Johnson's communication came a little faster than Morgan had imagined.

Truth be told, it's not easy.

The war had become chaotic and eroded to such an extent that most of the permanent fortified colonies on the surface of Tux V had been reduced to ruins during the long battle, and the choking smoke had obscured the sun and shrouded half the world in a cloud.

And above the firmament, after a short but bloody counterattack, the fleet of the Human Empire has once again retreated to the steel defense line that it has placed in the orbit of Tux Five, and the huge fleet from the three legions that gathered here before the battle has lost more than half of it, just to slightly block the terrifying attack of the alien emperor, so that the lion king has lost more than three digits of powerful war engines.

Of course, the great loss of the empire was accompanied by unimaginable brilliant results: the blood shed by the aliens in this galaxy was far more than that of humans, and even the most optimistic estimates before the war would not have thought of achieving such rich results, and the mere fact that the Ran Dan soldiers, who were trapped in a barren world and strangled by the secret weapons of salamanders, countless mortal auxiliaries and dark angels, was a number that could not be counted at all, and even Vulcan himself would be shocked by this, Although he had been fighting in the stars for decades, he had rarely seen such a brutal, pure, rapid, clean, and fruitful annihilation battle.

However, the Lord of the Fire Dragons was stunned by much more than that: the blacksmith and warrior king from the star of the nocturne marveled at the fact that his brother Johnson possessed so many secret weapons, and in his plan, the alien remnants that would take a dozen days or more to slowly strangle did not survive even an afternoon after the Dark Angel released some treasures.

On top of that, more Silent Slayers have been released by the First Legion atop the flaming ships of the Void, and they're in a relentless race for killing efficiency alongside the best Space Wolves and heavily armed Inner Ring veterans: and far ahead.

Every moment, these creations, stolen from time, allow more blood and life to flow, and the amount of them even makes it feel like a string of boasted numbers.

Wisely, Vulcan didn't ask any more, he even forbade his own heirs, and the mortals who fought alongside him, to witness the battlefield of the Dark Angels: even though these mortals had been battled for a hundred battles, the Lord of the Fire Dragon still felt that the scene in front of him was too terrible and bloody for mortals after all, even more memorable than the overwhelming army of aliens, and it also contained the hidden secrets that allowed these mortals to be troubled.

But despite this, despite the results that have been achieved, the number of the Ran Dan fleet, which the Lion King has to face, is still large enough to make any commander of the Human Empire feel desperate, although compared to the previous menacing, the alien army has clearly shown some kind of decline, but with the power brought by the purest number, they are still withstanding unimaginable damage, gnawing at Johnson's fortress little by little, and even those powerful ancient creations, All under the fearless charge of the Randan overlord, there were losses.

And when the Emperor of Randan finally entered this galaxy, although it itself had not yet entered the battle further, the [Rankan Forbidden Army] that appeared with it still made the situation worse than ever: these most elite alien creations were enough to confront and suppress even the best Astarte warriors, and when they threw themselves into the battlefield in droves, the merciless footsteps were unstoppable.

And just like that, a strange aura began to envelop the entire Tux system: their fleets, whether human or alien, were haunted by a low morale, low for the sake of unfavorable battle situations or huge casualties, not to mention the increasingly rampant subspace vortex that could cause far more terrible damage in the blink of an eye than artillery fire, forcing every fighting warship to be extra careful to beware of these Void traps.

Under these conditions, any communication is extremely difficult, especially when Morgan's forces have left one after another from maintaining communication platforms with new tasks and the gradual depletion of soul reserves, and the communication between the Imperial fleet has reverted to a state of complete luck.

Even if the person who needs to be called is two noble genetic protogens, the situation will not get any better.

In fact, since Morgan and Riemanrus jumped into the steel world of the Zandan Empire, Johnson has never had a successful connection with them: the Alien Empire is more technologically advanced than the Human Empire, and they have enough means to intercept the Lion King's message.

After the task force that was going to destroy the [Destiny Engine] appeared on the sand dunes of Tux V, the news was conveyed to the [Indomitable Truth] that was staying in the orbit of the planet as quickly as possible, and Johnson's reply did not delay in the slightest.

In Johnson's voice, Morgan could hear a hint of genuine eagerness and concern.

"How's it going? Was that thing destroyed? How are you and Ruth? ”

The question from the Lion King of Caliban came one after another, Morgan did not answer immediately, she first rubbed the corners of her brow that was a little painful, and only gave the answer before Johnson's patience ran out, at this moment, the Spider Queen of the Second Legion had resumed that cold working tone, so that the heir standing on the side did not dare to breathe.

[Ruth and I are still alive, and we destroyed the engine, but it cannot be ruled out that Randan still has a way to repurpose it. 】

[Our casualties are very large, only more than 1,000 people survived, Ruth may not be able to fight with all his strength in a short time, and my combat ability has been greatly weakened. 】

Morgan said as he reached out his hand and pressed it against Hecht, who was kneeling in front of her.

The Spider Empress was sitting on a boulder, still a little weak, holding on to her small skin, but she had the strength to have her children come to her one by one, crouch or kneel, and use their psionic powers to heal the wounds of their bodies and souls.

Of course, Salieri or Eris could have done that, but in Morgan's eyes, they weren't good enough, leaving some unobservable scars: she didn't want her personal belongings to crack so early.

It may seem embarrassing to outsiders to kneel down to a petite woman more than a meter tall under the gaze of thousands of pairs of eyes, but Morgan's children accepted it with extraordinary smoothness, happily lining up and letting the cold palms of the Mother of Genes press on their skulls or shoulders one by one, and even the ancient warrior Chiron who came out of Terra showed a rare enthusiasm.

And Captain Hector, who is the big guy of Astarte, is very humble in the last place, which makes him gain five appreciative looks.

Morgan thought about treating Riemanrus first, but the wolf king of Fenris insisted on arranging his own heirs first, and if he wanted to heal his injuries, it would indeed be a long project, and all Morgan could do now was to repair it in general.

Johnson was silent for a moment, digesting the information in his own mind, and at the same time distilling the useful parts to assemble his own new thoughts and ideas.

"That alien emperor, what is its strength, have you ever had a direct fight with it? The result? ”

Speaking of this, Morgan could even make out the tightly furrowed brows of his blood relatives from Johnson's tone: Johnson was never a timid person in battle, but the scene of the supreme ruler of Ran Dan destroying hundreds of warships with a wave of his hand was clearly seen by him with a divination box.

Morgan was silent for a moment, and she didn't try to decorate anything.

[If it weren't for me, then Riemannus Ruth and they would probably not be able to come back. 】

This answer plunged Johnson into a near-dead silence.

The knight king of Caliban did not blindly ask or deny, he knew very well that Morgan in this tone would never confide in him, and ten years of getting along and careful observation made the Caliban lion king have this confidence.

He also knows very well that in today's galaxy, the genetic prototype is far from being able to run rampant.

Johnson, better than any of his blood relatives, knew how many terrible things lay in the shadows of the galaxy.

He was simply silent, and this silence was soon ended by new questions.

The question seemed a bit hesitant.

"That'...... Compared to our fathers? ”

[Our father is above the sky, you and I are between the dust, and the alien emperor is probably standing on the highest peak. 】

Johnson replied to Morgan's assessment with a soft snort, his voice somewhat quiet in the midst of countless thoughts and speculations.

After a while, he spoke in a voice that could be called soft.

"Morgan ......"

When the Spider Empress heard this, she turned her head towards her children: Hector and the other six stood there, quietly restored by Morgan one by one with psionic scars and exhaustion in body and soul, and they soon stood tall again, standing out among the slowly resting space wolves.

Morgan waved her hand and motioned for her heir to stand farther away, and she could hear in Johnson's tone that her blood relatives meant: he wanted to discuss some secret topic.

Over the past decade, he has often used this low, light-hearted tone to open up topics that contain secrets, and Morgan has long been accustomed to it.

[Say it.] 】

"I still have some hidden, unused [equipment] here, they are too uncontrollable, they will not be able to provide the equivalent of one or two primordial combat power, and can be maintained for a long time."

Morgan's pupils narrowed slightly.

[So, what do you think? 】

"You, me, Vulcan, and these unused weapons in my hands, let's add them together, and then bring Coos and Arachos, and then, choose a battlefield that suits us, is it possible to ......"

"Finish that alien emperor here?"

【……】

——————

[It is feasible. 】

But I don't recommend it, Johnson. 】

Morgan looked up, and she could see the sky in the gap in the billowing smoke: the sky was not beautiful, it was now obscured by the endless flames of war and the twisted void, and Morgan could only see the crazy silhouettes dancing among the dim stars, like hopeless people addicted to alcohol.

"Why, because of the success rate?"

[For partly this reason, I don't think the power of four or five genetic protogens can kill it quickly, and I even suspect that such a force may not be able to pose a threat to its life at all.] 】

But that's not the main reason. 】

[The most important thing is ......]

Morgan looked at the twisted stars, and the corners of her mouth curled into a smile, a genuine mockery of the tragic fate of countless aliens.

We don't have to. 】

[Within this galaxy, it is we who are in a desperate situation, but outside this galaxy, it is they who are in a desperate situation. 】

——————

"You mean our father, and Horus and Mortarian?"

[Part of it refers to them, and if my memory is not wrong because of this war, they should be here soon, right?] 】

"Yes, but I don't think we'll be able to survive until that moment if we let that alien emperor go unchecked."

[Even if we can't hold it anymore, we can evacuate, Johnson.] 】

[Or do you want to...... You don't want to be in front of them, as a retreat and a loser in a sense? 】

Johnson was silent for a moment, but in a rare way, he did not avoid the question.

"There are some problems with this, we have invested too much in this war, and I don't want my heir to appear in front of other people as a loser, even as a loser in a battle."

"I swore to the Emperor that I would destroy or hold off Randan's army here, and this is my oath: Indeed, Morgan, as long as we withdraw from here through the reserved passage and retreat to the next system, then we will most likely join up with the approaching follow-up fleet, but that will no longer be our victory."

【…… Have you ever wondered, Johnson. 】

[Even if we have gathered three legions and countless forces, but with the power we can control, with the territory of this galaxy alone, it is impossible to make a race that is enough to dominate the galaxy shed blood? 】

"There's no impossibility in the galaxy, Morgan."

[Alright, I don't have time or interest in discussing these philosophical issues with you, I felt something from it when I destroyed that engine of fate.] 】

[I can tell you, Johnson. 】

[Since the moment that engine of destiny was destroyed, we have won.] 】

Johnson didn't speak, but Morgan could sense his confusion, and the Mother of Genes of the Second Legion lowered her voice and softly spat out the next words.

[Aren't you confused, my blood relative, why did Ran Dan make such an extremely irrational move, throwing all their strength into an action that bordered on gambling? 】

"I didn't understand it before, but in that engine, I knew everything.] 】

[The alien emperor deceived his people, deceived everyone. 】

[This action of theirs is not to continue to dominate the galaxy at all. 】

[Rather: survival.] 】

——————

[In this war, Ran Dan has long been unable to hold on, the heritage of this alien civilization is only thousands of years, it grows by gnawing at the wreckage of human beings, and it simply does not have enough foundation to be able to engage in a real long tug-of-war with us. 】

[Yes, it has enough potential and ambition to compete with us for the galaxy, but our heritage is too rich, and the whole galaxy is full of forces that can be used by us at any time, and the size gap caused by this situation is enough to make anyone despair.] 】

In short, they are consumed by us. 】

[Ten years of war, the battlefield that spans most of the galaxy, and countless wars that burn millions of young and middle-aged people of their own race, have burned the foundation of this race, and at a certain moment when we were in a tug of war with Ran Dan, they already knew that they had no possibility of victory. 】

[And in this case, they chose to create the engine of fate, chose to slaughter countless worlds and lives in the Northern Galaxy, and used the purest hatred and pain to create such a terrible machine, its offensive is enough to cover the entire galaxy and destroy the entire galaxy. 】

[To tell you the truth, even I don't want to have too much to do with this thing, it does have great power, but this power is probably the most vicious and crazy in the whole galaxy, it is enough to torture even the strongest stone into a complete madman.] 】

[And the only goal of this machine is Holy Terra, which is eager to destroy the core region of the Empire: the solar system, and end this war.] 】

"Wars can't end by destroying a region."

Johnson's tone was affirmative.

[Of course, Johnson, but in the solar system, there is something that is extremely important to humans, isn't it?] 】

Johnson was silent for a moment, he didn't spend too long on the world, and then spit out the answer.

——————

"Star Torch."

——————

[Yes, Star Torch.] 】

[It is immovable, irreplaceable, and even after being destroyed, it cannot be built again in a short period of time.] 】

[As long as it is destroyed, the military operations of the entire Human Empire will fall into great chaos and suspension, and the attack on the core area of the Randan Empire will be even more fantastic. 】

[This is what it wants to do: it wants to end this war, it wants to make it impossible for the Empire's military power to really reach the core of its realm, even if the chaos only lasts for a while, but it will give its race a respite.] 】

[As long as you live, there are new ways and hopes. 】

So, it's survival. 】

——————

“……”

“……”

“……”

"It won't succeed, and even if it can destroy the Torch, the Empire still has enough power to create a new one and destroy its race with untold rage."

[Of course, but it doesn't know that.] 】

[The power of heritage, size, and ancient history is unimaginable even for such a great and wise king. 】

Morgan sighed softly, but Johnson cared about something else.

"Have you completely destroyed it, the [Engine of Destiny]?"

[Unless, of course, it can find a powerful fool who takes the initiative as a willing tormenter, and then ......]

……

！

！！！

——————

Morgan's words came to an abrupt end.

Because at this moment, a most poignant wail set off an endless boiling in the entire sea of souls, and even in the deepest shadows of subspace, its poignant echoes echoed.

Morgan looked up slowly.

She knew what it was.

It was a soul, an incomparably powerful soul, slowly walking into the [Engine of Destiny] where the demons were dancing wildly.

It is walking into those maddening screaming whirlpools, it is allowing every inch of its flesh and every bone to repeat the endless pain of tearing and reuniting, it is allowing its ideals and wisdom to be eaten by hundreds of billions of dead souls bit by bit, like ants gnawing away its eyeballs, it is letting its own strength, its own dignity, all its glory and light, and in the suffering that never ends in sight, turn into a dry bone that no one cares about.

Morgan didn't even dare to imagine what it would be: the craziest and most twisted ideas she had seen in the Eldar banter seemed to be far less than the tip of the iceberg of this terrible fantasy.

Pain and suffering.

Endless and endless.

Ten thousand years and ten thousand years.

Morgan breathed deeply, and at this moment, she could only breathe, her pale lips trembled unconsciously, and she didn't even hear Johnson's call.

She looked up, and she looked at the huge soul, the soul that was allowing countless screams to tear itself apart.

It's dying.

It's suffering.

It is becoming the second ...... Destiny Engine.

An incomprehensible sense of absurdity took over her at this moment.

How could it be......

How can it be......

How...... How......

——————

How does it really exist...... Fools like that......

(End of chapter)