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Chapter 341: The Nuke-Toad and the C'tan Shard
🕑 Added 2025-10-05 10:53:20 +0000 UTCChapter 341: The Nuke-Toad and the C'tan Shard
These elite Astra Militarum soldiers hailed from the terrifying death world of Catachan, a planet that even a Tyranid tendril might shy away from. The lethality of the native creatures on that world was such that simply staying alive was the highest aspiration. After all, on Catachan, even the wheat you planted in the ground might jump up and punch you. Literally jump up and punch you. You might just go to sleep, and a carnivorous vine could enter your room and eat your roommate, leaving nothing behind.
One can only imagine the combat effectiveness of the Catachan warriors when fighting against beasts or dangerous creatures. Seeing the Tyranid organisms swarming toward them, although they did not know what these enemies were, they immediately chose to fight back. These few regiments of Catachans even managed to repel and annihilate the Tyranid creatures that were trying to kill them.
Meanwhile, in the void, one after another of the Tyranid bio-ships began to suffer violent, unprompted explosions from within. Entire bio-ships began to dissolve from the inside out, their carapaces and flesh melting away like snow.
The cause of all this was another creature from Catachan, also deployed by Trazyn: the Barking Toad, also known as the Nuke-Toad. These toads looked harmless, but they were one of the most lethal creatures on Catachan. They were easily frightened, and the moment they were startled, they would explode. The resulting detonation was not only immensely powerful but also released a toxin sufficient to kill all life within a one-kilometer radius. It was useless to wear a filtration device or even power armor; they were considered one of the most toxic creatures in the galaxy.
It seemed Trazyn had also taken a stroll on Catachan and had captured a good number of these peculiar creatures. If one of these were to explode in the midst of any army, it would be a catastrophe.
"The power of this thing is really not bad," Trazyn mused, a look of regret on his face as he watched the effect of the Barking Toads. "It's a pity they are so troublesome to catch. Otherwise, they would make for an excellent weapon."
However, looking at the still-numerous Tyranid bio-ships, Trazyn began his next move. These collectibles alone were not enough to achieve the goal of weakening the Tyranids. Trazyn then released one of his most precious collections.
A humanoid creature, its entire body burning with raging flames, appeared in the void. The fire emanating from its body seemed to want to devour everything in existence.
What had appeared was one of the shards of the C'tan, Nyadra'zatha, the Burning One.
It was clear that Trazyn had more than one C'tan shard in his possession, but the shard of the Burning One was the most powerful. Nyadra'zatha was once known as the cruelest of the C'tan, taking pleasure in incinerating all things. He had even been the one to teach the Necrontyr how to enter the Webway through the Dolmen Gates. This was a crucial contribution, as it allowed the Necrontyr to pursue the Old Ones and their fleeing followers into the Webway.
When the Burning One appeared on the battlefield, it immediately headed for the densest concentration of the Tyranid fleet. Wherever it passed, even in the void, an unquenchable fire incinerated one Tyranid bio-ship after another. In an instant, a vacuum was created in the Tyranid formation. The power of a true god of the physical universe was on full display. It was hard to imagine how the Silent King of the Necrons had managed to kill it with a single spear back then.
All the humans on the battlefield also witnessed the appearance of the C'tan. Even from a great distance, and through the thermal armor of their warships, they could almost feel its heat.
However, the Burning One appeared quickly and disappeared just as fast. Trazyn knew that if he let it run free for too long and enjoy the sensation of burning all things, it would simply flee. He could throw away his other collectibles, but Trazyn was not willing to part with a C'tan shard. This thing was not just for combat; it could also provide the Necrontyr with endless energy.
After the Burning One vanished from the battlefield, Trazyn sent a communication to Lucan.
"I have paid my price. Do not forget our agreement. I will not participate any further in this battle. I want the Norn-Queen, and I want to see the hope you spoke of as soon as possible."
Everything Trazyn had done was not just to fulfill their agreement, but also as a demonstration of power, to show Lucan that he was not just someone who secretly 'liberated' things. If Lucan were to break his promise, he would make him pay the price.
Then, his flagship, the King of Antiques, vanished from the battlefield.
Zardathusa was completely baffled. He had thought that someone from another dynasty had sensed his awakening and had come to support him. But instead, they had helped the humans and had now suddenly disappeared.
Never mind Zardathusa; to be honest, Lucan was also stunned by the scene. He had never expected Trazyn to fulfill his part of the deal in this manner. It had been completed much faster than he had imagined.
Dante immediately sent a communication to Lucan, demanding to know what was going on. The intervention of the Spear of Adun, Trazyn, and the appearance of a C'tan shard had left him completely confused.
"There's no time to explain now, Dante! The war with the Tyranids is the most important thing! The appearance of the Necrons has thinned the enemy's numbers and opened a breach for us! All fleets, full assault!"
On the bridge of the Stellar Pioneer, Lucan, watching all of this, immediately issued the order. Their time was short. There was no room for hesitation. They had to break through to the Norn-Queen's position while the Tyranids were still in disarray.
The Norn-Queen was now also becoming more and more desperate. The great power of the C'tan had filled the Hive Mind, which also existed in the physical universe, with a terrifying pressure. It did not know if Trazyn would appear again, and its only chance to turn the tables now was to kill Kerrigan. It continuously urged the Swarmlord to kill her and absorb her.
This pressure caused the Swarmlord to even break away from the cover of its Hive Tyrant bodyguard and charge directly at Kerrigan.
Kerrigan, knowing everything that was happening in the void, also charged directly at the Swarmlord. And the Swarmlord was equally determined to kill her.
On the bridge of the Spear of Adun, Artanis immediately issued a command to Karax.
When Kerrigan and the Swarmlord had closed to a sufficient distance, the Protoss, using Kerrigan as an anchor, teleported a Time Bomb and a Guardian Shield directly onto her. The next second, an indestructible psionic shield enveloped her body. The psychic blasts and damage from the distant Zoanthropes were all blocked.
The instantaneous appearance and timely detonation of the Time Bomb enveloped both Kerrigan and the Swarmlord. In this stasis-field, the Swarmlord was completely frozen. Its consciousness was still active, but its incredibly powerful body could not move an inch.
The stasis field would only last for a few seconds.
Kerrigan, completely unaffected, did not dare to delay. She placed her hand directly on the Swarmlord's head. Psionic energy poured in. The devouring power was activated once more. The Swarmlord's consciousness, which was a direct link to the entire Leviathan fleet, had no relay stations. This allowed Kerrigan to, without any delay, directly invade the central hub of the Leviathan tendril: the Norn-Queen.
The Swarmlord's physical body may have been incredibly powerful, something Kerrigan could not compare to. But its soul and its psychic power were, in the end, that of an individual, completely incomparable to hers.
At that moment, the Norn-Queen, hidden in its mothership, let out a piercing shriek. The power of Kerrigan had already flooded into its brain. This power was eroding the entire Leviathan's Hive Mind, and its very soul.
