Warhammer: Black Emperor

Chapter 489 "The Hermit"

Guided by the "fortune teller," Ninglu located foundry No. 250.

To ensure that his plan to "corrode" and "Claws of Ash" would proceed without incident, he temporarily abandoned two other targets of "corrosion": Alkahas Far and Balsa Kuturi.

Overlooking the foundry, the battle between the 19th Legion and the Randan aliens was clearly visible.

The Primarch's superhuman brain quickly grasped the situation on both sides and analyzed the intelligence he needed.

The brain-eater that was killed, with its armor tattered, should be Nerat Killing.

Nerat narrowed his eyes, trying his best to eliminate the interference of the golden light and focus his gaze.

He saw a figure dressed in black armor with golden wings spread behind him.

[Primarch, Lord Nimrod.]
A light shone in Nerat's eyes as he saw the Primarch fly toward the white alien.

The bizarre and painful methods the aliens used to torment him seemed to have no effect on the Primarch, and Lord Ninglu's speed did not slow down in the slightest.

Nimrod maintained the first layer of Terema's mind to resist the invasion of neurotoxins.

The potion ingredients couldn't be wasted, so he put on the "Howling Mask," opened his mouth abruptly, and let out a shrill howl.

The Randan aliens covered their heads with their pincers, but they could not stop the howling from echoing in their minds, and they let out painful cries.

From the hollow of the brain-eater's head, a mixture of blood and foul-smelling pus seeped out, and red lines running through the brain flashed.

The "Corrupted Baron" channeled psionic energy into his gauntlets and swung his arm down to slam them down.

Before the gauntlets even touched the brain-eater's body, an extremely viscous, transparent liquid enveloped the white form.

In an instant, a giant piece of amber formed, freezing the brain-eater in place.

Nerath's eyes widened. He had seen the Primarch before; the Nineteenth Legion had always been under Lord Horus's command, but he had never witnessed the Primarch display its power on the battlefield.

The Wolf God prefers to present a glorious image. He is dedicated to using diplomacy to restore the lost world to the empire, and force is his last resort. It is often they who accomplish this.

He stared at the alien's face, his astonishment and panic evident in its strikingly different human appearance.

Is the amber that binds the alien a form of psychic energy?
The powerful alien was completely unable to resist, as if it had been frozen in place.
As Nerat pondered, Nimrod, who had bound the brain-eater with "imprisonment," flew back and landed in front of him.

"Nerat Kirin".

Ninglu knew that although Alkahas Far, as the commander of the Nineteenth Legion, preferred assaults and close-quarters combat, the legion had actually developed a combat style similar to the future "Raven Guard".

Nerat is a typical example; he prefers a hit-and-run fighting style and is already showing the shadow of the future Ravenguards.

"Lord Nimrod."

Nerat knelt on one knee and, following the ancient etiquette of the "Unification Wars," pounded his chest with one hand in a salute.

"You killed a Brain Eater, one of the two major races of Xenomorphs. They like to devour the brains of other races, are skilled in using psionic energy, and can release neurotoxins."

"You raided and killed the Brain Eater, that's amazing."

Upon hearing the Primarch's approval, Nerat felt his weary body suddenly filled with power.

He was also delighted to confirm that his target was correct; it was indeed the leader of the aliens.

"Now, you need to receive treatment and recover as soon as possible. I need you for the upcoming battle."

"The Corrupted Baron" said to the future first Chapter Master of "Ash Claws".

“This is my honor,” Nerat said excitedly.

At the same moment that the "Corrupted Baron" began to "corrupt" Nerat, the Tenth Chapter, under the command of Chapter Master Falck, launched an attack on the First Forging Temple.

Ramsey led a think tank team, tasked with providing support to the Tenth Warband.

His full suit of armor was custom-made for him by a master armor maker.

To fully utilize the abilities of the "Hermit," Malevolus primarily employed the shield-weaving techniques of the Space Dwarves when forging the armor, combining them with the optical camouflage cloak of the Female Patriarch-type Hunter's Suit.

Ramsey's armor was about one-fifth lighter than the Mark II power armor. The woven shield concealed him while compensating for the reduced defense, and an automatically adjusting black optical camouflage cloak enveloped his entire armor. The "Spy" saw the Star Speaker move silently through the shadows of the Tenth Chapter's ranks.

The Shadows of Order had grown accustomed to the think tanks moving among them, but instinct compelled them to seek out the "Hermit."

The spiritual intuition of the "Mystic," the "Sleepless," and the "Monster" allows them to instinctively detect the black figure at the first moment.

The hunters' instincts and keen observation skills allow them to trace the hermit's trail after a brief observation, thus pinpointing his location.

The "audience" among the priests, with keen insight, needed a long time to find Ramsey.

The hermit walks "in the shadows," familiarizing himself with his own abilities.

[After fully mastering the abilities bestowed upon me by my Lord, I can wear the Mark II power armor and remain silent even when "hidden" in the shadows.]

Alternatively, the personal growth module can be adapted to me completely.

Considering that the Armor Master just designed it for us based on the Imperial power armor, its current performance is perfectly acceptable.
As Ramsey pondered, more and more shadowy figures of order approached the front of the procession.

He had already spotted the Vostochny Rhino command vehicle at the very front of the column.

He also saw an endless army of human slaves a kilometer ahead.

At that moment, the built-in communicator rang.

Ramsey had a thought, and Falk's voice immediately rang out in the command channel.

"The scan results show that Randan is still using their most familiar tactics. Their slave army, driven by a few aliens, launched an attack on the Forging Temple."

"They will launch a general offensive after the Titans and the Mech Guard have been weakened to a certain extent."

"We have two missions: to kill Commander Randan and to break through the encirclement to prompt the Mechanicus to reopen the foundries in the surrounding area."

After clarifying the combat mission to the company commander, adjutant, priest, think tank, technical sergeant, apothecary, and royal monks, Falk began assigning tasks.

"Ramsey, your think tanks should immediately launch an attack to weaken the alien slave army as much as possible."

"Pastor, fulfill your duty."

"..."

Ramsey switched communication channels and spoke to the think tanks.

"Mind controllers, take action!"

Immediately, 150 psychic energy users strode forward and arrived at the armored vehicle area.

They formed teams of ten, centered around a Star Speaker, and instantly coalesced into a single entity through a mental link.

In the blink of an eye, the Star Speakers formed an even larger network.

Immediately, they all waved the blue Scepter of Osiris.

Think tanks, through their ethereal vision and the "subspace vision" of the shadows of order, all saw a blue light shrouding the area ahead.

Countless figures in the surging army of slaves suddenly stopped in their tracks.

The feedback runes flashed in the divination box and were then uploaded to the tactical network.

A yellow area lit up in the tactical network of the Vostonia-type Rhino command vehicle. After the data deluge subsided, Falk checked the results: 50924.

He tapped his gauntlet rapidly, marking an area 3.6 kilometers wide.

The Gabriel-type predator bypassed the marked area, and its twin assault guns roared into action.

At the same moment the Tenth Chapter launched its attack, Ramsay walked straight ahead, "listening" to two enormous creatures fighting ahead.

The sounds around him were faint; he could only vaguely hear heavy footsteps and continuous explosions.

The earthquake-like sound reminded Ramsey of the battle between the Titans.

Ramsey wondered to himself: [The Titan guarding the Forging Temple? What is it fighting?]
(End of this chapter)