The Creators: From Night City

Page 472

The standard tactical dagger was not powerful enough, so Titus ultimately chose a standard-model chainsaw sword.

With a few multi-purpose grenades added, Titus finished his equipment selection.

The weapons were quickly and respectfully carried up by the servants, as the moderate weight of the Astartes was not something that ordinary people could easily bear.

As expected, the equipment was not brand new, but fortunately it had been properly maintained, with the chainsaw sword still soaked in the sacred oil used to appease the machine spirit.

On the way to the bridge, Titus spoke again.

"Sage Natalia, putting everything else aside for now, is our current location clear?"

"Of course, the moment the spaceship left subspace, I began to determine our current location and time."

Sage Natalia's words sounded a bit strange, but they were absolutely necessary.

It's important to understand that in the subspace, time and space are not as clearly defined as in the physical universe. If you accidentally get lost in the subspace and return to the present universe, you might find yourself tens of thousands of light-years away from your original destination, and the current time might be five hundred years in the future or five hundred years in the past.

"Thank the Emperor, we are in a normal time and place."

"Where are we now?" Titus continued to ask as he placed the weapons where they belonged.

Sage Natalia answered this question quite readily, since it didn't involve any secrets.

"Cronus Expansion Zone, Fifth Sector"

"By the Emperor, haven't we traversed almost half of the Milky Way?"

The two talked as they passed through several security checkpoints and finally arrived at the most crucial area of ​​the strike ship—the bridge.

The navigator's cabin is one of the most mysterious, sacred, and unsettling places on the entire warship.

It is generally referred to as the 'Navigator's Church' or 'Navigator's Sanctuary', and is usually located at the highest point of the ship, above the 'bridge', and is generally a prominent tower-shaped structure.

The reason it was placed here is that the navigator is the "lighthouse" of the warship in subspace, and its position is supreme. Such a position can silently demonstrate its core function of guiding the direction.

Of course, the most important reason is that this location is considered to be the place where the surging currents of the warp and the light of the Imperial starlight can be perceived most "clearly".

Of course, there is another important reason that is usually not obvious: on a physical level, it is designed in this way to make it easier to reinforce and isolate.

The navigator's use of psychic perception to "peep" into the warp is like an ancient navigator who, in a storm, ties himself to the mast and risks his life to find a safe "current," while avoiding deadly "storms" and "reefs," and finding a safe course amidst the turbulent energy flows, emotional vortexes, and temporal currents of the warp.

Her importance to the ship is self-evident.

However, like the Star Speaker, his long-term interaction with the warp makes him more susceptible to corruption and erosion by demons and other malicious entities within the warp.

Therefore, the 'Navigator's Sanctuary' was designed from the outset to be both the navigator's fortress and his prison.

The only passage to the sanctuary is a series of heavy armored doors, these protective doors made of terracotta steel are engraved with imperial seals and numerous exorcism runes.

A large number of combat servo robots and carefully selected, unquestionably loyal guards will perform their sacred duties around the clock.

Unfortunately, when the 'Incinerate' broke out of the warp and passed through the raging warp storm, some waves leaked through the ship's 'Geller Field' and into the cabin, instantly killing many loyal but soulless fighter servants, while also sending a few unfortunate souls back to the throne.

Of course, this is said purely out of a wishful thinking perspective. In reality, no one knows when their souls, lost in the warp, will be freed.

When Titus arrived, a mechanical monk was directing several armed servants to burn the filthy deck with promethium jets.

The soldiers who originally belonged here had their flesh and blood spread out like a pancake the moment they passed through the 'veil', and were evenly smeared on the deck.

Fortunately, such low-probability emergencies are not uncommon, and the mechanical technicians responsible for maintaining the ships have a wealth of systematic solutions for dealing with them.

Burning, cleaning, sprinkling holy oil, appeasing the spirit of the machine, repairing damaged machinery, reciting prayers related to the Emperor...

It can be described as a complete service for helping the deceased ascend to heaven.

Titus did not linger here, nor was he a fan of crowds.

Following the servo skull, he ascended a special elevator and traversed the relatively spacious mid-level area.

Numerous devices, such as the Thinker server, environment control console, and massive equipment connected to the warship's star torch interface, along with many more ancient mechanical instruments whose functions he did not know, descended before his eyes as the elevator ascended, gradually disappearing into the bottom of his field of vision.

When the elevator came to a complete stop, he had arrived at the innermost navigation throne room.

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, Titus cocked the alien bomb gun in his hand.

His mission has now officially begun, and all traces of corruption will be brought to justice.

The throne room is a towering, domed hall, dimly lit, with only a few stable light sources coming from the central starlight projection device and the surrounding candlelight and runic glow.

The scent of Mechanicus incense still lingered in the air, used to soothe machine spirits and dispel whispers from the warp as the Navigation Throne operated.

The atmosphere in the entire throne room was solemn and eerie.

Chapter 958 Find him, convey my message

"Here it comes!" The commander, who was not wearing a helmet, immediately turned his gaze to the weapons he was carrying.

Finally, he nodded in satisfaction and turned back to continue talking to the old mortal on the other side.

“A part of her soul is still trapped in the warp, my lord, so we cannot directly disconnect the navigation equipment, as this could cause Lady Mira’s soul to be torn apart.” As a family member and assistant deeply trusted and relied upon by the navigator Mira, this veteran mortal stubbornly argued his case against Astartes’ questioning in order to protect his lord’s interests.

“This is not a solution. Keeping her connected to the warp will only expose everyone’s lives to the eyes of those chaotic heretics.”

"Are there any other solutions?" the commander continued to ask.

"Commander, all we can do is wait, or forcibly send someone to awaken Lady Mira." After considering for a moment, the old man offered a solution.

"Then try to awaken her," the commander in black robes and armor asked coldly and decisively. "How can we awaken her?"

"Inflict full pain on the body, Commander."

The old man understood that waiting any longer was not a solution, so he gave a few instructions to the servant beside him, who quickly brought over a 'sacred object'.

Of course, as a 'key' that can forcibly awaken the navigator, it is not as simple as it seems on the surface.

This is an object resembling a lotus lampstand. The intricate head is made up of countless thin, sharp blades, while the tip is an injection port connected to the handle, allowing for the injection of pain-inducing agents while tearing through flesh.

Everyone present immediately understood how to use this thing.

"My lord!" The old man suddenly spoke again as the battle commander stepped forward.

"Lady Mira's psychic powers still shroud the Navigation Throne, and anyone who gets close to her may encounter a spontaneous psychic counterattack."

The old man's words made it clear that this job was not something that could be done easily.

dangerous.

The commander frowned, but without hesitation, he continued to reach for the 'relic'.

"Commander, let me go."

Titus stepped forward at the opportune moment.

"You need to stay and command the battle; I'm the most suitable person to go."

The navigator is so important that she must awaken quickly and promptly to ensure the ship has normal warp navigation capabilities, but no one knows what the consequences of her psionic attack will be; it is undoubtedly a suicidal attempt.

Of course, few Astartes are afraid of death, but Titus's suggestion was indeed the best solution at the moment, and for the commander, reason prevailed and he made the decision instantly.

The cold 'holy relic' was handed to Titus without hesitation. What would require two hands to hold for an ordinary person looked like a miniature toy in the hands of the towering Astartes.

Without the slightest hesitation, Titus handed the bomb gun to the commander, and with the chainsaw sword in hand, he walked straight to the Navigation Throne.

Although it is called a throne, it is actually a huge and magnificent throne-shaped device, decorated with obsidian, ivory and various rare metals, and its surface is also engraved with a large number of complex constellation diagrams and scenes from imperial mythology.

Upon startup, it will be deeply connected to the warship's subspace drive and Geller force field generator.

The navigator resides within this space.

An invisible field was filled with psychic energy that seemed to be tangible. As soon as Titus approached the other party slightly, an oppressive force, as if bursting from the depths of his soul, descended upon him like shackles.

The superhuman warrior, who possesses the strength of several tons, is now finding it difficult to even take a normal step.

The power armor's magnetic boots immediately went into full power, pinning him firmly to the ground.

Despite the overwhelming psychic energy, Titus didn't utter a sound. He leaned forward, channeling all his strength, combined with his immense weight, into his forward momentum.

Unlike Star Speakers, Navigators are typically from families that have inherited their navigator skills for generations and wield extraordinary power in the upper echelons of the Empire.

The navigator, named Mira, wore an extremely expensive silk embroidered robe, resembling a top noble of the Byzantine dynasty.

Her robe was inlaid with numerous cables and metal wires, connecting to her magnificent, towering headdress.

The same luxurious veil has been removed, revealing the enormous, continuously glowing third eye on the other's forehead.

This eye is the key to navigators being able to guide the way in subspace.

Titus continued forward, but each step felt like a difficult trek through waist-deep mud.

The magnetic boots couldn't even completely fix his body in place, and the surrounding space almost completely solidified under the influence of that psionic energy.

Each step he took felt like he was forcibly pushing through concrete.

But he kept moving forward.

The chaotic psychic energy even caused Titus, the emperor's angel, to experience a slight hallucination.

Countless fantasies, indescribable in words, surged from the depths of Titus's heart, only to vanish as quickly as shooting stars.

A jumble of emotions, like a ball of yarn, filled his mind. Useful and useless, true and false thoughts arose and vanished at lightning speed through his superhuman brain.

The power armor helmet's visor rippled under the immense pressure, but Titus didn't hesitate. He immediately unlocked the helmet, letting it be thrown away like a cannonball by the enormous repulsive force, and continued to see with his naked eyes.

Finally, amidst the chaotic light and shadow, he approached the navigator.

Due to generations of exposure to the effects of the warp, her skin was abnormally pale, almost transparent, and the blood vessels under her skin were even clearly visible.

His long, silvery-white hair flew wildly in the intense psionic field, and his face, which exuded the innate aristocratic arrogance of old Terra, bore the deep weariness and vicissitudes left by his long-term exploration of the Warp.

Although her eyes were closed, her eyelids trembled violently, indicating that her mind was still actively engaged.

Her third eye shone with a dazzling golden light, so much so that it transformed her into a golden 'lantern' through her translucent skin.

A large hand covered in terracotta gauntlets firmly gripped the other person's shoulder. The 'holy object,' more like a torture device than a syringe, was plunged into the other person's chest, and the injection button was pushed all the way down without hesitation.

The next second, a painful howl, accompanied by a surge of psionic energy, nearly threw him away, and the heavy terracotta power armor creaked and groaned.

However, the arm gripping the other's shoulder showed no sign of loosening its grip, while the hand that had just been holding the 'relic' now tightened its grip on the chainsaw sword.

Titus was waiting for the other party to wake up, or for the other party to undergo a mutation, before he would use his chainsaw sword to decapitate the other party.

To his surprise, even after the full dose of the drug was injected, the other party did not wake up immediately. Instead, he grabbed his arm guard with his other hand, and suddenly opened his two tightly closed eyes, staring intently into Titus's eyes.

Golden psionic energy practically exploded from the other person's eye sockets, dragging his consciousness directly into nothingness.

In a daze, a beam of golden light shone on him from the endless darkness, and warmth spread throughout his body.

That unapproachable, divine figure sat atop the golden throne, its cold yet loving gaze looking down upon his soul.

He could vaguely see the navigator kneeling silently on the ground ahead.

A small flame ignited, rippling out golden light that burned across Titus's body. The extreme emptiness and sense of annihilation sent chills down his spine in an instant, and he remembered that feeling forever.

"Find him and relay this message!"

The grand voice echoed in layers, and the immense frenzied emotions attached to a brief statement instantly exceeded the limits that the Astartes could bear.

The illusion shattered abruptly.

The navigator fell to the ground without uttering a sound.

Titus, on the other hand, displayed a tenacity far beyond that of ordinary people.

He managed to utter a sound before his massive body crashed to the ground.

Chapter 959 Death Watch Joins the Battle

Brother Titus, you're awake?

The rough voice of the technical sergeant, Galian, reached my ears.

When Astartes opened his eyes after falling into a coma on duty, the first thing he saw was not the cold, monotonous metal bulkhead, but a beautiful face.

Her golden hair cascaded down her back, and her pretty face radiated a thirst for knowledge.

"Sage Natalia, where am I?" Titus struggled to sit up, clutching his head, feeling a throbbing pain in his brain like chewed betel nut.

"My research lab."

"Shouldn't I be in the infirmary?"

"This also doubles as a medical clinic." Natalia, whose stature was as tall as Astartes, quickly clicked on the data panel next to her, analyzing the Astartes' physical data.

These data were the main reason she was willing to board the Deathwatch ship.