The moment the Trisolarans decided to go for a "War of Attrition" with No More Bets, their fate was sealed.
You want a War of Attrition against the Imperium?
Fine, your wish is granted... A command from Emrys was transmitted from the Warp to Mars.
Inside the lower cargo hold of the colossal Forge Ark, they carried the Tyrants, a perfectly fused product of "Black water" and the "T-Virus."
This particular model of Tyrant was a culmination of many strengths!
Not only did it possess the incredible growth rate granted by "Black water"—allowing it to spread rapidly even by absorbing nutrients from the atmosphere—but the highly efficient infectivity of the T-Virus also gave the Tyrant an astonishing propagation speed!
The number of Tyrants deployed seemed to be only in the tens of thousands.
However, the tech-priests of the Mechanicus knew the horror of this thing well.
Once a Tyrant acting as a Mother died, its flesh and blood would completely merge into the ground, spreading wildly like Spores, thus forming a viral breeding ground... the Mycelial Mat!
This Mycelial Mat incorporated both the characteristics of black water and the advantages of the T-Virus.
Not only did it spread quickly, but it was also extremely difficult to eradicate. Just like the Orks, the moment the Tyrant Mothers landed on the surface of Titan, the fate of that asteroid and all life upon it was sealed.
Someone might ask again.
Since the Tyrant is so powerful, its cost must be very high, right?
Actually, no. The cost of a Tyrant is only one hundred thousand U.S. dollars.
One hundred thousand U.S. dollars won't buy you a loss or a scam, but you can get a loyal Biochemical Warrior!
Admittedly, in terms of individual strength, the Tyrant is not very powerful.
In a one-on-one fight, even a moderately experienced Astra Militarum soldier could probably beat the Tyrant senseless.
But if you put it into a war, that's a different story.
The resources expended on an excellent Astra Militarum veteran, from joining the Astra Militarum to growing step by step, are countless.
Money, of course, goes without saying, but more importantly, there is the veteran's experience.
But the Tyrant is different.
They don't need experience; they just need to have the "Program" pre-inputted for various wars.
And it only takes a few days for each Tyrant to go from birth to joining the war, greatly saving time costs, and allowing them to serve as "Cannon Fodder" to consume the enemy's effective strength, including ammunition and so on.
If one Tyrant isn't enough, then send ten, a hundred, or even ten thousand!
After all, Tyrants are cheap to make, and the production cost is almost zero. The only drawback is that they are difficult to control, requiring the selection of an appropriate deployment window.
And the current situation on Titan is perfectly suited for them.
As Tyrants descended upon Titan, the Clone Legion of the Trisolaran Civilization also launched its attack.
It must be said that this Clone Legion truly deserved to be called the "Elite" created by the Trisolaran Civilization specifically to deal with warfare.
During the cloning process, these warriors were stripped of superfluous emotions, retaining only obedience to superior orders as their highest priority instruction. Even if the path ahead was a Mountain of Knives and Sea of fire, these new Clone Warriors would jump in without hesitation!
They would not fear, would not retreat, and certainly would not surrender!
This was simply the most perfect army in the eyes of the Trisolaran Civilization, and there was no need to worry about quantity.
With the "Gene Cloning Program" in place, even if hundreds of thousands died in battle today, hundreds of thousands of legions could be cloned immediately tomorrow!
Under the charge of the fearless Clone psyker Legion, the first wave of tens of thousands of Tyrant Troops landing on Titan was quickly annihilated!
Blood and corpses piled up like mountains.
The ground of Titan was soaked in vast amounts of blood, turning a terrifying red.
"This is great! We won!!!"
Inside the Trisolaran Council, the head of State was exceptionally agitated.
It wasn't easy; this was their first victory against humanity since tearing up the Agreement!
Facts proved that its decision was correct; using the Clone Legion to counter humanity was the best choice!
However, before the head of State could be happy for a few seconds, a grating alarm sounded again from the front line!
The atmosphere was being invaded!
"Again?!"
The head of State was abruptly shaken, seeing a familiar scene in the footage relayed by the Sophon.
Still tens of thousands of Metallic Drop Pods, trailing flames as they sliced through the atmosphere, crashed heavily onto the battlefield, and then... tens of thousands of silent, black-clad Tyrants stepped out of the hatches amid the thick smoke.
It was as if time had reversed and the scene was being replayed!
"If we can win once, we can win a second time!" The head of State suppressed the unease in its heart and sent an order to the Frontline Commander.
"Kill them! I want to see how many of these things humanity can produce!"
Slaughter!
Slaughter!
Slaughter!
The cloned Psionic Warriors mechanically carried out their orders.
Tens of thousands more Tyrants were slaughtered by them, their flesh and blood seeping into the deep soil of Titan like nutrients.
The air was filled with a nauseating smell of blood. Looking out, a thick, dense Blood Mist seemed impossible to dissipate, enveloping the entire battlefield!
"Is it over?"
Just as the Frontline Commander was about to breathe a sigh of relief, it suddenly heard... that familiar roar overhead again!
Amidst the massive dust clouds, tens of thousands more Tyrants appeared, another familiar scene, but this time it drove the Commander almost to the point of collapse.
"They're still coming?!"
Yes, one wave ended, and another arrived!
By sunset, the Frontline Commander was numb. It couldn't remember how many waves of enemies it had slaughtered!
It only remembered... that this place was once a plain!
But now, it had become a "High mountain," a massive mountain range piled up from flesh and corpses!
It waited for a long time, staring intently at the atmosphere.
Finally, no human Drop Pods arrived, which made it let out a long breath.
"It's finally over" As the Frontline Commander, it had never felt such war-weariness. Everything it experienced today might become a Nightmare that haunted it for the rest of its life.
But just then, that massive "Mountain Range of Flesh and Blood" seemed to awaken!
It was like a terrifying monster waking up, growing countless dense Tentacles that blotted out the sky, and the soil that had buried countless Tyrants was now covered by the black Mycelial Mat. The entire mountain range was trembling, as if the monster's heart was beating!
Immediately after, the Frontline Commander witnessed a scene it would never forget.
On the Tentacles of the massive, mountain-like flesh monster, countless Cysts formed, dense and numerous, like heavy fruits ripening during the autumn harvest, causing the Tentacles to droop down.
Subsequently, the outer Blood Membranes of these Cysts ruptured, revealing the newly bred... Tyrants!
These Tyrants were different from the previous generation; they appeared to have been specifically optimized, covered entirely in white Bone Armor, yet their abdomens were swollen as if "pregnant," and their tails bore slender Bone Spurs, each swing producing a sharp whistling sound!
Meanwhile, inside the mechanicus ark high in the sky, several tech-priests were making indifferent records.
"Activate the Divine Imprint to control the Mother."
"Divine Imprint activated, entering War Mode. Mother has been awakened!"
"The 7,424th Biochemical Experiment"
The leading tech-priest's eyes showed a hint of indifference.
"Praise the Machine God. Prepare the Exterminatus. If the Mother loses control, immediately destroy all life forms on the world's surface!"
War?
No, in the eyes of the Mechanicus, this was an excellent experimental opportunity.
Titan was the testing ground they chose.
The several waves of 'Tyrants' deployed to the surface were not simply to boost the enemy's achievements, nor were they foolish.
Rather, the Mother needed a breeding ground!
This breeding ground could only be provided by the 'Tyrants,' and the more that died, the more 'fertile' the soil of this world became.
When the time was right, the Divine Imprint device could be used to activate this fertile breeding ground, which had absorbed the 'Tyrants'' flesh and blood!
Now was the time for verification... The tech-priest, who was leading them, had cold eyes.
"If the Mother is proven controllable, then from now on, we will possess a biological army... no less formidable than the Orks!"
Shifting the perspective to Titan.
Looking at the massive mountain of flesh and blood, the front-line Commander felt his SAN value plummeting!
What in the world was this thing?!
A gigantic, bloated, flesh-and-blood aggregate. He could even see those 'Tyrants' with missing limbs or only a head remaining, forcibly aggregated and squeezed onto this mountain by some power.
The plump 'fruits' hanging at the ends of the tentacles, at a glance, almost triggered trypophobia!
But he had no time to ponder the essence of this thing... because the first batch of 'fruits' had already matured!
These terrifying biochemical monsters roared as they charged towards the clone army.
"Long-range firepower, bombard!"
The front-line Commander reacted swiftly, immediately ordering the fire-element psykers to bombard.
Fireballs and beams of light flew through the sky, plunging like meteors into the newly born 'Tyrants'!
Limbs flew everywhere, blood and gore splattering!
The first wave of interception was quite successful, but before the front-line Commander could even be happy, he immediately realized that the huge 'mountain' had produced even more 'fruits,' seemingly accelerating its frantic 'birthing' of its army!
Meanwhile, the 'Tyrants' that had died a few minutes ago had their flesh and corpses devoured by the Mycelial Mat covering the surface.
These Mycelial Mat frantically absorbed all energy on Titan, from the dead flesh and corpses, to the faint energy in the atmosphere, and even to the magma and other energies deep within the world's surface, acting like a giant energy supply device!
The energy absorbed by the Mycelial Mat was then recirculated into that massive mountain of flesh and blood!
The Mother, having received energy replenishment, began frantically breeding 'Tyrants' again.
With this ebb and flow, the front-line Commander quickly realized the dire situation. If the war of attrition continued as planned, it was likely that the Trisolaran Civilization would collapse first, before the human army was depleted!
Because the Mycelial Mat devoured not only the dead 'Tyrants' but also the fallen clone Trisolarans!
Gradually, the situation was reversed.
No matter how fast the clone warriors were, they still needed time, but... the Mother didn't!
The flesh and blood just devoured by the Mycelial Mat were immediately transformed into 'mutants'.
The front-line Commander had thought of using super long-range weapons to destroy this damned Mother once and for all.
However, their weapon systems were forcibly hacked and destroyed by the tech-priests in low orbit before they could even fire.
The only space fleet they could rely on was entangled with the Astartes, unable to help themselves.
After all, hundreds of burly men in power armor jumping directly onto your battleship and wreaking havoc—they couldn't stop them even if they wanted to!
Then, as expected, once the clone warrior army's 'sustenance' was cut off, they completely collapsed!
At this moment, the highest council of the Trisolarans was enveloped in an atmosphere of despair.
They never imagined that the outcome would turn out this way... ending in a crushing defeat!
"We lost"
1
The head of State uttered these words with difficulty.
Yes, the moment the Mother appeared, their strategic plan utterly failed.
A war of attrition?
No, if it continued like this, the one to be slowly worn down and killed could only be their Trisolaran Civilization.
"We are willing to surrender!" Not long ago, the Trisolaran head of State had arrogantly declared war on humanity, seeking to annihilate them. Now, filled with utter despondency, he bitterly ordered the Sophon to convey their desire to surrender to humanity.
At this point, even if he was unwilling, there was nothing he could do.
His own kind throughout the council were looking at him with hatred, their venomous emotions flowing through the Trisolaran Civilization's resonance frequency.
He knew he was finished.
But at least before that, he had to secure a glimmer of hope for his civilization.
[Mr. Luo Ji, you have won]
[The Trisolaran Civilization is willing to surrender]
[Whatever conditions humanity proposes, we will agree]
[We beg you, please stop]
Three Sophons successively typed out text, their tone extremely humble.
Luo Ji still sat on the ruins of the Holy Terra Council Hall. He looked at the Sophon before him, expressionless, and said coldly.
"I'm sorry, I reject your surrender proposal. Humanity does not need your surrender."
His attitude was very firm, and his words even contained a chilling hint of killing intent.
The Trisolarans' initial arrogance followed by their current subservience was simply laughable!
[Mr. Luo Ji!]
[We are willing to accept dismemberment, even enslavement, please give us another chance!]
[I am the Trisolaran Supreme Archon, head of State. I am willing to bear all consequences, but I beg you, in consideration of us both being intelligent civilizations, please give the Trisolaran Civilization... a way to survive!]
The head of State's tone was already very humble; he was even begging Luo Ji.
However, Luo Ji merely remained silent for less than half a second before looking up at the three Sophons and asking a question.
"I ask you, if humanity were the losing side today, would you agree to our request? Would you give us a way to survive?"
[We...] The head of State's emotions were bitter.
[Perhaps, perhaps... not.]
"Let me speak for you. You would never leave humanity a way to survive."
Luo Ji's eyes slightly narrowed as he said calmly.
"As you said, in a war between two civilizations, there can only be one winner. You rejected humanity's goodwill, and you started the war. Now... you tell me you know you were wrong and want to surrender?"
[No, Mr. Luo Ji, I...]
"Too late!"
Luo Ji's voice was like thunder, his eyes filled with killing intent. He gripped the sword tightly and said coldly.
"You don't know you were wrong; you just know you're going to die."
[Mr. Luo Ji...]
The head of State, and even the Trisolaran Council, were making their final efforts, trying to plead with this scholar.
But the Sophon was directly crushed by the psyker, and communication was cut off!
"It's over"
The head of State felt despondent, pained, and regretful.
They had completely lost their last chance to save their civilization.
The sky was enveloped in brilliant, scorching fire, and the bells symbolizing the Mechanicus echoed through Titan's atmosphere.
The atmosphere ignited with raging flames, the ground melted into magma under the high temperatures, terrifying hurricanes and earthquakes swallowed the entirety of Titan, and the world's core itself disintegrated and collapsed in the universe!
Thus, all traces of the Trisolarans were mercilessly erased from Titan by the Mechanicus. And the Trisolaran Civilization's last hope... the Sol System Fleet, was also in a dire situation.
The highest Commander on the fleet received the last words from the 'head of the Supreme Archon Council' on Titan.
"Run, towards the depths of the universe."
"Do not dream of revenge; forget us completely."
"This is our only way to survive."
Now, it was the Supreme Archon.
This meant that all high-ranking Trisolaran Civilization officials above it had been killed or sacrificed!
This outcome left it somewhat dazed.
How could things have escalated to this point?
When their fleet entered the Sol System, they were still the side with the absolute advantage.
The Trisolaran Civilization's Sol System Fleet was invincible, and the million Psionic Warriors legion swept all before them. With such a great advantage, a direct push would suffice; tactics and strategies were completely superfluous!
Human civilization, in front of them, was like a dilapidated house.
They only needed to kick it hard, and this seemingly sturdy edifice would instantly collapse!
But what was the result?
The million Psionic Warriors legion vanished in the blink of an eye!
And the proud Sol System Fleet ended up being 'surrounded'!
Yes, they possessed more advanced scientific technology, but the problem was... humans didn't play by the rules!
The fleet's high-energy particle streams and electromagnetic interference had no effect on the human fleet!
All their attacks were blocked by those strange shields, which seemed to distort spacetime, and then transferred to unknown spaces.
Even more terrifyingly, those warriors, over two meters tall, carrying small spacecraft, crashed one by one into their warships, then proceeded with highly efficient slaughter, rendering them completely helpless!
From the Trisolaran Civilization's perspective, true advanced civilizations waged war efficiently, coldly, and precisely.
No longer requiring overwhelming fleet numbers, but rather dimension-reducing strikes implemented across multiple levels based on physical laws and mathematical rules.
Yet, the human fleet completely disregarded this rule.
"Archon, you have been granted supreme authority."
"Warning! Warning!"
"All outer fleets have fallen."
"Commander, please make a decision as soon as possible."
Three harsh alarms in a row pulled the Supreme Archon back to reality.
It hastily brought up the holographic map projection. Around the blue markers symbolizing its own fleet, dense red markers were spread everywhere!
The scattered blue markers, squeezed by layers of red markers, saw their living space shrink step by step.
Gazing at this suffocating scene, the Supreme Archon's mind desperately tried to formulate a strategy.
Suddenly, a truly insane idea emerged deep within its mind.
"Order the entire fleet, coordinates Jupiter, wings spread out, advance!"
"Your Excellency, Supreme Archon, based on the strategy you proposed, our fleet is estimated to lose over 60% before reaching Jupiter's orbit. Do you confirm execution?"
Sophon presented the possibility of this strategy.
However, the Supreme Archon remained unmoved, stating coldly, "Execute! We have no other choice!"
Sophon faithfully transmitted the Supreme Archon's order to all warships.
Soon, as expected, questions from various fleets came one after another.
"Supreme Archon, I don't understand why we must carry out such a suicidal order?"
"Indeed, losing over 60% of the fleet is a consequence we cannot bear!"
"Please withdraw your order!"
Facing the barrage of questions in the communication channel, the Supreme Archon fell silent for a moment.
Then, its voice low and hoarse, it said, "This is an order! It must be carried out!"
"You are destroying our civilization!"
"You executioner!"
In the communication channel, voices of incomprehension persisted, with some even cursing it.
But, no matter what, the Supreme Archon's command was absolute; even if they were dissatisfied, they could only choose to obey.
The surrounded Trisolaran fleet rapidly expanded its wings, forming an arrowhead shape, accelerating towards a point in the encirclement.
They want to break through?
The Admiral of the Imperial Navy fleet also noticed their movements.
"Foolish." The white-haired Admiral's face was expressionless as he calmly issued orders.
"Fleets 78, 65, and 42, launch a large-scale attack on the enemy's flanks!"
Heavy shells were loaded into the cannon breeches one by one.
Then came the deafening roar, as torpedoes imbued with the blessing of the Machine God rained down densely on the Trisolaran fleet.
And Space Marines, boarding assault craft, mingled among them, like blades of death, piercing into the core of the Trisolaran fleet!
Violent explosions and screams in the communication channel... struck the Supreme Archon's heart like heavy hammers.
The situation was indeed as Sophon had predicted.
The Trisolaran fleet, the moment it spread out, was met with a furious assault from the human fleet.
Although those shells and lances of light couldn't harm the Trisolaran fleet, the Space Marines aboard assault craft became a problem they couldn't solve.
The outer material of the Trisolaran fleet was covered with a strong interaction force material, similar in structure to the Droplet.
But they overlooked one point... the Space Marines!
These robust bio-engineered warriors 'teleported' directly from the exterior of the warships to the interior in a way they couldn't comprehend.
And once inside, what awaited the Trisolarans... was slaughter by the Space Marines!
The blue markers symbolizing their own side were constantly decreasing, replaced by more red markers; disconnections.
Messages of destruction, one after another, poured into the Supreme Archon's mind.
Finally, after losing over 65% of their fleet, they reached Jupiter's orbit.
"Commander, the fleet has reached the Jupiter orbit region."
The Supreme Archon gazed at the terrifying, gigantic gas giant and slowly said, "Notify all fleets... use Jupiter's orbit to execute the Gravity Slingshot Plan. At all costs, accelerate the warships to 15% of light speed in the shortest possible time!"
This was its plan!
Crude and helpless... sacrifice most of the warships, then desperately escape!
As for victory?
From the beginning, it didn't believe that the Trisolaran Civilization still had a chance to win the war.
It was doing this entirely to preserve a spark of civilization for the Trisolarans!
"Do not worry about pursuit! Do not worry about other fleets!"
"If one can escape, then one escapes... Esteemed colleagues, it has been an honor to command you."
The Supreme Archon took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Do not stop, do not look back, and do not remember this history. We are the defeated. For our civilization, and for Trisolaris... entire fleet, enter stealth mode, full speed ahead—!!!"
After issuing the final command, the Supreme Archon ordered its warship to position itself in front of the human pursuit fleet.
It intended to use its identity to buy the Trisolaran Civilization... one last bit of time!
The defeat of the Trisolaran fleet also signaled their complete failure.
The Deterrence Era, which had loomed over human civilization for more than two hundred years, finally came to an end at this moment.
The cost was that humanity also paid a corresponding price.
The Holy Terra Alliance Council was completely destroyed, and the original political ecosystem collapsed, replaced by a new, more stringent, and truly 'Imperial' system.
The day after the Trisolaran Civilization fleet scattered and fled the Sol System.
Under the joint recommendation of the Adeptus Astartes, the Imperial Navy fleet, and the Martian Machine cult, Luo Ji, in his capacity as the 'Swordholder,' became the new ruler of the Holy Terra Imperium.
Refusal? Protest?
No, these isolated, faint voices were all drowned out by humanity's fervent cries for 'Savior Luo Ji.'
In the eyes of most people, it was Luo Ji who saved humanity!
When humanity's political system collapsed, he turned the tide, reaching a rescue agreement with the Adeptus Astartes and the Martian Machine cult, saving humanity from the depths of despair in its most critical moment.
It was also he who, in the face of the Trisolaran Civilization's invasion, displayed humanity's most noble posture.
Later, through continuously broadcast messages, people learned that this 'Savior,' ever since his awakening, had cautiously endured hardships, braving ice and snow, travel mountains and rivers to find the Seal Holder, and obtain the key token to save humanity.
Under the joint propaganda and hints from all parties, including the Mechanicus and the Adeptus Astartes.
The prestige of 'Savior Luo Ji' immediately reached an incredibly terrifying level!
As the 'Savior,' and fervently worshipped by all humanity, 'Luo Ji's' status even subtly showed signs of surpassing the 'Emperor.'
After all, in the minds of most humans, the Emperor was a vague, ethereal existence, but Savior Luo Ji was a real, tangible—God!
However, Luo Ji himself, who had been elevated to a 'god,' remained very clear-headed at this moment.
Savior?
He was no Savior; at best, he was a pitiful person.
Looking at the rebuilt council hall and the massive mechanical throne, Luo Ji glanced back at the doorway, a hint of longing in his eyes.
From now on, he could only forever... sit on that cold chair.
"Have you thought it through?"
At this moment, a voice came.
"We still have plenty of time. You can rest for a while longer; there's no need to rush."
This was Emrys' voice; he appeared here in the form of a psychic illusion.
"No need." Luo Ji took a deep breath and shook his head.
"The outside world is not my era, and the people I care about... are long gone. Instead of wasting a few days, I might as well sit down sooner."
"Once you sit down, you cannot leave... until your death."
Emrys reminded him again.
"I know."
Luo Ji nodded and slowly walked towards the mechanical throne.
"There's still a little time. Is there anything you want to ask me?" Seeing this, Emrys no longer refused and instead asked.
"Oh, there is one thing." Luo Ji stopped, staring at him with curiosity.
"I don't understand, the public opinion outside... you were behind it, weren't you? Why do this?"
What was the point of shaping him into a 'second Emperor,' a 'Savior' worshipped fanatically by humanity?
Hearing this, Emrys was silent for a moment, then said.
"It's a... concept, an idea. The specific situation still needs experimentation, and you are the first 'test subject' I chose."
"What is the purpose of the experiment?"
Luo Ji's expression was calm; he wasn't annoyed by being a test subject.
Instead, he just wanted to know why Emrys went to such great lengths, circled around so much, when he could have resolved everything directly and quickly himself, yet instead pushed the 'results' to him. What was it all for?
"Do you believe... that ants can also slay gods?"
However, Emrys did not directly state the reason but instead asked him a seemingly ambiguous question.
"Do you believe... that ants can also slay gods?"
"Very difficult."
Luo Ji gave his answer.
Not 'impossible,' but... very difficult.
"I think so too." Emrys smiled, looking into the distance.
"But, we have to try, don't we? What if?"
"
"I hope I can help you."
Luo Ji nodded thoughtfully, extremely calmly.
"Any other requests?"
Emrys looked at him, feeling somewhat 'indebted' after all.
"None." Luo Ji shook his head, already beside the mechanical throne. Just as he was about to sit down, the image of Li Ye when they parted suddenly appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile gently.
"No, I have one more request"
"Tell me."
Emrys said.
"Li Ye, he has a daughter."
Luo Ji turned around, a gentle smile on his face, and said.
"Help me find someone to take good care of her, and also tell her for me... her father was a great Inquisitor, and a hero who saved humanity!"
"Alright."
Emrys nodded slightly, accepting the promise.
"His daughter will become one of the 'nobles.'"
1
"I have no more requests."
After saying this, Luo Ji was mentally prepared.
Suddenly, Emrys spoke.
"There's one last 'gift,' consider it my compensation to you."
Gift?
Luo Ji was slightly startled, and a person suddenly appeared in his line of sight.
"Luo Ji"
With a tender voice, the person slowly approached. That innocent, pure face was none other than Zhuang Yan, whom he had longed for day and night!
"Zhuang, Zhuang Yan?!"
Luo Ji's eyes immediately widened, staring at her in disbelief.
"You, how are you here? You're not dead?"
"In fact, Zhuang Yan has always been alive." Emrys explained.
"After you entered the snowy mountains, I had someone take her away. The purpose was to test you. Now... I've returned her to you."
Luo Ji opened his mouth, wanting to curse, but in the end, he held back.
"If you want to curse me, you may."
Emrys said.
"Forget it, too lazy to curse you"
Luo Ji sighed. Although this guy didn't act humanely, at least in the end... he gave him a glimmer of hope to persevere.
"Luo Ji" Zhuang Yan's eyes brimmed with tears as she walked step by step to Luo Ji's side.
The two embraced deeply, all words conveyed through their eyes.
Then, Luo Ji sat on the 'mechanical throne.' The moment he touched it, terrifying psychic illusions immediately enveloped him!
The roar of Khorne, the hiss of Nurgle, the sneer of Tzeentch, and the moans of Slaanesh... within the layers of illusions, mixed with some real, terrifying images, continuously assailed his mind like waves.
He could clearly feel that the mechanical throne was like a 'switch,' controlling the portal through which the Warp encroached upon the world!
He was like holding up an unspeakably heavy giant door with his hands, and on the other side of the door was the surging malice from the Warp and the Immaterium. If he relaxed even a little, the 'things' behind this door would flood into their world!
Luo Ji's breathing became rapid and heavy, his eyes bloodshot.
Zhuang Yan noticed his pain, knelt down, and tightly gripped his hand, offering him her remaining warmth.
In the dark, terrifying scenes, only the warmth from her hand allowed Luo Ji to 're-center himself' amidst the chaotic, fragmented horror, maintaining a sliver of clarity in his mind.
"Zhuang Yan?"
"I am here, always have been."