From This Day On, Baal Was No Longer a Wasteland

At the same time, deep in the chasm between the real universe and the Warp, in the distant void, within the hungry abyss that had swallowed countless star systems.

The Hive Consciousness was raging helplessly, watching humanity destroy yet another one of its Hive Fleets.

It screamed.

An entire massive fleet was gone just like that.

It had lost them.

It had lost its second branch.

Of the three tendrils that had invaded the galaxy, only one lone survivor remained.

[Damnable traitors—!]

The roar of the Hive Consciousness passed through the psychic network, like countless needles stabbing into the minds of sensitive psykers.

The Imperium's Astropaths shuddered at the same time.

Lin En merely glanced indifferently toward that direction deep in the void. He heard the shriek, but did not take it seriously at all.

His voice hoarse, he tugged at the corner of his mouth. "What are you screaming for? If you've got the guts, come here yourself. I'll scatter you along with everything else."

He looked as if he had just been fished out of water. He was nearly exhausted, drenched in sweat, and an utter mess.

But he turned his head and glanced at the star map.

The red signals belonging to the Tyranid swarm had almost entirely vanished from the screen. The few still flickering were also being surrounded and wiped out by the blue and red signals of the human fleets.

And Vitellia, that little blue-green planet, still hung there quietly.

Farther behind it were Cryptus and Baal.

The main Tyranid force was annihilated.

Vitellia was safe and sound.

Baal was safe and sound.

Lin En stared at the star map for several seconds, confirming that this was not some deathbed hallucination brought on by fighting until he dropped dead.

Then his lips moved.

"We