Yuki shattered the chest plate of the last Triarch Praetorian with a single punch, ripping out the mechanical spine and rendering the construct temporarily immobile.
However, like the other Praetorians Yuki had dealt with, this one was quickly teleported away. Reanimation Protocols were truly a nuisance. Furthermore, these mechanical bodies could not be quickly digested, making it unrealistic to extract intelligence from their data cores. If Szarekh was currently preparing an escape route, Yuki realized he might not be able to stop him.
He searched and pondered as he moved, until his steps were forcibly halted. Time stopped, though his consciousness remained active.
"A Chronomancer?"
To Yuki's surprise, the Necron units he had crushed earlier began to float, reassembling themselves along the exact trajectories of their destruction. Time flowed once more, and Necron gauss weapons fired instantly. Yuki pushed his speed to the limit, dodging the lethal beams while searching for the Chronomancer's position.
"Noisy. Do you wish to enter an endless time loop until you are tortured into madness?"
Yuki retreated instantly as the Chronomancer appeared behind him.
"Time flows ceaselessly—until I say no."
Fixed again. This time, only the left half of Yuki's body was frozen. His right half continued to move, and through this simple trick, his body was nearly torn apart by the Chronomancer.
"This technology is a complete foul," Yuki remarked as he forced his body to heal, his biology undergoing a subtle shift.
"The technology of tens of millions of years is not something that—"
The Chronomancer's words cut off. He witnessed an incredible sight: Yuki's body began to move slowly through the stasis.
"It seems I've adapted."
"Adapted?"
"Don't underestimate my adaptability!" Yuki broke through Orikan's temporal lock and threw a punch. It missed; Orikan had already teleported a distance away.
"Interesting. I am Orikan, the Court Diviner of the Szarekhan Dynasty. Tell me your name."
"Yuki, Lord of the Aether Fleet. I know you. You have a buddy you get along with named Trazyn, don't you?"
Orikan flew into a rage. The Staff of Tomorrow in his hand fired countless rays, forcing Yuki back. Yuki knew that if he insulted Orikan's temporal skills, the Necron would just laugh it off, but implying he was "best friends" with Trazyn would definitely strike a nerve.
Orikan prepared to strike again, but Szarekh, the Silent King, intervened. His voice echoed directly in Orikan's mind—a rare instance of Szarekh speaking with his own voice.
"Bring him."
In an instant, Yuki found himself in a vast, sprawling hall. Around him stood countless Necron nobles, possessing the most exquisite bodies and adorned with intricate ornaments. Triarch Praetorian Wardens, Seraptek Heavy Constructs, and various other Necron super-weapons were stationed there. Yuki understood this was Szarekh's way of projecting authority. In truth, it worked; the sheer density of high-level Necron units present was enough to give him significant trouble.
After scanning the room, he turned his gaze to where the nobles faced. There sat an immense throne, etched with the agonized face of a C'tan shard, which served as the throne's power source. Atop the throne stood three Necrons: two Phaerons acting as mouthpieces on the sides, and in the center, a figure larger than any other—Szarekh, the Silent King.
"I've always been curious," Yuki said. "Since you brought this throne, why didn't you bring the Song of Oblivion?"
"Paltry thing! The Silent King has not permitted you to speak!"
"Enough, Silent King. Stop playing these games. I know those two Phaerons are just your mouthpieces. Why not speak for yourself? Or are you trying to maintain that pathetic honor of yours?"
"Arrogant creature. To speak such nonsense here, you must be prepared for your execution."
"We both know, Szarekh, that you have a way to escape, and this body of mine is merely a tool."
"What a ridiculous individual."
"Better than you, Szarekh. The Silent King, destroyer of the Necrontyr. You personally destroyed your own race. Although you created an incredibly powerful species in their place, you are still unsatisfied. Tell me, Szarekh, what is it you actually want?"
Szarekh did not answer. Instead, he raised his scepter.
"Tch, I hate guys like you who resort to violence when you lose an argument."
A blinding light flashed, and Yuki was blown to atoms.
Seconds later, aboard a Tyranid Hive Ship surrounding the last Necron vessel.
Inside a reclamation pool, Yuki reached out a hand. Eleven, standing nearby, quickly helped pull him up.
"That was terrifying. The Silent King really can't take a joke. It's a fact that his decisions led to the extinction of the Necrontyr; why get so defensive?" Yuki sighed. "That scepter is incredibly powerful. Is that what he used to shatter a C'tan back in the day? I had absolutely no chance to resist."
He then issued his most critical order. "Fire! Drive the Necrons out of here!"
Countless Hive cannons opened fire. Even Necron quantum shields couldn't fully withstand the barrage. However, they didn't need to; the Necron battleship activated its inertialess drive, jumping out of the Tyranid encirclement in an eerie maneuver and fleeing with a hull covered in scars.
Seeing this, Yuki felt much better. But this was far from over; he intended to continue his revenge against Szarekh.
"How is it going with Yuno?"
Eleven replied, "Miss Yuno took many units down to the surface. The enemies are currently besieged within the Hive city. It shouldn't take much longer to finish them."
"There won't be another sudden appearance of the Legion of the Damned, will there?" Yuki didn't think such bad luck would strike twice. After a moment of thought, he made a decision. "Send me down. I'll go see for myself. If we can eliminate Dante here, it would be a massive success."
Unexpectedly, Eleven did not follow his command.
"Boss, I think you might be needed in space more than on the ground."
"What's wrong?"
"Reinforcements for the Space Marines have arrived."
"Who is it?"
"It seems to be the Blood Angels and several other Chapters. They've arrived in considerable numbers."
"How troublesome. Fine, I'll deal with these guys as well. Since Kronos hasn't arrived yet, we might as well spend some more time here."