Chapter 72: A Chaotic World, Complex People |
From the Underground Network to the Upper Hive City, chaotic crowds surged everywhere.
Refugees and routed soldiers surging up from the lower hive ran rampant, fighting over any scrap of food they could find. They did not even spare the sparse grass and leaves clinging to the artificial green belts.
They fought tooth and nail to scavenge as much sustenance as possible.
The terrifying Xenos and Chaos were undeniable threats, but in an unfathomably massive Hive City, the chances of encountering those horrors directly were actually quite slim. Instead, the starvation and madness born from the total collapse of order would be the first things to claim a life.
The Transmigrators surveyed this hellish landscape, their minds flashing back to the footage of the Genestealers right before they were exterminated.
Sincere cooperation and perfect order.
"The Imperium is always in dire straits, but do not ask why."
Witnessing this tragic scene, Karna, who was escorting the supply convoys alongside the Sororitas Squad toward the Ecclesiarchy Shrine, could not help but let out a heavy sigh.
The reason Genestealers spread like wildfire through the lowest dregs of humanity was simple: their initial integration process offered exactly what the suffering masses desperately needed.
"And here comes the ultimate irony."
Rameses pressed his fingers to his temples and spoke.
"The Genestealers are just chocolate-flavored excrement."
"Pheromone links combined with psychic brainwashing... It is not as if humanity is incapable of doing the same. But ninety-nine times out of a hundred, an operation like that would invite Chaos and get everyone wiped out entirely."
"Besides, just look at how these Genestealers treat their old and weak. Individuals with failing bodily functions and useless first-generation infected youths are completely expendable. They are collectively sacrificed as literal food. If a human being descends to that level, they are beyond salvation."
Even the utopian vision peddled by the Genestealers served a far more malevolent and terrifying purpose. It was nothing but a vicious illusion twisted into existence by psychic powers.
With the arrival of the Great Devourer, all of these lives would inevitably be reduced to Biomass Soup, consumed and assimilated into the Will of Unending Hunger.
It was yet another tragedy steeped in classic Warhammer-style Black Humor.
"It gets even funnier."
Arthur, who had gone ahead to conduct a field survey of the Upper Hive City, had silently slipped into their ranks unnoticed.
"I have scouted all the nearby human communities. Here is the exact data."
With that, he transmitted the intelligence he had gathered.
The Space Marines, who were purging Xenos and Chaos alongside the Elders, suddenly noticed that every single Elder paused simultaneously.
Chief Librarian Kahurangi of the Carcharodons immediately erected a psychic barrier, much to the lethal glares of the Black Templars around him, mistakenly believing this sudden paralysis was an attack from some foul Chaos sorcery.
"..."
Reviewing the flood of visual data pouring into his mind, Romulus deeply regretted developing such profound reading comprehension skills for the very first time in his life.
Just looking at the supposed leaders of these human communities was an agonizing ordeal.
Maniacs completely disconnected from reality, hedonists indulging only in their own twisted pleasures, outright traitors who had surrendered to Chaos...
They were busy carving out little fiefdoms amidst the anarchy. They ruled over these petty kingdoms using methods so utterly bizarre and indescribable that they made the most abstract works of surrealist art look completely normal.
It was a truly nauseating display of the infinite diversity of human depravity.
"..."
Romulus lowered his weapon, removed his helmet, and fiercely rubbed his eyes.
The cold metal of his gauntlet pressing against his eyelids brought a chill that slightly cooled his overloaded brain.
He felt as though his eyes would rot from the sheer filth if he kept watching.
"Is this all of them?"
he asked.
"This is only the immediate district surrounding the Shrine of the Bloody Rose. The Upper Hive City is massive. It would take me ages to thoroughly scout every single block."
Arthur shook his head. The Inferno Pistol in his hand did not remain idle, barking out shots as he helped the squad clear the enemies in their path.
"I executed a complete purge on anyone tainted by Chaos corruption. I also eliminated the leadership in any community where the civilian death rate was unacceptably high. The rest I left alone. Additionally, there is a massive transient population out there. They are a complicated mix, representing every social class imaginable. We will need a dedicated task force to properly catalog and process them all."
"And as for the rest..."
"Yeah, we have to leave them be. We simply do not have the manpower."
Arthur nodded.
He had only redistributed the hoarded food. In theory, the new rations would keep everyone alive for another week or two, but that was strictly in theory.
Given the omnipresent threats lurking in the shadows, Arthur could not confiscate their weapons. With the corrupting influence of Chaos sinking deeper into the planet's core by the hour, it would not be long before the desperate survivors began plundering each other all over again.
"Heavens... does this universe offer humanity any other choice aside from plunging into damnation along with the rest of the world?"
Karna sighed once more. His Power Lance moved with blinding speed, mercilessly harvesting the lives of Xenos and heretics alike, though his heart ached for the tragic fate of the innocent humans caught in the crossfire.
"Let us secure the Shrine sector first."
Romulus guided the convoy around a collapsed crater, his mind already formulating a viable relief plan.
In theory, expecting the Administratum to handle a crisis of this scale was a pipe dream. However, with the direct backing of the Transmigrators and the organizational structure of the Ecclesiarchy, they actually had a fighting chance at restoring some semblance of order to the Upper Hive City.
As for the specific logistics, he would need to carefully sift through all the raw data Arthur had just provided.
Fortunately, he still had a bit of time before they arrived at the Shrine.
——
"For the Emperor! Slaughter the filthy Xenos!"
Under the heavy escort of elite warriors, the massive transport convoy swiftly neutralized any ambushes along the way and safely reached its destination.
The Shrine of the Bloody Rose.
This monolithic Shrine extended from the Upper Hive City all the way into the towering spires. Stretching toward the heavens, it stood in stark contrast to the Mechanicus Temple in the distance. Together, they were the two most revered and majestic structures on the entire planet.
"Let the holy flames purify everything!"
Even before the transport convoy could draw near, the booming Battle Cries of the Sisters echoed from the frontlines.
The convoy guards instantly leveled their weapons, seamlessly plunging into the chaotic fray.
Romulus fired precise bursts into the writhing horde of Genestealers, his eyes fixed on the battle-sisters. Until now, he had only known of them through dry textual descriptions.
Clad in deep crimson power armor, the Sisters aggressively revved their chainswords, brutally carving through the Xenos ranks. Roaring tides of promethium flame swept past them, incinerating the oncoming swarm to ash.
They seemed completely oblivious to their own safety. Fueled by absolute fanaticism, they charged headlong into the meat grinder, intent only on utterly annihilating the enemies of the Emperor.
They were a raging, merciless tempest.
It was a stark contrast to the Sacred Rose.
The Sisters of the Sacred Rose were gentle and serene in their daily lives, preferring to hum sacred hymns while engaging the enemy. But these Sisters...
He watched as a Sister drove heavy iron hooks straight through a thrashing Genestealer. Using a heavy Binding Noose, she ruthlessly hoisted the flailing creature high into the air, dangling it over a blazing Copper Pillar. Dozens of chanting servitors piously broadcasted the holy scriptures of the Ecclesiarchy, their droning litanies completely drowning out the agonizing shrieks of the Organisms as they burned alive.
Well, they were certainly passionate about their work.
If the Sacred Rose was a calm, rising tide that gently drowned everything in its path, then the Bloody Rose was a volatile inferno that violently incinerated everything into ash.
"Greetings, noble Emperor's Angels, and to our serene Sisters as well," a Sister called out.
Only after the skirmish had been swiftly concluded by their brutal pincer attack did the Sister finally remove her helmet, offering a crisp salute to Romulus and the rest of the convoy.
The Transmigrators studied her face closely. Her eyes burned with nothing but untamed, fiery fanaticism.
"...Greetings to you as well, brave Sister."
The group offered their brief, polite greetings, and then simultaneously shifted their gazes toward Arabella, who had been quietly marching alongside them.
This particular breed of Sororitas... they really did not know how to handle them.