehead for attacking him. So what?
It was merely a single fortress world that the opponent had captured. Although he didn't know how the opponent had captured the fortress world, so what? The Imperium of Man's army was not to be trifled with!
The Golden Emperor merely glanced at the Chaos Gods in the Warp, then shifted his attention to the legions under his command. An order was issued from his lips.
"The First Legion will go to Cadia and eliminate the enemy there!"
The Golden Emperor wasn't worried about these matters at all. He immediately prepared to dispatch his most powerful First Legion.
The First Legion was the most powerful legion under the Golden Emperor's command at this time, apart from his Custodes. They were the benchmark and cornerstone of the Space Marines; it was because of them that the subsequent Space Marine Legions came into being.
Lion, the Primarch of the First Legion, who was constantly attacking the Emperor's butt shield, obeyed the command.
"Yes, my Lord!"
What was quite unique was that no matter which world's Lion, they were all extremely loyal.
And they regarded loyalty as the best reward.
Under the Golden Emperor's command, the First Legion's fleet began to leave the Galactic Passage and advanced towards the Eye of Terror.
And the enemy's troop movements in the Warp could not be hidden from Zeke, who was suppressing the enemy's attacks with his butt and The Emperor.
His main body received the message, and then the information appeared in Zeke's mind.
"The First Legion?"
"The Dark Angels Legion. I want to see how much power this so-called First Legion possesses."
Zeke murmured. He was not afraid of any so-called First Legion. If he were afraid of a Space Marine Legion, he would not have appeared on the surface of Cadia.
Upon learning that the Imperium of Man had dispatched the First Legion to head in his direction, Zeke didn't even make extensive preparations. Instead, he calmly continued to do what he needed to do.
A large number of orbital defense weapons were converging here. A mere legion being drawn to him, how was that enough?
What he wanted was to tie down the main forces of all the Imperium's legions, so he naturally had to make the other side see his threat.
Therefore, orbital defense weapons were necessary. At the same time, Zeke ordered his brilliant-class battleship!
"Splendor 4689534, execute orders! Find enemy targets and destroy half of them!"
"Remember, you only need to destroy half of their army; there's no need to wipe them out completely. Our goal is to draw them in!"
Besides continuing to set up defenses on the Cadia fortress world, Zeke also commanded the military battleships from the Terran Dominion under his control.
As the Terran Dominion's active battleship, the brilliant-class battleship's combat power was not to be underestimated.
If they waited for the enemy to arrive at Cadia and engage in battle, then proved difficult, and then the Imperium of Man sent more troops here, that would certainly be a bit of a waste of time.
Instead, it would be better to directly order the brilliant-class battleship to attack and heavily damage the Dark Angels Legion, forcing the Golden Emperor to order new armies to come and cooperate with the Dark Angels Legion.
For Zeke at this time, what he wanted was for the entire Imperium of Man's army to gradually withdraw from the Galactic Mouth.
As for what to do if the entire Imperium of Man's fleet arrived and the brilliant-class battleship couldn't destroy them all? That wasn't a problem for Zeke either.
After the brilliant-class battleship departed, Zeke gently raised his hand, and in his hand was a soul.
The Necrons should awaken!
And humanity would soon be able to acquire another Infinite Empire military force. Possessing such a force was crucial for humanity at this time.
The Tyranid Swarm at the edge of the galaxy was still vast and numerous; they had to be countered.
As the brilliant-class battleship departed to eliminate the First Legion's warships, Zeke toyed with the soul in his hand.
This soul was like a lighthouse in the darkness, attracting Szar'ak's arrival.
After one standard Terra day, a massive World Engine appeared at the edge of Cadia. The next second, a mechanical body arrived before Zeke.
"Where is the soul you spoke of?" The Silent King Szarekh appeared before Zeke, cutting straight to the chase.
Zeke understood what he meant. He gently tossed the soul in his hand into the air.
"This is the soul you seek. It is in my hand."
"I believe that as the Silent King, you should be very clear about the authenticity of a soul."
Zeke continuously tossed and caught the soul in his hand, making it dance up and down, drawing Szar'ak's gaze.
"Of course! I am very clear about the importance of a soul. Speak, the Infinite Empire can satisfy whatever you desire, as long as you tell me how to obtain more souls!"
The Silent King Szarekh wanted to acquire souls for his subjects to save them, so for him, the quantity of one soul was not enough.
"Cooperate with me," Zeke said bluntly.
"I need you to cooperate with me. As for how the cooperation will proceed, there will be a dedicated person to discuss it with you. I think you should also be eager to meet him."
Saying this, Zeke took out a Necrons robot from his right side that looked exactly like Szar'ak.
Zeke chose not to speak with Szar'ak himself; he brought in Szar'ak from his own universe.
The advantage of mechanical life forms is that they can back up their consciousness anytime, anywhere, and transmit it to another body, as long as the soul is present, that unit exists.
The Szar'ak with a soul appeared in the robot Zeke had just taken out.
"What do you mean? Why create a robot identical to me!" The soulless Szar'ak looked at Zeke with some anger.
If not for the soul in his hand, which was the most important thing to the Infinite Empire, he would have erupted by now.
However, the Szar'ak from Zeke's galaxy had already arrived, so naturally, Zeke didn't need to persuade him further.
Szar'ak, who had already transferred a part of his consciousness and soul, spoke.
"I am you, you are not me. I am you from another universe, and you are me from this universe, but I have a soul and you do not!"
This statement exploded like thunder in the cold logical core of the Silent King Szarekh (the soulless one).
His electronic eyes, flickering with eerie green light, intensely blinked, staring fixedly at this being who looked identical to him, yet exuded a 'life aura' that he had long forgotten.
The Silent King Szarekh was not useless; he had long since been able to detect new visitors in his galaxy through the powerful technology of the Necrons.
However, for the Necrons, this was meaningless.
As Necrons, who could almost be called the pinnacle of physical technology, materialistic individuals, they simply didn't care about this matter. In their view, everyone was just a transient visitor to the galaxy.
Szar'ak didn't care about these things, but when this being, who was also a Silent King like him, spoke, Szar'ak had to re-evaluate the information he had received earlier.
"Are you saying there are many galaxies? And in each galaxy, there are beings like us, identical beings?"
The soulless Szar'ak inquired.
"Regarding your question, I cannot answer you directly, as we have only experienced two galaxies so far. However, based on existing experience, perhaps that is the case."
The soulless Szar'ak fell silent, but this silence did not last long. In an instant, he spoke.
"I believe you!"
"You are me, I am you. I believe I have no reason to deceive myself, so I trust what you have said."
"Tell me the content of the cooperation. I think since you proposed cooperation, there must be a need for our Infinite Empire. I believe that with the power of two Infinite Empires, we can deal with any trouble!"
"No matter what cooperation is needed, since you are here, I will help you."
The soulless Szar'ak said.
Facing his words, Szar'ak gently shook his head.
"It seems you still haven't understood what 'I am you, and you are me' truly means."
"My state is different from yours. You are currently a soulless mechanical life form, maintaining your will solely through your powerful body, but that rationality is minuscule."
"But I am not like you. I have ascended to godhood. Once I appear in this galaxy, there can only be one Szar'ak."
"My speaking to you here is out of respect for myself and for you, merely to make you understand."
If Szar'ak had not become a member of the Chaos Gods of the Warp, then the Szar'ak of this galaxy could, of course, exist. But unfortunately, Szar'ak had already become a member of the Chaos Gods of the Warp.
From that moment on, it was destined that the Necrons could only have one Silent King!
Unless the other Silent King also acquired a soul and completed his ascension to godhood in the Warp, then it would be decided by war who would be the final king.
However, it was clear that the Necrons here did not have a new Silent King with a soul.
There was only one Silent King with a soul, one Silent King who had become a god. Therefore, other Silent Kings, when facing him, had only one path: to be merged by him.
"No choice?" The soulless Silent King fell silent.
"If that's the case, then do it!" A Silent King is, after all, a Silent King. He is the leader of the entire Infinite Empire. He possesses a magnanimity far beyond anyone's imagination.
"Merging with one's original self is not something difficult to accept, and I also believe that you will treat our common subjects well."
Merging with himself was not something difficult to accept. He could become the one and only existence.
Even the being who could directly merge with him came to explain, which was already enough to make Szar'ak happy.
As long as he was still himself, that was enough. As for other matters, they could be discussed later.
"Alright," Szar'ak, seeing that he had finally understood, extended his mechanical finger with great relief and gently touched the Silent King's forehead.
The next second, the bodies of the two Silent Kings almost overlapped, becoming one. Szar'ak, who had originally been leading the army at the Galaxy's Edge to block the Tyranid Swarm, surged in power at this moment!
"I feel myself growing stronger. Leave the issues at Galaxy's Edge to me. However, I need to take a significant portion of the Infinite Empire forces from here, as the Tyranid Swarm has intensified its offensive."
Having successfully assimilated himself and grown stronger, Szar'ak nodded with satisfaction and explained his current state to Zeke.
"Alright, your increased strength is beneficial to us. What's the situation at Galaxy's Edge now?"
Zeke, who had been focused on logistics, constantly procuring resources for humanity's fight against the Tyranid Swarm, hadn't paid attention to the war at Galaxy's Edge for a long time.
Since Szar'ak, the supreme commander of Galaxy's Edge, had arrived, Zeke naturally had to inquire about the current situation there.
"The situation is quite dire. We don't know where these Tyranid Swarm came from, but their attack scale has become much larger!"
"They are like an endless tide, constantly attacking our defenses, inflicting more losses, and there's absolutely no possibility of communication."
"Their forces are growing daily, but with the addition of this new vital force, our war against the Tyranid Swarm will be more robust."
At this point, Szar'ak brought up a question that had been on his mind for some time.
"A question has been on my mind for a while, and I think it's necessary to discuss it with you."
Szar'ak's green eyes gleamed, indicating the importance he placed on the matter.
"What's the problem?" Since Szar'ak had a question, Zeke certainly had to answer it, so he gestured for the other party to state the problem.
"We have now encountered two galaxies, but for some reason, it seems only our galaxy is under attack by the Tyranid Swarm. The edges of these two other galaxies don't seem to have the Tyranid Swarm?"
There were already two galaxies.
Szar'ak had initially thought that if his galaxy was under attack by the Tyranid Swarm, and other galaxies also had similar presences, then logically, those other galaxies should also be experiencing Tyranid Swarm attacks.
But that wasn't the case; the galaxy suffering such an intense Tyranid Swarm attack seemed to be only theirs. While there were some Tyranid Swarm at the edges of other galaxies, their scale was pitifully small.
Zeke fell silent. Regarding the question Szar'ak asked, to be honest, he didn't have a good answer. After all, how could he figure out why these Tyranid Swarm only attacked their galaxy?
"I don't know the answer to this question either. I don't know why these Tyranid Swarm only attack our galaxy, but since they haven't attacked other galaxies, it should be considered good news for us."
Zeke chose to tell Szar'ak truthfully that he didn't know why any of this was happening, and Szar'ak nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, if the other galaxies were also under Tyranid Swarm attack, then for us, reclaiming those other galaxies would become a losing proposition."
"The fact that other galaxies are not under attack by these Tyranid Swarm is actually good news."
"Alright, I should head back. Those Tyranid Swarm are at the border again; I need to drive them away first."
Zeke didn't know why any of this was happening, and Szar'ak also reined in his curiosity. After all, the absence of Tyranid Swarm attacks in other galaxies was a good thing, wasn't it?
Just as those Tyranid Swarm launched their routine daily offensive, Szar'ak quickly returned to command the troops.
"Thank you for your hard work," Zeke stood up and cupped his hands in Szar'ak's direction.
"Once I've mostly handled the affairs of this galaxy, I will personally lead the fleet to the outside of the galaxy to see what the situation with those Tyranid Swarm truly is."
Szar'ak's question was undoubtedly Zeke's question as well. He also wanted to understand why these Tyranid Swarm were specifically targeting his galaxy, while other galaxies had no such Tyranid Swarm.
Coupled with Zeke's previous interaction with The Great Devourer, Zeke felt he should be able to lead a fleet to explore.
"Good! I'll go with you then!" Hearing that Zeke was preparing to personally explore outside the galaxy, Szar'ak's green eyes sparkled even more.
Zeke preparing to explore was absolutely good news for them. Szar'ak had originally intended to go and see where those Tyranid Swarm came from, but he couldn't. Galaxy's Edge simply couldn't do without his presence at this time.
Furthermore, with the Golden Emperor confined to the golden throne and Zeke conquering other galaxies, Szar'ak had to suppress his own thoughts.
"Alright! We'll go together then. As for the defenses of Galaxy's Edge, we'll leave The Emperor in charge. Once he has devoured the Golden Emperor here, I believe he should be able to rise from the golden throne."
Zeke agreed to Szar'ak's suggestion. While exploring the galaxy alone might not be risky, Szar'ak's presence would provide an extra layer of security, which Zeke naturally wouldn't refuse.
The two decided on the situation after this galaxy was secured, all while chatting and laughing.
Having received Zeke's reply, Szar'ak returned with satisfaction to command the Infinite Empire and Terran Dominion fleets, launching an attack against the invading Tyranid Swarm once more.
After Szar'ak left, Zeke calmly sat back in his seat, picked up another cup of green tea, and took a small sip.
He only needed to sit there. The true outbreak of war would begin when the First Legion was battered and bruised by his brilliant-class battleship and needed to call for help.
Zeke was very calm, while the First Legion's position suffered a brutal massacre. The brilliant-class battleship appeared in the Warp.
Initially, the Dark Angels Legion didn't pay much attention to the appearance of the brilliant-class battleship, after all, they were a Legion fleet!
More than half of the First Legion's main battleships had been deployed, along with a large number of Imperial Navy auxiliary ships. The total number of main battleships exceeded 2,400, including battleships, battlecruisers, and some heavy strike cruisers.
Over 2,400 main battleships, along with a large number of Imperial auxiliary ships, cooperated in the operation.
The auxiliary ships supporting these more than 2,400 main battleships brought the total number of warships in the entire First Legion fleet to a staggering 280,000!
This was undoubtedly a formidable force, and they naturally had enough capital to choose to disregard the brilliant-class battleship that had suddenly appeared before them.
The Golden Human Empire's fleet had reason to be proud; after all, they were numerous, but as proud as they were then, they were just as desperate when the two fleets engaged in battle.
The brilliant-class battleship began firing at the Imperium of Man's battleships as soon as it saw them.
The Imperium of Man's battleships suffered an incomprehensible attack, even though they could only see the brilliant-class battleship because it intentionally allowed itself to be seen.
Whole swathes of battleships were directly destroyed in the Warp, then fell into the ultimate abyss of the Warp, never to return.
And even with such immense losses, every Lance fired by the brilliant-class battleship could not be offset by the loss of merely hundreds or thousands of battleships.
Each attack could pierce through hundreds or thousands of their battleships, from the front of their formation to the rear, until there were no battleships left.
But do not think that they suffered no losses; their losses were indeed reduced, but the Warp Daemons paid the price in their stead.
All targets daring to stand in the path of this attack were destroyed, and each attack swept across a 60-light-year range within the Warp.
Countless Warp Daemons were lost under the brilliant-class battleship's assault; they didn't even know why.
They simply vanished into the Warp before they could even react.
Lion, the Primarch of the Golden Empire's First Legion, watched this terrifying scene, dumbfounded.
He could only watch his battleships being destroyed in droves, while they were incredibly far from the enemy.
The Imperium of Man's omni-viewers could see the target not because their omni-viewers could detect targets so far away, but simply because the brilliant-class battleship deliberately transmitted its information into their detectors.
In the Warp, there is no concept of time or space, but when the brilliant-class battleship appeared in the Warp, such concepts naturally came into existence.
Lion could clearly see the enemy battleship on his detector, and this battleship was far beyond the range his own detector should have been able to detect.
It was precisely because he knew how far his battleships could detect that he was so dumbfounded; this meant that the enemy battleship had invaded his battleships and forcibly expanded their detection range.
"Calm down, don't panic! Everyone calm down! This is just an enemy ploy; he absolutely cannot be this far from us!"
As a Primarch of the First Legion who had participated in the Great Crusade, Lion immediately shouted loudly at everyone inside his battleship, preparing to stabilize their morale first.
"The enemy absolutely cannot be this far from us! If he really were this far from us, what would be the point of him doing so? It makes no sense at all!"
"Even the Imperium doesn't possess such technology, so how could our enemy have it? This is absolutely impossible! Everyone calm down, don't be deceived by their trickery!"
Lion loudly stated his reasons, and his reasoning, accompanied by the authority of the First Legion Primarch, was transmitted through the battleship's internal amplification array to everyone's ears.
As a battle-hardened Primarch of the First Legion, his words undoubtedly easily earned the trust of the Imperium of Man's soldiers.
The originally chaotic Imperium of Man's soldiers regained their composure in the face of Lion's words.
But even regaining composure was meaningless for the Imperium of Man's soldiers at this moment, and for the battle situation at hand.
Their battleships were still being destroyed in batches, and they still couldn't find any trace of the enemy, even though under Lion's command, they had begun to form search patterns within the Warp.
But undoubtedly, all their searches were useless, because the brilliant-class battleship was truly very far from them, far beyond their detection range!
Although Lion's words stabilized the morale and fighting spirit of his fleet and temporarily restored their will to fight, the cost was that he conveyed a false conclusion.
battleships were constantly being destroyed in batches, and the Warp Daemons also suffered this unexpected calamity, constantly being shattered and dying in swathes, affected by the Imperium of Man's battleship attacks.
Such large-scale activity naturally attracted Tzeentch and the other Chaos Gods of the Warp who were attacking the shield.
"Interesting… this battleship is truly interesting; I can actually feel threatened by it?"
Watching the brilliant-class battleship displaying its might in the Warp, Tzeentch, besides finding it interesting, also felt a deep sense of crisis.
The Chaos Gods of the Warp are still very powerful; they can sense whether the opponent can threaten them, and Tzeentch now felt a sense of crisis from the brilliant-class battleship.
Perhaps due to the characteristics of the Warp, this battleship could not eliminate them, but undoubtedly, this battleship could already cause them harm, and it was a truly meaningful harm, unlike others that could instantly recover.
If only he had not seen just this one battleship, he could not yet confirm whether it belonged to that galaxy, and if this battleship truly belonged to that galaxy, they wouldn't need to do this at all; they could just directly attack.
Tzeentch now even wanted to directly serve the Golden Emperor of the Imperium of Man on the other side.
The standings of the Chaos Gods of the Warp are all more or less the same.
What Tzeentch could discover, Nurgle and the other Chaos Gods naturally also discovered.
After discovering this battleship, the four Chaos Gods made the same decision almost simultaneously.
The chaotic Warp storm and gloom enveloped that battle zone, blocking the detection of the Golden Emperor and Odin around Vastor.
There are also factions in the Warp; the four of them were one faction, while the Golden Emperor and Odin were another.
Now, that mysterious battleship was eliminating the Imperium of Man's fleet, which had nothing to do with the four of them, so they decided to cover it up to prevent the Golden Emperor and his group from discovering it.
"Hmm?" The Golden Emperor, sensing the little actions of these four guys, turned his head to look at them.
But just as the Golden Emperor's gaze had just fallen upon them, the four of them had already completed their task and were once again diligently attacking the psychic barrier.
The Golden Emperor's gaze continuously shifted among the four Chaos Gods of the Warp, then he withdrew his sight.
Reason told him that these four guys had definitely done something bad behind his back again, but currently, conquering the other galaxy was the top priority, and it was not yet time to show their hostility.
The Golden Emperor chose to endure for now.
When he merged with his counterpart on the other side, he would naturally make these guys pay dearly!
The brilliant-class battleship annihilated over half of the First Legion's forces in an extremely short period, a devastating loss that forced Leon to once again seek help from the Emperor.
To have half of the First Legion's fleet destroyed by an unknown battleship—what an immense loss! When Leon's request reached the Golden Emperor's ears, the Golden Emperor was stunned.
"How could this be?"
"Leon, my firstborn, are you serious about what you're saying?"
Even the stern Golden Emperor couldn't help but doubt whether his son was lying at this moment. Such a shock, an entire legion simply had half of its forces wiped out.
"Yes!" Even through the communication, Leon lowered his head in shame, not daring to look up at his father. For him, loyalty was the best reward, but the battle had turned out so disgracefully.
"Hmm..." The Golden Emperor didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only dispatch reinforcements to his son.
"I will send you new reinforcements. Eight new legions will come to support you. With the combined strength of nine legions, you must suppress the rebellion on Cadia!"
The Golden Emperor naturally wouldn't believe such an outrageous claim from his son. A single battleship destroying half of their legion—this must be a scheme of the Chaos Gods of the Warp.
No wonder those four guys were acting strangely just now; they must have been plotting something!
But even if they had a scheme, they probably exhausted all their capabilities in destroying half of the legion's fleet.
Now that he was dispatching nine legion fleets at once, even if those guys made another move, they wouldn't achieve anything new.
While the Golden Emperor was thinking this, he also glared fiercely at the four guys who were pretending to be fools.
Then, he raised his right hand heavily, and a psychic power belonging to the Golden Emperor struck the barrier with great force.
It was an all-out attack that caused a slight ripple in the psychic barrier, but such an attack was like a tickle to Zeke.
Zeke, seated on the golden throne, felt the Golden Emperor's wrath and simply chuckled softly, then reinforced the shield with an even more surging and powerful psychic energy.
The passage remained firmly sealed. Zeke didn't care about the Golden Emperor's reaction because his plan had already succeeded. When eight more legions were diverted from the ongoing attack, Zeke clearly knew his plan was a success.
Batches of fleets retreated from the Galaxy's Edge passage like a tide.
The pressure on this side of the passage clearly decreased significantly, while in return, the pressure on Cadia would undoubtedly increase.
But this was exactly what Zeke needed.
Fleet travel takes time. While the Imperium of Man's forces were gathering, Zeke had already withdrawn his main consciousness and once again sent out a psychic avatar to the Galaxy's Edge.
War cannot be only defensive, and with the current fleet, it was impossible to eliminate nine Imperium of Man legion fleets at once. To achieve this, Zeke needed stronger power.
And now, the only forces capable of executing this operational plan were the human fleets at the Galaxy's Edge. Zeke needed to personally come to the Galaxy's Edge to consider whether he could mobilize some battleships.
This was Zeke's first time at the Galaxy's Edge defense line. The line he came to was one of the core planets where his parents were located: the Kalbu Fortress World!
The Kalbu Fortress World was not originally a fortress world; it was a central transport world. At the peak of the Great Crusade, it could accommodate tens of thousands of void ships daily, which would dock and unload their cargo.
After the Great Crusade ended, due to its strategic importance, it gradually began to transform into a fortress trade world, as it was at the very edge of the Hazy Star Field.
The Adeptus Mechanicus, rogue traders, and various other civilian exploration forces were accustomed to stopping, stationing, and making small resupplies here. At the same time, the enemies they attracted also needed to be resisted by this fortress trade world.
To be honest, after the Great Crusade ended, the glory of this planet was gone.
Although it still held a certain status in subsequent outward exploration, this status was simply not worth mentioning compared to its glory during the Great Crusade.
But who would always be so unlucky?
When the Tyranid Swarm appeared at the Galaxy's Edge and began its invasion, the Imperium of Man needed a batch of core fortress central worlds to serve as forward strongholds for resistance. Kalbu emerged at this time.
This fortress trade world, which already had a certain foundation, became one of the fortress garrison worlds chosen by the Imperium of Man. Even now, Zeke's parents have established their base here, and its status can be said to have risen steadily. It once again ushered in its glory.
During the Great Crusade, it only needed to receive tens of thousands of battleships daily, but with the invasion of the Tyranid Swarm, it now needs to accommodate at least hundreds of thousands of battleships for docking and resupply every day.
During the most intense period of fighting, this planet had to handle the docking, resupply, and maintenance of over a million battleships daily!
And among these million battleships, there might even be tens of thousands of capital ships like battleships and titans!
What a magnificent sight! Therefore, when Zeke appeared in the void and looked at this planet, what he saw were layers upon layers of battleships heading towards the starport.
Such a scene would be impossible to see within the Imperium of Man. Even Terra, the central nervous system of the Imperium of Man, didn't have so many battleships constantly docking.
This kind of sight only appears in border regions, where large numbers of human armies gather.
Zeke extended his perception, sensed the direction where his parents were, and then used his psychic power to fly towards their location.
The scene was indeed spectacular, but that was not his main purpose for this trip. His main purpose was to first meet with his parents and then see what armies could be mobilized.
Zeke's flight was not concealed in any way. Therefore, as he flew towards the planet's surface, the defense system immediately detected Zeke's location.
However, as soon as the defense system locked onto Zeke, they immediately disengaged the lock.
Zeke, possessing the highest authority, could not possibly be directly locked onto by the defense system. After confirming it was Zeke himself, the defense system ceased its operation and resumed scanning.
To facilitate Zeke's subsequent actions, the defense system still notified Zeke's parents.
When Zeke arrived at the planetary command center, his parents had already sent everyone else away and were waiting for their son's return.