Eastern edge of the Galaxy.
Mandalay.
In the Necrontyr language, this planet's name meant "the place of eternal rest," and it truly lived up to its name.
Magnificent mausoleums and towering tombs formed this glorious world. Spires stood like monuments to that vanished age, while the winding corridors within seemed to lead into the depths of death.
After the War in Heaven ended, the Necrons of the Sautekh Dynasty had entered a great slumber here, one so long it was nearly eternal.
This planet's unparalleled defenses had allowed it to endure tens of millions of years in peace. Countless Colonisers, explorers, and fleets from later civilizations had been reduced to dust in its orbit, and not a single one had set foot on its surface.
But at this moment, a harsh metallic screech rang out from the deepest hall of this Tomb World.
"Slash."
A sharp Phase Sword effortlessly tore through a shell forged from Living Metal, drawing a ghostly green arc through the air.
The sound was shrill and grating. Faint energy flowed from the severed metal surface like blood, slowly spilling out and dripping onto the black stone floor of the hall.
The Silent King slowly withdrew his Phase Sword.
His movement was composed and elegant, as though that strike had merely been an idle diversion.
He lowered his head and looked at the figure lying on the ground.
"Shouldn't you have given up by now?"
The Silent King's tone carried a hint of impatience, like an exalted monarch who had finally run out of patience with some clown who stubbornly refused to leave the stage.
The one lying on the ground was none other than Stormlord Imotekh.
Stormlord Imotekh, general of the Sautekh Dynasty, and the greatest opponent of the Silent King and the reformed Triarch.
During