Chapter 177: The Red Scar

Blood, fresh blood burning in mid-air, spanning the dome of the entire Red Grand Council Chamber, like a scar cut into the reality of the universe.

The holographic sphere was operating silently, projecting a complex star map into the air.

This star map was extremely detailed, every detail meticulously carved and flawless, presenting that portion of the eastern Segmentum Ultima.

That bloody scar was the center of this part of the star map.

And within the bloody scar, the twin stars symbolizing the Underworld System were burning, signifying that this system had already fallen.

And behind the Underworld System, Baal's sun, Baalor, was shining.

Several systems between the two were marked in gray; they had either been invaded by the swarm or destroyed by the Exterminatus carried out by Dante.

Dante emulated the methods of that radical Inquisitor Kryptman, issuing an Exterminatus between Baal and the Underworld, along the swarm's inevitable path.

This meant that as the swarm traversed this area, it would be almost impossible to obtain enough biomass to replenish its losses at Baal.

Dante successfully preserved the fruits of their victory in the Underworld, but the price was the lives of countless Imperial citizens.

Even though most of them had no hope of survival under the swarm's invasion anyway, Dante still felt pained by this.

He only felt that his heart was suffering unbearable torment; the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang surely did not forge them to slaughter mortals.

What pained Dante most was that, as Chapter Master, he did not even have the right to express this pain.

Because this was the correct course of action, and Commander Dante could not waver because he had taken the correct course of action.

Dante could not help but look at the Blood Knight Chapter Master Yuer. If it were him, or a chapter like the Flesh Tearers that despised mortals, perhaps they would have made this decision more easily.

Perhaps it was because deep in Dante's heart, he was still that salt-seller's son, Luis on Baal Secundus.

Dante suppressed the pain in his heart, hid the salt-seller's son back under the mask of Commander Dante, and hid Commander Dante under the golden mask of Sanguinius.

"That is the Leviathan Hive Fleet."

Dante pointed to the star map in mid-air and said.

On the star map, many shadows extended from below the plane of the galaxy, invading the Human Empire, hovering over the star map like spreading tentacles; every world swept by the tentacles was extinguished and died along with them.

"In the years past, the Blood Angels Chapter has engaged the swarm several times. And in the last battle, we obtained precious intelligence about the swarm. Everyone can look at the table in front of you."

The Astartes flowing with the blood of Sanguinius looked at the table one after another.

In front of them was a printed booklet, on which was written a large headline: "Tyranid Biology Encyclopedia Even an Ogryn Can Understand."

The Astartes opened this booklet with curiosity.

The vast majority of chapters that had never fought the swarm marveled at the weird power of the Tyranid creatures recorded within.

And those chapters that had truly fought the swarm were even more shocked by the detail of the booklet itself and the horror of the information revealed within.

"This is impossible!" The first to exclaim was Chapter Master Malphas of the Bloodletters Chapter.

The chapter he led had once fought the swarm.

The Blood Disciples Chapter on the other side also nodded in agreement: "It actually claims here... claims that all Tyranid creatures are essentially a larger single individual?"

"We have fought the swarm before, we understand the swarm. They may appear cunning, but they are essentially still low-intelligence bugs, animals, a flesh-and-blood disaster gathered from individual entities..."

The Chapter Master of the Blood Disciples continued:

"These lower-level creatures are commanded by higher-level node creatures; they also have officers and lords, and there is some kind of psychic network connection between them. Overall, the swarm is a group of greedy animals that will only move toward places with high-density biomass."

"But this is wrong. We cannot turn a blind eye to their... no, to its nature."

Dante said calmly:

"The Tyranid swarm has a unified will, and the shadow in the Warp is the influence produced by its existence."

"That is a single, vast, ensouled existence. The Aeldari call Him the Eternal Dragon or the Great Devourer. Those countless swarms were created by Him and created Him, just as our flesh creates our soul, and our soul governs our flesh."

Him... Everyone noticed that Dante used a divine third-person pronoun for the Hive Mind.

There was a deathly silence in the air.

"You mean, the Hive Mind is essentially a Chaos existence born in the Warp? Just wearing a shell made of flesh and blood?" A Librarian of a Blood Chapter asked Dante.

"No, I, Mephiston... and the author of this booklet clearly believe that the swarm is an existence born in the material universe that occupies an independent position in the Warp. It is filled with endless hunger, existing in reality in the form of the Tyranid swarm, and existing in the Warp in the form of the Hive Mind," Dante shook his head and said.

"There is no precedent for this!" The Librarian said in a terrified voice: "And there is no evidence."

"There is a precedent. Mephiston told me there is a precedent... but he cannot tell anyone about that precedent."

Dante stared at the Librarian, shook his head, and said: "And he faced the Hive Mind directly and survived. He told me the essence of the Hive Mind... it is a single mind, a powerful Warp existence, powerful enough to even shield the power of the Dark Gods and the light of the Hua Hua Hua Di Huang."

"Furthermore, the Tyranid swarm's journey to Baal itself is evidence. In the barren Red Scar... there is no opportunity for it to replenish a large amount of biomass. It came here, pointing directly at Baal; there must be other reasons besides eating."

Dante noticed the gazes cast by his blood kin around him, gazes mixed with shock, doubt, terror, and confusion.

There was no moment Dante wished more for Mephiston to be here than now. Mephiston had absolute authority on Warp knowledge and could suppress all questioning.

But Dante could only parrot him as much as possible, saying what he had told him.

"... Dante." Yuer of the Blood Knights Chapter issued a questioning voice: "Where did this booklet come from?"

In an instant, everyone's eyes first turned to Yuer, and then to Dante.

That's right, where did this booklet come from?

The descriptions of various swarm creatures in it were too detailed, from every kind of biological weapon to the habits of every kind of Tyranid creature.

The author of this booklet was simply like a Biologis Magos who had infiltrated the interior of the Tyranid creatures. Otherwise, how would they know everything so clearly, even down to such trivial details as the fact that Brain Bugs come from Aeldari genetic sequences, the Warp characteristics of the Hive Mind, and even that most low-level Tyranid creatures do not have anuses?

Even if Dante said the author of this booklet was the Tyranid Hive Mind itself, the Blood Chapters would probably believe it a little.

"Another Warp existence, perhaps like the Hive Mind, is an existence that has ascended or is about to ascend from the material universe and is about to occupy an independent position in the Warp."

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"Mephiston believes He is in competition with the Hive Mind."

Dante said, trying to keep his tone flat.

"You mean..." Blood Knight Yuer let out a low laugh: "We are going to fight a god, and we have received help from another god?"

"..." Dante looked at Yuer in silence. Mephiston had once taught him how to respond to this question: "Do you have a better name for Them?"

Everyone present gasped, and even the look Yuer cast at Dante was filled with shock.

"What is His name? The one that conflicts with the Hive Mind?" Blood Knight Chapter Master Yuer asked in a low voice.

"... Doraemon." Dante looked at Yuer and said slowly: "Saint Doraemon."

Behind Dante, a winged figure in white light that no one could see gently vibrated its wings.

A faint blue color emerged from his radiance, as if echoing the name Doraemon.

Baalor had lowered beneath the stars, the Red Scar occupied the firmament, reflecting the night sky into a blood color that seemed ready to drip.

Mephiston and the Genestealers walked on the desert beneath the stars, the blood-red light reflecting on them, turning them into blood-colored silhouettes.

The Genestealer Patriarch Four-Claw Dante had already revealed his massive body.

His body, six or seven meters tall, appeared exceptionally terrifying.

Mephiston evaluated his strength.

Even if he wanted to completely kill this Genestealer Patriarch that had been growing stronger for hundreds of years, it would probably take seven or eight seconds.

After all, maintaining high-intensity cognitive distortion all the way had also consumed some of his psychic power.

Mephiston watched the Genestealer Patriarch without leaving a trace. Since it had revealed its form, it meant it should be very close...

Suddenly, the Genestealer Patriarch stopped its steps and raised its triangular head.

"The place of divine descent has arrived!" Genestealer Bishop Spirit-Brain Mephiston issued a voice filled with joy.

Hot sand blew past, and before the eyes of Mephiston and the others, a steaming, seed-like pod appeared.

It lay obliquely on the wavy sand, its purple carapace shimmering under the blood-red light.

Crack, hiss——————

A tearing sound rang out, and a viscous, damp opening appeared at the top of the pod. The crevice, oozing with mucus, began to spasm and open, as if symbolizing a false birth, the arrival of a twisted thing.

A tall, thin, and extremely sharp creature crawled out from the opening, swaying as it walked toward Mephiston and the others.

"The Living Saint Sanguinarius is born!" The Genestealer Bishop issued a pious chant, kneeling on the yellow sand.

However, after the creature walked a few steps, it suddenly opened its four claws, which were far smaller than a normal Lictor's, raised its alien head, opened its bloody mouth, and the viscous flesh membrane covering its head was torn off along with it.

A roar filled with anger came from its throat, and the huge brain tissue exposed to the air released a blinding psychic light.

This Lictor subspecies, which Mephiston had never seen before but had read about in that "Tyranid Biology Encyclopedia Even an Ogryn Can Understand," slowly turned its head to look at Mephiston...

(End of chapter)