Chapter 126

"... Card number one, the God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang."

Sister of Battle Acelade watched as that little girl from the Lower Hive named Ye Ruite drew a card from a stack of exquisite Tarot cards belonging to the Order of the Sacred Rose.

This little girl was discovered by Acelade from the ranks of Lower Hive refugees.

This little girl was involuntarily using psychic power to divine for others at that time.

Acelade knew that many people were born with a certain degree of psychic talent, just so weak that most people might not notice it for their whole lives.

The little girl named Ye Ruite in front of her was one of them; she possessed some psychic talent, especially in divination.

Acelade confirmed this little girl's loyalty, and after confirming that she had only used the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Tarot as a divination method, she absorbed her to become her follower.

Ye Ruite, this dry little girl from the Lower Hive, had studied the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Tarot even more than many diviners who specialized in this path, and she was loyal and pure.

The vast majority of Sisters of Battle felt disgust toward psykers.

But Ye Ruite's psychic power wasn't strong enough to be disgusting, and the Order of the Sacred Rose was relatively moderate and emphasized practicality...

So Acelade ordered this little girl to guide the way for the refugee team, helping them avoid the increasingly numerous swarm.

"The God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang card foreshadows that hope still exists in the cold darkness..."

In the house in the Upper Hive where the refugees were hiding, Ye Ruite whispered to Acelade.

Hope still exists?

Acelade looked out the window silently; on the street outside the window, some swarms were wandering, the lower-level ones.

And there were still thirteen Sisters of Battle and twenty-six Novitiates in their team.

If they didn't encounter more dangerous enemies, they could protect this batch of refugees to Melos Port.

That would be the final safe place on Ashford.

When General Droste ordered the Astra Militarum soldiers to begin retreating, the refugees protected by the Sisters of Battle also began to head toward Melos Port.

Following the "Tyranid Organism Encyclopedia That Even Ogryns Should Understand" written by Zhou Yun and General Droste's judgment,

The Astra Militarum and the refugees were all split into small units, evacuating in batches and in different directions.

This was because large-scale gathered crowds were a rich banquet for the swarm, which was very likely to attract the swarm's concentrated attack.

Conversely, small-scale units were not so easy to attract the swarm's attention and were instead safer.

Acelade looked at the few swarms outside the window.

At least the road in front was safe, but there was a corner at the end of the street that turned in another direction.

Acelade worried that they might encounter an ambush there.

And Acelade was protecting an important object; she didn't dare to take too much risk.

Acelade looked at the petite girl in the arms of the Novitiate beside her.

That girl had a head of dry blonde hair, eyes closed tightly, small freckles on her face, and shallow burn marks all over her body, revealing a kind of simple purity...

Jeanne, this child's name was Jeanne.

Acelade thought in her heart.

In the story told by Zhou Yun, this child was a holy girl chosen by the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang.

Acelade found it somewhat hard to believe, but instinctively felt that Zhou Yun hadn't lied.

Regardless of whether this girl truly possessed holiness, Acelade had promised Zhou Yun in the name of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang that she would protect her well.

But just staying here wouldn't work either; in the end, they still had to take the risk and move forward.

Acelade looked at that Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Tarot card.

Drawn on the Tarot card was the figure of the God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang sitting on the Golden Throne, those hollow eyes staring at Acelade.

Looking at the God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's face, Acelade felt inexplicably reassured.

She performed an Aquila salute lightly and nodded lightly to the Sisters of Battle sisters beside her.

Under the protection of the Sisters of Battle, the refugees rushed out from the house where they were hiding.

Those low-level Tyranid organisms all around immediately cast their scarlet eyes, which revealed greed, toward them.

Bolter fire rang out, and a Hormagaunt that tried to pounce over was turned into ghastly fragments under Acelade's bolter.

"Flamer!!!"

Following Acelade's command, the Sisters of Battle holding promethium flamers walked to the front of the queue.

Scorching promethium flames roared, burning the Tyranid organisms that tried to intercept the refugee team into ashes.

"Advance!" Acelade pointed to the corner ahead.

The refugee team ran under the protection of the Sisters of Battle.

It was possible; at this speed, they would definitely be able to reach Melos Port today.

Acelade thought in her heart.

Suddenly, she sensed that the vibration of the ground was somewhat unnatural.

The sound of claws breaking through the air rang out, and four sharp long blades stabbed toward the refugee team. "Don't even think about it!!!"

Acelade roared, grabbed her bolter, and opened fire.

Bolters roared, colliding with those four sharp long blades, setting off a burst of sparks.

Acelade then raised the chainsword in her hand high, colliding with those four biological long blades.

Sparks rang out in the air for a time, and the giant beast quickly deflected its body, and forcibly shook Acelade back.

Acelade was therefore able to see the full appearance of that giant beast.

That was a giant beast seven or eight meters tall, born with four sharp long blades, and covered in a hard chitinous carapace.

Screamer-Killer!!!

Acelade's eyes widened suddenly; it was actually a Screamer-Killer!!

Among the Carnifex subspecies of Tyranid organisms, the most vicious and terrifying one!

The Screamer-Killer quickly pulled away from the refugee team.

Of course, this wasn't because it intended to let the refugee team go, but—

Sizzle...

A sharp, ferocious roar like electric current surging rang out from the Screamer-Killer's mouth.

Ghastly and terrifying...

"Scatter the queue!!!!" Acelade roared loudly.

She knew what that sound foreshadowed; she had read about it in that "Tyranid Organism Encyclopedia That Even Ogryns Should Understand" written by Zhou Yun...

Bio-plasma, bio-plasma capable of easily destroying Dreadnought armor...

Acelade abandoned the bolter in her hand; she knew this couldn't cause effective damage to the Screamer-Killer.

She gripped the chainsword tightly with both hands, passing through the refugees who were fleeing in panic to both sides.

Acelade vaguely saw electricity gathering in the Screamer-Killer's mouth.

She didn't know whether death or victory would arrive in front of her first.

!. Read

She seemed to hear the Novitiate beside her exclaiming something, but at this moment, only that Screamer-Killer remained in Acelade's eyes.

She raised her chainsword high and pounced toward the Screamer-Killer.

And the bio-plasma in the Screamer-Killer's mouth also surged out—

Gentle footsteps rang out.

Acelade's body stopped in mid-air.

That mass of bio-plasma also stopped in mid-air.

Time stood still, atoms were stuck in mid-air, the bolter's flames stood still, and blood drew an arch in the air...

Everything looked like a stage that had been pressed with a pause button.

Acelade watched with her mouth agape as that girl with dry blonde hair walked past her side slowly.

Flames burned in the girl's eyes, and scorching light ignited her hair, turning into an arc of light behind her head.

Acelade looked at her, only feeling that her throat was dry as if it were choked.

Jeanne, it was that girl named Jeanne.

Only to see Jeanne slowly extend her finger and point lightly toward the Screamer-Killer's direction.

The Screamer-Killer seemed to begin to ignite from the atomic level, turning into ashes and dissipating in the blink of an eye.

"God-Hua Hua Hua Di Huang above..." Acelade muttered in a low voice.

She watched Jeanne's body sway lightly, and then she fell to the ground.

Time also began to flow again as a result...

An ocean composed of chitin covered the entire Ashford; huge capillary spires rose from the earth, like giant trees from a demon realm.

Below the capillary spires were bubbling biomass pools; thick biomass rolled within.

Smaller swarms threw the biomass collected from the entire planet into them.

General Droste stood at the high point of Melos Port, looking down at Fudia City from there, feeling only sorrow.

This was a graveyard for the Ashford people, and also a graveyard for the Cadians...

Three million Cadians, and now only less than a mere one hundred and thirty thousand were standing at Melos Port.

A full two million plus Cadians had fallen on the battlefield.

Now all the survivors on Ashford were gathered at this Melos Port.

The swarm also followed; fortunately, General Droste had dug a moat around the airport in advance and filled it with promethium, which was ignited by a fierce fire.

The fiercely burning fire temporarily turned into a city wall, protecting the survivors within.

But General Droste knew that this wouldn't last long...

He touched the stubble on his chin that he hadn't shaved for a long time, his face full of fatigue and pain.

Ever since Zhou Yun left, the communication equipment carried by the Astra Militarum had been affected by the Warp engine again, almost unable to be used.

General Droste didn't know if he could still hold on until the arrival of reinforcements—

The sound of fire scorching the atmosphere rang out; General Droste suddenly raised his head.

Drop pods belonging to the Astartes descended like a sky full of fire rain, tearing through the scarlet clouds.

On the outskirts of the Viceroy's Palace, beside a toppled Hua Hua Hua Di Huang statue,

A monster named the Underworld Insect used four arms to grab the statue tightly, stood up, and looked at the fire rain all over the sky...

The Hive Mind's singing voice rang out beside it; that was the eternal singing voice that had remained the same for hundreds of millions of years, a great movement about devouring and survival, grand design and mass weirdness.

That movement was summoning the Underworld Insect—but it suddenly hummed, resisting the Hive Mind's call.

It wasn't time yet... It wasn't time yet... It still had an old grudge to settle.

The Underworld Insect shook its body and disappeared into the shadows of the Royal Palace in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.

Zhou Yun stood on a high tower not far away, glanced at the seeker's staff pointing at the Underworld Insect, and then placed his gaze on the sky.

The drop pods carrying the Blood Angels were descending; the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang's Angels of Death had arrived at Ashford.

"Wow, this is truly a ghoul—no, angels descending beside me." Zhou Yun couldn't help but exclaim.

"You really deserve to die, you really deserve to die." The winged figure in the white light said through gritted teeth.

(End of chapter)