This is the bonus chapter for reaching 350 Powerstones.
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Zeke saw a figure, clearly taller than the other Knights of Blood, walking towards them.
They were the Flesh Tearers Chapter, sent here alongside the Knights of Blood to draw fire on Baal.
Compared to the Knights of Blood, who indulged in blood-drinking, this Chapter was much more restrained.
They aimed their bolters at the Wardens.
Zeke made a "hush" gesture. The other side quickly understood, circled around, and regrouped with Zeke and Sicarius.
"Captain of the Second Company of the Ultramarines, Cato Sicarius."
"Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers, Gabriel Seth."
Seth announced his title without any superfluous pleasantries.
Then, he closed his eyes.
"The Sacred Blood forges my body."
This was a calming ritual unique to him.
In the desperate fight against the swarm just now, the Black Rage had assaulted his sanity several times, nearly dragging him into the vortex of eternal hatred for Horus from ten thousand years ago.
But he held on. As a Chapter Master, he had no right to succumb.
Behind him were countless brothers who used him as a shield; he had to be responsible for the brothers of his Chapter.
"By the Sacred Blood, I shall endure."
He took a long breath of the air mixed with the scent of blood. When he opened his eyes, the manic crimson had receded from their depths, and reason once again held the upper hand.
"You are here to support Baal?"
There was surprise in Seth's voice, confused by the appearance of this elite squad here.
"Yes." Zeke nodded. "We are the vanguard; there is a large force following behind."
Seth fell silent for a few seconds. It had been days—since the insect tide first flooded the horizon of Baal, he had barely slept a wink.
Hearing this news now, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
"You should head to Baal, not be here," Seth said.
"These two moons of Baal were on the sacrifice list from the very beginning. Our mission is merely to attract the fire of the Hive Fleet, buying breathing room for the main defensive line on the homeworld. Now, the situation on the homeworld… It is extremely deadlocked, but it hasn't fallen yet."
He looked at the pristine Ultramarines behind Zeke.
"Your combat strength should be used where it is truly needed."
Zeke exchanged a glance with Sicarius. This was exactly what they needed: firsthand intelligence on the homeworld battlefield.
Seth continued to explain quickly, his words concise.
"Leading the defense of Baal now is the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, Luis Dante."
Luis Dante. The greatest Chapter Master of the Space Marines, the first among men beneath the Primarchs. Not the Dante Zeke knew—same name, different person.
Dante's real name was actually Luis. "Dante" was his angel name, equivalent to a Christian baptismal name.
He had lived for nearly 1,500 years and was considered one of the longest-living Space Marines.
As Seth explained, his gaze frequently drifted to the Knights of Blood bound by the Ultramarines.
The infamy of the Knights of Blood was well known.
Without needing an explanation, Seth knew what these Knights had done to be treated this way.
Seth himself looked down on these Knights of Blood who succumbed to their desires and didn't speak up for them.
With the intelligence exchange complete, Seth's attention finally shifted to the Wardens.
"The same direction Chapter Master Dante chose," Seth said. "Using biological weapons to counter them. A very clever approach."
He had witnessed Zeke release the Wardens and naturally assumed this was a type of biological weapon.
"Wait, Chapter Master Dante did this too?" Hearing Seth's words, Zeke thought, great minds really do think alike.
Seth nodded. "Chapter Master Dante found a creature called 'Thirst Water' on Baal Secundus. He built a moat around the Angel's Fortress on Baal using it. Thirst Water looks like water, but it is alive. It lies in wait to lure the thirsty to it. There is no salvation in its liquid, only death. It sucks dry anything it touches to increase its own moisture."
As Seth said this, a pained expression appeared on his face.
"If possible, I would rather Chapter Master Dante not use this method. The Thirst Water will drain into the sand, divide into hundreds of independent organisms, and then flow into hiding places. Chapter Master Dante has polluted Baal with the deadliest substance in the galaxy. Our homeworld will never be rid of it. But we have no choice, do we? Polluting Baal is better than Baal being destroyed."
Seth dropped the heavy topic, turning sideways to point at the ancient castle halfway up the mountain.
"We shouldn't stay here long. There is a temporary command post and communication facilities inside the castle. Let's go there first."
He paused and looked at Zeke. "I will call my troops as soon as possible to arrange for your transport to Baal. Chapter Master Dante needs to know of your arrival."
"I don't recall saying the Sculk infection couldn't be removed, did I?" Zeke didn't follow Seth's pace.
"Hmm?" Seth paused in his steps, looking at the swarm of Wardens.
He had just witnessed the terrifying nature of these creatures; a single one could wrestle with a Tyranid Warrior.
"You want to eliminate them? With all due respect, it's not worth it."
Zeke gave a roguish smile. "They will disappear on their own. We just need to wait."
One of the Warden's traits: if it does not lock onto a target or sense vibrations for 60 consecutive seconds, the Warden will burrow into any block beneath its feet and despawn unless named with a Name Tag.
Named mobs will not despawn automatically.
Zeke stood quietly for a while. After 60 seconds, countless Wardens began to dig downward, sinking into the ground.
It was too perfect. It was practically a custom-made biological weapon that cleaned itself up after use.
Done with the task, brushing off the clothes, hiding one's merit and name.
"They can dig holes too?" Seth's voice was dry. "But they are just hiding, not truly—"
No, no, you don't understand. Digging a hole to hide is just an animation. In reality, they have despawned. The code is written that way.
Through the Nether Portal, Zeke called for another transport truck and dug out a complete piece of Sculk ecosystem as a reserve. Then, padding his steps with wool, he walked forward and visually estimated, digging up all the remaining Sculk infection bodies.
Just like that, the infectious nature of the Sculk terrain was excised by Zeke.
Zeke clapped his hands. "See? I've cut off the pollution. Simple as that."
"This large patch left behind can help you continue to block the Tyranids the next time they come."
"If you ever find it an eyesore, just dig up the whole patch. Just move gently and keep the noise down."
With both the big mess and the small mess resolved, Seth extended an invitation for Zeke and his group to talk inside the castle.
Seth led the way, Zeke was in the middle, and Sicarius and the Ultramarines dragged the Knights of Blood at the rear.
Hiking up to the mountainside, Zeke stood there and looked up at the horizon.
Further away, a strangely shaped tower device stood behind the insect swarm.
The spire connected to the faintly visible Tyranid supply ships in orbit overhead.
That was the Tyranid biomass reclamation and conversion node.
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Next Goal = 700 Powerstones.