Warhammer: Start with a dog.

Chapter 860 Isn't this also a twist, a twist, and another twist?
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"Who exactly are you all, that you've gone to such lengths to kill a chicken with such a sledgehammer?"

The captured clown sat dejectedly in the corner of the command deck, his weapons already removed, and a collar around his neck.

Malakin sat on his navigational throne, scrutinizing the creature.

This alien has long, brightly colored hair, tied into a high braid on top of its head. The base of the braid is wrapped with equally brightly colored ribbons, and two crossed hairpins are inserted into it.

The clown mask he originally wore had long been removed, revealing a long, narrow, pale face, resembling an elegant stretch and deformation of a human skull. If it weren't for the fact that he was an evil alien, from an artistic perspective, Malakin could even be described as extremely handsome and slender.

He also had a pair of narrow almond-shaped eyes that looked cunning yet quite artistic. As he warily and thoughtfully surveyed the scene below the command deck, they reminded Malakin of the way some large feline hunters he had seen sat high up and looked down.

"It is indeed overkill to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but what can we do when we are tracking a precise flight path?"

Elder Cadmore spoke.

"After all, the Webgate in front of us is actually built on an abandoned Eldar ark, so it would be best to capture a Guardian to guide us."

Yes, according to Elder Kadormo, the terms "Dromlach" and "Queen of this place" all refer to the Webgate guarded by this Eldar troupe, and the terms "dancing" and "devouring" mean "We're going to shoot you down!"

What now appears before Malakin and Warren through the panoramic porthole is a striking megastructure made of milky white pearlescent material, rising abruptly from the ruins.

This enormous building was originally hidden within this equally vast ruin, and only emerged from it after they captured the clown, Siriak, due to Siriak's manipulation.

Upon closer inspection, its material is found to be the same as that of the walls and pillars of some ruins in the surrounding area, only the degree of its intactness is quite different. Six rotating ivory-shaped supports rotate and rise in the same direction, and at the tips of the joints, they support an enormous, crystal-clear, multicolored sphere like an open palm. It is more dazzling than a diamond and softer than a star, like a full moon made of crystal glass. However, the center of this full moon is not solid, but flows with ever-changing energy.

Exquisite craftsmanship, perfectly natural. Words cannot describe such a beautiful and magnificent scene.

What's even more remarkable is that this dazzling jewel, which was being carried, looked like a lady's jewelry, but when the behemoth that was the Ironblood approached, many people on the bridge were shocked to discover that this fascinating and beautiful creation actually had a diameter much larger than the Ironblood itself.

"This is the Net Path Sect?"

Malakin carefully examined the sphere of light, which swirled with iridescent colors and shifted unpredictably due to crystal refraction.

"I thought it would be more like a door."

The clown, Hiriak, made a mocking sound.

"In fact, there are many ancient net portals that are in the form of a door, and there are also some space entrances that are not so 'overly' conspicuous."

Elder Cadmore's voice was full of disdain.

"The reason this gate is so extravagant is probably because it's built in the center of a large ark world, and this ark was probably destroyed shortly after the fall of their ancient empire... This luxurious feature hasn't completely disappeared yet. However, apart from this gate and some life-sustaining energy, this ark should be basically abandoned. In fact, every ark theoretically has a net portal inside, but most people in this universe don't know this, otherwise, I think the attack intensity of the entire galactic forces on ark worlds would be much higher than it is now."

Hiriak shut his mouth, his two cat-like eyes staring intently at the Fearless's silver-gray metallic exterior, as if trying to see what was inside.

"So the Webgate is the warp engine of those Eldar's giant ark worlds?" Warren asked.

"Ah, that's an interesting and easy-to-explain understanding."

Those who scorn fearlessly wield their power.

"Simply put, you can think of a Webway as a subway system that can create stable tunnels in the warp to traverse the universe... I mean, a route. And a Webway Gate is a station on that tunnel. It's not something you can just break through the tunnel wall to build a station... Normally, we would say that breaking through the wall would only destroy the tunnel's geological structure. Eldar usually prefer to use various different names as code names for Webway Gates rather than indicating that it is a gate."

Elder Cadolmo gave a cold snort. "This door with maintainers explains why there have been reports of fleets and ships going missing here for so many years, yet no one has ever found any survivors or wreckage coming out."

"Did they all unfortunately sail through this door and then disappear, crash, or get pushed inside?"

“You’re overestimating these aliens, but since you didn’t land on the ground, I can understand. Judging from the state of the wreckage on the Ark ruins, they must have acted as ‘guardians’ by sinking all the ships that approached this place and risked discovering the Webgate, and then dragging them onto the wreckage of the Ark and piling them up. It took countless years to form this ‘continent’ today.”

Therefore, this group of aliens is definitely not someone who is soft-hearted and easy to deal with.

It's a mystery how this elder managed to capture such a clown, known for his agility and unpredictability, unscathed and even get him to cooperate with their navigation.

Malakin thought to himself.

However, for members of the Wailers, who have wandered for thousands of years, endured scorn, and embarked on a nearly century-long crusade for redemption, capturing an Eldar to lead the way is not an unacceptable thing.

However, Warren Characa, the company commander of the Flesh Tearers, seemed to have a different opinion.

"How can we listen to the sweet talk of this filthy creature on our glorious route? What if he's trying to lead us into some trap, ambush, or dangerous place? After all, this is a road we've never traveled before!"

He spoke seriously and irritably, unconsciously twitching his thumb, which Malakin recognized as him pressing the invisible chainsaw sword's activation button.

"In my opinion, the only way out for the pointy-eared aliens is to have their heads chopped off! Then it's safer for us to find our way out here ourselves."

"You big, red idiot! Your pathetic brain simply can't comprehend the grandeur, ingenuity, and complexity of the internet! And you have no idea what you're actually doing..."

The clown raised his long eyebrows and grinned, about to retort, but then he caught sight of a purple-eyed Primarch staring at him through the crack in the door behind him. He immediately shut his mouth, lowered his eyes, and dared not meet his gaze.

"What's wrong? Tell me."

The massive, silver-gray Defiant Dreadnought emitted a low, rumbling laugh, exuding an oppressive aura.

"Although I hate having a live Eldar on my ship, no Eldar knows the intricacies of the Web Path better than a member of the troupe, and the Jester is the best of them all. Even Eldrad might not be as good as him at using the Web Path and Web Gates. Make sure he works for us, and we can get to our destination quickly and efficiently."

“But…” Warren wanted to argue, but was silenced by Elder Cadormo’s words, “Using the Webgate, we can easily cross the Great Rift to a certain Prospero, and naturally we can easily find the door closest to Baal and your warband.”

"...He had better be able to do it."

The tenth company commander of the Flesh-Tearers shut his mouth. Clearly, the person who could decisively decide to retreat from the home planet and run out to report the news was more pragmatic.

"Ha! This wicked god expects the followers of Higgoch to serve him! I agree to guide you only until the end of your journey..."

The scorner, undeterred, tilted its oracle helmet.

"What? Your navigation service even includes a return ticket? Your honesty really surprises me, Siriak. Perhaps I'll consider letting you take a canister of oxygen before throwing you out, instead of stuffing you into the exhaust valve and throwing you into space after we get back here."

"You wicked lackey of the evil god! I knew it!" the clown shouted. "Oh, Xi Gaoqi! Alas, my life is about to end!"

“Then you can choose not to cooperate,” said the Defiant. “I’ll have someone hand you over to the Dark Prince right now.”

"...What do you know, you lackeys of the evil god! My actions have their own mysteries; this is an absurd drama woven by Xi Gaoqi, and also an inevitable result of the threads of fate!"

"Ha." The Defiant One waved his power palm, no longer bothering with him. "Open it for me."

He commanded, "Open the gates of this network for the Ironblood!"

-------

Such a raid on the very heartland of the demon Magnus indeed drew an endless and overwhelming counterattack.

However, Ramizan found the skills of the most powerful and pure Paladins among these Grey Knights to be exceptional, and they had come prepared.

They were all Alpha-level psionicists, skilled in combat with halberds, swords, and scepters, and carried numerous books and gems imbued with extra psionic energy, clearly prepared to put up a fight.

High-intensity and skillful group linking, linked protection, telepathy, attack prediction, infusion casting, instant spell casting, spell counterspell, and other techniques are the ultimate nemesis of those believers, wizards, and cultists who frantically counterattack here in an attempt to rescue the sealed demon prince.

...Wait a minute, don't these techniques look familiar?
Given that he had only recently witnessed some of the spells that the company commanders of Prospero were skilled in, he frowned in confusion and stared at the backs of the eleven gray knight paladins.

...Falcon, Sky Owl, Black Crow, Fire Phoenix...?
Just as he was pondering that since there was no distinctive school of thought like Bright Feather, this sense of déjà vu might just be his own illusion, a paladin groaned as his side was slashed by the antimatter claws of a summoned warp monster, and his flesh and power armor instantly began to disintegrate.

Although he immediately cleaved the creature in two with a long blade formed from psionic energy, and his brothers immediately sent out their power to create a shield to protect him, the broken part of him visibly formed a gap that occupied half the width of his body. If he fell, the formation would have to shrink further.

Then Ramizane and Mephisto saw a burst of psionic energy emanate from Zan'o—no, Hyperion. Subsequently, two of the paladins felt a surge of energy, which Hyperion then guided through the link network into the injured person's body.

Then, bones, nerves, blood vessels, muscles, skin... all regenerated and recovered within seconds. However, the damaged Terminator power armor could not be repaired, making it an immediate target for attack.

"..."

So this is the correct way to use BYD Bright Feather, right? If you Grey Knights have nothing to do with Qianzi, I'll do a handstand and gnaw on a dog's muzzle! —This is Ramizane.

"..."

What kind of chapter is this? The armor is unpainted, silver-gray terracotta, but the style doesn't quite match the existing armor. The equipment is expensive and ornate; the books and reliquary are all rare items. And how could a chapter capable of assembling eleven Terminator veterans and high-level think tanks be so obscure? A secret elite force manipulated by the Inquisition? I must inform my lord Dante of this as soon as possible…—This is Morpheus.

"Please don't worry, you two."

Hyperion smashed a mutant wizard's head into his skull with his staff, then kicked the corpse off the tower, smiling as he said, "This time I specifically requested two brothers with apothecary qualifications to accompany us, as well as a technical sergeant."

"...Wait, a pharmacist and a technical sergeant? Do the Grey Knights have technical sergeants too? Were they trained on Mars?"

Grey Knights? Is that their chapter name? Mephisto wondered to himself. The future Zao Eifernetti, who had just appeared from the other side of the timeline, had also mentioned this term when referring to himself as Hyperion. This "silver skull," who looked so dull and lazy, why was he so knowledgeable?
—Don't pursue it. Mephisto, don't—anymore—(—)—pursue it. *A very gentle but clenched-teeth voice—

Mephisto blinked.

What was I just thinking? Ah, right, the Grey Knights, the Grey Knights. If these elite warriors who call themselves Grey Knights are another secret force controlled by the Inquisition, then they pose a great threat. I must inform my lord Dante about this…

“Of course, sir. Our brothers trained on Mars will also be respected by us,” Hyperion said, then pointed his gleaming scepter at a group of howling horned beast guards and shamans charging at him, engulfing them in a ball of psionic flame and burning them to ashes. “Our technocrats have already taken the time to install nanomechanical devices to automate the cutting here. We just need to guard until the cutting is complete, and then we will teleport.”

“Teleportation? Teleportation to where?” Mephisto asked in surprise. “This is Wizarding Planet. Teleportation is being conducted from within the warp…”

He stopped talking and stared at Hyperion.

“As you’ve probably noticed,” the paladin said, his psionic hood shimmering with numerous crystals. “This is one of the reasons we’re here. If one planet can be rediscovered in the entire galaxy, why can’t it be another?”

"This is insane! You are strong, but you can't do this. Even I would need the power to drag a planet into the mortal realm..."

The chief think tank member paused again, saying, "I see, I see! You've been so audacious as to use this ceremony against yourselves!"

“As expected of you, Lord Mephisto.” Hyperion nodded. “We sealed the demon Magnus for this very reason—we want to use the energy of the magical ritual it originally performed to drag the Wizarding Star back to the mortal world.”

The chief think tank member, realizing something, stared sternly at the Grey Knight and the Paladin.

"...Therefore, I sincerely hope that we don't have to draw our swords against each other before that."

(End of this chapter)