Invincible after death, but in Warhammer 40K

The light sources came from towering structures built from scrap metal, each equipped with rows of massive searchlights. The light was so intense that it was almost difficult to look directly at the towers themselves.

All of this intense light was focused on a massive pit surrounded by these towers. The scale of the pit was so enormous that the nearby ruins of a multi-story building looked like toys in comparison.

However, such a vast scale also meant that the Dawn Cult was completely unable to mount an effective defense. That said, it was likely that very few forces in the outskirts could even breach the outer holographic projections, let alone cross the defenses without triggering any alarms.

Patrol teams of three to four people were stationed along the edge of the pit, each separated by at least a hundred meters. Their setup wasn't designed for interception but merely to serve as an early warning system.

From the looks of it, they hadn't encountered any attacks capable of reaching this location for a long time.

Of course, Zhang Ge had no intention of breaking their record. Based on the guards outside the pit and the patrol teams encountered earlier, a rough estimate suggested that the cult's armed personnel outside the pit alone numbered around two thousand.

While this number wasn't significant compared to a regular military force, it still gave them a slight advantage over the current group of four. Engaging them directly would hardly be considered normal.

So, if they bypassed the patrols and entered without conflict, wouldn't that mean it wasn't an attack?

As a precaution, Zhang Ge decided to leave the inexperienced Dominica and Burton behind.

"Dominica, Burton, if you notice any other patrols detecting something unusual or if a conflict breaks out inside, go back and bring the car over."

He hoped they wouldn't mess this up.

After watching the two nod solemnly, Zhang Ge thought to himself, then turned to Amilia:

"Amilia, get ready to take me over from above."

Amilia nodded, and the two found the highest nearby ruin. After climbing to the top, they reached a position even higher than the towers.

From this vantage point, the visible range of the deep pit became much clearer.

The pit extended downward in a funnel shape with tiered steps, each level about twenty to thirty meters high. On the inner side of each step, scattered buildings could be seen, likely the residences of the core members of the Dawnbreak Sect.

One notable detail was that a large number of light sources were directed toward the very center of the pit. Although the deepest part was still unclear, based on the intensity of the reflected light, Zhang Ge estimated that the object being illuminated might be a mirror or some kind of metal object.

However, Zhang Ge and Amilia had not climbed up here for sightseeing.

The open area between the edge of the massive hole and the ruins was roughly fifty meters wide. Amilia could easily leap to the top of those towers in an instant, even while carrying Zhang Ge.

As previously mentioned, the brightness of the searchlights on those towers was akin to small suns. Even if the patrols happened to look up at the lights, the brief visual adjustment required under such intense light would be more than enough time for the two of them to reach the pit.

After roughly surveying the scene inside, Zhang Ge mentally prepared himself to be carried or dragged over once again and said, "Alright, let's go."

But Amilia didn't do that. Instead, she sheathed her sword, moved behind Zhang Ge, wrapped one arm around his chest and the other around his waist, and lifted him a few centimeters off the ground.

Zhang Ge: ???

Seriously, is being taller that impressive?

While he was grumbling internally, Amilia had already carried him in this manner to the edge. She leaned forward at an angle and, when the angle was right, pushed off the edge and leaped.

The force wasn't too strong, as they couldn't make much noise. After flying nearly fifty meters, their momentum was nearly spent by the time they landed on the tower, and the landing was almost silent.

Here, Zhang Ge could finally see what was at the center.

A severely damaged Warlord-class Titan, its lower half still buried in the ground.

Its chest bore several severe injuries, the deepest of which seemed to have pierced through from front to back. It was hard to imagine what kind of weapon could leave such wounds on the body of such a divine machine.

Now, in addition to being heavily damaged, its surface was covered in blasphemous symbols and worshipful inscriptions. The entity being worshipped aligned with Zhang Ge's earlier suspicions—the Great Demon of Tzeentch, the Weaver of Fates, the Lord of Change.

Kairos Fateweaver.

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place at this moment, and it was not difficult to imagine what had transpired here.

Long ago, a massive war caused this divine machine to fall, permanently altering the entire landscape of this place and burying it deep underground.

When the Mechanicus arrived on this planet, extensive research quickly pinpointed the location of the damaged Titan. However, just as the excavation was nearing completion, a sudden invasion by the Orks disrupted the entire process.

With nowhere outside the hive city's void shields being safe, the time required to repair the Titan after its excavation was uncertain. Moreover, the risk of it being intercepted by the Orks during transport would have left hundreds of Tech-Priests in despair.

Thus, in an effort to avoid drawing the Orks' attention to anything mobile, the Mechanicus reluctantly left behind a multitude of automated holographic projections as a protective measure and withdrew from the area.

But the war with the Orks lasted far longer than the Mechanicus had anticipated. Over such an extended period, a fortunate individual who had breached the barrier arrived at this site.

One can imagine the awe felt by this suburban dweller, with their limited knowledge, as they descended into the god-carved pit and beheld such a colossal giant.

Overwhelmed by this emotion, they knelt before the giant, worshiping it as a deity and praying for enlightenment.

Undoubtedly, the ability to use a Warlord-class Titan as a medium and offering was a feat that few native Chaos cults across the galaxy could achieve. The Changer of Ways answered this mortal's plea.

With the sudden influx of knowledge into their mind and through repeated prayers and responses from the deity, an unwitting Chaos cult was born.

They worshiped a dead Titan with the utmost devotion, using their deepest desires as their intent, yet what they received were the gifts of Tzeentch. Much like the bishop's lament, the entire cult resembled a group of ridiculous clowns performing in a stage play.

Perhaps this was precisely the kind of "offering" the Changer of Ways truly desired.

Fortunately, their misfortune may come to an end today.