Chapter 4 - Dragon

Amidel shook his head, "To be honest, we've seen those two monsters before, but we've never fought them. No one expected them to appear together after we finished hunting the tigrex. Even after living here for so long, the ecosystem here still surprises me."

"It's good that you're surprised, because according to a normal ecosystem, two monsters that are both apex predators would never cooperate. The higher up an organism is in the ecological hierarchy, the more energy it needs. If these two different types of monsters can cooperate, how would they divide the prey?"

Dio pointed out a simple truth in an ecosystem, "In fact, when they first started chasing me, they didn't touch the tigrex carcass next to them at all."

Amidel reacted quickly, "Are you saying someone is manipulating all of this? The world soul you mentioned? But what exactly is a world soul?"

"Just take it literally. You can think of it as a planet-level machine spirit. Currently, only the Eldar have the skill to communicate with them. Humans don't have much knowledge in this area."

World souls, as the name suggests, are the souls of planets. They have a profound influence on their respective planets. Although this influence is usually achieved through indirect means, they can be said to be the masters of the planets.

The origin of world souls is still unclear, but it is said that during the War in Heaven, the Old Ones had a method to create world souls. They would select specific planets to awaken the self-awareness of the entire planet, and the world souls would assist the Old Ones in fighting against the C'tan and Necron.

Some of these special planets have survived to this day. It is said that Fenris, the homeworld of the Space Wolves Chapter, is a planet with a world soul. Unfortunately, Dio never had the chance to witness it firsthand.

After the ultimate battle between the Old Ones and the Necron concluded, the systematic method of awakening world souls seemed to have been lost. Only the Eldar, who consider themselves the heirs of the Old Ones, still possess a technology called the Infinity Circuit.

They embed Soul Stones containing Eldar souls into the Infinity Circuit, which can create something similar to a world soul on a planet. Some reclusive Savage Eldar were able to escape the clutches of Slaanesh precisely because they were protected by world souls.

 Dio had already begun to suspect when the deviljho and bazelgeuse uncharacteristically started chasing him, and this suspicion peaked when he saw the Black Dragon shrine that the felynes originally worshipped.

In Monster Hunter, Black Dragons are representatives of the Elder Dragons, which are a general term for Dragon Species that are so powerful they have detached from the ecosystem and possess the ability to manipulate climate and environment. If faith never leads to an empty, non-existent thing, then in the Warhammer Universe, what symbolizes a planet's natural environment is undoubtedly the world soul.

This was still a guess, but Dio was already quite convinced that this was the case. He naturally didn't need to explain it in such detail to Amidel from beginning to end, because using the machine spirit as an analogy was enough for Amidel to understand.

"I've heard of bolters that miraculously gain an extra round in a crisis, or guns that jam during firing, despite passing every inspection, because the machine spirit is displeased."

Amidel mused, "So if a world soul is a planet-level machine spirit, then what it can do is magnified from a weapon level to the scale of an entire planet, including manipulating the monsters on its planet to hunt down people it's unhappy with?"

Dio nodded approvingly. He was growing fonder of these old veterans from the Great Crusade. Their rational way of thinking always allowed them to infer and apply knowledge to new situations, rather than rigidly adhering to dogma.

No matter how difficult the situation was to understand, they would first accept the current state without needing to fully comprehend it, and then think of solutions based on that reality. This flexibility and receptiveness were unmatched by the current space marines Chapters.

"Exactly. The ineffectiveness of your ranged weapons that you once discovered should be a rule set by the world soul."

Dio continued to explain to Amidel, "A world soul is like a machine spirit. A machine spirit won't jump up and shoot its user just because it's displeased, and a world soul won't do that either."

"Although a world soul also has some direct means of influence, it usually only indirectly affects everyone within its range, such as weakening the power of ranged weapons on this planet. Conversely, the world soul on this planet actually encourages melee or cold weapon combat."

"Then what about your plasma pistol?"

"That's a plasma pistol made on Ryza; its power has been enhanced. But on this planet, it's only about as powerful as a normal plasma pistol fired without charging."

Dio pulled out the plasma pistol with the felynes paw print and toyed with it in his hand, "The world soul certainly has the ability to influence, but its power is limited. Some high-powered ranged weapons will have their power weakened but won't be completely unusable. However, the world soul is not happy to see the use of ranged weapons, so after I killed the tigrex with a ranged weapon, it drove two monsters far more powerful than the tigrex to hunt me down."

"But thankfully, I used the terrain to shake off one difficult one, and with the help of the felynes, I killed the other one, which, although very aggressive, didn't have such high defenses. I think there won't be any threats for a short while."

The thrilling experience was simply summarized by Dio in a few words. Amidel didn't say much, but a look of recognition and admiration for a warrior appeared in his eyes as he looked at Dio.

They first settled the felynes who had entered the camp, then awakened the dreadnought, and summoned Lieutenant Ebo, Sergeant Arlo, and Lieutenant Vigan, to explain the situation of the world soul to them all.

Although the overall plan hadn't changed, everyone still showed clear surprise that the original talk of escaping the planet had suddenly escalated from reclaiming the Space Hulk to confronting an entire planet.

"I've fought in the galaxy for many years, and I've even clashed with the Eldar, but this is the first time I've heard of a world soul." The Hunter dreadnought was the first to shake his head. "A machine spirit the size of an entire planet? How peculiar."

Sergeant Arlo then began to recall the past, "When we first crashed on this planet, when we still had plenty of weapons and ammunition, we were indeed frequently attacked by various monsters. But when our weapons broke down and our ammunition ran out, the monsters we encountered actually decreased."

"I originally thought it was because we killed a lot of monsters before our weapons ran out, clearing a relatively safe area of activity. I never thought it could be explained from the perspective of a world soul..."

Lieutenant Ebo considered other aspects, "Is it really a world soul? You said world souls can only be communicated with by the Eldar, but for nearly a thousand years, we haven't encountered any Eldar on this planet. Although our activity range is relatively limited to a very small part of this planet, even if we missed exotic... creatures like the felynes, it's hard to believe that a civilized Eldar would leave no trace for a thousand years, right?"

"world souls aren't necessarily created by the Eldar; it's just that the Eldar generally have the ability to communicate with world souls. I don't think there's any Eldar involvement behind this, but at least the weakening of ranged weapon power and the two monsters chasing me are undeniable."

"Whatever is behind it, we must be prepared for more variables in our original plan and try to minimize those variables as much as possible," Dio emphasized.

"But how can we prepare more? According to you, the core of the world soul's dissatisfaction with us is our use of ranged weapons, so it actively caused us a lot of trouble."

Lieutenant Vigan frowned, still wearing the CMC Power Armor that Dio had appropriated from starcraft, "To satisfy that world soul, are we not supposed to use ranged weapons?"

"There's no need to be that compliant. We're escaping this planet, not integrating into the local ecosystem. Small-caliber weapons should still be used; they only serve as a deterrent anyway. High-powered ones, like my plasma pistol, are best saved as a trump card for critical moments, to avoid the world soul increasing the difficulty for us."

"I think it would be very difficult to defeat any strong enemies like that," Lieutenant Vigan always liked to pour cold water.

"So I will make it possible for you to defeat strong enemies in close combat."

Dio replied casually. He laid out the materials he carried one by one on the table and then asked Amidel for a power sword. He placed the power sword with the materials, feeling the blueprint in his mind begin to glow.

"Just trust me." Dio waved his hand grandly, announcing to everyone present, "The magic weapon to defeat monsters is now in my hands!"

Three days had passed since returning to camp. Now, Dio, having arranged all the preparations in the camp, could finally begin forging his desired weapon.

Dio's golden finger was never a system, but knowledge—knowledge from other worlds. The expression of this knowledge came in the form of original design blueprints from another world, and how to transport these blueprints and reproduce them in a way that could be realized in the Warhammer Universe tested Dio's own abilities.

Dio had previously transported the most technology from starcraft. Besides the fact that starcraft designs didn't feel out of place in the Warhammer Universe, it was also due to the ease of implementation on a technological level.

For example, the Protoss in starcraft, who are skilled in using psychic powers, their energy shields could be replicated in warhammer using ordinary power supply devices, while the core device of the void sword could be solved by using pilfered Eldar Soul Stones.

As for the weapons and equipment from Monster Hunter, Dio naturally had blueprints as well, but he had always thought that such distinctly styled items probably wouldn't be of much use in warhammer.

But after falling onto this Monster Hunter planet and discovering that the materials stripped from these monsters were as hard as adamantium, and their sharpness, with a little polishing, was on par with monomolecular blades, Dio, who had previously thought these blueprints were useless, could only lament his short-sightedness.

At the same time, the idea of forging more powerful weapons also took root in Dio's heart.

He wasn't going to make a simple master-crafted power sword, but rather combine the principles of power sword manufacturing with the Monster Hunter blueprints to create a legendary weapon with warhammer characteristics. He wanted the wielder of this sword to leave behind a name so illustrious it would be sung for ten thousand years!

Thanks to the fact that the power sword kept here was not a master-crafted item, the other elements mixed in lowered the melting point of adamantium, making the difficulty of melting the power sword not as high as Dio had imagined. After dismantling the fusion heating device of a plasma engine to serve as a small furnace, he spent several days completing the melting of the power sword.

It should have taken more time, but Dio unexpectedly discovered that the felynes had a unique affinity for machine spirits. He taught the felynes some rituals to appease machine spirits, and under the felynes' rituals, the full-throttle engines accelerated the progress of his overall plan.

Under Dio's command, several felynes carefully poured the refined adamantium liquid into the prepared Katana molds, and Dio also picked up his forging hammer.

This was not the method of the Warhammer Universe; he was imitating the corresponding forging method from the Monster Hunter world blueprints in his mind. The few command personnel invited to observe also realized that the forging had officially begun, and so they all held their breath.

Dio first used adamantium as the main body, gradually hammering the solidifying adamantium liquid taken from the mold into a regular and easy-to-grip shape. After confirming that the base of the entire sword was without issue, he brought over the Rathalos' carapace and scales—materials obtained when the astartes had previously defeated the Rathian.

According to the Monster Hunter blueprint's requirements, the Rathian's poison gland was still needed to forge the corresponding Rathian Katana "Green Leaf," but the poison gland had not been preserved by the astartes, who knew little about these monsters.

But design is not rigid and unchangeable; as Dio personally practiced, the rigid blueprints began to come to life, and the once strict forging knowledge on the blueprints gradually became integrated in his mind.

Enjoying this feeling, Dio decided to modify this katana according to his own understanding, so he brought over bazelgeuse scales, as well as melted ceramite and plasteel.

Plasteel is an Imperial composite material of heat-absorbing plastic and metal, while ceramite, which can absorb energy impacts, is the Imperial's magic weapon against energy-based weapons. plasteel and ceramite, widely used in various power armor, are considered the pillars of Imperial materials science, and Dio saw their potential as an intermediary medium due to their good energy conductivity.

He thinly coated the melted plasteel and ceramite over the adamantium, then added the bazelgeuse scales and collected bazelgeuse bodily fluids into it.

The bazelgeuse scales exploded violently the moment they touched the hot molten metal, and the rising flames made everyone present instinctively recoil, except for Dio, who remained motionless. Knowing that the critical moment had arrived, he raised his forging hammer high and, facing the flames, repeatedly hammered the Katana blank!

"From the beast's fury, steel, protect us!"

Dio brought down a hammer blow, quelling the flames generated by the bazelgeuse scales' explosion and reshaping the blade blank, which had been slightly deformed by the explosion.

"From the destroyer's ravages, soul, shelter us!"

With the second hammer blow, the power sword's original machine spirit still struggled to maintain its existence. Under the machine spirit's persistence, the previously violent power calmed down, and flames gradually flowed over the ceramite-plated blade.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Dio took out the polished Rathalos wing claws and carapace. He covered the bottom of the semi-molten blade with the carapace, then inserted the wing claws into the reserved gaps in the carapace, and then used molten plasteel to help fix them. Three ferocious Rathalos claws thus appeared on the blade, and Dio swung his hammer again, ensuring that these materials were perfectly integrated with the blade.

"In flesh, there is no unchanging truth, only decay."

"In flesh, there is no eternal power, only weakness."

Dio put down his forging hammer. He had forged the flesh materials into a cold steel weapon, but the monster's will still adhered to those materials. And now, he was going to imprison the monster with steel, awaken the brand new machine spirit born from the combination of the Rathalos' will on this weapon, and completely finish this weapon!

"From this creature's rotting cage," Dio raised his hands high and chanted loudly, "machine spirit, set us free!"

Although the forging temperature had begun to drop, a flame suddenly rose from the newly cast blade, and the faint roar of a Rathalos could be heard within. But before long, the roar subsided, and the forging flame suddenly cooled as if absorbed by the Katana. Only the Katana, reflecting a cold luster, lay quietly in the forge, waiting for a hunter's grasp.

Dio stepped forward and grasped the hilt of this Katana. He vaguely felt that this Katana had a wildness that resisted him, but being an null, he could only give up. However, this display surprised Dio, as only a powerful machine spirit that would not be erased even by contact with an null could wield such a wild weapon.

He carried the Katana and approached the few onlookers.

"Wyvern Blade 'Red,' that's the name I've given it." He showed the weapon to everyone, "Logically, this weapon should be used by the most renowned hunter in your company, but he is in a dreadnought and no longer needs this weapon."

"Give it to Amidel," the Hunter dreadnought spoke, and everyone's gaze shifted to Amidel.

"Indeed, there's no one more suitable than Amidel," the others agreed with the Hunter's choice, but Amidel himself had some reservations.

"I don't need a powerful weapon to enhance myself," he said stubbornly, though he usually bore the responsibility of leadership, his skill as the company's champion had never dulled: "Given to another brother, this weapon can achieve greater value."

"No, its greater value is right here."

The Hunter dreadnought denied Amidel's statement. He looked up and sighed, seemingly recalling the glorious years of the past. After a while, he said faintly:

"I hope you can inherit my identity and become the new Hunter."

Lieutenant Ebo, Lieutenant Vigan, and Sergeant Arlo were all indifferent to this; they had clearly anticipated it. Only Amidel expressed surprise: "Inherit the Hunter... But why, company captain? Are you going to..."

"I'm already in a dreadnought, Amidel."

The Hunter dreadnought interrupted Amidel: "Even a Contemptor dreadnought's neural links, which control the machine, burn my consciousness every moment. I am destined not to lead you for long. I will not leave, but my mission as Company captain and leader must end."

"Perhaps we can awaken you to discuss when major decisions need to be made..."

"Do not dwell on the past, Amidel. No matter how glorious the past, it is still just the past. A new future must be led by new people."

The dreadnought's voice deepened: "Amidel, I was interred in a sarcophagus, interred in that Great Crusade that ended long ago. I am very tired... All that sustains me are the unresolved grudges with our Primarch. You once followed the Hunter and left the Legion, but now the Hunter is no more, only a shadow of the past buried within a dreadnought remains."

Amidel did not reply; he had anticipated this situation but was unwilling to admit it due to his personal feelings. Lieutenant Ebo then advised from the side: "But this company, born from the Hunter, cannot be without a Hunter. Precisely for this reason, we need someone to step forward and continue to lead us as the Hunter."

"Is this what all of you think? Have you discussed it beforehand?" Amidel sighed.

"No discussion, but you have led us on this planet all the way to now. I don't think anyone can think of a more suitable candidate than you."

Dio watched this transfer of power from the side. The Katana he had forged was now not just a weapon, but also a symbol of the Hunter's identity. Seeing Amidel's gaze fall on Red, Dio directly handed Red over.

"Do you remember the Tech-Sergeant who sacrificed himself with a melta-bomb, hoping you would continue to lead everyone forward?" Dio gestured, indicating for Amidel to take the weapon: "The main body of this blade is basically made from the materials obtained through his sacrifice."

This sentence was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. Amidel's gaze became firm. He took Red and also accepted the identity and mission of the Hunter.

"Company captain, you may have let go of the past, but I will still remember you, not only as a brother in the Legion, but also as the boy you saved from the monster's claws back then, and who eventually joined the Legion because of it." Amidel said solemnly: "I will take on the title of Hunter, lead everyone off this planet, and pursue the clues our Primarch left in the galaxy until our mission to fight the xenos ends!"

The Hunter dreadnought sighed contentedly, and Amidel, who had taken on the leader's mission, quickly settled into his role. He sheathed the Katana behind him and looked at Dio:

"To reclaim the Space Hulk, we need to contend with Dragons and even the world soul. Dio, this weapon is certainly excellent, but I believe you have prepared more than just one divine weapon."

 Dio suddenly felt like a blacksmith shop owner.

He clapped his hands, and a group of felynes brought up the various items he had prepared earlier. These miscellaneous items mainly included a suit of armor, a ballista, and a small wooden handcart.

"Which one do you want to learn about first?"

"Uh..."

The previously solemn atmosphere seemed to break down a bit after these miscellaneous items were brought up. Amidel hesitated for a moment and decided to start by asking about the armor, which was considered more formal: "What's the deal with this armor covered in fangs?"

"It's modified from a regular power armor using tigrex materials. You can call it the tigrex set."

 Dio confidently introduced his proud creation: "Although the torso of the power armor is only stitched with some tigrex leather, I have meticulously reforged the shoulder pads, knees, and gauntlets, arming them with tigrex wing claws and fangs. I've also redesigned the power backpack's exhaust ports into fang-like barbs. Even if you switch to a different power armor later, these parts can be slightly modified and transferred to the new power armor. How do you feel about it?"

"It's not that it's bad, it's just..." Amidel stared at the armor covered in fangs, and the plume-like structures on both sides of the helmet's original single-slit visor, which stood up like a tigrex's crest, "Isn't the design a bit too alien?"

"Wearing it will grant you the power of a tigrex, which will perfectly complement your blade Red then." Dio glanced at him, "Anything else you want to say?"

"I have no objections."

Amidel's objections to the design immediately died down. But Lieutenant Vigan, who was responsible for long-range fire support, focused on the ballista. He frowned, examining this weapon, which seemed to have traveled through time from 31,000 years ago, and asked: "What's the use of this weapon?"

"It's just a crossbow, specifically for use on this planet that restricts hot weapons. I use stripped dragon sinews as the bowstring and polished dragon bones as ammunition. Having two astartes operate such a heavy cold weapon for long-range shooting can force many flying Wyverns that prefer aerial combat to the ground."

Ballistas also exist in the Monster Hunter world, but solo hunters never used such heavy weapons. Now, Dio had tinkered one into existence.

Although its principle was simple, under the monstrous strength bonus of monster materials, even the simplest principle would become a terrifying killing machine.

"Can't this thing be miniaturized? Made into something like a light bowgun?" Lieutenant Vigan pressed.

"I don't have the materials to make another special weapon like the wyvern blade. If it's just made into a regular light bowgun, its power would be similar to the bolter you have. Ranged weapons are mainly for suppression. I'll also give you some items like sonic bombs, smoke bombs, and barrel bombs filled with bazelgeuse scales. Your main task will be to utilize these tools to restrict monsters and prevent other monsters from interfering."

Dio also took the opportunity to introduce some other newly made small tools to Lieutenant Vigan. The materials like sonorous sacs and scales obtained from continuously hunting tigrex and bazelgeuse finally allowed Dio to complete the common small tools from Monster Hunter. After he finished introducing all these items, everyone's gaze naturally fell on the last wooden pushcart.

The weapons before might have been special or unusual, but when it came to the last, unremarkable pushcart, everyone was a bit confused.

They stared at the pushcart, looking left and right. Aside from noticing that its size was clearly not for an astartes, they really couldn't discern anything else. They could only turn their gaze to Dio, awaiting his explanation.

"Why are you looking at me? This thing is just a pushcart assembled from wooden boards, isn't it?"

"It does look a bit like my toy from when I was a kid," Sergeant Arlo sharply commented. "Isn't there anything special about it?"

"It's not special, but the people who use it are very special."

Dio lay down on the cart. Two felynes, originally serving as forging assistants, stepped forward and grasped the cart's handles. A faint golden power of faith was activated from within the felynes, forming a golden membrane that enveloped the cart, the felynes, and Dio on the cart.

Everyone was a bit shocked. At Dio's signal, Sergeant Arlo even swung his sword and struck the protective shield twice, but the shield remained motionless.

After being attacked, the felynes pushing the cart scurried with their short legs, and in the blink of an eye, they pushed Dio a great distance away. Sergeant Arlo chased for a couple of steps before realizing it was impossible to catch up. It wasn't until Dio leisurely walked back that he asked in shock:

"What exactly was that thing?"

"Just a Psyker shield. You must have seen Psykers use it before. When the felynes' companions are in danger, their determination will activate such a shield, allowing them to carry their endangered companions away from the dangerous battlefield. This pushcart is a convenient passenger tool I made for them. I've temporarily named it 'Cat Cart One.' As long as you can get along well with the felynes and let them regard you as companions, you too can enjoy the same treatment."

"Is this an ability they inherently possess?" Amidel, knowing that Dio had once convinced the felynes to convert to the Emperor, asked, "Or is it after you tricked them into converting to the Emperor?"

"I think it's after believing in the Emperor; the Emperor activated their inherent Psyker potential," Dio corrected. "If believing in the Emperor is truly effective, can it still be called trickery?"

Amidel and the people around him exchanged glances; they all saw shock in each other's eyes.

Brothers, believing in the Emperor is truly effective. Could it be that the Emperor has truly become a god?

"Should we also..."

Lieutenant Ebo seemed about to suggest something, but he was interrupted by the Hunter dreadnought, who did not hold a positive view on the matter.

"We are warriors who eradicate the enemies of humanity, fellow travelers who restore humanity's former glory under the Emperor's leadership, and practitioners of the imperial truth. Our determination has never relied on external things like faith!"

Dio also agreed with the Hunter dreadnought's statement: "Faith makes humanity strong, and it also makes humanity fall. I cannot deny the objective existence of faith today, but what is truly powerful will always be humanity itself."

"However, some things, as long as they are useful, must be used," he added. "At least with the Cat Cart as a guarantee, some tactical deployments can be more aggressive."

"How much longer until you can fully prepare all these weapons?" Amidel asked.

"At the current speed, it will take another four days, twenty hours, and three minutes, in other words, five days from now. Once all the materials that can be made are done, waiting any longer would just be a waste of time," Dio replied.

"That means the final battle to reclaim the Space Hulk is in five days. I will arrange for reconnaissance personnel to scout out the condition of the Rathalos occupying the Space Hulk, and then prepare within five days." He let out a breath, as if he could already see that final battle: "Regardless of the outcome, Dio, we must thank you for your efforts."

"Alright, don't jinx it before the fight even begins."

Dio didn't seem to care, but he wasn't entirely confident in his heart either.

Although only a male Rathalos occupied the Space Hulk, after learning that the world soul would interfere, he also anticipated that this battle would definitely not be so simple.

Regardless, he had done his best. Whether he could win or not, he had the courage to face it without regret.

He sent everyone out of the workshop and continued to immerse himself in the creation of various devices. Time quietly passed during the crafting, and in a blink of an eye, the decisive battle was approaching.

As everyone gathered in the simple monastery in the camp, a pre-battle mobilization, absent for a century, was about to unfold.

Dio frowned, examining the intelligence brought back by the reconnaissance team. The footage recorded by the servo-skull that accompanied the reconnaissance team clearly showed the scene near the Space Hulk: the Space Hulk, abandoned for a thousand years, was already covered with bushes and vines, and in the center of the ruins, a male Rathalos was sprawled, sound asleep.

The entrance to the Space Hulk was blocked beneath it, and any attempts to bypass the Rathalos and enter the Space Hulk directly had been proven impossible. But as for fighting the Rathalos... seeing the male Rathalos's body already coated with a layer of metallic silver, Dio sighed.

This was no ordinary male Rathalos, not even the superior Azure Rathalos, but a rare species, the Silver Rathalos, capable of absorbing metallic elements to reinforce its scales.

Their self-healing and defensive capabilities were stronger than their kin, and their flying abilities were also superior to ordinary Rathalos. Especially since this Rathalos was near the Space Hulk, if the metallic elements it absorbed came from the forged metals within the Space Hulk, then this dragon's defense might far exceed imagination.

If viewed through the ecological lens of Monster Hunter, such a Rathalos is a special variant encountered only once among hundreds of Rathalos. However, Amidel, who had been conducting regular reconnaissance on the Rathalos occupying the Space Hulk, confidently informed Dio that just a few months ago, this Rathalos was merely an ordinary one with an entirely red carapace, only partially tinged with cerulean blue.

From a biological evolution perspective, Azure Rathalos and Silver Rathalos should be subspecies whose differences from ordinary Rathalos are determined at birth. Yet, this particular Rathalos had completed such an evolution.

The only reason Dio could think of for such a dramatic change in such a short time was the world soul.

After he had finished crafting all the materials he had on hand, he had originally intended to assess the reconnaissance situation to see if there was time to harvest some lower-grade materials. But now, no one knew what further changes this Rathalos might undergo if more time passed.

As the saying goes, delay breeds change. Dio could feel the world soul forcing them to act quickly.

Dio shut down the servo-skull: "It seems this world soul has a strong consciousness. It knows we will definitely return to the Space Hulk, so it specifically strengthened the male Rathalos you've had a grudge with before. Now, it's definitely going to be a fight to the death."

"We have no right to lose," Amidel replied in a deep voice.

"In this world where merely living requires all one's effort, who can afford to lose?"

Dio and Amidel looked up. Standing on the monastery platform, they gazed into the interior of the monastery. At this moment, all the astartes still capable of combat were successively entering the monastery. The felynes were standing at the entrance, distributing breakfast to every warrior entering. Before the formal battle mobilization began, they still had time to enjoy a Cat Meal.

The speed at which the felynes integrated with the astartes exceeded most people's expectations. These endearing small animals were cute in appearance and nimble-minded. Although they couldn't yet speak Imperial Gothic, they could understand and handle all daily chores simply by following instructions.

This quickly led the astartes, who had lost all their Mortal servants and had to handle all matters, big and small, themselves after crashing on this planet, to accept this group of humanity's good companions.

The felynes' love for cooking even influenced the astartes in return. Most space marines, who only needed simple sustenance, had largely lost the joy of eating; maintaining survival and absorbing elements from food to strengthen their black carapace were almost their sole purposes for eating.

But when the Cat Meal, which could stimulate the space marines' taste buds and also enhance their physical condition, became popular in the camp, almost no one could refuse a delicious Cat Meal.

Considering that the Cat Cart required the felynes' determination to protect their companions to activate, the harmonious relationship between the astartes and the felynes was also an improvement in combat power. However, the order to assemble the entire company made the atmosphere today very serious. The astartes were almost disinclined to enjoy their Cat Meal; they waited in the chapel with solemn expressions, only occasionally exchanging a few words with those beside them.

The felynes were also affected by the atmosphere, silently moving among the astartes. They only completed necessary tasks, then yielded their positions to the astartes.

Soon, all ninety-eight combat-ready members of the company were gathered here. Amidel then stepped forward, surveying his assembled brothers from the monastery platform.

"Brothers," he began slowly, "Although I have never explicitly explained the situation to everyone, I have also never concealed it. I believe you all more or less know that more than half a month ago, Dio from the Adeptus Mechanicus crashed onto this planet that has confined us for over a thousand years, and we formed a partnership. Since then, we have learned about the current state of the galaxy, and our increasingly dire situation due to dwindling resources has been fundamentally improved."

"We have electricity again, armor again, and weapons again. Even the large monsters that once posed a threat to us have been slain. In those days, the Legion, having strayed, did not accept us, and the monsters on this planet also eyed us covetously. But now, the Legions that betrayed the Imperium have long vanished, and the monsters on this planet have not crushed us. After a thousand years, only we still exist here, standing tall."

"We have proven with our actions the oath we once made: never to yield before xenos and monsters. Brothers, what glory is this!"

The atmosphere in the monastery became slightly more fervent. Most of the warriors seemed to recall the arduous years of struggle on this planet. The past hardships transformed into present glory, making them proudly hold their heads high at this moment.

"But establishing ourselves on this planet is just the beginning, brothers! I, and all of us, have never forgotten who we are! We are great warriors who carry the glory of humanity, noble champions who eradicate the enemies of humanity! We are astartes, we are space marines!"

"Having undergone augmentation, we are born to forge a future for humanity across the cosmos, not to remain dormant on a single planet! Brothers, question your hearts and see if our mission calls us to return to the stars!"

Amidel raised his hands high and then brought them down forcefully. He looked at the warriors below, who were gradually becoming fervent, and realized it was time to introduce the Hunter, who had never before appeared before the other brothers.

He nodded to Dio.

Dio, who was already prepared, pulled back the curtain that had been covering the dreadnought on the monastery platform and began the dreadnought's awakening ritual.

The Hunter dreadnought always slept when not necessary to alleviate his pain, but now, this place clearly needed the Hunter dreadnought, who had once completely witnessed the Legion's history and led them, as a testament.

As this old company commander, who had always been in slumber in the impression of all the warriors, was awakened, the warriors below became excited. Everyone held their breath and watched the dreadnought on the platform, and the awakened dreadnought's first action was a long, soft sigh.

"A thousand years. I never thought I would meet you all again in this way. But since we are here, it means our past is not over, and our mission is not yet complete."

The dreadnought stood up, and Dio timely displayed a projection of the Space Hulk.

"The Space Hulk. I still remember leading you all in battle on this ship—to me, it was but a blink of an eye, so the shame of leading the entire company into despair back then is still fresh in my memory."

"I believe everyone now understands that what we fought against back then were demons, immortal warp creatures. The beings behind them, who directed these creatures, caused us to fall onto this planet and led our Legion into irreversible corruption."

"Fighting those creatures in the warp was destined to be a losing battle, but our brothers who died on the Space Hulk still used their sacrifice to win a possible future for those of us who remained in an impossible fight."

The dreadnought's voice gradually grew louder, his booming words echoing through the entire cathedral via the loudspeakers.

"Even if the Legion has fallen and vanished, even if the glory of the Great Crusade is gone, brothers! We must still fight! We cannot sever our dark past, nor can we have a bright future, but precisely because of this, we must fight even harder! We must understand the darkness that was once imposed upon us, we must make those warp xenos pay for our fallen brothers, we must make the human traitors, including our gene-father, feel the wrath of our blades as we cut down all enemies of humanity! As long as there is breath in us, our mission will not end!"

The dreadnought pointed at the projected map of the Space Hulk, roaring:

"Right there, on that Space Hulk, at the intersection of our past and future! We are about to go there, to reclaim our future from the warp's schemes and the claws of monsters! Brothers of the White Wind Grand Company, warriors of the White Wind Grand Company!"

Numerous emotions resonated in the cathedral at this moment. Even these battle-hardened astartes were almost overcome with emotion. They pounded their chest plates, shouting their war cry alongside the Hunter dreadnought.

"Today's sacrifice, for tomorrow's triumph!"

"Preparation of power armor and equipment, shooting training with electromagnetic rifles and ballistas, everything, all for this moment!"

Amidel put on his helmet adorned with tigrex plumes. Lieutenant Ebo stood beside him, holding their company's banner embroidered with the White Wind. The radiance of the hunters shone upon them: "Go forth, White Wind of the New World!"

The Silver Rathalos had lived for a very long time, so long that even it did not know how old it was. Normal members of its kind did not possess such a long lifespan, but ever since its mate was killed by those tiny can-sized beings in an inexplicable explosion, its world had changed.

It furiously pursued those can-sized beings who killed its mate. Although only a few of them could be caught and killed, it found itself growing stronger and stronger in the process. Its flames became more ferocious, its tail claws more powerful, and it even flew more lightly than before.

Already vaguely possessing rudimentary intelligence, it realized that these changes had all occurred after it began hunting these can-sized beings. Its increase in strength seemed like a reward for its revenge and loyalty to its mate. So, it simply settled on this Space Hulk that those can-sized beings originally guarded.

Aside from foraging and resting, it spent most of its time searching for and hunting those can-sized beings. Even later, when its strength no longer improved from hunting them, its revenge never ceased.

If it followed its usual routine, this would be the time for it to go out and continue bothering those can-sized beings. But strangely, the growth that had been stagnant for a long time suddenly resumed during this period.

Moreover, besides normal foraging, it even developed an appetite for metal, which it had previously been uninterested in.

This strange change forced it to alter its habits and begin foraging for nutrients. But in its heart, it still remembered the hatred of losing its mate. As it planned to go out and trouble those can-sized beings after this growth spurt, it still remembered the explosion that consumed its mate... A subtle movement in its ears made the Silver Rathalos, who was accelerating its growth through sleep, open its vertical pupils. Then it saw several peculiar creatures, smaller than the can-sized beings and with ears and tails, setting up barrels around its head.

Yes, it was exactly these things. Back then, a can-sized being, holding something similar, rushed under its mate, and then there was a colossal explosion... Hmm?

The Silver Rathalos, realizing what was happening, was about to lift its head, but the felynes, seeing that the Silver Rathalos had woken up, quickly meowed out a warning. Their nimble figures swiftly vanished from the Silver Rathalos's sight. Meanwhile, a large barrel bomb, with its fuse already lit, hissed in front of the Silver Rathalos.

"Boom!"

Before it could even lift its head, the Silver Rathalos's head and body were engulfed by the fiery blast from the exploding large barrel bomb! The barrel bomb, filled with bazelgeuse explosive gland solution, was incredibly powerful. Even though Dio had chosen the darkest hour before dawn for the first wave of surprise attacks, the rising flames instantly illuminated half the sky as if it were broad daylight.

But even with such a massive explosion, Dio dared not be complacent. Knowing the Silver Rathalos's high resistance, he never believed that this single surprise attack could secure overall victory. So, he simply ordered:

"Proceed as planned, don't spare the firepower!"

The astartes, who had already arrived at advantageous firing positions, immediately poured bullets mercilessly into the flames. But moments later, the response they received was not the Silver Rathalos's painful wail, but an enraged roar. As the explosive gland fluid burned out, the Silver Rathalos, re-emerging from the flames, only had burn marks on its abdomen. Its hard head and heat-resistant wings were almost completely unharmed, save for being a little blackened by smoke. It angrily scanned every astartes present with its needle-like vertical pupils, seemingly questioning why they sought death.

"The epidermal resistance is higher than we expected, but the speed at which it lifted its head is slower than before. It should be due to some impact from the explosion on its internal organs, but not much."

 Dio quickly checked the Silver Rathalos's condition. Its intact state surprised him a little, but it did not exceed his prior expectations: "But it's fine, it hasn't fully evolved yet. Generally, only its head and torso are plated with silver due to metal element reinforcement; other areas aren't hard enough. We need to open the situation with melee first... Amidel!"

 Dio loudly alerted Amidel, who understood and jumped back. Sure enough, the enraged Silver Rathalos first lowered its head and spat out a ball of fire. A massive fireball assailed the astartes closest to it, who were preparing for melee engagement, but Amidel and his group, who were prepared, dodged it first.

Seeing that the first attack was ineffective, the Silver Rathalos angrily raised its head and roared. Although its voice did not cause direct sonic damage like the tigrex's, the wrath of a top predator was clearly not so easily endured.

The closer astartes were temporarily halted due to discomfort and loss of balance. Only Amidel, clad in tigrex power armor, brandished the wyvern blade Red, not retreating but advancing, rapidly assailing the roaring Silver Rathalos.

Amidel's actions made the Silver Rathalos feel its dignity was provoked. It stopped roaring, lowered its body, and lunged its head to bite at the charging Amidel. Amidel deftly dodged to the side, then swung the Red Blade onto the Silver Rathalos's head.

He activated the flowing flame power within the Red Blade, unleashing a burst of explosive flames with the swing. Although the explosive flames themselves did not cause critical damage to the Silver Rathalos, the disintegrating field hidden beneath the flames successfully left a long, narrow wound on the Silver Rathalos's forehead.

This was a perfect combination of a Monster Hunter weapon and a warhammer weapon. The wyvern blade Red was first a power sword, and second a Katana made from Rathalos materials. The destructive, lethal corona of the power sword, enhanced by its energy cell, now perfectly merged with the flame power from the materials, delivering a direct blow to the Silver Rathalos!

The pained Silver Rathalos retracted its head, surprised and uncertain. It observed Amidel and his weapon with its vertical pupils, clearly intending to fight this enemy, who could harm it, more cautiously.

But when it realized what Amidel's weapon was made of, it became utterly enraged. The flames churning in the Silver Rathalos's chest emitted a blazing, white light that seemed capable of melting metal. It couldn't even wait for the flames to fully brew before lunging its head to bite Amidel again!

"What's wrong with this Rathalos?!"

The continuous attacks left Amidel no chance to adjust himself and counterattack. He could only dodge frantically. "Didn't you say it wouldn't enter an enraged state so quickly at the beginning, unleashing such a crazy combo?"

You're wielding its mate's remains as a weapon and attacking it. If it doesn't devour you alive, it might as well achieve immediate sainthood and ascend directly to the warp to use its positive emotions to enlighten The Four Gods. Why would it still fight you to the death here?

 Dio had his own thoughts on this, but he wouldn't say so: "Perhaps this Silver Rathalos just has a bad temper. Hold on a little longer."

Let Amidel suffer a bit more, and let the Silver Rathalos take the blame!

He no longer paid attention to the complaining Amidel, instead shifting his gaze to the distant sky. At this moment, the first rays of sunlight appeared on the distant horizon.

He had specifically chosen the time before dawn for the first round of battle, and after a struggle, the moment of dawn had quietly arrived.

Very few creatures soar in the sky at night, and this is true for Rathalos as well. Flying is an extremely energy-intensive activity, and aside from migration, flying at night when no prey can be found is pure waste.

But when day arrived and visibility became clear again, the sunlight also awakened the Silver Rathalos's instinct to fly, bringing the battle into its second phase.

The Silver Rathalos, having grown tired of repeatedly trying to bite Amidel without success, was weary of the situation. Its continuous pursuit, while forcing Amidel to dodge frantically, also prevented it from adjusting its attack posture.

Realizing that this only confined it to a small area, the Silver Rathalos abandoned its continued struggle with Amidel as daylight broke.

It ignored the astartes who had crawled underneath, attempting to cut its belly with power swords. Instead, it leaped backward while spitting a fireball, then pushed off with its legs, launching directly into the air.

The fireball spat out in haste was not particularly hot, but it still inflicted damage that the astartes could not withstand head-on. Facing the can-sized beings who could only dodge, the Silver Rathalos, now at a low altitude, flapped its wings. The intense wind pressure it generated temporarily immobilized the astartes who had not adjusted their stances in time after dodging.

He lowered his head, aiming at the astartes, as fierce flames gathered in his mouth. A super-explosive fireball, several times hotter than the previous one, formed in his maw. He clearly intended to use this strike to eliminate the astartes on the ground who were relentlessly pestering him!

But Dio had been waiting for this very moment!

The weak attacks of the electromagnetic rifles made the Silver Rathalos ignore the distant threat. As he endured the hail of bullets that couldn't penetrate his defense, focusing on dealing with the 'tin cans' on the ground, Dio gave the order:

"Arrow formation first, clear the obstacles! Archers, fire!"

Five ballistas, hidden in the jungle, were pushed out. The dragon sinews, fully drawn, were released by the astartes. Dragonbone arrows shot out with lightning speed towards the low-flying Silver Rathalos!

Each ballista, meticulously positioned by Dio, was aimed at a different part of the Silver Rathalos's body: its two wings, its two wing bones, and its relatively soft abdomen.

The five ballistas, deployed in different directions, caught the Silver Rathalos off guard. It was too late for it to dodge when it noticed the incoming bolts while it was still lowering its head to charge up!

The Silver Rathalos barely managed to twist its body, using its claws to grab the bolt aimed at its abdomen. Another bolt, due to its evasive maneuver, grazed its right wing bone and embedded itself in its back. The remaining three accurately pierced their targets, puncturing the Silver Rathalos's left wing bone and the membranes of both wings.

The pained Silver Rathalos raised its head. It focused its target on the ballistas, spitting the explosive fireballs it had gathered in its mouth towards them. Although the astartes operating the ballistas retreated in time, the explosions from the fireballs still engulfed two of the ballistas.

The scorching flames instantly reduced one ballista to ashes, while the other was overturned by the blast wave. The enraged Silver Rathalos swiftly flew above the overturned ballista, grabbed it with its claws, and smashed it to smithereens.

Dio narrowed his eyes, having lost two ballistas in an instant. Witnessing the power of the explosive fireball, he could only be thankful that it hadn't detonated among the melee-focused astartes.

The remaining three ballistas continued to fire, but they could no longer pose a sufficient threat to the now wary Silver Rathalos. It flapped its wings and flew higher into the sky, using the advantage of altitude to evade the arrows, while fully utilizing the Rathalos's strength—mercilessly strafing the ground with fire from above.

Numerous trees were incinerated by the flames. The ballistas, having lost the jungle as cover, were quickly discovered by the Silver Rathalos. Although the astartes attempted to retreat with the ballistas, two of them were caught and burned clean by the pursuing Silver Rathalos.

Faced with this situation, Dio could only shake his head.

The ability to fly was simply too overpowered. Although theoretically, a Rathalos and a tigrex should be evenly matched opponents, the Rathalos's flying ability was a nightmare for most hunters who lacked ranged attack options. And facing the variant Silver Rathalos, whose flying ability was even more exceptional than a regular Rathalos, the current situation was even more dire.

However, even though the ballistas were destroyed, Dio, who had already arranged for an early ambush with them, had achieved his desired effect. Its pierced wings and injured right wing bone forced the Silver Rathalos to expend more effort to maintain altitude and balance in the air, causing the Silver Rathalos, which was wantonly spitting flames in the sky, to quickly show signs of fatigue.

The Rathalos had to lower its altitude by tilting its tail. Dio, keenly observing this change, mercilessly exposed the Silver Rathalos's weakness with his weaponized insights.

"He's going to dive for a poisoned claw attack next, Amidel, watch his talons!"

Amidel was fully focused. Having already been warned by Dio, he reacted by dodging sideways the instant the Silver Rathalos folded its wings and dived, causing the high-speed diving Silver Rathalos to miss its target.

The Silver Rathalos used the last bit of momentum before gliding to land to turn in mid-air, then landed facing the dodging Amidel. Frustrated by its failed attack, it let out another roar of anger.

But this had no effect on Amidel, who, wearing the tigrex armor, was practically deaf. He unflinchingly continued forward, carrying the opponent's 'wife', which made the already furious Silver Rathalos even more frenzied.

It began to lash its tail, trying to drive away the closing astartes and Amidel, but the repeated probing of the thirteen astartes almost made the Silver Rathalos spin itself into a self-winding top.

The Silver Rathalos's exposed back as it spun its body and lashed its tail also created an opportunity for the astartes' ranged attack squad. Dio, using the time the grounded Silver Rathalos was distracted, once again gave the order:

"Aim for the arrow wounds on its back, keep firing!"

The firing squad, composed of over twenty people, unleashed a firepower several times more ferocious than before. A rain of electromagnetic rifle bullets easily followed the already opened wounds, wantonly exacerbating the opponent's injuries. Realizing the situation was unfavorable, the Silver Rathalos had no desire to continue the ground skirmish. Even though its current injuries were not severe, it did not want to make any more futile delays on the ground.

The Rathalos gathered its strength, intending to return to the sky, but just as it flapped its wings, a flashbang thrown by Lieutenant Vigan exploded in front of it, blinding the Silver Rathalos!

Losing the sense of balance needed for takeoff, the Silver Rathalos stumbled, its intended takeoff posture turning into a clumsy fall to the ground. Amidel seized the opportunity to lead his men forward to encircle and attack, but the Silver Rathalos's hard head and tightly closed eyelids prevented them from finding an opening from the front.

They could only activate their power swords to create more wounds on the Silver Rathalos's belly and back, while also cutting its wings, attempting to further reduce its flying ability.

The effect of the first round of flashbangs was significant. The Silver Rathalos struggled on the ground for a full twenty-five seconds before getting back up. Covered in blood, it was now too tired to even roar, only able to glare with hateful eyes at the warriors of the White Wind Grand Company, then leaped into the air, entering flight mode once again.

Dio knew that although the Silver Rathalos looked miserable, its injuries were superficial. However, the hunt had been too smooth, with no astartes having withdrawn from the fight so far, which gave Dio confidence that he could turn these superficial wounds into a critical condition that would exhaust the Silver Rathalos to death simply by prolonging the fight.

But precisely because it was too smooth, Dio now felt a faint unease.

Would the world soul just watch them continue to succeed so easily? It could allow an ordinary male Rathalos to evolve into an Azure Rathalos during the pursuit of astartes, and it could even allow an Azure Rathalos to defy natural laws and evolve into a Silver Rathalos, whose physique was originally determined congenitally.

Now, the Silver Rathalos also didn't seem to be a match for this well-equipped group of astartes. Would the world soul stand by and do nothing in such a situation?

Soon, the faint worry turned into reality. Two felynes frantically pushed a handcart to Dio's front. They fumbled with the handcart in front of Dio, and an astartes rolled off the cart and landed at Dio's feet.

"That dragon previously named deviljho has appeared." The astartes, who had participated in the previous tigrex hunt, coughed up blood. He looked very weak, but he still forced himself to report the situation to Dio: "Sergeant Arlo, who was assigned to perimeter guard, is leading his men to entangle with it!"

"I know, don't move."

The deep dent in the power armor made Dio realize that the space marines in front of him had probably taken a solid hit from a deviljho's body slam.

Dio skillfully removed the power armor from the other party, then, without anesthesia, directly cut open their abdomen and manually reset the dislocated organs. Although no longer life-threatening after emergency treatment, the destructive power of the body slam still surprised Dio.

He hadn't expected that in the five hundredth year of 32K, Chinese martial arts would still be so sharp.

Dio had the felynes take the treated casualty to a place far from the battlefield, then refocused his attention on the confrontation with the Silver Rathalos.

The plan to hunt the Silver Rathalos had been meticulously arranged by Dio. The world soul shamelessly pulling people from outside the arena, like it did with the tigrex, was also within Dio's consideration, having learned from a previous mistake.

Apart from the team of about thirty people participating in the Silver Rathalos hunt, the remaining personnel had been assigned to Sergeant Arlo for perimeter guard before the operation began. Although they didn't have any heavy machinery, Dio calculated that with just their numbers to entangle the monster, they would most likely be able to hold out until the Silver Rathalos fell.

In any case, the key to this operation lay with the Silver Rathalos. The Silver Rathalos confrontation must not be affected by external factors!

Thinking this, he continued to command the Silver Rathalos hunting team. The Silver Rathalos, with partially damaged wings, could only resist by maintaining a rhythm of circling in mid-air and then landing. Amidel and his team, who were becoming increasingly proficient in the Silver Rathalos's attack patterns, were already able to fight it with ease.

The warriors maintained a rhythm of dodging when it ascended and harassing it when it landed, attacking the Silver Rathalos in waves. The Silver Rathalos was gradually showing signs of fatigue. As its superficial wounds accumulated, its time airborne grew shorter and shorter, and the flames it spat were not as intense as before. But Dio surveyed the open ground where they were fighting and discovered a hidden danger in the battle.

The scorching marks left on the ground each time the Rathalos spat fireballs were constantly compressing the astartes' activity space. If they didn't change locations soon, the warriors, lacking dodging space, would eventually be caught by the Silver Rathalos and fall one by one like dominoes.

Dio pinched his chin. He was considering luring the Silver Rathalos to a new battlefield and setting up another paralysis trap. But just then, the felynes ran over again with a handcart, depositing an astartes Dio wasn't very familiar with in front of him.

"Another monster has arrived."

The astartes was barely breathing. He had obvious tire marks from a monster hit-and-run, and huge bloody holes from sharp objects piercing him. Drag marks on both sides indicated that the felynes had clearly put in a lot of effort to dig him out of the ground: "It's covered in scales that protrude like bones, and it can curl into a ball and roll around..."

"Didn't you use dung bombs to drive it away?"

"We did, but the monster was very determined and didn't leave at all..."

Dio wanted to curse, but he held back.

He had tolerated the deviljho and bazelgeuse, who, as the world's police, had crashed in without their boomboxes. But now, even a Radobaan from the volcanic region had come to crash the party. What was going on? Summoning reinforcements to the point of violating natural laws, what kind of 'natural embodiment' was the world soul?

"It's alright, rest and recover."

Dio comforted him, having given him some basic first aid before letting the felynes carry him away.

He turned to observe the situation with the Silver Rathalos. Amidel was still in a repetitive cycle of aerial and ground combat with the Rathalos. Maintaining this rhythm of opportunistic strikes, leveraging their numerical advantage, was undoubtedly time-consuming but the most stable approach. However, external pressures meant this method was no longer viable.

First the deviljho, then the Radobaan—what else could appear next? Dio didn't know, but dragging this out was certainly not a long-term solution.

Even if it might come at a cost, Dio had to consider a quick resolution.

Fortunately, the fighters currently on the field weren't Dio's entire hand. He was now going to play his last card to decisively end the battle!

While the Silver Rathalos was still fighting on the ground, Dio and the felynes quickly set up a concealed paralysis trap. Then he instructed Amidel:

"Amidel, retreat towards me and lead the battle here!"

Amidel didn't hesitate, slinging his Katana onto his back and sprinting towards Dio's position. The Rathalos, puzzled, felt a deep apprehension towards these 'cans' who, though not strong, were agile and adept at teamwork.

Reason told him he could use this opportunity of them actively disengaging to withdraw from the fight, but upon seeing the wyvern blade on Amidel's back, his eyes revealed an innate frenzy.

That was his mate, his wife. He still remembered the warmth, like finding his mother's embrace, when he first found her... How could he be a Dragon if he didn't avenge this hatred!?

A fierce expression appeared on his face. He didn't even take flight; instead, with an aura of 'you killed my mother,' he lowered his body and unleashed a Dragon Charge he had never used before, charging forward without hesitation.

Although his sprint speed wasn't as fast as a tigrex, the impact of a twenty-meter-long behemoth charging at high speed was still breathtaking.

At Dio's reminder, the fleeing Amidel specifically jumped over the paralysis trap's trigger mechanism. The Silver Rathalos, following Amidel closely with his Dragon Charge, would fall into the trap if he charged just a little further.

But he seemed to notice something from Amidel's unusual jump. He stopped right at the edge of the trap's trigger, then lunged forward with a massive bite towards Amidel!

Amidel, having just jumped, was still in mid-air and had no time to adjust his posture. He was about to be bitten by the Silver Rathalos, but the dreadnought Hunter, who had been ambushed in the jungle for a long time, seized the opportunity and charged out of the jungle!

"Xenos!" his roaring voice was like thunder, "Face me!"

The nearly five-meter-tall dreadnought's charge had no less impact than a Dragon Charge. His swinging power armor fist struck the Silver Rathalos's head, which was open to bite, disorienting the Silver Rathalos with just one blow!

The dazed Silver Rathalos shook his head, trying to understand what was happening. He snarled threateningly and turned his head, but what greeted him as he turned was the heavy twin-linked bolter in the dreadnought's other hand.

"I am the enemy of the xenos! I am the wrath of humanity!"

Heavy bolter rounds whistled into the Silver Rathalos's vulnerable throat. Although, under the world soul's protection, they did possess an unusual resistance to firearms, this certainly didn't mean they could remain unscathed when a heavy bolter was shoved into their mouth and fired madly.

The dreadnought, not tolerating the Silver Rathalos's roaring display, directly used the Rathalos's open mouth to shove the gun barrel in, giving the Silver Rathalos a 'deep throat' with the thick, long barrel. Huge bolter rounds then poured out of the barrel, violently tearing into the Silver Rathalos's most vulnerable flesh!

Bolter rounds slammed into the Silver Rathalos's throat one after another, causing him to emit a muffled shriek. The bolter rounds that had penetrated his flesh exploded inside the Silver Rathalos, tearing the flesh in his neck to shreds. Some bolter rounds even exited the back of his neck before they could explode.

Seeing this, the dreadnought squeezed the trigger even harder, determined to literally shoot off the Silver Rathalos's neck!

But the Silver Rathalos's survival instinct also made him struggle desperately. He tried to close his mouth, biting off the gun barrel shoved inside with his teeth.

The dreadnought wanted to deliver another powerful blow, but the Silver Rathalos raised his head, denying the dreadnought the opportunity.

However, the Silver Rathalos's nightmare did not end there. When he raised his head to avoid the dreadnought, he found that Dio had already driven his engine to fly above him, and the plasma pistol in his hand, currently charging, was shining like a harbinger of death!

After realizing the world soul's existence, Dio had always avoided directly using high-power weapons like plasma pistols, to avoid directly clashing with the world soul.

He had guessed, based on how these space marines had survived on this planet for so long, that the world soul probably wouldn't go for a complete extermination as long as the firepower wasn't excessively over the top. But now, the world soul, calling for reinforcements everywhere, had shattered Dio's assumptions.

Since the opponent was no longer holding back, Dio naturally had no need to hide anything either.

Although the external encirclement had made the overall situation precarious, now that Dio's trump cards were all out, as long as he could quickly take down the Silver Rathalos, all problems would naturally be resolved!

What about the world soul then? What other schemes did it have?

In this rapidly changing situation in less than a minute, what more could a planet's self-awareness do?

Dio would ponder such questions, but he would never let his thoughts slow down his actions. He raised his hand, aimed at the area already heavily damaged by the dreadnought, and released the trigger.

A brilliant blue light erupted from the muzzle. That harbinger of death, dyed blue by plasma, was now shining above the Silver Rathalos's head!

Scorching, electrically charged plasma pierced through the Silver Rathalos's fangs and shot into his already riddled throat. The Silver Rathalos roared in pain, yet no sound came out. He could only crane his neck and spread his wings, trying to alleviate the physical pain like a shaman performing a ritual dance.

Dio, having put down his almost overloaded plasma gun, merely watched the Silver Rathalos coldly. He silently awaited the end of this painful struggle.

He anticipated the moment the Silver Rathalos would weakly fall and trigger the paralysis trap on the ground—that would be the Silver Rathalos's true demise.

In the end, it seemed there was nothing particularly special. The world soul evolved an Azure Rathalos into a Silver Rathalos and brought in reinforcements from elsewhere. But Dio's side was no longer just eight people as it was during the tigrex hunt.

If this not-yet-fully-evolved Silver Rathalos's combat power was comparable to a small Titan, then Dio's fully armed team, led by Amidel, was equivalent to a more flexible anti-Titan vehicle, an 'Imperator Titanbane.' It was only natural for them to achieve this victory by committing all their forces and having special weapons.

It was only thanks to the veteran dreadnought Hunter seizing the opportunity of the Silver Rathalos's open mouth to almost sever his neck, making the victory easier than expected... Dio wanted to make an easier judgment, but the development of the scene didn't entirely follow his predictions.

The Silver Rathalos's shamanistic dance had stopped, but he didn't fall.

Dio noticed something was wrong.

He observed carefully and found that the Silver Rathalos was no longer entangled in combat. His previously shot-through neck was now slowly healing, and his chest cavity was glowing with a dazzling, incandescent white light.

This was clearly a sign of releasing a breath attack!

But why?

No matter how strong the Silver Rathalos's healing ability was, the heavy bolter rounds and plasma that had shot into his throat couldn't be faked!

It must be the world soul's doing! Damn the world soul!

Dio, with poor aerial maneuverability, quickly landed on the ground. The dreadnought Hunter and Amidel on the ground also realized something was amiss.

"A final burst of life?" Amidel asked.

"More like he's been enhanced. Retreat first!" Dio called out without looking back, "Wind, hurry up!"

The two men and one mech started to disengage from the battlefield, and the other space marines, who were approaching, also moved away under orders. But this time, the Silver Rathalos was far wilder, more dominant, and more powerful than before.

When the fury in his chest was accumulated to its limit, his previously raised head suddenly lowered, and he exhaled a blue-white sea of fire, shimmering with plasma arcs, towards the three people on the ground.

The waves of fire surged, chased, and greedily devoured all life on the earth. Dio and Amidel barely managed to escape this fan-shaped forbidden zone of life. But the clumsy dreadnought was not so lucky; his walking mechanism, far less mobile than regular power armor, was melted by the scorching flames.

When the sea of fire ended, Dio and Amidel returned to the dreadnought's side, stepping on the scorching, charred earth, only to find that the dreadnought's legs had been melted and then solidified onto the ground, firmly locking the dreadnought in place.

Although the dreadnought's upper body was unharmed, in this situation, being unable to move was no different from death.

"Think of something, Dio! We can't let the Hunter die here!" Amidel shouted loudly. The Silver Rathalos, now fully recovered and full of momentum, was charging towards them, and they were almost helpless.

"The plasma I shot in didn't harm the Silver Rathalos. Instead, he spat it out along with the flames. The plasma enhanced his breath attack and melted the dreadnought's walking mechanism."

Dio rapidly checked the dreadnought's condition: "I can't repair the walking mechanism, but I can unlock the dreadnought's driving program and eject the sarcophagus separately, but we don't have much time..."

"Then don't worry about me, go do what you need to do!" The dreadnought's voice was still as clear as a bell, "Remember, now you are the true Hunter!"

The true Hunter and what needed to be done... Amidel gritted his teeth, he took a few steps back and instructed, "Lieutenant Ebo, assist Dio! Everyone else, follow me!"

He raised Red high and ran to the side. The Silver Rathalos's hatred for Amidel was clearly higher than for an iron coffin that couldn't move on the ground, and it chased after Amidel without hesitation. Lieutenant Ebo, holding the Legion banner, came to Dio's side to assist him in rescuing the dreadnought.

"Why did things turn out this way?" The Hunter dreadnought asked, "That Dragon was almost dead before! This isn't scientific!"

"No, this is very scientific," Dio denied the Hunter dreadnought's statement.

If it were any other world, this would certainly be unscientific.

But this is the Warhammer Universe, where even numerology can be a science.

As Dio unsealed the sarcophagus, he pondered, "We were deceived by the world soul. Those monsters that intruded from outside were all a feint... The real killing blow was always this Silver Rathalos. It normally burns its own throat when spitting fire, so it possesses extremely strong self-healing abilities. Our attack, which almost killed it, instead allowed it to complete a transformation between life and death with the help of the world soul."

Simply providing energy cannot truly evolve a dragon; only a life-or-death crisis can... And they, eager to kill the Silver Rathalos, just happened to play the role of providing that crisis.

"You sound very calm. Was this situation also within your expectations?" Lieutenant Ebo, assisting, inquired.

Dio, having unsealed the sarcophagus, shook his head, "It's just that being uncalm wouldn't help. Lieutenant Ebo, please take the dreadnought to a safe distance from the battlefield with the Felynes. I need to observe the Silver Rathalos's condition further."

Lieutenant Ebo and the felynes who came to rescue dragged the sarcophagus away. Dio was then able to carefully observe the current Silver Rathalos. He noticed that a dazzling white light, like molten metal, continuously flowed within the Silver Rathalos's chest. Clearly, the Silver Rathalos had been in an elevated "Blaze State" since just now.

This excited state, which previous Silver Rathalos could only maintain briefly during the heat of battle, could significantly increase the Silver Rathalos's flame temperature and agility. However, the Silver Rathalos, having been in this state continuously since just now, had clearly violated the principle of "brief maintenance."

Not only did it show no signs of fatigue, but it grew stronger with each attack. The flames it exhaled now subtly entwined around its body, dancing with its every move, making it look as if the Silver Rathalos was controlling these flames.

Controlling flames means controlling a natural energy... This is the power to manipulate nature.

But this kind of reality-bending power, in warhammer, should be called psychic power.

Dio suddenly understood.

It's an Elder Dragons.

This Silver Rathalos, which has mastered psychic power, is undergoing a fundamental transformation of its life essence; it is advancing towards becoming an Elder Dragons!

Elder Dragons are a collective term for monsters in the Monster Hunter world that possess unparalleled vitality and lifespan, as well as various different abilities. The Hunters Guild, formed by humans in Monster Hunter, has repeatedly emphasized that "the existence of Elder Dragons is an exception in itself."

The ecology and forms of all Elder Dragons can no longer be classified biologically, but their commonality is "power comparable to a natural disaster." Some are even natural disasters and nature itself.

From this, it is clear that the ability to control natural forces is a significant distinguishing factor for being an Elder Dragons. Some creatures, although possessing combat power comparable to Elder Dragons, cannot control natural forces and thus cannot cross the threshold to become Elder Dragons.

Throughout history, no one knew how Elder Dragons mastered natural forces and became Elder Dragons, transcending the food chain. But now, Dio witnessed firsthand a Fire Dragon that had mastered psychic power crossing the threshold to become an Elder Dragons.

But the cost of knowing the truth is always high. If they couldn't find a solution, everyone present would become sacrifices for this Silver Rathalos's ascent to Elder Dragons status!

The heightened state of excitement had already made the Silver Rathalos ignore the harassment from small-caliber ranged weapons from afar, while Amidel's melee squad was still struggling to hold on.

The Silver Rathalos's increasingly aggressive attacks made it difficult for the squad, which was already showing signs of fatigue, to cope. As the Silver Rathalos, originally in a biting stance, suddenly changed its move and swung its tail, sending an astartes who couldn't dodge in time flying through the air, the scales of battle had completely tipped towards the Silver Rathalos.

Once the battle line began to collapse, it couldn't be stopped.

Although the astartes were valiant warriors who fought to the death, as soon as someone fell, there was one less force to tie down the Silver Rathalos, allowing the Silver Rathalos to focus more energy on the remaining enemies. Whether biting, charging, or flying low to spit explosive fireballs to block routes, then diving with claw attacks at the astartes who had nowhere to hide... Although the felynes always managed to rescue the astartes in crisis, the number of combat-ready astartes was still rapidly dwindling. And precisely at this moment, Sergeant Arlo sent someone to report the situation outside:

"A third dragon has joined the chaotic battle outside. Sergeant Arlo's unit is almost unable to hold them back!"

Internal troubles of being unable to defeat the Silver Rathalos, external threats of three dragon approaching... Was defeat truly inevitable?

Dio glanced at the astartes rescued by the Ailu Cats; injured and crippled, they couldn't retreat at all. If they chose to abandon the hunt for the Silver Rathalos here, they would inevitably become part of what was abandoned.

Dio did not accept this choice.

He still had one last card, a card that wasn't really a card.

Dio flashed in front of Amidel. He unleashed all his remaining ammunition; the barrage from the two automatic bomb cannons and one ordinary plasma gun that popped out of his mechanical backpack temporarily forced back the Silver Rathalos, which had been relentlessly pursuing Amidel. Dio also took the opportunity to pull Amidel aside.

"I still have a way," Dio said.

"What way?" Amidel, whose helmet was already off, had a face covered in blood – his own blood, the Silver Rathalos's blood, and his brothers' blood.

"I still have one high-yield melta bomb," Dio said concisely. "You need to keep the Silver Rathalos busy. I'll activate my flight engine to throw the melta bomb at the Silver Rathalos, and then we'll see if there's an opportunity."

"He's very agile in the air. You won't be able to keep up with his pace even if you fly with the engine. The success rate is too low," Amidel rejected Dio's plan. "And where did you get a large melta bomb?"

"This is my 'glorious bomb,' prepared for when I have no other choice. At least it can take a few more enemies down with me."

Amidel paused for a moment. Dio's figure, in his eyes, momentarily overlapped with that of the Tech-Sergeant who had long since sacrificed himself. But he still shook his head, "I don't agree."

"Then do you have a better way?" Dio retorted.

"No way doesn't mean no choice!"

Amidel pushed Dio away. He braced his Katana to withstand a headbutt from the Silver Rathalos, then narrowly dodged its gaping maw. In the continuous high-intensity close combat, even he, as the company champion, inevitably showed signs of fatigue. And just at this moment, Lieutenant Ebo also rushed to the scene.

"Amidel, Sergeant Arlo's defensive line has been breached! A dragon is rapidly approaching!"

Amidel looked back at Lieutenant Ebo. The Lieutenant was covered in gunpowder smoke, his power armor riddled with scratches and dents. His right hand still held the Legion banner; half of the banner had turned to ash from burning, and the White Wind symbol was torn by flame marks, yet it still stood proudly in the fierce wind stirred by the flames.

"Lieutenant Ebo!" he shouted sharply.

"Here!"

"I order you to dispatch a squad to escort Dio into the Space Hulk, at all costs, until Dio is confirmed to have the ability to return to space!"

"Yes!" The Lieutenant accepted the order without hesitation.

Amidel turned to Dio, " Dio, you have done more than enough for us. I said that whether it succeeded or not, we would show our gratitude for your efforts with practical actions. And now, I will fulfill that promise."

Lieutenant Ebo stepped forward, put down the Legion banner, and picked up Dio with his hand.

"What are you doing?" Dio struggled, but his bearings, which had been damaged since the fall, and his depleted weapon ammunition made his resistance so powerless against these superhuman warriors: "Are you sending me alone onto the Space Hulk?!"

"A small squad sneaking into the Space Hulk won't attract too much attention. I hope you can find a way to return to space inside, Dio. This is the only thing we can do now. The rest is up to you to figure out," Amidel turned his head, facing the Silver Rathalos and once again assuming a stance. "If you can return to space, I only hope that one day you can come back here and take away the gene-seed we've preserved in the camp. That is my only request."

"Amidel, you didn't even care about the method I proposed earlier!" Dio cursed loudly, "You selfish bastard!"

Amidel did not answer, leaving Dio at a loss. He could only summon an Felynes, remove the battery from his energy shield, and instruct the felynes to attach the energy shield to Amidel.

Unlike the Void Shield and deflection fields common in the Warhammer Universe, the energy shield from starcraft could block all attacks regardless of speed or type. Although it consumed a lot of energy, now was clearly not the time to worry about that.

Amidel faced the Silver Rathalos, gripping Red. Now, he was the only one left on the field.

Humanity's advantage over monsters has always been teamwork, but now, his comrades who fought alongside him had fallen. He could only stand alone before the monster.

He was so minuscule compared to the monster, yet he felt an indescribable tremor surging in his blood. He felt a mysterious power calling to him, urging him to sever the head of the giant beast before him.

"Am I excited?" he asked himself.

"Yes, I am excited," he confirmed his state of mind.

The fear of facing a colossal beast was an instinct of all living things, but he was a space marines, an astartes, an executioner of humanity's foes, and, more importantly, a Hunter.

He recalled the Legion before their gene-father returned, the glorious mission of hunting xenos the Emperor had bestowed upon their Legion, and their ancient battle cries when they still roamed the galaxy.

"Today's sacrifice," Amidel roared, "is for tomorrow's triumph!"

The lost glory of the Second Legion manifested in his blood. He stood there, determined to carry his courage and resolve to the very end!

He held his Katana, slowly picking up speed, and finally charged towards the Silver Rathalos. He saw a hint of apprehension towards him in the Silver Rathalos's eyes.

The Silver Rathalos flew high, unwilling to engage Amidel in prolonged ground combat. Instead, it began to gather its breath attack in mid-air. A silvery-white glow slowly flowed from its chest to its head, and a scorching blue-white flame converged in its mouth before it unleashed a fan-shaped blue-white breath attack at Amidel!

The flames instantly enveloped Amidel. Amidel drew his Katana and held it in front, simultaneously using his shoulder guard to resist the fiery onslaught. In the nick of time, the felynes carrying the energy shield finally arrived. He slapped the energy battery onto Amidel's back, and a light blue shield immediately enveloped Amidel, keeping the flames outside the barrier.

However, this breath attack was powerful and sustained. The shield, which had blocked most of the attack, eventually couldn't withstand everything. The moment the shield shattered, scorching flames instantly engulfed Amidel!

The Silver Rathalos watched with satisfaction as Amidel was swallowed by its flames. The revenge for its lost mate and its near-demise at his hands brought it a sense of profound satisfaction. It didn't even feel the pain from its wounds anymore, only wanting to use this feeling of elation to directly pursue and kill the remaining 'cans'.

But when the flames and smoke dissipated, the Silver Rathalos's eyes couldn't help but show surprise as it clearly saw what had happened. It stopped its movement to sweep away the remaining 'cans' and instead began to gather its breath attack in its mouth once more.

There was only one reason: Amidel was still standing there!

The half of his body that had been facing forward was melting from the shoulder guard downwards, and his power armor was not spared. Molten iron poured over half of his body, almost cooking him alive.

But he ignored it. When the flames dispersed, he, like a knight challenging a windmill, like a lone hero daring to face a C'tan, charged at the Silver Rathalos once more!

Fearless courage often accompanies needless sacrifice, but Dio would never let others' sacrifices be in vain.

"To win tomorrow's triumph, you can't just rely on sacrificing yourself!"

Dio's voice, amplified by a megaphone, rang out like thunder in Amidel's ears, whose helmet had already melted. At the same time, a massive plasma projectile shot over Amidel's head, aimed directly at the Silver Rathalos's skull.

"Only one chance, Amidel!"

The Silver Rathalos could dodge, but that would mean its charged breath attack would be for naught. The courage Amidel displayed, even across species, was enough to shock it. It only wanted to quickly eliminate this enemy to prevent future trouble. So, it chose to take a plasma hit head-on to unleash its flames.

But that was not the correct decision.

It overlooked where Dio, who had convinced Lieutenant Ebo, was standing. He was currently next to the last remaining of the five ballistae.

What he had just fired was not just that plasma projectile!

The plasma projectile obscured the Silver Rathalos's vision. Although it didn't cause much damage, it made it difficult to see clearly. It was about to unleash its accumulated flames at Amidel, relying on its memory of his original direction, but a piercing pain interrupted its breath attack, making it groan involuntarily.

Precisely calculated by Dio, the ballista bolt, crafted from the bone of a Rathian, was now deeply embedded in the Silver Rathalos's eye socket!

The intense pain prevented the Silver Rathalos from maintaining its altitude in the air. With the silvery-white glow in its chest gone, it plummeted directly to the ground, causing Dio to let out a long sigh of relief.

He was right. Although the Silver Rathalos, having initially shown the ability to manipulate flames, was beginning to move towards becoming an Elder Dragons, it had not yet completed its metamorphosis. Biologically speaking, it was still a Silver Rathalos, and the rule that a severe head injury during flight would cause it to exit its "Scorching State" and crash still applied.

This was the opportunity Dio spoke of!

Although his body was riddled with wounds, the surge in Amidel's heart grew stronger. He endured his half-melted body and charged to the Silver Rathalos's head.

The Silver Rathalos, suppressing the excruciating pain of being blinded in one eye, opened its mouth, intending to bite Amidel to death. But Amidel, as if guided by something, retreated a step like a phantom, dodging the Silver Rathalos's bite, then turned and slashed his Katana across the Silver Rathalos's head.

Dio, witnessing this, opened his eyes in surprise.

"Is that a Foresight Slash?" he wasn't quite sure.

For Amidel, that mysterious pulling sensation grew even stronger. He instinctively wanted to hold his Katana and perform a clockwise spin.

But something in his mind seemed to be screaming that such an attack wasn't bloody enough. That voice urged him to follow through with a powerful, heavy cleave, seemingly convinced that such an attack could cleave the Silver Rathalos in two and then drink the enemy's blood.

This feeling, as if something else was guiding his Katana rather than himself, instantly jolted Amidel's somewhat blurry consciousness awake. He groaned in pain, forcefully suppressing this follow-up attack.

"Whatever it is... get out of my head!"

"Amidel, I don't know what's guiding you," Dio called out loudly, "but if there's a move that makes you do a spinning slash, grasp that feeling!"

Amidel trusted Dio's guidance. He cast aside the bloodthirsty screams in his mind and focused on the sensation that had previously drawn him into a spinning slash. Following that feeling, he began to wield Red in his hand.

First slash, from top left to bottom right.

Second slash, from bottom left to top right.

Then bottom left to top right, bottom right to top left, and then a vertical third slash with a leap!

And then the previous sensation: rotate his body clockwise, while simultaneously wielding the Katana in his hand!

Finally... a dangerous red glow coated the blade of Red. The Silver Rathalos, with its one remaining eye, watched Amidel in terror, watching him leap high from the ground, then with an unstoppable momentum, bring his Katana down upon its head.

Amidel's target was the Silver Rathalos's neck, which had been almost broken earlier. He descended with seven sword gleams, his momentum unstoppable!

Among all martial arts, this is—

Rising Dragon!

The Silver Rathalos died, silently.

That unexpected Rising Dragon landed on its neck, which had previously been severely damaged by the dreadnought's bolter. Although the Silver Rathalos had begun to regenerate there during its evolution, the unstoppable spirit blade slash ultimately became the crushing blow that brought it down.

Its neck was severed in two by Red. Although its body was still twitching, its severed head had lost its luster, and because its neck was cut, it didn't even have the right to emit a final wail.

But it wasn't just the Silver Rathalos that fell; Amidel did too.

After landing from the Rising Dragon, he tried to support his body with his Katana, but his exhausted hands couldn't even grip the hilt.

He wanted to kneel on one knee, but the half of his body that had melted was long unresponsive. Having endured until now by sheer willpower, he finally collapsed to the ground with a thud, his fate uncertain.