Chapter 30: Rhode's True Objective, Operation Begins

"My soldiers are incredibly brave warriors! How can you order them to just stand by and rest here?" It was clear that the Imperial Commissar was highly dissatisfied with Rhode's order for them to hold their position.

"This is a surgical strike. If you were to come along, you would be too large a target, making it far too easy to be exposed," Rhode replied. "It would be better for you to wait until we have completed the decapitation strike, and then coordinate with the Astartes and the Sisters of Battle to mop up the remaining bugs on this planet."

The Ultramarines Captain and the Canoness stepped forward, nodding to the Imperial Commissar and offering some words of reassurance. They instructed him to lead the Astra Militarum in guarding the rear and providing logistical support.

Rhode shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

In truth, with the flight capabilities of King Joe alone, Rhode did not need anyone’s help to win this war. He only needed to recall Red King to his system inventory, pilot the Pedanium ship and King Joe directly above the Tyranid hive fleet's tendrils, and drop both Red King and King Joe down to destroy the bio-extraction tendrils—it would be an effortless task. After that, he could simply fly into orbit and destroy the four hive ships. The massive amount of system gold coins earned during the process could then be used to upgrade the power of King Joe's cannons.

The only reason he brought the Sisters of Battle and the Space Marines along was purely to farm reputation points for himself. With his giant monsters, Rhode held little regard for the combat prowess of either the Space Marines or the Sisters of Battle. He brought them and used seemingly impassioned words to encourage them only to pave the way for his future plans.

Having chosen the persona of a Primarch, Rhode naturally needed to elevate his standing among humanity. Being the hero who saved a planet carried far more weight than simply leading these people to flee it. While chatting with the young Sister earlier, Rhode had learned that it was the end of the second-to-last year of the 41st Millennium. Next year would be 999.M41, the final year of the millennium.

Many things would happen in that year—it would be the most critical year in the Warhammer universe. The Tyranid Leviathan fleet was launching a frantic assault on every faction in the galaxy. One tendril of the Leviathan fleet was heading toward the Ork Empire, and the Octarius War between the Tyranids and the Orks was about to erupt.

The Siege of Baal, the homeworld of the Blood Angels, would also commence. At the end of that same year, the Chaos Warmaster Abaddon—who fought, lost, and fought again—would launch the 13th Black Crusade. The Great Rift that would tear the galaxy apart was about to appear, and the Imperium Nihilus would be born.

Rhode needed to be involved in these events to gain more system currency. He would even need to divide his forces, as these conflicts would occur almost simultaneously. In the future, he would need to summon more powerful monsters, or perhaps even intelligent beasts or cosmic beings.

By the end of that year, the Primarch Roboute Guilliman would awaken from his ten-thousand-year slumber, aided by the Archmagos Belisarius Cawl and the Aeldari Yvraine. This resurrected Primarch would lead the Imperium into the Era Indomitus, ushering in the even darker and more brutal 42nd Millennium.

These Polar Warriors were a successor chapter of the Ultramarines. Rhode intended to use his identity as a half-Primarch to travel to Macragge, the homeworld of the Ultramarines. By involving himself in the resurrection of Guilliman and staying by the Primarch's side, he would have many more opportunities to farm points. The Terran Crusade, the Battle of the Lion's Gate, the Plague Wars, the Indomitus Crusade, the Psychic Awakening, the Pariah Nexus, the Arks of Omen—the list went on.

His monster system rewarded him with currency for slaughtering Tyranids, which meant he could never afford to hide away and develop safely. This system demanded that he constantly stir up trouble.

Rhode had a hypothesis: if these bugs could be processed into currency, could the Orks, the daemons of the Chaos factions, the Chaos Space Marines, the Necrons, the T'au, or even the Aeldari be converted as well? Perhaps even humans. However, since Rhode was human himself, he ruled out slaughtering humans for system gold. Furthermore, human reproductive rates were far inferior to those of the Tyranids or Orks. As for the Chaos daemons, as long as the Dark Gods willed it, they could create endless legions; those three factions would be his primary targets for future crusades.

"Lord Rhode, we have familiarized ourselves with your equipment. When shall we depart?" the Polar Warrior Captain asked, approaching him.

"To prevent these bugs from absorbing more biomass, the sooner, the better. If you are ready, we depart immediately," Rhode said.

"Understood! I have gathered all our melta-bombs. Once we reach the base of the hive fleet's tendrils, we can plant them and blow the whole lot to pieces," the Captain replied.

These melta-bombs were originally intended to destroy the Titan-class bio-form, but now they would be used on the Tyranids. Regardless of the target, as long as they were being used on xenos, there was no issue.

"Inform your men to board King Joe. We are going to wipe out these bugs," Rhode commanded.

Soon, all the Sisters of Battle and Space Marines boarded Rhode's King Joe. The Imperial Commissar stood at attention with the remaining Astra Militarum, saluting Rhode and the others with a solemn, tragic gaze as he watched them depart.

Rhode felt a bit speechless. He was taking them along to participate in a high-stakes battle to farm points, not leading them to their deaths. He was a "carry" player bringing them along to rank up, understand?

King Joe's flight speed was immense and incredibly smooth; those on board did not feel a single jolt. Within less than an hour, they arrived at the site where the first hive tendril was anchored.

Rhode gave the order without hesitation, and King Joe unleashed a beam attack. These rays were not the main Pedanium cannons, allowing for continuous fire, yet their power remained formidable. The four ship-sections of King Joe released blue beams of light downward.

Boom! Boom!

The Tyranid organisms that came into contact with the rays were instantly vaporized, destroyed beyond recognition.

"Such flight capability and such ferocious firepower—this could completely crush any Titan model the Imperium currently possesses. It is truly worthy of being a relic from the Golden Age," the Polar Warrior Captain exclaimed in awe.

What a pity. Such pinnacle technology from the Golden Age of humanity was virtually impossible to replicate. If only these war machines could be mass-produced, humanity's true glory would have returned!