Chaos Guards the Gates, Tyranids Die for the Realm!

So, what is the true meaning of insect life?

Where do insects come from, and where are they going?

Why do insects need to live?

Lictor's eyes went blank.

For the first time, it truly possessed self-awareness, unaffected by the Hive Mind.

Is it possible that the Hive Mind is not something it must serve?

Previously, Lictor had been influenced by the Hive Mind, and its way of thinking and action was completely controlled by the other party—whether it was risking absolute danger to infiltrate or sacrificing itself for the greater interests of the Hive Mind.

This was actually not his intention!

Just as a Genestealer suddenly realizes that the Emperor actually only has two arms, the cognitive filter that had been obscuring Lictor's mind was completely shattered at this moment.

The Tyranid swarm itself has a very high biomass consumption efficiency. It only needs a small amount of biomass to devour and evolve carefree in the universe. It can live a very happy life even without the Hive Mind, instead of living for the Hive Mind.

Moreover, even if they wanted to serve the Hive Mind, this devouring was still unsustainable: the Swarm itself only plundered and never had the ability to produce resources—unlike the Orks, they could not achieve a closed production cycle through photosynthesis or the raising of Squig.

Why not consider living alone or in seclusion?

It only needs a little biomass to live comfortably for eternity, and with its powerful pincers, it can easily prey on small creatures.

Through countless evolutions over millions of years, the elite units of the swarm have developed such efficient energy utilization that they can live in solitude.

In other words, as long as they don't listen to the Hive Mind that has been manipulating them, Lictor can live a carefree and happy life.

--Instead of risking your life to open a path for the other party here.

"Grumble?"

After the unidentified ripples passed over the area, the surrounding squads of Tunneling Python and Lictor warily surrounded the creature that had suddenly lost its connection to the swarm network.

Why did it suddenly lose signal?

Why can it move even without a signal?

What exactly is this?

Snap!

As the next wave of ripples descended, the entire group of Lictor and the Tunneling Python collapsed with a thud.

In their daze, in the last moments before they lost consciousness, these insects seemed to hear the faint chanting of the "Centaur gold ring".

They have all fallen into a deep sleep.

The first person to develop self-awareness, Lictor, fell into a state of extreme emptiness.

What should I do now?

Like a solitary sage, insignificant in the face of trillions of insects, what meaning would it hold even if it understood the world?

Lictor has finally gained a sense of self, but what can it do on this Zerg-infested Baal?

What kind of insect life does it want to live?

So, they escape, and then, like any other undeveloped animal, just eat and sleep all day?

What meaning does its life hold?

When.

Lictor felt as if he could hear the chorus of the "Centaur gold ring" once again, resounding like a great bell from every corner of his body.

It was the most beautiful thing in the world, and also the target that the Hive Mind was trying its best to destroy.

Sanguinius.

She was so beautiful and gentle, like a real mother—though Lictor had never seen Sanguinius, this emotion, which far exceeded the commands of the cold Hive Mind, was something it had never felt in its short life.

Sanguinius is a human being who could be my mother!

[Mother!!!]

Lictor understood.

Isn't the great mother it should cherish, the one it needs to save, right before its eyes?

Along with the newly awakened Tunneling Python and other Lictor insects, Lictor understood everything—it, together with the now-reborn swarm around it, left the newly excavated tunnel and returned the way they came to fight against the Hive Mind.

For Mother Sanguinius!!!

Centaur, Golden Ring

Faint, almost invisible rings of light emanated from the singers' bodies, spreading in all directions.

Deep beneath Angel's Fortress, a large number of residents from the Three Stars of Baal who were unable to evacuate are gathering.

Most of the residents were the elderly, women, and children—after all, those who were capable of carrying guns had already been positioned at the forefront of Angel's Fortress, serving as the vanguard to wear down the Zerg swarm, luring them to attack and making them step into the Thirsting Water.

An extremely cruel decision.

But this is the best way Dante can think of to deplete the swarm's strength at the moment.

If we don't do this, Angel's Fortress will still fall completely, and everyone will perish from the absolute hunger of the endless swarm of insects.

As for the rest of the guys who couldn't even hold a gun properly.

At the suggestion of Charlotte, the Chapter Master of the Sons of the Phoenix, these individuals were arranged to take turns singing "The Centaur gold ring" in various corners of Angel's Fortress without stopping.

Like Tech-Priest praising Omnisaya, the entire Angel's Fortress was filled with these rising and falling songs the moment the Leviathan Tyranid Fleet invaded.

The indigenous people living on Baal's Star already held a certain degree of faith in the Angel Sanguinius. Rather than becoming filler characters, they would naturally prefer to play "The Centaur gold ring" in the safety of Angel's Fortress. But why?

Why do they need to do this?

Ordinary people don't need to know the reasons.

But it was precisely because of the ripples from the Centaur gold ring that no matter how many Lictor and Tunneling Python the Hive Mind tried to send to launch a surprise attack on Angel's Fortress from underground, they always seemed to be doomed.

After losing a large number of burrowing vanguard forces, the Hive Mind seems to have abandoned this plan altogether.

Sanguinius is terrifying!

Even if she's dead, the Centaur gold ring alone can make the insect swarm defect. If she could really come back to life, how terrifying would her charm be!

The Hive Mind: "This woman must not be allowed to live!"

But how can I get in?

Unable to break through the Void Shield and its defenses with a frontal assault, and unable to launch a rear attack to cut off the Void Shield's power supply, what other options do the Zerg swarm have?

Despite the trillions of insect swarms hovering in the sky, these terrifyingly numerous killers seemed utterly helpless against the impregnable Angel's Fortress.

The battle on the Baal has once again devolved into a protracted war of attrition.

Baal I.

[Understood, thank you for the intelligence report, Chief Librarian Mephiston]

With a smile, Kasgar sent the message via Psychic Power towards Angel's Fortress, the Baal Prime, which was surrounded by swarms of dark insects.

"Just as I predicted."

To the strains of the chorus of "Centaur gold ring," the digging team, which was supposed to immediately storm the interior and destroy the Void Shield generators, has fully responded to Sanguinius's call.

Compared to the Hive Mind, Sanguinius is clearly a much better mother figure!

Under the cover of the Void Shield, the Zerg swarm's large-scale ranged firepower was unable to penetrate the defenses and cause any damage. In addition, with tens of thousands of Space Marine firing and bombarding the fortress walls in waves, Angel's Fortress's defenses remained impregnable.

"When faced with such a protracted and unsuccessful siege, Tyranids will most likely choose to redeploy his forces to launch an attack in another direction."

For example, Baal's two satellites.

Outside Baal I's fortress, where Kasgar is located, the Zerg swarm seems to be steadily building up before launching an attack—after realizing they cannot quickly conquer Baal Prime and feast on it, these Zerg have chosen to change their target and focus their assault on Baal's two moons.

The Sons of the Phoenix, along with the other Blood Angels guarding Baal I, defended the satellite's only fortress—though its size was clearly incomparable to Angel's Fortress on the main planet. Through this battle, the Sons of the Phoenix had already made a name for himself among the Blood Angels and their followers.

That's incredible, absolutely incredible.

The difference in combat power between Primaris Space Marine and ordinary Space Marines is real, especially for the Sons of the Phoenix, who are part of Melusine's Super Primaris program—each of them will have their combat power increased to another level.

Equipped with the latest Perturabo- manufactured Power Armour, the Sons of the Phoenix stood out even more on the battlefield than the Chapter Priest painted with black skull masks.

The targets fired from the city walls alone could not adequately demonstrate the power of the Primaris Space Marine.

After the fortress was surrounded by the Zerg fleet, in order to prevent the corpses from piling up and giving the Zerg forces a chance to climb the walls, it was necessary to send some warriors down from time to time to clear the piles of Zerg corpses with Melta Bomb or flamethrower devices—which, in the eyes of ordinary people, was a suicidal operation with no chance of return.

However, in Baal I, the existence of the Sons of the Phoenix completely transformed this mission.

With their strength, skill, and speed far exceeding that of ordinary Space Marine, coupled with their anti-gravity Jump Pack, these Sons of the Phoenix moved through the Zerg swarms like dragons on the battlefield.

They're practically superhuman!

"Something's not right," Kasgar, looking down at their own lines below the fortress, where cheers erupted as the Sons of the Phoenix once again slew the enemy's chief warrior with outstanding performance.

"Logically speaking, even if someone is strong, they shouldn't be this strong." He was somewhat puzzled. "Or perhaps Melusine secretly added something again?"

Forget it, there's no point in dwelling on this now.

"Continue to hold the position and wait for the opportunity to counterattack."

Kasgar said firmly, the swarm of insects was still endless—even if he used all his strength to fight the grunts, he still couldn't turn the tide of the battle.

He still needs to wait for an opportunity—an opportunity to bring in third-party forces.

The war continues to rage fiercely.

The mountain of insect corpses did nothing to slow the enemy's advance.

Just as Baal Samsung was struggling to hold on, bad news first came from Baal II.

Baal II's fortress was recently completely overrun by the Zerg fleet—of the original nearly 10,000 Space Marine, only a few hundred managed to return to Baal Prime to continue fighting.

As for Baal I, where Kasgar is located, despite the steadfast defense of the Sons of the Phoenix, their ammunition and the thickness of their Void Shield are teetering on the brink of collapse.

After all, most of the resources are on the main star. To put it bluntly, the creatures planted on Baal I and Baal II are just cannon fodder to relieve the pressure on the main star.

Even before the battle began, Dante was quite puzzled by Kasgar's initiative to go to Baal I.

Originally, this was supposed to be the destination for the Flesh Tearer, Blood Knights, and other Chapter with significant [Mom Rage] and [Black Rage].

Especially the Blood Knights —they have completely succumbed to the [Mom Rage] and [Black Rage] within their genes. In battle, they will not hesitate to show their longing for their mothers and their extreme hatred for Horus.

The specifics are truly unimaginable; all existing documents have been deleted by the Inquisitor.

Ultimately, they were regarded as heretics by the Inquisition and, in the Imperium annals, were completely regarded as Chapter.

However, the Sons of the Phoenix, who showed no genetic defects, also volunteered to be transferred to Baal I for some reason.

In her view, the Sons of the Phoenix are now perfect—not only are there no members in the Chapter who have fallen into [Mom Rage] or [Black Rage], but in terms of combat strength, they are in no way inferior to the Blood Angels.

Hiss. If it weren't for the fact that they all could chant the ancient "Centaur gold ring," Dante would most likely have considered them descendants of the Third Legion.

(Since the ban was implemented over the millennia ago, the exact origin of the play "The Centaur gold ring" has long been lost to history.)

We must achieve victory through unconventional means.

In the original timeline, the Blood Angels were able to achieve a Pyrrhic victory in the Battle of Baal primarily due to the machinations of Abaddon, the seemingly treacherous Chaos Warmaster of Abaddon.

He tore a Warp in the galaxy by smashing the Blackstone Fortress directly into the Cadia.

Under the influence of the vast and powerful Warp forces, the Tyranid Fleet was not only torn into several parts, but even the Hive Mind became unstable due to the surge in Warp —the chaotic and commandless swarm gave the Blood Angels an opportunity to exploit the situation.

But it's clear that Kasgar doesn't have the luxury of waiting for Abaddon to tear the galaxy apart—he himself recently used a borrowed knife to kill the Black Legion and send them back to the Eye of Terror.

"So, you really aren't coming out of here with us?"

After a long battle, the warriors in Baal I have fulfilled their role of delaying the Zerg swarm's attack and sharing the firepower of the supernova.

With the help of the Blood Knights and Flesh Tearer who shouted "Mommy!!!" and fought their way out of the encirclement, the remaining thousands of troops were able to return to Baal Prime in fighter jets to continue the fight.

Staying here any longer would only be a futile effort.

But Kasgar insisted that they would fight to the last moment on Baal I.

This was extremely illogical behavior in the eyes of Seth Flesh Tearers Chapter.

The battle is not over yet; there's no need for him to make an unnecessary effort to hold on to a fortress that is bound to fall.

Seth felt a pang of heartache, especially seeing these Sons of the Phoenix Warriors perish in Baal.

"Alright, since you insist."

But in the end, they still couldn't persuade Kasgar.

With hundreds of fighter jets breaking through the swarm's blockade and flying into the distance under the protection of anti-aircraft fire, Kasgar finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, everyone was able to leave.

Now, only the Sons of the Phoenix Chapter is left fighting alone on the entire Baal I.

Kasgar scanned Baal with some excitement, as if, apart from the sea of insects, there wouldn't be any witnesses other than the Sons of the Phoenix who would see his next move.

Now, it's time to take action!

However, what appeared was not the Psychic Flame most commonly used by the Kasgar.

Instead, his hands, amidst the blooming frost, were drawing upon the power of the Warp, tearing open a Portal from the Realspace for some being to this place.

Could it be that...

Is this a summoning of some mysterious and powerful being to descend upon Baal I?

It is indeed powerful, but not mysterious at all.

Anyone could guess which demon would answer Kasgar's call and come to Baal I.

Click.

As the Warp energy in Kasgar's hands disappeared, a crimson meteor tore through the sky composed of Tyranids and crashed to the ground.

Long ago, in the prophecy of Mephiston, the Chief Librarian Blood Angels, he already knew of the arrival of that Khorne Bloodthirsters.

As the nemesis of the Blood Angels, Kabanhah never misses a single major battle involving the Blood Angels.

Whether it's Baal, Signus, or Terra.

Where there are Angel, there will be Kabanhah!

The Bloodthirsters strode hastily, leading his army of Khorne across the rift in the Warp into this land of Angel—

Etc!

Why are they all disgusting bugs?!

The sight before him caused him to let out a terrifying roar that would terrify any living being.

"No!!!"

In his heart, there was only him, only he could hunt down the Sons of Sanguinius, and only he could resurrect Sanguinius and kill her again.

He knew that although the Angel was dead, her soul was preserved intact!

On the Vengeful Spirit, just as the Four Gods were about to fight over the dying Angel, an unexpected Centaur successfully protected her soul!

Sanguinius is not completely dead yet!

Even if she were truly dead, Kabanhah would not allow these lowly insects, devoid of any honor, to defile his Angel!

The thought that the remaining bucket of Angel would be completely absorbed by the swarm and turned into biomass ignited an uncontrollable rage within this Khorne Bloodthirsters.

Let's chop it up first!

Cut!

With a whoosh of its axe, Kabanhah and its Khorne began to spread through the swarm. Fear?

The lowly insect swarm doesn't have this feeling, but it doesn't matter to them!

Cut it down first!

Wait a moment!

Kabanhah's powerful radar sensed the Sons of the Phoenix warriors attempting to surround it.

"Offer your skulls!"

With his next axe strike, he swung it toward the neck with a speed unimaginable to the Sons of the Phoenix.

When!

Just as Kabanhah's bloodthirsty giant axe was about to strike the Sons of the Phoenix, a figure flashing with intense golden light appeared in front of everyone!

That is

Yes, that was exactly the person Kasgar had been waiting for, the one Kasgar hoped would be present in the Battle of Baal.

I've finally waited for you--

Sanguin!

Is that you?

Gazing at the golden light and shadow before him, Kasgar excitedly shouted the name from his memory.

" --Horus?!"