The Battle of Perdita had escalated into a different form. the Tyranid fleet was frantically digging up every inch of the world, trying to find the vanished Emrys, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't find a single shadow!
Why was the Hive Mind so desperate to find Emrys, no matter the cost?
The reason was simple: from Emrys' repeated mysterious disappearances, it vaguely perceived a fundamental truth!
It was neither the power of the Warp, nor the Chaos Gods!
Instead, it was a brand new power—and even more so—during one of Emrys' disappearances, it acutely captured that 'unique' power.
In that mysterious power, it smelled the 'taste' of another, even vaster world!
This was what truly drove the Hive Mind mad. They were already the embodiment of greed and hunger, one of the many tentacles of the Tyranids. How could they let go of the opportunity to devour another world?
And the Battle of Perdita, including the reaction of the Tyranids Hive Mind, was slowly unfolding exactly as Emrys had predicted.
Since it was bait, it naturally had to be substantial!
Otherwise, how could the massive Tyranid fleet be stalled on this death world of Perdita by him alone, with just a few words?
The Tyranids rarely used cunning or wisdom; most of the time, they acted on instinct.
But that didn't mean they were inferior creatures without 'wisdom'.
Rather, most of the time, the situations the Tyranids faced didn't require its fleet to possess intelligent thought. They could win by simply overwhelming with vast numbers, so why bother thinking?
But now, the Hive Mind controlling the Leviathan fleet was clearly one with cunning intelligence.
So, to catch such a big fish, there must be enough bait!
"Dante must be acting by now, right?" Emrys appeared again on the desolate plain,
gazing at the deeply trenched, Tyranid-pockmarked world surface, and murmured, "I've gone to such lengths to create such a great opportunity for you. If you still can't grasp it, then Baal deserves this calamity!"
Due to the Warp shadow of the Hive Mind, he was currently unable to establish necessary contact with the human fleet outside.
However, he believed that an excellent Commander would definitely understand the opportunity he had created for him!
But just as he was about to go for another round with the Tyranids to complete his 'daily mission', a figure appeared in front of him, walking with the sunset, as if bathed in dazzling golden light.
"Someone else?"
Emrys was stunned, then assumed a vigilant stance, staring intently at the figure.
"Long time no see."
A familiar voice made Emrys freeze.
A moment later, upon seeing the familiar figure, Emrys' pupils constricted, and he froze in place as if struck by lightning, unable to speak for a long time.
"It, it's you—"
He stared at the person, suddenly becoming a bit stammering.
"You, how are you here?!"
That figure was none other than Inquisitor Winnie Winslet, the woman with whom he had shared life and death on Roselle.
"Naturally, I came for you."
Winnie's voice was somewhat cold, her golden hair draped over her shoulders, her features extremely delicate, especially her eyes, which contained a faint golden glow, as if adorned with stars, full of divinity, majestic and not to be looked at directly.
"For me?" Emrys couldn't help but grin.
"It couldn't be, you're here for a date, are you?"
"No, I'm here to tell you that you must hold this place."
Winnie looked at him deeply, as if with a hint of reluctance, and whispered, "There's a very important secret here."
"What secret?" Emrys vaguely sensed the seriousness of the matter from Winnie's eyes.
If it were an ordinary secret, it would never have prompted Winnie, who was already a Living Saint, to come here specially, or to appear so serious.
"Follow me." Winnie shook her head, not directly stating what the secret was, but turned and walked towards a certain spot.
The perplexed Emrys could only follow Winnie's footsteps, entering directly into one of the tunnels dug by the Tyranids.
The two walked in the darkness for an unknown duration.
Until Emrys became a bit impatient, he suddenly realized that this path seemed a bit familiar.
"Wait, this is—"
"Very familiar, isn't it?"
Winnie walked ahead. They exited the tunnel, and the view before them suddenly opened up, transforming into a narrow, canyon-like crevice.
"This is where you found the 'Void Dragon' shard, the black Stone Temple, but the secret I'm talking about is even deeper."
There's still a secret?!
Emrys was almost dizzy. Wasn't Perdita confirmed as a death world by the Emperor's expeditionary force in 30k? What other secrets could be here besides the Void Dragon shard?!
"As early as the Great Crusade, the 'Void Dragon' shard here was discovered by His Majesty the God-Emperor." Winnie seemed to guess his thoughts, leading the way while explaining to him.
"But at that time, for some reason, His Majesty the God-Emperor did not take this C'tan shard, but left it here. As for the reason—you will soon know."
"Black Stone?!"
Emrys thought it over and over, and it seemed the only reason could be 'black Stone'.
At that time, besides taking away the Void Dragon, they naturally wouldn't lady the Necrons' black Stone constructs. This thing, whether for shielding or amplifying psychic powers, was a treasure, so it was moved to other Worlds.
"You're right."
Winnie nodded.
Then, they arrived at the site of the black Stone construct that had originally been embedded in the mountain. After the black Stone pyramid was removed, only the cracked rock remained.
However, just as Emrys was wondering, finding himself at a dead end, he saw Winnie take a deep breath, then clench her fist.
Boom!!!
The seemingly delicate girl punched the cracked rock wall. The immense force spread, even kicking up rolling air currents!
Watching this scene, Emrys couldn't help but swallow, his eyes wide.
God Damn, a Living Saint is this strong?!
But before he could sigh, he saw that behind the shattered rock wall, a path, wide enough for a person to pass, was revealed.
There was actually another path here?!
Emrys' pupils constricted sharply. And this path was hidden behind the black Stone construct; even the Void Dragon didn't know what was hidden inside.
Suddenly, he was enveloped by a strong sense of ominous foreboding.
"Come with me." Winnie remained cold, giving him a faint warning glance.
"What's inside here is the true secret of Perdita."
It was clearly a vertical cliff, yet they walked as if on level ground, as if gravity had lost its effect. They appeared to be walking forward, but in reality, they were walking downward!
The deeper they went, the dimmer the light became!
Cold sweat broke out on Emrys' forehead. He had already guessed a little: this place had been affected by the power of the Warp, which was why the phenomenon of inverted gravity occurred!
So the question was, a Warp power strong enough to affect gravity—the secret hidden within here was probably also related to the Warp!
It couldn't be statues of the The Four Gods, could it?
As Emrys was guessing, Winnie ahead stopped, and dazzling golden light erupted around her, illuminating the area in front of him!
An ancient and mottled stone gate stood majestically at the end of this abyss, carved with countless intricate patterns and sealed by hundreds of massive, pitch-black iron chains!
Emrys looked at the stone gate, and his ominous premonition came true. He swallowed hard, a bitter expression on his face.
"This thing, it couldn't be—"
"This is Perdita's true secret—the daemon Gate!" Winnie sighed softly, a complex expression in her eyes.
"Once it is destroyed, this place will become—the second 'curse scar' to tear the galaxy apart."
Emrys' scalp tingled, as if a million grass-mud horses were stampeding in his mind!