Chapter 46: The Upheaval of Vostonia

Vostonia, the shantytown on the outskirts of Verkhoyansk Hive City, where the second Altar is located.

A woman draped in blue robes used her claws to lift her hood, revealing a head shaped like a crescent moon.

After emitting a strange screech that no ordinary person could understand, she opened her bird-like beak and spoke to the many mutants in a sharp voice.

"The people of the Hive City view you as pests, as abominable creatures of mutation."

"Is this the truth? Of course not."

The blue-robed woman's left arm elongated until it was only an arm's length away from the nearest mutant, blue flames igniting in her claws.

"Mutation is a gift from the God of Wisdom; you are the chosen ones fortunate enough to receive enlightenment."

"Follow me, and you shall receive the enlightenment of the God of Wisdom; you shall receive the gift."

"You will take back the Hive City that should have belonged to you; you can tear those foolish people who despise you into pieces, and even trample those high-and-mighty noble lords and the mechanical Fools who worship False Gods under your feet."

The mutants let out excited howls; the woman's words ignited the anger in their hearts and stirred their desires.

A mutant with a tumor on his eyelid bent his legs and let out a shrill howl.

"Storm the Hive City, take back our food, tear those maggots to shreds!"

The surrounding mutants, including those from other shantytowns, followed suit, shouting excitedly.

"Storm the Hive City, take back our food, tear those maggots to shreds!"

The blue-robed woman floated up in excitement as the power of the Warp surged.

"The time for enlightenment has come!"

As the mutants of Vostonia stirred up a Storm, Ninglu, by the Coral Sea of the Cradle of the Sea, felt the gaze in his eyes shift as well.

A glimmer of light appeared in the azure sea; that light was faint, yet so dazzling.

It was the light emanating from the Sea of Souls!

Ninglu realized in his heart that the ocean before him, perhaps due to the long-term worship of countless Sicilians and possibly some special opportunity, was shining in the Warp; it was already on the path of ascension, transcending the mundane.

This situation is not uncommon in this world; in the subterranean sea of the Hive City Necromunda, there exists a "Cthulhu" that generated divinity through the generations of worship by fish-men.

Worshiping the ocean is not such a strange thing; Shamanism has three mainstream objects of worship: ancestor worship, nature worship, and animal worship.

Even ten thousand years later, with the Imperial Cult having long become the mainstream faith, the Lower Hive of Necromunda is filled with countless bizarre cults.

There are Shamanistic cults that worship cesspools, sects that worship metal pipes, and even those that worship broken daemon engines.

Even beliefs themselves can give birth to new deities in the Warp through worship.

The T'au Goddess is the embodiment of the T'au Empire's political philosophy of the "Greater Good," and She was born from the faith of countless auxiliary races.

This Mother of the Sea is the same, only it is far too weak compared to those Chaos minor gods, existing in dependence on the worship of its believers; the waves of the Sea of Souls could potentially tear its fragile consciousness apart.

"Outsiders call it the Coral Sea, but we Sicilians call Her the Mother of the Sea; She provides us with food and shelter."

Ninglu's pupils constricted sharply as the faint light in his vision shifted, presenting a blurry, fragmented scene.

Two tentacles, their tips densely packed with teeth, wrapped around the bodies of an Iron Warrior and a bronze-skinned Sicilian.

Sharp teeth tore open their bodies and burrowed inside.

The image then vanished, and the light grew dimmer.

"I saw the image shown by the Mother of the Sea, and I believe you also saw the image She showed you."

"That kind of sea monster is called a Tooth-Eating Octopus; its body is like an octopus, but the mouths that open at the tips of its tentacles are filled with sharp teeth."

"The smallest adult Tooth-Eating Octopus is as large as a room, and their size grows continuously as they feed; the largest one we have witnessed was the size of an island, and every time it surfaces, it causes a Storm."

Malena's tone was filled with disgust, and Ninglu, looking over, saw her dim sorrow and hatred.

"They are despicable predators, blasphemous creatures; neither Sicilians nor the creatures of the sea can escape its disgusting bite."

The Primarch had already realized why the Coral Sea showed him the sea monster; the Tooth-Eating Octopus posed a threat to his faith, and it wanted to borrow his hand to eradicate this monster.

【It is clear that the Coral Sea already possesses a certain level of intelligence; it understands what will make me take action, and that is a threat to the lives of my subordinates.

Moreover, the Sicilians are also my people.】

Thinking this, Ninglu spoke up.

"If the sea monster dares to appear before me, I will surely kill it!"

"The Mother of the Sea showing you this image means that a sea monster has already been attracted."

She paused, then said with mockery and sorrow.

"Sea monsters have an infinite craving for flesh and blood; the blood from the battle between the Xenos and the Sicilians will surely attract these predators."

"Follow me."

Ninglu took Malena and found Vieri.

The bronze-skinned man bowed and began his report.

"My King, I have completed the reorganization of the Trani Sea Guard; there are currently one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two Warriors capable of participating in battle."

"Depart immediately for the neighboring Grosseto Island."

After Szczesny wiped out the Fulao Xenos of Trinio, he followed Ninglu's orders and found the Patriarch.

The Patriarch, whose Warriors had mostly fallen in battle, finally chose to submit when faced with the well-equipped Iron Warriors.

Szczesny immediately ordered a rest and recruited Warriors from the fewer than one thousand Sea Guards to replenish their numbers.

Because time was tight, the selection method he thought of was simple: in batches of one hundred, they would dive into the water to retrieve coral, and the seven who returned the fastest would become new recruits for the Fourth Regiment.

As the fifth batch of Candidates returned one after another, the Iron Warriors stood by the sea checking them off when a dozen tentacles burst from the sea; two of the tentacles wrapped around the waists of one islander and one Iron Warrior respectively.

Szczesny was shocked; he immediately took the Jiguangchangqiang from his back, aimed at the flailing tentacles, and pulled the trigger.

The light accurately struck the tentacles, and white smoke rose.

Although he hit the target accurately, the "Sailor" felt no joy in his heart; he saw clearly that the tentacles had already burrowed into the bodies of the two men.

Jorginho, a bronze-skinned man who had passed the assessment in the third wave, had learned some of the language while trading with the Vostonians and had been temporarily appointed as a platoon leader by Szczesny.

He shouted loudly to the Leader in Low Gothic, "It is a Tooth-Eating Octopus, a hateful man-eating sea monster."

Upon hearing this, Szczesny drew his Chainsword, took a large stride forward, and immediately issued an order.

"Attack!"

The Warriors of the Wosuotuniya Fourth Regiment immediately used the weapons in their hands to launch an attack on the tentacles.

Szczesny pressed the central power rune, phantom scales appeared on his arm, and he slashed down toward the incoming tentacles using the seventh path of the "Osberh-Vaya" slash.

The immense strength of the "Sailor" severed a piece of tentacle over one meter long.

An earth-shattering roar of fury rang out, and the calm sea surface erupted like a tsunami.

Dozens of islanders and Iron Warriors were tossed into the sky by the giant waves.

Szczesny stared in stunned silence as an island-like Monster emerged from the sea.

Jorginho shouted in terror: "It is Zhang Ya, he is the most terrifying Tooth-Devouring Octopus."

At the same time, having been knocked away by a tentacle, Szczesny personally experienced the horror of the sea monster; his Chainsword was knocked away, and his right arm was fractured.

【I can only seek help from my Lord; only he can kill this Monster!】

(End of chapter)