FINALLY TWKAN STARTED POSTING RAW CHAPTERS AGAIN!
____________________________________________________
Chapter 85: Void Shield
Hearing the words of the Necron, the group looked at one another until finally, Inquisitor Sibylla stepped forward to take charge of the negotiations.
Using a psychic echo, she projected her voice across the hall in a booming tide.
"There is nothing to be said between humanity and the xenos. We act to defend the sacred property bestowed upon us by the Emperor. As for you, vile xenos, your very existence has defiled this holy domain belonging to the Imperium of Man!"
Is this a joke?
Is this some unique form of human humor?
"Defiled your holy domain? Are you joking?"
Sutton was so exasperated he almost laughed. "While your civilization was still in its primitive, unlettered stages, we had already stepped across the sea of stars and battled powerful gods you cannot possibly imagine! And now, you dare accuse the Great Necron Dynasty of defiling your sacred land?"
This was a total reversal of heaven and earth!
"Blasphemy and lies!"
Sibylla refused to listen, the double standards characteristic of Imperial bureaucracy on full display. "You xenos, who are about to be swept into the dustbin of history, not only launched an unprovoked attack on humanity but now have the audacity to bark such nonsense!"
"Very well—"
Sutton finally gave up on the futile argument. "It seems we are incapable of reaching a consensus. State your demands then. Continuing this war benefits neither side. What will it take for you to cease?"
Raising a hand to stop Sibylla from hurling more mockery, Adam thought for a moment and chose to go straight to the point.
"Our demand is simple. We want only one thing: C'tan Shards."
Despite the brutal fighting thus far, he still hadn't confirmed if this tomb world contained what he sought. He had to test the waters.
"—C'tan Shards?"
Sutton and Trazyn froze simultaneously.
The Cryptek was less affected, as his knowledge of the Imperium was limited. Trazyn, however, began to question his reality.
How do modern humans even know about the existence of the C'tan? This is unscientific.
But in the next heartbeat, the Necron Overlord and the Cryptek seemed to realize something.
So that's it.
Why is the combat power of these humans so terrifying?
Why did those Castellan Robots, which don't fit Imperial technology, suddenly appear in their ranks?
Why do they know so much about the Necrons?
There could be only one explanation: that the Emperor sitting on the Golden Throne must have made a deal with a C'tan Shard! And that C'tan, seeking revenge against the Necrons who betrayed it, chose to cooperate with these hateful humans, even providing technological support!
Otherwise, there was no other explanation!
Thinking of this, the usually estranged Trazyn and Sutton reached the same conclusion at the exact same time:
—These humans must be completely eradicated here and now!
"You have no idea who you are dealing with! That disgusting thing claiming to be a god is not to be trusted! You will only drown in his lies and walk toward ultimate destruction while he laughs at your stupidity!"
Sutton's angry roar echoed through the hall. A massive array of Necron weaponry began to preheat, all aimed directly at Adam's group.
"Huh? What is he talking about?"
Adam blinked. Had they misunderstood something?
However, the others weren't as knowledgeable about the Necrons as Adam. As the Cryptek's voice fell, many members of the squad were already seeing red with rage. Realizing he was trapped in an atmosphere where "if you don't order an attack now, we will," Adam gave the command.
"Fire!"
Almost simultaneously, both sides erupted with terrifying firepower, slamming into each other.
Violent psychic lightning surged from Sibylla's hands, branching out to form a vast net of thunder that blanketed the area. Scores of Necron Warriors were mowed down like wheat in a storm.
The Domitar Robots opened fire—Melta rays, lightning arcs, and quantum weaponry poured out, tracing lethal paths through the air and falling like rain upon the Necron line.
Above them, Tomb Blades attempted to dive for close-range strafing, only to be easily swatted out of the sky by powerful anti-air fire.
"Hmph."
Sutton gave a cold snort and began micro-managing his troops.
The heavy Tesla Cannon atop a Tomb Obelisk roared to life, thick arcs of electricity striking out like angry dragons toward Adam's line. Without delay, the Night Scythes and Doom Scythes circling in the air added their roars, the characteristic hum of Necron weaponry filling the hall.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Facing firepower capable of turning a fortress to dust in seconds, the group remained unscathed. Only a faint white ripple spread across the air above them.
Archmagos Cawl slowly withdrew his hand. Beside him, a tower-like device previously hidden by optical projection was now emitting wisps of blue smoke, though it was repaired in an instant by his reality-warping capabilities.
It was a Void Shield Generator.
The principle was similar to the Castellan-class Void Shields used in Hive Cities, just much smaller in scale. The generated void shield acted as an iron curtain over the human position. The concentrated Necron fire struck it to no avail, stirring only ripples.
Wait? How did they bring something that big into my tomb world?
This unscientific sight left Sutton in deep thought. But this didn't mean the Cryptek was out of options.
An invisible hyperspace broadcast spread from the Doomsday Ark.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The sound of countless tiny wings vibrating filled the air.
Like a swarm of insects blotting out the sun, innumerable Canoptek constructs—Scarabs—poured out from the Obelisk's gates. They formed a dark wave of death, lunging toward Adam's team. These were the "decomposers" used to maintain the tomb world, but they were far from harmless. In battle, they could self-replicate at incredible speeds, creating an endless swarm that consumed and disassembled everything in its path.
The team immediately tried to shift their fire to stop them, creating a torrent of tracers to suppress the wave. However, the effect was minimal. Any gap blown in the swarm was instantly filled by more constructs, only slightly slowing their flight.
"Not enough fire? Then add more!"
Without hesitation, Adam slammed a Warp Teleportation Beacon into the ground.
A flash of blinding white light flickered.
Thirty Astartes in Terminator Armor and over a dozen Dreadnoughts appeared instantly. Assault cannons, heavy multi-meltas, lascannons, and promethium flamers—the appearance of these heavy killers drastically bolstered the team's firepower, successfully halting the incoming Canoptek swarm.
Freed from the pressure, the rest of the team redirected their horrific damage back onto the other Necron soldiers.
"—Why does it feel like I'm the one on the defensive now?"
Watching his troops vanish like melting snow, the Cryptek piloting the Doomsday Ark could take no more. He moved toward the front line, seeking a perfect firing position.
He would personally crush these invaders!
The forward cannon of the Doomsday Ark surged with a glow like a solar flare. The massive energy readings were enough to make Archmagos Cawl, who had been monitoring the auspex, show a look of alarm.
The high-energy particle beam slammed into the void shield. The shield shuddered violently, letting out a strained, overburdened wail.