"Whisper of Silence"

Ramsey moved forward in the shadows, intending to deliver the final blow to the Bone-Eater before it rose.

When the head was still ten meters away, the "Shadow Ascetic" summoned all his remaining Spirituality and uttered a soft, murmuring sound.

In the Gate of Bliss region of the Sol System, he "listened" to the "Whisper of Silence" obtained from the Tear of Silence of the C'tan, but never used them because of the Black Emperor's instructions.

Now is the perfect time. The Bone-Eater are too powerful, and he doesn't want more members of the 10th Battalion to die.

The branches on the Bone-Eater twisted and turned, supporting its body, as it tried to get up.

Suddenly, a faint, indistinct murmur echoed in his mind.

He saw hundreds of creatures of different sizes appear before him, including small humans and much larger Basmemanik.

Upon seeing its favorite food, the Bone-Eater immediately sent its branches over, tightly binding Basmemanik's massive body.

The metal casing was tightly wrapped, emitting a harsh grinding sound.

As the branches atop the Bone-Eater's head parted, its tough metallic outer skin fell away along with its flesh.

The bones were then placed into the gaping maw and entwined with branches.

The branches, like countless pythons, tore Basmemanik apart in an instant.

As the Bone-Eater enjoyed its delicious meal, the branch trembled slightly.

Just as the Bone-Eater was lost in the dream created by the "Whisper of Silence," Ramsey also came to his head.

In his sight, the Bone-Eater never moved; he would not wake up, but would die in his sleep.

Just as the Bone-Eater were feasting and the branches were spreading toward the humans, preparing for their after-dinner snack, Ramsey waved his staff, throwing an electric ball at the branches.

Lightning flashed and raged through the branches, crackling and popping as the dark branches snapped off inch by inch, falling to the ground like dust.

Lost in his dream, the Bone-Eater did not roar in anger; his body remained motionless as Ramsey slew him in the Silence.

The Shadow Ascetic's Spirituality was depleted, and he could no longer maintain his "Hide in Shadows." His body slowly appeared before the Shadow of Order the 10th Battalion Order.

The commander of the guards was the first to react. He thought of the black cat from earlier and spoke into the communication channel.

"It was Ramsey; he delivered the final blow to the Bone-Eater."

"Truly a messenger of the shadows, killing the Bone-Eater without a sound."

Ramsey, his face pale, suddenly felt as if his body was boiling with nutrients, he thought to himself.

[I have become a true "Shadow Ascetic".]

Ramsey felt the throbbing in his temples gradually subside, and the murmurs that had been lingering in his ears gradually faded away.

But at the same time, he felt a burning sensation in his throat, which he knew was the consequence of using abilities beyond his own level of life.

The surviving Mechanicum Custodians looked up at the black-armored giant standing atop the fallen body of the Bone-Eater.

Even with the most advanced Auspex, they still couldn't fully discern the imposing figure beneath the black cloak.

Disappointed, they turned their gaze away, wanting to see who it was that could kill the powerful Xenos that destroyed the God-Machine.

When Ramsey killed the second star after the Bone-Eater, Arsena Dunn received a report from the 10th Battalion, which he immediately reported to the Black Emperor.

"My lord, the 10th Battalion encountered Bone-Eater during their attack on the Xana I Forge Temple."

"Falk died in battle, and Ramsey avenged him by killing the Bone-Eater."

"The morale of the Rangdan Xenos has collapsed due to the deaths of their Bone-Eater. The 10th Battalion has broken through the encirclement and is expected to clear the surrounding area of Xenos within five stellar hours."

A hint of surprise flashed in Nimrod's eyes. Even though Ramsey, Sequence 7, still possessed powerful Psionic Energy, his combat strength was still inferior to that of the powerful Bone-Eater.

After reviewing the battle report, he keenly noticed that the Bone-Eater did not move again after falling to the ground.

[Ramsey must have used "Whisper of Silence." Although his Spirituality couldn't unleash the full power he received from the C'tan, it was enough to plunge the severely wounded Bone-Eater into a dreamlike state.]

As Nimrod pondered, his silver-haired Primarch's Attendants a somewhat worried reminder.

"My lord, who will succeed me Chapter Master of the 10th Battalion?"

Nimrod fell into deep thought. None of the members of the 10th Battalion were his ideal candidate for Chapter Master. After considering for a few seconds, he spoke.

"Ramsey will take over; he is capable enough and, having sought revenge for Falk, is the most suitable candidate."

"As you wish."

After deciding on the leader of the 10th Battalion, Nimrod spoke to Arsena.

"You will represent me and proceed to the First Forge Temple to negotiate with the Fabricator-General of Xana."

"Xana must restart the Foundry as soon as possible, restore production capacity, and make it a beachhead for the counterattack."

"We will negotiate on the grounds that we can Forge World from its predicament and reduce their losses, but the terms will be different from before."

Nimrod knew that Xana would retreat to the Eye of Terror after the Great Birthday Celebration, rendering supplies and alliances meaningless in the long run. His goal was to take as much as he could.

"Share the technology to manufacture weapons for my legion. You can request these from the Fabricator-General, depending on the situation."

"Tell him that after helping Xana out of this predicament, I will also help them take revenge on the Xenos."

Nimrod knew that Rangdan's invasion of the Forge Temple was, to any Tech-priest, a desecration of Omnissiah.

In his memory, Xana would do everything in his power, deploying the Mechanicum Custodians and Titan, to take revenge on Rangdan.

"Tell Xana's Fabricator-General that I will leave behind a team and Ramillies-class Star Fortress to protect Xana in the future."

"Xana, having just suffered an invasion, will definitely be interested in this."

Nimrod hoped to gain some good things from Xana through this, while also exerting influence over it. During the Great Birthday Celebration, he could use Star Fortress as a base to plunder benefits when Xana splits.

At the very least, we must take half of the resources controlled by Xana into our own hands.

"Hmm, you also need to request a list of the Mechanicum Custodians."

"Tell the Fabricator-General that this is my request, because I need to operate in coordination with the commander."

"You must keep an eye on the name Anakaris Scoria, and report to me immediately if you find it."

If Belisarius Cawl and Arkan Land Land represent the pinnacle of technical skill among Tech-priest, then Anakaris represents the ceiling of individual combat ability.

Of course, this excludes Titan that require an entire crew to pilot, and even then, the War Hounds and the like pose no threat to him.

While an ordinary Tech-priest typically has only one Mechanical Arm, Anakaris invented the Calculus Logi, which has more than a dozen Mechanical Arm on his back, allowing him to launch attacks simultaneously using different powerful weapons.

Not only was he incredibly powerful, but he was also known as the Father of the Hell-Forge. After taking control of Xana, he transformed it into the first Hell-Forge in history, earning him the title of Tyrant of Xana.

Anakaris, the future ruler of Xana, served as the commander of the Mechanicum Custodians during the "Rangdan Xenocides," and should now be just an unknown young Tech-Priest.

If we can "Corrosion" Anakaris, we can not only gain a talented person, but also gain control of most of Xana's people and resources in the future.

"Yes, my lord."

Nimrod got up; he decided to go check on the Bone-Eater, who might have potion ingredients on him.