The Last Sentinel

Warhammer Universe, Catachan, Imperial Frontier War High Command.

"Report! A massive dimensional storm has occurred in the edge of the northwestern administrative region of the Empire. An unfamiliar stargate has opened, and a large number of extraterrestrial forces are suspected to be passing through the peak of the dimensional wall of our Warhammer universe!"

The candlelight flickered in the military tent, and the holy knight King Arthur was clad in armor, with a faint, warm white halo of holy light emanating from the gaps in his armor.

King Arthur stared intently at the star map above his head, his gaze sweeping over the crisscrossing routes and markings on the map. He stood upright, his expression somber.

The star trails there trembled violently, and the originally stable dimensional barrier rippled with twists. Visible dimensional rifts kept exploding, closing, and exploding again, and violent dimensional energy surged and raged, tearing apart the peace of the entire star field.

A communications guard, kneeling on one knee, his armor still stained with unwiped stardust and gunpowder, spoke urgently and gravely, his voice tinged with barely concealed panic, repeating his report once more: "Report! Lord Holy Knight King! A massive dimensional storm has suddenly erupted in the star belt on the edge of the Empire's northwestern administrative region! An unknown gigantic stargate has abruptly formed, detecting a massive number of signals from unfamiliar units, suspected to be a large-scale extraterrestrial force passing over the dimensional barrier of our Warhammer universe! The commander at the front is inquiring about how to proceed!"

On the celestial map, countless points of light of various colors intertwined and overlapped, vividly displaying the chaotic situation in the Northwest Star Region.

The silver-white star representing conquest and the defense of the empire's territory stands firmly, but is surrounded by layers of densely packed, multicolored light spots.

Several clusters of glaring red cross torches stand out prominently, marking the northwestern front where the war has just begun and the fighting has intensified. The blazing flames foreshadow an endless battle.

The emerald green dots spread wildly and swarmed restlessly, representing the savage and warlike green-skinned orcs. The largest and brightest green cluster among them was none other than the Skullbreaker, the orc war boss who dominated the region. His orc tribes were scattered throughout the surrounding star systems, engaging in endless raids and battles.

Scattered, cold, and lifeless gray dots of light, carrying the aura of annihilation unique to necromancy technology, belong to an ancient and mysterious space necromancy tribe. At the center of these gray dots, a gleaming gray sun shines—the Storm Overlord, the supreme leader of the conservative faction of the space necromancy, long dormant yet a formidable force.

The eerie and chaotic pink, blue, cyan, and purple specks of light wriggled, expanded, and burst, carrying with them the corrosive evil energy of the subspace. This was the demon army under the command of the four evil gods of the subspace, who were constantly coveting the flesh and territory of the physical universe.

In addition, the dark, cold points of light are the remnants of the Iron Man rebellion of the Omnics, while the halo of gray mist represents the corrupt Gray Elf Empire. Add to this the various local warlords and heretical forces that have carved out their own territories, and the whole place is a chaotic mess.

King Arthur's gaze darkened slightly, and he silently grumbled to himself.

The entire Northwest Frontier Starfield has always been a notorious chaotic quagmire in the entire Warhammer universe.

The various forces are intertwined, with friction, fighting, plundering, and betrayal occurring day after day, and the country is in a state of high-intensity chaos year after year. It is no exaggeration to say that "there are many turtles in shallow waters, and big brothers are everywhere."

For all kinds of ambitious forces, there are no absolute rules or stable order here. As long as you dare to fight and struggle, you can carve out your own territory. It can be called a paradise for heretics and foreign forces to start businesses and a purgatory of strife.

Yet, this very place, plagued by constant war, poverty, and danger, has now attracted the intervention of an alien force from another universe.

King Arthur frowned slightly, his heart filled with confusion and wariness. This place offered no rare resources, no strategic natural defenses, only endless slaughter and attrition. What were these outsiders trying to gain by intruding? Did they think the war in this star system wasn't fierce enough?

Or does he want to get involved in the chaos and grab a share of the spoils? The sudden and unfamiliar variables completely disrupted all his predictions about the situation in the Northwest. The unknown threat was far more daunting than his old enemies.

Just as the atmosphere inside the tent grew increasingly tense, a golden 3D communication transmitter on one side suddenly lit up, and a melodious yet abrupt communication access notification sound slowly flowed, breaking the silence of the entire tent.

The staff officer beside him stiffened, his fingertips tightened slightly, and a cautious look appeared on his face. He lowered his voice and reported, "Sir, it's a private communication invitation from Regent Guilliman."

King Arthur's gaze remained fixed on the star map, his eyes still sharp and resolute, his holy light steady and unwavering, showing no intention whatsoever of receiving a communication.

Seeing this, the deputy felt uneasy. After hesitating for a moment, he asked softly, "Sir, are you not going to answer? The Regent probably has urgent military business to attend to."

King Arthur then slowly raised his hand, waved it lightly, and said in a calm and composed tone, with absolute confidence and certainty: "No rush. If he really has something urgent, he will naturally send another message."

If Ye Feng were here now, he would surely be impressed by the fact that King Arthur is no longer the same as before. He is full of confidence and even dares to calmly put aside communications from Regent Guilliman of Terra. Such prestige is unmatched in the entire empire.

In fact, King Arthur had already exercised considerable restraint. His current status and power far surpassed those of many high-ranking officials in the empire.

Given the rules of the court and the influence of his position, Regent Guilliman had to report in advance and make an appointment if he wanted to speak with him; he could not be summoned at will.

He holds the official supreme title of Terra Knight King, and is also revered throughout the universe as the Holy Light King. This unshakeable supreme status stems from his solid strength, powerful subordinates, and intricate network of connections.

Firstly, he possesses unparalleled individual combat power within the Warhammer universe. He is the sole surviving test subject of Atlantis's "Perfect Warrior" program, boasting a multitude of talents and a flawless core. The insidious manipulation of the four Warp Gods, the advanced technological mental impact of the Necromancers, the soul corruption of the Grey Elves, and the wild WA power of the Orcs—all internal and external interference have no effect on him. Coupled with Ye Feng's rigorous training and life-or-death experiences over the past three years, he has risen to the top of the Empire's combat power rankings in just three short years.

This top spot is far more prestigious than Guilliman's.

Guilliman fought for half his life, but was exhausted from battles and suffered heavy losses in every major battle. After each battle, he was in deep recuperation, as if he were in the ICU. King Arthur, on the other hand, roamed the stars and was never defeated. He always personally defeated all kinds of powerful enemies and brought them to the brink of destruction.

In terms of combat prowess, intelligence, mental resilience, and even bloodline purity, King Arthur completely overwhelmed Guilliman, causing the High Lord of the Empire and the Starsector Governors to submit to him. In the Warhammer universe, which reveres the strong, he firmly established his supreme foundation.

Secondly, there's the overwhelming superiority of their subordinate forces. Guilliman relies on the Ultramarines to wield absolute power and control a region, while King Arthur commands four elite legions, their combat systems perfectly complementary. The Blood Ravens excel at stealth raids, intelligence gathering, and infiltration behind enemy lines; the Grief Legion is fearless, capable of frontal assaults, and fighting to the bitter end; the Catachan Legion specializes in hard battles and tearing through the most difficult enemy defenses; and the Dimensional Fusion Legion, relying on both necromancy and Imperial technology, excels at covert raids and precise breakthroughs. These four legions complement each other, their sheer size and combat capabilities completely overwhelming the Ultramarines.

Thirdly, there's the vast network of connections across the cosmos. Guilliman, confined to the Terra Palace, is narrow-minded and self-sufficient, like a hermit trapped in his own little world. King Arthur, on the other hand, is adept at diplomacy and treats people with sincerity. His kindness towards Ye Ling, the hybrid offspring of a human and an undead, and his genuine approach to life, earning him the respect of the undead king, Silent King Szalak Sareh, who considers him a close confidant, is deeply ingrained in him. The Silent King has repeatedly declared publicly that anyone who opposes King Arthur is an enemy of the entire undead supreme power, stating that no one can rival the might of the Star Gods, and that those who challenge him will only face destruction.

With these three layers of support, King Arthur's status was enough to rival Guilliman's, and even most of the empire's high command tacitly agreed that he was the best candidate to take charge of the empire, far superior to Guilliman, who was only concerned with enriching himself and expanding his own army.

With great fame comes great opposition. The Silent King's archenemy, the Storm Lord Imhotep, a veteran noble of the Necromancers, was his greatest rival. Imhotep was a top-tier overlord from the era of the Necromancer Emperor, his family having held high positions in the Triune Council for generations, possessing deep roots and long service. Compared to the Silent King, who rose to power in the last dynasty, he prided himself on his legitimate bloodline and esteemed status, and was extremely dissatisfied with the Silent King's favoritism towards King Arthur. He constantly clashed with Imhotep, secretly hindering him at every turn, determined to suppress King Arthur's power.

The Silent King was decisive and ruthless in his external campaigns, and his power shook the starry seas. However, due to the rules of his clan, he was helpless against this old nobleman. It was precisely because of the factional conflicts within the undead that the situation in the northwest star region of the empire became increasingly chaotic, with various forces constantly entangled and the region completely descending into a mess.

But now, in this already chaotic star field, a new force from another region has forcibly entered the fray.

King Arthur's eyes darkened, and his vigilance grew stronger. Those who had been drawn into this situation without reason were definitely not benevolent.

Ring ring—!

The sharp, urgent communication alert suddenly rang out again, breaking the silence inside the tent, even more urgent than before.

The deputy staff officer's back was already damp with a thin layer of sweat, his fingertips trembling slightly, his heart filled with anxiety. He quickly bowed and asked, "Sir! Lord Guilliman has already dialed seven times. The situation must be extremely urgent. Perhaps... we should answer it!"

King Arthur stared at the strange stargate signal flashing wildly on the star map, remained silent for two seconds, and finally nodded slightly, his tone calm and indifferent.

The deputy, feeling as if granted a pardon, quickly stepped forward to connect the communication, straightened his posture, and spoke in a deep voice: "This is the highest war command post at the front lines of the Catachan Empire's ring-planetary network. May I ask the identity of the caller?"

A disciplined, solemn, and emotionless official military voice from the other end of the communicator said: "This is the Terra War Department office. Your Highness, the Holy Knight King, please receive this message immediately. Regent Lord Guilliman has top-level urgent military business that requires immediate discussion with Your Highness."

"Received." The deputy replied in a deep voice, then turned to the side and lowered his head, waiting for King Arthur to respond.