Chapter 131: The Silent King: Mourning His Deceased Wife, Saint Guilliman

The Death Company, St. Blood Angels drowned in Black Rage, consumed by the battle memories of the ancient vessel Revenge's Soul, believing themselves to be warriors of that long-dead war.

They are mad patients, the inescapable fate of the St. Blood Angels, and unparalleled warriors.

In their madness, they seem to have gained a portion of Saint Guilliman's power, becoming embodiments of the Chapter's fury.

Thus, the St. Blood Angels reorganized these warriors lost to Black Rage into the Death Company and deployed them into battle.

Most will die on the battlefield, fighting once more for the Emperor and Saint Guilliman, seeking a moment of peace after their madness.

To counter the Hive Fleet, Commander Dante sent forth these furious warriors; even Zhou Yun noticed, on the battlefield, a Death Company Dreadnought trapped in Black Rage.

Even encased within Dreadnought armor, these near-dead ancient warriors could not escape the curse of Black Rage.

These warriors were so efficient and powerful.

Just moments ago, Zhou Yun and the warriors of the First Company of the St. Blood Angels were prey, surrounded by the Hive Fleet.

Now, the line formed by the Death Company nearly held back the tide of the swarm.

Screeeeech!!!

As Zhou Yun stood atop Gao Ta, watching the battlefield, the sound of a blade slicing through air rang out.

A winged Tyranid Monarch dove from the sky like a hunting hawk.

It spread its membrane wings, blotting out the crimson sky, and slashed downward with razor-sharp claws aimed at Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun's form flickered and vanished from his spot, reappearing behind the winged Tyranid Monarch in the blink of an eye.

He seized its head and slammed it hard against the wall of Gao Ta.

"Yaaaaa!!!!"

The winged Tyranid Monarch shrieked as its skull crashed into the marble exterior of Gao Ta.

Marble cracked; its head was forcibly driven into the wall, shards of stone spraying everywhere.

At that moment, a piercing, shrill screech echoed from afar.

A Screamer Killer spread its arms, its mouth gathering a howling sphere of blue plasma.

A crackling surge of electricity filled the air as the pulsing blue bio-plasma sphere shot toward Zhou Yun in midair.

Zhou Yun, still gripping the Tyranid Monarch's head, hurled it straight into the plasma sphere.

A roar of lightning erupted as the bio-plasma sphere collided with the winged Tyranid Monarch, blue light exploding in all directions, illuminating the sky.

Captain Calain and his men turned their gaze toward the spectacle.

They saw Zhou Yun, clad in the Thief DX suit, vanish in an instant and reappear beside the Screamer Killer.

His metal-clad fist swung out violently; the Screamer Killer hastily raised its four claws to block.

Metal clashed loudly; the Screamer Killer staggered backward several steps, cracks appearing on all four claws.

"It's him!" Afure, missing a leg, recognized the familiar figure, his pupils contracting slightly.

Captain Calain instantly understood: this man was the Thief DX who had saved Afure and slain the Gene-Stealer Chieftain.

Captain Calain hesitated for an instant, then seized his Hammer of Baal, charged with an energy field, and leapt toward the Screamer Killer and Zhou Yun.

The stored energy within the finely crafted Thunder Hammer erupted in blinding blue flashes.

Boom!!!

The Hammer of Baal struck the Screamer Killer with crushing force; the Tyranid behemoth roared and retreated, putting distance between itself, Calain, and Zhou Yun.

Meanwhile, the Terminators swiftly understood their Captain's intent.

To fight alongside the mysterious man.

Bolters and flame erupted, raking the Screamer Killer's body.

Captain Calain nodded to Zhou Yun, then charged forward with the Hammer of Baal toward the Screamer Killer.

"My sons react quickly, don't they?" said the winged figure within the white light. "Unlike Guilliman's sons, most just stare rigidly at the Codex."

Zhou Yun nodded in agreement.

Captain Calain did not know Zhou Yun's identity.

Zhou Yun might be a heretic, an alien, some blasphemous creature—but Captain Calain chose to temporarily ignore all doubts and fight beside Zhou Yun.

That was indeed commendable; many rigid Space Marines might have just blasted Zhou Yun with a bolter.

"Indeed, they not only adapt, but inherit their father's tradition of befriending aliens."

Zhou Yun glanced toward the distance, where the Necron warship hovered above Melos Port.

The Necrons had clearly allied with the St. Blood Angels—this was not the first time.

Long ago, to combat the Tyranid Hive Fleets, Commander Dante had once cooperated with the Necron Silent King.

And even earlier, ten thousand years ago—Zhou Yun looked at the winged figure in white light.

Saint Guilliman, somehow, had forged ties with the Silent King, even concealing this alliance from the Emperor, forging a friendship and gifting the Silent King a golden mask carved with his own face.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk—ten thousand years later, the old Silent King still fondles that mask carved with Saint Guilliman's face, sighing as he mourns their lost friendship."

"It's like mourning a dead wife, tsk, tsk, tsk."

Zhou Yun couldn't help but tsk twice. The winged figure in white light coughed awkwardly twice.

He was about to speak when a thunderous crash echoed across the palace square.

Captain Calain, still battling the Screamer Killer, turned his head.

A bio-cannon, roaring across the Death Company's line, targeted Zhou Yun and his direction.

A Tyranid Tyrant stood firm amid the swarm, staring fixedly at Zhou Yun.

A howling bio-projectile shot toward Zhou Yun, flames flickering in the air.

"Take cover!" Captain Calain roared to his Terminators.

"No need."

Zhou Yun flickered, his wrist-wrapped Reflective Cloak unfurling to meet the bio-projectile midair.

The bio-projectile ricocheted violently, hurtling into the swarm far away, exploding and tearing a gash of pus through the hive mass.

Captain Calain stared in astonishment.

But the swarm reacted faster.

They immediately realized ranged attacks were useless against Zhou Yun.

The Tyrant roared, swung its bone sword—longer than a man—and cleaved a Death Company warrior clean in two.

Then it ignored the black-armored warriors and charged straight toward Zhou Yun and Captain Calain.

Simultaneously, more roars erupted from the swarm; a building on one side of the square exploded as if struck by artillery.

Two massive Executioner beasts burst forth, their carapaces gleaming like purple crystal under the crimson sky.

The Executioners swiftly matched the Tyrant's pace, tearing through the Death Company's line and surging into the square, shaking the ground with every step.

Captain Calain stared, frozen.

He couldn't fathom it—our side had only twenty Terminators. Did the swarm really need such overwhelming force?!

!. Read

A Tyrant is at least equivalent to a Chapter Master.

Then Captain Calain suddenly realized, turning to Zhou Yun beside him: "It's after you?"

"After me." Zhou Yun nodded slightly.

"What did you do?" Captain Calain couldn't help asking.

"Didn't do much," Zhou Yun scratched his head, sounding innocent. "Just bit the swarm a few times."

Bit a few times? Captain Calain didn't understand Zhou Yun's meaning.

But at that moment, the Screamer Killer's attack speed surged, trying to break free from the Terminators' suppressive fire.

Captain Calain swung the Hammer of Baal again, clashing with the Screamer Killer.

"Melos! Take ten men, form a squad, intercept the left Executioner!"

Captain Calain's heavy hammer clashed with the Screamer Killer, aided by the other Terminators' suppressive fire, the battle reaching a stalemate.

Ten Terminators broke formation and charged leftward, attempting to intercept one Executioner.

Zhou Yun flickered instantly, appearing behind the Tyrant.

The Tyrant whirled, its razor-sharp bone sword thrusting toward Zhou Yun's metal-clad chest.

Zhou Yun blocked with his thick Pipla-metal wrist armor; sparks flew through the air.

The Tyrant's bio-bone sword, coated in a razor-edged energy field, could cleave through ceramite armor in an instant—but left not even a scratch on Zhou Yun's Thief DX suit.

Zhou Yun leapt sideways, putting distance between himself and the Tyrant.

Dozens of laser rifles spilled from his fourth-dimensional pocket, forming a formation under his psychic control, searing laser beams roaring toward the Tyrant's exposed chitinous flesh.

But the Executioner, tank-like, rushed ahead of the Tyrant and blocked Zhou Yun's laser barrage with its armored chitin.

Zhou Yun flickered again, instantly appearing on the Executioner's back, raising his fist high and slamming it down.

The Tyrant seized this moment, swinging its energy-coated bone sword with crushing force toward Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun raised one hand, blocking with his thick Pipla-metal wrist, while his other fist smashed into the Executioner's body.

Deep, grotesque cracks instantly appeared on the Executioner's back.

Zhou Yun suddenly heard the roar of plasma.

He turned his head and saw, deep in the swarm, a Tyrant Beast holding a bio-plasma cannon, aiming directly at Zhou Yun.

Howling plasma gathered at its muzzle—

Two razor-sharp power claws moved faster than plasma.

A Dreadnought, like an iron coffin, suddenly burst from the swarm, snatching the Tyrant Beast with lightning speed and tearing it in half, blood spraying over the black-armored ancient warrior.

"Come here, traitors! To Papa Kasso! Let Papa Kasso hug you—hug you until you feel your death!!!!"

The loudspeaker of the Dreadnought emitted a deafening roar:

"Traitors! Sons of Horus, lesser than gladiators of Angron, stinking flesh of Tiberius, pleasure-devices of Fulgrim and the ten-to-one torturers of Perturabo! No matter which legion you betray, Kharn shall rip out your hearts and offer them to Sanguinius!!!"

"The tech-priest who installed the Dreadnought's loudspeaker is truly a genius," Zhou Yun couldn't help but marvel.

(End of Chapter)