Along the way, Anna coordinated with Alexei's Protoss forces to eliminate the demons blocking their path, successfully destroying two more Warp rifts.
Under the protection of the Protoss army, the remaining human forces suffered few casualties. They continuously scavenged ammunition and weapons from the surrounding ruins. Alexei, meanwhile, was intentionally managing the size of his Protoss force. He kept their numbers at a level where Soul Shards would accumulate steadily without putting too much strain on his resources; he was preparing a massive surprise for his dear Planetary Governor.
The silhouette of the Protoss Hero unit at the bottom of his interface made the corners of Alexei's mouth curl upward.
Having selected his target for summoning, he rushed toward the final Warp rift. The pressure on the Lower Hive should be largely gone by now, and a sudden idea struck him. Alexei decided to "wrap a dumpling"—he was going to farm Soul Shards for a while.
Under his command, the Protoss army halted near the Warp rift just below the Spire. Countless demons began throwing themselves at their line. To the demons' confusion, their opponents seemed to stand rooted in place, merely killing any demon that attacked them without pushing forward.
Anna stood beside Alexei, looking at the smiling man with an uncomprehending gaze. "Why aren't they... why aren't they attacking?"
"No rush. Let them farm for a bit," Alexei replied flatly.
Farm? What does that mean? Anna still didn't understand, but since these golden warriors weren't advancing, they couldn't possibly defeat the Warp demons on their own.
Seeing this, Anna could only wait in anxious anticipation. The man beside her even told them specifically not to waste ammunition—everything was to be handled by his warriors. Protoss warriors continuously dissolved and were warped back in from pillars of white light. Psionic Storms from the Templars relentlessly shredded the demonic advance.
For the first time, the Tzeentchian demons felt pressured by numerical strength. Was the enemy like them? Why did their numbers remain constant no matter how many were killed?
Finally, the values on the interface reached Alexei's expectations. He immediately ordered the Protoss to launch the final assault. In an instant, Zealots surged forward with incredible speed, and new Archons manifested on the battlefield once more.
With the appearance of several Psionic Singularities, the entire Upper Hive fell into an eerie silence. Everything had temporarily ended, save for...
Alexei looked up at the Spire piercing the clouds, from which the endless roars of Warp demons still echoed. Suddenly, he felt something. His gaze pierced through the thick cloud layer toward a specific spot on the Spire. Someone seemed to be staring back at him.
"I'm coming for you..." Alexei murmured.
On the palace plaza, the twisted form of Hordem Isaac stared down through the clouds at the accursed desecrators. They had ruined his Master's grand plan. "Damn it! Damn it! Why?! Why did it turn out like this?!"
Isaac's crazed voice rang throughout the Spire Palace. He couldn't fathom where these damned golden aliens and powerful war machines had come from. He had expected his Master's legions to crush everything on this planet like dead wood, but now, every plan lay in ruins. These wicked aliens had driven back his Master's army with overwhelming dominance, a realization that even caused a flicker of doubt in his faith.
Isaac turned without hesitation and walked into the shadows. He still had a chance... a way...
The entire Spire could essentially be called the Hordem family's private domain. Alexei and his group arrived at the entrance to the palace. Looking up at the magnificent and opulent structure, he couldn't help but sneer. Despite possessing nearly all the wealth of this world, these greedy nobles had still chosen to betray the Imperium.
Stopping no longer, he ordered the Immortals to blast open the reinforced steel gates. From the deep darkness within, countless demons instantly surged out. Without needing an order, the Protoss and the PDF began attacking this final demonic holdout.
They ascended slowly via the winding, broad staircase. It wasn't that Alexei didn't want to use the elevator, but looking at the vertical shafts leading into unknown depths, he decided caution was the better part of valor.
The environment was incredibly dark. Despite being at the Spire where sunlight should be most abundant, there wasn't a flicker of light now. The group could only navigate by the shimmering psionic glow of the Protoss warriors. In the darkness, endless Tzeentchian horrors ambushed them, and dazzling psionic bolts flashed, but all resistance was futile.
The powerful Protoss army tore through every obstacle. Just as they were about to reach the palace plaza, the final destination of this journey, Alexei suddenly ordered everyone to halt. In his sharp perception, an extremely powerful presence had suddenly appeared in the shadows nearby.
The sheer magnitude of that psionic energy was something even he could sense—it was far beyond anything a typical Greater Demon of Tzeentch could match.
After a brief silence, a piercing shriek erupted. Tzeentchian demons in far greater numbers than before surged from the shadows, and the group plunged back into fierce combat.
"Something's wrong..." Alexei thought, frowning as he cut down the surrounding demons. "How can there be this many?!"
There should have been only one altar left... the demonic numbers were completely off. Furthermore, the dagger in his pocket was burning hot, and the demons were throwing themselves at his position with suicidal desperation.
As Alexei stood in shock and suspicion, eerie blue flames ignited one by one in the air around them. The dim blue light fully revealed the surrounding environment to everyone.
This wasn't the palace plaza at all. Without realizing it, they had entered a massive library. As far as the eye could see, there were gargantuan bookshelves packed with countless volumes. It seemed that every truth in the world was recorded here.
Alexei's pupils trembled. At the end of this library, he saw a colossal statue. Its form shifted continuously before finally settling into a shape he knew all too well.
A Greater Demon of Tzeentch with two bird heads and massive wings—the Lord of Change, Kairos Fateweaver.
"It's a trap!" Alexei instantly realized. They might no longer be in the material universe, but had somehow entered a Warp rift without knowing when.
Endless psionic attacks shot out from the shadows. The number of Protoss units was dwindling; even with reinforcements, they couldn't keep up with the rate of dissolution. Even the Psionic Storms unleashed by the Templars were diminished in range and intensity under the suppression of the Warp.
Some of the PDF soldiers couldn't resist the whispers of the Warp and suddenly transformed into Chaos Spawn, attacking their allies. In an instant, absolute chaos descended.
Yet, the true despair was far from over. A piercing, terrifying laugh rang out. To Alexei's shock and the group's despair, the statue slowly began to move. The stone skin of the statue turned into blue feathers, and its wings beat the air. One hand held a book, the other a staff that shimmered with an eerie light.
"I have finally found you, Unpredictable One... By my Master's command, I shall take your soul!" said Kairos's left head.
"I cannot see your fate, but I see your failure! Submit to the Great Lord of Change, mortal!" shrieked Kairos's right head.