Emperor's Bane

Chapter 960 Luring the wolf into the house

Chapter 960 Luring the wolf into the house
"You failed."

"The battle is over: your beast is no match for that giant."

The moment that silver-armored killing machine burst through the fortress walls, the Bloodthirsty Skyro was already prepared to leave the battlefield.

In fact, the perceptive Bloodling had already sensed the presence and extraordinary nature of this flesh giant when it emerged from the human teleportation array, but without seeing it with their own eyes, they could not determine its actual power: they could only vaguely sense that it was a remarkable creation.

But when the giant came into view, Skyro silently retracted his previous assessment.

He is not a "good" creation.

He was fantastic.

Even in the highest halls of the Blood Performers, masterpieces of this caliber are extremely rare: any Blood Performer who is capable of creating such a masterpiece, if he is not killed by his mentor or colleagues and have his patent and research results taken away, can become famous in the Blood Performer circle with just this one work and become the focus of everyone's attention.

No one is more authoritative on this issue than Skyero.

Back then, he rose to fame with three exceptionally good modified works and won the favor of the legendary Bloodcraftian Lacas. Skylo was certain that, compared to the giant in front of him who was at least eight meters tall, his three works, while not entirely useless, were far less valuable than the treasure before him.

This was a near-perfect experiment: so much so that it was worth Lacas's personal intervention.

Or rather, only if a Comorian legend of Lacas's caliber were personally in charge could a successful capture operation be organized: regardless of the silver-armored giant's own combat strength, after observing him, Skyro did not believe that these creatures called Astartes would stand by and watch their comrades be dragged away.

Capturing an experimental subject of this caliber would require a major battle, at least a legendary figure and an entire Bloodling Legion. And if they were to unfortunately attract the attention of that distant demigod, even if Lacas himself came, he would not fare well, and losing his life was not out of the question.

In other words, this is definitely not a question that a young blood spirit like him should be considering.

What a pity...

With a sigh, Skyro activated the anti-gravity crystal on his back. His thin body, like a rag being swept by a gale, was detached from the heart of the battlefield before anyone could react. At this moment, both Astartes and the Dark Eldar were focused on the war between giants and behemoths.

Skylo remained unmoved.

He knew that, judging from the mass and weight this silver-armored giant should possess, as well as the speed and agility it had just displayed, the Dark Eldar present would be no match for this killing machine: compared to the brutally modified Ugur, this steel behemoth was more deserving of the title "monster."

The Hillyan forces had no chance of winning this battle: behind the giants, hundreds of Astartes were pouring out, and the Comorians' overwhelming numerical advantage melted away like snow. Not to mention that the conscripted mobs had already scattered, even elite soldiers like Nightmare and Calamity had lost the courage to continue fighting.

Since that's the case, Skyro doesn't need to keep putting on airs as a reinforcement here: long ago, when the beast tamers drove hundreds of Ugul behemoths into the battlefield, Skyro pretended to follow the regrouped Hillian army forward, even though he was just doing his own thing, but that performance was enough.

Moreover, if he were to bring back information about this silver-armored giant, there would likely be several high-ranking instructors interested in such an experimental subject: no one would hold him accountable for leaving the battle without permission at this time, and he would instead be rewarded.

However, these are not the most important.

Most importantly, he has already gained enough benefits for himself during this business trip.

Thinking of this, Skylo, who had returned to safety, turned around somewhat disgruntled and hissed at the servants and maids behind him.

"faster."

"How much longer do I have to wait for you?"

A dozen or so strange slaves, who had been reformed and never questioned their masters, quickened their pace upon hearing such a reprimand, but even so, they could not run: these strong slaves were carrying two huge loads.

If Bayar were here, he would surely be furious at the scene before him.

Because these modified slaves were carrying two fully armed Astartes warriors.

A Dawnbreaker, and a Salamander.

During the chaotic battle, Skyro quietly crept into a corner of the battlefield, rummaging through the Astartes who appeared to have died in the siege, and actually found two who were not completely dead: fate had indeed always been on his side.

Obtaining these two materials was not easy. The fire lizard was relatively easy to obtain, but the Dawnbreaker, who was on the verge of death, was recovering at an extremely fast pace. If Skyro hadn't prepared a large amount of anesthetics and sedatives in advance to keep him unconscious, he probably wouldn't have been able to take these two away quietly.

And, I don’t know if it’s an illusion.

From the moment he came into contact with this Dawnbreaker, Bloodlust had a vague feeling that he was being watched.

He had never felt this way before, as if he were some pitiful herbivore wandering through a dense jungle near the lair of a carnivorous beast: if that gaze that was watching him really existed, then it must be something far more terrifying than Lacas.

Thinking of this, Bloodlust Man shuddered.

He dared not linger. After a perfunctory farewell to the beast tamers, who were already drenched in sweat, and without caring what they might think, the Blood Spirit took his spoils and left this place of trouble without hesitation.

That gaze seemed to still be fixed on him.

But...it doesn't matter.

Bloodlust comforted himself in his heart.

Once we return to our home deep in the Comoros.

Therefore, even the gods cannot threaten these truly great Lords of Pain.

but……

In his last moments before leaving, the Bloodthirsty Man seemed to have thought of something again.

Skylo turned around and glanced at it.

The Comorian front has collapsed, and even the most elite warriors are fleeing, while the human empire's army is methodically reclaiming their lost territory: the silver-armored giant remains the most conspicuous, slaughtering the remaining beasts like lambs, his every move exuding a primal power that inspires envy.

It's so weird...

Blood Spirit muttered to himself.

Let's leave the Astartes aside for now.

But how exactly did humans manage to create giants of this caliber using their inferior flesh-and-blood modification technology?
Why are these humans always able to produce such terrible results with seemingly rudimentary technology?

Is it...

As if he had thought of something, Skyro's long, dark pupils lit up for a moment.

Could it be that what Professor Lacas said is true?

Isn't he bragging or lying?

The person he was referring to: one of the greatest honorary blood performers in Comoros history.

Lacas's most outstanding students and partners.

It is also a legend that has left behind countless bold, outstanding, and even crazy academic papers.

That...nameless...human?
Could he actually exist?

It's not a lie as the legend claims.

Or is it a story that actually happened thousands of years ago?
A legend that occurred before the Great Fall?
"..."

Without daring to think further, Skyro's figure vanished from the teleportation array he carried with him, along with the two dying Astartes.

As for that nameless gaze, it seemed to still be tracking the figure of the Blood Spirit.

It seems we'll chase them to the ends of the earth, to the very edge of the world.

But at this point, the Blood Spirit no longer cared.

------

"Because they no longer pose a threat."

After swiftly slaying the last of the Web Path Beasts that required his personal attention, Hector did not linger but went straight to the remaining ruins of the fortress.

At the highest point he could reach, Bayar was searching for a signal to send the good news back.

This is a very important matter. Four hundred thousand kilometers behind them, their genetic mother Morgan is using her power and rage to wipe out the invading army of the Dark Eldar one by one: the Dawnbreakers know the power of the Spider Queen, and that the destructive waves filled with her rage are something that cannot be resisted.

For those fortresses still struggling against the saturation attacks of the alien army, the wrath of the Lord of Avalon was like a godsend. The problem was, however, that Bayar and his forces had already won. If they didn't report their victory in time, lest the Primarch's wrath fall upon them, it would be a truly dark and unfunny situation.

Don't think this is impossible: during the Great Expedition, besides those who died in battle, the number of people who died from friendly fire was the second highest, even more than those who died from disease and transport accidents. Whether it was the civilian auxiliary army or the Imperial Navy, no fewer than a thousand generals died unwittingly at the hands of their own people.

Even the Astartes warriors were no exception: there was once an entire Astartes company that, because the battle was going well, charged directly into the enemy's position, only to be decimated by the fleet they had pre-arranged before they could even send a report of their victory. That incident was used as a textbook example, and every legion had to learn this lesson by force.

Therefore, it wasn't until Bayar personally sent the news of the victory back to the Primarch and confirmed that he had received an accurate reply from the Mother of Genes that the Champion Swordsman wiped the sweat from his brow and breathed a sigh of relief: the battle was only truly over at this moment.

"Is there a problem, Hector?"

Then, Bayar looked at his juniors.

"There is one."

Hector nodded, his heavy voice like muffled thunder tormenting the champion swordsman's eardrums.

"The Primarch instructed me to inform you before I arrived."

"After the battle, the Second Company will not need to return to the rear immediately, but will rest and await orders in place. Necessary logistical supplies and reinforcements will be sent directly to you. She requires you to remain on guard here until the Mechanicus rebuilds the fortress facilities here. Then, the Legion will send a new company to relieve you."

"Is that so?"

Bayar frowned.

"But aren't we positioned as a rapid reaction force?"

"The situation has changed a bit."

Hector raised one hand, pointing it like a horizontal mountain in the direction the Dark Eldar had retreated.

"The Dark Eldar's counterattack this time was exceptionally large in scale, but their follow-up strength was particularly insufficient."

"Although they launched counterattacks against thousands of strategic locations and border fortresses at the same time, almost every counterattack ended hastily: in fact, apart from here, on other battlefields, these Dark Eldar did not even prepare additional follow-up forces. They withdrew directly after wiping out the first few waves of troops."

"Um……"

Bayar nodded.

That is indeed very strange.

He pondered for a moment: Although the Dawnbreaker's second company commander was not known for commanding battles, he was still a veteran of Terra who had seen and experienced much. Just by following his instincts, Bayar had already figured out the truth to some extent.

"So, the Primarch's idea is: this wasn't a real military operation?"

"Yes."

Hector nodded.

"Mr. Morgan believes that this massive counterattack is just a grand show put on by the Hillyan family, who are our adversaries. They don't really want to reclaim the land we attacked. On the contrary, they just want a well-timed defeat so that they can legitimately give up on continuing to entangle with us."

Or rather: they don't want to fight anymore.

The second company commander nodded, agreeing with this viewpoint.

“That’s right. If we continue to fight them, the Hillian family will not only fail to gain assistance from other Comorian forces by resisting us, their external enemies, but they will also risk being divided up due to the excessive expenditure of their strength. The Dark Eldar probably understands this better than we do, which is why they would rather give up the districts that we have occupied.”

"Anyway, it's not core territory."

That's it.

Behind Hector's heavy helmet came a loud laugh that made Bayar's head buzz.

"Therefore, the Primarch believes that there will be no large-scale war in the near future."

"She would prefer you to remain stationed at this strategic location rather than continue serving as the mobile force, until the Mechanicus raises the level of defense here."

"I see."

The second company commander accepted the task.

"And what about you, Hector?"

"Are you going to stay?"

"I have to go back."

Hector gave a wry smile.

“You know, Your Excellency Bayar.”

"This armor, personally crafted by the Emperor and the Primarch, has taken a heavy toll on me."

"I can't hold on... for very long."

"It's ironic that these words came from the mouth of a giant who is eight meters tall."

Bayar gave a sarcastic laugh.

"You're joking."