Chapter 335: Vanguard Hive: Hiss—I'm Doomed!

Deep within the tomb world—

The intensity of Gauss energy surged, heating the air to skin-blistering temperatures.

But none of it fazed the towering figures in the chamber.

At this moment, the battle conference between Eden and the Necrons was drawing to a close.

Both Necron Overlords had agreed to Eden's proposal: before initiating the Magnificent Prism plan, they would deal with the oncoming Vanguard Hive Fleet.

After all, the vanguard organisms already posed a serious threat to Perdita.

If they weren't eliminated, there'd be no securing the tomb world—and Zarazusa would never agree to hand over the control runes for the Magnificent Prism.

With both sides aligned—

Eden and Dante left the throne chamber, vanishing into the blizzard.

BOOM——

The tomb world had fully awakened.

In the distance, titanic glaciers glowed eerily as the ice peeled away, revealing blackened Necron hulls beneath.

Soon—

A tomb ship nearly 11 kilometers in length broke free of its icy tomb and took flight. Behind it, angular Scythe Harvesters and Scythe Destroyers followed, slowly rising toward space.

This was the fleet of the Mephrit Dynasty's Overlord—Zarazusa.

Aboard a Thunderhawk gunship—

Eden looked down at the emerging Necron structures and the growing fleet, a hint of regret in his voice.

"Damn, Ironpry really didn't dig deep enough…" (TL: Changed the name to Ironpry, fits better xD)

Due to the rushed timeline, the Ork salvage team had only skimmed the surface. Many of the core vaults hadn't even been touched.

But—

That was only the beginning.

"Dig what?" Dante blinked, confused.

"Nothing. Just saying Zarazusa's tech stash is a real waste."

Dante nodded grimly.

"Indeed… their armies and technology are terrifying. A huge threat to the Imperium."

Humanity's wars with the Necrons had always been brutal.

Often one-sided.

But that was par for the course in the Imperium—every war was desperate and bloody, paid for with oceans of sacrifice.

Dante, having lived through centuries of such battles, was long since worn thin.

He frowned, warning, "I don't trust these metallic xenos. We must stay vigilant. They could betray us mid-battle."

Even he could feel the Overlord's hostility simmering beneath the surface.

No way was this alliance going to go smoothly.

"You're not wrong," Eden agreed. "But don't worry—Military Command has a full contingency plan. They'll issue protocols to all field commanders."

Truth was—

The Necrons probably would try something. They hated seeing upstart humanity squat in their ancient galactic thrones.

Fortunately for Eden—

He was even more devious than they were.

He'd had his eye on their tech stash from the beginning.

Let's see who outwits who in the end.

Dante, hearing this, visibly relaxed.

Back into loyal retainer mode—standing blankly like a machine-servant.

After all, if the sky falls, the Savior will hold it up.

Eden says jump? You jump.

...

In orbit—

The Necron fleets slowly formed ranks.

Meanwhile, the Dreamweaver, Blade of Vengeance, and Volradi's Third Redeemer Fleet rendezvoused and headed toward the designated battle zone.

There, they would intercept the Vanguard Hive Fleet.

The upcoming void battle—

Was now Volradi's show.

Back aboard the Dreamweaver, in the Savior's private sanctum—

Eden returned to his miniature garden-office.

Using Webby's encrypted comms system, he transmitted the latest Magnificent Prism deployment orders to Military Command.

Their job: coordinate with the Necrons to reawaken the Prism's components across multiple worlds.

Planning for this had already begun the moment the Savior's forces entered the Underworld System.

Eden had every confidence they'd handle it.

Next—

He reviewed evacuation reports.

Most of the rear-sector planets had been cleared. Populations, key tech, facilities, and wealth were already off-world.

No small feat.

To pull it off, Eden had committed every transport resource he controlled.

The cost?

Astronomical.

But the gain—

Nearly a system's worth of population.

Perfect to replenish Charalton's depleted labor base.

And he'd gained…

Dozens of core tech facilities

Rare materials

Generational stockpiles of wealth

Plus: Necron tech, Cadian Blitz Troopers, and Ogryn regiments

All this more than offset the costs of the Underworld campaign.

From a resource standpoint—

It was a net win.

And all of it—

Thanks to the Webway.

Without it, his fleets would've needed dangerous Warp travel with uncertain arrival times.

In other words—

By the time the transports showed up, the system might've already been eaten.

The Webway's value couldn't be overstated.

Even the Emperor would weep with envy.

Eden's mind wandered.

"The Webway's huge. Time to put it to proper use…"

Maybe a galactic logistics hub? Or a Savior Armory Megastore where every sector could shop?

Resource extraction, defense networks, and planetary aid—at lightspeed.

Back in the Eldar's heyday, they'd filled the Webway with massive cities and infrastructure.

Why couldn't humanity do the same?

Sure, the Emperor had only gained access to a busted piece of it.

But Eden—

Had far more.

Humanity's stagnation was due, in large part, to blocked supply lines.

Interstellar trade was a nightmare.

Without free flow of resources, systems became isolated.

Development stalled.

But with the Webway—

That changed.

However—

Those dreams could wait.

First, Leviathan had to die.

Until the Tyranids were gone, Charalton's rebuilding and the Webway's expansion would remain on hold.

Fortunately—

The transports had completed their evac runs.

Now Eden could act freely in the Underworld System.

He could fire the Magnificent Prism without fear of mass civilian casualties.

A moment later—

Volradi's voice crackled over comms:

"Savior, the Vanguard Hive Fleet has entered sensor range!"

…

"Waaagh!!"

A lone Ork boy screamed as he drifted aimlessly through the void.

He'd been knocked off his ship and launched into deep space.

His crew had forgotten to pick him up.

Unless something unexpected happened, this poor Ork would float forever—

Until he slammed into something.

He howled for a while—

Then got bored.

And fell asleep.

Snoring.

But soon—

A chill ran down his nonexistent spine.

"Waaagh…?"

He jolted awake, blinking.

Before him—

A wall of tentacles blocked the stars.

He panicked.

Tried to dodge.

Failed.

And slammed right into them.

The rubbery appendages slapped him aside.

He landed on something wet and living.

He peeled his face out of the slime.

What he saw—

Was a Tyranid Bio-Titan.

Behind it—

Countless Tyranid ships swarmed like flies, circling around a hideous, crustacean-like hive structure:

The Vanguard Hive Ship.

It writhed in anger, mucous tentacles flailing wildly.

Its rage burned bright.

Why?

Because the humans had destroyed Higanbana, disrupting the will of the Hive Mind.

This Hive Ship had once devoured hundreds of human worlds—melting their populations into goo.

But now—

It had tasted defeat.

Tricked. Ambushed.

Its fleet—crippled.

If it didn't redeem itself—

It would be cast aside by the Hive Mind.

Reabsorbed.

Digested.

But it had locked onto its prey—

The fleet that humiliated it.

And it would have vengeance.

Destroy the enemy fleet.

Then consume their worlds.

Fuel the Great Devourer.

Its sensors showed relatively few ships.

Easy prey.

HISSSSSSS—

The hive ship accelerated, rage boiling.

It would rip them apart.

…

Meanwhile—

The Ork boy sat on the Bio-Titan, licking goo off his hand.

"Blegh!"

The acidic slime made his face twist in pain.

But he wasn't deterred.

In fact—

He doubled down.

Bit into a wriggling tendril.

He was starving.

Slurp. Slurp.

A slimy tentacle wiggled between his teeth.

He chewed it like jerky.

Because in the grim darkness of the far future—

Even Orks get hungry.

The Ork boy saw more waving tendrils, like a writhing jungle.

He rushed over and began yanking them out one by one like pulling carrots.

SQUEEK!

To his surprise, each tendril was connected to a Tyranid larva.

The larva screeched.

"ME SMASH YOU!"

Sensing danger, the Ork instinctively punched, splatting the larva instantly.

But—

The disturbance woke the dormant swarm.

Skittering limbs clicked and chittered in the tendril thicket.

Suddenly—

A Tyranid Ravener pounced on him, slashing downward with scythe-like limbs.

The Ork boy, fast as ever, reversed positions, throwing the Ravener down and bashing its skull in with his composite metal club.

But it wasn't over.

More Raveners surged forward—along with larger Tyranid beasts.

The Ork fought bravely, smashing down Ravener after Ravener, but soon found himself overwhelmed.

"Waaagh!" he howled, battle fervor igniting.

"ME SON OF WAR BOSS! BUGS NO SCARE ME!"

He kept swinging even as his left hand was torn off.

Just as he was about to be buried under the swarm—

WHOOSH!

A dark shape streaked across space and slammed into the Tyranid bio-ship.

BOOM!

The Ork boy saw the flash—a torpedo strike from the human fleet.

The resulting shockwave hurled him and the Tyranids into space like debris.

He spun wildly, a green bullet in the vacuum.

Above—

The void was a furious canvas of macro-cannons, lance beams, torpedoes, and bio-plasma blasts.

The Ork found himself floating helplessly in the middle of a massive void battle.

Human ships clashed with the Vanguard Hive Fleet.

And the poor Ork?

Completely exposed.

One lucky hit could turn him into green mist.

But fate smiled on him—he miraculously avoided every blast.

Time passed…

SMACK!

He slammed into something hard.

"HEAD HURT! ME SMASH!"

Blinded by pain, he raised his club, ready to pulverize whoever dared hit him—

Then froze.

"W-WARBOSS?!"

Terror locked up his body.

He'd just raised a weapon… at the Warboss?!

"ME DEAD! WARBOSS EAT ME FOR SURE!"

And with that—

He fainted, spinning unconscious in the void.

???

"Why is a Steeltoof Ork here?"

Inside the Dreamweaver's observatory dome, Eden was dumbfounded.

He had been watching Volradi's fleet engage the Vanguard Hive Fleet…

Only to see an Ork from the Steeltoof clan slam into the observatory and pass out.

"Recover him," Eden ordered.

He didn't know what was going on—

But since they ran into the guy, might as well bring him in.

Besides—

He had a hunch. The Ork was strong and dumb enough to be useful.

Good Orks were hard to find.

Some, like Ironpry, were even brilliant thinkers—able to organize Orks for salvage operations and tech scavenging.

A rare trait.

After giving the order, Eden returned his focus to the battlefield.

Currently—

Volradi was skillfully luring the Hive Fleet into a pre-established kill box.

He was handling things well.

Eden could tell—

The kid had improved. His defenses were razor-sharp, drawing the swarm in step by step.

In orbit—

The Hive Fleet slammed its organic vessels into the Third Redeemer Fleet.

They were close. Very close.

The Hive Mind's wrath was almost within reach.

But—

It was all part of Volradi's plan.

He needed them to close in, to prevent their escape once the trap was sprung.

On the Dreamweaver's bridge—

"Anrakyr's fleet should be arriving… now," Eden mused, eyes narrowing.

He saw it—

The Redeemer Fleet's formation was at its limit. If reinforcements didn't come…

Things could go bad.

But he wasn't too worried.

After all—

Zarazusa's tomb world was right next door.

The Necrons wouldn't dare pull anything now.

If they did—

He'd just withdraw, let the Tyranids have a fresh taste of Necron buffet.

The void battle raged on.

As the Hive Fleet pressed in, the Redeemer Fleet suddenly ceased retreating—

And surged forward.

The Vanguard Hive sensed something wrong.

Its instincts screamed.

And then—

A massive spatial ripple.

Phantom lights shimmered.

A colossal Sepulchre-class Tomb Ship tore into the void—followed by a full Necron fleet.

The second part of the trap had been sprung.

Human and Necron warships advanced together.

HISSSSS—

The Hive Mind panicked.

It couldn't handle two fleets at once.

It split forces—some ships stayed to stall, the rest tried to flee diagonally toward the upper right quadrant.

It would lose ships, but at least it could save the fleet.

But—

Another Necron fleet arrived on its escape route.

The Vanguard Hive was pinned.

The trap was complete.

No more escape.

It was now or never.

Desperate, it turned and tried to retreat—

But the maneuver caused chaos in its ranks.

Formation broke.

Defensive gaps widened.

More bio-ships were vaporized in the crossfire.

By the time it reorganized—

A third Necron fleet had blocked the rear.

Scanners confirmed it—

They were completely surrounded.

On the Dreamweaver bridge—

Eden exhaled.

"Finally bagged the Hive. Now it's just cleanup…"

The Third Redeemer Fleet, Blood Angels, and Necrons began constricting the kill zone.

A sphere of warships closed in—

At the center, the Hive Ship writhed like a dying beast.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

It tried to break out.

But firepower from all directions engulfed its fleet.

There was no escape.

It realized—

It was doomed.

ZAAAP!

The Dreamweaver's nova cannon fired—

Plasma erupted across the void, incinerating swaths of Tyranid vessels.

The Blade of Vengeance loosed its macro cannons—shells pierced bio-ships and slammed into the Hive Ship, forcing a shriek of pain.

The Sepulchre-class Tomb Ship fired its signature green Gauss lance—

A blinding beam of death swept across the swarm.

The Hive Fleet was obliterated.

The Vanguard Hive Ship, encircled and alone, died screaming.

Its remains drifted—

Charred meat and bone, scattered across space.

Under the combined assault of man and machine, the Tyranid vanguard had been annihilated.

From the Dreamweaver's bridge—

Eden stared solemnly at the debris field.

"This was just an appetizer. The real war is still ahead."

The situation remained dire.

The Leviathan Hive Fleet was on its way.

An unstoppable tide.

Their only hope—

The Magnificent Prism.

But activating it required a synchronized planetary network.

One slip—

And everything would collapse.

Failure was not an option.

Eden could only hope—

Everything would go smoothly…

…

At the edge of the Underworld System—

The Leviathan Hive Fleet received the signal.

Its colossal form surged forward.

Accelerating.

(End of Chapter)

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