Chapter 174: On How a Think Tank Single-Handedly Eliminates an Entire Legion

Zhou Yun watched as the fifteen so-called Winged Saint Guilliman Champions stepped onto the stage.

Among them were the Plaguebearers skilled in flesh alchemy, the assassin strains adept at marksmanship, the hulking Abominations, the powerful and agile Pureblood Gene-Stealers, and the Kineguards.

These fifteen nearly encompassed every major type of Gene-Stealer, their heads bowed reverently as they slowly emerged from the crowd.

This made Zhou Yun slightly raise an eyebrow.

He couldn't quite grasp what the Gene-Stealers were trying to accomplish with this display.

Was it truly necessary to make it so ceremonial, so sacred? Fifteen Winged Saint Guilliman Champions to welcome back the Living Saint Guilliman?

"Ritual." A fragmented voice echoed in Zhou Yun's ear.

The voice of the winged figure within the white light subtly bridged the gap between the Warp and reality, reaching Zhou Yun's ear.

Ritual? Zhou Yun's eyebrow lifted slightly—he seemed to understand a little.

Melphistoth's expression shifted slightly as he observed the scene.

He had read countless dark texts, ancient books, and forbidden tomes, knowing many ancient and evil spells and rituals.

From the Gene-Stealers' actions, Melphistoth clearly detected deliberate ritualistic traces.

The preaching before nearly all Gene-Stealers, the procession of the fifteen so-called Winged Saint Guilliman Champions, the welcoming of that Lictor's return—

All of it carried the scent of ritual, likely some unknown xenos ceremony enacted through this series of ritualized acts.

Most rituals, at their core, weaken the barrier between reality and the Warp, channeling the Warp's power into reality.

The preaching reinforced the Gene-Stealers' belief in the so-called Living Saint Guilliman; the fifteen so-called Winged Saint Guilliman Champions likely served to channel the Hive Mind.

And once they welcomed back that Lictor, combining the Hive Mind's projected power with the Gene-Stealers' worship,

That Lictor might truly become, to some degree, the so-called Living Saint Guilliman, gaining extraordinary enhancement.

No wonder,

No wonder that Lictor, in the premonition, could slip effortlessly into the Angel's Keep and lead the Gene-Stealers in destroying the Blood Coffin Hall and the Void Shield Array.

It was because the Gene-Stealers' centuries of faith had been deliberately channeled toward that Lictor, amplifying its power.

Melphistoth's heart trembled inwardly—he recalled Zhou Yun's warning.

Could it be that Saint Doraemon was so cautious precisely because he knew this, knew the Lictor's uniqueness?

Melphistoth suddenly realized he had underestimated Zhou Yun—he had effortlessly anticipated the Hive Mind's moves.

Come to think of it, it made sense: according to the visions Melphistoth had seen through the Eight-Faced Horror, Zhou Yun was both a contender for the Hive Mind and a contender for its relative position—their relationship must be fiercely hostile.

Perhaps, long before Melphistoth had even known of them, they had already been clashing.

Melphistoth steadied himself—he knew he must infiltrate this procession and kill the Lictor before it was welcomed back to the Winged Keep.

For once the Lictor was brought back into the Winged Keep and appeared before all these schemers, the ritual would be complete.

Melphistoth gently guided his psychic energy, seeping into the brain of one Winged Saint Guilliman Champion.

He condensed that psychic energy into a pinpoint and traced it along the bloodstream to rest beside a critical cerebral nerve.

Then, as if no one else existed, Melphistoth stepped calmly out from among the Gene-Stealers and walked toward that Winged Saint Guilliman Champion.

The psychic pinpoint buried in its brain erupted silently, severing those key neural pathways.

The Winged Saint Guilliman Champion felt darkness flood his vision, pain exploding in his skull—he tried to cry out.

But Melphistoth's psychic energy had precisely severed the nerves governing speech, leaving him mute.

The Champion's body collapsed backward uncontrollably.

Melphistoth slowly extended his hand to catch its body, pouring psychic energy into it without a trace.

Almost all of its memories flowed instantly into Melphistoth's mind.

Then, the Champion's body disintegrated in an instant into countless molecules invisible to the naked eye, vanishing from sight.

Melphistoth stepped forward, calmly taking its place, and altered the cognitive distortion so that everyone now perceived him as that Winged Saint Guilliman Champion.

Almost no one noticed—he had slipped into the ranks of the Winged Saint Guilliman Champions within mere seconds.

Except Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun stood nearby, watching Melphistoth's display with keen interest.

Due to his innate Warp nature and the influence of the winged figure in the white light, Zhou Yun was partially immune to cognitive distortions and other psychic manipulations.

Even so, Zhou Yun couldn't help but marvel:

No wonder Melphistoth—the Chief Librarian of the Blood Angels—is among the pinnacle of contemporary psykers.

If one were to rank the current Adeptus Astartes Librarians, only one could surpass Melphistoth in both power and battlefield achievements:

The former First Captain and Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons, the Chosen of Tzeentch, Azarok Ariman.

Ariman's psychic power alone was terrifying, and his achievements were even more astonishing.

Ariman used his signature technique, the Ariman Red Glyph, to nearly single-handedly annihilate an entire Adeptus Astartes Legion and enslave it as puppets—though that Legion happened to be his own.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yun's lips curled slightly—the Thousand Sons joke never grows old.

Melphistoth, now embedded among the Winged Saint Guilliman Champions, turned his head to look at Zhou Yun, still hidden in the crowd.

Melphistoth felt a strange unease—had Saint Doraemon still not acted?

It seemed the Gene-Stealers were about to depart—was he not going to infiltrate the procession?

Melphistoth couldn't help but cast Zhou Yun a questioning glance, as if asking how he planned to join.

Then Mephiston saw Zhou Yun's lips curl into a mocking arc, as if ridiculing the most foolishly self-important being in the entire galaxy.

Melphistoth saw Zhou Yun's lips curl into a mocking, sardonic smile, as if ridiculing the most foolishly self-important being in the galaxy.

Melphistoth's heart jolted at that smile.

His psychic energy swept silently across the entire venue.

Then his face darkened with confusion—there was no sign. In his psychic perception, Zhou Yun had not infiltrated the Winged Saint Guilliman Champions.

But remembering Zhou Yun's mocking smile, Melphistoth could not be certain.

Had Saint Doraemon already infiltrated before Melphistoth noticed?

Melphistoth realized it was entirely possible.

As a Librarian constantly exposed to the Warp, no one knew the power of the Dark Gods better than Melphistoth.

And Zhou Yun was a candidate for three of those positions—he had always given Melphistoth an intense sense of danger.

His power might far exceed Melphistoth's imagination.

Melphistoth steadied himself, staring at the other fourteen Winged Saint Guilliman Champions.

He couldn't help but wonder again— which one was Saint Doraemon in disguise?

"Which one is it?" Melphistoth sat alone atop the dunes, his psychic energy periodically scanning everyone present.

The fourteen Winged Saint Guilliman Champions, the Gene-Stealer Bishop, even the Gene-Stealer Chieftain hiding behind psychic concealment—all had been scanned.

Yet half a day had passed since they left Shechibao, and Mephiston still could not identify which one was Zhou Yun.

Yet half a day had passed since they left the Winged Keep, and Melphistoth still could not identify Zhou Yun among them.

Could Saint Doraemon not have infiltrated at all? That didn't make sense.

Melphistoth's eyes narrowed, and he re-examined the fourteen so-called Winged Saint Guilliman Champions with his physical sight.

At that moment, a Killer-Strain Gene-Stealer wearing a woven shawl and a cowboy hat, with three arms, approached Melphistoth.

According to the memories Melphistoth had acquired, this Gene-Stealer's name was "Three Shots" Kaelen.

Kaelen was the name of the First Captain of the Blood Angels—now he himself was reinforcing Cadia.

Melphistoth's gaze flickered—could it be him? Was this the disguise of Saint Doraemon?

Indeed, according to what Melphistoth knew,

Saint Doraemon's marksmanship was divine, surpassing the limits permitted by the material world.

And this Killer-Strain was also skilled in firearms; moreover, Kaelen had previously encountered Saint Doraemon on Asford.

Melphistoth watched "Three Shots" Kaelen approach, his eyes brightening—he must be it.

"Ahazha, have some red-root tea."

Ahazha was the name Melphistoth had assumed—a psyker among the Gene-Stealers.

"Three Shots" Kaelen grinned confidently, pulled back his shawl, and handed Melphistoth a jar of brewed red-root tea:

"It's my own secret recipe."

Melphistoth stared blankly at the jar of red-root tea—was this some metaphor? A riddle? A hint?

Then Melphistoth saw "Three Shots" Kaelen walk to another, pull back his shawl, pull out another jar of red-root tea, and repeat the exact same words he had said to Melphistoth.

Melphistoth stared at the jar in his hand, lost in thought.

Was it not him? Could he really just be sharing his homemade red-root tea?

Melphistoth fell silent, then turned his gaze to others—could Saint Doraemon be disguised as a dim-witted Abomination?

Hard to guess. Could he not have come at all?

That couldn't be—Saint Doraemon had clearly said he would join the hunt for the Lictor.

Meanwhile, at the Winged Keep, the Wing and Claw Restaurant.

Zhou Yun set down his empty plate and called out to the owner behind him:

"Owner, another serving of salt-baked fire-scorpion! Add more spices this time!"

【96】 (End of Chapter)