After accepting the mission, Datch looked around. Scattered across the ground were numerous Star Speakers groaning in agony.
He took out Golden Hammer from his game inventory. First, he walked over to the fallen Star Tongue Master, Neoma, and gently tapped her shoulder with the golden hammer.
Clang…
A clear, resonant sound like a church bell rang through the air. In an instant, a brilliant yet gentle golden halo spread outward from the point of impact like ripples on water. It swiftly enveloped Neoma and the injured Star Speakers around her.
Under the golden light, the tattered robes of the Star Speakers repaired themselves automatically. Color returned to their pale cheeks. Deep, bone-exposing wounds and corrosive injuries on their bodies closed rapidly as if stitched by invisible expert hands. Muscles twitched and skin regenerated. In moments, they were fully healed, leaving only faint pink scars.
After treating the Star Speakers, Datch received experience points and credits.
"Praise be to the Nameless Lord," Neoma said as she stood first. Her eyes, once clouded by pain, regained their spiritual glow. Her voice was weak but filled with piety and gratitude for surviving the catastrophe. The other prominent speakers bowed their heads and whispered similar words of praise.
Datch ignored the NPCs and walked toward Titus. The intense fighting had left deep claw marks and acid dents on his shoulder and chest armor. A faint whining came from the joints, indicating the servo systems were overloaded.
Datch raised the golden hammer and struck Titus's pauldron, which bore the emblem of the Extreme Warband.
Once again, the clear ringing sounded. Golden light seeped through the gaps in Titus's power armor and flowed into his body. Titus felt a warm current he had never experienced before envelop his entire being. His eyes snapped open. The energy reached all the way to the genetic level—something even tech-priests could not achieve.
An unprecedented, incomparable power surged through him like a tide, making him stronger and purer than ever. He unconsciously clenched his fist. The servo motors in his knuckles produced a pleasant hum, and the power armor fitted better and responded faster.
Titus had never felt better. His whole body overflowed with vitality and strength he had never known. Honestly, he wanted to rush outside right now and roar at the swarm: "Come on, tyrant!"
"I'll take on ten of you alone!"
After the healing, Datch did not linger. He boarded the Changeling and left the Star Language Relay Station. He rushed to the outer positions to support the soldiers defending against the incoming Tyranid hordes.
At that moment, a calm but urgent voice came through the vox in Titus's helmet.
"Lieutenant Titus, we have detected Chaos forces infiltrating the system and transmitting warp signals. Return to the battle barge immediately."
"The flight path is set. We must reach Demerium as quickly as possible."
"Aurora Project is located there, and the enemy is trying to seize it."
"Understood. Evacuating immediately," Titus replied.
He requested a Thunderhawk gunship, turned, and strode toward the gate. As he passed Gadriel, he stopped and looked at him.
"Gadriel, I understand your concerns and actions."
"But I hope your doubts end here. As you saw yourself, I have the Nameless One's approval."
"In today's Imperium, the words of the Nameless are the Emperor's will. Doubting me is equivalent to doubting the Nameless and the Emperor."
Back on the battlefield, Titus immediately checked information on the Nameless One. The Ecclesiarchy regarded the Nameless as miracle-bearers hidden among humanity. Primarch Guilliman was turning Macragge into a sanctuary world for the Nameless… Terra was the Emperor's sanctuary world, Macragge would become the Nameless' sanctuary world and the new galactic center.
Honestly, my real father is quite the ambitious one! They were already planning to replace Terra with Macragge.
"I'm sorry, my lord," Gadriel said, voice thick with guilt.
Just moments ago, he had been tempted by a Chaos betrayer and nearly killed his superior. Such a crime was unforgivable. If the investigation proved Titus had not betrayed them, he would still face scrutiny and a high chance of execution for treason. For a loyal warrior, that would be the cruelest death imaginable.
"This must never happen again."
Titus gave his final piece of advice, turned, and left. His cape fluttered behind him.
Cairon and Gadriel exchanged glances and quickly followed.
The moment Datch stepped outside, the Thunderhawk he had summoned appeared and landed in the open area. Titus tried to summon the Nameless to accompany him on the journey to Demerium, but there was no response. Realizing the Nameless would not heed his call, he had no choice but to board the ship and depart alone.
After takeoff, the Thunderhawk flew over the hive city devastated by Tyranid bioforms. Titus and his men looked out the observation ports and were stunned by the sight.
The Nameless One remained on the ground like a tireless battlefield sorcerer. He swung his golden hammer, striking twisted cannon barrels, shattered armor plates, and the wreckage of Leman Russ tanks. Golden light flashed, and the burnt-out wreckage came back to life. Bent barrels straightened, tattered armor plates repaired themselves, and engines roared back to life.
They unleashed the Emperor's wrath upon the insect swarms.
He also took out a magical pickaxe and smashed old buildings into pieces. Reinforced concrete and PVC structures, partially collapsed, turned into neatly formed cubes after several strikes and floated into the air. Sometimes the Nameless workers used the pickaxe to dig perfectly straight-edged trenches dozens of meters deep, as if cut by a knife. The earth also turned into cubes and floated upward. When the Nameless One ran off, the cubes seemed drawn by some mysterious force, flying after him and eventually disappearing into a special space.
These materials were not wasted—they were used elsewhere to build grand high walls or fill defensive gaps.
This miraculous terrain change drastically reduced the numerical advantage of the insect hordes. The few that broke through were torn apart by the defenders' crossfire.
Just as Titus's gunship was about to leave the atmosphere… space on the ground warped.
A legion of cursed warriors, wreathed in flames, marched onto the battlefield in perfect formation. They remained silent as they surrounded the Nameless One. With exploding guns and swords, they unleashed lethal firepower and slashes on the insect swarms.
Another thing that shocked Titus and his men was that this heroic legion, which had never obeyed Imperial command, now answered the call of the Nameless. Following the enemy's orders, they rushed to the most critical points of the defensive line and used their immortal bodies to plug gaps in the battle line.
"With him here, victory is almost guaranteed," Cairon said.
"It's a shame he couldn't come with us to Demerium," Gadriel said regretfully. With the Nameless' help, the mission would have been far easier.
"He will appear when he is most needed," Titus said in a low voice, looking away. "But before that, we must prove we are worthy of his support."
"The Nameless only extend their hand to souls that fight with all their might and never give up."
"If all you know is to wait for salvation from the beginning, all you will receive is his silence and indifference."
"Understood," Cairon and Gadriel replied in unison, their voices firm.
…
On the distant planet Demerium, deep underground in a secret chamber filled with twisted sorcerous runes and flickering crystal orbs, the Thousand Sons sorcerer Imura—the mastermind behind a series of galactic conspiracies—was conversing with a constantly shifting illusory image of the Daemon King.
This plan had been prepared for decades. It was insidious, meticulous, and now reaching its final stage. Once Lutz of the Mechanicus completed the Aurora Project, they would intervene and completely overturn the opponent's achievements. Using the properties of the blackstone obelisks, they would open a massive rift in this sector leading to the domain of the Lord of Change.
"At that time, all possibilities and impossibilities will follow the grand design of the Lord of Change."
The voice of the Lord of Metamorphosis sounded like countless people whispering at once, filled with a bewitching power that drove people to madness. Imura was equally excited, eager to offer sacrifices to the God of Change.
Meanwhile, another diviner, Xian Guang, stared anxiously at the crystal sand tray in his hands. The celestial orbits depicted on it were in complete chaos, constantly collapsing and reforming, foretelling extreme turmoil and misfortune.
"Master, perhaps we should stop here," the wizard said, voice trembling with fear. "The appearance of the Nameless One has tangled the threads of fate, making the future difficult to predict."
"If he gets involved, our entire plan may fail and produce unforeseen consequences."
"Enough." Imura suddenly turned around. His robe fluttered without wind. The candlelight in the secret chamber instantly turned an eerie blue, filling the room with a chilling, ominous atmosphere.
"Victory is certain. Once the breach is opened, our lord's legions will be endless."
"Are you doubting my sorcery, or the grand plan of mighty Tzeentch?!"
"But that Nameless One, that foolish lord—no one can predict what he will do!" the diviner tried to warn.
However, seeing the crackling warp lightning gathering in Imura's hand… he immediately lowered his head in a humble gesture and swallowed the rest of his words. He was terrified he might turn into a decorative crystal statue in the next instant.
…
In the strategium of the battle barge Resilient Heart in orbit, Acheran, commander of the Ultramarines 2nd Company, was currently in charge.
Upon returning, Titus and his men immediately reported in, giving a detailed account of the situation on Avalax.
"The Nameless One appeared and drove away the traitors?" Acheran's tone was somewhat animated. During the Macragge defense and the Plague Wars on Ultramar, he had been privileged to witness firsthand how that Nameless man secured victory for the Imperium. As long as the other side existed, this war could not be lost.
"Then we must give our all in the coming battle on Demerium."
"Remember: only by fighting with every ounce of our strength can we earn the help of the Nameless."
Acheran clenched his fist, raised his arm, and shouted.
"For the Emperor!"
"For His Majesty the Emperor!"
Inside the strategium, every Ultramarine stood at rigid attention. They slammed their right fists against their chestplates, producing a unified roar that echoed between the steel walls.
The fleet set sail for Demerium.
During the voyage, the fleet chaplain Langos delivered sermons across the entire fleet. His loud, powerful voice echoed through corridors and quarters. He declared the Emperor's eternal guidance and spoke of the miracles of the Nameless as extensions of the Emperor's will. It urged the soldiers to fight to the last moment not only for the Emperor but also for the Nameless.
The directive to intensify religious preaching toward the Nameless had come from Primarch Roboute Guilliman himself.
The New Covenant was said to be a fusion of the Imperium's truthful spirit and the forms of the state religion. Compiled by the Primarch and many high-ranking theologians, this new pact might lead the Imperium onto a new path where faith and reason coexist, and the sacred and the technological remain in balance.
...…
After the fleet pierced Demerium's orbit like a sharp sword, Captain Acheran ordered the entire 2nd Company to attack. Titus's squad was also deployed, carrying out their mission like a precise scalpel. They penetrated the hive zones on the planet's surface—ravaged and defiled by Chaos cults, littered with blasphemous symbols—slaughtering roaring mutant cultists and cutting down elite warriors in rigid but powerful armor.
They finally broke into a hidden research base deep underground, filled with traces of mechanical gears and cold pipelines. The base was also an ancient necromantic holy site, though its undead symbols and structures had been abandoned.
Deep within the ruins, Lutz was working frantically. Numerous heavy analyzers surrounded a floating, rotating fragment of a sacred relic emitting an ethereal green light.
Lutz was extremely excited by Titus's arrival.
"Lieutenant Titus, glory to the Omnissiah! The Aurora device's resonance frequency has reached 99.7%. Soon we will unravel the ultimate mystery of this ancient creation!"
"Lutz, cease the Aurora Project immediately," Titus stepped forward, bolt pistol already raised. The muzzle was pointed at Lutz, his voice stern with no room for negotiation.
"No, my lord, you don't understand! The potential of this project is beyond imagination."
"It will be the ultimate weapon to purify the galaxy and destroy Chaos!"
Lutz's mechanical eyes glowed with fanatical red light. "If successful, we can close the Great Rift and restore peace to the galaxy."
"Stop it. That's an order—while there's still time!" Titus's finger was on the trigger. "Don't push me."
"This is my pursuit of knowledge, the lifelong dream of my master and me! I refuse!" Lutz shook his head, unwilling to accept Titus's proposal.
Titus pulled the trigger. The bolt round flew, but mere meters from Lutz it struck a suddenly appearing spherical green energy barrier. The round exploded in a fireball, but the barrier only rippled slightly. Lutz had already prepared multiple security measures to ensure his research would not be interrupted.
"Disrupt the power supply system," Titus ordered his squad as he turned.
At that moment, a low, malicious laugh came from the darkness.
Thousand Sons sorcerer Imura appeared in the air like a ghost. He waved his staff, opening a portal. A group of Red Corsair warriors and massive hellish beasts emerged from the light-filled cave. Without a word, fierce combat erupted.
Seeing Titus's group pinned down, Imura immediately fired a twisted warp flame from his staff toward Lutz's barrier. The flames burned and eroded the barrier fiercely but could not break through.
"Haha, you shameless traitor! Your evil magic means nothing before my wisdom."
Seeing this, Lutz's confidence soared. Without hesitation, he entered the final execution code into the console.
Buzz…
The relic fragment suspended above the analyzers spun rapidly, emitting a strange vibration. Immediately afterward, bizarre changes occurred across the entire planet.
Magnificent obelisks rose from the ground, floated into the air, and emitted green light. In an instant, an invisible, spine-chilling wave spread across the world. Imura and his chaotic creations screamed in pain. Their forms flickered violently like a bad signal and were instantly banished and erased by the powerful suppression field.
"I did it! I did it! Hahaha, warp suppression successful!!" Lutz's voice overflowed with excitement.
Titus and his men looked around in astonishment. Indeed, the Chaos traitors were nowhere to be seen.
"See, Lieutenant Titus? Once the Aurora device activates properly, the heretics will be expelled," Lutz said proudly.
Titus looked puzzled. Could it really be that simple?
"This is only the beginning." Lutz walked to the analyzer and reached for the small obelisk-like relic fragment. "By slightly adjusting its orientation, we can obtain even greater power."
When Lutz flipped the relic fragment, the obelisks floating across the planet also inverted. The Blackstone Obelisk Matrix, meant to suppress the warp, completely reversed its effect and began amplifying it instead.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
Imura's laughter rang out again. "Lutz, Lutz, you truly are a genius."
"The decades I spent on you were not wasted. Thank you for everything you have done."
This conspiracy had been plotted long ago. Imura had been scheming against Lutz for a long time, feeding him false information so he would never truly understand the relic's properties and uses—precisely for this day. To ensure the plan ran smoothly, he had assassinated the great sage Nozick and placed Lutz in command of the Aurora Project.
"Haha, it's done! Finally successful. Decades of planning have borne fruit."
Unable to contain his laughter, Imura reappeared. Immediately afterward, an extremely terrifying warp energy erupted, forming a shockwave that engulfed the entire planet.
Demerium's sky, land, and seas were suddenly torn apart by countless rifts glowing with magnificent yet horrifying colors.
Screeching pink daemons, tentacled Tzeentch vanguard, massive flame daemons, and even more terrifying daemon engines… These monsters poured out of the rifts like polluted torrents from a broken dam, devouring everything in their path.
The planet was rapidly transforming into a daemonic world.
Realizing he had been deceived, Lutz rushed to the control panel to issue emergency commands to shut down the Aurora Project. Imura smiled, staff raised, preparing to deliver the finishing blow with sorcery.
Why would he let others close the rift they had worked so hard to open?!
At that moment, a green portal of light appeared. A three-armed shapeshifting creature rolled out of the light cave in a comical, exaggerated manner. It casually scattered glowing ribbons and ropes everywhere. These ribbons instantly turned into physical restraints, tightly binding Lutz and his mechanical tentacles, rendering him immobile.
Immediately afterward, Datch—wearing the skin of a cursed legionnaire—emerged from the light cave.
"I am very disappointed by the Mechanicus' inefficiency. It took this long just to open a passage."
Imura looked confused upon hearing those words. Shouldn't this man be uneasy? Lutz's Aurora Project had opened the door to the Lord of Change's domain. Why was he complaining that Lutz was too slow? Could it be that this man also wanted Lutz to open the path to the King of Change's domain and had been watching from the sidelines all along?!
Imura suddenly had an ominous premonition—he felt as if he had been deceived by the Nameless One.
Datch completely ignored NPCs like Imura and Titus, and was indifferent to the apocalyptic scene unfolding outside. He took out a summoning card for Doom from his game inventory.
The card's material was unique, depicting a muscular, violent warrior in a distinctive green helmet with rough outlines. "Come forth, humanity's exorcist hero, the man who destroys Hell."
Datch tossed the card into the air and issued the summoning command.
The card transformed into countless streaks of light like a meteor shower. Amid ear-piercing hallucinatory sound effects mixing heavy metal electric guitar roars and daemonic screams, the brilliant streaks converged into a single point, forming a massive, majestic figure. It materialized from abstract concept with a thunderous roar.
He wore his trademark green armor, covered in mottled battle scars and thick red daemon bloodstains that never seemed to dry. His helmet's visor emitted a ferocious crimson glow. In his hands was a heavy large-bore shotgun engraved with runes—a weapon made purely for slaughter. Just standing there, he radiated overwhelming dread.
Doom had come to the Warhammer world.
Imura instinctively took half a step back. He felt genuine terror toward this being—an irrational emotion that shocked and enraged him at the same time.
Datch pointed at the Great Rift and said to the Doom Slayer:
"For humanity—slaughter to your heart's content."
After speaking, Datch turned to Titus and the others.
"Hold this device firmly and do not let the enemy destroy the warp rifts."
Imura and Titus were equally shocked by these words.
Protect the device and prevent the enemy from destroying the warp rifts?!
The daemons would keep pouring into realspace through those rifts!
The next moment, they understood.
Doom Slayer, fire! The repeatedly modified being of destruction who had absorbed the power of countless daemons pulled the trigger of his large-bore shotgun. One shot completely erased the daemons before him. Even resurrection within the warp was impossible. Their very warp essence was destroyed and converted into the purest warp energy, eliminating any possibility of return. The fallen daemons' lingering echoes then gathered on him, forming new ammunition and making his aura even more terrifying.
Imura's eyes widened. "How is this possible?!"
Deep within the Crystal Labyrinth, the Lord of Change and countless others watched in shock.
Another cursed one?!
Seeing the other side advancing behind the Nameless One, slaughtering toward the warp rifts and clearly intending to enter the Realm of Change, Tzeentch immediately panicked. The Nameless One alone was troublesome enough—now there was a being capable of destroying daemonic essence itself. The Crystal Labyrinth would be shattered!!
Damn it, both of you—don't come any closer!
…
…
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