Chapter 222: Holy Shit, a Psychic Ogryn??

The figure of "Azeckel Abaddon" before Lokken constantly shifted.

Swinging between the noble Shadow Wolf Terminator-armored warrior and a grotesque alien creature clad in thick chitinous armor.

Minutes later, everything stabilized, and the scene before Lokken settled into clarity.

He looked at Abaddon's face before him and gave a slight nod, indicating he was unharmed.

Lokken didn't know if it was his gene-seed's fault, but he always saw strange hallucinations.

Even mistaking this noble First Captain, Abaddon, for some kind of alien monster.

Lokken was indeed a captain, but Abaddon's name was unmatched among the Shadow Wolves—not only the honored First Captain, but also a member of the Warlord's Four Kings Council, trusted as deeply as the fallen Sianus.

"You ought to see the Apothecary again for another check."

Abaddon clapped Lokken on the shoulder, his figure flickering amid faint, intermittent insect buzzing.

"No, the Apothecary has never found anything wrong with you. Have you considered seeing Erebus? He knows much ancient lore."

The name Erebus made Lokken's body tremble slightly.

The Astartes warrior from the Word Bearers Legion always unsettled Lokken.

In Lokken's hallucinations, Erebus appeared as a monster with grotesquely swollen brain tissue, muttering strange words endlessly.

"I fear one day you'll be consumed by these visions and become a madman," Abaddon said, lowering his voice suddenly.

Lokken shuddered; the insect buzzing in Abaddon's voice seemed louder.

Noticing Lokken's expression, Abaddon burst out laughing: "I'm just teasing you, Lokken."

"Let's settle this—who reaches the false Emperor's throne first, he claims it."

For a moment, Lokken couldn't help but smile; conversing with Abaddon like this left him unexpectedly honored.

But the Shadow Wolves were like this—brothers, truly family, blood bound to blood, in harmony, all sons of the Warlord.

There were no petty warrior cliques; warriors stood equal, differing only in honor.

Lokken gripped his power sword, turned, and prepared to launch a second assault on the Emperor's palace.

They had already given the Emperor a chance—warned him to abandon resistance and surrender.

But the Shadow Wolves received only a string of incoherent growls and curses—clear provocation.

Now Lokken's Tenth Company would launch—

Huh?

The scene before Lokken blurred slightly.

The grand marble palace of the Emperor vanished; in its place stood a series of grotesque, twisted towers forged from black iron.

These towers hung downward from below, monstrous and contorted, linked by crude metal suspension bridges.

Lokken now stood upon one such bridge.

He faintly saw—

No, on another marble path within the Emperor's palace, an Astartes with unfamiliar armor was battling an Ogryn.

The Astartes wore no helmet, but a strange brown cap with an odd triangular protrusion, and a pipe clenched between his teeth.

Zhou Yun had planned to bluff his way in.

But for some reason, as soon as Zhou Yun neared the lower levels of the Coleoptera Fortress, he was attacked by the roaches.

These roaches had integrated parts of the Lictor gene-sequence; their scales now possessed a light-shadow camouflage ability similar to Lictors.

But this posed no problem for Zhou Yun—or for Morphiston.

Morphiston could use his immense psychic power to directly locate these alien creatures amid the gaps of light and shadow.

Zhou Yun, meanwhile, kept his pipe in his mouth, occasionally exhaling a puff of smoke.

The smoke drifted and hovered above the heads of the invisible roaches, marking their positions.

【Item Name: Sherlock Holmes' Detective Pipe】

【Origin: 22nd Century Earth—Future Department Store】

【Manufacture Date: 261. 3】

【Function: Mimics Sherlock Holmes' detective pipe, sold bundled with a clue magnifier, radar cane, and reasoning cap. The smoke bubbles it exhales hover above the head of the culprit, marking them.】

Zhou Yun raised his meltagun in one hand; heat roared through its barrel, each blast shattering an invisible roach's body.

Because he wore the Reasoning Cap, Zhou Yun could not wear his Psychic Hat simultaneously.

This was one of the Psychic Hat's flaws—he could not use other head-worn items while wearing it.

But—

An invisible roach circled behind Zhou Yun, attempting to strike from his blind spot.

Yet the triangular protrusion atop Zhou Yun's cap suddenly flared with a pale green glow—a tiny pyramid formed of light.

As the triangle flickered, Zhou Yun's ears glowed faintly; his hearing was enhanced, instantly detecting the roach's approach from behind.

But he did not turn his head; instead, his brain emitted a faint glow.

Instantly, the roach was struck by an invisible force, flung backward, and smashed into pulp.

【Item Name: Portable Pyramid】

【Origin: 22nd Century Earth—Future Department Store】

【Manufacture Date: 261. 3】

【Function: A small, portable pyramid composed of light. When worn on the head, it can activate latent human potentials, granting limited psychic abilities.】

【Price: 4, 00, 00】

A device worth over four and a half million, yet it comprehensively enhanced Zhou Yun's abilities—his hearing, vision, smell, reaction time, all pushed to near-psychic levels.

Though the telekinesis gained from brain enhancement could not rival the psychic power trained by the Psychic Hat, nor could leg enhancement grant teleportation speed,

this item excelled in portability and versatility.

At least when facing an enemy like Khaan, who could pierce the Rogue DX armor, Zhou Yun could use the Portable Pyramid to harden his skin and avoid being cut through in one blow.

I really should stack more defense.

Zhou Yun sighed inwardly, swung his other fist—gloved in the Superman Glove—and smashed the skulls of the nearest roaches.

As he slaughtered, Zhou Yun suddenly noticed the roaches were fighting among themselves.

Or rather, two factions of roaches were clashing.

One faction were the invisible roaches; the other had thicker chitinous armor.

Were two chieftain candidates fighting right now? That's why I was attacked upon entering this area?

Zhou Yun slightly lowered his cap, scanned the surroundings; his enhanced intellect instantly distinguished the two sides.

The invisible roaches guarded the lower levels, defending the tower Zhou Yun intended to reach—they were the False Emperor's forces.

The other faction, with thicker chitinous armor, were invading the lower levels of the Coleoptera Fortress, enemies of the False Emperor.

Zhou Yun pondered, deliberately targeting only the False Emperor's roaches, letting the other side clear his path.

"Lokken, did you see that Astartes? Unfamiliar armor?? Is he one of ours?"

Abaddon's voice, laced with surprise, echoed in Lokken's ear; his fingers brushed the comm device, feeling a faint, sticky residue.

"I saw him—he's right ahead of me. He… which legion is he from? Clearly not one of our Shadow Wolves."

Lokken stared, bewildered, at the unknown Astartes, slaughtering through invisible warriors alongside an Ogryn.

Especially—that Ogryn was using psychic energy??

An Ogryn using psychic energy??

Lokken stared in confusion as the Ogryn raised both hands, chanting a complex incantation.

Then sharp bolts of psychic lightning howled forth, incinerating every roach around them to ash.

Lokken had fought alongside Ogryns before; in his memory, they struggled to count to ten.

Who on earth could teach an Ogryn such a complex psychic ritual??

Even the Emperor couldn't do that. If you could teach an Ogryn psychic powers… why even need the Thousand Sons??

Lokken hesitated. His Tenth Company followed this unknown Astartes, and the pressure had lessened significantly.

But he was an unknown. Yet upon reflection, only the Imperium could create Astartes.

And the stranger had not attacked the Shadow Wolves.

Rationally, Lokken decided to observe further.

He swung his power sword, swiftly cleaving through an invisible warrior's body.

"Tenth Company! Support that unknown Astartes and his Ogryn!"

Lokken gave the order, but his Tenth Company soldiers hesitated.

They watched as the Ogryn casually waved his arm, releasing a twisted wave of psychic energy that turned waves of invisible warriors into bloody chunks.

"Do we even need to support him?"

One Tenth Company soldier couldn't help asking:

"I'd believe you if you said this Ogryn was Alpharius' psychic transformation!"

Lokken fell silent.

Aside from the psychic Ogryn, the unknown Astartes was also slaughtering relentlessly—his meltagun never missed, his reflexes were extraordinary.

And the smoke he exhaled seemed to possess unique power, clinging above the heads of invisible warriors, making them easier for Lokken and his men to spot.

"... ollow them," Lokken sighed, giving the order.

(End of Chapter)