Chapter 468: Demonic Flames Burning the Heavens
Nine demon containers, meticulously arranged by the psyker grandmaster, were placed within a psychic array, occupying nine critical nodes.
Driven by Tzeentchian sorcery, a Lord of Change was set to manifest from the Immaterium, unleashing unprecedented and formidable power.
With these preparations complete, readiness protocols began inside the Blackstone Fortress. They waited for the Rangdan fleet to enter the warp before delivering a thunderous strike.
In the material universe, the Arrogant Overlord had stabilized the situation in the Marchias system and now turned its gaze toward the Immaterium.
Star-gazer slaves reported that the human fortress-ship was hovering in the warp, arrayed in a posture for a decisive battle.
The Arrogant Overlord took this seriously, for the adversary was a Primarch.
It had previously observed Moribath Solas and caught a glimpse of the formidable power that a human Primarch possessed.
Yet, it remained fundamentally perplexed: what did humanity truly rely on?
Through countless simulated calculations, the human fleet was at an absolute disadvantage and could not possibly withstand the expeditionary fleet. That single fortress could be destroyed in a mere few salvos.
The star-gazer peered back into the warp. Following the passage of a warp storm, visibility was clear, and there was no trace of an approaching human reinforcement fleet.
"Exalted Overlord, the human fortress is broadcasting light signals."
A slave stepped forward to report. Light and shadow projected from the massive eyes of the star-gazer, displaying the flashing light signals of the Blackstone Fortress.
"Hmph!" A muffled snort echoed, the shockwave knocking the star-gazer off its feet as the Rangdan Overlord's fury began to mount.
The light signal was simple: Cowards, I leave in three hours.
It was an insult, a challenge, and an explicit declaration.
"Continue scanning the warp. Search for any hidden human forces." Though angered, the Arrogant Overlord did not lose its composure and commanded the star-gazer slaves to keep observing the Immaterium.
Simultaneously, it made its decision, ordering the expeditionary fleet to engage the human forces: "Fleet, prepare to enter the warp and attack the human fleet."
If the expeditionary force backed down now, why should the Rangdan Empire even plot for galactic dominance? They might as well surrender directly to the Imperium of Man.
Humanity gambled on the void with courage, and the Rangdan did not lack that same resolve!
Upon the Overlord's command, the fleet instantly entered combat readiness. The glow of plasma engines shifted like a sea of stars, waiting only for the order to plunge into the warp and engage the humans.
"Exalted Overlord, there is no sign of the human fleet in the warp."
Two hours later, the star-gazer reported once more: "The warp is calm with no places to hide. It is confirmed that there are no human ambushes."
With a light wave of its tentacle, the Arrogant Overlord dismissed the slave, focusing its mind to continue calculating based on the available data.
Having ruled out external risks like ambushes or reinforcements, why did the human Primarch possess such confidence to fight?
The Overlord consistently felt that something was amiss. At its current evolutionary stage, its premonition of danger was highly sensitive; it could feel a threat looming.
But where was the danger coming from?
The principle behind the planet-killing weapon had already been deduced—expelling electromagnetic force to trigger a cascade of catastrophic consequences.
Such weapons were easy to defend against. Psychic power could penetrate dimensions, neutralizing torpedoes before they detonated. Furthermore, detonating an anti-electromagnetic bomb at close range during a fleet engagement was nothing short of suicide.
Eliminating all other variables, the Rangdan Overlord cast its gaze into the warp. As one of the highest-ranking individuals in the Rangdan Empire, it commanded no shortage of psychic slave races and naturally understood the secrets of the Immaterium.
In fact, this active assault on humanity was guided by a great power within the warp—a pincer attack from both the material realm and the Immaterium.
Unfortunately, the warp forces had ultimately been repelled, causing the perfect plan to fall apart at the final step and forcing the Rangdan Empire to launch their attack on humanity ahead of schedule.
Connecting this to the fact that the human fortress had arrived alongside a warp storm, a sudden realization dawned upon it.
The humans held a relic capable of controlling the power of the warp!
"So that's how it is." The Arrogant Overlord's psychic ripples filled with disdain. Its massive head shifted, projecting an aura of contempt: "Do they truly believe a few petty baubles can alter the course of this war?"
"Fleet, heed my command: activate psychic shields and advance into the warp!"
At the supreme authority's order, psychic slaves were shoved into extraction devices, generating psychic shields across the vessels.
Warp engines tore through the veil of reality, and the fleet sailed into the Immaterium to answer the human challenge!
The anticipated assault did not materialize. The human fortress-ship remained stationary in the distance, watching the fleet enter the warp without unleashing any preemptive suppressive fire.
The distance between the two forces was vast, yet it felt strangely close. Within the warp, distance and time ebbed and flowed amidst treacherous currents.
Yet the warp remained quiet. The Blackstone Fortress rotated as the fleet systematically entered the Immaterium.
Space currents drifted slowly. Neither humanity nor the Rangdan broke the silence to open fire.
In the command hall of the Blackstone Fortress, artificial intelligences tallied and reported the enemy ship count one after another. The Slayer sat firmly upon his command throne, waiting for the big fish to enter the net.
On the bridge of the expeditionary flagship, the Arrogant Overlord was equally tense. The humans had not attacked the fleet, a behavior bizarre to the extreme.
Something was deeply wrong!
With this thought, its mental ripples reached out to inquire below once more: "Has anything been discovered in the warp?"
"No anomalies detected," the star-gazer slave replied via psychic resonance, its eyes reflecting the warp as it loyally observed every corner.
"Continue observing—" Hearing the slave's reply, the Arrogant Overlord did not relax; instead, the sense of unease in its heart grew stronger.
The source of this impending dread was precisely that human fortress-class ship!
It could wait no longer!
The intense sense of crisis felt like a blade against its back. The Rangdan Overlord felt as though a star of doom hung overhead. Under the strain of rapid calculations, its brain fluids secreted rapidly.
Driven by this frantic urge of survival, the Rangdan Overlord immediately released its psychic energy, condensing it into a protective shroud that enveloped the flagship.
"Release the demon bombs!" Inside the Blackstone hall, the majestic voice of the Primarch echoed.
The psyker grandmaster chanted incantations, and the array flared brilliantly. Nine hollow voids manifested on the floor, swallowing the demon containers.
In the warp, without the suppression of physical laws, the potency of psychic energy amplified to a terrifying degree.
Protected by Doom marine escorts, the psyker grandmaster could cast sorcery at will without fearing a demonic backlash.
"Executing orders faithfully!" The Lord of Change pledged its loyalty with absolute conviction, the smirk on its face impossible to suppress.
They were finally free.
Above the Rangdan fleet, nine voids abruptly opened. The demon containers plummeted from above, landing dead center within the massive cluster of warships.
At that exact moment, within the psychic perception of the Rangdan fleet, the sense of crisis screamed in sheer panic!
"Retreat—" The Arrogant Overlord wished to withdraw, but its consciousness suddenly stalled as it witnessed a horrific sight.
Warp disruptions exploded. Blue flames spread alongside ecstatic, grotesque laughter, instantly igniting the sea of souls.
An incomprehensible entity had launched an attack, utilizing methods that defied all reason!
The essence of nine Lords of Change was detonated, their material substance transforming into Tzeentchian warpfire that set the entire sea of souls ablaze.
Their wills achieved freedom at the instant of detonation. Unleashing piercing shrieks, they fled into the depths of the warp, unwilling to tarry for even a single moment.
Tzeentchian warpfire—a cerulean flame tainted with the essence of the Chaos God—spread without limit throughout the Immaterium. The temperature of the flame was not high, yet it was impossible to withstand, incinerating the very concept of matter itself.
The demonic fire acting upon the warp was akin to a spark falling into an oil depot. Endless warp energy served as kindling, burning violently.
Psychic shields melted instantly. Flames fell like meteors, crashing onto warship decks and seeping through atomic crevices to corrode the interiors of the vessels.
Lamentations echoed down iron corridors. The Tzeentchian warpfire ignited upon contact, incinerating biological souls and reducing physical forms to cold, hollow husks.
Thick iron was no longer a barrier. Under the searing heat of supernatural warpfire, adamantium turned into bizarre sludge, and material existence gradually dissolved.
The grand power of Tzeentch did not stop there. Under the scorching glare of excessive warpfire, the cold hulls of the warships were ignited, and iron was granted intellect and life.
The living died, and the dead lived. The Chaos God's ability to invert reality was fully displayed at this moment.
Plasma engines throbbed violently, pumping malicious warp energy into the vessels. Decks became warped abysses that swallowed all life. The winds of magic swept past, and souls burned in agony.
The warships were endowed with malevolent souls. The outer hulls contorted into shades of blue, sprouting eyes that symbolized Tzeentchian wisdom. The broadsides split open, macro-cannons and lance batteries resembling freezing teeth, while elongated tongues wrapped around neighboring vessels.
As a long tongue lashed against its psychic barrier, the Arrogant Overlord froze, its brain functions sluggish as its psychic shield began to shudder.
It could not believe how an expeditionary fleet that had been invincible just seconds prior could turn into this twisted abomination.
In a matter of seconds, the psychic signatures of a vast number of Rangdan elites vanished, while those holding out died in agony. The slave armies fared even worse; nearly all connection to them was severed. The expeditionary fleet was virtually annihilated!
The warpfire burned hotter and brighter. Within the cerulean sea of fire, the sole survivor was the fleet flagship, protected by its psychic barrier.
It hovered silently in the warp, frozen like a stunned living being.
As the expeditionary fleet met its demise, only fits of mocking laughter echoed from the depths of the warp, deriding the ignorance of material creatures.
"Boarding action." Blazkowicz donned his helmet and stepped into the teleportation array, preparing to capture the Rangdan Overlord alive.