Beep, beep, beep, beep—
A series of sudden explosions left Yuki feeling somewhat irritated. After breaking through the sector held by the Destroyer Cult, they entered the even more troublesome Canoptek Zone.
Canoptek Scarabs and various other Canoptek constructs gave Yuki an immense headache. These constructs were not the result of bio-transference from the Necrontyr; they were pure mechanical creations. Consequently, the Necrons used them as expendable assets without the slightest hesitation.
A towering Canoptek Doomstalker acted as a stationary turret, incessantly raining strikes down upon Yuki's group. Its Doomsday Blaster was not the kind of weapon one could simply shrug off with biological armor.
However, there was a silver lining. The Blackstone Pylons of this particular dynasty weren't exceptionally strong. Their suppression effect on the Warp and psychic powers was far weaker than imagined. Then again, it was also possible that Tyranid psychic energy was simply unique.
The Norn Emissary and the Neurotyrant were physically linked. Beneath a surge of kaleidoscopic Tyranid psychic shockwaves, even the living metal in its path was melted away. One leg of the Doomstalker was blasted apart; the moment it lost its balance, the Norn Emissary pounced.
After dealing with the Doomstalker, Yuki sensed that the Necrons who had previously been targeting the Tyranids outside were returning to the tomb to stop him. Ultimately, they failed. Yuki arrived at a soaring spire. Beneath the spire, a Necron dressed in distinct finery, flanked by other elite units, looked down upon the arriving swarm from a superior height.
"Trespasser, you have intruded upon the domain of the Litar Dynasty. I, Overlord Stahl of the Litar Dynasty, shall grant you a slave's death in accordance with the laws of the Necrontyr."
An Overlord—it was hard to say for sure, but his strength didn't seem particularly formidable. Among Necron Overlords, there were the strong, like Trazyn the Infinite, and the weak... of which there were many.
Yuki observed carefully. Stahl was surrounded by Lychguards, Deathmarks, a Plasmancer, a multitude of Destroyer Cult members, and countless Necron Warriors. A standard, mid-tier display of force.
"The reanimation protocol for your dynasty is inside that tower behind you, isn't it?"
"It is no concern of yours, beast."
Yuki grew angry. Instantly, two Mawlocs lunged forward, knocking aside Skorpekh members who were too slow to dodge and slamming hard against the Lychguards' dispersion shields. Yuki then strode past the insignificant units. The Plasmancer reacted with extreme speed, his Plasmic Lance firing a bolt of lightning capable of vaporizing steel.
The attack was intercepted by a Hive Tyrant. The goal of the Norn Emissary controlled by Yuki was crystal clear: Overlord Stahl. However, just as he was about to reach his target, two Rods of Covenant fired simultaneously, while the remaining rods barred the way in front of the Overlord.
Yuki's attack was slowed. Seizing this brief opening, Overlord Stahl activated his Transdimensional Beamer and vanished from Yuki's sight, reappearing in the distance.
"That was dangerous, Overlord Stahl. I hope you cherish your physical form. Every reanimation carries the risk of losing one's sanity. If you fall into Destroyer madness, we will have no choice but to deal with your dynasty according to the Silent King's commands."
Triarch Praetorians equipped with jump packs—
Now some truly troublesome things have arrived.
Necron society had a clear hierarchy: Lord, Overlord, Phaeron, and the Silent King above all Phaerons. The Triarch Council, controlled by the Silent King, was the supreme governing body of the Necrons. The Triarch Praetorians were nominally the forces of the Council, but since the Council was under the Silent King's thumb, they had long since become his private guard. Moreover, since the return of the Silent King, the Triarch Praetorians had sworn fealty before the throne of Szarekh.
This meant the Silent King was already aware of this dynasty.
"Where is Szarekh, the Silent King, currently located?"
"The name of my Master is not for a filthy xenos like you to recite!"
A Triarch Praetorian swung his Rod of Covenant, only to be swatted away casually by Yuki.
"He's nothing more than a sinner of the Necron race. If he hadn't feared death and the loss of his own power, would you all have ended up like this?"
Yuki knew these words were biased, but right now the goal was to see who could make the other lose their composure first; facts weren't that important. Sure enough, hearing this, the Triarch Praetorians were incensed. It was Overlord Stahl who held them back. The other Necron units were already locked in combat with the Tyranid elites Yuki had brought.
First target: the Plasmancer!
These were Necron crypteks who mastered the most powerful energy technologies in the universe. They could release high-energy rays that evaporated metal and even souls. The sole purpose of their technology was the total annihilation of anything still considered alive.
"Die."
Yuki slammed the Plasmancer against a living metal wall and applied direct pressure. With a sickening crunch, the Plasmancer was completely shattered. Next, Yuki sprinted toward Stahl and the Triarch Praetorians. Their strength was formidable, but still a step below Yuki's. Only the Lychguards with their dispersion shields could barely withstand the impact of the Norn Emissary.
Stahl's original plan was to stop these sudden intruders here. In his millions of years of memory, there was absolutely no information on such an enemy, and he never expected a Norn Emissary to be so powerful. Consequently, the Triarch Praetorians—who had come to protect and subtly monitor Stahl—did not dare to be careless.
However, Yuki allowed himself a small smile.
"Goodbye."
In an instant, Yuki bypassed the "impenetrable" defense line and entered the interior of the spire directly.
"Damn it! He intends to destroy the reanimation protocol!" Stahl was horrified. He moved to protect the protocol but was blocked by the remaining Tyranid units. Now the positions were reversed; it was the Necrons' turn to try and break through a Tyranid defense. In close quarters, these melee-heavy Tyranids could directly interrupt the brief moment required to activate phase protocols. Furthermore, teleporting only a few units back would never be enough to stop Yuki.
Stahl could only hope that the spire's internal defense systems could prevent Yuki from sabotaging the reanimation protocol. Unfortunately, the internal systems failed to stop him. Yuki easily destroyed the equipment implementing the reanimation protocols, dealing with the Necron Warriors, Immortals, and Destroyers who came to stop him.
Damn, this Norn Emissary body feels amazing. No wonder it's a unit capable of killing a random Custodian. If only Yuki's own physical strength could be this high.
Beep, beep, beep.
A strange communication signal rang out. The Necrons who were supposed to be guarding this area had already been cleared out by Yuki. He activated the hologram. A massive throne appeared before Yuki, and upon that throne sat three figures.
Hapshatra of the Gilded Star spoke.
"The Noble Silent King inquires: who are you?"
Yuki was pleasantly surprised. He hadn't expected such an unexpected windfall.
"Silent King, it's been a long time."