The hive mother ship could sense what would happen if the sword in the Emperor's hand struck it.
Even if he was an ascended hive mother ship, it would be of no use.
As the God of All Endings, the Dark King's divine position, represented by the emperor's sword in the Emperor's hand, could practically slay all existence. What was this talk of ascension? Hadn't the Emperor ascended before?
Did you really think he was the Dark King for nothing? Take a sword from me, you tiny hive.
The Emperor rapidly approached the location of the hive mother ship, and the emperor's sword in his hand grew larger and larger until it could cleave a planet in half.
Clouds of death loomed over the hive mother ship, but how could the Emperor let this fellow escape?
Relying on the hyperspace suppressor carried by the splendid-class battleship, the hive mother ship had no way to escape. It could only watch as the emperor's sword split it in two.
It wasn't until a large number of tyranid missiles barraged the Emperor's position that the Emperor retracted his weapon and turned to leave.
The Emperor could easily cleave the body of the hive mother ship, but the Tyranid Swarm's tyranid missiles were equally threatening.
If hit on a large scale, they could also severely wound the Emperor.
Both sides could be described as having thin skin and large fillings. Just as the Emperor was about to withdraw, Zeke's voice once again reached the Emperor's ears.
"The Emperor!!!"
"It's not enough! You only cut it in half, that's not enough! You need to obliterate it, completely and utterly, leaving nothing behind!"
"That thing has incredibly tenacious vitality. On my side, it has already become two battleships..."
Zeke, inside the battleship, felt like crying without tears. The Emperor, after all, was facing the Shorin Primal Swarm for the first time, and he had no idea how astonishingly strong its vitality was.
As a top combatant, he could easily cleave the body of the Shorin Primal Swarm, but the Shorin Primal Swarm's massive body and its terrifying vitality ensured that even if it was cut in half, it could still recover.
Visibly, the originally enormous hive mother ship split into two hive mother ships at this moment, and they were continuously regenerating their missing parts.
The Emperor, who had been forced away by the tyranid missiles, also looked helpless.
What could he do?
That huge wave of tyranid missiles had just come crashing down on his head; if he didn't dodge, he would definitely be in trouble.
But since Zeke said so, he could only go do it first.
The Emperor's rapidly retreating body stopped again, then he charged straight towards the Hive Mother Ship once more.
Zeke naturally wouldn't let the Emperor fight alone. He also stepped out into the real universe, wielding his great sword, and charged forward.
Since this hive mother ship had turned into two, they would each take one to deal with it. As for the rest, it could only be left to the battleship's AI to handle.
He believed that in just this short amount of time, the battleship AI, along with humanity and the Necrons' various fleets, shouldn't encounter any major problems.
In the cosmic void, two of humanity's top powerhouses stood above the void, with a backdrop of numerous Necrons and Human battleships clashing with the Tyranid Swarm.
Every moment, large numbers of Tyranid Swarm fleets were destroyed, and equally, large numbers of Human and Necron battleships were consumed.
battleships, rarely seen in the Imperium of Man, were now disappearing like consumables, yet the battle showed no signs of stopping.
The number of fleets on both sides was countless. Humanity would absolutely not allow the Hive Mother Ship to escape.
And the Tyranid Swarm... would absolutely not abandon its hope until the Hive Mother Ship disappeared.
It was on such a battlefield that, in the galactic void, two humans began to run towards the Hive Mother Ship.
"Don't come over, you two! Don't come over!"
Because the Emperor hadn't annihilated it in one go, the Hive Mother Ship, having narrowly escaped death, hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief before seeing the two Human Emperors charging towards its direction.
Just now, the Emperor alone could have utterly annihilated it. Now, with Zeke and the Emperor charging together, it was even worse.
The Hive Mother Ship felt like it was about to split, but it couldn't fall yet.
Before Zeke and the Emperor could get close, a Tyranid Swarm unit roughly the size of a destroyer emerged from its incubation chamber.
Then, this Tyranid Swarm unit, about the size of a destroyer, was gently pushed by the Hive Mother Ship behind the Tyranid Swarm warriors.
"Protect him and get him out of here. You don't need to protect me anymore; you can't stop those two Human powerhouses."
"Leave here and preserve the spark of life for our species. The 'Shorin' in our Shorin Primal Swarm means 'refugee'. Leaving now is not shameful."
How does the Tyranid Swarm reproduce?
Ask anyone in the Terran Dominion this question, and they can give you the answer.
Of course, they are produced by the Hive Mother Ship.
But where do Hive Mother Ships come from?
This answer has always been debated. Even a formidable star empire like the Terran Dominion has not completed research on the Shorin Primal Swarm.
The Terran Dominion did have a Hive Mother Ship as a research subject, but that Hive Mother Ship was confirmed to be incapable of producing other Hive Mother Ships.
At the same time, that Hive Mother Ship was abandoned there, and it didn't even know where it came from.
Therefore, human scientists could not conduct research using the Hive Mother Ship they had.
And now, the answer to this question seems to be on the verge of being revealed.
Hive Mother Ships are also produced by Hive Mother Ships.
However, Zeke was unaware, and there was no database inside the splendid-class battleship, so no one considered the small destroyer that had just been born to be a Hive Mother Ship.
Do not underestimate the intelligence of the creature. The Hive Mother Ship she produced was a standard Shorin Primal Swarm destroyer larva in size and appearance.
To anyone, this was nothing more than a destroyer produced by the Hive Mother Ship, attempting to pose more of a threat to the Human army.
The Hive Mother Ship issued its final command.
"Scatter and break through! Emergency warp! Leave here and protect your new Overlord!"
The Shorin Primal Swarm is different from other Tyranid Swarms; they have their own strict social system and are not creatures without any consciousness.
Ordinary Tyranid Swarm combat units certainly do not have consciousness, but high-level Tyranid Swarm units do.
And precisely because they possess consciousness, all the Tyranid Swarm battleships shed a tear from their eyes upon hearing such words.
Tears flowing? What a spectacle! Even the Emperor and Zeke, who were advancing towards the Shorin Primal Swarm Hive Mother Ship, paused for a second.
Immediately after, two towering sword lights were simultaneously unleashed from their hands. The Hive Mother Ship, which had already become two battleships, vanished into the void under their combined attack.
At the same time, a purple light flashed, and the Shorin Primal Swarm ascended fleet, which had still been engaging humanity, disappeared from the battlefield.
"They actually managed an emergency warp escape?"
"Never mind, it doesn't matter. Without the Hive Mother Ship, they won't amount to much anyway."
"Neos, we should go back. There's still a big bug waiting for us to deal with at The Great Wall."
Zeke had no intention of pursuing; he was ready to go back.
After all, the situation at The Great Wall defense line also needed to be handled.
But this was the work of the Lost Empire, a large group of super-overlords, and the Four Great Catastrophes combined. Would there truly be only one Tyranid Swarm unit appearing?
Just as the two were about to return inside the splendid-class battleship, an incredibly massive black hole appeared and swallowed both the Emperor and Zeke—
The sudden turn of events was unforeseen even by the splendid-class battleship. It was only after Zeke and the Emperor disappeared that the splendid-class battleship sounded the alarm.
"The Emperor has disappeared. Searching now. Black hole search complete. It contains the aura of Higher-Dimensional Daemons. This is the work of Higher-Dimensional Daemons."
"Attempting to locate and track—"
"Failure, failure. Unable to retrieve, unable to locate, unable to track—"
"Executing Protocol 2. Awaiting instructions from Ezekiel's Parents."
By the end of the battle with the Tyranid Swarm, only 35 splendid-class battleships remained, all having sustained varying degrees of damage.
However, it didn't matter. With the Terran Dominion's nanite armor and research into nanite technology, these battleships would slowly restore themselves to their peak condition.
With Zeke and the Emperor both gone, the splendid-class battleship naturally began executing Protocol 2, choosing to return.
In Zeke's absence, they would follow the command of Ezekiel's Parents and ensure their safety until Zeke's return.
The auras of Zeke and The Emperor had vanished... The Four Chaos Gods in the Warp, as well as Szarekh, had keenly sensed this the moment their auras disappeared.
Immediately, Szarekh appeared before the Four Chaos Gods.
The Silent King Szarekh of the Necrons was not a treacherous scoundrel.
Szarekh, who valued the Rites of Zeke, had long since recognized Zeke and the Emperor.
He also recognized the Imperium of Man, and upon discovering that the auras of Zeke and the Emperor had vanished, he immediately stepped forward.
Szarekh's gaze directly met the Four Chaos Gods, and he warned them.
"I advise you four not to do anything foolish, otherwise, when Zeke and Neos return, you'll be in deep trouble."
Szarekh's ascension to godhood was different from that of Zeke and Neos.
Khorne and Nurgle, two Chaos Gods, would be enough to hold Szarekh at bay.
In such a situation, the Chaos Gods still had two other Chaos Gods free to act.
So, the balance of power shifted at this moment. However, to Szarekh's surprise, the Four Chaos Gods did not seize this opportunity to launch another attack.
Even Tzeentch, who loved change the most, did not start playing tricks. Instead, he said calmly,
"Szarekh, you don't need to warn us. We won't do anything to humanity. Who knows if Zeke and Neos are intentionally setting a trap for us?"
"We four are not stupid. At this time, if we don't unite with you all, once those guys invade, no one will survive."
Tzeentch had no intention of backstabbing; instead, he solemnly declared that he still stood with humanity.
And his words were echoed by Nurgle: "That's right, Szarekh, you don't need to overthink things here. We have no intention of harming humanity."
"Uniting with humanity at this time is the only way out for all life forms in our galaxy."
For a moment, Szarekh felt as if these Four Chaos Gods in front of him no longer seemed like Chaos Gods; instead, they began to resemble benevolent gods.
He incredulously reached out a finger and wiped his mechanical eye.
What nonsense! His body contained the highest technological crystallization of both humanity and the Necrons, and he himself had already ascended to godhood. How could he be experiencing such a hallucination?
Szarekh was somewhat incredulous, but the Chaos Gods continued to righteously declare their stance.
As Chaos Gods who had dealt with the ring, they knew very well that once the entity called The Circle God arrived in their galaxy, unless Zeke was willing to protect them, they would surely be doomed.
The previous betrayal was because The Emperor's divine position as the Lamp God was the God of Darkness; his divine position represented the end of all things, representing death and conclusion.
For the sake of their own lives, they had bravely resisted Zeke and the Emperor... And now, their firm stance with humanity was also for the sake of their own lives.
Their conflict with The Circle God was irreconcilable, and the Higher-Dimensional Daemons sought to completely devour them. Only Zeke could help them.
"Szarekh put down his weapon with a skeptical look and withdrew from the Warp, leaving only one sentence before departing."
"I hope what you four just said is true, otherwise..."
"Zeke's 35 splendid-class battleships have returned. Even without Zeke and Neos, these 35 battleships alone can wipe you out."
To be honest, Szarekh still didn't trust the Chaos Gods, so although he left, he still used his military might as a deterrent.
Facing such a threat, the Four Chaos Gods said nothing more. They continued to diligently bestow various blessings upon all human soldiers.
Did Szarekh even need to say it?
The four of them had already bowed their heads to the current Zeke.
The aura of The Circle God was not weak at all; it also represented destruction and an end.
To ensure they could be protected by Zeke, rather than relying on prayer and their own weak indispensability as before.
They had to work hard to prove themselves. Now, with Neos and the Emperor gone, it was their time to shine.
If they performed well at this time, then when Zeke and Neos returned, they would have merit and be considered one of their own, right?
When facing The Circle God, even if these four guys had no merit, they had worked hard, and with their diligence and loyalty, surely they would be protected, right?
Although Tzeentch and the others could not know the final outcome, they decided to do so regardless.
Having some merit was much more stable than relying on their indispensability to this galaxy. Who knew if Zeke had a way to solve the universe's reliance on them?
The thoughts of the Four Chaos Gods were very clear. Even after Zeke and Neos disappeared, the blessings these four guys bestowed became even more zealous.
For the sake of their own lives, no one should even think of breaking The Great Wall of humanity!
Loyalty!
Watching the blessings on the surrounding human soldiers grow brighter and their combat power become stronger, Szarekh could only half-heartedly choose to trust these Four Chaos Gods at this moment.
However, a lingering sorrow remained in his heart. He stared intently at the 35 severely damaged splendid-class battleships before him.
From these 35 battleships, one could see how fierce the war on the Galactic Rim truly was.
Even five of these top-tier battleships had been sunk.
Even Szarekh, who was very confident in the combat power of Zeke and Neos, felt his heart tighten at this moment.
But worry aside, as the Silent King Szarekh, his thinking was still clear.
The immediate priority was to seal off the information regarding the disappearance of the Emperor and Zeke.
Ordinary people couldn't possibly know that Zeke had disappeared; only two beings could possibly know this news.
The brilliant-class battleship returned to the location of Ezekiel's Parents.
Ezekiel's Parents are the brilliant-class battleship's second-in-command. In Zeke's absence, the remaining 36 brilliant-class battleships will all obey Ezekiel's Parents' command.
Therefore, Ezekiel's Parents would definitely know about Zeke's disappearance. Szarekh must now go to Ezekiel's Parents to discuss this matter, to prevent them from leaking the news.
As one of the gods of the Warp, Szarekh's speed was naturally not slow. He arrived at the planet where Ezekiel's Parents were located almost simultaneously with the brilliant-class battleship, one after the other.
When the battleship arrived, Ezekiel's Parents saw the brilliant-class battleship, which had already sustained damage. Their hearts suddenly had a very bad premonition.
Anne, feeling uneasy, hugged Grisha: "Our son's battleship is back, but it's damaged. Our son might have..."
In the Warhammer, this cesspool of a universe, everyone had long prepared for farewells.
No one knew when they would next meet after a battleship departed.
Theoretically, Ezekiel's Parents had already prepared themselves mentally for this matter.
However, that was the old situation. Now, Zeke is the Emperor of the Imperium of Man and the ruler of the Terran Dominion. If something were to happen to such a being, wouldn't that be too absurd?
Ezekiel's Parents had long lost their previous psychological preparation.
But a mother's intuition is always the most accurate. Looking at the 35 battered splendid-class battleships floating in the sky,
Anne desperately didn't want to believe that her son had met with misfortune, but the bad premonition in her heart grew stronger and stronger.
Grisha could feel his wife's emotional fluctuations. He said no words of comfort.
He just tightened his grip a little, giving his wife a strong hug.
It wasn't just Zeke's mother who had a bad premonition.
Now, even Grisha had a bad premonition in his heart.
And just as the two were embracing, Szarekh appeared before them.
Seeing Ezekiel's Parents embracing, Szarekh, even if he didn't understand human emotions, clearly knew that these two probably already knew the situation.
Szarekh directly stated, "You two, please keep the disappearance of Zeke and Neos a secret."
"This is very important. The simultaneous disappearance of the two Emperors of the Imperium of Man would plunge the Imperium of Man into unnecessary chaos, which is not good for the Imperium at this time. The galaxy needs a stable Imperium of Man."
"We understand." Grisha knew what Szarekh meant. He nodded while holding his wife.
"Does His Excellency the Silent King know what happened to my son?" Grisha looked at Szarekh and asked this question.
Did Zeke and the Emperor disappear or die? Asking Szarekh about this was undoubtedly the best option, as he was also a god of the Warp and should know more information than others.
However, to Grisha's surprise, Szarekh shook his head.
"I am sorry, I do not know about this. I was commanding troops in The Great Wall region at the time and was not on that battlefield."
Upon hearing this, Grisha and Anne lowered their heads.
Even Szarekh didn't know whether Zeke had disappeared or died, so who else could they ask?
The atmosphere on the scene once again became somber.
"Although I don't know, these splendid-class battleships were on that battlefield at the time. Their databases might store something, and you two have Level 2 clearance. Perhaps you can inquire with them."
Szarekh truly didn't know where Zeke and the Emperor had gone, whether they had disappeared or died, but the splendid-class battleships had experienced that war.
Perhaps these battleships would know something.
"That makes sense." Hope once again appeared in the hearts of Anne and Grisha.
"1996, can you tell us what happened to my son? Did he go missing or was he sacrificed?" Anne shouted at the splendid-class battleship in the sky.
If it were an ordinary battleship, this shout would certainly not have been heard, but this battleship was a splendid-class battleship. Therefore, even while docked in orbit, the splendid-class still heard it.
"Instruction received. Gathering information from that time."
"Analyzing."
"Analysis complete."
"The Emperor has not been sacrificed. The Emperor was merely teleported away by an unknown teleportation channel. His current location cannot be determined or locked."
"During the Emperor's absence, we will take on the mission of protecting you."
Splendid-class battleship 1996, after summarizing the information it knew with other splendid-class battleships, successfully compiled all the intelligence for Ezekiel's Parents.
And upon hearing such news, Szarekh and Ezekiel's Parents almost simultaneously relaxed.
It's good that he's fine, it's good that he's fine.
Both Szarekh and Ezekiel's Parents, whose hearts had been held high, settled down at this moment.
Since they knew that Zeke and Neos were merely teleported away, there was no need to worry. With their combat power, they would hardly encounter any trouble in this universe.
As long as the two of them were fine and could enter the Warp, they could quickly return to this galaxy, at most it would just take a little time.
As for how long this time would take, it was completely irrelevant to Szarekh. The Necrons' Great Sleep lasted a full 60 million years, so for him, that number was truly the most meaningless.
Since Zeke was fine, he should now deal with the Necrons' matters.
In this battle against the Tyranid Swarm, Szarekh discovered the problems faced by the Necrons, a physically top-tier civilization, at this time.
When confronting a top-tier civilization like the Tyranid Swarm, the Necrons seemed to be missing something.
Szarekh didn't understand.
But he could feel that the Necrons' battleships lacked something.
If he could make up for that something, then the Necrons' fleet would still be the powerful fleet it once was, rather than suffering losses of battleships in swaths as it was now.
"You two," because these two were Ezekiel's Parents, Szarekh also showed his respect, bowing slightly.
"Since it can be confirmed that Zeke and the others are fine, I believe it's time for me to leave. Please, you two, be sure to keep this secret until they can return."
"I will go and deal with the current affairs of the members. You two can rest well."
After learning that Zeke had no safety issues, Ezekiel's Parents also put their hearts at ease at this moment. In response to Szarekh's words, they both nodded and, not losing their politeness, bowed slightly and said,
"Thank you for your hard work, His Excellency the Silent King."
Szarekh was temporarily relieved. He returned to The Great Wall and began presiding over the work. Since Zeke and the Emperor of Mankind rarely appeared at The Great Wall, it was fine to keep the secret for a short period.
However, merely reaching a consensus with Ezekiel's Parents was not enough. After Szarekh returned to The Great Wall, he used secret communications to contact Guilliman.
Once the communication connected, Szarekh first inquired about Guilliman's surroundings: "Is there anyone around you right now?"
"If there is, leave immediately and head to the Throne Room. That is the safest place. You must ensure that not a single person is around you; the upcoming message cannot be leaked under any circumstances."
Guilliman, who was currently handling state affairs, stood up. After glancing at the Chancellor, Malcador, and the high lords who were dealing with matters before him, he did not say a word but instead walked away.
The high lords and Malcador did not comment on this. They continued to deal with the vast amount of work they had, as a continuous stream of supplies was still being transported from the Imperium of Man to the outermost edge of The Great Wall.
After the Shorin Primal Swarm's mothership was destroyed, The Great Devourer also chose to withdraw.
However, the Tyranid Swarm units he left behind were still fighting at The Great Wall, and humanity still needed vast amounts of supplies to deal with these creatures.
Furthermore, the Imperial Fleet deployed in the Battle of The Great Wall against the Tyranids and the Shorin Primal Swarm also required significant resources for repairs.
This war had erupted too suddenly, and humanity was completely unprepared.
Guilliman stood up, and they needed to fulfill their duties first.
The high lords and Malcador remained immersed in their duties, while Guilliman quietly entered the Throne Room alone. The Custodes were responsible for blocking the paths to prevent anyone else from entering.
Only after Guilliman confirmed that no one else could possibly be near him did he reconnect with Szarekh.
"Are you certain that after I tell you this message, it is impossible for a second person to know? Are you truly alone in the Throne Room right now?"
Szarekh's communication was connected again, and he reaffirmed the question to Guilliman, who merely glanced at the Custodes surrounding him.
"The Throne Room is guarded by 20 loyal Custodes."
"Aside from the Custodes, I can confirm that no one here will know the content of our conversation."
The Custodes were loyal, and these absolutely faithful individuals were trustworthy. However, since the matter was too important, Szarekh still asked for confirmation just in case.
"Are these Custodes drawn from both Emperors of Mankind?"
"Or are they only the Custodes of one Emperor of Mankind?"
"Naturally, they are from both." Guilliman replied matter-of-factly after glancing at the surrounding Custodes.
"Then there is no problem. Now I will tell you the news: your father and Zeke, the two Emperors of Mankind of your Imperium of Man, were transported away by a warp gate. Their current situation is unknown."
"We cannot know when the two of them will return to the galaxy. Therefore, Guilliman, you must now shoulder the heavy responsibility of the Imperium."
"Just as you previously became the imperial regent, you must now fulfill your duties as the regent."
Szarekh explained the specific situation to Guilliman, but Guilliman's expression remained unchanged upon hearing the news.
His expression did not change at all; instead, he was extremely calm.
"Very well, I will handle these state affairs. There is no problem!"
Guilliman's composure surprised Szarekh.
Guilliman could be said to be the most composed person after hearing about the disappearance of Neos and Zeke.
"You are indeed worthy of being appointed as the imperial regent. Your mental fortitude is truly strong," Szarekh exclaimed sincerely.
"No, Silent King, you misunderstand..." After hearing Szarekh's words, Guilliman, who had been perfectly calm moments before, shed a tear.
"Didn't you already explain it?"
"My father and Zeke are completely fine; they were merely transported away by a gate."
"Since their safety is guaranteed, and they were only transported away, what is there for me to worry about? Is there anything in this galaxy, in this universe, that could possibly pose a threat to the two of them?"
"No." Guilliman answered his own question before Szarekh could reply.
"Since no one can threaten them, and their safety is assured, why should I worry? Didn't I handle the Imperium's state affairs alone even when the two of them were here?"
As he spoke, tears of regret streamed down Guilliman's face... "They definitely went out to have fun and left me here! That is truly abominable!"
Since they were only transported away, and given the abilities of Neos and Zeke, it was impossible for them to encounter any trouble. Therefore, without a doubt, the two of them had gone out to play.
He could thus conclude that after defeating the Tyranid Swarm, Zeke and the Emperor of Mankind had run off to amuse themselves, leaving him, this unfortunate fellow, here to handle the Imperium's state affairs.
Szarekh had not yet considered such a unique perspective. He looked at Guilliman with a hint of admiration.
He truly had not thought of this interpretation... "You are indeed worthy of being the imperial regent..." It took Szarekh a long time to search his mind for this sentence before finally saying it to Guilliman.
Guilliman was truly worthy of being the imperial regent; no one else could have arrived at his conclusion.
"Silent King, you flatter me. If there is nothing else, I will return to handling state affairs. The next batch of reinforcements will arrive at The Great Wall after one standard Terra day. Please, Silent King, reorganize our forces and deal with the Tyranid Swarm as much as possible."
Guilliman, who had just been weeping, immediately returned to his working state, calmly explaining his arrangements to the Silent King.
Seeing Guilliman swiftly enter his work mode and remain utterly unfazed by the departure of the two Emperors of Mankind, Szarekh could not help but give him a thumbs up.
"Having you is a blessing for humanity..."
After Szarekh finished speaking, he ended the communication with Guilliman, who looked at the disconnected line and regretfully said: "Having these two Emperors of Mankind is my misfortune."
"They promised to take me out to have fun, so why did they end up running off by themselves? This is outrageous! Didn't that make everything I did before pointless?"
Only after the Silent King's communication ended did Guilliman utter these words under the gaze of the other Custodes, who merely turned their heads away.
They wouldn't listen; they were ignoring the complaints.
The regent was discussing the Emperors of Mankind here, and speaking ill of them at that. What could they do?
They were desperate too.