Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 407 The First Monk to Be Buried in the Saturn-Shaped Fearless Prototype

The 6th month of 851.

Nimrod stepped out of the ancestral shrine on the Forge, took the elevator, and arrived at Rosicky Cech's Hall of Dauntless Valor.

This deck was named the Dreadnought Deck because its purpose was to bury fallen comrades in the Dreadnought sarcophagus forever, allowing the Legion's elite to continue serving the Primarch.

Ning Lu stepped out of the elevator and looked around.

The dozen or so decks were connected together, with a total length of more than five kilometers. It is the second largest compartment in the entire Forge, second only to the casting hall of the Forge Master.

The most eye-catching thing in the entire Dreadnought Hall is the Dreadnought mechs fixed on rows of shelves. The Primarch's superhuman vision allowed Ninglu to determine that the total number exceeded one hundred and twenty.

Numerous weapon systems lined up beside the Dreadnought: missile bays, disintegration cannons, massive piston hammers, power flails, heavy bomb guns, and twin flamethrowers, awaiting installation on its steel body.

There are three of the largest, one of which was completely built by the Primarch Vokhan and brought to the Legion by Rosicky.

The other two, built by Rosicky and Malevolus, are incomplete, indicating that they are not yet finished, with only the sarcophagus and related parts completed.

After the Fifth Warband stormed Hearthburg and a fierce battle broke out, Rosicky and Malevolus temporarily put aside their other work and devoted more of their time to this.

Ning Lu observed that each of their works was only half completed.

The armored sarcophagus was open, revealing the semi-transparent bubble chamber inside.

Inside the bubble-like life support capsule, the naked body was enveloped in amniotic fluid.

The viscous material clung tightly to Astartes' superhuman body, and the enhanced muscles emitted a dim glow.

Between the bodies, where the two burial procedures were only halfway completed, the massive Dreadnought stood up amidst the hissing sound of its attachments separating.

"I will serve the King forever."

Nimrod walked toward Carlo, the former commander of the Fifth Chapter and the first burial of the Saturn-shaped Dreadnought archetype of the "Shadow of Order".

He once wore the two main weapons from the prototype Saturn Terminator, with the heavy disintegration cannon and the incendiary snake cannon mounted on the sides of his chest armor.

Its right arm is equipped with a heavy plasma bombardment cannon, while its left arm is a terrifying powered flail.

His shoulder armor has larger transponders, allowing him to reach the battlefield more quickly.

The fearless mech hummed and awkwardly took a step forward, its tone and mannerisms carrying a sense of familiarity.

"Father."

Ninglu nodded slightly: "Carlo, you will continue your glory in the prototype of fearlessness."

Rosicky and Malevolus circled around the Dreadnought from both sides and saluted Nimrod.

Ninglu handed the data crystal to Rosicky, saying, "It contains the technology for oscillation weapons."

"As you wish," the Forge Master replied, accepting the data crystal.

"How are the Dreadnoughts being buried?" Ninglu looked around. Each Dreadnought contained his offspring, scars left in the "Shadow of Order" from the brutal war with the Space Dwarves.

He then reported to the Black Emperor: "The elite warriors of each participating warband all hope to be buried in the prototype fearless steel sarcophagus."

"They were placed in life support capsules and sent to the Forge."

"But only a handful of people can be buried in the prototype of the fearless. It's not just that only Malevolus and I can create it, but also because only warriors with extraordinary willpower and focus can wield this steel engine."

Upon hearing this, Carlo seemed to understand something.

He recalled his last clear memory before falling into a coma: being hit on the knee with a hammer by a small creature.

Although he guessed that the weapon was dangerous, he never expected it could actually kill him.

A thought suddenly flashed through Carlo's mind, and he remembered the dangerous weapon mentioned in the materials his father had distributed—the Dark Star weapon.

[If I had remembered it immediately, I wouldn't have died.]

No… I was vigilant enough then, but the High Lord’s agility and the powerful psionic abilities of the two Grimnir Sages mean that even if I faced them again now, I would not be able to escape their attacks unless I teleported away immediately.

They had already targeted me.
After accepting reality, Carlo immediately felt the power surging within his steel body.

[This feeling is also quite good; being able to serve my father for a long time.]
As Carlo pondered, Rosicky continued his report. "In addition to the three monks buried in the Prototype Dreadnoughts, fifty-four other monks were buried in other Dreadnoughts, and their burial ceremonies are about to conclude."

"Thirty-seven of them came from the Fifth Battle Group."

Ning Lu nodded and asked, "How is the research on the new type of armor progressing?"

Malevolus spoke before Rosicky, saying, "Sir, we study various technologies and apply some of them."

"Only the core Hunter Suit technology has not yet been applied. I believe that various models should be created for important figures such as the auxiliary military, and different technologies should be integrated into them during the process."

"Once we have mastered it, we will forge armor for you and the Shadows of Order."

“Let’s proceed as you see fit.” Nimrod agreed with Malevolus’s idea; it was the perfect time to create armor for the Shadow of Disorder.

In his war against Gardiner, the main force in his mind was not the Shadow of Order, but the Extraordinary.

Unlike Fernús Manus, who knew before the war that the social structure of Gardiner was based on the caste system.

He decided to use a different approach to conquer Gardiner.

“My lord,” Rosicky said, thinking of the Black Emperor’s trusted confidants, Primarch servants Arsena Dunn and Malena Skala, who would surely be on the list.

"The data crystal records that there is no version of the Hunter's Set that is suitable for psionicists. Only a new model can be experimentally created by combining Grimnir's runes and warp circuits."

"I need the cooperation of ordinary psionicists."

“I will have Malena help you,” Ninglu said.

Stepping off the Dreadnought, Ninglu boarded the Stormbird and flew toward the surface of the Skot system.

Arsena's negotiations with the Skote alliance have concluded, and he is heading to the surface to sign the treaty.

An hour later, Nimrod was in the temporary palace that Skoth had built for him, receiving a briefing from Alsena.

"My lord, the war is over, and the legion's losses have been tallied."

"The legion lost a total of 273 ships, including 54 capital ships."

"Of the six battle groups that participated, a total of 18,400 were killed in action."

Primarchs remained silent; the Shadow of Order had suffered its greatest loss in history.

Nimrod had anticipated this. Although he did not know the exact losses suffered by the Empire in the war against the Space Dwarves, he knew that it must have been a brutal war.

The Space Dwarves possess most of the technologies that surpass those of the human empire in their respective fields, making them the only force driving the revolution in powered armor.

Whether in memory or now, motor enthusiasts have realized the limitations of conventional powered armor in the face of brutal urban warfare.

The Mark III powered armor is currently under research.

Meanwhile, the Space Dwarves joined the Empire, maintaining their independence and even surpassing the Oilers.

They do not pay taxes to the Empire, but only provide the Empire with some weapons and equipment. Their obligations are far less than the production capacity they possess and the responsibilities undertaken by the oilers.

Without sufficient strength, the empire would never allow this situation to continue.

[If we hadn't requested the Motorbike-type Terminator from the tech enthusiast beforehand, and hadn't happened to receive the Saturn-type Terminator prototype, the losses would have been even greater.]
While Ninglu pondered, Alsena continued his report.

"The Fifth Warband was responsible for attacking Hearthburg and suffered the most casualties, with a total of 6,540 Shadow Order soldiers killed."

"The other two legions also suffered heavy losses. The 'Thousand Sons' lost nearly two thousand men in the battle to attack the D-1519 system, and the 'Iron Warriors' lost nearly ten thousand men in the underground attack and defense battle of the D-1504 system."

"The Primarch Magnus and Peturabo will arrive in the Skot system in two stellar days."

"I understand," Ninglu nodded, thinking to himself.

The “Iron Warriors” attacked Hearthburg, which was smaller than the Slot system, but suffered more casualties.

Peturabo still favors precise planning and direct confrontation!
　PS: Chapter 2 will be scheduled for 21:33.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)