Led personally by the Silent King Szarekh, the Necron Doomsday Ark fleet crashed against the Imperium's final defensive line like a cold, silver tide.
At the heart of the battlefield, the scarred Imperial flagship floated amidst the shattered star sector.
On the flagship's bridge, Lord Regent Roboute Guilliman stood clad in the Armor of Fate, the burning Sword of the Emperor in his hand.
Beside him stood the Ynnari High Prophetess Yvraine, wearing her wraithbone armor and wielding the Crone Sword Vilith-zhar.
The bond between the two race and alliances.
The finest warriors of humanity and the Aeldari surrounded them, fighting together against the Necron Warriors and Canoptek constructs flooding in from all directions.
"Their phase technology is tearing our void shields apart!" a Tech-Priest blurted out a harsh binary alarm.
"Concentrate fire! Suppress that Ark's pulse node," Guilliman's voice echoed through the fleet's vox channels.
Yvraine closed her eyes and focused. Powerful psychic ripples emanated from her body as she divined the Necron fleet's next attack trajectory.
"Szarekh's target is you, Roboute. He is using the fleet assault to distract us. His flagship is performing a dimensional jump directly to your position."
As if to confirm her words, the space in front of the flagship twisted violently.
A Necron Ark, massive enough to be suffocating, tore through reality. Its cold metal hull reflected the starlight, and its main cannon gathered terrifying energy capable of annihilating stars.
The Song of Oblivion.
The power of the Necron fleet far exceeded human imagination.
In the previous battles, humanity had lost far more than they won. Their few victories had only occurred because Archmagos Belisarius Cawl had unleashed a C'tan Shard.
That C'tan Shard had caused chaos within the Necron ranks, and only through its betrayal had humanity achieved something that could barely be called a victory.
But what followed was a frenzied counterattack by the Necrons. Every human soldier who fell meant a mother lost a child, a woman lost a husband, or someone lost a sibling. Yet the Necron legions were endless and feared no death.
In this critical moment, the Aeldari had arrived to help, bringing spirit stone weapons capable of permanently killing the Necrons.
Yvraine, the High Prophetess of the God of the Dead and Guilliman's wife in this timeline, played a crucial role.
The two fought side by side and repelled the Necrons multiple times, but they only managed to push them back.
The tide of war was still shifting in favor of the Necrons.
For the first time, Guilliman felt truly cornered. He felt a sense of powerlessness. This enemy was stronger than any he had faced before.
"For humanity! For the Emperor!" Guilliman roared. The light of the Emperor's Sword flared violently as he prepared to meet the fatal blow.
The war between the Imperium of Man and the Necrons had reached its most grueling point.
Initially, when Axis first arrived in this world, bringing back Sanguinius, finding Rogal Dorn, and introducing the powerful reinforcement known as Kratos, Guilliman thought the Imperium had found hope. He had even successfully married the Aeldari Prophetess and formed an alliance with her people.
But everything happened too fast. For unknown reasons, Axis suddenly recalled Kratos, and then Kratos vanished. Sanguinius did the same.
Eventually, the nominal father upon the Golden Throne told Roboute Guilliman that his guess was correct. Axis and his son Kratos, along with the Sanguinius from another world, had all returned to their original dimension.
Humanity had to rely on itself. Axis was merely a passerby. He had helped the Imperium, but they could not rely on others forever.
Axis had brought great benefits to the Imperium regardless. At the very least, Guilliman was awake, and Rogal Dorn had been retrieved.
The Imperium was now besieged on all sides.
The Tyranids had launched their fourth invasion, and the terrifying tendrils of Hive Fleet Leviathan were striking everywhere.
Originally, Rogal Dorn was meant to lead this crusade, but the Sol System and Holy Terra itself came under threat from the Tyranids.
Rogal Dorn, the master of defensive warfare, accepted the assignment from Guilliman in this hour of crisis. He returned to Holy Terra, the heart of the Imperium, to organize the defense and fight to the death against the Tyranids.
Meanwhile, Guilliman launched the Indomitus Crusade, leading the fleet against the Necrons, the Orks, and other threats to humanity, including the armies of Chaos.
"Do not be careless, Guilliman. I have already prayed to the Death God for aid. If Ynnead can hear us, he will come to support us," Yvraine said, moving to her husband's side.
The Necrons were, after all, the final victors of the War in Heaven sixty million years ago.
Even the Aeldari could only send their top assassins to kill Necron leaders, as killing the lower-tier warriors was meaningless due to their reanimation protocols.
It was a pity that Lord Axis was not here. If Axis were present, this battle would have been much easier.
"Yvraine, I never imagined this battle would be so arduous. The strength of these dead ones far exceeds my expectations. I am truly worried whether we can win," Guilliman sighed. He only revealed this side of himself when facing his wife.
"Do not lose heart, young one. You have done well. If it truly becomes impossible, we can simply retreat."
Just as the couple was bolstering each other's morale, a stream of chaotic code flashed across the flagships main cogitator.
Accompanied by a burst of green light, the human warship's master control system was directly hijacked.
A holographic projection appeared within the emerald glow. It displayed three massive figures. Upon seeing them, Yvraine's expression changed drastically.
She knew who they were. The highest leadership of the Necrons, the Silent King's Triarch. They were the supreme rulers of the Necron race.
They held the authority to command all Necron Dynasties. These beings had only appeared in Aeldari history texts. She never expected to see them in person.
Guilliman's expression darkened, and he immediately gripped the Emperor's Sword tight. The Necron teleportation technology was too eldritch; they had projected themselves directly into the bridge of the Imperial Flagship.
Was the security of Imperial ships truly so fragile before the Necrons?
"Vile, insignificant, filthy, foolish, disgusting lower lifeforms. I convey the will of the Great Silent King. Kneel now and listen," one of the Triarch members on the Silent King's left hand snorted coldly.
This was Haplat the Radiant, one of the Triarchs and the Silent King's recently appointed ultimate sycophant.
His words instantly enraged every high-ranking human commander on the Flagship. Even Guilliman was filled with anger.
However, as the Commander of the Imperium, Guilliman forced down his rage.
"I am a Son of the Emperor. I am Roboute Guilliman. Aside from my great father, the Emperor of Mankind, I will not kneel to anyone. State your business, Necron."
"Lowly, microscopic, filthy human species. The Great Silent King is invincible, divine, unconquerable, unrivaled, and a great existence beyond your human comprehension. Your choice to be enemies with the Necrons, and to be enemies with the Great Silent King, is your greatest mistake."
The Triarch member, Haplat the Radiant, first delivered a flurry of flattery toward his master.
Hidden in the shadows, Axis and the Emperor felt a bit nauseous. How did the Silent King allow such a bootlicker to serve by his side?
"Humanity did not choose to be enemies with the Necrons. You invaded human homes. You started this war. How many humans have you captured for research? Do I need to list the evidence? Who provoked whom?" a human commander roared in anger.
These damned Necrons had erected massive pylons on their shrine worlds and released a strange frequency that turned the planetary populations into mindless, muttering husks, stripping away their very souls.
"You are not qualified to speak to me, tiny human. Do not interrupt me, filthy human. You despicable, shameless, dirty, nasty race. You squat upon the former territories of our Great Empire and dare claim we invaded your territory? We Necrons are merely reclaiming our land. You are the true thieves."
"Speak plainly. You did not come here to negotiate in good faith. If you want a fight, I will fight to the end." Even a saint had a limit to their patience.
Roboute Guilliman was furious. He truly did not wish to provoke the Necrons further, as humanity was already dealing with the Archenemy and the Tyranids.
But the tone of the other party was simply too overbearing. Calling them filthy humans and tiny humans repeatedly, humanity was not tiny!
This bastard opened his mouth only to insult the human race and frantically elevate his master. He was nothing but a lapdog.
"Silence! Lowly insects. You repugnant lower species parasitizing the territory of the Necron Empire are only fit to be the Silent King's slaves. First, all Imperial fleets must withdraw from the sacred territory of the Necrons.
"If you do not leave by the deadline, you will be annihilated. Second, the original inhabitants must not evacuate. They are the property of the Great Silent King. They will be permitted to live under the King's protection, though, of course, they must offer up certain things."
Things like their physical bodies and human souls, to be used by the Crypteks to research how Necrons might regain organic forms.
"The Imperium of Man must submit to the Necron Empire. As a vassal race, this is a gift to you. You must pay a tithe to the Necrons in exchange for the Great Silent King's protection. Finally, regarding the five Primarchs now awake in your Imperium: the so-called new era Primarch Axis and his son Kratos, Sanguinius of the Blood Angels, Rogal Dorn of the Imperial Fists, and you, Roboute Guilliman.
"The five of you must form a grand delegation and come before the Great Silent King to surrender personally. Oh, and my King specifically ordered that you bring the rotting corpse on the Golden Throne, that toyed-with piece of cured meat, along with you. My King has quite an interest in that disgusting Sorcerous Cured Meat."
"Damn animal! The Great Emperor's name is not to be sullied!"A Battle Sister standing beside Roboute Guilliman could bear it no longer.
"For the Emperor! I will destroy you damned things!"
The humans erupted in fury, frantically cursing the Triarch before them. From start to finish, the Silent King standing in the center had not said a word, letting Haplat the Radiant do all the talking.
"This is no negotiation at all. Come back and make these demands when you have conquered Holy Terra," Roboute Guilliman said, pointing the Emperor's Sword at the Silent King.
"Foolish in the extreme. You should be grateful for this mercy. The Great Silent King's mercy grants your race the right to live." Haplat the Radiant intended to say more.
However, he was interrupted by a wave of the Silent King's hand. The King turned his head and seemed to say something to him.
The subordinate nodded respectfully to the Silent King and then looked back at the humans.
"Humans, you have no right to refuse. If you expect that piece of Sorcerous Cured Meat to save you, you are greatly mistaken. We can disable your ships at any moment. We can annihilate the entire human fleet. This is a merciful gift. If you refuse, then..."
Zzzzt—BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted in the distance. A massive golden sphere of light directly struck a distant Necron capital ship, shattering it into dust.
On the Imperial Flagship, accompanied by a burst of golden radiance, the Emperor himself appeared alongside Axis. Following them were two versions of Kaisa.
This time, the Emperor did not appear in his withered form. Instead, he projected his image form his conquests ten thousand years ago.
He stood nearly five meters tall, clad in golden armor of justice, his entire body radiating terrifying psychic light. This image fit the human perception of their god.
The Necron vessel had been instantly obliterated by a psychic blast from the Emperor.
"I didn't hear what you just said clearly. Who did you say is the old cured meat on the Throne?" The Emperor looked at the Silent King and asked.
These bastard Necrons had foul mouths.
Although he had only sat on the Golden Throne for less than a millennium in his perspective, and even though the insult was directed at the Emperor of this world, it still displeased him greatly.
"Fa... Fa... Father? Axis? This... This is impossible. This is impossible," Guilliman looked at the figure radiating golden light before him with a face full of disbelief.
"The Great Emperor! It is our Great Emperor!" Mortals and Space Marines on the ship fell to their knees.
They prayed to the Master of Mankind. Although they didn't know why he had appeared here, this was undoubtedly the Emperor.
Among everyone, the most emotional was Roboute Guilliman. He truly never expected to see this man again, to see the Great Emperor, his great father, appear beside them and walk among them.
The Silent King in the holographic projection was finally moved. He looked at the Human Emperor in shock. What method had this entity used to appear so suddenly? And what ability had he used to destroy the flagship?
"Insignificant Master of Mankind, who gave you the right to speak to the Silent King? You are not qualified to speak to my King, I..." The Triarch member, Haplat the Radiant, had not finished his sentence when he felt his body suffocating.
His physical body, located countless light-years away, was suddenly invaded by a divine force, glowing with golden light.
"You call yourself the Radiant? Then I will light you up properly," the Emperor snorted coldly.
"No! Aaaah! Great Silent King, save your servant!" The Silent King attempted to intervene, but he could find no way to do so.
Even activating the anti-psychic gloom prisms could not block this sacred golden light.
He could only watch helplessly as his servant, his most loyal subordinate and newly appointed Triarch member, died at the hands of the Emperor.
He had no idea how the Emperor had struck.
The human was clearly on Guilliman's flagship, yet he could kill a subordinate across countless light-years.
"Now, that Sorcerous Cured Meat you spoke of is coming for you. I will soon let you know why I am called the Emperor of Mankind." The Emperor's voice was majestic, resonating through the sea of stars.
"Being an enemy of my race is a poor choice. Human Emperor, you do not know what power truly is," the Silent King finally spoke.
"I thought you were going to stay a mute forever. You say I do not know what power is? In my view, the true frog in the well is you. Just you wait. I won't let you die so easily. I will capture you personally, then destroy your empire with my own hands. I will enjoy that moment very much."
Golden light ignited in the Emperor's eyes.
A golden shockwave formed and expanded outward. This golden light did not harm any human ships, but the Necrons touched by it instantly burst into golden flames, screaming as they died.
Countless Necrons across the entire star system, and even their Tomb World, vanished under this golden light, directly purified from existence.
Possessing the power level of a Grand Supreme Kai, the Emperor was now this terrifying. As the Emperor struck, the communication signal was cut off.
Axis stood aside, watching the show the entire time.
The Old Man Pinapple didn't have the best temper. If you humiliated him like that and called him old cured meat, he was bound to come after you.
Although he had been upgraded to the level of a Grand Supreme Kai, the Old Man had a severe case of waking-up grumpy.
The Silent King had run into him at a very unfortunate time.
A moment of silence for the poor Silent King. He was about to face the Ultimate Version of the Emperor.
...
..
.
ps?