Hive Mind

The roar of the Insect Saint is no longer a simple predator's howl, but is mixed with an almost instinctive fear deeply rooted in the collective consciousness of the insect nest.

Its simple thinking, composed of bioelectrical signals and basic predatory logic, is unable to comprehend the "things" gushing out of the golden channel.

But the energy characteristics and material presence emanating from them, especially the invisible pressure emanating from the blue-gold figure at the head, were all frantically stimulating it.

That is no longer the concept of "prey" or "competitor".

That was... a natural disaster.

It is a cold, systematic will to erase the existence of the insect hive itself, originating from a higher dimension.

This sudden and unprecedented sense of threat was so intense.

Even the Node Queen, who controlled the greedy consciousness of the entire Leviathan Hive Fleet deep within the Hive Ship at the edge of the galaxy, was "shaken".

Within its vast consciousness, which had devoured countless galaxies and merged trillions of genes, a rare "attention" arose.

It's not about assessing the prey, but about being wary of some abnormal variable, some unknown entity that could fundamentally threaten the entire evolutionary path of the insect hive.

It decided to take a look for itself.

Thus a cold, vast, and terrifying will, driven purely by the desire for survival and expansion, emerged.

Like an invisible abyss gazing down, it traversed the void and instantly descended upon the insect saint on the ground, who was emitting uneasy roars towards the sky.

The Insect Saint's already enormous body suddenly stiffened.

Beneath the chitinous carapace, the muscle tissue swelled and twisted unnaturally, and strange, pulsating Psionic Energy patterns appeared on the surface of the body.

Its roar changed, becoming deeper and more rational, as if it had been instantly injected with computing power and a ruthless killing program far exceeding its individual capacity.

The Hive Mind, temporarily, transformed this insect saint into its "eyes" and "claws" on the surface of Baal, to personally test the true nature of that golden threat.

However, just as this Insect Saint was possessed by the Hive Mind Nest, its power and perception surging dramatically, and it was about to react to Guilliman in the sky—

A deep blue afterimage appeared abruptly behind the giant head of the Insect Saint at a speed that nearly tore through the sound barrier!

The figure's movements were simple, precise, and unpretentious, yet so fast that even the perception enhanced by the Hive Mind could only catch a blurry trace.

The Chainsword in his hand was not the Power Sword of the Blood Angels, but the standard Chainsword of the Ultramarines, bearing the insignia of Ultramar.

With a devout yet ruthless hiss, like a hot knife cutting into solidified grease, it precisely pierced the joint of the Insect Saint's thick cervical vertebrae.

That's a relatively fragile, yet crucial node connected to important nerve cords!

"The Emperor's gaze is fixed here."

A deep, steady voice, like a mechanical recitation of sacred texts, rang out the moment the Chainsword pierced through.

That's Malum Kaido, the tactical mastermind behind the Ultramarines.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly, the muscles in his arms bulging from exerting all his strength, and a faint hum emanated from the joints of his Power Armour.

"Our brother legion has suffered calamity, we, the Ultramarines, must persevere!"

His voice continued, each word distinct and clear, as if he were delivering a solemn pronouncement of execution.

The chain saw teeth spun wildly, tearing apart the tough chitin and the internal organic tissue:

"Upholding the will of the Primarch, slay heretics, vanquish evil spirits, and destroy vile creations."

The Insect Saint let out a roar of pain and rage, trying to turn its head away from the tiny attacker, its massive bone pincers sweeping backward.

But Kaido was faster.

He released the sword hilt, his figure gliding away like a ghost, skimming along the insect saint's carapace, thus avoiding a fatal blow.

At the same time, his words, like a final judgment, came clearly:

"You should wail under my sword."

"You should repent under my sword."

"Repent for the sin of devouring the human world."

"Confess that every drop flowing from your shell originates from the sinful fluids of plunder and destruction."

"Buzz--Boom!!!"

The Chainsword's power core overloaded under Kaido's skillful remote detonation command, and together with a high-temperature explosive inside the sword, it exploded violently inside the Insect Saint's cervical spine!

Even the carapace strengthened by the Hive Mind could not completely withstand this internal destruction.

A huge gap was blasted open at the junction of the Insect Saint's head and body, and shattered carapace, burning tissue, and foul-smelling bodily fluids gushed out.

Its massive body staggered forward and crashed with a deafening thud. Although it was not dead yet, it was clearly severely injured and temporarily incapacitated.

Kaido landed lightly on the broken rocks beside him, his expression calm and undisturbed beneath his mask.

He could feel that the "Smart Atoms" characteristic originating from Guilliman within his body was becoming more active and stronger with each battle and each moment of concentrated will.

Not long ago, he had a brief encounter with the berserk Angron, and was almost cleaved in two by the opponent's violent power.

But thanks to his powerful regenerative abilities and material reconstruction capabilities, he recovered quickly and even felt that his strength had improved compared to before his injury.

At this moment, facing the Titans of the insect hive, he felt Dreadnought, only calm calculation and absolute confidence—he could destroy it.

Almost at the same time that Kaido succeeded, two more deep blue bolts of lightning also crashed down around the fallen Insect Saint.

"For Ultramar!"

Cato Sicarius roared, accompanied by the dazzling light of his Power Sword, "Oathkeeper."

His swordsmanship was both elegant and deadly. Seizing the moment when the Insect Saint was injured and out of balance, his sword light struck the joints of the Insect Saint's several huge appendages that were supporting his body like a storm.

The precise strike was accompanied by the ear-piercing sound of Ceramite tearing through chitin. Several limbs of the Insect Saint were severed in response, and its massive body, having lost all support, crashed to the ground with a thud.

"For the Emperor!"

Calgar's roar was deeper and more powerful.

The Chapter Master was unarmed; his famous "Hand of Dominion" Power Fist gleamed with a cold, icy light.

He charged towards the Insect Saint's head, which was raised in pain and struggle, like a battering ram.

Ignoring the broken bone spikes that the opponent swung at him, he punched solidly into the thickest part of the Insect Saint's head armor!

"Thump--Crack!!!"

After an extremely dull impact, came the sickening crack of bones and shells.

Calgar's Power Fist embedded itself deeply into the Insect Saint's head, its destructive force penetrating the body and completely shattering and destroying the internal brain tissue and nerve center.

From Marus's surprise attack to Sicarius's severed limb, and then Calgar's headshot, the entire process was seamless and perfectly coordinated, taking... no more than ten seconds.

A Tyranids Swarm, temporarily strengthened by the Hive Mind, making it a veritable overlord of the ground.

Thus, under the perfectly coordinated attack of the three top-tier captains of the Ultramarines, it quickly succumbed to death-like convulsions.