Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor

In the central region, atop a tower—

Eden finished his work and stepped onto the balcony for some air. In the distance, the muffled sounds of artillery fire still echoed.

Although called a balcony, this place was more of a heavily fortified watchtower, providing a wide view of the central region and key defensive zones.

The Tyranids' offensive strength seemed to be waning; the intensity of the war had lessened compared to before.

He raised his gaze to the galactic void above, where the space battle still raged on, bright explosions lighting up the darkness like fireworks.

In the light of these blasts, he could faintly make out long, thin shadows in the distant galaxy.

These too were Tyranid bioships—tendrils of Hive Fleet Leviathan—spread throughout other star systems.

"Looks like we'll need to wrap things up in the Baal system soon… then move to help clear the tendrils in other systems."

Eden pondered silently.

Otherwise, knowing the Imperium, they might pull some stunt that'll ruin everything.

BOOM!!!

A deafening plasma explosion rang out in the distance.

Eden whipped his head toward the source, his brow furrowing deeply.

In his field of vision, a mushroom-cloud-like plasma fireball soared skyward. Several Redeemer-class Titans collapsed in flames. A massive bio-Titan, followed by an overwhelming tide of Tyranids, surged through a breach in the defensive line.

That critical defense zone had been breached!

In an instant—

Countless heavy artillery rounds roared down like thunder upon the compromised area.

The ground tore open, metal melted, and everything was reduced to ruin beneath the storm of overwhelming firepower. The Tyranids' screeches were drowned out entirely.

More explosions followed.

Emergency protocols activated across the fallen zone. Suicide squads of warriors stood at the forefront, firing madly before charging with melta bombs to die with the advancing Tyranids.

They fought to buy time for the rear defenses to respond.

This wasn't the first time the Tyranids had launched a ferocious assault—but none were this fierce.

Back at Central Command—

Dozens of Thunderhawk gunships launched urgently toward the broken line. Four or five Redeemer Titans were already en route to the breached zone.

Massive reinforcements began pouring toward the gap.

With their arrival, the spreading threat was rapidly contained, and the defenders succeeded in halting the Tyranid advance.

Several hours later—

A flickering virtual projection appeared in midair: it was Tarko, head of military operations and supreme commander.

He reported:

"Lord Savior, we've repelled the Tyranid tide at Priority Defense Zone 158. We are currently pushing the front back to the breach point, and reconstruction efforts are underway. We expect the line to be restored in two days..."

Notably, the commander didn't mention casualty numbers.

Eden didn't ask. On battlefields like this, casualties were a given. Asking would only add to the sorrow. And if the numbers were worth reporting—he would've already known.

War always brings death.

In fact, the Savior's realm had done its best to minimize losses, reducing casualties on this apocalyptic-level battlefield to the levels typical of low-risk fronts in the Imperium.

Otherwise, the soil of Baal would already be blanketed in corpses. The blood and flesh of its warriors would become part of the land.

Yet even so—

This war, spanning an entire star system, still claimed the lives of tens of thousands of warriors every day.

Life is the currency of the Emperor.

Sacrifice is the foundation of the Imperium.

Such is the state of the galaxy. Even a Savior cannot change that completely.

All he could do was try to lessen the deaths and increase the hope.

Eden sighed softly and pushed down the wave of emotion. At least the line had held—no more lives were lost because of it.

And based on intelligence—

Leviathan had recklessly committed forces to that area, suffering grievous losses.

It was clearly a desperate move. The long war of attrition and dwindling biomass had nearly drained it dry.

But that didn't rule out the possibility that it was preparing something more dangerous in the shadows.

Eden looked at Tarko.

"This Leviathan offensive was unlike the others. Investigate what it's planning.

Oh, and get in touch with Commander Volradi of the Third Redeemer Fleet. Tell him to speed up the blockade operation..."

Leviathan was cornered—it was time to end this.

Lest it drag on and spiral out of control.

"Yes, Lord Savior!" Tarko gave a slight bow and ended the transmission.

Even after ending the call, Eden felt an unsettling sense of unease.

These past days, Hive Mind Leviathan had been constantly shifting tactics in an attempt to breach the defenses.

Now, its actions were bolder—too bold to ignore.

"Carter."

At Eden's soft call, a towering figure emerged from the shadows.

It was Carter, the leader of the Thunder Custodians. His form had grown once again, now standing over three meters tall.

"Double the hidden defenses around the temporary Savior's sanctum and the command systems."

Eden ordered Carter to increase the secret safeguards in those zones.

Ever since spotting Tyranid scouts in the central region, his sense of security had been shaken. He'd already bolstered defenses several times.

Through these hidden reinforcements—

This area now housed an enormous amount of core strength. Aside from the Thunder Custodians, figures like Dante and over ten Chapter Masters were hidden here, alongside a multitude of Space Marines. The place bristled with defensive weapons inside and out.

Most of these weapons remained concealed, never activated.

Many more were held in reserve.

With the current setup, unless the enemy could somehow teleport an army inside all at once—even someone like Ka'Bandha would get a serious beatdown here.

In Eden's eyes, one must always hold something in reserve.

Obvious defenses are too easy to target and bypass—might as well not have them.

After a final inspection of security measures, Eden finally returned to his quarters to rest.

He needed his strength—for the final battle to come.

…

Savior's Command Center Region

Bright white lumen strips illuminated every inch of this place, leaving no shadows behind.

This was one of the most vital facilities on Baal. Its foundation and walls were reinforced with layers of adamantium and plasteel. The skies above and the perimeter bristled with the densest anti-air batteries and firepower emplacements.

Observation towers blocked all blind spots.

Space Marine patrol squads roamed the area on irregular routes, ready to call in backup at any time.

All of it was meant to prevent Tyranid assassins from breaching the defenses.

After all, fragile mortal commanders couldn't withstand the power of Tyranid organisms capable of piercing ceramite armor and killing Space Marines in seconds.

Should any of them breach the command center—

They could slaughter every commander inside in the blink of an eye.

Yet beneath the lights, something alive crept closer—

The spatial distortions were so faint they went undetected. The creature blended perfectly into the environment—light, heat, even temperature.

"At last, an opening..."

Hive Mind Leviathan radiated a cold, exhilarated pulse of emotion.

It had paid a steep price to infiltrate this area.

Moments ago, it had hurled Tyranids into the defensive line without concern for losses, sowing chaos that momentarily diverted attention.

During that gap, it smuggled in a Tyranid assassin with the swarm and slithered through the weakened defenses, infiltrating the central region.

Once inside, it used intel from its scout-creatures to sneak around the defenses and approach the command center.

The entire process took nearly three days.

It was arduous. One slip-up would have ended in failure.

At times, it even forced its mutated Hive Tyrant into hibernation, shutting down biological functions and halting blood flow.

"The Savior is cautious… but even he cannot resist the wisdom of the ancient Hive Mind..."

It acknowledged the immense strength of the Savior's bastion. The entire zone was a sealed iron fortress, meticulously fortified.

But it was all in vain.

The Tyranid assassin had slipped through. The perfect moment to strike had come.

The Savior's command center—Baal's brain—was about to be annihilated.

The Hive Mind grew ecstatic. It now held a full mental map of the structure, modeled in real-time by its neural-cluster-organisms.

The target zone was within reach—irresistibly close.

"Perhaps I've overestimated the Savior…"

Leviathan downgraded Eden's threat level and decided that, after a successful strike, it would rampage through the surrounding area.

A message written in blood.

Let the Savior feel the cruel, savage fury of the Tyranid swarm.

Patient and cold, the Hive Mind adjusted the position of its advanced units hidden throughout the zone.

Its calculations clicked together, one after another, completing the puzzle of victory.

Then—

Simultaneous explosions rocked multiple directions around the command center, a coordinated distraction.

Defensive systems roared to life. Space Marines emerged from hiding—twice the number of previous patrols.

But all of this had been foreseen. The scouts had mapped it all.

"All elements for a swift end to the war are in place..."

A blood-red eye blinked open in the void. Fanged mandibles curled into a grotesque grin.

The balance had shifted.

Victory now belonged to the Tyranids!

…

Temporary Savior's Sanctuary.

Surveillance Room.

Eden frowned, staring at the surveillance feed with deep worry.

He let out a small sigh.

"Sigh… That thing's been lying there for nearly a whole day. Why hasn't it moved?"

Dante stood silently at his side, offering no response. He didn't know the answer either.

And besides, he was well aware that the Savior liked to talk to himself—sometimes even muttering strange, ancient words that sounded like incantations from a forgotten age.

Eden gave Dante a sidelong glance but didn't pursue it. That guy was talking less and less these days—acting almost like a servitor.

The Chapter Master of the Blood Angels had handed over most of the command responsibilities to the Chapter Chaplains and often mumbled about vacationing on the Savior's garden worlds once the war was over.

Eden was tempted to warn him: making such "flag-raising" comments was dangerous.

But to this guy, death didn't seem like a punishment. It was more like a reward…

Eden returned his gaze to the surveillance projection.

The command center was equipped with the latest surveillance system built around Blackstone technology. It could detect the faintest trace of warp or psyker activity.

It was specifically designed to detect Chaos daemons, psykers, and warp-touched entities.

Since most high-level Tyranid organisms possessed psychic powers or specialized energy fields, the Blackstone surveillance system also functioned as an early warning system against elite Tyranid assassins.

Sure enough, the moment the mutated Hive Tyrant approached the command center, it was detected.

Projections suggested that there were likely other infiltrators in the area besides this one.

Until their capabilities were fully understood, the guard units assigned to defend the command center had been ordered not to make any hasty moves.

Meanwhile, personnel had been covertly recalled from the front to help hunt down the infiltrating Tyranid elites.

Suddenly, the surveillance feed shifted.

Accompanied by explosions across multiple zones, the hidden Tyranid units launched their assault.

The mutated Hive Tyrant moved too—racing toward the command center's power core with astonishing speed.

"Dante!"

Eden barked the command—clear and direct: go kill it.

"For Sanguinius!"

Dante's eyes flared with purpose. He drew the Axe Mortalis and ignited its disintegration field. With a battle cry, he leapt from the observation platform straight into the fray—charging toward the nearest Tyranid intruder.

…

Hiss—

The Hive Mind of Leviathan controlled the mutated Hive Tyrant, propelling it toward the energy core of the command center's defense grid at breakneck speed.

HUM—

The forcefield generators on its talons glowed faintly, and with a single slash, it severed a Space Marine's arm clean off.

These regular Astartes were no match for it.

It ignored them and pushed forward, leaving its pursuers behind.

The Hive Mind had one target only: destroy the command center's defenses.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM—

The automated defenses were no match for the silver Tyranid's advance. Everywhere it passed, explosions followed. Its talons tore through the machinery like hot knives through butter.

The entire command center's defenses began to collapse.

As the shielding fields went dark, the Hive Mind shivered with glee.

A heavy weight had tipped the scales toward victory.

Then—the ground shook violently. The attack didn't just come from the surface.

Tyranid burrowers surged upward from deep underground like monstrous drills, boring toward the command center. Without the shielding, even the adamantium-alloyed walls couldn't resist the high-intensity acid.

The burrowing assassin broke through layer after layer of the defensive shell, bursting into the core chamber.

When its massive, saw-like head smashed through the wall, it was swollen red, pulsating with plasma.

In the next moment, it detonated in a violent explosion of bio-plasma—engulfing the entire command room in burning chemical heat!

The intense heat spread outward in all directions, shockwaves pulverizing the surrounding structure.

BOOM—

A pale-purple fireball surged into the sky. The entire command center caved in!

Such violent destruction drew everyone's attention.

They stared, dumbfounded, at the ruined center of command.

Eden looked toward the fireball not far off, his eyes flickering with fear. He never expected the heavily defended command center to fall so quickly—to be utterly annihilated by the Tyranids in a single blow.

It was a terrifying truth.

The command center was supposed to be the most heavily fortified area.

What was worse—

If the Tyranids could breach it once, that meant all similarly designed defenses were compromised.

Every zone could now be exposed to Tyranid assault—vulnerable targets.

And if the Tyranids evolved the ability to cloak themselves from Blackstone sensors—

Then the central region might as well be defenseless.

The chill in Eden's heart deepened.

He had clearly underestimated how dangerous the Tyranids were. Against this apex war species, even a minor slip could mean total defeat!

"…Looks like I'll have to be even more careful from now on."

Eden exhaled a long breath and turned to Tarko's virtual projection.

"Have the fortress architecture division continue refining the defense protocols. Aim for dynamic response frameworks. No more static weak spots.

Also, enhance the fallback infrastructure plans for all core zones!"

He felt the department heads had been a bit too conservative.

Were it not for wartime conditions, he'd have already called a disciplinary review on them.

This time, they'd come too close to disaster.

Had it not been for Eden's own hypersensitive psychic intuition, which caught wind of Tyranid scouts in advance, prompting the emergency evacuation from Command Center One to Command Center Two—

And then through hidden tunnels to the third command center—

And sealing the access paths with signal jammers and psychic disruptors—

Then the Tyranid strike would have succeeded. The command personnel would have been annihilated along with the entire center. The elite command structure would've been decimated.

The Savior's realm did have a backup command team—but handing over operational control in a hurry was never ideal. It could've pushed the front into serious danger.

Fortunately, that hadn't happened.

Eden now looked toward the explosion's epicenter.

There, lying amidst the wreckage, was a silver, charred mutated Hive Tyrant—the culprit behind the attack.

They needed to wipe out these elite Tyranids fast, before they caused even more casualties.

Eden could sense it—

Inside the mutated Hive Tyrant, there was another ancient presence.

The Hive Mind itself.

Almost every Tyranid was its creation—its servant.

Eden raised his faceplate and locked it onto his helmet. The mask sealed shut, crimson optics glowing ominously.

He now stood in obsidian Blackstone power armor—every inch of its surface etched in void-black runes that devoured light, projecting an overwhelming presence of power.

This was a brand-new armor design—optimized for fighting Tyranid xenos.

The Savior's armory now stocked over a dozen such suits, tailored for different environments and battlefield needs.

Even the decorations, heraldry, and coloration could be modified for seasonal or strategic purposes—

So that the Savior would always appear on the battlefield in peak condition.

THUD—

The jet-black titan leapt down from the tower, moving with deliberate, heavy steps toward the mutated Hive Tyrant.

Behind him, Carter and the Thunder Custodians quickly followed.

Suddenly—

A mocking, aged voice tinged with excitement rang out:

"Ah, Savior… your so-called impenetrable defense now lies in ashes, consumed by Tyranid fangs. Your brain—your command—turned to dust in a storm of bio-plasma.

Soon, your fortress will be swept away in the tidal wave of the Hive, and your despair… will be my appetizer..."

It was the Hive Mind—channeling its psychic thoughts into the air in Low Gothic, hurling mockery at the Savior, trying to break Imperial morale.

It believed its mission was accomplished. Now, it could slaughter without restraint.

The Hive Mind could imagine how furious the Savior must be right now—

Yet, just as it prepared to continue its tirade, it choked mid-sentence:

"…W-what? That's… impossible. I destroyed the command center!"

But the signals returning from the war front showed no disruption. The Savior's army remained perfectly coordinated—nothing had changed.

The command system was still intact.

The Hive Mind looked toward the wreckage.

And it realized—the structure it had destroyed, the one it had sacrificed so much to attack—

Was a decoy.

The Savior had tricked it. Had probably been laughing behind his mask this entire time.

The Hive Mind reeled in disbelief.

Once again, its ancient intelligence had been outmaneuvered.

Damn it! DAMN IT!!

Failure after failure had finally pushed the ancient Hive Mind to its limit.

It boiled with rage.

"Cunning… you deserve to be reduced to bio-paste, you trickster Savior!!"

Now it only craved blood—to unleash its fury in slaughter.

The mutated Hive Tyrant's eyes locked onto the nearby Astartes patrol squads.

It would kill them all.

But then—

Its expression briefly changed.

There were… too many humans?

Within its detection radius, the Hive Mind suddenly realized the number of human warriors was seven or eight times what previous intel indicated. And rising fast!

...

Central Sector – Street Defense Line.

More and more Thunderhawks flooded the skies, nearly filling the airspace. On the ground, heavy melta-sniper turrets were being mounted by entrenched Space Marines.

Across the streets, elite Astartes wielding power weapons marched steadily forward. Only the sound of their boots echoed through the air.

Seeing this—another mental blow struck the Hive Mind.

How was it supposed to fight this?

The devious Savior had secretly mobilized a massive force—many of which had never appeared on the battlefield before.

Which meant they'd been hidden all along.

Could Baal truly have this many troops to spare?

The Hive Mind's host body—the mutated Hive Tyrant—stood alone.

And ten Chapter Masters in full Master-grade wargear, each leading their elite troops, were now surrounding it.

Each one of them—legends of the Imperium.

Each one—at the peak of their power.

Faced with such a scene—

The Hive Mind's gaze flickered with utter despair.

It could only admit one truth:

This match... was way out of its league.

(End of Chapter)

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