Chapter 74: Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [74]

One of the Wolf Lords from their Wolf Pack in Dalian was captured by the Dark Eldar and forced to fight in the brutal, never-ending gladiatorial battles of their arena. This is the fate that awaits those with some combat prowess in Comorragh—they must fight in the arena, battling either their kind or the Dark Eldar, only to be tortured and slaughtered in the end. However, if you are just an ordinary Imperial citizen or a regular member of the Astra Militarum, being captured and taken to Comorragh means becoming a slave. And for the Dark Eldar, slavery isn't just about forced labor. The Dark Eldar are utterly twisted beings who use all manner of methods to torment their slaves before ultimately killing them. Information about the Dark Eldar mostly comes from traveling merchants and rogue traders. Ordinary Imperial ships cannot enter that dark city, but some of these traders have the means to gain access. Comorragh is the darkest, most brutal, and blood-soaked city of the Dark Eldar. They take pleasure in torturing and murdering captured humans as part of their gruesome spectacles. It is said that the main city of Comorragh is vast beyond imagination. To call it a city would be an understatement—it is more like an enormous star sector. Several massive stars, dragged into the Webway during the ancient Aeldari Empire, illuminate Comorragh. "Lord Rhodes, the Dark Eldar has not yet left. We must pursue and attack them immediately! If they retreat into the Webway, it will be too late! Our two battle brothers, the human ship from the Golden Age, and our Chaplain will all be lost forever!" Titus urged. If these Dark Eldar managed to escape into the Webway, the Imperium would have no way of stopping them. At this moment, the ship's radar clearly showed that, after capturing members of the Deathwatch, the Dark Eldar had not left immediately. Instead, they were capturing stray Tyranid creatures, ordinary Imperial citizens, and even Astra Militarum soldiers from the ground. These Dark Eldar pirates were treating this place like an open slave market, taking advantage of the chaos to capture as many slaves as possible. "Our ship has a tracking device. We can link up with the mothership at any time—we will never lose our signal. I want to take this opportunity to investigate the Webway and obtain the coordinates of Comorragh." Rhod stated. **"Lord Rhodes, if you want to enter the Dark Eldar's capital, Comorragh, there are ways to do so through the rogue traders. There's no need to risk the lives of our Chaplain and battle brothers." A Deathwatch squad leader advised. If they wanted to enter Comorragh, they could rely on the rogue traders, as the Dark Eldar did have some dealings with the higher-ups of the Imperium. "Lord Rhodes, entering Comorragh requires going through the Aeldari Webway. This dark city does not exist within real space but in a layered dimension between the Warp and reality. Even rogue traders need to be guided by the Dark Eldar to enter. Obtaining the coordinates alone is meaningless—we wouldn't be able to enter." Titus explained. Just having the coordinates wouldn't allow them to reach the city, since it was anchored within the Webway. Conventional Warp travel methods were completely ineffective in reaching the Dark Eldar's capital. Comorragh's defenses were formidable—it was positioned at the heart of the Webway. Even Chaos Daemons could not reach it. Otherwise, the Dark Prince of Excess, Slaanesh, who craved Aeldari's souls, would have long since sent a daemon army to attack the city and harvest their souls. "Hahaha! That may be true for your technology, but it doesn't apply to this ship. This vessel has an extremely advanced engine with a spatial jump function. As long as I obtain the coordinates of Comorragh, this Golden Age starship can enter the Webway." Rhodes grinned, explaining to the Deathwatch Space Marines. Even before its upgrade to a mothership, this ship was already capable of faster-than-light travel. After its upgrade, it gained the ability to perform spatial jumps over limited distances. This form of travel was even faster than conventional faster-than-light movement. Never underestimate the power of old sci-fi technology—some of those Showa-era Ultraman warriors could physically leap across galaxies, and their alien enemies naturally had similar technologies. "Lord Rhodes! Are you saying that you intend to use this opportunity to enter Comorragh?" Titus asked, sensing something significant. He remembered that Rhodes had previously mentioned that reviving Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch, required the help of the Aeldari's Yvraine. Could it be that this Yvraine was currently in Comorragh? If so, then they had a reason to make the journey. "That's right. A key figure in Guilliman's resurrection—Yvraine—is currently in Comorragh. Additionally, the Dark Eldar has something we need. We must go there." Rhodes affirmed. Originally, there was no rush to venture into Dark Eldar territory, but the Baltan's Zetton was simply too tempting for Rhodes. Since that was the case, they might as well make the trip. "Besides, you don't need to worry. The Chaplain and our two remaining battle brothers will be fine. The Dark Eldar have locked them inside my ship. They are completely safe there. If I don't open the doors, the Dark Eldar won't be able to get in. Even if they try to break in, this ship is incredibly sturdy. If necessary, I will activate the ship's autopilot and send them directly back to my mothership." Rhodes reassured them. "If that's the case, then we should take the risk!" Titus nodded firmly. "This time, we will teach these Dark Eldar scum a lesson they will never forget!" Rhodes declared. "Lord Rhodes, what is that massive creature? It looks like the Dark Eldar have set their sights on it." At that moment, one of the Deathwatch Marines noticed a colossal entity on the radar—an enormous, winged, one-horned bird-like beast. "Probably some kind of space-dwelling lifeform." "It seems to be preying on Tyranid organisms. Could it be a species that feeds on Tyranids?" "That's a bioweapon created by humans during the Golden Age. It's one of this ship's combat units. During my battle against the Tyranids, I released it to help clear the Tyranids on the ground." Rhodes explained. With Balt, the master of genetic modification, on his side, Rhodes could easily explain his future monsters as bioweapons from the Golden Age of Humanity. "What?! That thing is a bioweapon? I never imagined that humans in the Golden Age were this powerful." "I heard that Titan-class weapons were just civilian technology back then and that nanomachines of the era could even consume entire stars." "Alright, let's keep watching. When they retreat, we will follow them into the Webway." Rhodes instructed. Meanwhile, the Dark Eldar pirates were also staring in excitement at Bemstar. Initially, they had only planned to raid the planet for human slaves and stray Tyranid creatures before retreating. But unexpectedly, they had discovered a rare and valuable prize—an enormous, Titan-sized living creature. "This thing is our real target! If we can capture it, we can retire immediately!" The Dark Eldar pirates were ecstatic. This was the kind of rare specimen they truly wanted.