Eroking
patreon
Chapter 331: Summoning the Successors and Weakening the Shadow in the Warp
🕑 Added 2025-09-30 12:29:15 +0000 UTCChapter 331: Summoning the Successors and Weakening the Shadow in the Warp
When the serum proved effective on Seth, the Sanguinary Priests immediately brought several warriors who had completely fallen to the Black Rage to the operating table. This time, however, the serum was not entirely effective.
If the Red Thirst was a genetic flaw, then the Black Rage was a psychic echo formed in the warp after the death of Sanguinius. It caused all Sons of Sanguinius who fell to it to see their enemies as Horus and launch a suicidal, death-or-glory charge.
A portion of the Flesh Tearers, who were deeply afflicted by the Black Rage but had not yet completely lost their minds, slowly began to calm down under the influence of the serum. The light of reason returned to their eyes. They had successfully broken free from the after-effects of the Black Rage.
However, for the few who had completely lost their sanity, who had already been inducted into the Death Company and had almost no self-awareness left, the serum had no effect. This was no longer just a genetic problem; the influence of the warp had fundamentally affected their souls. Their consciousness was trapped in that final battle, unable to escape.
But even this partial success was enough. Seth was ecstatic, watching as two of his battle-brothers, who were on the verge of being permanently assigned to the Death Company, regained their sanity. He could see the hope for the Flesh Tearers' continued existence.
Although the Red Thirst and the Black Rage could enhance a Blood Angel's combat strength, the severe side effects far outweighed the benefits, and any sane Son of Sanguinius wanted to be free of them. No one truly wanted to become a complete madman.
"Commander Dante," Seth asked, his voice filled with emotion, "how did you find a way to solve the Red Thirst?"
"It was the High Lord, Lucan Mongorte..."
"That High Lord? Sanguinius above..."
After learning from Gabriel that the serum was indeed effective, Lucan had not kept it to himself. He had directly given the production method to Dante. Trying to profit from this by selling it, as he had with Guilliman, was not appropriate. It was better to give it freely and earn the eternal gratitude of the Blood Angels. As a First Founding Chapter, Lucan was certain the Blood Angels would become his ironclad allies.
And in Dante's eyes, this selfless act from Lucan was a noble one. He was truly worthy of being chosen by the Emperor.
Dante immediately had his Sanguinary Priests begin synthesizing the cure with their existing resources. The Flesh Tearers Chapter still had hundreds of men who needed it, and Seth was in desperate need of these serums.
Dante, for his part, had the Sanguinary Priests inject the very first dose they synthesized into himself. As the serum began to take effect, he felt a lightness he had never experienced before. The burden Dante carried was far heavier than that of the other Sons of Sanguinius. The disappearance of the Red Thirst made him let out an involuntary groan of relief. His mind was clearer than it had ever been, and his body felt unprecedentedly light. Even the urge to just "clock out" had diminished significantly. In his current state, he felt he could lead the Blood Angels in battle for another thousand years.
Dante, having donned his power armor once more, walked out of the apothecarion. The other Blood Angels could all feel a completely different spirit emanating from their Chapter Master, as if he had been reborn. The joy in their eyes was indescribable.
Dante immediately found Mephiston. He needed him to help the Astropaths send the message, to tell the various successor chapters fighting across the galaxy this good news. He also needed those successors to join this war. Guilliman's plan to roll out quantum communications had not yet fully covered the Imperium, especially the Astartes Chapters, who were constantly on the move. Finding them was not so easy.
At this moment, Mephiston had not yet undergone the Primaris transformation and could not yet freely wield the power of the Red Thirst and the Black Rage, but he was still one of the most powerful living psykers in the Imperium.
But Mephiston alone was not enough. The Tyranids' Shadow in the Warp, combined with the need to send messages to many different Chapters, was no easy task. The Imperium's astropathic relay stations, under high-intensity operation, could lose a dozen Astropaths a day. And the native Astropaths of the Cryptus System had mostly gone insane the moment the Shadow in the Warp had covered them. Dante could only gather all the Astropaths from his own Chapter, the Imperial Navy, and the Cryptus System.
Lucan also brought all of the Blood Ravens' Librarians to assist Mephiston. When Dante saw the Blood Ravens deploy over a hundred Librarians, he was dumbfounded. What kind of Chapter had so many Librarians?
He had originally thought Lucan was just here to make a token appearance. But when Lucan unleashed his Mechanicus Authority and the psionic power of the Xel'naga, Dante realized that Lucan was the most powerful psyker present. The power he displayed, even just using his Mechanicus Authority, was terrifying. In that regard, Lucan was a demigod.
In the astropathic chamber of the Blade of Vengeance, Mephiston guided the psychic energy of all present. The Astropathic Choir, housed in their special apparatuses, endured the process in agony. Lucan estimated that after the message was sent, these Astropaths would not be able to survive the impact of such an intense psychic blast.
"Begin, Mephiston," Lucan said.
Mephiston nodded. As he guided and controlled the power, the message entered the warp. Lucan also used his Authority to forcibly enhance all the auxiliary mechanical equipment in the astropathic chamber. It wasn't just the psychic power of the Librarians; the psionic energy from Lucan's own purifying Mechanicus Authority was also channeled into the ritual.
This massive amount of psionic energy began to batter against the Shadow in the Warp created by the Tyranids. As one after another of the Astropathic Choir members died under the immense psychic strain, a message, unique to the Blood Angels and carrying their authentication, was transmitted to all corners of the galaxy. Lucan's purifying power also protected the message, allowing it to travel more safely through the warp.
When the astropathic chamber returned to calm, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Lord Lucan... Commander Dante... it was a success!" Mephiston said, also relieved.
"Excellent," Dante said. "All we have to do now is wait for the arrival of the Sons of Sanguinius. I hope they can make it in time."
As for how they would cross the Shadow in the Warp, Lucan already had an idea. If the Chapters responded, they would gather at the same location, on the periphery, unaffected by the Tyranid's psychic interference. If it was just personnel, Lucan could easily bring them in with his Gorgons, but he also needed their warships. He could have the Spear of Adun open a gate, but the gate could open, but it didn't know the way. The Ynnari were busy recruiting followers in Commorragh, and Lucan couldn't contact them right now.
Although the Tyranids' Shadow in the Warp could block other individuals from using psychic powers, it was, in essence, a special kind of psychic power itself. And as long as it was psychic power, Lucan could use his Xel'naga projection to devour it. His participation in the astropathic ritual just now had also been a test. When his power had touched that Shadow in the Warp, it had indeed been devoured.
If he guided his Xel'naga projection to this location, although he might not be able to devour the entire Shadow, he could certainly weaken it. Since Dante had been able to enter by consuming the lives of his Navigators, then the other Blood Angels successor chapters gathered here could do the same.
As the astropathic message crossed time and space, almost all the successor chapters with a connection to the Blood Angels received it. The Lamenters, the Blood Knights, the Angels Encarmine, the Blood Dragons, and over twenty other Chapters immediately responded to Dante's call.
Their first reaction upon hearing the contents of the message was disbelief. But after confirming it was truly from the Blood Angels, they believed that Dante would not lie about this matter. Many of these twenty-something chapters had large Death Companies. Some had even made the bloodlust caused by the Red Thirst a part of their Chapter culture. But almost every one of them knew that this was not a long-term solution. The brutal blood rituals would sooner or later turn them all into monsters.
For the continuation of their Chapters, they abandoned their current combat missions, gathered almost all the forces they could muster, and headed for the Cryptus System at top speed. They could not let the cure for their genetic flaw be destroyed by the Tyranids!
Two days after the message was sent, as the successor chapters were on their way to the Cryptus System, an unexpected visitor arrived first at the tomb world of Peltar. And this visitor had already found their own way into the not-yet-fully-awakened tomb world.
