Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor-Chapter 324 - 325: Worm of the Underworld, The Terrifying New Tyranid Strain!

Chapter 324 - 325: Worm of the Underworld, The Terrifying New Tyranid Strain!

Inside the Governor's Palace.

The broken bodies of Genestealers and Tyranid Warriors lay strewn across the ground, emanating a foul stench from the shadows.

With a low hum, Karlean executed the last Genestealer with his power sword.

But there was no joy of victory in his heart.

The captain turned around to face a tragic sight.

A veteran Terminator of the Sons of Sanguinius lay sprawled in the center of the hall, limbs splayed, staring silently at the shattered dome above.

His battle-brothers in Terminator armor stood in a solemn circle around the corpse, saying nothing.

It was a silent tribute.

Karlean stepped forward, removed his helmet, and knelt, paying his respects to the fallen warrior.

"Rest in peace, noble blood of Sanguinius..."

He looked upon the tortured face of the fallen, placing one hand upon his chest. "Lay down your burdens and return to the Throne. We will carry on your duty and ensure our enemies pay in blood."

Unfortunately...

They had no time to grieve.

Seconds later—

"Let's move. The blood of Sanguinius does not end here. We must find the Governor..."

Karlean stood and led his remaining warriors deeper into the palace. They still had a holier mission to complete.

So many battle-brothers had perished in pursuit of this goal.

And they themselves were battered and bleeding.

But it was worth it.

They had located the hiding place of the Governor.

He was close.

If they could find the last bloodline of House Flaxx, the Sons of Sanguinius might finally be free of their eternal, nightmarish curse.

A hope they had clung to for countless centuries.

Karlean and his men pressed into the silent depths.

Yet strangely—

No Tyranid ambushes came their way.

"Maintain alert!"

Karlean grew increasingly wary.

He suspected the Tyranids had adopted a more insidious tactic.

What truly unnerved him was...

He could feel a vicious and malignant gaze spying on them from the shadows.

Clearly—

It belonged to a powerful synaptic creature.

Along the way, it had laid ambush after ambush, whittling down their numbers, waiting for the moment to strike.

But no matter what—

They had to press on. There was no turning back.

Karlean and his warriors followed their map through a secret passage.

Then suddenly—new sounds emerged in the silence.

Not the cries of Tyranids or gunfire, but... music.

Following the sound, they entered a vast garden.

"Emperor damn it..."

Karlean's eyes flared with fury.

This extravagant place stood in stark contrast to the devastation outside: green lawns surrounded crystal-clear lakes, and blazing solar lamps bathed the area in light.

Countless nobles—men and women—lay passed out on the grass, surrounded by empty crystal wine bottles.

While the planet of Hellebore reeled under catastrophe...

These people had indulged themselves in hedonistic oblivion.

At the end of the garden sat an opulent pavilion. Reclining upon a cushioned seat was a noble elder in regal attire.

That was their target—Augustus, scion of House Flaxx and Governor of Hellebore.

"Welcome, my friends..."

The aged Augustus opened his weary eyes and looked at the Blood Angels without a trace of fear.

Instead, he waved his guards away.

His voice held a trace of disappointment:

"Angels... you've come at the wrong time. I thought it would be my brother instead... the Worm of the Underworld... that thing of vengeance. You know the one, he's always been searching for me..."

The old man rambled on in broken sentences.

"Lord Governor, if you wish to live, you must come with us now,"

Karlean resisted the urge to draw his weapon and tried to reason with the man.

But—

"You're mistaken. This is where I will die..."

Augustus flatly refused:

"I will remain here and perish with my world... You know about the curse. I no longer wish to run. Perhaps this is the only way it ends."

Karlean had no interest in this madman's ramblings and stepped forward to seize him by force.

But then he froze.

Augustus had casually lifted his blanket—to reveal a melta bomb beneath it.

"Governor... perhaps we can discuss this,"

Karlean said with a deep breath, not making a move.

If his actions led to the death of the last Vlax bloodline—

He would be an eternal sinner in the eyes of the Sons of Sanguinius!

Augustus looked at them and began to speak:

"Let me tell you about the Worm of the Underworld... then you'll understand how bad things really are. When I was just a child..."

The old man recounted a story:

As the eldest son, Augustus was the sole heir of the family.

But everything changed after his parents returned from an interstellar trade conference.

His mother gave birth to a younger brother, and his father announced that this child would replace Augustus as heir.

His brother was... strange. A mutant with a swollen brow, extra limbs, and sharp claws.

Yet the family ignored all abnormalities.

They demanded Augustus fulfill his duties as a big brother and care for the "adorable" younger sibling.

He didn't dare expose the truth and lived under the shadow of this clinging monster.

Then things grew weirder—and more dangerous.

Guests invited to see the brother never returned.

Augustus became terrified.

He feared he'd vanish just like them.

He couldn't take it anymore.

He secretly rallied noble allies and staged a coup against his parents.

In that civil war, Augustus slew his corrupted parents.

But his monstrous brother escaped—fleeing into the depths of the hive city.

As governor, Augustus never gave up hunting that creature.

But never succeeded.

Over time—

People in the lower hive began to disappear in droves. Stories of a "Worm of the Underworld" began to spread.

A tale of revenge, foretelling the governor's death by devouring.

Clearly—

The brother's power had grown. He sought revenge on the one who had slain their parents.

Fear consumed Augustus.

He neglected governance, building endless fortresses and recruiting private armies—hiring even unsanctioned psykers.

He poured everything into protecting himself.

Yet—

He failed.

His fortresses crumbled like paper.

Because—

That monster had summoned an unstoppable swarm.

The arrival of Hive Fleet Leviathan shattered his last hope.

Augustus realized—

He could never escape this revenge.

From the moment he killed their parents, he had been cursed.

No matter where he fled, as long as he lived, his brother would pursue him—and summon the swarm.

Only with his death, the last of Vlax's bloodline, could this tragedy end.

"Now you see—I can't run. This must end between us!"

Augustus raised his arms, shouting madly. Years of terror had broken his mind.

Karlean grew more anxious.

From the governor's story, it was clear his brother was the source of the Tyranid infection—a Genestealer Patriarch.

And after the Tyranids arrived—

He had likely evolved even further, becoming a Broodlord.

Worse still—

He seemed to have retained his human sense of vengeance instead of being fully absorbed by the Hive Mind.

A deeply dangerous situation.

It meant the creature was not only cunning and ruthless—but also capable of calling more Tyranids.

And—

His target was the same as theirs: the governor.

This made the mission far more difficult.

For now—

The situation was deadlocked.

Karlean realized he couldn't do anything. He couldn't stop the melta bomb's detonation or fend off the incoming attack.

So—

He explained the Blood Angels' true purpose.

He begged Augustus for a sample of his blood.

Karlean handed a collection vial to a guard to pass along.

If they could just retrieve the Vlax bloodline sample, the mission wouldn't be a total loss.

Augustus took the vial.

But made no move to use it.

"...He's here."

Suddenly, his expression turned calm:

"My dear brother has arrived. I can feel his gaze... he's watching me..."

The old man called out:

"Come, brother. Let's finish this."

Karlean immediately entered high alert.

Then—

The solar lamps went dark. Something had cut the power.

No doubt—

The Worm of the Underworld had come.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Terminators fired flares to maintain visibility.

BOOM—!

The garden's walls collapsed.

Tyranid beasts surged through, shrieking.

From within the swarm—

Five towering figures clad in chitinous armor and living plating appeared. Each was larger than a Terminator!

They resembled twisted, stretched-out parodies of humans born from nightmares.

Exuding a suffocating menace.

But—

These beasts were merely the vanguard.

A massive shadow entered.

A Broodlord.

This Broodlord had evolved from an enormous Genestealer Patriarch—larger than any Karlean had seen.

Twice the size of its bodyguards, its claws outmatched even Tyranid monsters.

But—

It didn't attack right away.

It approached a wall.

There, a mural showed the former Governor couple and young Augustus.

The creature slowly reached out, touching the mural—specifically, the faces of the parents.

It still remembered those faces, the love it once felt. It had cherished those memories again and again.

But now...

It could barely recall them.

The creeping shadow of Leviathan's Hive Mind was erasing all irrelevant memories from its mind.

Soon—

It would be fully integrated into the Hive.

Its thoughts peaceful, emotionless—free of pain and hate.

Only eternal silence.

The Broodlord caressed the mural, desperately trying to remember their names—proof it still existed.

But—

Its claws tore through the wall, destroying the mural.

The monster gained nothing. Not even its own name remained.

The only thing it remembered—

Was one hated face: his brother's.

The brother who murdered their parents!

The Broodlord turned, eyes blazing with hatred at Augustus in the pavilion.

That vile traitor had betrayed him—betrayed their family!

It had to kill him before its mind was fully assimilated.

That was its only remaining... wish!

Karlean stepped between them.

As he met the Broodlord's crimson gaze, he felt its repugnant thoughts pierce his mind.

It was invading him!

The captain resisted with all his will and anti-psyker training—barely holding it back.

He realized grimly: he wasn't strong enough to stop this creature.

BOOM—

The battle erupted.

The Broodlord swatted Karlean aside like a ragdoll, landing him at Augustus' feet, then raised its claw to strike.

"...Brother. I regret it so much..."

Augustus suddenly spoke.

The Broodlord paused.

Its gaze twisted into mockery at his confession.

The Blood Angels dared not make a move, for fear of destroying the last remaining hope—the bloodline.

"I regret my weakness. I regret not killing you alien monsters sooner. This whole catastrophe is because of my failure..."

Augustus taunted the Broodlord with no restraint.

A sinister smile crept onto his lips:

"I won't give you the chance for revenge. Because I've done nothing wrong. All of you deserve to die. Die, you freak!"

ROAR—!

The Broodlord let out a furious howl and raised its claws once more.

But it was too late.

The melta bomb detonated.

Before everyone's eyes—

The governor calmly chose to end his life, turning to ash in the superheated blast.

The Broodlord screamed in agony.

Its descending claw was caught in the blast and reduced to charred remains.

"No!!!"

At that moment, Karlean's mind went blank with horror and guilt.

The Vlax bloodline was gone.

He had failed Lord Dante. Failed in his mission. He was now an unforgivable sinner to the Blood of Sanguinius.

Clink—

Amidst the chaos—

A metallic clatter drew Karlean's attention.

He instantly recognized it.

The blood collection vial.

The old governor had, before dying, left behind a precious sample of his blood for the Blood Angels!

BOOM!

Jet exhaust roared.

Karlean activated his jump pack and leapt toward the vial.

At the same moment—

The Broodlord's crimson eyes also locked onto its brother's final relic. It let out a screech.

The Tyranid Warriors nearby received the order and stomped toward the vial, attempting to crush it.

But they failed.

One of them stomped directly onto Karlean, who used his body to shield the vial.

He spat blood, rolled aside to dodge the incoming slash, and other Blood Angel Terminators rushed in.

They formed ranks to hold back the Tyranid assault.

But soon—

One of the veteran Terminators fell.

Karlean tucked the vial into the containment compartment on his back.

He looked up—

And saw a scene of despair.

The Broodlord ripped another veteran apart.

Behind it, the swarm surged forward.

They were surrounded—cornered against a wall, encircled by the enemy.

There was no way to escape from this onslaught.

As Karlean and his brothers prepared for a final stand—

BOOM—!

Nearby, an adamantium-reinforced wall exploded.

A massive Centurion Assault Suit burst through, driven by a Blood Angel. It carved a path through the swarm.

From the breach—

A familiar voice echoed.

"Captain, we're here to get you out!"

Feisel stood at the front, piloting the hulking Destroyer Centurion armor, shielding his brothers.

The next moment—

A hail of explosive bolts roared out, cutting down the Tyranids in droves.

However—

None of it fazed the Broodlord. Protected by its psychic barrier, it deflected every shard of shrapnel.

It roared and summoned more of the swarm—until the garden was nearly overflowing with chittering beasts.

Karlean didn't know why Feisel had such advanced armor.

But he knew how dangerous the Broodlord was.

He immediately held up the vial. "Feisel! Forget us—just get the blood sample out of here!"

The Broodlord toyed with the corpses of the fallen Terminators.

Its cold eyes locked onto Feisel and the newcomers, and it sent out a psychic message:

"You... cannot resist the Hive Mind!"

BOOM!

Before it could continue—

A cannon shell slammed into it.

"Who the hell is this bug with an attitude problem?"

Big Barrel's obnoxious electronic voice rang out.

Then—

The explosive anthem of the Savior's synth-hymn filled the garden.

Under a storm of fire—

More and more Centurions stomped in.

As the smoke cleared—

"Impossible?!"

Karlean was stunned to see over twenty Destroyer Centurions forming a steel wall in front of the Blood of Sanguinius.

That wall—

Blocked out all the despair the Blood Angels had just endured.

"Brothers! It's hunting time!"

Big Barrel charged forward, leading the Centurions toward the Tyranid swarm.

The xenos felt the overwhelming threat.

They instinctively stepped back, their eyes full of fear.

But it was too late.

The Centurions unleashed an apocalyptic storm of firepower, annihilating the swarm in waves!

ROAR—

The Broodlord's psychic barrier deflected much of the barrage as it lunged toward Big Barrel.

The massive creature slashed down, severing the Centurion's weapon and ripping open its cockpit.

The Broodlord glared at Big Barrel's figure—

About to strike the killing blow.

BOOM!

A surge of psychic power burst forth—

The power of "Breath of Flame."

Flames erupted from Big Barrel's armor.

He launched out of the cockpit, his round frame engulfed in fire.

Mid-air—

"DADDY BARREL IS HERE!"

His lightning-wrapped power claws snapped out.

He lunged at the Broodlord!

...

ZZZZZMMM—!

A flicker of force fields.

A Tyranid's grotesque head hit the floor.

SPLAT.

Ceramite boots crushed it into pulp and bile.

Carter, after smashing a Tyranid Warrior's skull, cleaved two more that charged him.

Not far away—

A massive capillary spire extended into space, writhing endlessly.

The sky was blackened with clouds, and massive tendrils hung down from them.

Gunfire and alien shrieks echoed across the battlefield.

The ground, covered in a chitinous carpet, was littered with dismembered Tyranids.

Gargoyles screeched and fell as bolt rounds tore them apart.

Carter led the Thunder Guard, fortifying the perimeter and cutting down every Tyranid that tried to break through.

HISSS—

At the center of the line—

Eden fiddled with his datapad, frowning. "What's that idiot Big Barrel doing? Why won't he answer my calls?"

The map showed he was dozens of kilometers away.

Looks like they wouldn't be meeting up anytime soon.

Soon—

The scanners delivered new data.

His target—Dante—was just ten kilometers away.

Time to move.

"We've got a fix. Let's go!"

Eden sent the data to Carter and led the team toward Dante's location.

But just as they moved out—

They were intercepted again.

BOOM!

Rocks exploded.

Several Sand Serpents erupted from underground—followed by a swarm of black Tyranids.

Carter stepped up.

"I'll handle—"

"No, let me."

Eden stepped forward first, raising a psychic barrier to block a volley of acid.

Since ascending to Primarch status, his psychic powers had grown stronger.

Though not as strong as Magnus, he was formidable even among Primarchs.

And psychic attacks were ideal for clearing waves of light units.

ZAP—

Eden rose into the air.

His pupils turned brilliant white, his dark-gold armor crackled with arcs of blue lightning.

He clenched his fist—

And unleashed:

"UNSTOPPABLE!"

A massive bolt of psychic lightning surged forward, slicing through the ground and sweeping across the swarm.

Countless Tyranids were vaporized, reduced to charred husks.

Then—

Eden flinched in midair. A sharp pain stabbed his mind.

A vast psychic presence was gathering.

He looked toward the source—

The same area where Dante was located.

Even worse—

The terrifying psychic signature came from a Tyranid—stronger than any recorded.

Eden's brow furrowed.

"That's going to be a problem..."

—

Helos Port Defense Line.

A sea of mangled Tyranid bodies stretched for miles.

Among them lay blood-red and golden armor—fallen heroes of the Imperium.

Dante leaned on his glowing blue-bladed Axe Mortalis, breathing heavily.

His aged face was weary as he looked out over the carnage.

Every battlefield reminded him of the burden of centuries—

And the memories that haunted him.

But at least—

The Blood Angels had repelled this wave.

They now had a moment to deploy heavy weapons and evacuate civilians.

"Have the Chaplains bless the noble sons of Sanguinius..."

Dante sighed.

Soon, the Blood Priests began retrieving the bodies for rites.

But before they could fortify the line—

Bad news arrived.

Chief Librarian Mephiston approached with a grim report: a massive psychic disturbance was approaching from the south.

"All Librarians to the South Gate!"

Dante trusted Mephiston implicitly. He sensed the crisis at hand.

Suppressing his thirst for blood, he led his warriors south.

—

South Gate.

The disciplined Cadian Shock Troops suddenly broke ranks, screaming as they fled.

Many tore off their helmets, clutching their heads in agony.

Blood streamed from eyes, ears, and noses.

A massive Neurotyrant emerged from the ruins, its serpentine body floating, dragging its long tail.

Its bulbous head was grotesquely enormous.

The warriors had never seen such a Tyranid before.

Floating behind it—

A horde of Psychophage brain-beasts.

They were immense, with exposed, pulsating brains and whipping tendrils.

Worse still—

Their tendrils unleashed psychic agony wherever they pointed—frying minds and bursting hearts.

The Neurotyrant's thick psychic barrier deflected las-beams and missiles.

It led its swarm toward the South Gate.

Behind it—

More Tyranids poured in.

"AHHH!!!"

As the creatures neared, many soldiers fell to their knees, screaming, heads in hands.

Their vision turned gray. Their minds were filled with a trillion screams. Their blood vessels swelled with unbearable pressure.

SPLAT—

Heads exploded in sprays of red mist.

"These are... the Tyranids' new weapons?"

Dante arrived just in time to witness the horror.

It exceeded anything in his experience.

He had never seen psychic creatures like this.

The Blood Angels attacked—

But bolt rounds and energy beams barely dented the psychic shields.

"That leader... it's the key," Dante muttered, eyes fixed on the Neurotyrant.

Mephiston sensed the same.

"Yes. If we take it down, we can collapse their formation."

He warned, "But Lord Dante... your body may not survive the psychic backlash."

The Chief Librarian understood Dante's intent.

Aged and exhausted, Dante smiled faintly.

"You'll protect me, won't you, Mephiston?"

He had made up his mind.

He would slay the creature himself.

With the Librarians preparing a psychic lattice—

Dante ignited his jump pack.

He launched forward at blistering speed.

Immediately—

The psychic tendrils lashed out.

Even his enhanced body barely withstood it.

But—

Dante endured the first wave.

His bones cracked. He pressed on.

Mephiston seized the moment, unleashing a focused psychic shock under amplified warp currents.

It forced the swarm to focus on him instead.

The psychic pressure was overwhelming.

Mephiston, one of the Imperium's strongest psykers, struggled to stay aloft.

Even so—

He killed several brain-beasts with his powers.

But soon—

His energy was depleted. A terrible alien force overwhelmed his mind.

His barrier shattered.

The world went dark.

He collapsed.

He had done all he could.

"AHH—!"

Dante took the chance, roaring as he leapt, raising the Axe Mortalis—

But the Neurotyrant reacted fast, tendrils wrapping around the old warrior once more.

Dante struggled.

Bones cracked.

His cry echoed across the battlefield.

The Blood Angels surged forward to save him—

But they couldn't break through the barrier.

They could only watch.

Then—

A mighty psychic force erupted.

A towering figure stood before Dante—shielding him from the pressure...

(End of Chapter)

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