Chapter 177: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [177]

Words : 1432 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

Gene seeds are something that can be harvested from a Primarch's body. This person doesn't seem to fit that description! At 2 meters tall, that's not the typical build for a Primarch. Even the smallest Primarchs are over 3.5 meters tall, with some reaching 4 meters. "Lord Rhodes, forgive my boldness, but are you perhaps a Primarch?" Belisarius Cawl asked. "You could say that. I'm not far off from a Primarch in most respects, but my genes are special. They don't have any Warp influence mixed in, allowing for better resistance against the corrupting effects of the Immaterium. Plus, my gene-seed will further enhance these warriors' abilities. The shapeshifting power I mentioned earlier comes from my gene-seed - it's a berserk transformation that greatly boosts combat prowess," Rhodes explained. "A berserk transformation? Is it similar to the Canis Helix?" Cawl inquired. Could it be like the Space Wolves' Canis Helix? Their warriors are incredibly powerful in single combat. However, the Space Wolves' gene-seed isn't very stable, much like the Blood Angels'. The most stable gene-seeds are still those of Roboute Guilliman and Rogal Dorn. "It's similar, but instead of transforming into a beast, the skin just turns red. The outer appearance doesn't change much - it's purely a boost to combat ability," Rhodes clarified. His transformation also incorporated Red King's super strength mode, making it even more potent than a typical Gomora transformation. With Belisarius' Furnace, the Immortis Gland, and his own special brain core enhancement, he could perfectly control this transformation. "I see! Lord Rhodes, just how formidable is your body? Could you give us an idea?" Cawl asked, intrigued. "My physical form can withstand bolter fire, and ordinary chainswords can't penetrate my skin. I can survive in the vacuum of space, withstanding stellar radiation. I can even fly," Rhodes smiled, then began levitating in front of Cawl without any visible means of propulsion. Balt bowed to Rhodes, then fired two shots from a bolter directly at Rhodes' chest. The bolter rounds didn't even scratch his skin. Now was the perfect time to extract his gene-seed, before undergoing another round of monster enhancements. Rhodes' physical abilities would only become more extreme, and he'd gain various psychic powers from Mefilas. At that point, Rhodes worried that even ordinary humans might not be able to handle his gene-seed. "Incredible! A Primarch with a normal human build! Haha! No problem, I just need to fetch some equipment. We'll extract your genes immediately and cultivate the gene-seed," Cawl said excitedly. This must be the Emperor's secret 21st Primarch, or perhaps even the legendary Primarch Zero. He seems to be the most perfect specimen yet, possibly utilizing Golden Age technology. After all, the Emperor was once part of the Men of Gold. Rhodes nodded with a smile, then produced a silver teleportation bracelet, explaining its use to Cawl. "Archmagos Cawl, you can use this for teleportation. It's similar to Necron phase shifting technology." "Golden Age human tech! Truly astounding! Please wait a moment while I retrieve the necessary materials," Cawl said after learning how to use the bracelet. He promptly left Rhodes's ship, returning to his base on Mars. Moving with utmost haste, he summoned his bodyguard, the first of the Primaris Space Marines. He gathered the Sangprimus Portum given to him by Roboute Guilliman, along with some specialized surgical modification equipment, and then immediately teleported back to Rhodes' ship. "Thank you for your patience, Lord Rhodes. I've brought my finest work with me. Shall we begin extracting your genetic material?" Cawl asked. Rhodes nodded, rolling up his sleeve and handing Cawl a set of specialized needles. Cawl approached Rhodes, bowing deeply. He lit some candles around Rhodes and performed a brief ritual of reverence, even anointing the collection instruments with sacred oils before beginning to extract Rhodes's genetic material. Soon, a large vial of blood was drawn. Cawl excitedly took the blood to his equipment and began the process of cultivating gene-seed. Rhodes himself possessed powerful psychic abilities and even had a presence in the Warp, though this projection was shielded by the Emperor. The gene-seed creation process didn't disappoint Rhodes. The blood in the cultivation dish quickly began to react and change. After several hours, perfectly round, fleshy nodules appeared in the dish. The full cultivation of gene-seed would take several days! During this time, Cawl stayed aboard Rhodes' ship. Balt and Zett worked together to enhance Cawl's Primaris Marine, implanting new black carapace, Zetton bio-engineered muscles, increased bone density, and re-cultivated the remaining superhuman organs. Rhodes and Balt explained that the special brain core was mainly used to control the transformation, so it wasn't suitable for ordinary Space Marines. Only those joining Rhodes' Space Marine chapter would need this surgery. Cawl considered this and agreed to Rhodes' requirements. The main function of this special core was indeed transformation control, while the Magnificat implant was sufficient for enhancing psychic resistance. Through their exchanges, Balt and Zett also learned how to create Belisarius Furnaces, Magnificat implants, and even the sinew coils. While these couldn't be used on Primaris Space Marines, they could be applied to kaiju. For instance, adding these sinew coils to Zetton wouldn't use ordinary steel coils, but rather the metal wire from the Ace Killer's Killer Armament. These metal sinew coils could significantly boost Zetton's combat ability. Besides Zetton, these could be used on other Ultra Beasts in the future to further enhance their fighting power. However, they wouldn't work on ordinary kaiju, as they lack gene-seed and aren't bio-engineered weapons. Implanting such coils in them would likely result in rejection or fatal allergic reactions. Five days later, Rhodes' gene-seed cultivation was finally complete. This time, Cawl had cultivated 1,000 gene-seeds for Rhodes. Each gene-seed was the size of a ping pong ball, perfectly round and incredibly smooth. "Perfect, Lord Rhodes! The first-generation gene-seeds cultivated from your blood are flawlessly round and smooth. There are no odd protrusions or tentacles, indicating that your genes are incredibly pure and perfect for cultivating Space Marines," Cawl explained. The purity of these gene-seeds was even better than Roboute Guilliman's, with the future mutation rate approaching zero. "Then let's begin! We'll implant these new gene-seeds into my Space Marines," Rhodes said. "Of course, Lord Rhodes! Let's start right away!" Soon, all the super Space Marines were called in and placed in medical pods. Their original two gene-seeds were removed and replaced with Rhodes' gene-seeds. They also underwent two-stage Primaris procedures, receiving Belisarius Furnaces and Magnificat implants, though the sinew coils were omitted. After the modifications and a day and night in the cultivation tanks, the new Primaris Super Space Marines emerged, even more formidable than before. The Belisarius Furnace provided improved regeneration, while the Magnificat enhanced their psychic abilities and worked in tandem with the special brain core to control the berserk transformation. "Let's test it out. Try activating your berserk transformation," Rhodes instructed. "Yes, Lord Rhodes!" Titus, serving as the test subject, nodded and initiated the Gomora Berserk transformation as Rhodes had taught. Titus' body emitted crimson steam, his skin turning blood-red and his eyes glowing scarlet. His arm muscles bulged noticeably. The special brain core and Magnificat worked in harmony, not only enhancing the transformation's effects but also keeping the Space Marine's mind clear and preventing loss of reason during the transformation. After transforming, Titus underwent a series of combat tests. The results were impressive - in this berserk mode, his strength nearly doubled, while his speed and reactions increased twofold. The transformation could be maintained for about 3 minutes before reverting. Afterward, the Belisarius Furnace activated, restoring the Space Marine's stamina. After an hour of rest, they could transform again. The Primaris Super Space Marines with Rhodes' gene-seed could now survive in space and had further enhanced physical strength. "Lord Rhodes, I can now create a new batch of Astartes using your gene-seed, then proceed with upgrading the Primaris Space Marines," Cawl said. As long as there was enough bio-engineered muscle and bone-strengthening serum, he could immediately begin the Primaris upgrade process. With 200,000 Primaris Space Marines under his command, it was no small undertaking. "No need to rush, Archmagos Cawl. I examined your neural circuitry earlier and found that you've forgotten many memories. We can help restore your memories and locate the Primaris recruits you've forgotten," Rhodes explained.

Chapter 177: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [177]

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