Chapter 18: Behold My Subspace Shadow!

With the warband leader’s death, remaining Chaos Astartes fell fast.

Some duelled tyrants and died.

Others drowned in swarm.

Jump-pack one assaulted Onyx—zoanthrope psychic lightning blasted to fragments.

“Situation dire!” Chaos sorcerer raised staff. “Chaos gods, please… pfft!”

Genestealer claws pierced power armor from behind—Terminator-rending, mere Astartes armor no match.

“Forward!” Floating zoanthrope ordered. “Swarm, devour all!”

Onyx’s voice echoed synaptic net.

All synapse nodes shifted: stalemate to counterattack.

Tyranids charged from mist, trailed by hulking tyrants.

Eleanor ordered heavy symbiote fire on prime threats.

Stranglethorn spores arced elegantly, splashed acid on landing—digested gun crews.

Devourers swept cultist lines.

Parasite beetles burrowed flesh, wriggled.

Missed shots hatched behind cover, crept boots upward.

“Aaah, something inside!”

“It’s eating—from within!”

“Help, don’t want die!”

“Chaos gods, save!”

Lines shattered.

Tyrants crushed barricades.

Octed altar toppled.

Corpses, blood-pools—rippers devoured all.

Sacrificial altar razed.

Warp entities roared fury—but under Chen Xing’s warp shadow, muted defiance.

“Hmph, impotent barking!”

Virtual pod: Chen Xing wiggled pale feet, crunched conjured chips.

Every three bites: iced cola glug.

“Phew ha, life—leisurely.”

[Host, why more otaku—wait, moeblob?]

“No issue, monitoring front.”

[Sure, but female-frequency system—not happy.]

“Right, system bro,” Chen Xing sat. “Energy you mentioned—extract here?”

Light-ball flickered—guilty?

[Host… why guess?]

“Novels do it.”

System: Novels ruin me!

“Curious,” chip crunch. “40K warzone—absorb energy?”

[Theoretically yes, but hard—no, exponentially! Female-frequency: help heroine snag CEO—energy galore, even idle! Here… wah, buff you for 1 point—bully system!]

Chips dropped.

Chen Xing recalled: once boy, now spawning… pregnant fall?

Aah!

Whatever—devour Chaos cruiser clean.

Purge of Bloodied Blade: two days.

Last two Astartes troubled Onyx—guerrilla terrain.

Chen Xing tentacles wrecked decks, cornered in dead-end.

Eleanor charged, diced—heads to Onyx for memories.

Balevi’s brain: Abaddon led Black Legion + vassals in Gothic War.

Gothic Fleet resisted sector-wide, ignored Herkes.

Breathing room.

But Balevi minor—knew little of plan.

12th or 13th Crusade?

12th: target Blackstone—Gothic Fleet prime threat.

13th: Great Rift—split galaxy.

Cadiana unsafe, Imperium Nihilus ideal hide.

Chen Xing racked 40K lore—forgot most.

Embarrassing! Plot foresight—gone?

Wide noodle tears.

Anyway—test Tyranid warp drive!

Moments later, Cynthia entered ornate Gothic bridge, bowed to throne loli.

“Navigator Cynthia, at service, Captain.”

“Good,” Chen Xing nodded. “Prep warp—to Planet 3 vicinity.”

“Compliance.”

Cynthia hand on compass, elegant bow.

Turned, purple hem brushed metal—no dust.

Instant: Gothic bridge dissolved to virtual pod.

Chen Xing floated void, spinning doll-like.

“Cynthia ready,” focus. “Link navigation.”

Bio-ship depths: chitin chamber.

Pod on pedestal, translucent membrane—human brain floated mucus.

Fine synapse pierced brain-spine junction.

Psionic wave creased gyri.

“Aah, I see— Astronomican glow! Holy gold beautiful, praise Emperor!”

Cynthia’s void-voice echoed writhing walls.

Unaware: puppet of juvenile hive ship.