Beep, beep, beep...
Just then, Zhou Ye's communicator chimed. He opened it to see a message from Mario.
"My Lord, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me..." Zhou Ye replied, his expression unreadable.
With a flash of light, he transformed back into his massive Astartes form. After all, he had just been planning to ambush and absorb this Rogue Trader Dynasty. Posing as an Astartes now would cause fewer problems.
After all, no one would believe a relatively fringe Rogue Trader Dynasty would attempt a boarding action against a Space Marine Chapter. Anyone with a functioning brain would know that was impossible.
"Act as if you don't know me. And change Aslot's livery to match your own Lamenters scheme."
"My Lord, does that mean..."
"When I tell you to paint it, you just paint it. This is merely part of the plan."
"..."
Mario stared at his communicator in confusion, scratching his head.
Something about that sentence felt a little off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
But considering it was an order from that Lord, he had the men get to work changing the millennia-old Dreadnought's paint scheme.
If it was what the Lord commanded, then they would see it done.
And then...
Vwooom.
With a ripple of light, the enormous Space Hulk fully emerged from the Warp.
Everyone present, including Zhou Ye, couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Before them was a space hulk of terrifying proportions, as vast as a small planet.
And as the Space Hulk cleared the portal, the Warp passage snapped shut.
It was clear that, with the Great Rift not yet fully formed, this Space Hulk had been forcibly thrown into realspace by some powerful entity, allowing the veil to repair itself.
This, however, made Zhou Ye abandon his idea of launching an Exterminatus order. This Space Hulk was simply too massive.
Its length exceeded tens of thousands of kilometers, putting it squarely in the asteroid-size category.
The moment he saw it, Zhou Ye knew that unless he used his full power, even his super vortex torpedo wouldn't be able to destroy it. And was this thing really worth expending that kind of energy?
Besides...
"This is a gigantic treasure trove. I wonder what's inside. Let's see... huh?"
Zhou Ye muttered to himself as he scanned the hulk.
But he was quickly stunned. What appeared on his screen was a battlefield. Greenskins and Purestrain Genestealers were clashing in a chaotic charge. Daemons of every hue slaughtered one another. He even caught sight of Necrons and fallen Chaos Space Marines.
Clearly, this Space Hulk hadn't been peaceful in the Warp, either. It had devolved into a massive, grand free-for-all.
"Prepare for a boarding action. The Inquisitor and his forces are on the other side of the hulk. They won't be able to reach us for now. If this thing isn't dealt with properly, this whole sector will go up in flames. Seriously, can't I just be left alone to level up in peace for a few years? Why is it always a grand free-for-all?"
The corner of Zhou Ye's mouth twitched as he stared at the immense vessel. Taking the lead, he teleported directly onto the scene.
Without a moment's hesitation, he leaped into the fray. He needed to get that Rogue Trader Warrant.
He would also try to separate as many of the fleet's ships as possible. That way, his plan would not have been for nothing.
Never mind the changes in the middle. The only question that mattered was: did you accomplish your goal?
As for the blood pact tied to that Rogue Trader Warrant, it most likely belonged to a Daemon Primarch.
This whole mess was clearly orchestrated by such an entity. Otherwise, Zhou Ye couldn't imagine who, besides a Primarch or a Chaos God themselves, could create something this massive before Abaddon's big success.
What he couldn't figure out was the entity's objective. But since the Warp rift had now closed, he didn't have to worry too much. That was the one thing he was truly wary of.
Although he was confident that if he did enter the Warp, as long as the Four Great Gods didn't personally intervene, no entity there could actually kill him.
So, Zhou Ye decided to proceed with his original plan and find that warrant.
After all the trouble he'd gone through, he couldn't just leave empty-handed.
Besides, this Space Hulk was bound to be filled with good stuff.
Blowing it up would be a real waste. So, leading his Terminator squad, he opted for a boarding action.
---o---
On the other side of the hulk, Chris snapped out of his stupor.
This Space Hulk was far too large. Who in the galaxy could have forcibly thrown something like this from the Warp into realspace?
"It seems that Rogue Trader family has turned traitor. They may have been transporting a Chaos artifact. Can you contact that other Chapter? Never mind, prepare... have the Dark Angels already boarded?"
Chris spoke, a note of speechlessness in his voice. The emergence of the hulk had completely cut the two groups of ships off from each other. With the dense Warp energy of the Space Hulk hanging between them, communication was impossible.
But just then, before they could even formulate a plan, the Dark Angels, as if seized by a sudden madness, launched their own boarding action, leaving everyone else standing there in stunned silence.
"Prepare to board. This hulk cannot be destroyed by any ordinary vortex torpedo. If we don't deal with it, the entire sector will be annihilated by whatever is on board."
Chris could only sigh helplessly. This wasn't an order; it was a statement of fact.
Though it was incredibly dangerous, they had no choice. They had to find the hulk's core and destroy it from within.
Otherwise, if the entire sector became corrupted, trillions of souls would be exposed to untold dangers.
"For the Emperor!!!" Chris declared slowly, then led the Victrix Guard veterans and his Storm Troopers toward the boarding torpedoes, plunging into the terrifying, super-sized free-for-all below.
The other Chapters did the same.
---o---
Swish!
With a sweep of his golden sword, Zhou Ye sliced a swathe of Purestrain Genestealers in half at the waist.
There were too many of them. If a horde this size appeared in realspace, it would undoubtedly attract a Tyranid Hive Fleet, and Zhou Ye had no interest in fighting those things right now.
Of course, if they really pushed him, he was more than capable of giving the bugs a big surprise.
This hulk had to be dealt with. Otherwise, it was a ticking time bomb for Zhou Ye.
He hadn't brought many forces with him this time. The Titan Legion had been left with Klein to handle his mining operations. He had already sent a message for Klein to bring the Titans over.
He also ordered the troops stationed on New Tillius to be brought over. This time, he was going to see what kind of good loot he could dig out of this place.
If he couldn't deal with it in the end, he would figure out a way to blow it to smithereens.
To be fair, this wasn't just a simple planet. This thing was much tougher than your average world. The energy required to destroy it would be immense, and he really didn't want to waste that much power.
So...
"Waaagh!!!"
With a deafening roar, a green tide of Orks appeared before Zhou Ye.
These Orks looked like any others, but their bodies bore numerous marks of Chaos.
Clearly, these were the rare Chaos Orks. Zhou Ye knew of one particular warband that enjoyed charging Khorne's fortress for fun.
He remembered that Khorne was actually quite fond of them. But right now, these Orks were clashing with a dense swarm of Purestrain Genestealers, sending flesh and gore flying everywhere.
They were blocking his path forward, which made him sigh.
The Warp energy here was too dense. He couldn't perform spatial jumps at will in such an environment.
He would have to fight his way through step by step. He had brought his entire force with him, and he even woke up the three Dreadnoughts he had on board.
The Space Hulk was so massive, he probably wouldn't run into those zealots anyway.
And even in the eyes of a zealot, his Dark Angels Dreadnought wouldn't be considered a Fallen Angel.
Still, considering the... unique style of that particular Chapter, Zhou Ye felt it was best to keep his distance.
"Charge through!!!"
Looking at the clashing Genestealers and Orks, Zhou Ye took the lead.
He brought his longsword down, and a blade of fire hundreds of meters long instantly cleared a massive area.
As Zhou Ye advanced step by step, he carved a path straight through the melee.
Neither the Greenskins nor the Purestrain Genestealers could survive the dense hail of gunfire. Zhou Ye's objective was clear.
The head of the Space Hulk. The Oliveira family's flagship was there.
While he was at it, he could also see if he could salvage any wrecked ships.
Soon...
"As expected, the work of Slaanesh. A pity about these nobles' private soldiers."
When Zhou Ye reached his destination, he discovered with some resignation that the entire area had been consumed by the power of Slaanesh. The soldiers had all been fused together into nameless monstrosities.
Even more disgustingly, the core steel cables of the warships had been transformed into twisted flesh.
The once-lifeless ships had been granted a grotesque form of life.
Now, every single thing in this area, down to the last blade of grass, was his enemy.
Zhou Ye led his men forward, step by step. But...
"You have finally arrived, my brother."
A whisper echoed in Zhou Ye's ear, causing him to pause.
He shouldn't have been detectable by the Warp. There was only one explanation for this.
This entity was already in the material world, and this voice was a special form of psychic communication.
"Boring tricks. Who are you... Slaanesh itself, or Fulgrim?"
Though he could hear it, Zhou Ye wasn't particularly concerned.
Frankly, with a single thought, he could use his Imaginary authority to neutralize it, preventing it from ever reaching his ears.
What did surprise him, however, was his own rotten luck.
He'd run into another Daemon Primarch. But while this Space Hulk was terrifying, in theory, it shouldn't have been enough to draw Fulgrim himself here.
"Ah, what do I see? My son, my dearest son. Your presence is so dazzling. Come, closer, closer to me. Return to my embrace."
But soon, the voice's target shifted from Zhou Ye to Ashira, who was standing beside him.
This newborn, the strongest of the Phoenix's sons, was always by his side.
But...
"Is something wrong, my Lord?" Ashira asked, looking at Zhou Ye with a blank expression, noticing his strange gaze.
Zhou Ye himself was immune to corruption, and to save energy, he rarely kept his Imaginary shield active. However, any Gene-seed that passed through his hands, especially those he intended for his own use, were specially "corrupted" by him. It wasn't that the Warp couldn't corrupt them.
But that would require a brute-force infusion of power. And after that process, the recipient would no longer be the same person. As for those seductive whispers, his warriors couldn't even hear them.
So Ashira had no idea what was happening. In fact, it wasn't just him. The entire force behind Zhou Ye couldn't hear it, which was why they were all looking at him with confusion.
"It is nothing. Continue the advance."
Zhou Ye didn't bother to explain. He hadn't blocked the voice. He wanted to hear what Fulgrim had to say.
"Why? Why do you not answer me? My son, come, closer, even closer. Let me see you."
"Quickly, return to my side."
The Warp whispers continued to drone on in Zhou Ye's ear, following him every step of the way. It was starting to get on his nerves.
So, Zhou Ye traced the voice back to its source and sent a message of his own...
"You filthy purple serpent! Those shabby scales of yours aren't even as good as cheap roadside dye. Is the skull of Ferrus Manus still hanging from your waist? Your only eternal work of art was the true love you killed with your own hands. Has the Prince of Pleasure grown tired of even looking at you now?"
"..."
After sending the message, Zhou Ye noted with some satisfaction that the incessant chattering had stopped.
Since it was Slaanesh he was dealing with, he wasn't sure if his tirade had somehow pleased the Daemon Primarch or not.
But it didn't matter. Zhou Ye activated his Imaginary field, completely blocking out the seductive whispers. With a single strike of his sword, he shattered the wall of flesh before him.
It revealed a foul chamber filled with pulsating tumors, and a giant lump of flesh at its center.
"You have finally arrived. Since you are here, you will die here. Your souls will be the greatest gift I offer the Prince of Pleasure, hahaha..."
Sokk Oliveira had completely lost his human form. His entire body was covered in unnameable things.
The skull, a symbol of purity, was completely twisted and deformed, turning him into a monster that evoked a deep physiological revulsion at a single glance.
"How about I part the veil of the Warp for you, let you get a good look at yourself? Sacrificing your entire family, tsk tsk. At this point, you're just one step away from becoming a Chaos Spawn."
Looking at the thing before him, Zhou Ye found himself almost missing Nurgle.
---o---