Chapter 362 – Hive Mind: “Croak~ I’ll Behave Now…”

Central Region.

Several towering spires wrapped in waterproof materials trembled under thunderous artillery fire.

A plasma shell struck the side of one tower, shattering its thin outer walls and revealing a portion of the massive, complex mechanical interior.

The purge of Tyranid elite infiltrators had begun.

Yet the streets, covered in barricades and flickering with energy fields, remained eerily silent.

Hiss…

The elite Tyranid organism directly controlled by the Hive Mind had assumed a combat posture. Its four limbs, sheathed in special forcefield auras, shimmered with a terrifying glow.

Any Imperial warrior who faced it directly would likely not survive.

And yet, this high-tier Tyranid exuded a trace of fear—clearly lacking confidence in this battle.

But it had no path left for retreat.

HUM!

The Chapter Masters activated their power weapons. Their armor rippled with forcefield energy.

Each of these legendary warriors wore an expression that screamed, "This street is mine," and "We're here to gang up on you." The smugness was borderline cartoonish.

The vibe was… off.

In truth—

This was the first time these Chapter Masters had ever participated in a full-on gang beatdown of an enemy warboss. It felt oddly surreal.

In past pivotal campaigns—

They were always on the razor's edge, facing overwhelming odds. The Imperial forces were on the brink of annihilation, hope nearly lost.

And in that despair, the Chapter Masters would make impossible choices, becoming the final bulwark.

It always ended in a dramatic one-on-one duel against some hideous alien or heretical overlord.

And in the final, bloodied, desperate moments—barely clinging to life—they would strike the killing blow and claim a bittersweet victory.

But ever since they started following the Savior…

Things had changed.

They didn't have to make impossible decisions. They didn't have to endure crushing despair.

Instead, they showed up in force, steamrolled the enemy, and returned home for a hot meal and some well-earned rest.

Ammo? Unlimited. Gear? Top-grade. Critical responsibility? What's that?

Just fight—comfortably.

In fact, just moments ago, several of the Chapter Masters had been gathered around a pot of steaming Tyranid hotpot cooked by the logistics kitchen.

Halfway through their meal, an emergency order came in:

Rendezvous at a designated location and eliminate the Tyranid elite war unit.

Due to the suddenness of the order, many of them simply grabbed their weapons and piled into an overloaded Thunderhawk to rush to the scene.

WHOOSH—

Amid the tension-filled standoff, another Thunderhawk arrived—wobbling as it landed clumsily.

It was the Carcharodons' ship.

"Finally made it…"

As the Thunderhawk creaked to a halt, Tyberos bolted out, clearly panicked that he might miss the fight.

See, the Carcharodons had been assigned to protect the central command zone.

Whether it was bad luck or divine trolling, they had not seen a single Tyranid during their shift.

Somehow, the bugs only ever showed up after their watch ended.

To this day, they hadn't fought in any real battle—hadn't earned any glory or honor. Their armor was still spotless.

They were frequently mocked by other Chapters for it.

To Tyberos, it was utterly humiliating. From the outside, it probably looked like they were here on vacation.

They had been given top-tier wargear, and hadn't even used it in combat. Disgraceful.

The Carcharodons had submitted numerous requests to be deployed to the front lines—all denied.

Strategic core zones were essential to victory. At least one Chapter had to remain on station at all times.

Frustrated and forgotten, Tyberos had grown anxious.

If things kept going this way, how could the great Savior ever recognize the loyalty and worth of the Carcharodons?

Were they really going to leave Baal without earning a single war merit?

Fortunately, this time—finally—a battle had come.

The moment the order arrived, Tyberos scrambled his warriors and rushed to the scene.

As he disembarked, more followed—two Dreadnoughts, several Centurion suits, and a seemingly endless tide of Carcharodon Marines.

It looked like the Thunderhawk was pouring out bodies.

Everyone watching was stunned.

Just how many people did this guy cram into that ship?! This wasn't just overcapacity—this violated the laws of physics.

No one knew how they pulled it off.

The Hive Tyrant controlled by the Hive Mind stared, its crimson eyes wide with disbelief.

It was like walking down the street, only to have a Wuling minivan pull up and thirty men with knives jump out to ambush you.

What infuriated it most—

None of the Space Marines showed the slightest respect for the ancient Tyranid wisdom it embodied. Instead, they eagerly asked where the bugs were—itching to join the fight.

Especially that leader.

His glowing eyes fixed on the Tyrant like it was some delicious, rare prey.

This was bug abuse!

HISSS!!

The Hive Tyrant screeched in rage.

BOOM—

The ground quaked. Several mutated Mawlocs burst from below. Their clawed limbs tore open their own gut-sacs, releasing swarms of Lictors.

These alien assassins dove into the battle, sowing chaos.

While the Space Marines clashed with the Lictors, the Hive Tyrant made its move—

It leapt toward one of the Mawlocs, hoping to dive into its belly and escape using its subterranean speed.

If it could gain open ground, it could cause real damage!

Suddenly—a wave of bio-electric pulses triggered a sense of crisis.

The Hive Mind was forced to yank the Tyrant back, narrowly avoiding incoming high-energy weapons fire.

ZIIIIP—

Meltagun beams ripped through the Mawlocs, reducing them to charred husks. The tunnel collapse sealed the escape route.

The Hive Tyrant's plan had failed.

It was surrounded again.

Facing a wall of legendary warriors, the Hive Mind couldn't help but step back.

"For the Savior!!"

Tyberos ignited his lightning claws—Hunger and Thirst. He roared, full of gratitude and devotion.

Known as the "Scarlet Bloodpath," this legendary warrior launched his charge like a shark drawn to blood.

His battle cry was the signal. The other ten or so Chapter Masters swarmed forward with zero honor—

They began a brutal, unrelenting beatdown of the Hive Tyrant. Its agonized screeches echoed for kilometers.

Across the Tyranid neural link, thousands of nearby organisms trembled, sharing in the mind's pain.

…

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Eden, clad in hulking Blackstone armor, pinned a mutated Tyranid to the ground and pummeled it mercilessly. Bones snapped under the blows.

After a final shriek, the beast's limbs collapsed.

"Here, have a snack."

Eden lifted the limp body and shoved a large melta bomb into its mouth.

Then, as if feeling generous, added a second one.

He grabbed a nearby power spear and nailed the xenos to the wall, then turned to leave.

Behind him—

The Tyranid twitched weakly. A red glow began to shine from its throat—

Moments later, a searing wave of energy erupted, reducing its head and chest to charred, reeking meat.

It was dead.

Eden's armor was slashed all over—some cuts nearly reached flesh.

Those wounds were left by Tyranid claws—imbued with specialized energy fields capable of bypassing regular power armor.

Fortunately, these things still couldn't take down a Primarch one-on-one.

In truth—

The creature he had just slain wasn't even the strongest intruder.

Eden moved toward the loudest area—the epicenter of the Hive Tyrant's screams.

He frowned.

"Yikes. That does sound rough…"

No doubt—

That was the Hive Mind's own puppet.

He wasn't dumb enough to go and duel it solo. What if he slipped up and got killed?

Just look at Roboute Guilliman.

Always charging into battle, always getting critically wounded, always ending up face-down in the dirt.

Never learns.

In the not-too-distant future—

Ol' Guilliman would once again get his butt handed to him and dragged into Nurgle's Garden for a beating.

Eden made a mental note to remind him later—

If not for his insane health bar, the Emperor's blessing, and a constant stream of psychic elves and badass warriors saving his hide, he'd be dead already.

Multiple times over.

Old Guilliman's just plot armor incarnate—textbook main character template, complete with protagonist halo.

Eden? Not so much.

He might just die once, and that'd be it.

That's why Eden remained cautious. In this galaxy, there were just too many bizarre methods that could end a life in an instant.

Better to be careful whenever possible.

In his view—

In this galactic cesspool, knowing how to fight wasn't enough. To survive, you needed numbers, technology, and influence.

Especially in the material universe.

With so many legendary warriors backing him, why should they fear one Hive Mind puppet?

Any being—

If it had a visible health bar, it could be killed. Even if it took a thousand paper cuts—it'd still bleed out!

By the time Eden reached the battlefield, the mutated Hive Tyrant under the Hive Mind's control—nearly five meters long—was already lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Its entire body was covered in burns, embedded with shrapnel, and several of its limbs had been severed.

Hissss—

The Hive Tyrant screeched, using psychic vibrations to deliver speech in a guttural voice:

"Cowardly, despicable Savior! Do you dare face me in single combat—!"

Before Eden could even respond—

Tyberos roared with fury, his thunderous voice echoing across the battlefield, as if terrified someone might not realize he was defending the Savior's honor.

"Xeno filth! How dare you profane our noble and merciful Savior?!"

And then—crack! crack!—two brutal swipes of his lightning claws, arcs of electricity tearing into the Tyrant's flesh, making it writhe in agony.

Eden glanced at the Carcharodons' Chapter Master and gave him a look of approval. He then calmly raised a hand, signaling the others to back off.

The Chapter Masters retreated, remaining alert and on guard.

The Hive Tyrant lay there, barely alive, catching Eden's approach from the corner of its eye.

Inside, a flicker of excitement rose.

Yes… just a few more steps. Come closer. Just a little closer…

Blood flow within the creature quickened, hormones surged, and its muscles tightened. The ancient Hive Mind channeled every ounce of remaining biopower into one final strike.

Even the Savior… the Primarch… would not survive it.

"Foolish being… your death is imminent…"

But just as the Hive Mind trembled with anticipation—

Eden stopped.

He didn't come closer. He wasn't taking another step.

"Damn it! It's not close enough yet!"

The Hive Mind howled internally, its thoughts growing frenzied. It nearly blurted out "Come closer!"

Just one more step!

But Eden felt something was off. He halted at a safe distance, and with a calm, composed voice, reminded his forces:

"Stay alert, everyone. Tyranids often attempt last-minute ambushes when near death…"

Such tactics were textbook Tyranid behavior.

It was exactly why he'd ordered his elites to pull back. He couldn't afford to lose any of them to a desperate xeno trap.

With his warning, all eyes locked onto the Hive Tyrant's remaining claws… something wasn't right.

…???

"So… should I keep pretending… or go for the kill?"

The Hive Mind found itself frozen in awkward silence. Moving now might trigger a kill shot. Not moving just made it look pathetic.

The atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

It gritted its fangs. Its claws flared with bioluminescent energy. It made its move.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a massive gravitational field smashed down from above—slamming the Hive Tyrant into the ground like a ragdoll.

HISSSS!

The creature thrashed, struggling, but couldn't break free.

Eden nodded slightly, issuing a new command.

Several Thunder Custodians rushed forward, locking the Tyrant's limbs in place with high-torque suppression rigs. Burning electrical currents surged into its muscles, paralyzing them with excruciating precision.

The Tyrant's voice rasped, its eyes glaring at Eden:

"You… you haven't… won yet!"

BOOOOM—

A nearby building collapsed as a colossal biological figure emerged from beneath—towering over twenty meters tall. Its chitinous body shimmered as it shed its cloaking field.

Dozens of compound eyes glowed with a bottomless hunger.

This Bio-Titan—specially bred and controlled by the Hive Mind—was its final weapon. Its ultimate trap, prepared solely to kill the Savior.

The Hive Mind had used this terror before—sneaking it into enemy bases to end wars with a single, catastrophic blow.

But Eden's defenses had been too tight. Its infiltration had been agonizingly slow.

Still… it got through.

The Bio-Titan wasted no time—it charged toward Eden's location with feral rage.

Its only goal: kill the Savior. End the greatest threat in the galaxy.

Two Blood Angels Dreadnoughts tried to intercept—but were torn apart and thrown aside. The heavy turret bombardments failed to pierce its layered chitin plating.

The attack was fast and brutal. Being so deep inside the central zone, they couldn't even use larger warheads without risking catastrophic collateral damage.

In a matter of seconds, the Bio-Titan had breached within hundreds of meters of Eden. All its weapons were primed.

The Hive Mind sneered, projecting its voice:

"Run, Savior. It's useless. This is the final plan—the trap laid for you.

What hope do you have against this?"

Eden neither responded nor ran.

To retreat now would only cause further devastation in the heart of the command zone.

Besides—Military Command had already prepared contingency plans for ultra-large-scale threats.

He turned to face the behemoth. So did the Astartes.

The stench of the creature's toxic spores filled the air, and several nearby personnel were already collapsing from exposure.

Thankfully, incendiary rounds had ignited portions of the gas, keeping the spread in check.

The Hive Mind paused in surprise.

The Bio-Titan was already within striking range. Apart from ten or so warriors, no one else could possibly survive the shockwave…

So why weren't they moving?

As it puzzled over this—

The ground trembled violently.

The Bio-Titan reached the entrance tower of the street. Its massive shadow loomed overhead.

All barricades were trampled like foam.

As it charged, its plasma cannons and venom sacs began to glow—the killing blow was coming.

KRA-KOOM—

But before it could unleash its barrage, two massive towers collapsed inward—and with them came giant mechanical limbs.

Towering over all else—

Two Emperor-class Redeemer Titans stomped into view.

The strongest ground units in the Savior's arsenal—God-Machines.

And this was why Eden never moved.

Only by drawing the Bio-Titan along a fixed path could they trap it inside the kill zone between the towers.

Preventing further loss.

Both Redeemer Titans activated.

One titan's mechanical tread slammed down, crushing the Bio-Titan's spindly torso into the ground. Its massive arm-mounted shovel smashed its skull repeatedly.

Even though it was a construction model, the force was terrifying.

The second Redeemer Titan deployed its Hellstorm Cannon and Melta Megablasters directly into the Bio-Titan's flesh.

Close-combat and heavy bombardment—working in tandem.

The Bio-Titan's dying wail echoed throughout the central region.

This… this was the Savior's power.

The Hive Mind's body trembled.

It could now see—there were more towers like this all around the central sector.

That meant—

Eden had placed at least twenty Titans in this area, covering every possible approach.

Unless the entire frontline collapsed and the Tyranids swarmed the zone in full force—they could never breach it with simple infiltration.

How do you even fight that?!

The ancient Hive Mind was crumbling. Every strategy, every calculation—it had all been shattered.

Helplessness surged through it.

This being—this Savior—was too cautious, too careful. There were no weaknesses. And who knew what other traps still lay hidden?

Too damn devious!

Eden turned his back, ignoring the Bio-Titan that was still being pummeled into paste.

He locked eyes with the Hive Tyrant.

That gaze—calm, deep, unwavering. It was like he was staring through the creature, directly at the Hive Mind itself.

For a brief moment, the Hive Mind looked away.

It was already starting to… behave.

Eden gently slapped the Hive Tyrant's cheek and spoke to the hidden Hive Mind:

"Come on, Tankie. You blew it. I gave you your shot… and you choked."

To the surrounding warriors, it seemed the Savior was speaking in some ancient, mystical tongue.

But the tone was unmistakable—mockery.

The Hive Mind felt the insult keenly. Through the warp-transmitted psychic message, the humiliation was unbearable.

Its blood boiled.

But it calmed down. Forced itself to focus. It crushed all emotion under the weight of brutal calculation.

It couldn't afford to waste more.

Eden seemed to understand. He said nothing more—just threw a punch.

That single blow finished the Hive Tyrant once and for all.

Then, he contacted Tarko and ordered him to begin the blockade protocol immediately.

The ground war on Baal was nearly done. The real fight now moved to orbit.

One way or another, they would capture or kill the Hive Mind.

They had to. The consequences of letting it escape would be dire.

Moments later—

Dozens of drop-ships thundered upward, piercing through the clouds and vanishing into the void beyond…

(End of Chapter)

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