Only a Primarch-level entity can contend with a Primarch.
In the vast universe, solo entities standing above the Primarchs are few and far between. There are the minor gods of the Warp, the shards of the C'tan—and now, finally, a sub-will of the Hive Mind.
Born from a specific inclination of the Great Devourer, this entity had intentionally excised a part of itself to manifest a distinction from the Hive Mind, thereby securing a chance to survive under its cold gaze.
War Yuno was the first to accomplish this.
She clenched her fists, striking with the fury of a torrential storm. Ferrus Manus, in turn, displayed his extraordinary combat prowess. For a time, the two were evenly matched.
However, the Hive Fleet continued its advance. The arrival of the Second Fleet accelerated their departure. The Tau were busy reclaiming lost territories, while the Imperium poured its remaining strength into fighting the Tyranid rear-guard that had stayed behind to resist to the last. If the Legion of the Damned and Tigurius could not halt the fleet's momentum, the Aether Fleet would successfully escape.
Yuno's expression turned subtle. She looked toward the presence behind Tigurius with a mocking smile.
"What do you think? Didn't expect that, did you? You aren't the only one who can play cards from outside the table."
Tigurius withdrew. The Emperor of Mankind was a rationalist; there was no need to linger here. If these xenos could not be killed today, there would always be another day.
Ferrus returned to the Warp, and the enemies eventually vanished.
War Yuno stood there, looking tense.
"What are you panicking for?" Yuno asked, approaching her sub-will. "Do you have so little confidence that you could survive my hands?"
Yuno placed a hand on War's chest. A heart was beating; this too was a mimicked body. Yuki wanted to say something, but remembering he had agreed not to interfere in this matter, he kept his mouth shut.
"That... Unified One."
"You can just call me Yuno. From now on, I'll call you War."
"War... that means—"
Yuno shrugged. "Since the fleet size has increased, I need new commanders. Since you were born on your own, I'm too lazy to create a new one."
She leaned in close to War and whispered in a voice only they could hear.
"Of course, our minds are linked. You know the rules. You must not be selfish. His love belongs to the entire Tyranid race."
A flicker of imperceptible dissatisfaction finally crossed War's eyes.
"My heart contains nothing but infinite hatred for the enemy."
Yuno nodded in satisfaction, then immediately hugged Yuki. "Alright, now we have a new partner."
"It is a pleasure to meet you. You may call me War," she said to Yuki.
Yuki had already prepared himself for the possibility of War Yuno being consumed by his lover. Now that she was suddenly spared, he felt somewhat surprised.
"Is this really okay?"
Yuno nodded. "If I say it's fine, what are you worried about?"
Yuki accepted the fact. "When will the Third Fleet return? If they can't make it, let's head straight to our destination. By the way, where is the next destination set—"
Before Yuki could voice his judgment, a massive fleet appeared ahead of the Hive Fleet, which was currently accelerating away from the edge of the sector.
"It's a Tau fleet," War judged. "I suspect their other expansion fleets have returned."
"I figured as much," Yuno added. "We were going to give the Tau Empire a massive blow, but we were intercepted. It seems we shouldn't underestimate them too much."
Yuno did a quick estimation. "This fleet, without planetary support, will find it difficult to contend with us."
"Should we attack?"
Yuno shook her head. "Leave them to the Imperium. I want to see how these two massive fleets deal with each other once we're gone."
Yuki was surprised. He thought Yuno would want to consume these Tau as she had in the past.
"Are you surprised?"
Yuno flashed a wicked smile, rubbing against his body teasingly. Sometimes she was like a cat, other times a snake. Her hand traced Yuki's waist; if his body weren't already far beyond that of a normal human, the daily "physical activities" would have been enough to finish him.
"Do you want to know why?"
"Are you going to tell me?"
Eleven appeared out of nowhere at some point. She looked at War and asked, "Are you also a Messenger of the God-Emperor?"
Like Yuki, War's memories were linked to Yuno's, so she remembered the girl.
"Yes, I am." Like the other Tyranid units, she chose to maintain the benevolent lie.
"That's great! I hope you won't be all lovey-dovey with Miss Yuno like the Boss is?"
War asked with a hint of dread, "With Miss Yuno?"
"Of course! I mean, it's not like you'd get close to the Boss, right? Honestly, I can't imagine the Boss being intimate with any other woman. Their relationship has always been too good. I usually have no one to talk to—they might find out I said this—but I have to say it: those two are really too mushy sometimes."
War nodded with a sigh. "Indeed. It is truly an enviable love."
"Will there be more Messengers arriving?"
"I don't know. Maybe, maybe not."
The intimacy between Yuki and Yuno continued. "Tell me why."
Yuno pointed toward the void. "Hive Fleet Kronos is coming. We're going to meet them."
It was awkward.
Marneus Calgar rarely felt at a loss. Fleet Astraeus had retreated abruptly with a clear objective: to preserve the majority of their strength. Judging by their planning, they had been ready to withdraw from the very beginning.
Was this even a Hive Fleet? It was too rational, as if their hunger had been suppressed.
What remained was a complete mess. The Imperial forces had been advancing victoriously, reclaiming a large number of planets occupied by the Tau Empire. Now that their common enemy had vanished—
Diplomats from the Water Caste arrived. In an eerie silence, they delivered the demands of the Ethereals.
"Leave the territories of the Tau Empire. The Tau do not wish for unnecessary conflict with the Imperium of Man. The Imperium should carefully preserve its strength to avoid the return of the Tyranids."
"You know this might be a plot by Fleet Astraeus," Calgar countered. "They want us to fight until both are weakened. But we will never agree to surrender territories that are the rightful and legal domains of the Imperium."
The Water Caste fell silent for a moment before presenting another prepared command from the Ethereals.
"Then, the Tau Empire mercifully grants you one month to prepare. After one month, the Imperium shall be expelled from Tau territory!"
In the universe, there is only eternal war.