The thousands of believers were all dressed in loose blue robes, tall and slender, with shaved heads that gleamed like jade under the blue light.
Everyone remained seated in meditation posture, with their backs straight, hands in mudras placed in front of their knees, completely still, their breathing so faint as to be almost imperceptible.
After a scan, the instrument readings showed that they were still alive, but their vital signs were extremely low, as if they had fallen into a deep sleep with very low energy consumption.
From a distance, they don't look like living people, but rather like rows of meticulously carved ice figurines, accompanying this hall as it has slumbered for thousands of years.
At the very front of the hall, directly opposite the Ice Lotus, stands a ten-meter-tall dragon-shaped ice sculpture.
The statue has a smooth and graceful form, with outstretched wings and a slightly raised dragon head, posing as if facing the storm head-on. The details of the scales, claws, and wings are all lifelike.
Although it is a still ice sculpture, it carries an overwhelming sense of oppression, as if it will take flight at any moment and stir up a blizzard.
Even though he had never seen what the Dragon of Frost looked like, Dominic was still certain.
This is definitely Dragon of Frost!
He gazed at the statue, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
Dominic had seen almost every known mega-unit in the Imperium archives.
The Tyranids's Hive Tyrant, the Necrons's Canoptek Tomb Sentinel, the Orks's Gorkanaut, and the Chaos's Daemon Engine.
But none of them match the shape of the statue in front of them.
It's too "perfect".
It was so perfect that it didn't seem like a creature that had evolved naturally.
With its elegant lines and symmetrical structure, even the curves of its wings possess a deliberate aesthetic appeal.
It's more like... a deity image deliberately created according to human aesthetics.
But an absurd idea still popped up uncontrollably.
It is not a real dragon; it merely disguises itself as one.
But if it's not a dragon, then what is it?
Dominic's gaze shifted downwards, landing directly beneath the dragon-shaped statue.
There was another figure sitting there.
He was much taller than the other sleepers around him, his nearly three-meter-tall body wrapped in a dark blue robe.
Both are bald, and both are in a meditative posture.
But unlike others, he had four arms hanging down at his sides.
His two arms rested naturally on his knees, while the other two were formed in mudras in front of his chest, his posture as solemn as a deity in a temple.
In the eerie blue firelight, the shadows of four arms were cast on the ice wall, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
Four arms...
Dominic's heart sank.
In the Lower City Plague Cleansing Cult, even the high-ranking Genestealer bishops have four arms.
Cassandra's force field trembled slightly as she gripped the Power Sword at her waist, her eyes filled with vigilance.
The Psychic Power energy here overlapped too much with that of the Plague Cleansing Cult, to the point that she instinctively felt a sense of danger.
Thousands of slumbering believers, a Dragon God statue, and a four-armed "divine messenger."
The answer was almost obvious, but Dominic couldn't believe it.
If these are all Genestealer, if the so-called Dragon of Frost's Kin Frost Soldier indeed the vanguard of the Tyranids...
So what exactly is Kerry von doing?
He not only maintained a Genestealer Cult in the Lower City, but also hid an even larger " Frost Soldier " army in the ice plains?
Has he gone mad?
Dominic suppressed his turbulent thoughts and unconsciously took a few steps forward, wanting to get closer and see the facial features of these slumbering beings more clearly.
If we can collect a small skin fragment or hair sample and do genetic testing, all the mysteries will be solved.
He carefully bypassed the sleepers in the front row and walked to the believer closest to him.
The other person looked very young, with a handsome face, skin so pale it was almost transparent, long eyelashes drooping, and steady breathing, as if he were just asleep.
Dominic slowly reached out, his fingers pinching a sampling needle, intending to take a cell sample from the other person's bare neck.
The needle tip was less than a centimeter away from the skin.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The sleeper, whose eyes were closed, suddenly began to turn his head without warning.
It wasn't the body that turned; it was just the head that rotated 180 degrees clockwise in a way that defied the structure of the human body.
The face that was originally facing forward was turned to face directly back, right in front of Dominic.
His eyes snapped open.
Those were a pair of blue pupils with no whites at all, like two cold pieces of jade, devoid of any emotion, staring straight at Dominic, who was standing right in front of him.
"!"
Dominic felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively took a step back.
But it was too late.
rustling sounds echoed throughout the entire ice hall.
Just as spring returns to the earth, ice and snow melt, and life that has been dormant for thousands of years awakens one after another.
Thousands of slumbering figures in green robes opened their eyes at the same time.
Thousands of pairs of blue pupils turned in unison towards Dominic and his two companions.
There were no roars, no shouts, only cold, emotionless stares.
The eerie blue flames danced in their eyes, and the temperature in the entire ice hall seemed to drop by another ten degrees.
"Careful!"
Cassandra gave a low shout and instantly stood in front of Dominic. Her Power Sword hummed as it extended its energy blade, unleashing a pale silver, untouchable force field at full power.
The believer who was closest to the person had already stood up.
His movements were so fluid, without the slightest hint of sluggishness from just waking up. His arm rose at an uncanny angle, and his fist, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slammed straight towards Dominic's face.
The punch was so fast that it left afterimages, and a whistling sound of air being cut filled the air.
The power of this punch was no less than that of the Ogryn Superpower Warrior.
"Clang!"
Another Sisters of Silence stepped aside to meet the attack, her Power Fist slamming down, colliding head-on with the believer's fist.
A deafening roar, like the clash of metal, erupted, and ice shards rained down from the dome.
The nun groaned and took half a step back, her hands under the Power Fist feeling slightly numb.
The believer's arm was twisted at an abnormal angle, clearly indicating that the bone was broken.
Yet there was no trace of pain on his face; his blue pupils remained icy, and his other hand had already transformed into a sharp claw, slashing towards the nun's throat.
[court death!]
The nun's eyes sharpened, and she dodged the claws by sidestepping, her Power Sword sweeping across in the process.
A pale silver sword flashed, and the believer's head flew high into the air. The blood spurting from his neck was a pale purple, which splashed onto the ice surface and quickly condensed into eerie ice crystals.
It might solve one problem, but it's ultimately pointless.
Thousands of those who had been asleep had all stood up.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, as if controlled by the same will, their green robes fluttering as they surrounded the three.
The believers in the front row began to deform, their arms elongated, sharp claws popping out from their fingertips, and their back muscles bulged, with bone spurs vaguely protruding from their bodies.
The characteristics of Genestealer are rapidly appearing in them.
The ice room was deathly silent, save for the crisp sound of footsteps on the ice and the faint crackling of deformed bones.
This silent charge is more chilling than a hysterical roar.
"Retreat! Retreat towards the door!"
Dominic gave a stern order, and the Laspistol fired in rapid succession, the high-energy beams precisely piercing the heads of several believers in the front row.
But those behind them continued to advance, stepping over the corpses of their companions, without the slightest pause, as numb as a group of machines.
Just then, a deep voice echoed from the depths of the ice hall.
The sound wasn't loud, but it had a strange penetrating power, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Intruder!"