The transformation that occurred in Mel Ayan was enough to be inscribed in the chronicles of the Legion, even in the history of human evolution.
The silver flesh that quietly grew over the remnants of the Iron Father's body was not merely living metal, but genuine tissue and organs possessing vitality.
It possessed the cold, hard sheen and resilient texture of metal, yet radiated the warmth and vigorous vitality unique to flesh.
If all that effort had merely been spent replacing the Iron Hands' bionic implants with living metal, it would have been completely pointless.
Living metal was a special metallic substance created by the Necrons, capable of growth and healing. Its properties were remarkably close to those of organic life as people understood it.
Even if only a trace of living metal remained, as long as there were sufficient materials nearby and a suitable environment, it would continuously convert surrounding matter into more living metal with the aid of Canoptek scarabs.
Almost every branch of the Necrons' technological tree used this absurdly powerful living metal: Necron bodies, all manner of weapons, armored vehicles, void warships, and more.
Yet living metal was not truly alive. At its core, it remained a cold tool, an exquisite imitation of life.
It could not feel, could not think, and could not touch the soul-deep yearning for "existence."
If it truly possessed the qualities of life as its name suggested, the Necrons would not have clung so desperately to the dream of recovering bodies of flesh and blood.
But the living-metal cells Lox had edited, cultivated, and refined using the genetic samples of Steel Guardian were a magnificent conquest of the material universe by the laws of life.
These cells possessed the properties of metal and could also be adjusted and altered as needed.