The mysterious STC Template that the St. Garus Family has guarded for over a thousand years!
He had seen related records when he was going through Brevis's file before.
The reason why the St. Garus Family, as Knight House, settled in Brevis was because they discovered an STC.
It significantly enhances the Knight Mech, with effects far exceeding those of the standard template.
At the time, he took it as just a legend about aristocratic families trying to glorify themselves and didn't take it too seriously.
But now, considering what the two Death Guard said...
That so-called STC is not a purely human technological product at all!
It's a fragment of Tzeentch's magic!
No wonder the St. Garus Family's knight mechs can always perform far beyond the norm.
So that's where the root of the problem lies!
Dominic felt a chill run down his spine.
A planet inhabited by Genestealer, Chaos Sorcerer, the Thousand Sons, the Death Guard, and even the Tyranids.
The waters of Brevis were much deeper than he had imagined.
"Thank you for reminding me." He composed himself and looked at the two veterans.
Is there anything else you want to tell me?
Barlow shook his head, then his expression changed slightly as if he had remembered something:
"Wait, there's something you need to be careful about."
" Phelps didn't board the ship rashly; he has an inside man on Brevis."
"An inside man?" Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"He was a man of high status who had sided with my Grandfather at a very young age."
"He helped spread the plague in the Lower City, he also put the disease in the Tithe Fleet's supplies, and even the coordinates for our arrival in Brevis were provided by him."
"It's a deep voice, "Coren said.
" Phelps didn't say the name, but we could sense that person was right in Brevis's inner circle of power."
"Furthermore, Phelps is always cautious; he wouldn't be without a backup plan."
"His true form may not be a single entity, or there may be other plague containers hidden somewhere on this ship."
"You'd better investigate carefully and don't be careless."
After saying this, Barlow let out a long sigh of relief, as if all his burdens had been lifted.
He and Coren exchanged a glance, both seeing relief in each other's eyes.
That's enough.
To be able to regain consciousness before death, to be able to personally kill his corrupt colleagues, and to be able to give a wake-up call to these mortals who are still fighting for the Imperium.
"Kid, remember what we said."
Barlow picked up the Power Axe again, but instead of pointing it at Dominic, he turned the blade around and aimed it at his own neck.
Don't trust anyone. In this damned age, betrayal always hides where you can't see it.
Coren gripped the Power Hammer again, pressing the hammerhead against his chest.
"It's better to die as a human than to be a maggot for the rest of your life."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
In his smile, there was regret, relief, and the last trace of pride belonging to the XIV Legion.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously.
The Power Axe severed his neck, the Power Hammer shattered his heart.
Two veterans who had experienced the Great Crusade, the Horus Heresy, and the Chaos Expedition of Ten Thousand Years remained seated, forever lost in silence.
There were no cries of pain, no struggles.
He left peacefully and with dignity.
The passageway fell completely silent.
Only the corpses of twenty-one Death Guard remained, along with the ground covered in putrid liquid and rust.
Dominic stood there, silently gazing at the two bodies, remaining silent for a long time.
The wind blew through the ventilation ducts, carrying a metallic chill and stirring up fine dust.
A catastrophe capable of destroying an entire battleship came to the Veil in such an absurd, tragic, and somewhat sorrowful way.
But the tension in his heart only tightened further.
A mole.
Tzeentch Fragments.
Phelps's second move.
And then there's that bottomless mess on the ground.
The crisis is far from over.
"Pass down the order." After a long silence, Dominic finally spoke.
"A thorough inspection of the entire ship, every compartment, every pipeline—nowhere can be overlooked."
"Focus on thoroughly investigating the area surrounding the Machine God and its lower cargo hold to identify all possible hiding places."
"All compartments should immediately undergo comprehensive disinfection."
"All areas exposed to the Chaos Contamination are to be sealed off; corpses are to be cremated in a centralized location, and ashes are to be sanctified by a priesthood."
"Also, send a telegram to the Governor's Office on the ground."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the planet teeming with undercurrents.
"Tell Kerry von that Brevis has a mole."
"Also, there's something wrong with the STC of the St. Garus Family."
His voice was hoarse from the aftermath of the war.
"Yes, General!" the adjutant replied, his voice trembling with relief.
The six Celestial Lions Terminator dispersed to maintain alert, and the seven Sisters of Silence slowly withdrew their untouchable force field.
The pale silver halo receded inward like the receding tide, and the Warp embers that had been suppressed began to float slowly in the air.
No one noticed that within the pool of putrid flesh and rotting matter that Phelps had exploded, a piece of white flesh was gently wriggling.
It's too small.
It is as small as an ordinary fly maggot, or even smaller, and its body is translucent with a layer of Warp membrane covering its surface.
Phelps compressed his core will and the purest essence of the Rust Plague into this "seed" that was as small as a grain of rice.
The impact of the explosion provided it with the best cover, while the retreat of the untouchable force field gave it a chance to breathe.
The Sisters of Silence's senses could easily detect demons and wizards, but she had a hard time capturing this parasite, whose soul fluctuations were almost zero due to extreme compression.
Like a real speck of dust, it drifted lightly down onto the hem of the robe of a Tech-Priest who had come to inspect the contamination, carried by the air currents created by the soldiers' movements.
The hem of the red robe was stained with oil and holy oil, and the gaps in the fibers provided excellent hiding places.
The maggots burrowed in steadily, like a speck of dust embedded deep within the fabric, completely concealing their presence.
This priest was just a low-ranking acolyte, responsible for detecting pollution levels and making initial assessments of mechanical damage.
He was engrossed in recording the data on the rust on the ground, his brow furrowed, completely unaware that he had become a Trojan horse of the plague.
The doors of the Machine God opened with a heavy hydraulic thud.
The brass-cast dome is tens of meters high, and countless thick energy lines extend from the surrounding rock walls like blood vessels, converging densely towards the very center of the temple.
There floated a pure steel throne more than two meters tall, its surface engraved with dense Omnissiah symbols and Machine Spirit prayers.
Blue and white arcs of electricity leaped wildly around the throne, crackling and exploding, and the violent energy fluctuations created visible ripples in the force field.
This is the heart of the Gemstone —the Throne of the Machine Spirit.
Thousands of years of sailing and warfare have forged the indomitable Machine Spirit within this Retribution-class Battleship.
It was like a caged steel beast, barely tamed only by the daily prayers, holy oil offerings, and rituals of the Tech-Priest.
If it senses any desecration or offense, its rage is enough to instantly paralyze half of the warship's systems.
" The Machine Spirit is fluctuating abnormally; its energy level has increased by 27 percent compared to before the battle."
The senior priest at the head of the group spoke with a metallic quality, and his optical lens flashed red.
" The Chaos pollution is approaching the core area and must be quelled immediately, otherwise the main energy circuit risks spiraling out of control."
Four priests walked slowly toward the floating throne, with the priest covered in maggots following at the end of the procession, holding a detection instrument in his hands.
The closer you get to the throne, the stronger the static electricity in the air becomes, causing your hair and clothes to stand up slightly, and the crackling sound of electricity makes your eardrums hurt.
The moment the attendant stepped within ten meters of the throne, the previously chaotic and jumping arcs of electricity suddenly became violent!
"Buzz!!!"
A piercing shriek shattered the solemnity of the temple, and a wrist-thick bolt of blue-white Lightning erupted without warning from the center of the throne.
Like a raging dragon, it struck the priest with deadly precision!
"Careful!"
The leading priest exclaimed in surprise, but it was too late to stop them.
The Lightning struck his body so hard that he didn't even have time to scream.
The priest's red robes, flesh, and mechanical implants were instantly carbonized under a 100,000-volt electric current.
Only a wisp of smoke and scattered black ash remained, drifting in the wind across the gleaming metal floor.
Everyone in the temple froze.
" The Machine Spirit... the Machine Spirit is enraged?" A young priest's voice trembled.
No one was surprised.
The Chaos army reached the temple gates, and the plague power of the Death Guard permeated the lower decks. It was only natural that the unruly Machine Spirit, enraged by the blasphemous aura, would overreact.
The senior priest quickly regained his composure and gave the order in a deep voice:
"Step back! Everyone evacuate the cordon area and prepare for the appeasement ceremony!"
Everyone retreated, no one bothering to look at the pile of ashes.
No one knew that the source of the plague, hidden in the corner of the robe, was revealed the instant the Lightning pierced the priest's body.
It had already plunged headlong into the energy circuit of the Machine Spirit Throne, riding the raging torrent of electricity.
This is the moment Phelps has been waiting for.