The researcher's eyes were filled with a fearlessness, intoxication, and fanaticism that the dreadnought couldn't comprehend at the time: "You, with your infinite potential for evolution, are the future of humanity!"
The dreadnought didn't know what future he was talking about. He only knew that he and his brothers, compared to their other cousins, the Space Marines, possessed particularly developed gene-detection nerves and corresponding glands. In battle, they could consume the opponent's body, absorb the strengths from their genes, and achieve targeted evolution in a relatively short period.
Their legion was designated by the Emperor as specialists in combating non-human xenos, and this was indeed the case. During the Great Crusade, by absorbing the strengths of their enemies and formulating targeted strategies, they were invincible in battles against xenos.
Hunter also distinguished himself in this process. With his outstanding achievements in hunting xenos, he was respectfully called "Hunter" by his surrounding brothers.
Over time, no one even remembered his name; they only knew him as Hunter. Immersed in this identity, he enjoyed the title, viewing it as proof of his outstanding completion of the mission the Emperor had bestowed upon their legion. Therefore, he simply abandoned his birth name and roamed the stellaris as Hunter, slaying more enemies of humanity for the Emperor.
However, such power never comes without a price. While their ability to absorb opponentsgenes made them experts in fighting xenos, excessive absorption of othersgenes also led to irreversible flesh mutations in some brothers.
Although these brothers still retained clear consciousness, the non-human limbs that evolved on their bodies gradually changed their behavior. They began to increasingly attempt non-human mannerisms, which made Hunter feel a subtle unease.
But seeing how the Third Legion, once afflicted with the withering sickness, was reborn after finding its Primarch Fulgrim, Hunter believed that all problems would be resolved if only they could find their own legion's Primarch.
However, he had never imagined that the Primarch had already traveled much further down this path than they had.
Hunter and his brothers found their Primarch on a primitive planet called Zerus.
It was a planet with a special parasitic organism called primitive Zerg. These Zerg would parasitize other monsters, absorb their spinal fluid, and after acquiring the opponent's genes, devour and assimilate them from within.
Their Primarch was born on a ship controlled by humans. He learned basic human language and common sense there, but the ship soon crashed on the planet Zerus. The Primarch, the sole survivor of the ship, quickly became part of Zerus's twisted ecosystem.
He learned from the primitive Zerg, beginning to plunder the genes of other creatures, and even the primitive Zerg themselves, to evolve and protect himself on a monster-ridden planet. When Hunter found his Primarch, although he largely retained a humanoid form, his hands had mutated into pincers, his legs were like a mantis's jumping legs, and he had a scorpion's tail stinger, all proclaiming his uniqueness.
"Who are you? Where did you humans come from?" He heard his non-human Primarch ask, "I can feel a subtle connection between us. Who exactly are you?"
Hunter suppressed his disgust and revealed his identity to the Primarch. Upon learning that these legion warriors were his genetic offspring, the Primarch's attitude became quite enthusiastic. He even shared his "delicacies" with the warriors and taught them which parts of the monsters to eat to better acquire genes for their own evolution.
The warriors were moved by the Primarch's selflessness, but Hunter alone remained aloof. He always felt that his brothers were no longer acquiring enemy genes to defeat opponents, but rather were obsessed with the process of plundering genes. The Primarch's return not only failed to change this situation but exacerbated the phenomenon within the legion.
He had hoped that a return to human life would change the Primarch's views. But he soon discovered he was wrong: the Primarch's exceptional ability to manipulate genes allowed him to easily evolve or devolve back into a normal human state; he simply preferred to remain in a non-human state.
This preference, which in itself symbolized an attitude, was emulated by the Space Marines who followed their Primarch. However, ordinary Space Marines did not possess the Primarch's exceptional gene manipulation abilities, and their imitations of the Primarch's behavior were often irreversible.
Seeing the entire legion hurtling toward a non-human abyss, Hunter tentatively suggested destroying the primitive Zerg of Zerus, hoping to prevent the legion's fall. But this suggestion was, not unexpectedly, rejected by the Primarch.
"Don't you think there's something to learn from the way these Zerg survive?" the Primarch retorted. "Becoming bigger and stronger through devouring the genes of others—this will also be the way our legion survives. I will lead our legion to become true ultimate organisms, to become the Evolutionary Swarm that goes out into the universe!"
"But we are humans who hunt xenos; acquiring genes is merely a means of our hunt. It should not become the purpose of our hunt itself!" Hunter countered.
"Only creatures at a higher position in the food chain have the right to hunt lower creatures. Endless evolution is the fundamental guarantee that we can continue to hunt. Hunter, as an elder in the legion, I thought you had already understood this principle."
Blue flames seemed to reside in the Primarch's eyes: "Moreover, don't you find the unpredictable process of change brought about by absorbing genes to be incredibly wonderful?"
"Although, Father, you can freely control biological evolution and devolution, many brothers who emulate you have already suffered severe flesh mutations. From the Imperium of Man's definition, they can hardly even be called human anymore..."
Hunter wanted the Primarch to consider the legion's fate more, but he was rudely interrupted: "Definition? Whose definition? Who can define them as not human?"
"Of course, according to the divisions of science and the Imperial Truth, a creature with a human skull is considered human."
"Who established science, and who established the Imperial Truth?"
The Primarch pressed aggressively: "Haven't you seen those Abhumans isolated on their own planets, mutated by their local environments? The group of Abhumans we exterminated before—they lived in high-pressure environments, and over generations, their skull structures gradually changed. Even if they still considered themselves human, the Imperium had already issued an extermination order to us!"
"Tell me, Hunter, is the science you speak of truly scientific? It's nothing more than standards set for you by others. Living by standards set by others, your mind is merely a racetrack for someone else!"
"We are human, and also evolution itself. Our ability to evolve and adapt to various environments is the true direction humanity should take in the future!"
The Primarch stood up, looking proudly at Hunter: "I have already communicated with an ancient entity. Soon, I will allow my warriors, like me, to master the ever-changing path of free evolution."
"You are from an old lineage from Terra; your thinking is conservative, and I don't blame you. If you cannot accept this, I permit you to lead the similarly dissatisfied warriors away. Leave this Second legion—which will be reborn under my leadership—leave my Iron Swarm!"
And so, Hunter left. He led the warriors who followed him to form the White Wind Grand Company, exiled to the edges of the Astronomican and even beyond, to new worlds, to embark on a hunt destined to be without a path to survival.
They rarely received supplies, could barely replenish new recruits, and even had to face the constant unknown threats beyond the Astronomican without its guidance. But under Hunter's leadership, they stubbornly defeated one enemy after another and endured one threat after another.
This tragic winning streak continued until a ship mysteriously appeared before the White Wind Grand Company.
To eliminate any potential threat this ship might pose to the Imperium, Hunter led the White Wind Grand Company aboard. But what he had initially thought was just a routine sweep, he unsettlingly discovered the ship contained many biological samples similar to the primitive Zerg on Zerus.
Only, they were stronger and more organized than the primitive Zerg.
Most of these samples possessed sharp claws and teeth, and biological weaponry that defied logic. Furthermore, they lacked any reproductive organs that normal organisms should have, evolved with a precision akin to biological machines created solely for slaughter.
Just as Hunter was worried about the existence of these bugs, a group of blue xenos suddenly appeared on the ship via psychic teleportation.
Through some ritual, they dragged the ship into the Warp. With the Gellar Field not activated, an endless stream of blue xenos inexplicably poured onto the ship, surrounding the Space Marines.
It was on that day that Hunter first learned of the existence of daemons.
The psychic flames of the daemon scorched his body, but more tormenting than these psychic sorceries was the self-reproach from his own heart—the fate of the entire company and even the legion had once rested on his shoulders, yet he had made the most erroneous decision. And now, everything was irreversible.
"Everything is according to plan!"
The daemon opposite him cackled noisily: "You once abandoned your name, abandoned your legion, abandoned your Primarch, and now, you, a loser who has lost everything, will lose your life here! The Lord of Change, who collaborated with your Primarch, had already decided your fate. And I, Xylas, will use your predetermined fate to present a magnificent performance for the Lord of Change here!"
Hunter remained silent. He wielded his two-handed power greatsword, trying to find a weakness in the daemon. He did inflict considerable damage on the daemon, but it was all in vain.
The daemon opposite him had already shown him its true nature as a Warp creature. Like the ordinary daemons inside the ship that were attacking the other Space Marines, being killed would only send it back to the Warp, to be reborn after a period of gestation.
He fought the greater daemon in a life-for-life exchange, finally slaying the greater daemon's body before collapsing, severely wounded and unconscious. But the greater daemon's soul continued to cackle, mocking Hunter's actions.
"Your strength is far greater than I imagined, but I am a daemon; I cannot be killed! I will haunt you, always by your side, making you witness the dark future of you and your brothers, until your heart is dead and you surrender to my Lord! And with this deed, I will advance further in the future orchestrated by my Lord!"
The story finally ended here. Amidel, Lieutenant Vigan, Sergeant Arlo, and Lieutenant Ebo exchanged glances.
Although they couldn't yet comprehend what daemons or Tzeentch were, this didn't prevent them from realizing that their own fate, and even that of their legion, had been manipulated by a hidden hand from the very beginning.
"I don't know what happened after I fell unconscious," the hunter dreadnought asked, "Amidel, can you tell me?"
"Our Tech-Sergeant, Brother Hypha, successfully reactivated the Gellar Field on the ship. After the reactivation, we found that the number of those blue xenos... daemons stopped increasing. We managed to clear the remaining daemons from the ship, collected the remains of our fallen brothers, and found you, severely wounded, on the ship's bridge."
Amidel continued, "After we placed you in our only dreadnought, we began attempting to escape the Warp currents. Eventually, we broke free of the Warp and crashed, along with the ship, onto this primitive planet teeming with colossal monsters. Initially, we had over two hundred brothers, but now, a thousand years later, only ninety-nine brothers remain alive..."
"How do you plan for the future?" the dreadnought then asked.
"When we first crashed, we used the ship as a base to explore this planet. But after that, we encountered a winged, lizard-like monster with green scales. That monster was very powerful. Brother Hypha sacrificed himself, using a melta bomb to help us, who lacked heavy weapons, kill that monster."
"However, that monster had a mate. After seeing its mate die, that monster relentlessly pursued us. We were forced to abandon the ship and began to move to other locations."
Amidel motioned for Lieutenant Ebo to produce their self-made map. He made a prominent mark at the location of the ship: "Not long ago, Magos Dio also crashed onto this planet. After confirming that Magos Dio had some repair and manufacturing capabilities, I planned to reclaim the ship and search for anything on it that could help us return to space. But before that, we awakened you."
He put down the map and shook his head: "I just didn't expect our legion to have such a dark secret... I originally thought our parting ways with the legion was merely due to a difference in ideology. It turns out our gene-father was colluding with those enemies of humanity called daemons—it's truly absurd!"
"So, is our plan to return to space still necessary? Or should we make other arrangements?" Sergeant Arlo wasn't entirely sure about the current situation.
"There can be no bright future under a dark secret, especially after a thousand years."
The hunter dreadnought made this judgment. He looked at Dio, the only person present who knew the situation outside:
"I have revealed all my secrets, without reservation. What about you, Tech-Priest? Can you tell us what the situation is like outside now? Are the enemies of humanity still rampant across the stars? Is the Emperor's Great Crusade still ongoing?"
A lost legion Company from the Great Crusade Era? A loyalist company from a Traitor legion that fled to avoid participating in the Heresy? These were Dio's conjectures when he discovered that these people were all carrying Great Crusade Era standard equipment, but reality often catches one more off guard.
—No one expected that the Second legion, which had long been purged and never spoken of again, would still have so many remnants on this planet, and that their Company Captain even knew that the Primarch of the Second legion had collaborated with Tzeentch before the Heresy occurred!
He wanted to hear a secret, but he didn't expect it to be such a huge one. Dio couldn't help but stand up, and his action attracted the attention of everyone present.
"Are you going to tell us the current situation now?" the hunter dreadnought asked.
Dio shook his head: "Hoo, is it still possible to back out now?"
The few people around him remained silent, but Dio saw Lieutenant Vigan's hand move to the chainsword at his waist; the answer was already quite clear.
Dio, who hadn't really intended to back out, sat down again: "Don't be nervous. It's been over a thousand years. While your secrets are still secrets, they don't have much impact now."
After all, the Heresy, where The Four Gods bestowed power and Horus killed his father to prove his path, had already occurred. The revelation that the Second legion's Primarch had colluded with Tzeentch before then, only now discovered, wasn't really that significant.
However, with this secret as a foundation, Dio finally understood the reason why the Emperor purged the Second legion, something he hadn't known even before his Crossing.
Dio had originally thought that The Four Godsplan against the Emperor began with Horus, but now it seemed that the shadow of Chaos had already been rampant within the Imperium long before The Four Gods bestowed power upon Horus to launch the Heresy.
As for Zerus and the primal Zerg... "But before I tell you about the situation after the Great Crusade, let me first confirm with you: what is your Primarch's name?"
"Abathur. The Emperor called him that. Why?"
Well, they've come together.
"It's nothing," Dio, who felt he was getting used to strange things, waved his hand: "It's just that this name sounds very much like an old acquaintance..."
After playing hunter with Kobolds, now there's playing StarCraft solo with bird-headed people. It seems the Emperor's life thirty thousand years ago was quite rich.
But to tell these veterans about the current situation... Although his earlier pretense of wanting to back out had given everyone a less optimistic estimate of the current state of the Milky Way Galaxy, Dio still had to carefully choose his words, avoiding involving more unknown secrets in his narration:
"The Great Crusade has ended, but it wasn't smooth. Although humanity's territory expanded greatly, and it secured its position as the overlord of the Milky Way Galaxy."
"However, the threats humanity faces have not diminished. Humanity's enemies have become more cunning and difficult to deal with compared to the Great Crusade Era. Although they cannot shake the Imperium's dominant position, they could emerge from any corner of the Milky Way Galaxy at any time and take a bite out of the Imperium. The Imperium's forces lack strong and effective leadership and, due to its vast territory, cannot be deployed in a timely manner. Many times, they can only let xenos plunder freely."
"The forces lack strong and effective leadership? What about the Warmaster? What about the other Primarchs?"
The hunter dreadnought asked: "I thought the Emperor would send them to guard the borders. Has the threat humanity now faces become so great that even the Primarchs and their legions can't handle it?"
"The era of the Primarchs has ended," Dio shook his head: "They have all disappeared, not a single one left."
The hunter dreadnought didn't speak, but Dio clearly felt him gasp. After a long moment, the dreadnought hesitantly asked: "Were they all... by the Emperor..."
"It's what they did to the Emperor, not what the Emperor did to them."
Dio quickly interrupted the dreadnought's wild thoughts: "Towards the end of the Great Crusade, some Primarchs, under the instigation of daemons—those Warp entities—launched a rebellion against the Emperor. They were collectively known as the Chaos Traitors. The Chaos Traitors' forces marched directly on Terra, but after fifty-five days of fierce fighting on Terra, the rebellious Primarchs and daemons were finally defeated by the loyal Primarchs and the armies still loyal to the Emperor."
"The traitors abandoned the idea of destroying the Imperium and fled into the Warp with the daemons, almost never appearing in the real universe again. However, the Emperor himself was gravely wounded. In his dying moments, he was placed on the Golden Throne of Terra, and a stasis field permanently froze him at that moment of being about to die but not quite dead. Although the Emperor himself indeed still exists, he can no longer lead this Imperium."
"Can never lead this Imperium again?" The dreadnought's voice clearly rose an octave, his shock evidently surpassing even his earlier guess that the Emperor had purged all the Primarchs: "Who exactly launched the Heresy? Who initiated it? Was it our gene-father?"
"It was Warmaster Horus."
"Oh, it was Horus after all... Wait, did you just say Horus?"
Unlike the earlier gasp, the scene now fell into a deathly silence. Seeing that no one spoke for a long time, Dio could only confirm again: "Yes, it was Horus."
"The one who launched the rebellion was the gene-Primarch of the Sixteenth legion, the Emperor's first-found son... Warmaster Horus?"
The dreadnought murmured to himself. As an old veteran from Terra, before the Primarchs returned, he had obviously also served under Horus's command and direction, and perhaps had even met Horus in person: "Why wasn't it our gene-father? Why of all people, Horus?"
Do you hate your father that much, or do you love Horus too much?
Dio wanted to complain, but upon hearing the hunter dreadnought's voice, which was so pained it was almost a moan, he ultimately held back.
He found it hard to imagine how much internal torment a resilient old veteran, who had faced a daemon and defeated it even when it tried to shake his resolve by revealing dark truths, must be experiencing to make such a sound.
Although the hunter dreadnought himself had just predicted that they could never have a bright future, he probably didn't expect the future to be this bleak.
The veteran dreadnought was well-prepared psychologically, but this was Warhammer 30K. In terms of mental fortitude, Dio could only say he still needed practice.
However, there was always time for him to catch his breath. Dio politely paused, waiting for the dreadnought to recover.
But Amidel and the others beside him were clearly unhappy with Dio's pause. Although they were equally shocked, they hadn't been personally led by the Emperor and Horus, so the impact of these revelations wasn't as deep for them as it was for the hunter dreadnought. Thus, they were able to continue pressing: "What next? What happened after Horus's Heresy?"
"Let's wait a bit. I see your Company Captain is almost out of breath..."
Amidel looked and agreed: "Then let's talk about something we're already more psychologically prepared for. If the rebellion happened because daemons seduced the Primarchs, then what about our gene-father, who had already colluded with daemons? Did he also participate in the rebellion?"
"No, long before the Heresy, all records of the Second legion and the Eleventh legion had already been erased. No official historical records now acknowledge that twenty legions were formed at the beginning of the Great Crusade."
"Those who know a bit more might think there were originally eighteen legions, while those who know less might even believe the Imperium only ever had the nine legions that remained loyal to the Emperor during the rebellion."
"The very few people who knew of the Second legion and the Eleventh legion's existence believed that these two legions were purged by the Emperor for touching some taboo, but this has never been confirmed."
Dio spread his hands: "But now, we should know the reason why the Second legion was purged. Although the news of daemon existence can no longer be concealed, before the Heresy, when daemons could not so easily enter and exit the real universe, the Imperium had always been concealing their existence."
"If, at that time, the Second legion was found to be colluding with daemons, I believe the Emperor himself would have secretly executed them to prevent widespread knowledge of daemon existence."
"They already didn't exist before the Heresy?" Amidel reconfirmed.
Dio nodded in affirmation, and the other Astartes exchanged glances.
From this moment, they truly realized that the dark secret the dreadnought carried was indeed a bit outdated—everything that could or couldn't happen had already occurred. Even if someone still knew some old secrets now, it seemed it wouldn't change anything.
"But I'm still curious about what exactly daemons are."
Lieutenant Vigan still found it hard to believe: "Do such illogical creatures truly exist? Doesn't that prove the Imperial Truth is a lie?"
Dio shook his head, denying Vigan's statement: "In fact, due to the proliferation of daemons in the real universe, more and more people have abandoned the Imperial Truth. They fear daemons and regard the Emperor, who once restored humanity's glory, as a god who can dispel daemons and save them."
"The religious ignorance that the Emperor himself once personally shattered is now rekindling through the worship of the Emperor himself… But the Imperial Truth is by no means a simple lie to appease everyone. Tell me, Lieutenant Vigan, what is the essence of the Imperial Truth?"
"'Of course, it is the truth that explains the real universe, it is our principle standard, our code of conduct…'"
"No, the core of the Imperial Truth is a rational and scientific attitude. The denial of supernatural phenomena is indeed the Emperor's lie, but a scientific and rational attitude has never been deceitful."
"What is science? Science is not truth; it is merely a summary of human experience. Anything repeatable and knowable can become science. Whether it is a bizarre power like psychic abilities, or Warp creatures like daemons, as long as we can summarize their patterns, they will become human science."
Looking at the thoughtful Lieutenant Vigan, Dio continued: "The foolishness of religious thought lies in its uncritical acceptance. The common people simply view daemons, who like to devour human souls, as evil gods, and the Emperor, who saves humanity, as a benevolent god."
"Gods are omnipotent; it's normal for them to do anything. Ordinary people cannot resist them and can only wait for God's messengers to rescue them—but once they hold such beliefs, humanity has already lost its ability to save itself."
"Daemons are not mysterious. Humanity has largely confirmed that daemons are Warp creatures that depend on the emotions of sentient beings. They like to flaunt their existence before humans, and the cunning, pain, anger, and ecstasy that humans generate because of their existence all become their sustenance—which is why they are so fond of plundering human souls."
"Although they are difficult to explain by common sense, they are not unknowable. Although, from the inherent nature of daemons, the fewer people who know about daemons, the less sustenance daemons can obtain, so the ignorance and faith of ordinary people are actually their fortress. But if even the Space Marines, who are the vanguard against humanity's enemies, can no longer view the existence of daemons objectively and rationally, then humanity is truly doomed."
"That's why the Emperor initially wanted to conceal the existence of daemons, and that's why daemons wanted to incite the Heresy. The Imperium's civil war must have been a feast for these daemons…"
Lieutenant Vigan nodded, convinced: "You are truly extraordinary, Magos Dio. The Tech-Priests I've met before were all worshippers of the Omnissiah; none of them had such a profound understanding of science as you."
"There are also factions within the Adeptus Mechanicus that do not believe in gods," Dio said with a smile.
"So, we have a general understanding of what happened after the Great Crusade and the existence of daemons…"
Amidel clearly thought further ahead: "Now that the Heresy has occurred, and the second legion no longer exists. Do we still need to return to the Imperium?"
As soon as this topic came up, the scene fell silent once more.
They were once the sword-wielders of the Imperium, and naturally understood the Imperium's policy of leaving no roots. Now that the entire Second legion had been branded as non-existent, their presence would certainly not be acknowledged by the Imperium.
They were not afraid of sacrifice, but they feared that upon their return, these few individuals would be eliminated by the Imperium itself, also becoming part of the non-existent Second legion.
"If we can leave this planet, I think we definitely should, but whether to return to the Imperium…" Sergeant Arlo hesitantly suggested: "How about we continue to roam the edge of the Astronomican, as we did before? That way, even if we die in battle, it will be a contribution we should have made."
The others looked at each other; evidently, no one had a better proposal. Dio was about to speak, but the Hunter dreadnought, who had finally recovered, spoke first.
"No, we must return to the Imperium." The dreadnought's tone was very firm: "Magos Dio, you just said that the Second legion was erased from existence by the Imperium, with no records, right?"
Seeing Dio nod, the dreadnought continued: "No records also means that whether the Second legion was completely destroyed is unverifiable. I think the reason for erasing the records was definitely not just to conceal the existence of daemons. Although the Second legion may have been destroyed, the Primarch of the Second legion would never be completely purged so simply."
"Your evidence is…?" Dio was a little puzzled.
"A hunter's intuition, and some past experience."
The Hunter dreadnought's tone was quite firm. He asked Amidel: "Do you remember? Before we left the legion, our Primarch could already completely transform into a xenos, and he could even spread his spores everywhere like those Greenskins!"
The Hunter's words surprised Dio. He turned to look at Amidel, only to find Amidel nodding, confirming the Hunter's statement.
Amidel even added: "In fact, when we boarded the ship, those insect specimens also made me feel very alarmed. Although we had confirmed at the time that those specimens were not the same as the original Zerg on Zerus, looking back now, I always feel they hinted at a future possibility. If our gene-father is still alive, I think he must be conducting experiments in this area in some unknown corner."
The Hunter dreadnought nodded in agreement: "As an astartes, any enemy of humanity, I will never allow them my gene-father to research threats against humanity. Therefore, we must return to the Imperium, and we must do so in disguise. We need to conduct secret investigations within the Imperium—to find evidence of our gene-father's continued existence or any contingencies he might have left behind. Even if he has truly been pulverized by the Emperor, I must see his ashes to rest assured! This is my mission now!"
The Hunter's words clearly stirred the Astartes' blood, and the previously bewildered Astartes all became animated:
"I've long been annoyed with our father; back then, we just left, but now we must find an opportunity to blast him!"
"Does something that desecrates humanity deserve to be our father? If I can catch him, I'll definitely take his skull and use it as a urinal!"
Unlike the hot-headed Astartes, the dreadnought had clearly thought for a long time before speaking these words. He did not participate in the Astartes' revelry of a glorious rebellion against their father, but continued to seek confirmation from Dio:
"First, we must have a means to conceal our identities and legitimately integrate into the Imperium. We need weapons and ammunition supplied by the Imperium, and many investigations also require official Imperial identity for cooperation. Magos Dio, I can see that you are extraordinary. Do you have any solutions in this regard?"
"It's difficult."
Dio hesitated: "Roboute Guilliman, the gene-Primarch of the Thirteenth legion, the Ultramarines, in order to avoid repeating the mistake of several legions rebelling simultaneously during the Heresy, promulgated the Codex Astartes, which broke down large legions into Chapters of a thousand men. But shortly after promulgating the Codex, he was gravely wounded in battle by a renegade Primarch and, like his father, was permanently placed in stasis."
Amidel rubbed his forehead, finally understanding why his lie about being from the Thirteenth legion was immediately seen as suspicious.
He had only intended to use their large numbers for a disguise, never imagining that the Primarch of the Thirteenth legion was the one who disbanded the legions?
However, no one was concerned about Amidel's chagrin for now; everyone held their breath, listening intently to Dio's further explanation: "Thus, the power to form new Chapters and audit old Chapters effectively fell into the hands of the High Lords of Terra—that is, the supreme human lord council during your Great Crusade Era, which had no Astartes participation."
"You know, they are always particularly wary of Astartes. They record every Chapter and conduct rigorous purity inspections from time to time…"
"So, it's not impossible?" the dreadnought pressed.
"It depends on how much you are willing to pay."
Dio did not deny: "Perhaps you could go to a fringe sector and impersonate some obscure Chapters. Or find some heavily damaged Chapters; they generally won't refuse the addition of fresh forces, but then your status within the Chapter won't be too high…"
"We need a better solution, Magos Dio."
The dreadnought said, his resolve unusually firm: "We need the status of a complete Chapter. For this, we can even make you our leader and owe you a debt of honor that will never be fully repaid. As long as it does not conflict with our goals, the new Chapter we form will follow you forever."
Dio's eyes lit up.
To be honest, Dio didn't care much about other matters. All he cared about was unearthing more technological knowledge so that he could restore technologies from other worlds to completely change the Warhammer Universe—this was his consistent goal, but the path to knowledge was always fraught with challenges from within and outside the Imperium.
For Dio, who dug up graves across the universe, the dangers of the galaxy were far from something he could handle with just the Adeptus Custodes he had cobbled together. And now, Space Marines who couldn't return to the Imperium normally were right before Dio's eyes. Who wouldn't be tempted by this?
It would be a lie to say Magos Dio had no ideas from the beginning, but originally he only thought of secretly keeping these hundred or so Space Marines—as long as he had a large ship, hiding over a hundred people was no problem at all.
However, the other party actually took the initiative to propose forming a Chapter, which was certainly not simple, but a legitimate Chapter could expand to over a thousand men; a hundred Space Marines turning into a thousand Space Marines—such a good thing… His mind quickly recalled the major events that were about to happen: from the Pope of the Adeptus Ministorum officially gaining permanent status in the High Lords of Terra, to the War of the Beast that would soon shatter humanity's false prosperity, and then to Abaddon's Second Black Crusade… Before long, a rough plan had already formed in Magos Dio's mind.
But establishing a Chapter involved many considerations. At the very least, the common blood mutation problem in the Second legion's bloodline, which he had just heard about from the dreadnought, was very concerning.
If it was just these hundred or so individuals, then this problem wouldn't be an issue. But if they were to establish a continuously enduring Chapter, then at least the stability of the gene-seed and its inheritance would have to be guaranteed.
Magos Dio needed warriors, not unstable time bombs, so he did not reveal his rough plan but instead changed the subject.
"Perhaps we can achieve a deeper cooperation, but not now. Although we both know each other's stories, whether we can go on together, I think we both need to conduct a more comprehensive evaluation of each other."
Dio raised his fist toward the dreadnought.
"But at least for now, I will show you my ability to get you off this planet, and you, in turn, must trust me implicitly until we leave this planet. What do you say, Captain? What do you think?"
The dreadnought looked at Dio, slowly nodded, and extended its Power Fist to meet Dio's.
"We will also prove our sincerity," it said.
After reaching a consensus with Dio, the dreadnought re-entered slumber to conserve energy. The four Astartes, with Amidel as the current decision-making body, quickly gathered the remaining warriors and announced Dio's inclusion.
The Astartes would naturally obey Dio's command based on orders, but Dio knew that truly earning the respect of these warriors could not rely solely on the consensus he reached with Amidel and the others.
He needed to formulate a development plan, demonstrating his abilities while genuinely and long-term changing the Astartes' predicament. Only then could he earn the unwavering loyalty of these warriors.
The core of the plan was naturally to return to the crashed ship, to search for usable materials to build a ship capable of returning to space.
However, according to Amidel, after they killed the "green crawling lizard," the lizard's "flying companion" had been perpetually occupying the ship, even venturing out to hunt down any Astartes whose presence it detected.
Such intense vengefulness from the enemy was clearly not something the current, depleted Astartes could provoke. Before returning to the ship, Dio had to enable these Space Marines to develop weapons and equipment capable of confronting the giant beast.
But as the saying goes,Every profession has its own specialization.The more technology develops, the more pronounced 'the different fields are like different mountains' situation becomes. If an ordinary Tech-Priest encountered such a situation, a Tech-Priest who wasn't a senior Fabricator would surely lament that even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice.
Fortunately, Dio, with his golden finger, was equivalent to a walking industrial system. Building a towering edifice from the ground up was not difficult for him; all he needed was a little time.
And to develop, the first thing to solve was energy.
Dio checked the Astartes' reserves and found that although they had over a hundred warriors, there were only thirteen usable Power Packs left. These thirteen packs, utilizing their built-in solar panels, were barely enough to alternately power the dreadnought's life support system and the cryo-tubes storing the Gene-seed, making them completely unusable for combat.
Their MK2 Crusade-pattern Power Armor also became scrap metal due to the lack of Power Packs—facing the rampaging large monsters on this planet, the meager defensive capabilities of Power Armor, which would hinder the Astartes' evasive maneuvers without Power Packs, were simply not enough.
"Not enough" didn't mean that all the monsters on this planet could directly penetrate Ceramite Power Armor, but the immense impact force of a charging monster was enough to act upon the Power Armor's surface and shake the person inside into a Sanguinius-esque can of meat.
Thus, as Power Packs gradually ran out, the remaining Astartes progressively disassembled their Power Armor into Ceramite armor plates, relying on these plates to protect vital areas of their bodies. Consequently, complete MK2 Power Armor, like the Power Packs, was also in short supply.
Dio wanted to loudly reprimand them for damaging artifacts, but ultimately, everything was due to a lack of energy.
Dio also couldn't conjure refined nuclear fuel for the Power Packs. But if not specifically limited to nuclear energy, then nature itself offered many usable energy sources.
Looking at the small hydropower station under construction, Dio's eyes were filled with pride.
The Astartes diligently digging in the river with shovels gave Dio a secret thrill.
These two-and-a-half-meter tall muscular men worked much faster than Servitors with built-in excavation machinery. He began to understand why Rogal Dorn and Perturabo enjoyed bringing so many Space Marines to do manual labor.
"Speaking of energy, it has to be water. Water is humanity's oldest and most reliable way of obtaining energy," he explained to Amidel: "The potential energy from the drop in a dam is water, the steam power from burning coal is water, and even the initial method of converting nuclear energy into electricity relied on water. One could say that whether a civilization is advanced depends on whether they can boil water faster and better!"
"But can this ancient method really provide the energy we need? If so, why didn't our Tech-Sergeant do it when he was still alive...?" Amidel was a bit skeptical.
"That's because they didn't have the ability to pull a highly efficient, almost void-level power generator technology from another world"—Dio wanted to tell him that, but he would never, and could never, reveal the fact that he had a golden finger.
The nature of the null ensured that what was in Dio's mind would not be spied upon by malevolent entities, but if it were known by non-null, it would leave a trace in this world.
Even if not discovered by the Four Chaos Gods in the Warp now, for those conceptual beings that exist simultaneously in the past, present, and future, once a word is spoken, they will eventually grasp the tail of the truth. Therefore, Dio was always careful in this regard.
"Never doubt the wisdom of our ancestors. The oldest things are not necessarily the most effective, but they are certainly the most reliable."
Dio brought up the classic the older, the stronger theory from the Warhammer Universe to assuage Amidel's concerns: "This place has good terrain, and with our artificial dam raising the elevation difference, the potential energy of the falling river water will at least free up those thirteen Power Packs while sustaining the power supply for the newly built settlement, and also be enough for me to conduct some basic experiments or forging. If we stagger usage, we can even fully charge some batteries."
"Thirteen Astartes re-armed with Power Packs and Power Armor, that's not bad. But what about the remaining brothers?"
"I have some new ideas for them."
He turned and walked back, heading toward the small settlement that had been rebuilt by the river. Along the way, Astartes moving between the settlement and the construction site nodded to Dio and Amidel.
Although they couldn't yet see what benefits these changes would bring, this departure from their previous unchanging lives had reignited their passion for labor and the future.
In the new settlement, several small dormitories and a simple monastery had been erected. To save space, Dio placed his workstation in the back room of the monastery.
He led Amidel to the back room of the monastery and showed him the battery placed on the workbench.
"Evangelion-brand high-energy battery. Just this one battery pack can allow an eighty-meter-tall large robot to operate for two minutes. I plan to develop a new set of force-feedback armor and accompanying weapons based on this battery, for the remaining Space Marines to use."
"An eighty-meter-tall giant robot?" Amidel's eyes widened: "It can power an Emperor-class Titan for two minutes?"
"Uh, not quite that..."
Dio awkwardly rubbed his nose, thinking how products from two worlds couldn't be generalized. Given the Warhammer Universe's extravagance with energy, perhaps ten battery packs tied together wouldn't be enough for an Emperor-class Titan to fire a single plasma annihilator shot: "But it's more than enough to supply personal armor and weapons, anyway."
"What is Evangelion?"
"They were a group of ancient warriors of Terra. In their era, they piloted Titans called EVAs and fought for love and the salvation of humanity."
Dio casually spun a tale, unafraid of being exposed: "The high-performance generator used in the hydropower station and the current batteries are all technological remnants from their era. I was fortunate to discover the STC templates for these technologies, though these technologies are considered outdated by current standards. I just didn't expect them to come in handy in this special situation."
"They must have been powerful and determined warriors if they could defeat enemies using batteries with only a two-minute endurance," Amidel praised.
Dio found it a bit hard to bear: "Indeed powerful. At least their pilots could still play with planes.'"
Amidel was puzzled by Dio's cold joke: "Anti-aircraft vehicles? Are we not capable of that?"
Dio found it even harder to bear: "You really aren't."
Amidel looked like he wanted to say something, but Dio did not continue on that topic. He instead showed Amidel another piece of equipment he had on hand: the force-feedback Power Armor he had mentioned earlier.
This Power Armor, like the energy shields and void swords, was technology he had previously replicated from StarCraft, except the replicated object changed from Protoss to human.
However, limited by the primitive nature of this planet, Dio couldn't even assemble the CMC-300 Power Armor, a staple for human brethren, nor could he create the small cold fusion reactor for the Power Armor.
He could only modify an EVA battery from a disassembled power backpack, and at the same time, he replaced the Power Armor with a more primitive version.
"The CMC-200 Power Armor. Don't expect too much from its defensive capabilities. I've riveted your ceramite armor plates onto the critical areas. For the rest, I just used whatever metal I could find."
"Although this thing is only a force-feedback Power Armor, it still has some basic functions, such as small servo motors that enhance the user's strength and speed, and two small turbojet engines behind it. In normal mode, these engines can provide some thrust to reduce the user's weight, increasing the user's flexibility. In critical moments, they can even allow the user to glide a short distance in the air."
"It doesn't sound like equipment for Space Marines, but as long as it makes the warriors more flexible, that's what we need right now." Amidel nodded in approval of the Power Armor.
Dio affirmed Amidel's judgment: "In fact, I originally intended this thing for the good brothers of fifty'—that is, the Mortal auxiliary troops you had back then. But now, modifying its size for an emergency is also good."
"Due to fewer functions, this type of Power Armor doesn't require a power backpack for energy. When the Neon Genesis Evangelion brand battery is put in, it can provide assistance to the user for a relatively long time."
"It also has a matching electromagnetic rifle, which I call the C-14 Penetrator Electromagnetic Rifle. The Power Armor's gauntlet has an integrated system. When you wear the Power Armor and hold the C-14 Electromagnetic Rifle, the electromagnetic rifle will be powered by the battery inside the Power Armor."
Dio patted a weapon nearby: "This weapon fires 8mm solid ammunition at hypersonic speeds through electromagnetic acceleration, and it has virtually no requirements for the ammunition's manufacturing material. According to the data, as long as the ammunition's material strength meets basic standards, this gun is enough to penetrate the weak points on your Power Armor."
While the technology of humanity in the StarCraft world was certainly not as advanced as Warhammer, in that world where faster-than-light travel was normal, the widespread adoption of human integration and intelligence was indeed much higher than in Warhammer.
No matter how crudely made the Power Armor used by the good brothers of ten was, everyone had one. As for the ceramite Power Armor used by the Space Marines, even if it wasn't master-crafted, it would take a Forge World decades to produce a batch. The disparity between them was not something to be revealed to outsiders.
Although Dio could appreciate a certain mass-produced beauty in these pieces of equipment, such a small caliber clearly did not conform to Warhammer's bigger is better aesthetic. Amidel was clearly a traditional Warhammer aesthetic enthusiast, and he naturally felt uncomfortable with this kind of weapon.
"Is 8mm too small?" Amidel asked, "Even if this caliber penetrates, it won't cause fatal damage. Why not use a Bolter?"
"Under the current circumstances, we don't have a choice. While a Bolter looks bulky, its manufacturing difficulty is not low at all. A Bolter, with its self-propelled and explosive projectile, is not something I can hand-craft on this planet right now. However, the electromagnetic rifle and Power Armor combined can be powered by a single battery."
Dio pointed out the problem: "Besides, you yourselves know that the monsters on this planet have resistance to thermal weapons, so don't ask for too much. Causing damage and distracting them is enough. Just make do with it."
This explanation convinced Amidel. He paused briefly, then began to consider the future squad configuration: "How many days will it take you to build one such Power Armor and weapon?"
"Purely by hand, about two days. If you can provide more ready-made ceramite armor plates for me to use directly, it could be shortened even more, as finding ordinary metals and melting and forging them also takes a considerable amount of time."
"However, the production of this item is not difficult, and the small turbojet engines on the back can also be salvaged from your discarded power backpacks. I will draw you a blueprint for you to follow, and you will also be able to produce them, albeit at a slower pace than me."
"Then what about the solid ammunition? You can't process ceramite directly for that, can you? We don't have the capability to melt ceramite and process it into bullets right now."
"That's simple."
Dio revealed a mysterious smile. He pointed to the Dragon Species bone he had moved over: "I've tested it. The strength of this bone as ammunition is no less than ceramite, and the strength of critical parts is even comparable to adamantium. I just need to polish them into ammunition, which doesn't take much time."
Amidel carefully examined the dragon bone in front of him: "Is this the bone of that green-scaled, fire-breathing, and venom-spitting lizard we hunted back then...?"
"More formally, I call her a female Fire Dragon. As for the male Fire Dragon you mentioned that was chasing you, that would be her mate, of course."
Dio corrected him, "And it's not just bones. If you had consciously collected the venom glands from the female Fire Dragon back then, I should have been able to come up with even more tricks."
"This is also something I need to remind you of. The monsters you hunt or the small insects you see everywhere in the grass, the hidden treasures on their bodies are far beyond your imagination. As long as you can organize people to collect them, I can help you make many items that will have miraculous effects."
"He claims he's never seen them, yet he shows an unusual familiarity with these things." Amidel shook his head, "Dio, you are truly inscrutable."
"What's so inscrutable? This is just the discerning ability I should have as a seasoned hunter."
"You're a hunter too...?"
"Yes." Dio shrugged: "In simulated training with equipment."
"...?"
Ignoring the puzzled Amidel, Dio immediately began to deploy the next steps: "First, arrange thirteen warriors who can wear MK2 Power Armor. With their melee weapons, they will be our main force for hunting those behemoths."
"Then arrange about twenty brothers with excellent shooting skills. I will gradually prepare CMC force-feedback Power Armor and matching electromagnetic rifles for them. They will provide fire and item support to the melee brothers. Oh, and remember not to include yourself among those who will wear Power Armor."
"Why? Are you trying to say that a commander cannot go to the battlefield?" The expression on Amidel's face was a bit startled, "I am not one of your Dominus-Archmagos who command the Adeptus Custodes from the rear. Personally participating in battle is where our glory lies!"
"No, it's just that I have some extra plans for your Power Armor." Dio smiled: "But extra plans also require extra materials... Prepare yourself, Lieutenant Amidel, our pace to return to the stars will not be this slow. And this first step will begin with hunting the tigrex!"
Dio spent ten days disassembling damaged power backpacks and riveting ready-made ceramite armor plates, finally equipping a five-person CMC Power Armor squad.
With the official completion of the hydropower station, the stable electricity supply not only significantly improved the Astarteslives but also liberated the remaining power backpacks. However, most of the power backpacks were still slowly accumulating energy via their solar collectors. Dio concentrated the energy from several units and distributed it among three combat-ready packs. If only the basic functions of the Power Armor were activated, these three packs could sustain about an hour of combat time.
This duration was not long—a mere fraction of the sustained endurance the Astartes were accustomed to during long-term operations in harsh environments. However, Dio's plan was solely to hunt the tigrex, and this hour was more than enough for his objective.
Key to the tigrex hunt was the fact that Dio, leveraging the new EVA-like energy batteries, had fully powered and maintained three power swords. Even in M30, when technology was more advanced, the power sword was a noble weapon. This special weapon, often held by Imperial officers, allowed the user to activate an energy battery within the hilt, enveloping the entire blade in a deadly corona of destructive energy, granting a massive advantage in close combat.
During his initial encounter with the tigrex, Dio had already verified that plasma pistols could cause more damage to the creature than other weapons, which indicated that the tigrex here was also weak to lightning, a parallel shared with its counterpart in the hunter lore. Given this, a slight modification to the power sword's output mode could grant it a devastating counter-relationship with the beast.
Without power swords, even if he armed twice the number of people, Dio would have to act cautiously. But it was precisely this subtle, cross-setting counter-relationship that gave Dio the confidence to hunt the tigrex with such a small force. He was determined to use this squad to test the true strength of the planet's monsters and to assess the capabilities of these Astartes under his command.
Dio reviewed the hastily assembled tigrex hunting squad before him. The three leading individuals, wielding power swords and wearing their fully functioning Power Armor, were led by Sergeant Arlo. It was said that they were all exceptionally skilled swordsmen in the company.
The five-person CMC Power Armor squad, providing fire and item support, was led by Lieutenant Vigan. Lieutenant Vigan had years of experience leading hunting parties to procure various small Dragon Species as supplies for the camp, and few could match his expertise in interpreting and commanding hunting situations.
Besides their basic Power Armor, these eight individuals also carried hunting utility pouches sewn from animal hides they had hunted themselves, filled with items like flash bombs made from flashbugs and small carved bones from Dragon Species. These pouches were both practical tools and a display of hunting honor. In Dio's eyes, their attire indeed bore a resemblance to hunters, a blend of future and past.
However, it was only a resemblance. After discovering that the Female Fire Dragon skeleton's strength was no less than refined ceramite, Dio gained a basic understanding of the strength of the large Dragon Species on this planet. Knowing this, he could only marvel at what kind of superhumans the hunters in hunter truly were, to be able to hunt monsters of such strength single-handedly.
But it was a good thing that Dio had armed twice as many people as a hunter who had fired a signal flare. The Astartes' combat style also dictated that these superhuman warriors did not overly rely on individual strength; the secret to their victory over humanity's enemies had always been teamwork. Even if the situation went awry, they could cover each other's retreat.
Dio had full confidence in his squad. Moreover, regardless of the differences in individual strength, certain hunting techniques were equally applicable.
After inspecting the small squad, Dio waved his hand, signaling them to depart. Amidel and Lieutenant Ebo needed to remain at the base, continuing construction according to Dio's plans and blueprints under the guidance of the servo-skulls, so Dio took on the role of overall commander for this hunting squad.
As an experimental hunt to verify their results, Dio didn't hold an elaborate send-off ceremony; the entire squad departed in solemn silence.
They quickly arrived at the location where the tigrex had previously appeared—the crashed escape pod and the Power Armor abandoned during the hasty evacuation were still there. Dio first arranged for personnel to recover the previously hidden Power Armor and small Warp engine, then selected the anticipated battleground for the decisive fight with the tigrex, before patiently waiting for the monster to appear.
The tigrex was never a patient Dragon Species; known as the Tyrant of the Land, they possessed an unusual bloodlust and ferocity, often engaging in meaningless slaughter even when satiated. Before long, observing the startled birds in the jungle and the panicked herbivorous dragons fleeing, Dio had already pinpointed the tigrex's location.
"Prepare for the hunt!" he instructed loudly. Then, carrying his void sword, he actively moved forward.
Soon, that tigrex appeared before Dio's eyes. The scarred and healing wound on its back indicated that it was indeed the same beast that had previously chased Dio and Amidel. Now, this tigrex was pressing down on the carcass of a herbivorous dragon with its massive claws, feasting heartily without even lifting its head.
This was not a typical hunting habit for a tigrex; usually, even after catching prey, it would slaughter any other catchable prey within its sight. But seeing the healing wound on its body, a hint of understanding flashed in Dio's eyes.
"It is replenishing the nutrients needed to heal its wound," Dio explained to the warriors. "It seems the previous plasma shot did significant damage to it, but the wound probably no longer affects its combat effectiveness, so we still need to be careful."
"Since we know electricity causes it extra damage, I'm confident about the outcome of this hunt," Sergeant Arlo said, twirling the power sword in his hand. "What do you say now, should we ambush it while it's still eating?"
Dio shook his head: "Don't let it fool you, even though it's eating, its vigilance is very high. Our Power Armor is not light; it probably detected our approach from the vibrations in the ground a long time ago. But it doesn't matter; just proceed according to the original plan. If anything changes, I will inform you via communication."
Sergeant Arlo nodded, putting on his helmet. He and two others in MK2 Power Armor spread out, forming a circle to surround the tigrex, then slowly closed in on it in a triangular formation. Lieutenant Vigan and his firing squad also dispersed, each seeking advantageous cover and firing positions.
Perhaps sensing that it was surrounded, the tigrex lifted its head from its food, angrily flicked its tail, and let out an impatient growl. The monster looked around, realizing that this battle was unavoidable, and seemed to be looking for an easier target.
And when the tigrex saw Dio, its eyes suddenly widened, filled with blood-red fury.
Of course, it recognized this person... this despicable scoundrel who had ambushed it ten days ago and dealt it a harsh blow!
The tigrex roared, then folded its wings, pushed off with its feet, and charged towards Dio without hesitation!
But Dio, who was already prepared, disappeared into the jungle, simultaneously issuing orders to everyone:
"Operation tigrex Hunt, officially begins!"
The tigrex charged like an unstoppable dump truck, but the distance was too great. Dio, who had long since retreated, was well out of the monster's path. The tigrex's opening charge ended abruptly after snapping a dozen trees in half.
Sergeant Arlo, waiting for an opportunity, darted forward during the tigrex's momentary pause, aiming a strike at the tendon connecting the monster's massive body to its wing membrane. The power sword, shimmering with a brilliant blue corona, easily tore through the tigrex's thick scales and sliced deep into its flesh.
The tigrex's muscles instinctively tensed to stem the bleeding, but the searing energy field of the power sword sizzled within the wound, charring the tissue and preventing immediate healing. The electric current caused the taut muscle to spasm and lose strength, making the tigrex—which was attempting to turn using its foreclaws—stumble violently.
The damage made the tigrex tremble. It stared at Sergeant Arlo in disbelief, as if wondering why the small figure it had previously chased away had suddenly become a lethal threat. But as the overlord of the land, the tigrex's reaction was swift. It tightened its waist, exerted force, and began a powerful spin, turning its claws and tail into deadly weapons to repel anyone nearby.
Sergeant Arlo dared not take the hit head-on and dodged back, staying clear of the monster's spinning range. The tigrex pursued its advantage; finishing its spin, it stopped precisely where the Sergeant had landed. Facing Sergeant Arlo, who had just completed his roll, the beast opened its gaping maw. Arlo adjusted his movement in time, narrowly dodging the first bite. The tigrex pressed its advantage, taking a step forward to bite again, determined to snap the Astarte in two!
But Sergeant Arlo was not fighting alone. While the tigrex was focused on biting him, the other two battle-brothers crept up from behind the monster. Each delivered a swift sword strike to the tigrex's back. The pained beast lost much of its momentum, and its fangs ultimately snapped an inch short of Sergeant Arlo.
Sergeant Arlo, having dodged, wasn't hurried. He even managed to deliver a quick sword strike to the tigrex's head before turning and widening the distance between himself and the monster. After this round of attacks, the three men tacitly dispersed, observing the tigrex's condition after the initial skirmish.
"Sergeant Arlo, how does the hunt feel?" Dio inquired over the comms. "Is the power sword effective?"
"The monomolecular blade penetrates its scales cleanly, and the energy field prevents immediate wound sealing while causing subtle rigidity to the muscle," Sergeant Arlo replied, his tone confident. "However, its counterattack is fierce, leaving little time for sustained damage. But as long as we can cause damage, the rest is just a matter of time. I'm confident we can complete the hunt before the Power Armor's energy runs out."
"Then continue as planned." Dio nodded. He was collecting various combat data from a distance while also setting up measures to prevent the tigrex from escaping. "Before the tigrex enters a berserk state, lure it into the battleground we decided on beforehand."
Sergeant Arlo confirmed Dio's order and directed the other two battle-brothers to retreat in unison. Though the tigrex didn't know what these small figures were doing, its ferocity, stirred by its previous wounds, only fueled its relentless pursuit of the Astartes. The warriors primarily dodged, fighting and retreating, shifting the battleground in this process of chase to the foot of a sheer cliff.
Sergeant Arlo stood with his back to the cliff, taking up a ready stance before the tigrex. He provocatively swung his sword, then raised his middle finger. Contempt, it proved, was an attitude easily understood across species. The tigrex, while certainly not understanding the gesture, was clearly enraged by the disdainful aura emanating from Sergeant Arlo.
The tigrex, which always relied on a single, dominating charge, once again growled, took a stance, and hurtled toward Sergeant Arlo. But Sergeant Arlo was no novice. He elegantly dodged the charge, even managing to raise his sword and cut a long, thin line of bloody scale along the tigrex's neck.
Seeing its first move fail, the tigrex tried to change direction for a second charge, but it was now pressed against the cliff. Dio wouldn't let this opportunity slip. Realizing the tigrex had not fully stopped its momentum, Dio decisively gave the order:
"Flashbangs, deploy!" he barked over the comms.
The CMC Power Armor squad, responsible for fire support, had remained inactive until now. Upon receiving Dio's command, they pulled out crude flashbangs—concocted from light-bugs—from their leather hunting pouches. These firefly-like creatures, previously used only as natural lamps, had been fashioned into crude but potent flashbangs by Dio.
This was the first time their power, which was surprisingly potent and comparable to modern equivalents, was used in combat, and the result was devastatingly effective. When the simple launcher lobbed the flashbang onto the tigrex's path, the beast, completely unaware of the threat, didn't dodge or evade. When the flashbang exploded with a dazzling bright light, the Astartes consciously turned their backs to mitigate the effect, but the tigrex took the full brunt of the blast.
Stimulated by the intense light and deafening noise, the tigrex suddenly lost all sense of direction. Losing control of its body, it couldn't turn its charge, nor could it stop its steps toward the cliff face. It slammed into the cliff with a resounding thud, the immense impact shaking the entire rock face. Falling boulders struck the tigrex, causing it to let out painful wails.
Such a golden opportunity naturally required no reminder from Dio. Sergeant Arlo and his two companions immediately moved forward, relentlessly hacking at the tigrex, whose head was still embedded in the rock cave it had created. At this moment, skill was secondary; they needed only to create as many wounds as possible on the tigrex's tail and back.
The CMC squad, which had been hiding, also stopped concealing themselves under Lieutenant Vigan's leadership. Taking advantage of the monster being stunned by the flashbang, they aimed their C-14 Impaler electromagnetic rifles and poured uninhibited firepower onto the tigrex. While the creatures on this planet certainly possessed a high resistance to ballistic fire, Lieutenant Vigan and his team targeted the wounds previously cut open by the power sword that were unable to heal. Dense, high-velocity solid projectiles slammed into the tigrex's already lacerated body, further exacerbating its injuries.
The hunting squad had inflicted considerable damage on the stunned tigrex. However, Dio, knowing the tigrex's thick hide and tough flesh, understood that this level of attack would not bring the hunt to a definitive end. Watching the tigrex, which had recovered from the flashbang's shock, finally pull its head free from the rock wall, Dio keenly observed the beast's head and forelimbs beginning to turn blood-red. He narrowed his eyes, knowing the hunt had entered its final, most dangerous stage. Their ultimate victory or defeat would be decided in the remaining few minutes!
"The tigrex has entered a berserk state! Pay attention to its roar and dodge!" Dio warned loudly over the comms.
He had previously instructed the Astartes on how to deal with a berserk tigrex. But theory doesn't always account for the sheer ferocity of reality.