Chapter 500

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Protagonist:

Lin En

Lena

The violent Warp Storm mixed with the power of the Four Gods still raged and roared all around, Chaos energy washing over this interstitial space again and again like frenzied muddy waves.

Lin En had just scattered and banished the thirteen Scions, and together with Lena, prepared to directly face the devastating impact unleashed by the Four Gods joining forces.

There was no time to catch a breath, and no way out to speak of.

Lena's psychic main body and the will of billions of Bug Swarms burned completely at this moment; the Tyranids' unique biomass reconstruction instinct was driven to its absolute limit.

Billions of flowing biomass threads converged from every corner of the void; countless gene fragments, screened and optimized, wove, stacked, and shaped bit by bit like precise brocade.

She was going to re-forge a modern-world flesh body for Lin En.

Massive amounts of Bug Race genes were repeatedly tuned and screened, excising the aberrational defects of violent bloodlust, yet retaining the Tyranids' powerful physique, self-healing potential, and resistances.

This newly born body — muscle fibers, neural circuits, skeletal structure — had all been tempered and polished by the power of Dominion, its strength far surpassing that of an Astartes Champion Warrior.

Strength, reaction speed, psychic tolerance — all reached the peak a mortal could touch.

Beneath the flesh and blood still lay the seed of Dominion authority; the moment Lin En's consciousness returned to its place, it would awaken instantly.

While re-forging Lin En's flesh body, Lena split off a portion of her origin power and constructed a brand-new Frost Dragon.

This newly born Frost Dragon was no longer the massive, cumbersome form of old; compared to the old version its build was more compact and condensed, its horns glimmering with a deep, dark purple luster, its huge wing membranes flowing with purple bio-psychic radiance.

She discarded part of the pure size advantage in exchange for faster charge speed, higher psychic conduction efficiency, integrated offense and defense — its strength a step above the original.

When the last wisp of biomass fell into place, the brand-new flesh body hovered steadily in the Warp turbulence.

Lin En's consciousness naturally sank down, returning completely and whole to the body that belonged to him.

The real sensation of blood flowing came from his body; surging power raced through his bones; he flexed his five fingers, able to clearly feel the terrifying potential dormant within this frame.

Relying on the few dregs of Dominion power left, blocking the storm of destruction, Lin En used the modern-world coordinates left by Adodo to successfully open a passage to Real Space.

The two immediately leapt in, leaving the Warp.

Just as the pair had just completed their return to the modern world, before they even had time to stabilize their state, a grand Warp exit suddenly tore open at the Calixis Mandeville jump point.

A massive Imperial Fleet, breaking through the surging Warp Storm, sailed majestically into this Brevis Star Domain.

The entire fleet was painted in the Ultramarines' iconic somber blue; striking Greek letter Omega Symbols were engraved all over the hulls, their allegiance clear at a glance.

The Thirteenth Legion, the Ultramarines.

This was the Expeditionary Fleet dispatched by Roboute Guilliman.

The fleet took a majestic, massive Retribution-class Battleship as its combat core, with several Moon-class and Gothic-class Cruisers guarding its flanks.

Over a dozen Escort Ships spread out to form a tight picket formation, and a Torchbearer-class Transport followed close behind the formation.

The Ultramarines' Coat of Arms was emblazoned on the hulls; every inch of the ship shells proclaimed outward that the will of the Human Empire's Regent King Guilliman had already descended upon this star domain.

The warships had just stabilized after dropping out of warp when full-spectrum comms immediately forced their way open; the broadcast signal penetrated the planetary atmosphere, covering all of Brevis and even radiating toward all surrounding void zones.

A solemn, heavy synthesized male voice crossed the airwaves to every corner of the planet: "Announcement to the entire domain: summon the actual controller of this star domain, Lin En Ke'er Wa Na, to board the ship immediately to receive an official Imperial audience."

Countless civilians, officers, and surviving local Nobles on the surface of Brevis heard this broadcast, and an instant uproar erupted.

Only at this moment did many people wake up as if from a dream — it turned out that the so-called Planetary Governor Keli Feng was merely a layer of disguise; the one truly holding the fate of Brevis in his hands was Lin En.

Panic spread rapidly like ripples; a layer of Shadow fell over countless hearts.

Many secretly speculated: had Lin En committed some monstrous crime, requiring the Ultramarines War Group to personally come and arrest and settle accounts with him?

Rumors flew through every street and lane; suspicion and unease spread everywhere.

But not long after, a second official proclamation came again along the comms chain, shattering everyone's guesses.

This was not an arrest warrant, but the Empire's formal investiture announcement.

The truth lay buried before Brevis fell into the melee of the Extinction Ritual.

The Emperor seated upon the Golden Throne, through psychic contact, transmitted the complete overview regarding Lin En to the Regent King Guilliman.

After ten thousand years of agonizing torture, the Emperor on the Throne had long since shed a mortal's seven emotions and six desires, leaving only pure, cold rationality with the continuation of human civilization as the first objective.

He offered no praise or reproach, merely tossing this observation result to Guilliman, wanting to see what choice this Regent King would make.

Guilliman, after careful deliberation, chose to observe for the time being.

In his judgment, the ability Lin En held — to forge a bond with the Tyranids — possessed strategic value difficult to estimate.

If it could be brought under the Empire's banner, humanity would possess a Bug Race force uniquely its own.

Enough to share a tremendous portion of the external pressure for a humanity riddled with holes in today's fragmented galaxy.

And everything that had just happened on Brevis gave Guilliman his answer.

Lin En survived certain death within the layers of killing arrays laid by Yi Su, shattered the Lord of Change's long-plotted scheme, forcibly reversed the Extinction Ritual, and hard-wrestled tens of billions of lives on Brevis back from the brink of destruction.

This achievement was already sufficient to prove his worth.

The Expeditionary Fleet's envoy was the Ultramarines First Company Captain, Sevastus Agmann, an elite warrior of the Ultramarines.

He carried with him a Trade Charter branded with Guilliman's own psychic imprint; the investiture ceremony was set in the Temple Chamber inside the Retribution-class Battleship.

Upon receiving the comms summons, Lin En did not evade. He discussed briefly with Lena, then set off for the Imperial flagship.

The massive warship Temple Chamber was solemn and dignified; the Emperor's holy icons were engraved on the walls; dozens of Ultramarines Space Marines stood in two rows, standing guard in silence.

Agmann stood in the center of the Temple Chamber; his deep blue Power Armor gleamed with a cold, hard luster under the lights.

The white Omega Symbol on his shoulder armor was like a silent Imperial Decree; and on his weathered face, a pair of eyes that had seen two hundred years of war yet remained unclouded calmly scrutinized Lin En as he stepped through the Hatch.

Cradled in his hands was an ancient document scroll with a Pure Gold Axis and bound in Deep Red Leather Seal.

A Blood Seal already turned black pressed down on the seal.

That was pressed down personally by the seal's owner when he could still walk among mortals.

"Lin En Ke'er Wa Na." Ageman spoke, his voice resonant, echoing beneath the cathedral's vaulted dome.

"In the name of the Human Emperor, by the authority of the Imperial Regent King Roboute Guilliman, and with the authorization of the Terran High Lords Council......"

He Slowly unfolded the document.

On the parchment surface, Dense High Gothic Script floated within ink strokes driven by psychic power.

And at the document's end, beneath Guilliman's signature, there was an extremely faint golden Psychic Mark, embedded in the paper surface like a Soul Imprint.

Ageman finished reading aloud and handed over the document.

"The 'Trade Charter', from At This Moment onward, you and your Bloodline possess the Eternal right to freely sail, conquer, trade, and expand territory beyond Imperial Territory."

"All your actions are in the Emperor's name."

Lin En took over the document.

The parchment was slightly warm to the touch; the spot where that Blood Seal was located had a texture Completely Different from the other parts.

As If beneath that small piece of paper surface, something extremely distant still pulsed extremely weakly.

Following Ageman's instructions, he placed his Left Hand beside the Blood Seal and completed the Loyalty Oath in High Gothic.

The moment the final syllable fell, the golden Psychic Mark on the charter suddenly brightened for an instant, then Green Skin Virus Dull, returning to normal.

Ageman's Gaze paused on that golden light for an instant; he said nothing, merely nodding slightly.

Lin En lowered his head to look at the document in his hand.

That golden light had already Disappeared, as if it had never Existed.

But he knew, that Mark did not come from Guilliman, but from that Human Lord.