Vostonia's Upheaval

Vostonia, the shantytowns on the outskirts of Verkhoyansk Hive City, where the second altar is located.

A woman draped in blue robes used her claws to pull back her hood, revealing a head shaped like a crescent moon.

After emitting a series of shrill, incomprehensible cries, she opened her bird-like beak and spoke to the gathered mutants in a piercing voice.

"The hive-dwellers view you as vermin, as mutated abominations."

"Is this the truth? Of course not."

The blue-robed woman's left arm elongated, stopping just an arm's length away from the nearest mutant, blue flames igniting within her claws.

"Mutation is a gift from the God of Wisdom; you are the chosen ones blessed with enlightenment."

"Follow me, and you shall receive the enlightenment of the God of Wisdom; you shall receive the gift."

"You will reclaim the hive city that rightfully belongs to you. You can tear those foolish people who despise you into shreds, and even trample those high-and-mighty nobles and the machine-fools who worship false gods beneath your feet."

The mutants let out excited howls; the woman's words ignited the rage in their hearts and stirred their desires.

A mutant with tumors growing on his eyelids, his legs bent and twisted, let out a sharp, piercing howl.

"Storm the hive, take back our food, and tear those maggots to pieces!"

The surrounding mutants, including those from other shantytowns, followed suit, shouting in excitement.

"Storm the hive, take back our food, and tear those maggots to pieces!"

The blue-robed woman floated upward in excitement, the power of the Warp surging.

"The time of enlightenment is at hand!"

While the mutants of Vostonia stirred up a storm, Nimrod, standing by the Coral Sea at the Cradle of the Sea, felt his gaze shift.

A glimmer of light appeared on the azure ocean—a light that was faint, yet dazzling.

It was the radiance rising from the Sea of Souls!

Nimrod understood in his heart: the ocean before him, perhaps due to the long-term worship of countless Sicilians or some unique opportunity, was shining within the Warp. It was already on the path of ascension, transcending the mundane.

Such occurrences were not rare in this world. In the subterranean seas of the hive world Necromunda, there existed a "Cthulhu" that had developed divinity through generations of worship by fish-men.

Worshiping the ocean was not particularly strange. Shamanism had three main objects of worship: ancestor worship, nature worship, and animal worship.

Even ten thousand years later, with the Ecclesiarchy having become the mainstream faith, the lower levels of Necromunda were filled with countless bizarre cults.

There were shamanistic cults that worshiped sewage pits, sects that worshiped metal pipes, and even those that worshiped broken daemon engines.

Even belief itself could give birth to new deities in the Warp through the act of worship.

The Goddess T'au was the embodiment of the T'au Empire's political philosophy of the "Greater Good," born from the faith of countless auxiliary races.

This Mother of the Sea was much the same, though it was far too weak compared to those lesser Chaos gods. It existed in dependence on the worship of its believers, and the waves of the Sea of Souls could potentially tear its fragile consciousness apart.

"Outsiders call it the Coral Sea, but we Sicilians call Her the Mother of the Sea. She provides us with food and shelter."

Nimrod's pupils constricted sharply; the faint light in his vision shifted, presenting a blurry, fragmented scene.

Two tentacles, densely packed with teeth at their tips, coiled around the bodies of an Iron Warrior and a bronze-skinned Sicilian.

Sharp teeth tore into their flesh and burrowed inside.

The image vanished, and the light grew dimmer.

"I saw the vision shown by the Mother of the Sea. I believe you saw what She showed you as well."

"That sea monster is called a Tooth-Devouring Octopus. Its body resembles an octopus, but the tips of its tentacles open into maws filled with sharp teeth."

"The smallest adult Tooth-Devouring Octopus is the size of a room. Their size grows continuously as they feed. The largest one we have ever witnessed was the size of an island; every time it surfaced, it caused a storm."

Malena's tone was filled with disgust. Nimrod, turning his head to look at her, saw the dim sorrow and hatred in her eyes.

"They are vile predators, blasphemous creatures. Neither the Sicilians nor the creatures of the sea can escape its sickening bite."

The Primarch had already deduced why the Coral Sea had shown him the sea monster: the Tooth-Devouring Octopus posed a threat to its faith, and it wanted to use his hand to eradicate the beast.

It is clear that the Coral Sea has already attained a certain level of intelligence. It understands what will move me to act: the threat to the lives of my men.

Moreover, the Sicilians are my people as well.

Thinking this, Nimrod spoke.

"If the sea monster dares to appear before me, I shall surely slay it!"

"The Mother of the Sea showing you this vision means that a sea monster has already been lured here."

She paused, adding with a mix of mockery and sorrow.

"Sea monsters have an infinite craving for flesh. The blood spilled in the battle between the xenos and the Sicilians will surely attract these predators."

"Follow me."

Nimrod took Malena and found Vieri.

The bronze-skinned man bowed in salute before beginning his report.

"My King, I have completed the reorganization of the Trani Sea Guard. There are currently one thousand nine hundred and fifty-two warriors capable of participating in battle."

"Depart immediately for the neighboring Grosseto Island."

After Szczesny eliminated the Flau xenos that had killed Trinio, he followed Nimrod's orders and located the chieftain.

Facing the well-equipped Iron Warrior, the chieftain, whose warriors had mostly fallen in battle, ultimately chose to submit.

Szczesny immediately ordered a rest and began recruiting soldiers from the fewer than one thousand remaining Sea Guard to replenish his ranks.

Because time was of the essence, the screening method he devised was simple: groups of one hundred were to dive into the water to retrieve coral, and the seven who returned the fastest would become new recruits for the 4th Regiment.

As the fifth group of candidates returned one after another, the Iron Warriors stood by the shore to verify the results when over a dozen tentacles erupted from the sea, two of which coiled around the waists of an islander and an Iron Warrior respectively.

Szczesny was taken aback; he immediately unslung his lasgun from his back, aimed at the thrashing tentacles, and pulled the trigger.

The beam struck the tentacles with precision, sending white smoke rising into the air.

Although he had hit the target accurately, the "Sailor" felt no joy, for he could clearly see that the tentacles had already burrowed into the bodies of the two men.

Jorginho, a bronze-skinned man who had passed the test in the third wave, had learned some of the language while trading with the Vostonians and had been temporarily appointed as a platoon leader by Szczesny.

He shouted to the commander in Low Gothic, "It is a Tooth-Devouring Octopus, a vile man-eating sea monster!"

Hearing this, Szczesny drew his Chainsword, strode forward, and issued an immediate order.

"Attack!"

The warriors of the Vostonian 4th Regiment immediately unleashed their weapons upon the tentacles.

Szczesny pressed the central power rune, causing phantom scales to manifest on his arm, and struck at the incoming tentacle using the seventh path of the "Osberh-Vaya" style.

The immense strength of the "Sailor" severed a segment of the tentacle over a meter long.

An earth-shattering roar of fury erupted, and the calm sea surface surged as if a tsunami had broken out.

Dozens of islanders and Iron Warriors were tossed into the air by the giant waves.

Szczesny watched in stunned silence as an island-sized monster emerged from the sea.

Jorginho screamed in terror: "It is Zhangya, the most terrifying of the Tooth-Devouring Octopuses!"

At the same time, Szczesny, who had been sent flying by a tentacle, experienced the horror of the sea monster firsthand; his Chainsword had been knocked away, and his right arm was fractured.

I must call for aid from my Lord; only he can slay this monster!