You Will Return

Dante stood on his bridge, his eyes that had been tempered for countless years but were still as clear as amber reflected the burning Hive Fleet in front of him.

Blood Angels's battleship array is advancing towards the insect swarm at an alarming speed. The muzzles of each battleship are charging, and each salvo tears a wound on the dark green curtain.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest twice, the rhythm was slow and steady.

"At the beginning, Baal was almost gone."

His voice was calm, but there was a coldness in it that had been suppressed for a long time and finally found an outlet, "My Gene-Father's body was almost eaten by these damn insects."

After he said this, the Blood Angels warriors behind him simultaneously let out a low roar, like a roar rolling down the throat of a beast.

The roaring sound gathered in the communication channel, causing the lights on the bridge to flash.

Dante raised his hand, the movement was very light, as if he was just signaling to the people around him to be quiet for a moment.

His fingers drew an arc on the burning insect nest curtain, and that arc pointed accurately at the core position of the insect fleet.

"Leave no one behind."

Dark Angels's fleet entered the battlefield from another direction.

Their battleships were painted in dark green, with no extra decorations or patterns, only the wings emblem on the sword shining brightly at the bow.

Their actions were not notified to anyone in advance, but after receiving the mobilization order from Guilliman, they silently dispatched their elite troops.

Their commander stood on the bridge, his green eyes scanning the swarm of insects being besieged by Imperial Fleet, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Secret."

His voice was very soft, "Next, you bugs will all become part of Imperium's secret."

The portholes on both sides of their warship lit up at the same time. That was the light of Void Shield starting up, and it was also a signal that they were about to open fire.

Dark Angels never talk too much on the battlefield - they don't declare war, don't warn, don't say a word of nonsense.

They will directly turn things they shouldn't know into secrets that can never be revealed again.

The Hive Prince opened his eyes in the nutrient tank.

Its consciousness has recovered, and although it is still a little blurry, it can already clearly perceive everything around it.

It can feel that the nutrient solution is slowly receding from the surface of its skin, it can feel that the bulkhead of the petri dish is opening outward, and it can feel that the temperature outside the cabin is changing from humid and warm to dry and cold.

Its body is recovering.

The arm has grown back, and although it is still not strong enough, the joints can now be bent.

The cracks in the spine have healed, and the central nervous system that once made it unable to even crawl is being reconnected at an astonishing speed.

It heard the voice of Great Devourer again, clearer than before.

"Smart Atoms, has been injected into your body."

The dark green liquid was pumped away from the bottom of the petri dish, and the body of the Hive Prince slowly descended as the liquid level dropped, finally landing on the cold metal floor.

The moment its soles touched the ground, a new, unprecedented force poured into its limbs along its spine.

It lowered its head and looked at its hands.

Those five fingers were glowing slightly, not a dark green light, but a light golden light, like the dawn, that was flowing slowly - Smart Atoms, Imperium of Man The core secret of the most powerful warrior's body was flowing in its blood at this moment.

It can feel the power flowing through its body, and what it feels is not just "more powerful", but a deeper change - it is no longer just a body shaped by Hive Mind, it is becoming some kind of brand new existence.

Its fingers clenched tightly, and the pale golden light flashed between the fingers.

The corner of its mouth, the corner of which was broken in half by Perturabo's slap and then repaired in the nutrient tank, rose slightly.

It's not ridicule, it's not pride, it's an emotion that even it can't fully understand.

It tasted the taste of life in its new body, and the taste was wonderful.

It raised its hand and slowly made a fist.

The new-born arm is getting slightly hot, and a new energy circuit is taking shape in it—the fragments of Law of Eternity and Atomic Law that belong to humans are being analyzed, digested, and reorganized by Hive Mind, and then turned into something that belongs to it.

It knows that this is just the beginning.

It still has a long way to go, a lot to learn, and a lot to avenge.

But it's not in a hurry.

The insect nest has plenty of time.

In the distance, the artillery fire of Imperial Fleet is still roaring.

One Hive Ship ship after another exploded in the void, and dark green fragments scattered in the starry sky like a meteor shower.

Some of those fragments are being captured by the tractor beam of the Imperium battleship, and are being sent to Mars and Belisarius Cawl's laboratory, waiting to be analyzed, studied, and transformed into Imperium of Man's new power.

The swarm is retreating, shrinking, and gathering the surviving motherships and warriors around the core mothership where Swarm Prince is located.

The Hive Prince stood on the metal floor in front of the petri dish, looking at the burning starry sky.

In its hands, the new Smart Atoms is slowly growing, dividing, and multiplying, just like seeds taking root and sprouting in the spring soil.

The arc at the corner of its mouth is wider.

After a while, its voice sounded in the mental network of the insect nest, not loud, but clear.

"Retreat and let them go.

We've got enough."

There was no response in the communication channel, it was the instinct of the insect swarm executing the order.

But the Hive Prince knew that this was only a temporary calm, and the storm would soon come again.

It will become stronger, but the price is that the 20 former brothers have completely disappeared.

It closed its eyes and felt the sounds of Smart Atoms flowing through its body - the sounds were very light and thin, like the sound of ice breaking in spring.

It is waiting, waiting for itself to fully master this power, waiting for twenty new warriors to come out of the incubation pool, waiting for its next encounter with that Imperium of Man.

At that time, it will no longer be as embarrassed as it is today, and it will no longer run away in embarrassment under the impact of a slap like today.

It will respond to all that with a stronger self.

The sunset has completely set.

The embers of the battlefield are still burning, the sound of gunfire from Imperial Fleet is still echoing in the void, and the insect swarms are disappearing.

And deep within the retreating core mothership, a brand new existence is taking shape.

Forged from the genetic fragments of humanity's strongest warriors, Hive Mind's countless years of accumulation, and the pain of being torn apart on the battlefield - it is both an extension of the swarm's will and itself.

It raised its head and looked at the Imperial Fleet that was retreating in the void with its blue-white eyes.

On the other side of the starry sky, Titus was also standing on the bridge of Macragge's Honour, looking at the direction in which the insect swarm was retreating.

The two pairs of eyes are separated by countless light-years of void, separated by countless upcoming wars, and separated by the gap composed of blood and biomass between the two races.

At the same moment, endless killing intent burst out.