55: Chapter 55 Tzeentch chuckled in the warp, and the Blackrock Line's resonant frequency suddenly changed.

The lights in the briefing room dimmed for a moment without warning. It wasn't a power failure or a Void Shield overload—every Psionic Monitor still functioning on the bridge simultaneously emitted a high-pitched shriek, like nails scraping across glass. Bern was the first to react; he tore the Psychic Talisman from his neck and slammed it onto the table. The Holy Power's fluorescent glow on the amulet's surface, which had been extinguished for days, was now flickering frantically at an irregular frequency, as if something from the other side of the Warp was tapping on the Grey Knight's soul with its fingers. His voice was kept extremely low: "Tzeentch."

Canoptek-7's Quantum-state Communication forcibly broke into the main screen of the Wrath of the Emperor a few seconds later. The Necron Technician's voice remained steady, but the bridge alarms of the Eternal Echo in the background had never been so frequent—"An abnormal waveform has been detected in the Warp Substrate beneath the Talasta Void Gate. It is not the Tyranid Hive Mind, nor human psionic energy, but some older, more deliberate variable—it is attempting to replicate the blackstone resonance frequency." Nephilak's encrypted link followed immediately. The Necron Overlord offered no pleasantries; the cold green light in his eye sockets appeared in the projection like two frozen stars. He said that Tzeentch occupied an entire volume of war records in the Necron Dynasty's archives; this dark god never fought head-on, and its favorite tactic was to wait until the moment your defense line was most perfect, then tear it apart from some forgotten internal corner.

Marcus Aurelian stood in the center of the briefing room. The fracture in his right arm had gone numb from the cold of the past few days, but his voice was calmer than ever. "Tzeentch wants the Blackstone Defense Line. It doesn't intend to build its own; it intends to replicate ours." He turned to the Brood Queen's quantum-state translator, which remained silent—not because the connection was lost, but because the Brood Queen was engaged in high-speed internal communication with the Overmind.

A few moments later, the translator lit up. The Overmind's reply was projected onto the main screen in quantum-state text, the words concise to the point of being cold: "The waveform at the base of the Talasta Void Gate has indeed been replicated. Tzeentch cannot directly crack the blackstone resonance—the Necron Dynasty's quantum encryption technology is naturally repellent to the chaotic nature of the Warp. However, Tzeentch does not need to crack it; it only needs to find a sufficiently close Chaos waveform within the Warp to simulate the resonance, then begin infiltrating layer by layer from the Identification Zone at the outermost edge of the defense line. The Blackstone Defense Line will not be breached from the front, but if Tzeentch synchronizes the simulated waveform into the Void Shield frequencies of the Chaos Space Marines, the defense line will temporarily identify the Chaos fleet as an authorized unit."

The briefing room fell silent for a short while. Sebastian leaned his Power Sword against the table, the sound of the scabbard hitting the tabletop breaking the silence: "Where will the Chaos fleet come from—Cadia has been fallen for so many years, and the remnants of Abaddon's Black Crusade have been lingering around the Eye of Terror. If Tzeentch is to use a Chaos fleet to coordinate with its simulated resonance, the nearest Chaos staging ground is the Cadian Ruins." Captain Oldenburg projected the shipping lanes from the Cadian Ruins to the edge of the Ultima Segmentum onto the star map. The route distance and time windows were marked with red dashed lines, and the conclusion was a single word—Fast.

Marcus turned to the Brood Queen's translator: "Tell the Overmind that if Tzeentch's simulated resonance infiltrates from the direction of Cadia, the first to encounter the simulated waveform won't be The Swarm, but the Imperial patrol fleets on the periphery of the Blackstone Defense Line. We can help The Swarm keep an eye on the Chaos flank, but we need to know which sector of the defense line will be tested first." The translator lit up for a shorter time than before—"The Overmind says the waveform Tzeentch is testing will first appear in the defense sector directly facing the Talasta Void Gate. The Orbital Defense Platforms in that sector are the responsibility of the Imperial Third Assault Fleet. He suggests you pull your fleet back a short distance. The blackstone engine will directly change the resonance frequency after the Identification Zone is infiltrated—not for defense, but for backlash. Fall back so you aren't caught in the friendly fire."

Bern hung the Psychic Talisman back around his neck, stood up, and said, "The Grey Knights can activate the Holy Hammer relic—that thing isn't psionic; it's a brand of Holy Power personally blessed by the Emperor. The blackstone engine can suppress psionic energy, but it cannot suppress Holy Power. If Tzeentch's simulated waveform begins to infiltrate, the Grey Knights will use Holy Power directly on the front line to contaminate its resonance circuit."

The Brood Queen's translator replied a moment later: "The Overmind accepts this plan. The Blackstone Cerebrate is pre-recording the energy signature of the Grey Knights' Holy Power Brand into the Blackstone Defense Line's identification database. From now on, the Grey Knights' Holy Power will not be misidentified as a Chaos target by the blackstone engine. A side note—Bern, the blackstone engine's suppression of psionic energy is still running at full power. Your fingers might still be numb. Don't panic; it's not Tzeentch. It's us."

Marcus made the final arrangements, his logic so clear it was almost biting: "The fleet. All Strike Cruisers are to pull back from the defense line, with Void Shields at full power throughout; do not engage the enemy proactively. The Grey Knight strike teams will establish a direct tactical link with The Swarm's Blackstone Cerebrates, with Bern serving as the coordinator for both sides. The Swarm's leviathan motherships will keep their main cannons on standby, and the Titan-Eater will be held in reserve for now—have that thing recalibrate its Void-class Resonance Chambers in the critical sector, aimed toward Cadia. If Tzeentch sends a Chaos fleet to test the defense line, the blackstone engine will use an overload backlash to burn them back."

In the briefing room, all members of the War Council stood up at once. Bern pressed his palm against his Psychic Talisman, Sebastian picked up his sword and strode toward the hangar, and Oldenburg turned in the command center of Griffin IV to issue orders to the entire Third Assault Fleet. Marcus Aurelian glanced down at his right arm hanging in a sling, then pushed open the briefing room door with his left hand and walked back to the bridge.

The Brood Queen's translator lit up with one last line behind him—"The Overmind says Tzeentch thinks he can trick the Blackstone Defense Line with his schemes. Let him come. By the way, next time there's a meeting like this, don't ask for The Swarm's opinion—just tell us who to hit."