Chapter 193: The Ability to Open the Webway
After a full two days of searching and clearing, not a single Eldar could be seen within the Craftworld. Most of the buildings inside had been turned into ruins. At least thirty percent of the Eldar from the Craftworld had escaped into the Webway and left Kholor. After leaving, these fleeing Eldar had also used runes to completely seal the Webway, giving the humans no chance to pursue.
However, the losses to the Dynasty's fleet were not small. Even in the ground battle, some of the Eldar's weapons were powerful enough to destroy combat suits and kill the soldiers within directly.
The wreckage of a Wraithknight and a Wraithlord lay in the ruins. These two Wraith-constructs were only destroyed after the Infinity Circuit was controlled and the Eldar army had completely routed. They had fought to the last moment. And the casualties they had inflicted on the landing forces were exceptionally heavy. Lucan had already seen nearly twenty destroyed Thors, some with their cockpits directly hit by wraithcannons, others sliced in half by ghostglaives. The mobility of these constructs allowed them to get close to the Thors before they could take enough fire.
SCVs were conducting emergency repairs on them, but unfortunately, the pilots within had all perished. The losses to the ground forces were also greater than imagined. The attacks from the large number of Wraithguard and the various fixed turrets within the Craftworld were not something the combat suits could withstand.
But these sacrifices were worth it. Craftworld Kholor had been captured.
Lucan did not immediately convert the Craftworld into the Spear of Adun. Instead, he headed for the great hall where the Infinity Circuit was located. The scene of the battle in the hall was exceptionally brutal. The bodies of Wraithguard and Eldar were piled up on the ground, making it impossible to walk. The Eldar here had not fled, even at the last moment. They had fought to the end.
The Blood Ravens' Apothecaries were recovering the gene-seed of the fallen. However, there were not many fallen. As long as they were still breathing, the nano-healing guns could bring them back. Gabriel was drenched in blood. The fact that the Chapter had won this battle against a Craftworld with such small losses was also beyond his expectations. They had once again defended the honor of the Emperor, and such a great victory was enough to be recorded in the annals of the Chapter, and even to be spread throughout the entire Imperium. The name of the Blood Ravens would be known by more people.
"Chapter Master Gabriel, the Dynasty will remember your sacrifice. I believe we will have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."
Having witnessed the strength of the Dynasty's conventional army on the main battlefield, as well as the special abilities of the Protoss, Gabriel's attitude toward Lucan was no longer so arrogant. There were mortals who were worthy of respect. And most importantly, Gabriel found that the benefits of working for the Mongorte Dynasty were far greater than working for the Inquisition or the Adeptus Mechanicus. The help the Dynasty had provided them had caused the Blood Ravens' combat effectiveness to skyrocket; otherwise, they could not have ended the battle with so few casualties.
"Lord Lucan, fighting the xenos is our duty. However, what should we do with that Farseer?"
Lucan looked at Farseer Elara, who was now under heavy guard. Two squads of Blood Ravens and Templar were holding her captive. Beside her were two other surviving Farseers. They had also been fitted with psychic inhibitors. Her important status on Kholor had prevented Artanis from killing her directly.
At this moment, the psychic energy emanating from Artanis was at least twice as strong as before. And because of the soul-force he had absorbed from the Infinity Circuit, he had also mastered the techniques of using psychic power in the Warhammer world. Artanis was still immersed in this power. As his psychic energy connected to the warp, he saw the projection of the Sarr-Naga in the sea of souls. All of his kin in this world had been gestated in its hands. Although the Protoss had once regarded the Xel'Naga as gods and had even seen their existence in the physical world, no one had ever truly witnessed the process of them creating life. But now, he had. One by one, the Protoss were being granted souls and bodies by it.
"Artanis, how is it? Are you accustomed to this power?"
"I am well! I never thought that psychic energy could be used in this way. It is even more powerful than I imagined."
"Have you gained anything else after mastering the Infinity Circuit?"
"Yes! You once told me that this world has the existence of the Webway. If you complete the conversion of the Spear of Adun, it will have the ability to open Webway gates. The conversion process will seize a portion of the Craftworld's original authority."
"Really?"
This was definitely an unexpected gain for Lucan! This meant that the Protoss did not have to rely solely on killing Craftworld Eldar to obtain soul stones. They could also enter the Eldar ruins in the Webway to find them, which was another way to acquire population. And against the Eldar hiding in the Webway, he would have a certain ability to take the initiative. If the Spear of Adun was present, perhaps he wouldn't have to just watch as the enemy fled into the Webway.
And in the process of seizing authority, he had also obtained a partial map of the Webway routes in the Koronus Expanse. However, for Lucan, who possessed jump drive technology, its value was not great. What was great was a small Webway in the route map. That Webway could not accommodate large warships, but it could allow small ships to enter Commorragh!
Lucan and Artanis went to Elara together. She looked at Lucan with hatred. She knew that the Lucan before her was the main culprit behind the destruction of the entire Craftworld Kholor. He was also the human in the Harlequins' prophecy who would destroy the entire Eldar race and bring ruin to the galaxy.
"Monkey! You are the pests of this galaxy! Your existence will destroy this galaxy."
"No, no, no. At most, only you will be destroyed. Humanity will not. When you were funding those pirates to attack my world, you had already lost the right to cry foul!"
Lucan did not intend to kill Elara directly. Killing her would at most grant him one High Templar. But if he kept her alive, perhaps he could pry more useful information from her mouth. Every Farseer was a breakthrough point. Every living being had its limits. These Farseers were not those ridiculously decadent followers of Slaanesh.
Lucan planned to hand over the two surviving Farseers and Elara to Ian. The Inquisition would do its best to dig out more important intelligence from them. He needed to know about the other Craftworld Eldar. He knew that although they were independent, they were not completely isolated from the other Craftworlds. And he wanted to know more about the Harlequins who had incited these Eldar to attack him. These creatures could incite one Craftworld, and they could incite a second. And the fleeing Eldar would inevitably spread the news of what had happened here. Lucan had to understand these potential enemies better.
The landing forces began to collect the soul stones on the battlefield, along with the weapons left behind by the Eldar. A portion of these things would be kept for his own research. Although the Imperium had tried to crack the technology of these Eldar weapons in the past, most had failed. But whether it was weapons, vehicles, or the wreckage of Eldar warships floating in the void, they could still fetch a good price from the Adeptus Mechanicus within the Imperium. Save what should be saved, spend what should be spent. Lucan believed the tech-priests would be willing to pay a sufficient price for them.
The Farseers were also handed over to the Blood Ravens, to help escort them back to Agathos and hand them over to Ian's branch of the Inquisition.
When most of the personnel had left, only Lucan and the warped-in Templar remained in the entire Craftworld. Lucan then began the conversion of the Spear of Adun.
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