With a blow of his spear, the bionic head of a Techpriest was split in two. The distorted mirror that was the mechanical human toppled over, emitting sharp beeps as it thrashed on the ground.
Approaching the possessed Cogitator, Koratitan oversaw the ongoing combat through the eyes of his units.
His Warriors and Despoteks attacked with Tesla and Plasma weapons, the scarabs tore everything in their path, and the Cryptothralls swiftly slaughtered the few who managed to escape.
As a Cryptek, he had no problem hacking into inferior enemy technology, but as a Plasmancer, he preferred to cause destruction on the battlefield.
In any case, he cut down the makeshift mechanical arms that sprouted from the floor and ceiling, leaving boiling metal behind.
With a movement of his four hands, plasma beams shot from his fingertips, cutting the threads that tried to ensnare him, and as soon as his hands touched the Cogitator, he found himself in a different world.
Initially, it was incomprehensible chaos, corrupted lines of code running in all directions, pursued by unknown energies. Bizarre symbols flashed at rapid speed, briefly revealing cruel images. It was infuriating, and with a clap of his hands, Koratitan brought order.
The landscape converged into a single point, forming a massive vortex that, in a luminous explosion filled with numbers and words in Gothic and chaos language, created a new environment.
The architecture of the Adeptus Mechanicus became present, metallic corridors covered in adornments, with candles and incense burning at the feet of ancient machines, covered in scrolls and purity seals with prayers to the spirit written and recited by servo skulls.
As the Cryptek advanced down the corridor, the sanctity vanished, the walls, floor, and ceiling pulsed with veins carrying black blood. Bones replaced marble columns, tendons the wires, muscles the pistons and neural connections the processors.
Passing through a pair of massive double doors adorned with glassy eyes, and by passing through, he opened a hole with a plasma blast, to find himself in a circular chamber, and at its center, an orb of light chained to the ceiling.
The worshippers of technology called it the Machine Spirit, but to Koratitan, it was nothing more than a primitive AI.
Taking a step further, the Daemon that possessed the mining platform manifested, a tall and strong knight, in purple armor bathed in gold and silver, armed with a longsword and tower shield.
Raising his sword, his cloak flowing in the wind, music worthy of a legendary tale reverberated off the walls, causing the Cryptek to look around for its source.
His search was unsuccessful, so he focused on his opponent, summoning a Despotek and Cryptothrall to his side, and with that done, the combat began.
The knight slid forward and delivered three swift slashes to the Cryptek, and with each hit, the Necron trembled and a set of numbers appeared above its head.
-105
-120
-110
HP: 1165/1500
Then the knight retreated and Koratitan began his turn, observing his options and choosing one.
Attack
>Cryptek Arkana
Defense
Items
Escape
With that done, a list of abilities appeared before him, each with a cost.
>Eldritch Spear - 15
Gaze of Flame - 20
Quantic Orb - 30
Solar Pulse - 50
MP: 285/300
Pointing his spear at the knight, energy accumulated at its tip, becoming a blinding point that, upon reaching its peak, released a fraction of a star's power against his enemy.
-500
The knight screamed in pain, almost falling to his knees, but that was not the end, for it was the turn of the units that the Plasmancer summoned.
[Plasma Blaster Shot]
The Despotek raised his weapon and aimed at his opponent, pulling the trigger repeatedly, he sent out a series of shimmering shots, each creating a small explosion.
-200
-190
-185
The knight was thrown back and as he stood up, he was attacked by the remaining enemy.
[Blade Strike]
The Cryptothrall screeched and quickly closed the distance, swinging its bladed arms in four swift slashes.
-100
-100
-80
-78
As it retreated, it was the knight's turn, who roared in fury, raising his sword and causing lightning to fall from the sky and bombard the enemy Necrons.
Purple electricity coursed through Necrodermis, causing it to boil. As if that wasn't enough, the knight's sword glowed and a great purple sorcery slash struck his opponents.
Koratitan:
-300
-200
HP: 665/1500
Despotek:
-350
-250
HP: 400/1000
Cryptothrall:
-400
-300
HP: 200/900
The damage was severe, but it wasn't the end. Koratitan analyzed his abilities and made his next move.
Eldritch Spear - 15
>Gaze of Flame - 20
Quantic Orb - 30
Solar Pulse - 50
MP: 265/300
The single eye in the center of his head shone like a beacon, and as he lunged at the knight, closing his four arms in a crushing embrace, a blinding flash struck his prisoner directly in the face.
Retreating, the knight staggered, a whirlwind of stars swirling above his head, but instead of attacking, the Despotek and Cryptothrall assumed defensive positions, skipping their turns.
Strangely, instead of striking those who dared to challenge him, the knight attacked himself amidst his confusion.
-100
-120
-115
Attack
Cryptek Arkana
Defense
>Items
Escape
Plasma Grenades x 10
Teleportation Beacon x 3
>Repair Scarabs x 20 (-1)
Raising his arm, a swarm of scarabs erupted from the Plasmancer's palm, repairing the damage done to his entire team in a flash of green light.
+100
+100
+100
Koratitan:
HP: 965/1500
Despotek:
HP: 700/1000
Cryptothrall:
HP: 500/900
[Bayonet Attack]
[Eye Beam]
The Despotek charged at an unusual speed for a Necron, striking the knight with a piercing blow to his chest.
Critical Damage!
-300
Next, the Cryptothrall positioned itself before the wounded opponent, unleashing a rapid burst of Gauss beams from its cyclopean eye.
-130
-125
-130
Finally, the knight's confusion dissipated, his body began to flash a red hue, and his posture faltered.
Abandoning its shield and raising his sword with both hands, the knight took flight. A galaxy emerged from the tip of his sword, a disc of stars and planets that fell towards those who dared to challenge him, moving like a flood.
-600
Koratitan:
HP: 365/1500
Despotek:
HP: 100/1000
Cryptothrall:
HP: 0/900
The Cryptothrall fell, the light in its eye fading. The Despotek fell to one knee, facing his enemy in defiance.
The Plasmancer, despite the smoke and vapor spewing from his body, the flashing red light, the irritating whistle sounding from somewhere, and without many options, used one of his most powerful abilities, as the battle had reached a critical state.
Eldritch Spear - 15
Gaze of Flame - 20
>Quantic Orb - 30
Solar Pulse - 50
MP: 235/300
A green orb appeared in his hands, falling from a green portal, and with complex movements, the Cryptek pressed several buttons on its surface in a specific sequence.
The orb glowed and spun, releasing a hum as it pulsed with energy. As it reached its maximum power, a quantic singularity formed.
Light, time, and space were pulled into a single point, causing existence to briefly disappear, its fundamental elements fused into an extremely dense grain of sand.
This grain fell into Koratitan's hand, who held it between his thumb, index, and middle fingers, emanating a prismatic rainbow, and with a simple movement, this grain moved faster than light toward its victim.
The knight's eyes widened, but it was too late to escape. In his final moments, he witnessed the birth of a miniature universe, struck by the full force of such a majestic event.
Nothing remained of the knight when the attack ended and reality returned to normal. A victory song echoed through the room, and Koratitan assessed his reward.
XP: 2000
GOLD: 5000
LEVEL UP
Koratitan: LV59 -> LV60
Despotek: LV54 -> LV55
Cryptothrall: LV49
The chains that held the Machine Spirit vanished, and the orb of light floated close to the ground, feeling immense joy at being freed.
That same joy turned to despair when Koratitan's spear pierced its form, fragmenting it into absurd amounts of ancient data that were quickly absorbed by the Cryptek.
The Plasmancer shook his head in disappointment, finding nothing useful so far, so with a simple command, he used his newfound absolute authority to deactivate the station.
He was about to leave and check if his colleagues had completed their objectives, as this was the last station in his sector, but he stopped upon finding something peculiar in the multitude of data.
A projection appeared before him, a knight, but not the one he had defeated, but rather the one that always accompanied the battle sister, and with it came a message.
"There is something your master shou know."
-The Executioner Star-
The last drill was deactivated, slowing the movement of the plates, but not enough to stop them. However, the time to save the tomb's contents was no longer so desperate.
"Sire, are the Scarabs and Tesseract Labyrinths ready?"
"Yes, Lord Akatosahk."
"Prepare to send them."
"As you wish, Lord Akatosahk."
05…
04…
03…
02…
01…
The ground gave way as it reached a hollow section of the subsoil. The Death Ray ceased immediately as the generators were about to hit red. A sigh-like noise echoed through the ship, but it was probably the sounds generated by the coolant doing its job.
"Now!"
"Sending scarabs."
05:00…
A Gate of Eternity appeared at the entrance of the tomb, its now-open door allowing the Warriors to emerge, ready to combat the unknown force. There was no time for formalities; the Scarabs carrying the Labyrinths stormed the tomb amidst Gauss fire, storing everything they found.
04:00…
Simultaneously, a message was sent to the Mind of the Tomb, clarifying the entire situation.
It didn't take long for us to receive a response, and the Autonomous Spirit of the tomb collaborated with our efforts. Security measures were deactivated, and the local scarabs used their own labyrinths to aid the rescue.
03:00…
Warriors, Immortals, Crypteks, War Engines—it didn't matter what it was, from treasures and resources to data and technology, everything was stored.
When that wasn't possible, everything precious was thrown into my Gates of Eternity or loaded onto the tomb ships that slowly prepared to fly.
02:00…
The tomb began to tremble and its structure to crack, with the outermost parts, now empty, crumbling.
The ships teleported into space one by one, joining my fleet. And the scarabs now emptied the center of the tomb while its Mind made backup to the Flagship.
01:00…
The last items were being removed, the Necron Lord and everything of value was safe, now was the time to retreat.
That same swarm disappeared where it came from, the tomb finally collapsed, the massive rock walls closing in around it and with a roar like an erupting volcano, the earth closed in, crushing the ancient structure in its grip.
00:00
I rose from my throne in complete silence, processing what had happened.
"The mission was a success, Lord Akatosahk."
Sire's words were all I wanted to hear, and I couldn't help but laugh at them.
"HAHAHA! VERY WELL SIRE! VERY WELL! HARATEK, KORATITAN, THOLIKAN! ALL OF YOU! YOU DID A GREAT JOB! WORDS CANNOT DESCRIBE HOW HAPPY I AM! THERE WILL BE A REWARD WHEN YOU RETURN!"
I ignored the words of thanks I received in return; I was already used to this conversation, but that didn't change how happy I was.
And the best part, I didn't mess up this time. I could blame it all on the Sister and her knight. The Necron Lord will surely help me after discovering that we heroically rescued him.
"My Guard, follow me! It's time to receive our guest!"
Soon I found myself in the center of a defensive formation, being escorted to the cargo deck of my ship. It was time to give a lengthy explanation for the new addition to my dynasty, something I was getting used to.
END OF CHAPTER