Along with the Megalodon Warband's oath, a brilliant light appeared.
The Living Saint, Saint Sabbat, descended once more.
The entity seated upon the Golden Throne briefly cast his gaze upon this world, located at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.
However, this time, the Emperor did not speak again.
His descent merely proved that the Megalodon Warband's oath indeed followed his will.
It also proved that Marcus was the one chosen by the Emperor.
"This is my gift to you."
Just as Marcus had previously guessed, the Emperor truly gave the entire Megalodon Warband to him as a gift.
However, although Marcus maintained his composure on the surface at this moment, he was secretly cursing in his heart.
The Emperor's move was an open conspiracy, claiming to give him a powerful Astartes Chapter.
But the existence of the Sharkmen itself was a double-edged sword.
While used well, it would be an excellent fighting force for the Universal Union.
But Marcus knew clearly that the Megalodon Warband's true loyalty was still to the Emperor, not to him.
Once they received new orders, who knew what these Sharkmen would do.
The Emperor now needed him and the Universal Union to save humanity in the Warhammer World, and could even abandon the Imperium of Man he personally established.
So, when the Universal Union truly saved humanity, what would the Emperor do to the Universal Union?
Thinking of this, Marcus looked at his system inventory.
There, a precious and incomparable Panacea that could cure all diseases was stored.
Marcus had once thought of using this Panacea to treat the Emperor.
But now, it seemed best not to.
At least for now, the Emperor could only sit on the Golden Throne, with limited capabilities, unable to directly interfere with the Universal Union.
After organizing his thoughts, Marcus approached Tyberos, the Chapter Master of the Megalodon Warband.
After performing the Imperial Aquila salute, he said in a deep voice,
"Tyberos, are you, and your Megalodon Warband, willing to become the sharpest sawteeth of the Universal Union!?"
Marcus did not hide it, directly uttering the words "alliance."
This was both a test for Tyberos and a test for the Emperor who was observing.
"If this is your will, we are willing!"
Tyberos replied.
Even if the object Marcus spoke of was not the Imperium.
But the Void Father had already conveyed his command to them.
From now on, the will of the person before them was the will of the Void Father himself.
"Megalodon Warband from the darkness beyond the domain, are you ready to fight for the Imperium you once guarded!?"
Marcus continued to ask loudly, while looking at Saint Sabbat next to him, or rather, the Emperor.
Tyberos did not hesitate.
"Your will is our mission!
Shadows and blood will be all we offer to you!"
Of course, Marcus would not believe verbal oaths.
He immediately drafted a [Psychic Contract] and had all the Megalodon Warband members before him sign it.
Saint Sabbat's eyes flickered beside him; the will he carried sensed an ancient aura on those contracts.
That was the aura of the Old Ones.
He could perceive that the children of Krax had been bound by the contract.
But he did not speak to stop it.
"Guest from beyond this world, I look forward to the day you save humanity."
A ethereal and clear voice once again echoed in Marcus's ears.
Looking alertly, Saint Sabbat had already disappeared without him noticing.
He averted his gaze, once again immersing himself in the fierce war happening every moment in the Milky Way Galaxy.
"According to our investigation during this period, the Megalodon Warband's original thousand-man establishment now has six hundred remaining."
On the bridge of the leviathan, Marcus was listening to the Universal Union personnel's report.
Beside them, a silent shark followed.
Tyberos was among them.
Three days had passed since the Megalodon Warband swore allegiance to Marcus.
During these three days, the Universal Union swiftly investigated everything in the Megalodon Warband fleet.
From the most basic material reserves to the number of personnel, and the origin of those ancient relics.
"The Chapter needs to collect the red tithe."
Tyberos said.
"This is to become your sharpest sawteeth."
"Take me to the mortal servant's resting area on the ship."
Marcus did not rush to answer Tyberos's request.
With Tyberos, the Chapter Master, leading the way, all the mortal servants along the way knelt and saluted, muttering words of praise.
These people, plundered by the Megalodon Warband from various worlds, were generally malnourished and emaciated.
Their lives might only be slightly better than the workers in the lower levels of a Hive City.
Without Marcus saying anything, the Universal Union personnel beside him had already begun recording.
Since the Megalodon Warband had now sworn allegiance to Marcus and the Universal Union, these Chapter servants should rightfully receive better living conditions.
Some of the Sharkmen felt a slight incomprehension about this.
In their view, only a harsh environment could forge true strong individuals.
But Marcus still suppressed these feelings of incomprehension.
Only by truly letting these people live good lives could they discern loyalty from treachery when facing enemies.
After touring the Chapter servant's resting area, Marcus did not stop, but continued to follow Tyberos to the recruit training area on the ship.
The Megalodon Warband had already accepted the Primaris Astartes technology gifted by Guilliman.
This also meant that the Universal Union could now mass-produce powerful Astartes.
This would be a huge strengthening for the Universal Union.
It could fill the Universal Union's lack of backbone fighting strength.
The only problem was that the Megalodon Warband's recruit modification method was too brutal, easily causing severe casualties.
The Universal Union needed to make some changes to it.
Entering the dim cabin, Marcus could see that alliance professionals were already conversing with several apothecaries.
Those valuable Primaris Astartes cultivation surgery data had already been received by the Universal Union.
Only then did Marcus turn around and look at Tyberos.
"I will replenish your Chapter's troops, but you need to understand that your ancient Chapter selection rituals must change."
"As you command."
Looking at the Megalodon Warband, who were so agreeable, Marcus secretly nodded.
If used well, the Megalodon Warband would become the sharpest sword of the Universal Union.
Marcus sized up the tall Tyberos, and suddenly felt an itch to fight.
For him, who had not fought for a long time, Tyberos was an excellent sparring partner.
"Tyberos, let's spar."
Acting on his impulse, Marcus said directly.
The Universal Union personnel beside him were greatly alarmed and immediately wanted to stop Marcus.
They had personally witnessed Tyberos slaughtering the Primal Zerg, but they had not seen Marcus's full combat power.
Marcus knew that while the Megalodon Warband had sworn allegiance to him, he hadn't yet demonstrated his capabilities to them.
After all, he wasn't the Megalodon's father, Klax, or the Emperor.
Therefore, Marcus intended to establish his authority before the Megalodon by challenging Tyberos, the Megalodon Warband Master.
Tyberos compared his own physique to Marcus's and hesitated.
"This is an order."
Looking at the hesitant Tyberos, Marcus said simply and directly.
Tyberos had no choice but to agree.
"We can't move freely on the ship; let's go to the surface."
Marcus smiled, already stretching his limbs.
With that, Marcus, Tyberos, and some of the surrounding individuals walked towards the hangar, preparing to take a Thunderhawk down to the ground.
Since it was about establishing authority, Marcus also had the other Megalodon and alliance members spread the news.
The Megalodon on the ship were all curious, equally intrigued by this Planetary Governor designated as the will's spokesperson by the Void Father.
For Astartes, strength ultimately speaks.
Tyberos became Warband Master precisely because his own strength was terrifyingly formidable, and he had extensive experience.
Most of the Megalodon had never seen their Warband Master fight with full power.
In stark contrast to the Megalodon were the members of the Universal Union.
Marcus hadn't fought in too long.
Now, only a very small number of people in the Universal Union knew how terrifying Marcus's current combat power was.
Looking at the continuous stream of blocking messages on the RIG terminal, Marcus pouted.
"If I don't act, are they going to treat me like a pretty vase?"
He immediately shut down the terminal.
The Thunderhawk quickly broke through the atmosphere and landed on a plain on Vegast's surface.
It wasn't just this one Thunderhawk.
Most of the idle Megalodon also descended in various aircraft, preparing to observe the spectacle.
Standing fifty meters from Tyberos, Marcus said loudly, "Go all out, hold nothing back."
With that, Marcus opened his system warehouse and took out the Sunflare Sword, which he hadn't used in a long time.
He then used Psionics to levitate it beside him.
Tyberos, on the other hand, upon seeing Marcus also possess a similar psychic ability, silently activated hunger and Slaughter.
Unlike the observing Megalodon, Tyberos, directly facing Marcus, could clearly perceive the immense threat from the person before him through his keen senses.
This was a feeling Tyberos hadn't experienced in a long time.
If one disregarded memories from ten millennia ago, Tyberos had only felt this level of threat from a Tyranid Hive Tyrant, an Ork Warboss, and a Necron Overlord. Without a countdown, Marcus and Tyberos merely exchanged glances before simultaneously charging at each other.
Even in his ancient terminator armour, Tyberos's movements were as swift as the wind.
Marcus, relying on his multi-enhanced physical attributes and the boost from Psionics, was not at all at a disadvantage in terms of speed.
Watching Marcus charge at him like a warrior, Tyberos's face beneath his faceplate seemed calm, but his heart was already on high alert.
Facing Marcus, who gave him such a strong sense of threat, Tyberos intended to unleash his true strength.
The hunger on his left claw was raised high, about to swing down, to slash before Marcus and force him to stop.
But in the next instant, a colossal force suddenly struck.
Marcus's Psionics, honed and grown over seven or eight years, gave him strength comparable to Tyberos in his terminator armour.
The axe handle of the Sunflare Sword, forged from Xylosian alloy, withstood the attack of the chainfist named "hunger."
The roar of the chainblades continuously bellowed, and Tyberos's expression finally shifted.
Even a close-combat Tyranid Warrior would be crushed by this blow.
But Marcus, who was only half his height, seemingly took the blow without effort.
The lightning claw named "Slaughter" on his right hand made a sweeping horizontal strike, but Marcus directly used his immensely powerful Psionics to slow its speed.
With both hands, the psychic blade of the Sunflare Sword emitted a dazzling blue light, effortlessly cutting through the armor on Tyberos's left arm.
At the same time, the axe head violently struck Tyberos's chest, sending him back a few steps.
Floating in mid-air, Marcus looked down at Tyberos.
"As a 'Super Raven Guard Raptor,' your abilities should be far more than this."
Marcus had fought alongside Ultramarines like Titus and faced traitor Thousand Sons.
He could be said to be extremely clear about the combat power of Astartes.
And the Tyberos before him was, without a doubt, no ordinary Astartes.
Combined with the rumors about Tyberos, Marcus had already roughly guessed his identity.
The "Raptors," or Super Raven Guards, created through the "Chalice of Primordial Blood" containing all twenty Gene-Seed Primarchs, were the creations of the Raven Guard Gene-Seed Primarch, Corvus Corax.
The words "Super Raven Guard" and "Raptor" awakened memories buried deep within Tyberos's heart for ten millennia.
A massive, murderous aura suddenly erupted.
"Now that's more like it."
Marcus, locked onto by the killing intent, showed no fear and immediately swooped down, continuing his battle with Tyberos.
Their movements were so fast that even the observing Megalodon could not fully track them.
The unaugmented mortals could only see the constant flashing of the Sunflare Sword's psychic blade and the disintegration field of the lightning claw.
While parrying with the Sunflare Sword, Marcus also used Psionics to control the deadly alloy blades he carried, continuously attacking various gaps in Tyberos's terminator armour.
Not only that, seeing Tyberos remain silent, Marcus dropped a piece of news that made all the Megalodon present erupt with excitement.
"Defeat me, and I can tell you the whereabouts of the master of the Nineteenth Legion, your father, Corvus Corax."
"Whoosh!"
Tyberos's lightning claw suddenly stopped before Marcus, blocked by the Sunflare Sword.
Unfortunately, its disintegration field had no effect on the psychic blade.
Tyberos said in a deep voice, "You know the whereabouts of the Redeemer?"
"The Redeemer" was one of Corax's many titles.
Marcus calmly brushed aside the lightning claw before him.
"Defeat me, and you'll know naturally."
Tyberos fell silent again, his pitch-black eyes erupting with a nearly solidified gleam.
The blood in his veins began to boil, and his two hearts started to drive this living killing machine even more fiercely.
"Grey Blindness?"
Marcus said with interest.
Grey Blindness, a genetic defect exclusive to the descendants of the Raven King, Klax.
This symptom originates from the Raven Guard's gene-seed and can erupt under significant psychological stress or Psion attacks.
Its characteristic is falling into a state of silent slaughter, only exiting it after sufficient killing.
Those affected will have completely black eyes, black hair, and a pale complexion.
It can be simply understood as the Raven Guard's version of the Black Rage.
Looking at Tyberos, who had fallen into the Grey Blindness state, Marcus retreated a few steps.
He genuinely lacked the confidence to engage in close combat with Tyberos in that state.
The Psionic Teleportation skill activated, and a blue phantom swiftly charged towards Tyberos, eventually passing through Tyberos's furious lightning claw slashes, applying a vulnerability buff to him.
"Does he need sufficient killing?"
Marcus floated up.
"Then I'll let you kill your fill."
Infected Airdrop, activated.
Instantly, ten massive airdrop spores appeared out of thin air, crashing down towards Tyberos.
Twenty ferocious cockroaches crawled out of the airdrop spores, rushing towards Tyberos.
Each cockroach was over four meters tall, nearly as tall as Tyberos in his terminator armour.
Terrifying acidic saliva secreted from the mouths of these cockroaches continuously corroded the ancient Tartaros pattern terminator armour.
The lightning claw and chainfist continuously swung, each attack capable of destroying a cockroach's chitinous carapace, splattering its bodily fluids.
Tyberos was like a bloodthirsty mad shark, relentlessly slaughtering everything in his path.
Even the cockroaches, whose individual strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Tyranid Warrior, could not withstand Tyberos's attacks.
Marcus, floating in the air, couldn't help but marvel.
If limited to the 40th Millennium.
Even among the Astartes, where everyone was a talent, Tyberos's combat power was enough to rank in the top ten, or even the top five.
Just as Marcus was enjoying the cockroaches besieging Tyberos, the Sharkmen warriors around the battlefield suddenly stirred.
Evidently, the appearance of the cockroaches, which strongly resembled tyranids, ignited the Sharkmen' desire for slaughter.
Some Sharkmen had already crossed the temporary boundary and were charging towards the cockroaches that were attacking Tyberos.
"Forget it, it's time to end this."
Shaking his head, Marcus raised the Sunflare Sword in his hand and swooped down.
Incredibly powerful Psionics unreservedly covered Marcus's entire body, accelerating him directly to supersonic speed.
"Buzz—Boom!"
The sound barrier instantly shattered.
"Chaos Power: Fury"
Increases attack damage.
"Scavenger"
Slightly increases damage against organic enemies.
"BOW Terminator"
Increases damage against all types of organic biological weapons.
Under the compound enhancement of multiple titles, Marcus unleashed his strongest attack.
The Psion blade on the Sunflare Sword suddenly grew, enlarged, and emitted dazzling light.
"Whirlwind Slash," activated!
Marcus, in his supersonic state, immediately held the axe handle and began to spin.
The Psion blade seemed capable of cleaving through the surrounding space, and a strong wind whipped up the sand on the ground, beginning to howl.
The cockroaches on the ground, which had been surrounding Tyberos and furiously spraying acidic saliva, instantly swarmed him, hooking their sharp claws tightly onto the ancient Tartaros pattern terminator armour.
This hindered Tyberos's movements, pinning him in place, making him almost unable to move.
The next moment, the Sunflare Sword had already struck the Tartaros pattern terminator armour.
"Boom!!!"
The Psion blade could cut through all matter in the real universe; even ancient holy relic-grade terminator armour could not stop it.
"Thump! Thump-thump!!"
At such close range, Marcus could clearly hear the surging heartbeat within Tyberos's body.
The lightning claw named "hunger" had already crushed a cockroach's head and was fiercely slashing towards Marcus.
Tyberos, in his Grey Blindness state, had lost much of his reason and truly harbored murderous intent.
Looking at the disintegration field that was already closing in above his head, Marcus's lips curled into a slight smile.
Then, his figure abruptly vanished.
Tyberos's strike only left a huge deep pit in the ground.
After quickly eliminating all the remaining cockroaches around him, Tyberos scanned the surroundings and saw Marcus about a hundred meters to his front-left.
At the moment of impending disintegration, Marcus used Psionic Teleportation, allowing him to avoid a blow that could have severely wounded a Tyranid Hive Tyrant.
"Has he recovered?"
Looking at Tyberos, who was no longer charging forward, Marcus knew that the other party had clearly shaken off Grey Blindness.
"I lost."
Tyberos decisively shut down hunger and Slaughter.
In his opinion, Marcus, as a Psyker, engaging him in close combat was already holding back.
Coupled with the unstoppable teleportation, Tyberos, who was not equipped with long-range weapons, knew that he couldn't attack Marcus at all.
Not only that.
Tyberos looked around and found that the bodies of the giant alien creatures he had killed had vanished.
It seemed that those alien monsters earlier must have been some kind of Psyker method.
The Sharkmen who were rushing over also stopped their movements.
Anyone with eyes could see that the previous result was Marcus holding back.
If Marcus wished, he could repeat the same operation multiple times, eventually wearing down Tyberos.
However, the Sharkmen quickly reacted and continued to charge towards Marcus.
Hundreds of pitch-black eyes stared intently at Marcus; the Sharkmen' minds were all thinking about the information Marcus had just revealed about their genetic father, Klax.
Tyberos walked with heavy steps to Marcus's front, spoke in a deep voice, and asked the previous question again: "Do you know the whereabouts of the 'Savior'?"
Marcus looked slightly amused.
"You just conceded."
Tyberos was speechless.
There was no way he could really try to kill Marcus, the Emperor's will's spokesperson. That would be truly insane.
"Your father is still alive; that's all I can tell you for now," Marcus scanned the surrounding Sharkmen.
"Once you make enough contributions to the Universal Union, or if one of you can defeat me, I will tell you his whereabouts."
Although they didn't learn Klax's true whereabouts.
Just knowing that their genetic father was still alive was enough to make the normally quiet Sharkmen seethe with excitement.
Even though the composition of the Sharkmen was complex, with some using Raven Guard gene-seeds, some using World Eaters gene-seeds, and others using Night Lords gene-seeds.
However, the Chapter's unique gene-modifying surgery had solidified them into loyalists, and they regarded Klax as their genetic father.
"The Sharkmen will become the sharpest saw in your hand!"
Above Vegast, inside a space carrier...
Marcus was feeling a slight soreness throughout his muscles.
Fighting a strong individual like Tyberos was excellent training.
"I need to fight more often, or perhaps have a few Sharkmen come at me together."
Although the previous battle wasn't a life-or-death duel and wasn't particularly dangerous, it had once again elevated Marcus's Psionics strength to a new level.
Beside Marcus, Dugall wore a helpless expression.
Though he hadn't landed on the surface, he had watched the battle through equipment.
Aside from the monster Queen of Blades and some high-ranking Templars, Tyberos and Marcus were the strongest individuals Dugall had ever seen.
Such beings could single-handedly turn the tide of a local battle.
"You still need to prioritize your safety, Commander. the Universal Union cannot afford to lose your leadership now."
Dugall reminded him.
The Universal Union's current strength relied entirely on the unity between various worlds and the technology from different worlds that Marcus frequently provided.
And if anything were to happen to Marcus, the Universal Union would immediately fall into a semi-paralyzed state.
If those world gates also disappeared, the Universal Union would quickly be overwhelmed by the endless malice of the Warhammer World.
Alliance branches in other worlds would also lose contact.
"I know what I'm doing."
Marcus waved his hand.
With the World Anchor, which allowed for instant world-hopping at any time, as long as he reacted quickly, he could evade all malicious damage.
Unless a Chaos God-level entity suddenly appeared now, Marcus could escape and then make a comeback.
"What's more, the one on the Golden Throne wouldn't just stand by."
Ever since the Emperor repeatedly appeared in person, Marcus knew that the Emperor valued Marcus's life above all others.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade his boss, Dugall became even more helpless.
He was already planning how to gather all other high-ranking Alliance officials to launch a joint protest, urging Marcus to behave and not act recklessly like this again.
Marcus found a random spot to sit down and looked at Dugall.
"What's the situation with our defensive lines now?"
At this, Dugall immediately perked up.
His position was not just Commander of the Universal Union's First Fleet; he was also responsible for the construction of the defensive lines in the starfield currently controlled by the Universal Union.
"The Macaria polar defense line in the eastern region has been completely finished, and the Primal Zerg isolation zone has also been laid out.
The Yakart defense line in the northern region is 80% complete, with about half of the Primal Zerg isolation zone perfected.
The Vegast defense line in the southwestern region is 70% complete, and as per your request, the laying of the Primal Zerg isolation zone has been paused."
Dugall reported methodically.
Marcus, meanwhile, looked at the star map before him, deep in thought.
Currently, the Universal Union's main enemies were still the Ork Empire to the north, and the Tyranid Hive Fleet roving in from the southwestern Storm Starfield.
Both were extremely troublesome opponents that were almost impossible to completely eradicate.
Though reluctant, Marcus knew that the Universal Union could only maintain a defensive stance for now, focusing on developing the worlds within its own starfield first.
"Accelerate the defense line construction."
Marcus said.
"Also, allocate more attention to the west. Although it's an unexplored region, we can't be entirely unprepared."
Marcus always remembered that to the west of the Sabbath Stars, there was a Necron tomb world.
Perhaps only the Silent King knew when the Necron there would awaken.
"Yes!"
Since there was no more room for development on the Warhammer World side for now,
Marcus had begun to consider his choice for the next world to develop.
Timewise, the environmental transformation work on Wandering Earth should be nearing completion, and the second phase of the main quest was about to be finished.
The development of the next world was imminent.
Also in orbit around Vegast, within the massive battle barge, the leviathan...
Chapter Master Tyberos of the Megalodon Warband sat upon his throne, recalling the battle he had just fought.
Around him, many Warband servants, under the direction of several Tech Sergeants, were removing the ancient Hades-pattern terminator armour from Tyberos.
"My Lord, your armor has sustained severe damage and will require extensive repairs."
Tech Sergeant Hikadi looked at Tyberos.
The latter then removed the terminator armour helmet, which he almost never took off, revealing his true face, which few had ever seen.
Upon seeing his Chapter Master's face, even as a Tech Sergeant, Hikadi secretly gasped.
Tyberos's entire face was extremely pale, far paler than a truly dead person, as if not a single drop of blood flowed through his veins.
Not only that, the left half of Tyberos's face had completely lost its skin and muscle, leaving only bare bone exposed, and a miraculously still-present black eyeball in its socket.
The right half of his face, however, was covered in eerie, dark paint, depicting the Mark of the Outcast.
No one knew the origin of Tyberos's facial injuries.
Perhaps he was wounded by a terrifying opponent.
But Hikadi had personally witnessed his Chapter Master tear apart all living things on an entire Tyranid boarding pod.
Few beings in the entire galaxy could inflict such injuries.
Or perhaps, it was due to the genetic flaws inherent in the Raven Guard's 'Raptor' gene-seed?
Ever since Marcus revealed Tyberos's true identity, there had been some discussion within the Warband.
And Hikadi, who had once studied on Mars, happened to know what 'Raven Guard' meant.
Just as Hikadi was pondering something, Tyberos spoke.
With only the remaining muscles pulling at it, his pale face appeared even more horrifying.
A weak-minded mortal who saw it would likely faint on the spot.
"The way you address me within the Warband must change. I will no longer be your Master.
The one who defeated me is worthy of that title.
From now on, simply call me 'Chapter Master.'"
"We obey your will, Chapter Master."
Hikadi and the other Tech Sergeants bowed their heads.
The Warband servants who were disassembling the armor immediately knelt on the ground.
Only the Universal Union personnel observing nearby remained motionless.
An Alliance technical staff member spoke at this moment.
"Chapter Master Tyberos, perhaps we could make some modifications to this terminator armour to enhance its performance."
As a Tech Sergeant, Hikadi, who held faith in the machine god, immediately retorted.
"This is blasphemy! Such a sacred relic should not be defiled!"
The Universal Union's technical personnel calmly stated,
"This set of terminator armour only has close-combat capabilities and cannot attack ranged enemies. This is not conducive to combat, is it?"
Hikadi was unable to refute; Tyberos had indeed lost to Marcus in the previous battle precisely because he lacked ranged attack methods.
In the past, the Chapter chose close-combat assault tactics due to a long-term shortage of ranged ammunition.
Now, with the help of the faction called "the Universal Union" before them, the Sharkmen were no longer the Chapter that had to loot even chainsword drive belts.
Tyberos, however, was indifferent, merely stating in a deep voice,
"Repair this armor as quickly as possible."
"Naturally."
The technical personnel nodded in agreement.
---
Due to the strong opposition from several Sharkmen Tech Sergeants, the Universal Union's technical and engineering personnel could only perform the modifications to the stygies pattern terminator armor on the leviathan.
Dozens of people had already gathered around the terminator armour, beginning to disassemble it with the cooperation of the Tech Sergeants.
Every step was recorded by the omnidirectional cameras nearby.
"What amazing material,"
The Universal Union's technical personnel couldn't help but exclaim as they disassembled it.
According to their tests, although the terminator armour's material was called "Ceramite," it was actually an extremely complex alloy.
At least for now, none of the weapons and equipment manufactured by the Universal Union could match this alloy in terms of hardness.
Not only that, the cross-shaped medal on the terminator armour's shoulder plate was even more intriguing to the technical personnel.
Legend has it that within the shoulder plate emblem of every set of terminator armour, a small fragment of the Emperor's armor is embedded.
terminator armour produced in the 40th millennium certainly wouldn't have it.
But this stygies pattern terminator armor has been passed down for ten millennia, so it might truly contain fragments of the Emperor's armor.
Watching the relic-grade terminator armour being disassembled piece by piece, Hikadi and the other Tech Sergeants felt a pang of distress.
They were terrified that these fellows might damage it if they weren't careful.
Hikadi couldn't help but remind them,
"The manufacturing process for the stygies pattern terminator armor was lost ten millennia ago. There are fewer than a thousand sets remaining in the entire galaxy today."
"Then it's even more imperative to enhance this armor's combat capabilities, isn't it?"
With that, the technical personnel opened several large boxes that had been prepared earlier.
Inside were various materials and weapon equipment needed to modify the terminator armour.
Isaac and Jacob were in charge of this terminator armour modification.
This was enough to show how much the Universal Union valued this modification.
"Kinetic foam."
Isaac pointed to a black, special substance in one of the boxes and said,
"This special foam can be filled between the armor and the pilot, absorbing kinetic impact to a great extent and dissipating it."
With that, Isaac personally put on a set of kinetic foam lining and attached a small piece of armor to his chest.
Then he looked at Hikadi.
"Punch me."
A bewildered Hikadi was urged again by Isaac before he finally came before him.
Although he was a Tech Sergeant, Hikadi rarely went to the battlefield, spending most of his time on the ship repairing various equipment and vehicles, commonly known as a mechanic.
Only when the Chapter needed vehicle operators would he go down to operate various vehicles.
But Hikadi was still a Primaris Space Marine.
Even bare-handed, he could still unleash several tons of force.
If he wore power armor, he could single-handedly destroy light defensive fortifications.
Looking at Isaac, who was not even as tall as his chest, Hikadi still chose to remove his power armor.
Immediately after, he threw a punch, slightly holding back his strength.
The swift iron fist smashed into the armor.
Even though Hikadi had held back, the force of this punch was close to two tons.
If it hit an ordinary person, it would definitely punch right through them.
Even with armor protection, their internal organs would be shattered.
"Thud!"
The punch hit the armor, emitting a dull sound.
The powerful force was instantly transmitted to the kinetic foam and rapidly diffused and absorbed.
Isaac himself, on the other hand, was almost fine, only feeling a slight tightness in his chest.
"Good stuff."
Hikadi's eyes instantly lit up.
Although he had seen many treasures unearthed from the dark reaches beyond the Imperium over the past few decades or even a century,
most of those items could no longer be replicated or manufactured; they were unique relics, and clearly had little practical combat significance.
In the past, many Sharkmen had experienced situations where their power armor was mostly intact, but the wearer inside was severely wounded and incapacitated.
Kinetic foam could effectively solve this problem.
Looking at Hikadi, whose eyes were gleaming, Isaac smiled.
"Don't worry, we'll equip all of you with this as soon as possible."
As the two conversed, the engineers nearby, led by Jacob, had already evenly coated the inside of the terminator armour with kinetic foam.
After completing this step, Isaac opened another box.
Inside was a complete set of Punisher Grenade Launchers from the Marauder, as well as an automated small factory capable of producing ammunition.
During the previous battle against the Primal Zerg, Hikadi had witnessed the Universal Union Marauder's attack in action.
Punisher grenades produce a gravitational warp effect upon detonation, significantly slowing down small targets.
Under the operation of the factory engineers, grenade launchers were installed on the terminator armour's arms.
Above the already massive power backpack on its back, an ammunition manufacturing factory was installed.
This way, Tyberos, wearing this terminator armour, would possess ranged attack capabilities and could also slow down targets, allowing him to more easily catch up to opponents and tear them to shreds.
In addition to these two new pieces of equipment,
the engineers also, with a touch of madness, installed a miniature directional vortex shield from the Ion Titan of the titanfall World.
When activated, this shield could stabilize all incoming ranged attacks.
It could also redirect all solid projectile attacks, reflecting them back at the enemy.
Even the Universal Union had only recently mastered the technology of miniaturizing vortex shields.
With the addition of these three new technologies, this already ancient stygies pattern terminator armor had been further transformed into one of the most top-tier pieces of equipment in the Warhammer World.
After a period of modification and repair, Tyberos, having received the news, arrived at this ship compartment.
He then saw his greatly changed armor.
An excited Hikadi thoroughly introduced the armor's newly added functions to his Chapter Master.
Tyberos silently donned the terminator armour again with the assistance of the Chapter serfs.
The best way to test equipment is through a real combat scenario.
Soon, Tyberos and the Sharkmen would have that opportunity.