Chapter 116: Are the Tyranids Coming?

At that moment, Eden's mind reeled.

The sneaky Genestealer Patriarch had emitted a signal—a feast awaited the Tyranids on Urth!

A massive swarm capable of consuming everything would soon arrive.

It was said that any planet attacked by the Tyranids would ultimately become nothing more than a barren rock, stripped even of bacteria and archaea along with its atmosphere.

Complete annihilation, leaving nothing behind.

And now, this catastrophic arrival loomed over them. What could they do?

Were they supposed to abandon Urth, retreat to the Warp, and guard the Golden Throne alongside the Emperor himself?

Eden's mind raced, formulating new strategies.

The only feasible solution he could think of was to locate the Genestealer Patriarch immediately and cleave it into eighteen pieces, severing the signal it was broadcasting.

Then, all they could do was pray.

Pray that the Tyranids hadn't received the signal or that they would redirect their course after it was cut off.

But there was no time!

Even if Eden mobilized the entire King's Court army right now, they'd be overwhelmed by the massive forces of the Genestealer Cult.

Moreover, such a move would only alert the Patriarch, forcing it to burrow deeper and fortify its defenses further.

This would make it even harder to eliminate.

What now?

Suddenly, a strange sensation surged within Eden.

His psychic senses picked up faint, elusive signals.

Focusing his mind, he sought the source of these signals.

To his astonishment, he found himself linked to an enormous psychic network.

Within this network were countless points of light, like stars in the sky, their information interweaving and flowing together.

Each point of light represented an individual, all controlled by a massive central node at the core.

Eden realized that he too was part of this psychic network.

However, the psychic beacon representing him was at the very edge of the network, barely connected to the others.

"This is the Genestealers' Hive Mind?"

Eden's realization filled him with cautious delight.

He had connected to it!

Due to being parasitized by the Genestealers, Eden had inadvertently tapped into their Hive Mind.

What's more, his solar-powered psychic abilities were far superior, granting him partial control over the network.

In fact, his authority exceeded that of most Genestealer leaders, second only to the Patriarch itself.

Of course, Eden dared not overreach and risk alerting the Patriarch, which might strip him of this newfound access.

Carefully severing his link, he concealed his presence deeper within the network.

But the critical advantage remained:

Eden could now locate the Patriarch.

Through his connection, he faintly sensed the Patriarch's position—it was nearby!

Eden set off toward the area where he had detected the presence.

He needed to pinpoint the Patriarch's exact location quickly to coordinate a strike team for a sudden assault.

Just as he began moving, a message surged through the Hive Mind:

The Genestealer High Priest had ordered its guards to capture an intruder who had disrupted a prayer ritual.

Turning back, Eden saw the High Priest standing atop an anti-gravity pulpit, its gaze fixed on him.

Following the Priest's lead, countless alien-like cultists turned their cold eyes toward Eden.

He felt a chill run down his spine.

It was too late. He had been discovered!

Eden bolted, but the streets ahead were already blocked by the Cult's warriors.

These imposing figures had purple-hued skin, high foreheads, and as many as three or four arms.

The warriors brandished razor-sharp blades, charging toward him.

Boom!

A burst of psychic energy erupted from Eden, sending shockwaves that knocked down the advancing Cultists.

Before they could recover, Eden had disappeared.

"There—after him!"

The leading Cultist bared its teeth, pointing toward a nearby sewer entrance.

One by one, the warriors dove into the underground tunnels, continuing their pursuit.

Within the sewer system:

Eden, clutching a blade dripping with purple blood, navigated the maze-like passages, evading his pursuers.

The sewers were teeming with Genestealers—this was their domain.

Fortunately, his connection to the Hive Mind allowed him to anticipate their movements, narrowly escaping time and again.

But Eden wasn't just running. His ultimate goal was the Patriarch.

He deliberately headed toward the heart of the Genestealer lair.

As he ventured deeper, the mutants' forms became increasingly grotesque, their appearances entirely inhuman.

They crawled on all fours, with elongated skulls and sharp, protruding tongues.

These were likely the first-generation hybrids, indicating he was closing in on the lair.

Suddenly, a Genestealer lunged at him from the shadows.

Eden dodged, driving his blade into its chest.

The creature struggled, its sharp tongue shooting toward Eden's eye.

Buzz!

The tongue froze inches from his face, unable to pierce further.

"Little Genestealer, I'm a Beta-level omnipotent psyker…"

Of course, that was the upper limit of Eden's original body. His clone couldn't fully channel such immense psychic power, but it was enough for most situations.

Gripping the Genestealer's tongue, Eden yanked it out along with its organs.

As purple blood sprayed, the creature collapsed, clutching its throat.

Dispatching the attacker, Eden turned his gaze forward.

A massive psychic presence loomed ahead.

It had to be the Patriarch.

The power of an Alpha+ psyker was said to defy imagination. They could split Titan mechs in half or summon entire legions of greater daemons.

Because of this, the Inquisition often executed Alpha+ psykers outright unless absolutely certain of containing them.

"Let's hope the Patriarch isn't Alpha-level… or it's game over."

Behind him, the howls of pursuing Genestealers echoed once more.

Eden pressed forward, intent on mapping the lair's surroundings and planning his assault.

After running some distance, he skidded to a halt at a tunnel's end.

Clang!

A massive hammer swung past his face, smashing into the wall and shaking the entire passage.

Two towering Genestealer Aberrants emerged, blocking his path.

Aberrants, gifted with the Patriarch's genetic material, were formidable combat units wielding massive hammers capable of shattering powered armor.

Turning around, Eden saw two more Aberrants closing in from behind.

He was trapped.

"Well, this is it…"

Eden sighed in resignation.

Crash!

The four hammers struck simultaneously, reducing his psychic clone to pulp.

In the Warp, aboard a voidship:

A towering figure clad in golden power armor emerged, a visage reminiscent of the Emperor himself.

The figure shuddered slightly.

"Damn it, getting smashed feels awful!"

Eden raised his clawed left arm, scratching his head as he grumbled.

"Thankfully, the clone completed its mission…"

His consciousness received the final psychic transmission—a vision of the lair:

A vast underground chamber teeming with alien Genestealers.

At its center, an enormous, four-armed shadow sat upon a rusted iron throne, exuding an oppressive aura of dominance.

Eden smirked.

"Found you."

(End of Chapter)

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