The convoy gradually penetrated deeper through the crowds before entering zones restricted to ordinary pilgrims. After brief reorganization, their speed increased once more.
Following lead vehicles through several turns, Zhang Ge finally approached a 30-40 meter tall metallic gate at the corridor's end. Multiple engineering mechs jointly turned cranks to open the massive portal.
Passing through, Zhang Ge estimated the gate's thickness met specifications for enduring prolonged Leman Russ bombardment.
Beyond lay a vast courtyard encircled by walls, featuring over a dozen similar colossal gates around its perimeter. This space formed the hollow core of the titanic cathedral seen earlier—its outer structure serving both as pilgrimage reception and protective bastion for central religious facilities.
The Sisters of Battle's Yarkalan Grand Cathedral stood here.
Pre-war deployments had stationed thousands of Sisters across frontline regions integrated with Astra Militarum forces. Unlike other elite units concentrated in critical hives, their numbers swelled nearer combat zones—Yarkalan included. Three field sub-chapters had operated here: Bloody Rose, Martyred Lady, and Valorous Heart.
Now only the convoy's survivors remained. The Bloody Rose Sisters, having refused retreat, were wiped out entirely.
Approaching a distinctive cathedral incongruous amidst opulent surroundings, Zhang Ge noted its familiarity—larger scale notwithstanding, the iron-gray fortress bristling with weaponry mirrored field chapels he'd seen, resembling military strongholds more than places of worship.
As they neared the entrance, Amilia informed:
"Grand Sister Heloise of the Valorous Heart awaits within. Three Grand Sisters once presided here. Only she remains, having survived by remaining hive-bound."
The cathedral's gates couldn't accommodate vehicles, forcing the convoy to deposit transports in an adjacent Sisters' motor pool.
Counting assembled personnel, Zhang Ge realized their actual numbers barely exceeded twenty—vehicle density creating illusion of greater strength.
Flanked by Sisters, he passed through portals operated by armed pilgrims, followed by the noble who'd wisely left PDF escorts outside.
The interior mirrored its plain exterior. Though located deep within, its layout proved simpler than peripheral chapels. Beyond necessary decorations using rare materials for towering sacred statues and blessed scripture inscriptions, the entire structure only addressed fundamental living requirements.
In the hall stood familiar furnishings and roughly a hundred praying Sisters with bowed heads.
Fortunately, the Canoness facing them stood properly before the altar this time, and the sacred statue remained intact.
As the group arrived, the Canoness approached from the statue. Amilia moved forward to meet her. The elder spoke first:
"Canoness Heloise, we discovered xenos artifacts in the underhive."
Amilia produced the vials from storage. Zhang Ge glanced at the nobleman and found him studying the doorframe's relief carvings, his gaze intentionally avoiding this direction.
When Zhang Ge looked back, the Canoness had already inserted the vials into several cherubim servitors with abdominal compartments. Being led by Amilia toward a side door, they clearly intended to discuss confidential matters away from others.
Considering himself temporarily irrelevant, Zhang Ge approached a Celestian Sister who had removed her Paragon Warsuit armor. He inquired:
"Am I permitted free movement?"
"As you wish."
With permission granted, Zhang Ge left the Sisters' formation. As he moved to engage the nobleman for intelligence gathering, an attendant who had just finished a vox-call urgently whispered something to the aristocrat.
The nobleman's expression visibly shifted.
After their conversation concluded, Zhang Ge approached and asked:
"Has something occurred?"
The nobleman initially seemed reluctant to speak, but considering Zhang Ge's apparent influence over the Sisters and his status as the promoted war hero, he responded:
"An embarrassing matter. Several of our facilities went offline, likely seized by the Mechanicus. Our counterattacks failed to reclaim them, but rest assured—such clashes are common during standoffs. In truth... we previously seized some of their manufactorums first."
The old tactic of sharing seemingly confidential yet ultimately trivial information in a conspiratorial tone—transparent yet perpetually effective.
Yet as Zhang Ge prepared to respond, a sudden sense of dissonance arose within him. His intended reply shifted mid-breath:
"What kind of facilities were lost? Tell me."
Noticing Zhang Ge's abrupt intensity, the nobleman answered more gravely:
"Merely orbital monitoring arrays for detecting space debris and meteorites. Even temporary abandonment matters little—such objects can't penetrate the hive's exterior. Insignificant installations."
As Zhang Ge opened his mouth to continue, a distant thunderous roar erupted. The ground heaved violently as if the sky itself had become the epicenter, tectonic plates tearing apart beneath them. The quake lasted several seconds, toppling many.
Then the power failed.
Artificial sky-lights extinguished in sequence. Amid rising chaos, searchlights and tactical lumens activated, their beams sweeping aimlessly through the darkness.
Something Zhang Ge had overlooked since descending to the underhive now surfaced—those unverified rumors.
Consider this hypothesis:
Given the frontline's collapse, nobles would inevitably fabricate a war hero to boost morale and coordinate Astra Militarum with PDF forces. Even disregarding morale, frontline commanders like surviving senior officers would require unified leadership.
Such figureheads couldn't be incompetent, else they'd lose the Guard's respect.
Therefore, if the rumor's originator knew about the underhive monstrosity from the start, and deliberately crafted legends to lure this individual below...
During such sensitive times, recurring sacred numerology would draw attention—particularly when tied to competent military personnel. Whether through personal resources, noble backing, blocked investigations, or disappearance during underhive excursions—regardless of outcomes, such events would ignite factional conflict. Nobles rarely concede in underhive matters. The more they stubbornly resist over trivialities, the more suspicion festers, escalating confrontations.
During stalemates, covert skirmishes occur frequently yet escape notice. Neither side communicates openly—who'd directly admit seizing facilities when recordings might exist?
Moreover, Chaos' gradual advance permits brief conflicts without major consequences.
But what if Chaos never intended terrestrial advancement? Suppose their massive ground assault solely aimed to pressure hive authorities into creating such war heroes for subsequent schemes, while using sluggish progress to lull the upper hive?
When chain reactions interlock, a hidden link emerges.
Those field chapels scattered across the wilderness.
These chapels seemed unrelated to current events at first glance, but consider—what essential facilities would military-fortress-grade churches inevitably possess?
Precisely. To counter threats like drop pods and orbital bombardments that become unstoppable upon atmospheric entry, they must install orbital monitoring arrays.
Terminator elites aren't cabbages. Deploying them for chapel assaults isn't risk-free. Had time and supplies permitted, the Sisters would've buried super-explosives beneath these churches for last-resort detonations against invincible foes.
Why take such risks merely for rituals? Couldn't they wait for cannon fodder to clear the path? While Chaos Lords occasionally lose control of underlings, one who consistently failed to restrain so many elites would've died long ago.
Thus, these elites' true mission wasn't ritualistic from the start.
The deliberate sacrificial displays served as smokescreens. Their target was the chapels themselves—or more precisely, the destruction of their orbital monitoring arrays.
This explained why chapel-external vehicles remained untouched, why scattered survivors drew no concern.
The ultimate objective? Ensuring the hive's void shield arrays would "coincidentally" react moments too late when something massive enough to disregard防空火力拦截 plummeted from orbit.
A lethal chess match. Once deciphered, its simplicity resembled straight ink on parchment. But misstep once, and you joined the losers—who typically became corpses.
Amidst the hive-wide shriek of alarms, Zhang Ge stepped outside the chapel.
Above the spire stretched a dome—the secondary protective layer beneath the hive's outer shell. Programmable to permit sunlight or withstand heavy artillery, it safeguarded the spire beneath.
Now Zhang Ge looked upward as another sky-rending tremor struck. The dome dented, then rapidly deformed. Howling metallic screams accompanied its violent rupture.
Time dilated.
In his vision appeared a mangled Imperial Navy frigate segment—its hull warped from breaching the hive's shell, trailing shredded cables and blazing from atmospheric friction.
Like a titan's finger puncturing cardboard, or some apocalyptic judgment, the wreckage descended amidst sonic booms and klaxons. Countless glowing metal fragments accompanied its fall, friction-heated to incandescence during the plummet.
A meteor shower of ruin.
Behind it, a Chaos warship advanced toward the twin breaches, mocking Yarkalan Hive's futile resistance through the gaping wounds it had torn.
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