Warhammer [473-474] (Patreon)

Chapter 473: The Female Zoiger Queen, Creating Miniature Cosmic Phantom Beasts!

In the Warhammer world, powerful psykers can warp time itself. For Rhodes, twisting the time of an entire planet is no longer a difficult feat.

If a Zoiger can grow to adulthood, its utility would be immense. Adult Zoigers are extremely strong; just a dozen can conquer a planet, and the local garrison would stand no chance of resisting.

After some thought, Rhodes decided to summon the Zoiger Queen. At present, he didn't lack male combatants, so a female capable of reproduction was even more important.

A flash of light appeared in the system space, and the Zoiger Queen, standing 60 meters tall and weighing 55,000 tons, was summoned.

Unlike male Zoigers, the Queen has no wings and cannot fly. Her abdomen is abnormally large and bloated—effectively a giant ovipositor—allowing her to lay tens of thousands of eggs at a time.

(The author took inspiration from the female MUTO in Godzilla.)

The Zoiger Queen is only strong enough to deal with ordinary monsters. Against any tougher creature, her bulky form ensures certain defeat.

The Queen must be guarded by at least ten adult male Zoigers. In the group, her status is akin to an ant or bee queen: the species' breeder.

After summoning the Queen, Rhodes checked her stats. To get her to lay eggs, he'd at least need to provide a male Zoiger as a mate.

Every year, a female Zoiger can produce over a thousand eggs, with each laying cycle lasting about ten years and producing over ten thousand Zoiger larvae.

Most of these larvae will never grow into giant lifeforms, remaining at a height of 2.2 meters and a weight of 110-120 kg for life. They are sexless, serve as worker drones in the group, and are essentially expendable or cannon fodder.

There's a one-in-a-million chance that a male Zoiger larva will be born. This larva's growth cycle is extremely slow, taking hundreds of years to reach adulthood. Once mature, it stands 55 meters tall, weighs 48,000 tons, and can breed with the Queen.

Rhodes was a little disappointed. With such odds, raising a whole army of male Zoigers would be extremely difficult.

But another introduction caught Rhodes's attention: beings with copious dark energy can inject it into ordinary Zoiger larvae, giving them a chance to evolve into adult Zoigers.

Powerful dark-energy beings can control these creatures. Zoigers are inherently evil, love darkness and destruction, and prefer to be around those with strong dark power. That's why they serve the evil god Gatanothor, and later the three Dark Giants.

That was the Queen's basic info. Rhodes then checked her enhancement options: her height can be boosted five times, and her weight six times. Once fully enhanced, she could reach 70 meters in height and 67,000 tons in weight.

She also has two other enhancement options. The first boosts her breeding/egg-laying capability, increasing the number of eggs per cycle. There are four levels: the first costs 5,000 coins, the second 10,000, the third 30,000, and the fourth 50,000. Each upgrade more than doubles the eggs laid per cycle.

After all four upgrades, she'll be able to lay around 200,000 eggs per cycle.

The second enhancement, costing 10,000 system coins (once only), upgrades the Zoiger worker larvae: they become 3.5 meters tall, weigh over 250kg, have improved combat power, can mimic human forms, and spit electric balls with the force of a high-explosive grenade.

At this level, these mini-Zoigers are formidable—on par with Tyranid basic units, at least able to take on Tyranid Gargoyles.

But for Rhodes, their use is still limited. These creatures can't be openly included in human forces; to humans, they're no different from Tyranids and would only hurt morale.

And, humans do have anti-air units.

However, he could dispatch these larval Zoiger units to attack Tyranids in the future. Even a 1-for-1 trade would be worthwhile.

Rhodes examined the summoned Zoiger Queen: extremely bloated, like a giant bug, with only the upper body resembling an insect, quite distinct from the male Zoigers.

Zoigers aren't very intelligent. Upon being summoned, the Queen bowed to Rhodes as her master, then lay motionless.

The Queen didn't have many enhancement points, so Rhodes didn't hold back—he spent 100,000 system coins to max out all her attributes.

Her egg-laying cycle remains ten years, but in that time, she can lay at least 200,000 eggs. These eggs hatch into larvae within days, and as long as there's food, they'll grow up.

If Rhodes doesn't provide food, he can simply release them on a wild planet to prey on local life; the mini-Zoigers can hunt for themselves.

Zoiger biology is unique—they're insectoid monsters. Rhodes suddenly realized sending them to fight Tyranids might not be wise.

In past battles with Tyranids, though they couldn't create a full Red King, the Tyranids used their genetics to produce a 20-meter-tall Tyranid Red King beast.

They even gained enhanced genes by devouring dark Eldar monsters, boosting their Tyrant Warriors, Lictors, and Hive Tyrants.

If Rhodes sent his mini-Zoigers for an attrition war against Tyranids, they'd rack up some kills initially, but their genetic data would soon be harvested by the Tyranids.

So, in the end, maybe these mini-Zoigers can't be used to attack after all!

Or maybe they should be used against other xenos species!

"Master, I sense a very powerful dark presence. Did you summon a dark-type monster?" At that moment, the Cosmic Water Buffalo's voice spoke to Rhodes.

Cosmic Phantom Beasts are beings of light, highly sensitive to dark energy. The moment the Queen appeared, the Buffalo sensed the overwhelming darkness.

"Yes, I summoned a dark monster from Earth's ultra-ancient era, though it's not an Earth-native—it followed the evil god Gatanothor to Earth," Rhodes explained.

"I see! What do you plan to do with this dark monster?" asked the Cosmic Water Buffalo.

"For now, I'll just raise it somewhere. This Zoiger species has immense reproductive power; I had planned to use them as a cannon fodder army."

"Reproductive power, huh? Pity it's dark-aligned. If it were any other attribute, that would be excellent!" the Buffalo said with regret.

"Oh? Why is that a pity?" Rhodes asked.

"Master, in the past, our Cosmic Phantom Beasts could only be born naturally. But you have special means to transform other monsters into Phantom Beasts. If this one's reproductive power is strong, then her offspring could also be miniature Phantom Beasts. These smaller Phantom Beasts wouldn't be as strong as normal ones, nor could they promote ordinary beings to super-lifes, but they could fuse with ordinary beings, making their training much more effective, and grant them unique attribute-based Phantom Beast martial arts. Phantom Beasts can also evolve; maybe they could eventually become super-lifes," the Buffalo explained.

"You mean, if I transform her into a Cosmic Phantom Beast, her larvae become Phantom Beasts too?" Rhodes clarified.

"That's right, Master, at least in theory," the Buffalo affirmed.

Rhodes pondered. Zoiger is dark attribute, but the enhancement system never said Zoigers can't be Phantom Beast-ified.

He checked the system shop and found he could spend a million coins to turn her into a Cosmic Phantom Beast.

In ten years, the Queen could produce 200,000 eggs—that's 200,000 mini Cosmic Phantom Beasts!

If these Phantom Beasts fused with his gene-descendants, their combat power would leap, plus they'd gain the Zoigers' flight ability.

Other Imperial legions could also fuse with them; every foe slain would convert to system coins.

If needed, Rhodes could buy more Queens and eventually fuse them with human armies to boost humanity's overall strength! The only snag: her attribute is dark. If only it weren't!

But beings from the Ultraman universe with dark attributes can sometimes be converted to light. Rhodes planned to ask the Emperor for help, and with Daram (now a Giant of Light), maybe together they could change the Queen's attribute.

Chapter 474: Absorbing Warp Energy, Converting Dark Attribute

The idea of mass-producing mini Cosmic Phantom Beasts wouldn't leave Rhodes's mind.

"Cosmic Water Buffalo, I have an idea. If we convert the dark Zoiger to a light attribute and then into a Phantom Beast, could we create mini Phantom Beasts?" Rhodes asked.

The Water Buffalo, the oldest and strongest Phantom Beast, should know if this would work.

"Great Master, your idea is excellent, but Zoiger and Dark Giants are totally different. The Giants could be converted to light because Horus helped. Zoiger's intelligence is only a bit higher than a beast's, and she has no heart of light—she is pure darkness," the Buffalo said candidly.

"Please, Master, don't mix up different things—this really isn't doable. Zoiger and Dark Giants are two entirely different lifeforms, both followers of the evil god Gatanothor."

The Buffalo's words were a bucket of cold water. Forcing the transformation would only yield a dark-attribute Phantom Beast, not a light one. And dark Phantom Beasts, while not as bad as Chaos, still carry highly corrosive Ultraman dark energy.

"So… is that it? I just have to give up on 200,000 mini Phantom Beasts?" Rhodes said.

"What are you talking about, Rhodes, getting all worked up for nothing?" At that moment, Aisha pushed open the training room door and walked in.

She immediately saw the 70-meter-long monster radiating dark energy. The sight made her eyes light up—Rhodes had made something interesting again!

"Isha! I just summoned this monster. It's dark-aligned, like the Dark Giants. I wanted to turn it into a Phantom Beast and breed a horde of mini Phantom Beasts for my gene-descendants, but it's tricky," Rhodes explained.

"Ah, I get it. This monster's breeding power is amazing, perfect for a cannon fodder species. But if you don't convert it to a Phantom Beast, don't send it against the Tyranids," Aisha advised.

The Tyranids' Great Devourer is a supreme powerhouse feared by all four of them, possessing immense power in both the Warp and the physical universe. It consumes all life and stars indiscriminately.

The current Tyranid force in the Milky Way is just a small detachment, expanding as it advances; the main Hive Fleets are still en route.

"I know, that's why I thought of Phantom Beast-ification. As pure energy beings, Tyranid gene-masters couldn't do anything to them," Rhodes said.

"So only Phantom Beasts and mechanical monsters are suitable for fighting Tyranids in future; biological monsters aren't."

"Even if you can't convert dark to light, can't you make it fire or lightning attribute? This monster's darkness is just physical-universe darkness—it's different from Warp energy. Once you draw out Warp energy, you can manifest it as things like fire or lightning in the real world," Aisha suggested.

As a Chaos goddess striving to become a god of order, Aisha said that using Warp energy to transform the monster's attribute was possible. Light energy harms them, but other elements don't.

"No, it's too risky. Warp energy is extremely unstable and full of malice. I rarely draw on it now," Rhodes shook his head.

Only those who truly understand the Warp know its horror; its energies are dangerously chaotic when brought into the real world.

Rhodes could safely extract Emperor-purified Warp energy or purify it himself with soul power. But he'd only do so as a last resort—every time he used the Warp, he felt indescribable chaos.

Warp energy is pure evil, full of every kind of negative emotion.

Using Warp energy to change Zoiger's attributes for Phantom Beast-ification, Rhodes would rather just make her a dark attribute Phantom Beast. As bad as that is, it's still better than pure Warp energy.

"That's exactly why you should use Warp energy for this. With the two of us guiding it, we can evolve the new chaos energy. Remember how the Emperor, Daram, and even Horus evolved? It was hope—human hope—channeled through the Warp. Without the Warp, the Emperor couldn't receive hope energy," Aisha said.

"And for this dark-aligned monster, Warp energy might even be a huge boon!" she added.

The Warp is full of negative emotions, but that doesn't mean nothing can be done. With Phantom Beasts present, the situation changes.

If it was just her as a Chaos god, it'd be impossible, but with Rhodes, the goddess of life Isha, and the Phantom Beasts all working together to purify energy, converting a dark monster to fire/lightning or another attribute would be easy.

"Let me think about it," Rhodes said.

The Warp is dangerous, but not unusable. Phantom Beast power, the goddess of life's power, and his own could all evolve it.

"It's your decision, Rhodes. If you're unwilling, then just let the monster be," Aisha said.

Where does all the Warp's negativity come from? Why do normal gods turn into evil ones? Maybe Rhodes would find the answer and be the one to purify the Warp and the High Heavens.

When the ancient Old Ones ruled the galaxy, the Warp wasn't like this!

"Let's try it! If we fail, we just lose a Zoiger, but if we succeed, the gains are huge," Rhodes said, nodding to Aisha.

Hesitation wasn't his style. He'd used Warp energy before, and he wasn't letting the monster absorb it, just using it to alter her attributes.

"Alright, let's begin! We'll guide the Warp energy together, then send it to the Phantom Beasts for purification before channeling it to your monster for attribute conversion," Aisha said, excited.

She was looking forward to the day Rhodes could really change the Warp and destroy the Chaos gods, letting true gods of order rule the universe!

Rhodes nodded, summoned all his Phantom Beasts, and, with Aisha, opened a Warp rift, slowly drawing out powerful Warp energy.

The Phantom Beasts converted it to safe energy, stripping away the chaos and malice.

Pure Warp energy was injected into the Zoiger Queen. She let out a shrill scream, feeling like she was being torn apart.

"Roar! Roar!" she cried in pain.

"Quiet! Your body is tough—try to absorb the power," Rhodes soothed her.

Her agonized roars echoed around the training room as her body convulsed under the Warp's assault.

Darkness poured from her, battling the pure Warp energy. Cracks split her skin, dark red energy leaked out, as if her body was being torn apart.

The Warp energy was terrifying, as if it would rip her apart—indescribable pain.

"Hang in there, Zoiger Queen!" Rhodes urged, focusing his psychic power to guide the energy flow.

Aisha stood beside him, hands glowing blue as she assisted, her gaze calm and focused, as if everything was under control.

This time, Aisha used only her Giant and Order God powers, not Chaos.

The Phantom Beasts circled the Queen, radiating gentle light, slowly stripping the Warp's chaos and malice away.

The purified energy was injected into her, helping her resist the chaos' corruption.

The Queen's pain gradually eased and her body began to change. Her pitch-black skin became covered with fiery patterns, flames erupting from within as if her blood had become fire.

At the same time, her eyes sparkled with lightning, blue arcs dancing across her body with a crackling sound.

"We did it!" Aisha said excitedly, eyes fixed on the Queen.

Fire and lightning intertwined within the Queen, utterly suppressing the darkness and replacing it with wild, pure energy.

Her body swelled; already over 70 meters, she grew to a full 100 meters long and over 100,000 tons.

Her appearance changed too: her once-grim form became elegant, with beautiful flame and lightning markings on her body.

Her wings spread, fire and lightning intertwined—blazing thunder wings—half her body purple, half red.

"Roar!" The Queen let out a low roar, now filled with power and majesty instead of pain.

Her eyes shone with intelligence, as if her mind had grown. The transformation was a success: the Zoiger Queen was now a lightning-fire monster, her darkness purged (or at least neutralized) by the Warp energy.

Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief, smiling as he stroked her head.

The Queen lowered her head, gazing at Rhodes with flame-and-lightning eyes, expressing loyalty and gratitude. Even her intelligence had increased.

"Looks like our experiment worked," Aisha said, smiling.

"The Queen not only changed attributes, but gained much more power. Her fire and lightning affinity is perfect."

Rhodes's theory had succeeded. By combining Phantom Beast, Aisha, and his own power, they could indeed evolve Warp energy.

Rhodes nodded, full of anticipation. "Yes, the Queen's success is only the beginning. Soon, she'll produce a steady stream of mini Zoiger Phantom Beasts."

Without hesitation, Rhodes spent a million system coins to make the Queen a Cosmic Phantom Beast—now with both lightning and fire attributes, and able to produce mini Zoigers.

The Phantom Beasts circled her, letting out deep resonant cries as if celebrating her rebirth.

Her fire and lightning powers lit up the entire training room.

Aisha nodded, resolute. "Rhodes, the Warp's chaos is dangerous, but if we can master it, it will be our greatest weapon."

The Queen's transformation marked a major step in Rhodes and Aisha's Warp energy research.

The secrets of the Warp are the very foundation of this universe.