Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [380-382] (Patreon)

Chapter 380:

Upon hearing this, Rhodes nodded in great satisfaction. This was exactly the effect he wanted. When you were a Necron, your pride was unmatched.

You had no fear of death, thinking only of your kind’s benefit, because you were an electronic lifeform—your soul was lost, and you had no emotions.

But if you reverted to being a Necrontyr, it was different. This race was simply too terrified of death! Even their name reflected their fear of death.

At this moment, the cowardly, fearful, and base sides of life would be revealed!

Sixty million years ago, this desperate race, to escape their inescapable fate, underwent mass mechanization.

But after ascending, some began to miss their fleshly forms, because only after losing something do you realize its value.

 “Don’t worry! From now on, just stay obediently in this secret base, researching living metal for me, deciphering all manner of Necron technology. No one will ever discover your secret,” Rhodes said.

Perhaps next time he used this method, he could poach more Necron talent?

The Necrontyr were much easier to control than the Necrons. Rhodes finally understood why the C’tan chose to corrupt this race back then: their technology was advanced, yet they were easy to manipulate.

Unfortunately, the C’tan ultimately failed, for a simple reason—they could only extend the Necrontyr’s lifespans, not grant them immortality.

They also erased their emotions and devoured their souls. Only with emotions does one know fear; when they became Necrons, they had none.

This made the race even more terrifying, for they became fearless—harboring only hatred for the living.

“By the way, AsanethAyu, if I bring in other Necrons, could you help me subdue them?” Rhodes asked.

“Thank you for taking me in, great master. In my dynasty, I know several other Necron crypt-techs.

If you can transform them to this state I am in now, restoring both our flesh and souls, I am 100% confident they will pledge loyalty to you,” AsanethAyu replied with a nod.

This wasn’t difficult for her. The ones with backbone and no emotion, the diehards, were the Necrons, not the Necrontyr. It was like how some humans sided with Xenos—the Necrontyr were the same.

“Very good. Balt, take our new colleague down to familiarize them with their work environment. I’ll put all the Necron dynasty’s technological relics, as well as the core mainframe of that tomb world, here for your research. I’ll also release some fragments of the star core,” Rhodes instructed.

Next, Rhodes cut off a massive fragment of the star core and placed it in the secret lab, then left behind all the spoils captured from the Necron mini-dynasty.

He then ordered Yapool to finish transforming the first leader of the Space Wolves, Bjorn, into a super-beast, and arranged a ship to return him to the Space Wolves’ homeworld.

Having done all this, Rhodes planned to leave. For the next two months or so, he intended to spend quality time with Elena and Lelith.

He would stay on Holy Terra, occasionally using Tartarus’s teleportation gate to return to his own territory to check on its construction.

Only after his firstborn was born would Rhodes deal with the star god fragment of the Void Dragon, since Elena was now pregnant.

He wanted the cosmic phantom beast within her to devour the star god fragment, but she could do so only if unburdened. Elena was not a life goddess like Isha—her body could not handle it.

By now, Ahriman should have arrived at his territory as well. Rhodes intended to use Tartarus’s portal to return and supervise the construction of the Dark Gate.

This demon-farming field was something he planned to make good use of in the coming two months.

“Lord Rhodes, please wait a moment. I have something else to report,” Belisarius Cawl suddenly spoke as Rhodes was about to leave.

“What is it, Cawl?” Rhodes paused and looked back at him.

“Lord Rhodes, two production lines have been established on Mars, controlled by Lady Salome and myself. We have already produced ten King Joe and five mechanical Ultra Warriors.

But a serious problem has arisen, causing major divisions within the Mechanicus on Mars. I hope you can resolve it,” Cawl said.

“What’s the division about? Tell me.”

“It’s this, Lord Rhodes: after awakening the machine spirits of these massive machines, they can operate entirely on their own, without any human crew.

Many members of the Mechanicus, as well as high-ranking Imperial officials, believe this is a form of ‘Men of Iron’ in disguise. While they don’t have complete artificial intelligence,

given enough time, their machine spirits might evolve—without human operators, they could develop their own sentience and become Men of Iron again,” Cawl explained.

The Men of Iron rebellion had left an indelible scar on humanity. Even ten millennia later, people still remembered that pain.

Artificial intelligence was strictly controlled. Machine spirits could awaken, but still had to obey human operators.

These giant Titans, with not a single pilot, made people uneasy—what if they ran amok?

Rhodes nodded. So the issue was that these robots had no pilots.

To be honest, the concerns of the Mechanicus and Imperial officials were not unfounded. In the Or universe, machines could move freely due to top-level AIs.

But here, Salome had replaced AIs with machine spirits, which couldn’t stray far from the control console. These giant robots were all remotely operated.

None were as powerful as the robots Rhodes could summon from his system—they could act entirely autonomously.

“What’s your suggestion? Have you discussed this with Salome?” Rhodes asked.

“Yes, Lord Rhodes. We propose assigning five pilots to each King Joe—one to control the body, and the other four to operate separate sections.

The King Joe is simple to operate, and with some modifications, retired Titan pilots can handle these giant robots safely.

They’re also equipped with void array generators, so a team of 100 must maintain the array, another 100 armed guards to protect the Titan, and another 100 for weapons maintenance—a total of 305 crew,” Cawl reported.

With his modifications, the King Joe’s chest could accommodate at least 300 people. Human superweapons were added to it, operated by these crewmen, forming a Titan crew.

This would silence Mars and Imperial authorities’ concerns, making it a true Titan unit for the Imperium.

Adding 300 people would also boost its combat power. The King Joe already had an energy shield, plus the void array and human weapons for even greater firepower.

It could fight in space and be assigned to the Imperial Navy.

“Good idea. Proceed—add a 305-person operations crew.

What about the mechanical Ultra Warriors? Their frames can’t fit so many pilots,” Rhodes asked.

Unlike the King Joe, mechanical Ultra Warriors couldn’t be so heavily modified. Fitting even a few people inside was a challenge.

“Lord Rhodes, I’ve made some changes. I found the chest timer is mostly decorative.

I modified it to hold a single pilot, who can control the Ultra Warrior more effectively,” Cawl explained.

“So, it becomes a single-pilot knight mech?” Rhodes asked.

Cawl’s idea was good. The mechanical Ultra Warrior could only fit one person; the timer was just for mimicry, not function.

“Yes, Lord Rhodes. We use a bio-link system—once the pilot’s linked, it’s like moving their own body,” Cawl answered.

“Not bad. But piloting such a giant mech isn’t for ordinary people,” Rhodes said.

A normal human’s body and brain couldn’t handle the strain.

“We need stronger pilots—your Astartes, for instance.

Your gene-sons, both physically and mentally, could easily pilot these Ultra Warrior mechs,” Cawl said.

Rhodes’s eyes lit up. Cawl’s plan was sound—his gene-sons operating these mechs would ensure loyalty.

The special brain cores Rhodes installed in his sons, would greatly boost control. Ordinary humans would be overwhelmed, but the gene-sons could manage it with ease.

Thus, King Joe would serve mortal regiments, while the giant mechs would serve the Astartes.

“What does Salome say?” Rhodes asked.

“She’s agreed and helped with some modifications. We’re just waiting on your approval,” Cawl said.

“No problem. Proceed. Ultra Warriors will be for Astartes only.

I’ll send suitable pilots, and King Joe will have 305 mortals as crew.

All mortals should be injected with gene serums to attain baseline Astartes strength,” Rhodes ordered.

“Thank you for your trust, Lord Rhodes. If you wish, we could also downsize the Ultra Warriors to around a dozen meters, so ordinary humans could pilot them,” Cawl suggested.

Currently, the standard is 45 meters tall, 30,000 tons, requiring the best resources—construction is expensive.

When the Emperor awoke, half the Imperium’s industry was redirected to build five in six months—draining all Mechanicus resources on Mars.

Thus, some suggested downsizing them; even a smaller version could handle many of the Imperium’s enemies.

It would also save costs. If production continued at this scale, the entire Imperium could make only a dozen per year, even at full tilt.

A smaller version would lose some power but could still crush many foes.

“How much would their power drop?” Rhodes asked.

“If we downsize to 16 meters, like a small Titan, they can’t fire the full Specium Ray.

But they can fire a weaker version—about one-tenth the power. They’d lose flight, the Eight-pointed Halo, and hand beams.

They’d be ground units, but in close combat, could easily defeat Warlord or Warhound Titans, and could solo a Tyranid Hive Tyrant.

Even against the new Tyranid Titans from the Battle of Baal, these improved Ultra Warriors could hold their own,” Cawl said.

He and Salome had worked out the data; while not as powerful, they were more cost-effective and still deadly.

Normal humans enhanced with the monster warrior serum could pilot them.

“Approved! Equip the smaller Ultra Warriors to mortal regiments,” Rhodes ordered.

Chapter 381:

Rhodes agreed with Cawl’s plan—downsizing the mechanical Ultra Warriors saved costs and made them viable as giant mechs or small Titans.

“Glad to hear it, Lord Rhodes. I’ll also add some weapons to the 16-meter models, including a minimal timespace shield array,” Cawl said.

Besides their ray and melee powers, Cawl would add void arrays and other weapons from Imperial Titans or knight mechs.

“No problem. Let the other senior Magi of the Mechanicus handle the mortal mech weapons—don’t overwork yourself,” Rhodes said.

It didn’t matter if others handled mortal mech weapons.

“Thank you for your concern, Lord Rhodes. But I’ll keep some data confidential—the weakened Ultra Warrior mechs can’t keep core secrets. I’ll encrypt the data, but others can handle the rest,” Cawl replied.

Confidentiality was still paramount. Even a weakened Specium Ray was a major weapon, fireable in space.

These mechs were far more agile than Titans of similar size, so their core tech had to be protected.

Rhodes nodded, spoke a bit more with Cawl, and then left the secret lab.

…

Over the next few days, Rhodes spent time with Elena and checked in with his legion, strengthening ties with his gene-sons.

Meanwhile, the Mechanicus completed design drafts for small Ultra Warrior mechs and began building prototypes.

Yapool also finished Bjorn’s transformation—the First Wolf, who had fought alongside Leman Russ, was revived.

This time, Rhodes didn’t make him a giant dreadnought but instead used the gene-flesh of the werewolf beast, Wolf Gas.

He became a 56-meter tall giant werewolf beast, and after reverting to human form, was over 3 meters tall—matching modern Astartes.

He also received the latest Astartes surgery, now standing 3.5 meters as the First Wolf, with a qualitative leap in power.

As an Astartes, he could shift into Wolf Gas form; when giant-sized, he looked like Wolf Gas wearing Astartes power armor.

“Thank you for giving me new life, Lord Rhodes,” Bjorn knelt and said.

“No need for thanks. Lead the Space Wolves well—let them be the Imperium’s unbreakable spear. That’s your mission,” Rhodes replied with a wave.

After transformation, Bjorn’s combat power was still less than that of the Custodes Ultraman, as Wolf Gas had no energy beams or flight, just speed and bite power.

“I understand, Lord Rhodes! Please permit me to see the Emperor.”

Bjorn had discussed this with Logan, so after the transformation, he wanted to see the Master of Mankind.

“Go ahead. After seeing the Emperor, rest for two days and get used to your new strength. I’ll arrange a ship to return you to the Space Wolves’ homeworld,” Rhodes said.

“Yes, Lord Rhodes. In the next great crusade, I hope to fight by your side again.” Bjorn bowed and left for the Emperor’s palace.

With excitement and nervousness, Bjorn and a Custodes escort entered the palace, seeing the Emperor on the Golden Throne.

“Great Emperor, First Wolf of the Space Wolves, Bjorn, comes to beg your forgiveness. Mighty Master of Mankind, please forgive your servant!” Bjorn immediately knelt.

After the new legion laws and Astartes plan were announced, Logan had awakened him to ask his opinion.

But back then, Bjorn resented both Regent Guilliman and the new Warmaster Rhodes, and didn’t believe the Emperor had truly awoken.

So he insisted the Space Wolves follow Leman Russ’s old rules, refusing Imperial recall—almost getting the Wolves disbanded.

That would have been high treason! A crime unforgivable even in death.

Fortunately, Rhodes was magnanimous and went to the Space Wolves’ homeworld, disciplined them, and brought Bjorn to Terra to meet the Emperor.

“Rise, Bjorn. I know all about it—I know how headstrong Russ’s sons can be!

So I’m giving you another chance. Treasure it. Remember, the Space Wolves belong to the Imperium—even Russ must obey me,” the Emperor said, not blaming him further. All was forgiven—just serve the Imperium well.

“Mighty All-Father, I swear: the Space Wolves will make you proud again!

In the new unyielding crusade, the Wolves’ howl will echo across the galaxy,” Bjorn declared.

 “I believe in you, Bjorn. Russ himself chose you as the First Wolf. So, as Master of Mankind, I appoint you as the new Chapter Master of the Space Wolves, serving until Russ returns,” the Emperor said.

Primarchs made the best Chapter Masters, but until they returned, others were needed—like Calgar for the Ultramarines.

For the Space Wolves, until Russ returned, Bjorn would serve as Chapter Master.

“Thank you, great Emperor. But the current Master, Logan, is also an outstanding leader.

I am just an old wolf—I would rather serve as his deputy,” Bjorn replied.

Logan was an excellent Chapter Master—even if the Wolves returned to legion status, he was suitable.

“Logan has only led a few thousand men, not a full legion.

But you have—once as a company captain, once as the First Wolf.

That’s why I choose you. When Russ returns, you and Logan will both be deputies,” the Emperor explained.

He intended to bring all loyalist Primarchs back and revive humanity.

Hearing this, Bjorn stopped protesting and accepted the order.

After the Emperor’s appointment, Bjorn rested for three days on Terra, then took a ship home to Fenris.

…

Half a month later, Ahriman brought the Dark Gate to Rhodes’s territory and met Mefilas, who arranged an abandoned planet for him.

On this barren world, the Dark Gate was installed.

Ahriman notified Rhodes, who paused his affairs and, with Tartarus, used the portal to return to his realm.

“Long time no see, Master! Is this an Absolutian?” Mefilas greeted Rhodes, then looked at Tartarus behind him. The aura was unprecedentedly powerful—a supreme lifeform.

“Yes, I am an Absolutian, an ultimate being of the Absolutian race, Tartarus.

I’ve heard of Mefilas—your intelligence ranks top ten among cosmic races. I look forward to working with you,” Tartarus greeted Mefilas.

A Mefilasian who could become a giant super-lifeform with terrifying psychic power was worth respecting, at least a little.

“You’re too kind. We’re colleagues now—let’s serve the Master together!” Mefilas smiled at Tartarus.

An Absolutian ultimate being greeted him warmly—he wouldn’t overstep. Though he was a super-lifeform with immense psychic power, in front of an Absolutian, he was nothing.

Ahriman, standing by, bowed to Rhodes.

“Lord Rhodes.”

Ahriman was inwardly exasperated—his new boss had a portal skill all along.

He could have teleported Ahriman from Terra, so why make him drift for four months in the Warp?

But he didn’t dare ask.

Chapter 382:

Rhodes nodded to Ahriman, then turned to Mefilas:

“Mefilas, is this the planet you chose for the Dark Gate?”

“Yes, Master. I selected a barren world, similar in mass to Mars, on the edge of the system.

If there’s any incident—say, a daemon breaking free from the Dark Gate—I can instantly shatter the planet with my psychic power, destroying the gate as well,” Mefilas said.

“Very good. Ahriman, begin establishing the Dark Gate!” Rhodes ordered.

Mefilas had understood his intentions, picking a safe, hidden world on the system’s periphery.

If anything happened, Rhodes could have Mefilas handle it immediately.

The Dark Gate wasn’t like the Emperor’s webway—it connected permanently to the Warp and couldn’t be shut. It was a stable Warp portal.

Very convenient—but if something unexpected occurred, breaking the gate would solve it.

“Lord Rhodes, who do you plan to assign to daemon hunting? Once the portal is opened, thousands of lesser daemons will pour through,” Ahriman asked.

Rhodes smiled. He had over two million system coins. Before coming here, he had spent a million to summon ten Ace Killer, imbuing each with the Emperor’s psychic power.

These ten had become Emperor Avatars, wielding the Emperor’s psychic might—the deadliest weapon against daemons.

These ten new Emperor Avatars would be stationed here permanently, doing nothing but killing daemons.

They’d work in shifts—five fighting, five resting, constantly battling the daemons.

A flash of light—ten Emperor Avatars, each fifty meters tall, appeared before Ahriman.

Each wore golden armor, wielded a golden greatsword, and looked like living Emperors!

Their bodies radiated terrifying golden psychic power, making Ahriman feel immense pressure.

He’d heard of the Emperor Avatars before! The Grey Knights had used them against daemons; at the Thirteenth Black Crusade, they shone on the Cadia battlefield—two nearly destroyed the Black Legion, almost changing Cadia’s fate.

If not for Necron Overlord Trazyn’s sudden betrayal and attack on the Avatars, the Great Rift might never have opened, and Abaddon might not have succeeded.

Even half a year ago, during the battle on Terra, several Avatars appeared. So were these Emperor Avatars created by the Emperor as daemon princes or greater daemons, handed to Rhodes, or…?

A more frightening thought occurred: perhaps these Avatars were Rhodes’s own work, with the Emperor merely supplying power.

Though they wielded the Emperor’s psychic might, in all else they differed—perhaps their giantized power came from Rhodes.

Just as Rhodes had empowered Ahriman, these Avatars might be bioweapons—and now mass-producible.

“With these ten Avatars, plus you stationed here, Ahriman, I doubt any daemons will cause trouble.

If there’s an emergency, Mefilas will assist immediately. If even he can’t handle it, I’ll arrive myself,” Rhodes said.

“Truly foolproof, Lord Rhodes! Let’s begin then!” Ahriman nodded, stepping up to the huge Dark Gate and channeling his psychic power.

Like a key, his power opened a Warp portal—a green ripple appeared.

The daemons in the Warp instantly sensed an opening to realspace.

They were ecstatic—a precious entrance!

Through it, they could enter realspace, harvest souls and flesh!

Countless Chaos daemons howled and surged toward the portal, only to be blasted apart by golden light as they emerged.

The Emperor Avatars stood in a row, golden swords raised, unleashing golden energy. Daemons emerging from the portal were instantly obliterated.

They were utterly annihilated—Emperor’s psychic power destroyed them completely.

Still, countless daemons charged the portal, howling into realspace.

These lesser daemons had little intelligence; they only craved souls!

“Looks effective. Ahriman, you’ll be stationed here for now.

You may recruit some psykers from nearby regions, implant them with my gene-seed,

and turn them into Astartes. Mefilas and Zett will help.

Train them as Librarians, and have them help guard this portal.

If needed, they can also hunt daemons,” Rhodes assigned.

Ahriman was a top psyker—one of the best in the galaxy, not far behind Magnus now.

Stationing him here to guard the Dark Gate, while training legion Librarians, was ideal.

“I understand, Lord Rhodes. May I summon some old warband members and attempt to purge their Warp taint?” Ahriman asked.

That was his main concern—could he save his old comrades?

“As long as nothing happens to the gate, I won’t interfere. But remember, if anything does, I’ll make you wish you were dead,” Rhodes warned.

“I understand, Lord Rhodes. I will guard the gate with all my heart,” Ahriman promised.

During the four months transporting the gate, he had studied it—a true artifact, likely forged by the Life Goddess and Rhodes together. It was extremely stable, unlike the Emperor’s webway, with a different mechanism.

Even if a greater daemon or daemon prince tried to break through, he could beat them back—now that he possessed the cosmic phantom beast’s power.

“Good. Watch over things. In a few months, I’ll take you to Mars to further enhance your cosmic phantom beast power.

I’ll give you whatever you want. In return, you owe me only loyalty!” Rhodes said.

Ahriman knelt and bowed to Rhodes.

The Dark Gate was now operating safely. In just a few minutes, it provided Rhodes with a huge amount of system coins—at this rate,

he’d earn a million coins per month; in less than two years, he’d have enough to upgrade the advanced shop.

Having ensured the gate’s safe operation, Rhodes left.

“Mefilas, report on my territory’s status. I’ve been gone almost a year,” Rhodes said.

“Yes, Master. Three of the five systems have been fully terraformed; all planet-sized worlds have been moved into habitable zones,

and transformed into forge worlds, hive worlds, or agri-worlds.

The remaining two will be handled as soon as I finish my current tasks,” Mefilas reported.

“Good progress. Halt further expansion for now and focus on developing our base.

During the Indomitus Crusade, I don’t want any trouble at home. If trouble does come, I want you to be able to handle it yourselves,” Rhodes instructed.

After the first phase of the Indomitus Crusade, the Plague War would break out—the main battlefield would be in Ultramar, but his own territory might be affected.