This is the bonus chapter for reaching 450 Powerstones.
--
"Stop ruining that tree," Zeke said, crossing his arms and watching the show.
The Lion ignored Zeke. His fist smashed into the trunk again, sending wood chips flying and causing green sap to ooze from the torn bark.
Not hitting hard enough? Did you skip dinner?
Zeke walked up to the Lion, gestured for him to step aside, and proceeded to give the Primarch a live demonstration of what true "tree punching" looked like.
Thud, thud, thud. Zeke's fists continuously pounded against the trunk. The Lion was just about to mock him for his meager strength.
Suddenly, the entire middle section of the tree directly exploded. A massive block of wood vanished into thin air. The Lion obediently shut his mouth.
"Learn from this. This is called punching a tree. What you were doing was, at best, tickling it."
Thanks to Zeke's gag, Lion El'Jonson's anger mostly dissipated. He gave up on beating the tree and returned to the topic of Zabriel.
"What was this 'Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost' you mentioned just now? Is that the reason for this refugee gathering?" the Lion asked.
"That's right. These refugees fled into the jungle to escape the massacre and enslavement of the Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost. Now, they survive like this."
"I encountered these people by chance, and I have been protecting them to the best of my ability." Zabriel looked into the distance.
Aside from the campfire in front of Zeke, dotted flames began to ignite in other parts of the refugee camp.
The meat of the giant toad beast was distributed by the Lion. It was a rare occasion for the refugees to see meat. As they cooked the food over the campfires, the rising aroma of roasting meat aggressively provoked their appetites.
"I hear that there are Fallen Dark Angels within this Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost you spoke of. If these refugees have ended up in such a state, then we bear a portion of the responsibility," the Lion said.
"We must help them." The Lion took a deep breath.
"Indeed," Zabriel frowned. "I can take you to their nearest stronghold, if that is what you desire."
"And..."
"My name is Zeke. I believe I've already said that once."
"Right, Zeke. It sounds like you also intend to go. How about we travel together?" The Lion turned to him.
Zeke raised the Explorer's Compass. "When our fellow humans are in trouble, it is naturally our undeniable duty to help."
"And what about Smurf?" Lion El'Jonson shifted his gaze to Guilliman beside them.
"The people of the Imperium are suffering. How could I sit back and do nothing?" Guilliman raised his head, his face full of exhaustion.
Lion El'Jonson's shoulders relaxed a little.
If he had encountered this situation in his youth, he definitely would have charged into the Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost alone and slaughtered every last Fallen.
Time had changed his appearance, and it had also changed the Lion's mindset. He opted for a safer approach: assembling a group of companions.
"I am glad we all share the same thought." Lion El'Jonson borrowed a hunting knife from the refugees and bid farewell to Halin.
Halin stood at the edge of the camp, watching these strangers who came in a hurry and left just as quickly.
In his eyes, whether it was the young man holding the compass or the awe-inspiring Lion, they were all capable individuals with extraordinary skills.
For such a group to assemble together, whatever they were setting out to do was surely a grand undertaking he wouldn't even dare to imagine in his lifetime.
–
The jungle night was far more dangerous than the day, but it also provided natural cover.
Zeke kept his eyes glued to the Explorer's Compass, occasionally reminding Zabriel, who was leading the way, to adjust their direction.
Two hours later, they crossed a hillside leading to a volcano. Zeke stopped and raised his hand, signaling the group to halt.
Looking down at the distant forest from here, they could see the only elevated terrain towering amidst the boundless sea of trees in their line of sight: the Holy Mountain.
"Is that where the refugees escaped from?" Zeke asked, pointing at the Holy Mountain.
"That's right," Zabriel answered. "The Red Moon Keep, the stronghold of the Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost, stands atop the Holy Mountain."
The Red Moon Keep was an entire architectural complex. From afar, it looked like a forest constructed of reinforced concrete.
It was surrounded by an array of ion fields that constantly incinerated any plant life that touched them, preventing the wildly overgrown jungle from swallowing the city.
The Lion was still observing. Many towering spires and manufactorums within the city had already been reduced to ashes under Chaos attacks.
Where are the Ten Thousand Eyes Warhost's patrols? Are there any ambushes nearby? Before the Lion could draw more conclusions, Zeke had already impatiently charged forward.
The direction the Explorer's Compass pointed was toward a bizarre plant covered in fruit, not far from Zeke. The path there was littered with vines and weeds.
With Zeke taking the lead, the others also started moving, weaving their way through the flora.
As Zeke pushed aside the waist-high weeds, he muttered in his heart:
It seems the trigger condition for the mod this time is a tree.
Zeke couldn't shake the feeling that the fruits on that tree looked exceptionally familiar, but he just couldn't recall where he had seen them before.
It's not going to be another mod like Botania, is it? he mumbled, though his feet didn't stop.
Zeke arrived beneath the fruit tree. The fruits on the tree looked very hard, like the rind of a mangosteen, and their surfaces were covered in fine, dense textures.
"What kind of plant is this? Do any of you know?" Zeke turned his head and asked.
Zabriel shrugged. "I do not have a very detailed understanding of this planet's biology."
Zeke placed a few blocks to boost himself up and reached out to touch the fruit on the tree.
The moment his fingertips touched the rind, text appeared in a prompt box.
[Mod: Minecraft Pokémon (Pixelmon) Unlocked]
As everyone knows, due to Minecraft's extremely high degree of freedom, you can even play other games inside it—for example, Pokémon.
So someone created a mod that allowed players to play Pokémon within Minecraft.
Because of this many new recipes were added to JEI (Just Enough Items).
Zeke's gaze locked onto a red-and-white spherical object.
Using Apricorns, a Stone Button, and an Iron Ingot, he could craft the most basic Poké Ball.
Following the recipe, Zeke crafted a red-and-white Poké Ball.
Looking around the dense jungle, it was obvious that this Warhammer universe wasn't going to randomly spawn a Pikachu or a Charmander for him to catch out of nowhere.
Suddenly a squawking sound came from above, and a four-winged bird darted past the treetops.
Zeke raised his hand and threw the Poké Ball right at it. He wanted to see the limits and uses of this Poké Ball.
The Poké Ball accurately struck the four-winged bird. With a pop, it opened in mid-air, and the bird transformed into a beam of red light and was sucked inside.
The Poké Ball landed on the ground and shook violently. The indicator light flashed wildly, emitting a bling-bling sound.
Poof! The Poké Ball burst open, and the four-winged bird escaped, disappearing into the night sky without looking back.
Zeke was stunned for a few seconds.
Even the native creatures of Warhammer can be targeted? Then the operational potential here is massive!
Countless images instantly flashed through his mind. Weren't the Warp Daemons, the bizarre Tyranid swarms, the C'tan, and the Chaos Gods scattered everywhere the absolute best Pokémon?
"What are you spacing out for?" Guilliman patted Zeke on the shoulder, noticing a terrifying gleam in Zeke's eyes as he muttered horrifying words under his breath.
Things like: "Guilliman isn't bad either, but his combat power is too weak. He leans too heavily into support, so never mind..."