Trailblaze Hive, the only hive city on this garden world.
It did not utilize the Mechanicus's god-awful plasma reactors, but rather the much cleaner Imaginary Reactors. This was, of course, the only hive city on the planet; other settlements were normal cities by Zhou Ye's standards.
"The heretic has descended upon this world! They seek to bring Chaos and calamity back to our home! But the great Lord of Trailblaze, the great son of the God-Emperor, has brought us the Emperor's grace—the 996 work system!"
In a residential block of the hive, a Word Bearer in power armor, plastered with pages from the Lectitio Divinitatus and wearing a small statuette of the Lord of Trailblaze around his neck, was mobilizing the entire community.
Zhou Ye's hive had no distinction between upper, middle, and lower levels. He had created specialized waste disposal systems, so there was none of the random filth found in the underhives of other worlds. There was no terrifying wastewater or polluted air. Of course, a certain degree of stratification still existed. But while other hives had a gap like that between a wealthy Western enclave and a slum, here it was more like the difference between a first-tier and a third or fourth-tier city back in China.
This particular residential block was one of the relatively lower-class areas in the hive. But even so, its inhabitants lived with dignity. If anyone from their family could become an Astra Militarum soldier or one of the Emperor's Angels, their entire family would earn the right to move to the top levels. Thus, although the 996 work schedule left parents with little time for their children, every family educated their offspring with one goal in mind: to stand out, to become one of the Emperor's Angels. Doing so would elevate their family's status immensely. After all, this was the world of Warhammer. Zhou Ye couldn't remove all restrictions, but he did grant certain families special treatment.
This Word Bearer was a child who had come from this very district. He had gone through countless assessments, out-competing innumerable peers, and finally earned the chance to become an Astartes. Through his solid academic performance and a successful gene-seed compatibility test, he had become a member of the 9th Company, a mixed unit of Word Bearers and Ultramarines.
He had become a Word Bearer. Although he had joined their inner circle and adhered to the Imperial Truth, the Lectitio Divinitatus and the Imperial Cult were genuinely effective at resisting Chaos. So, on the surface, they were all pious priests, missionaries of the Imperial Creed.
This particular company actually got along quite well. The gene-seed Zhou Ye used was recovered from Istvaan III, a battle the Word Bearers had not participated in, so these Ultramarines held no deep-seated grudge against them. They had never experienced the Battle of Calth. After all, Zhou Ye had added a little something extra to the gene-seed he gave the Ultramarines, and while he did the same for his own, he hadn't added that particular ingredient—that was a limited edition spice. Furthermore, the three unlucky souls who founded Zhou Ye's Word Bearers were genuinely born on Macragge. Naturally, they had an amicable relationship with the Ultramarines, so Zhou Ye had grouped them together. This was for strategic reasons, absolutely not some dark humor or sick joke.
Moreover, this Astartes lived here. It was Zhou Ye's rule: every Astartes must hold a civilian position. Thus, he served as the community priest, presiding over all weddings and funerals. His status here was very high, and his influence was strong. To have an Astartes attend your wedding or funeral was something the people of this community could never have dreamed of on their old worlds.
Now, under the call of this respected and pious priest, the entire district mobilized. Everyone, from middle-aged adults in their thirties down to children of seven or eight, took up their equipment. Chanting hymns, they followed the Word Bearer and charged headlong toward the battlefront.
The adults were quickly dispatched to trenches and defensive fortifications, firing their lasguns frantically. This was only a minority, of course. Most people joined the logistics network, braving hails of gunfire under the cover of armored vehicles to desperately transport supplies. Zhou Ye wasn't so cruel as to hand them two pieces of scrap metal and tell them to have a bayonet fight with Khornate daemons. Although, if he were to give such an order, they would carry it out without hesitation.
This was just a microcosm of the whole. The entire hive city, from top to bottom, had mobilized. Only a few were fit for the battlefield; the vast majority entered the logistics system.
And so…
"Hahaha! This Primarch is mad!" a Bloodthirster of Khorne sneered as he watched the civilians gradually joining the battlefield. Based on his long years of experience, these mortals would soon throw themselves into the arms of the Blood God. Not just him; the other Greater Daemons of Khorne also let out bloodthirsty laughs.
But soon…
"HAHAHA…"
A joyous, booming laugh echoed forth. It was the laughter of the Blood God himself. But it wasn't directed at his Bloodthirsters. It was for the mortals who were braving the Warp corruption and artillery bombardments, shuttling across the front lines.
Fearless. Unflinching in the face of death. Resolutely completing their mission. Incredibly honorable.
The whispers of Khorne echoed incessantly through the Warp. Khorne wanted these mortals. He continuously sent his whispers to them, calling for them to chant the eight words: "Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
But unfortunately for him, not a single person followed his rhythm. The whispers of the Warp were not simple whispers; they were filled with twisted, negative emotions, meant to entice mortals to fall. Pure sound alone was not very effective. Worse, because of Zhou Ye's "corruption," almost all of them couldn't even hear clearly what the god was saying.
So Khorne was most likely just wasting his breath. Of course, that was a minor detail. The Blood God's fury was real, and the Warp rift now led straight to the Brass Throne.
At the same time…
BOOM!!!
With a ground-shaking thud, a young man with black hair, over four meters tall, landed. Zhou Ye's Magos Omega disguise had a crafted face, a standard Western European one. But when he assumed the identity of a Primarch, he used his original face. Black hair, black eyes, a standard Chinese man. However, to conceal his true nature, Zhou Ye often cloaked himself in a layer of golden light, especially when using his authorities. His eyes would be completely covered by a pure golden glow.
He had just dealt with Ahriman, ordering him to find a way to close the Warp rifts, and then had leaped directly to the forefront of the battle line.
With his landing, the very earth boomed.
In that instant… silence.
The entire battlefield fell into a strange hush. Previously, Zhou Ye had worn a helmet. This time, out of courtesy for his meeting with the Eldar, he had not. Furthermore, about ten years had passed since the incident on the space hulk. In those ten years, Zhou Ye had not personally entered a major battle. But with the continuous expansion of the Star Rail network and some other strange reasons he couldn't quite put his finger on, his presence had become even more dazzling.
With Zhou Ye's arrival and the immense power radiating from him, all the daemons of the Warp saw what looked like a golden-red sun slowly rising. The original Herrscher of Finality, Kiana, had a name derived from the Norse goddess of the moon. Zhou Ye just felt that the moon was a bit strange for a man. And as a pure, ordinary person from Earth, he preferred the sun. So, subconsciously, a special change had occurred.
"ROAR!!!"
Just then, the Bloodthirsters let out furious roars, snapping the dazed daemons back to their senses. After all, this wasn't the Emperor. During the War in the Webway, the Emperor's mere appearance had caused all daemons to burn on a spiritual level. As beings of the pure Warp, for them, spiritual burning was an instinctual immolation. Zhou Ye certainly couldn't achieve that. It was an authority belonging to the Emperor as a Warp god, the King of the Dark. He didn't have such a thing. He felt he was probably a psychic dullard like Guilliman. He had no projection in the Warp, so theoretically, he couldn't use that kind of power.
Besides, he already had the more efficient and controllable Imaginary energy. The Warhammer Warp was a cesspool, but the Imaginary Space from Honkai: Star Rail was very clean, without all that random junk.
So the daemons charged, one after another, throwing themselves at Zhou Ye in a frenzy.
On the other side of the battlefield, the Tzeentchian daemons felt the pressure lessen. They only had nine Lords of Change, while there were over twenty Bloodthirsters here. Their strongest champion, Ahriman, had disappeared somewhere. With someone else drawing the enemy's attention, they had a much easier time. Their orders were a bit strange, and although they were puzzled, they chose to obey. Playing mind games and schemes with their colleagues was one thing, but a mission from the Lord of Change had to be carried out.
The next moment, the endless red tide crashed into Zhou Ye and his Honor Guard.
It was like cutting a cake. The red tide was cleaved right down the middle. Zhou Ye, leading his three-thousand-strong Honor Guard, strode forward, pushing against the roiling daemon tide. His target was none other than the Bloodthirsters.
Of course, he wasn't using his authorities. Look at the Battle of the Lion's Gate. The macro-cannons on the walls of the Imperial Palace on Terra had been firing until their barrels glowed, and even that hadn't stopped the Khornate legions. The attacks from those terrifying weapons had merely created ripples in the Khornate tide. Whether it was Imaginary energy or psychic power, using them to blast these Khornate minions was an inefficient use of resources. While Zhou Ye's energy reserves were more plentiful than before, they were not yet at a point where he could use them indefinitely, especially in a situation like this.
So…
ROAR!!!
With another strike, he bisected several Bloodletters and devoured their essence, preventing their resurrection. Eightfold wrath descended from the heavens. Zhou Ye saw eight red dots appear in the sky.
Then… BOOM!!!
A massive impact shook the ground. Eight figures landed, their impact alone creating a huge shockwave. The force was so great that many members of Zhou Ye's Honor Guard were sent flying. But his four personal guards stood firm, unmoved.
"Eight Bloodthirsters. Excellent."
Zhou Ye looked at the eight massive figures before him, undaunted. The golden sword in his hand began to burn with intense flames. Greater Daemons of Khorne were not common. They were all high-quality ingredients. To kill them outright would be too much of a waste. He would play with them for a while. Besides, the Warp rift hadn't been closed yet. Before that, he didn't need to rush to use his full strength.
CLANG!!!
In the next moment, Zhou Ye strode forward, charging toward the eight Bloodthirsters, and his Honor Guard quickly regrouped.
Through a special link, Zhou Ye issued a command directly into the minds of his four guards. They were not to participate in this fight. Instead, they were to intercept the endless tide of Khornate daemons and prevent them from disturbing the main engagement. At the same time, they were to act as Zhou Ye's eyes and observe the situation at the palace.
After their initial frenzy, the Khornate legions had quickly come to their senses. They did not throw their full force at the Tzeentchian daemons, but instead split off half their army and charged toward Zhou Ye's palace. This wasn't the Imperial Palace on Terra; there was no ten-thousand-year-old dried meat sitting on a throne here. But they knew that such a heavily fortified location must contain something important.
Just as they came to their senses, however, the Iron Warriors and Imperial Fists, leading a large number of auxiliary troops, had already established a solid defensive wall using the palace ramparts and the trenches in front, meeting the Khornate charge head-on.
Zhou Ye's mission was also clear: hold back the most elite enemy units. Soon, they clashed with the roiling daemon tide. After countless simulations in the Abyss, they were all able to coordinate flawlessly. The massive daemon tide was like a wave crashing against a reinforced concrete wall; it was stopped in its tracks.
This allowed Zhou Ye to focus on devouring these eight Bloodthirsters without worry. As for the others, someone else would keep them busy. For instance, Living Saint Celestine was now directly engaging a Bloodthirster, the two of them fighting from the heavens to the earth and back again.