Invincible after death, but in Warhammer 40K

After the Ascension Ritual, even specialized human pilots would become fervently devoted to loyalty and the ideals of chivalry, while also developing a strong and unquestioned sense of hierarchy and responsibility.

This allowed them to simultaneously regard the exploitation of their serfs—even their deaths from overwork—as trivial matters, while also genuinely piloting their Knight suits to resolve threats to their "sacred property"—even though a serf's lifetime of labor might not cover the fuel cost for those few minutes.

For humans, this ritual could already be considered a form of cognitive modification. What more for a sandworm?

Thus, it attained enlightenment.

"Boundless desert storms rage, today I finally know who I am."

In its simple and innocent mind, it first felt intense guilt for its past crimes—the countless travelers it had slaughtered without reason. But soon, this guilt transformed into a profound sense of duty.

Past sins could not be forgotten, but wallowing in what had already happened would not atone for its actions. Only by fulfilling its duties in the future could it begin to repay even a fraction of its debt.

With this thought, it emerged fully from the ground, coiling its body into a circle and raising its upper half in a gesture akin to "kneeling," before lowering its head slightly to accept the knighting ceremony from the sword-wielder atop it.

Yet, after accepting its new identity, it felt somewhat lost. As a worm burdened with sin, what could it do to atone for its past crimes?

Suddenly, the sword embedded in its head—now one with it—transmitted a sense of force, as if... it was being swayed left and right?

Under this sensation, it attained enlightenment once more.

I understand. My lord must be trying to convey this: by following his direction, I can fulfill my destiny.

With this realization, even its conflicted heart—torn between honor and guilt—found a measure of solace.

To express its loyalty through action, the sandworm suddenly dove downward, crashing onto the sand and beginning to move like a colossal living train, its massive body parting the dunes with thunderous force as it followed the left-right guidance transmitted by the sword above.

Of course, for Zhang Ge, the experience was far less pleasant.

First, he discovered that the sword was stuck and couldn't be pulled out. Then, the worm beneath him suddenly erupted from the ground, lifting its body and instantly placing him atop a "skyscraper" over two hundred meters tall.

If he let go now, he could easily achieve his wish—but unfortunately, he couldn't.

Battered by the fierce winds, Zhang Ge gripped the sword hilt and swayed left and right, trying to use his body weight to dislodge the blade from wherever it was stuck. But before he could succeed, the next thing happened.

The sandworm plunged toward the ground like a rollercoaster hitting a downhill slope, swaying left and right like a serpent magnified countless times, effortlessly crushing countless dunes in its path like sandcastles on a beach.

Wait, is it really in that much pain?

At first, Zhang Ge suspected that the sandworm's carapace wasn't as thick as imagined, and the sword had actually pierced into its flesh, where it was now clamped by muscle. The worm was likely thrashing wildly to shake him off.

But soon, he realized that wasn't the case.

Because he noticed that the sandworm's movement direction seemed to follow the force he applied to the sword—and not as if it was being forced to change direction due to pain. Even the slightest left or right tug on the hilt could steer it.

A colossal worm, equivalent in length to two aircraft carriers end-to-end, was being controlled by a power sword with a blade less than a meter long.

It sounded like a high-tech nuclear submarine being steered by a gaming controller.

Yet this was now reality.

After a long silence, Zhang Ge tried pressing down on the hilt to signal the sandworm to stop.

Sure enough, his new mount understood the intent behind the motion and gradually brought its rampaging body to a halt.

Nearby, Amilia also flew up to the sandworm's back and approached Zhang Ge. Even with her usual detachment and familiarity with him, she couldn't help but ask with a hint of surprise:

"What happened?"

Zhang Ge had no idea either. He could only reply:

"I don't know. It seems like... the sword took control of it after being embedded? And now it won't come out. Maybe you should try."

Amilia didn't refuse the suggestion. After stepping closer, she reached for the hilt.

But before her hand could touch it, she suddenly withdrew.

She shook her head and said:

"I can tell—I can't pull it out either. And the sword is rejecting me."

Did I just get claimed by a sandworm? Because of this sword?

After a mental storm, Zhang Ge arrived at this somewhat absurd conclusion—but working backward, it seemed to be the only explanation for now.

Once he figured this out, Zhang Ge quickly connected it to the unidentified entity he had encountered earlier—likely the spirit of a Knight.

It was probably that thing's doing. Great, just great. Haunting me even now.

Zhang Ge felt a headache coming on.

While the Imperium didn't treat non-sapient species with the same hostility as Xenos—some Space Marine Chapters even formed close bonds with native creatures from their homeworlds—a five-hundred-meter sandworm?

Putting himself in the shoes of a commander who wasn't actively seeking death, would he allow such a creature—capable of swallowing an entire command post in one bite—to roam nearby, even if it seemed controllable for now?

Clearly, the risks and unpredictability were too great.

For a moment, Zhang Ge frowned slightly, lost in thought.

Yet, despite the blowing sand and the subtlety of the gesture, Amilia noticed.

By the time Zhang Ge realized she was about to speak and tried to stop her, it was too late.

The Sister of Battle, ever the idea generator, said:

"How about calling Tech-priest Yolanda over? Have her and her Servitors assemble an outer shell for this thing, leaving only the bottom exposed for movement, and attach treads to the sides. Then we can claim it's a landship found in the desert."

After a pause, she added:

"The Adeptus Mechanicus personnel on Akolan don't push too hard about your possessions these days."

Zhang Ge: ...6.

Thinking about it, it actually had some feasibility.

Given the production capacity of the Tech-priests, if aesthetics, prayers, safety, and internal structure were disregarded—focusing only on speed and using modular materials—a five-hundred-meter-long rectangular frame with a few tread-like structures could probably be assembled in under an hour.

This way, only Yolanda would need to be sworn to secrecy, drastically reducing the risk of exposure.

But... with the shell, this thing might exceed six hundred meters in length.

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