My Life as A Death Guard

Hades stood there, gazing at the distant forest.

The “veil”—or rather, the barrier—was noticeably weaker there.

In the battle against Chaos, the weakness of the veil would be a decisive factor.

Generally speaking, in areas where the veil maintained its normal thickness, beings from the physical world had to resort to various forbidden methods to weaken it and gain access to the power of the Warp.

However, when the veil in a region became thin enough, entities from the Warp could freely enter the material universe without being hindered by the barrier.

Clearly, the veil on this planet was not yet weak enough to allow Daemons to pass through at will, and Nurgle’s influence on the terrain remained relatively limited.

After all, weakening this barrier was no easy task—it required either powerful psykers or an overwhelming surge of mass hysteria.

Once a Great Unclean One was banished, it could not easily return to the physical universe.

So Hades knew what the enemy’s next step would be.

If he and his forces refused to leave the city, then their adversary would likely send a human army—who knows from where—into the city. Their assault would not only be a direct attack but also serve to further weaken the veil, paving the way for a Daemon horde to be summoned.

A massive sacrifice—Hades was certain it would summon an overwhelmingly large Daemon army.

His previous victory had been secured largely through surprise. Had the enemy chosen to keep their distance and harass him instead, the outcome would have been far less certain.

He could not always rely on striking down enemy leaders in one swift blow.

Now, it seemed that the deciding factor in this battle would be just how many cultists the enemy had prepared.

Hades wasn’t too concerned about the combat strength of the human cultist army, as his prior reconnaissance had shown that this planet’s military forces were generally weak.

He turned his gaze back to the forest, where the immense gathering of cultist troops had created an extraordinary surge of psychic energy.

Thick, putrid mists of decay drifted through the air, while viscous yellowish mucus dripped from the towering trees. Any Skitarii troops sent to investigate found that the moment they set foot inside, the corruption spread rapidly onto their metal armor.

Rust blossomed across the surface, and the metal began to soften and rot.

They were now trapped within the city, unable to venture into the forest.

The ever-growing forest provided a fertile ground for sustaining life—vast amounts of dormant entities lay within, breathing silently, awaiting the day of their awakening.

Now, those slumbering beings stirred from their endless dreams, beginning their march toward the desolate city.

They twisted, writhed, decayed, eroding the barrier between reality and Chaos.

Hades took a step forward, and the foul sludge beneath him clung stubbornly to his power armor before reluctantly dripping away.

After deploying the Skitarii forces, he did not remain hidden among the densely packed buildings like the scattered squads. Instead, he moved straight toward the very center of the grand plaza.

He needed to see the Blackstone obelisk.

In fact, he had already noticed earlier—the Great Unclean One was deliberately keeping him away from the plaza’s center.

Hades instinctively tried to take a deep breath but forcibly held it back.

Jin trudged through the mud beside him. Apart from the two of them, everyone else had already taken their designated positions.

Upon arrival, Hades looked up at the towering Blackstone obelisk that pierced the sky.

A single, clearly visible indentation marred the otherwise flawless structure. Within the hollow, dark components glowed faintly with flickering energy, causing Hades’ pupils to contract sharply.

His pitch-black eyes shrank to the size of pinpricks.

Whispers of knowledge circled around him, murmuring softly in his ears.

The structure and function of the obelisk unfolded before his mind’s eye like a shower of falling stars.

Centuries of accumulated wisdom surged through him like a dazzling celestial river.

He… he might be able to repair it?!

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Jin stood quietly beside Hades, watching as the latter unconsciously began inspecting the obelisk, muttering to himself.

Hades understood now.

The Necrons Blackstone Obelisk functioned by channeling spatial properties into the veil, either reinforcing or weakening the barrier between the Warp and the material universe.

The obelisk’s positioning and spatial context determined its polarity.

And that polarity dictated whether it would strengthen the barrier using physical reality or weaken it using the Warp.

Currently, this obelisk had been initially configured to reinforce the veil.

If he could repair the obelisk…

Then, even if the enemy sacrificed their entire prepared army, they still would not be able to summon the Daemon horde!

Under the obelisk’s protection, they could systematically eliminate the massive cultist forces, seizing a glimmer of hope for survival.

“Buy me some time.”

A burst of electrical signals came through the comms, conveying Korklan’s agreement and support.

Hades began calculating in his mind—if given roughly one Terran hour, he could forcibly reactivate the obelisk.

Yes, he could make it in time.

Hades unsheathed his scythe, driving its blade deep into the ground.

Then, he naturally stepped onto the scythe’s slender handle, balancing himself like a hawk perched on a thin branch.

Jin stared in disbelief—Hades stood atop the weapon with perfect stability, without the slightest tremor.

Yet Hades, his mind consumed by complex schematics and calculations, remained oblivious to his own actions. He was merely trying to reach the higher section of the damaged obelisk.

He extended the servo-arms from his back, adjusting the plasma cutter to the optimal output level.

No, something wasn’t right. Hades blinked.

The obelisk’s interior—something was missing.

A crucial component for spatial detection and manipulation was absent.

No… no, if he forcefully activated it… perhaps partial pathways could still be established.

At worst…

A wild idea suddenly flashed through Hades’ mind.