Following the mission instructions, Datch delivered the information extracted through torture to Lion Johnson and many high-ranking members of the Dark Angels.
Lion stood before the strategic platform, staring intently at the image before him.
"Ouroboros."
Lion muttered the word with a furrowed brow.
Unlike his brothers, Lion had known of Chaos long before meeting the Emperor. Before he descended upon Caliban, many terrifying giant beasts had roamed its tall, dense forests. The creatures that had terrorized the first settlers were not naturally evolved lifeforms. They were products of Chaos that had spread into the material world — manifestations of ancient evil.
In other words, Caliban had always been influenced by the power of the Warp. Both the existence of the Dark Watchers and Cypher's mission were meant to protect Caliban's secrets. Something slept on that planet — something older than the Primarchs, older even than the Imperium.
The Ouroboros mentioned in the information the nameless one had obtained was the spiritual embodiment of Caliban. Simply put, the Ouroboros was equivalent to Caliban's planetary will.
As a Primarch with cognitive abilities far surpassing humans and Astartes, Lion instantly connected all the events that had occurred and deduced the truth.
To assemble the Dissonance Engine, the enemy would inevitably need to gather fragments of Caliban. Everything made sense now.
Recently, Chaos warbands had been active in various locations, yet they had not expanded their territories. Aside from prosperous planets, their targets were often inconspicuous, desolate worlds or forgotten space stations. This abnormal behavior was all for the purpose of obtaining Caliban's fragments.
Judging from the frequency of Chaos faction activity, they must have already secured a considerable amount.
During the invasion of Stone Fortress, Abaddon and Vashtorr had also stolen the Tuchulcha Engine. Now they had finished all their preparations and were only waiting to complete the final step.
Azrael stood beside Lion, carefully scrutinizing the projected information with the same cautious eyes. "If the three sacred relics are combined, they can create a portal through time and space. Are they planning to return to the past?"
The other leaders looked at one another, equally puzzled. The development of the universe was far too complex. Simply changing the past was unlikely to produce a satisfactory result. Abaddon and Vashtorr would not have gone this far just to return to the past.
Lion turned toward Datch. "Honorable Nameless One, do you know why the enemy is trying to gather the three relics?"
Datch saw a golden exclamation mark appear above Lion's head. The Primarch was classified as a story NPC.
"The 'Dissonance Engine' assembled from the three relics is the machine the ancient sages used to pioneer the Webway. With this machine, they will be able to open new routes and locate the armories left behind by the ancient saints. With the weapons left by the ancient saints, Vashtorr will have the opportunity to become a god. And Abaddon will obtain weapons capable of destroying the Imperium of Man."
Datch patiently educated Lion and the other high-ranking Dark Angels using information from the game's encyclopedia.
The command sanctum fell into instant silence, broken only by the hum of machinery.
Lion was somewhat surprised. He had known that the Tuchulcha Engine and Caliban possessed unique properties, but he had never imagined that combining the three artifacts would create a machine capable of opening the Webway.
The Webway — it was the white moonlight his father, the Emperor, had always longed for.
His purpose in uniting humanity and building the Imperium was to acquire more resources to construct the Webway.
The Emperor had poured his heart and employed all kinds of unorthodox tactics, but in the end he had failed. Magnus, manipulated by the Chaos Gods, forcibly broke through the Emperor's defensive net and allowed hordes of daemons to invade. The Emperor had no choice but to expend his power to protect Terra and repel the daemonic invasion, losing many Custodians and Sisters of Silence in the process.
Then, in the final battle of the Siege of Terra, he was gravely wounded by Horus, who had been granted power by the Four Gods, and has lain upon the Golden Throne ever since.
…
Lion summoned the Grand Masters who remained in Stone Fortress and discussed the matter with them.
"No matter what Abaddon and Vashtorr attempt, we must uphold one principle. We must never give the enemy what they desire."
Azrael, the Chapter's supreme leader, spoke first. "Lord Lion, I believe we should immediately assemble a large force and move to stop Abaddon and Vashtorr."
"I support the High Chaplain's view."
"I agree as well."
Ezekiel, Samael, and the other great masters nodded in agreement, supporting the decision to travel to Lion and hear his opinion before carefully considering their options and making a final decision.
"Exactly. The more the enemy schemes, the more we must deny them. Immediately gather the fleet and head to the Illusionist System to annihilate them. If possible, we should recover the Dissonance Engine and attempt to modify it to fulfill the wish our father was unable to achieve ten thousand years ago."
The Imperium of Man currently possessed star routes capable of instant teleportation. However, the technology to photograph these star routes had been entrusted to the nameless ones.
The sages of the Adeptus Mechanicus had been researching the Star Trains, but so far they had made no substantial progress. If the Webway could be constructed, even if the nameless one suddenly left and the star routes could no longer be maintained, using Webway paths as candidates for Star Trains should not cause too great a problem.
The moment the Primarch's order was issued, every department within Stone Fortress sprang into action.
Numerous Imperial warships gathered around Stone Fortress. The fortress's massive engines spewed scorching flames, pushing its enormous bulk toward the edge of the galaxy to perform a Warp jump.
Other Imperial fleets followed closely behind, their engine lights twinkling like stars and creating a magnificent sight.
...
After completing another mission, Datch emerged from the command sanctum. He looked out at the Emperor's servants busily working inside Stone Fortress and stroked his chin.
The Imperial fleet Lion had assembled was certainly powerful. However, Vashtorr's ominous arks and the Chaos ships could not be underestimated either. If conflict broke out between the two sides, it would inevitably become extremely fierce, and neither side would gain anything.
The Dark Angels needed to strengthen their forces to better handle the coming war and reduce casualties.
Therefore, Datch decided to turn Stone Fortress into a ship girl.
What kind of Chaos warship could withstand a punch from a cute ship girl?
The answer was no, right?
When Mountain Formation had first appeared, she had swung a massive chainsword and shocked the Silent King, Szarekh. If Stone Fortress could also be transformed into a ship girl, the Dark Angels' power would undoubtedly be greatly enhanced.
Datch had always planned to turn all of the Imperium's famous ships and fortresses into ship girls. However, during this period he had used up all his points repairing star routes and had been unable to accumulate any more, so he had been unable to complete this task.
Datch first purchased an Omnipotent Spirit Cube from the game shop — an essential item for turning ships and fortresses into ship girls.
He then opened the minimap, located the central area of Stone Fortress, and began navigation.
On the way to the core, Datch encountered the Dark Watchers.
Small figures clad in black robes, no taller than an original Astartes' knee, their faces hidden in the shadows of their hoods. Upon seeing Datch, the Dark Watchers deeply bowed their heads. Their posture was filled with respect and faith, as if they were facing an existence beyond their understanding.
Datch gazed at these ancient, mysterious little beings, a hint of curiosity appearing in his eyes.
The Dark Watchers were guardians who protected Caliban's ancient secrets. They had existed long before humans settled on Caliban. They were there, harboring many secrets.
Datch tried to communicate with these special NPCs, but the Dark Watchers ignored him. After finishing their greetings, they turned and walked into the darkness, disappearing from view.
Datch: ...
Suddenly, he felt the urge to use Rick's teleport gun to open a portal to the Dark Watchers' hideout. These insignificant NPCs dared to ignore the Player. He should destroy their base.
But after thinking about it, there was a more important matter, so he continued deeper into Stone Fortress.
Thanks to his special status, the nameless one easily bypassed the Dark Angels' various security systems and infiltrated the core area of Stone Fortress.
It was a magnificent hall buried deep underground. The dome was incredibly high, and countless massive machines were operating. Snake-like cables spread across the floor, and enormous pistons rumbled as they moved back and forth.
In the center of the hall stood a gigantic matrix, from which gushing energy resembled a newborn star.
Datch approached the sphere of light, took the Omnipotent Spirit Cube from his pocket, and threw it into the matrix.
A dazzling light erupted instantly, surging like a tsunami and enveloping the entire hall. In an instant, it pierced through walls and corridors, enveloping every chamber and Stone Fortress itself.
The people inside Stone Fortress experienced the terrifying fluctuation firsthand. Everyone wore expressions of shock, wondering what had happened.
Lion and Ezekiel, members of the think tank, felt it most strongly. They clearly sensed that something terrifyingly powerful was awakening deep within Stone Fortress.
The bright light fluctuated constantly like the breathing rhythm of a living creature, rising and falling in waves.
From the center of the light, an elegant figure emerged.
A mature young woman with long black hair, clad in an emerald-green powered suit, slowly appeared from within the light. She held a long spear in her hand and wore a sword at her waist, clearly indicating her noble status.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, slightly raised her chin, and looked quite arrogant.
She gave a slight nod and performed a standard knight's salute. "My name is Boulder, I offer my greetings to the honorable Nameless One."
Datch's lips curved upward slightly as he looked at the ship girl who had manifested from Stone Fortress's mechanical spirit and will.
This outfit gave off an incredibly powerful impression. She should have no problem punching Chaos warships or kicking Ominous Arks.
The Dark Watchers emerged from the darkness and stared at the scene before them with expressions of disbelief.
Their race had existed for a very long time and had always followed the ancient saints. The ancient saints had been destroyed in a heavenly war. They had come to Caliban, taking on the responsibility of protecting the Ouroboros and shielding future races from Chaos.
Although they could not dominate the galaxy, they were extremely knowledgeable and had experienced all kinds of major events. However, the actions of the nameless one had truly opened their eyes — breathing life into Stone Fortress's mechanical spirit and will, transforming it into a living existence.
Good heavens… the methods of this nameless one were even more outrageous than those of the ancient saints!
"Now then, I'll take you to meet the Primarch and the others."
Under the watchful eyes of the Dark Watchers, Datch led Boulder out from the core of Stone Fortress and headed toward the command sanctum.
People they passed whispered among themselves upon seeing Boulder, wondering where the girl had come from.
Boulder ignored the surrounding gazes with an arrogant expression, holding her head high as she followed behind Datch.
Inside the command room, Lion stood before the holographic projection platform, continuously issuing orders. The surrounding officers were busy with their respective tasks, carrying out commands and promptly reporting the latest information from the front lines to the Primarch.
The entire command sanctum was a lively yet orderly scene of activity.
Just then, the door opened.
When Datch walked with Boulder, their arrival drew everyone's attention.
Lion frowned slightly upon seeing the girl behind the nameless one. Her expression and demeanor felt familiar to him.
"Everyone! I have an announcement."
Datch raised his hand and shouted, drawing everyone's attention.
"This is—" Datch said while pulling Boulder forward, "—the manifestation of Stone Fortress's mechanical spirit and will. In other words, a ship girl."
Lion: ...…
In other words, just like Mountain Formation, this fortress also has a ship girl now?
Is this… correct?
The nameless one's words caused a great stir.
Azrael, Ezekiel, and the other high-ranking Dark Angels had already learned through various channels that a ship girl had been born from Mountain Formation.
The ship girls' style was vastly different from the Imperial Fist style. However, the fleet's combat power had indeed increased, and they had once defeated a Necron Overlord.
In the end, the ship girls actually swung chainswords and sliced up enemy warships, causing chaos and pandemonium.
They wanted that too, but why couldn't it be a strong, muscular handsome guy?!
The Dark Angels needed burly, powerful, muscular men.
After finishing his introduction, Datch pushed Boulder forward. "From now on, work together with them and fight for the Emperor's glory."
Boulder nodded and walked over to stand beside the strategic platform.
Azrael and the other high-ranking Dark Angels looked at Boulder first, then at Lion. For some reason, their eyebrows and facial features looked very similar, almost like parent and child.
Lion stared at Boulder, his lips twitching.
When Dorn returned and saw that Mountain Formation had become a girl, would he feel dizzy?
He didn't know.
But right now, he really wanted to turn completely black and lie on the ground, cosplaying as a corpse.
Datch didn't care whether Lion accepted it or not. After delivering Boulder to the command sanctum, he went off to rummage through treasure chests in Stone Fortress in search of money and handicrafts.
Thanks to her abilities and deep understanding of Stone Fortress, Boulder was quickly accepted and became part of the unit.
Lion commanded the fleet through the turbulent Warp and jumped into a desolate cosmic region just one jump away from the Illusionist System, assembling in the void.
Scout ships secretly patrolled multiple nearby star systems, gathering information while providing Lion with detailed intelligence on the enemy's exact numbers.
The enemy's main force was stationed in the Illusionist System, possessing a large number of Chaos warships and Ominous Arks. Some units were garrisoned in the neighboring Blasphemy System and Apostle System, where they were constructing orbital temples and defensive fortresses.
Lion divided the fleet into more than ten battle groups, fully deploying them so they could concentrate firepower and annihilate even the most stubborn enemies.
Once all preparations were complete, Lion issued the order for a full-scale assault. The massive fleet once again started its engines.
Amid the resounding of great bells and prayers echoing through the engine rooms, the Warp engines roared. As the Geller Field flickered and enveloped the ships, a massive rift opened in the veil of the physical universe, spewing forth contradictory brilliance.
The rock formation emerged from the Warp at the designated location. Upon the lightning-wreathed shield, illusory objects were scattered like colorful flags reduced to ashes.
More than ten "Unforgiven" warships surrounded the rock formation. Through the skillful maneuvering of navigators and captains, they instantly formed a battle formation.
Void shields rose and augur arrays operated at full power. A vast amount of anomalous energy instantly overwhelmed the battleships' sensors.
The first attack began with defensive laser turrets and aerospace craft groups shooting down incoming torpedoes. A series of explosions occurred, illuminating the void with terrifying light.
Fighter craft from both sides engaged in fierce close-quarters combat in the cold, merciless void of space. As they weaved and chased one another in a dazzling dance of death, the massive warships slowly advanced nearby.
Compared to these gigantic machines, the aircraft protecting them looked incredibly small. When the massive hulls scattered the aircraft, it was as if a gigantic sea monster swimming had startled a large school of fish.
As the warships gradually entered firing range, light turrets, heavy cannons, and unidentified biological weapons joined the battle, illuminating the dark void with dazzling flames.
Vashtorr's followers were well-versed in the darkest secrets of Warp technology, and many star systems defied the laws of physics. These weapons were often equipped with strange biochemical conduits and sensors to control external Warp energy input.
The weapons mounted on the daemon warships were even more bizarre. These had originally been human ships, but had been swallowed by the highest heavens' waves and consumed by Chaos. The crew quarters had transformed into wrinkled chunks of flesh wrapped in flames or crystal, with writhing hands and wide-open mouths filled with sharp teeth.
There were even stranger ships — Age of Sail vessels, pyramid-shaped ships made of brass and skulls, and crystal ships that shone brightly and exuded an eerie, sacred atmosphere.
Despite the enemy's overwhelming numbers, the Imperial forces led by the Dark Angels showed no fear. Because as long as the nameless one was there, they knew victory was assured.
When the void battle began, Boulder decisively transformed into a knight girl clad in ship armor, her height exceeding one thousand meters.
She swung her activated massive power sword and, with a single strike, sliced the Chaos warship Desperate Malice to pieces before everyone's eyes.
Abaddon, standing on the bridge of the Vengeful Spirit, stared blankly at the scene.
We are currently at war with the Imperium.
I really want to call the police! This is against the rules! Someone is breaking the rules! Is no one going to do anything?!
War is war. How can a young girl slice up a warship with a sword?! Is this scientifically valid? Is this Chaos?
…