58: Chapter 58: There is no key at the deepest part of the ancient tomb; the Queen Insect is called the Successor by the Fearful Dead.

When Sebastian's Terminator Assault Platoon stepped into the first level of the Solemmnace Dynasty tomb, all helmet searchlights were simultaneously suppressed to a mere three-meter effective range. It wasn't equipment failure; the Blackstone concentration in this tomb was too high—so high that even the backup lighting circuits of the power armor were drowned out by cold green light patterns. Bern crouched on the threshold of the first gate, lightly tapping his Psychic Talisman, pointing out the increasingly faint silver light on its surface to Sebastian: "The further we go, the thinner the holy power becomes. Let's hope the core area doesn't treat us as something that needs to be purged."

Before the Blackstone Cerebrate crawled out of the creep pipes behind the Brood Queen, Nephilak transmitted the key format for the tomb's second gate back to the War Council via a quantum-state link. That message was written using the Necron Dynasty's standard authorization protocols; in his words, it would at least allow the coalition to safely reach the deepest part where the key was hidden. The Blackstone Cerebrate received the decoding data from the creep, and the cold green runes on its forehead plate flickered for only a brief moment before completely writing the entire key format into the quantum interface of its forelimb probe. She inserted the probe into the living metal control panel on the side of the gate, and the gate slid open silently within seconds. Bern glanced at her as he crossed the threshold, whispering that her efficiency was completely different from the Adeptus Mechanicus tech-priests he had seen at the Titan Monastery back in the day—the time it took those people to open one adamantium gate was enough for her to open an entire level of the tomb.

The defense mechanism of the tomb's second level was activated the moment the gate slid open—not turrets, not force fields, but a Necron Dynasty quantum authentication array. Several rows of cold green light grids descended from the ceiling, pinning the foremost Terminators of the coalition formation within the grids and demanding proof of authorization. Sebastian's left hand had just touched his sword hilt when the Blackstone Cerebrate injected the authorization files provided by Nephilak into the grid array through the Hive Mind, dissolving the entire row of grids in a single breath. "Overlord authorization field-certified. Authorization files passed." Her quantum-state translator broadcasted simultaneously on the Terminators' communication channel, her tone completely cold and administrative, "You were previously identified as 'unauthorized intruders'; you are now 'Overlord escorts'."

Bern remarked to Sebastian as they walked forward, "Now our status is officially registered in The Swarm's administrative system as 'Overlord escorts'. Remember to write this into the Deathwatch handover records when we get back and see how Terra evaluates it."

The main burial chamber at the deepest part of the tomb was a regular octagon, with all eight walls cast from pure living metal, each wall carved with the oldest sealing runes of the Necron Dynasty. A black Necron Dynasty altar floated in the center of the chamber. The spot directly above the altar where the first key to the Void Throat should have been embedded was empty, with only a precisely cut polyhedral groove remaining in the center of the seal. The dimensions of the groove perfectly matched the ancient coordinates forwarded by the Sovereign through the Brood Queen, but the key was gone. On the base of the groove, there was only a layer of freshly solidified purple-black Chaos psychic residue. Bern pointed his finger in the air, and a stray spark burst from the surface of his Psychic Talisman. "Tzeentch," he said. "The key was just taken."

Sebastian leaned his Power Sword on the ground, his gaze sweeping over the empty top of the altar, noticing something else—beside the empty key slot, there was a line of Chaos script freshly scratched by some kind of metal claw, the ink being the kind of self-wriggling pink-purple light liquid commonly used by Tzeentch. The text translated to a flippant and cruel provocation: "I took the key. Don't be mad, you still have two. — Tzeentch."

The coalition dispersed to maintain guard in front of the altar. Bern was analyzing the psychic frequency of the Chaos residue, while Sebastian reported the details of the altar being tampered with to the War Council via the communication channel. The Brood Queen slowly crawled out from behind the Blackstone Cerebrate, her adamantium-chitin carapace appearing deeper than usual under the cold green light patterns of the tomb. She had remained silent since entering the tomb, but now she walked straight to the front of the altar and extended her left forelimb to attach a creep recorder to the altar's base interface. All the cold green light patterns still slumbering deep within the tomb suddenly lit up, and the Necron sealing runes on the eight walls began to twist and reorganize—not from Chaos corruption, but awakened by a higher-level authorization sequence from the tomb itself. Sebastian shouted at her, "What are you doing?!" The Brood Queen did not answer.

Nephilak's quantum-state communication patched in at that moment. For the first time, his voice lost its signature steady undertone: "She is being granted inheritance certification. The Necron Dynasty pioneer technicians who built this tomb left behind an encrypted will before leaving—if any carbon-based individual can use a Blackstone key to unlock all seal layers and still insists on activating the master control interface when the Void Throat is missing, the inheritance certification will trigger. This certification had permanently closed all Necron Overlord permissions when the Dynasty's core matrix went into stasis. She—is the first non-Necron lifeform to trigger the protocol."

The Necron sealing runes on the eight walls flashed at maximum brightness once and then all went out. A cold green light crown woven from pure living metal rose from the center of the altar and slowly descended onto the Brood Queen's head. The Blackstone Resonance Chambers on her forehead plate all flashed in synchronization the moment the light crown touched them, emitting a low hum that could be heard throughout the tomb. "Successor," all the tomb's still-functioning quantum systems broadcasted to the entire Hive Mind simultaneously using the Necron Dynasty's most formal identity protocol. The Brood Queen had obtained full inheritance rights to this tomb and the designated ally legacy of the Solemmnace Dynasty. This authentication format was completely legal under Necron Dynasty law—she was now the legal heir to this tomb.

The Brood Queen turned around and retracted the creep recorder from the altar. Her quantum-state translator rang out in the communication channels of all coalition forces, her tone calm and certain: "Tzeentch took the key, but he didn't take the inheritance. The seals of the Void Throat now accept my commands. Marcus, tell the Sovereign—we don't need to chase that key. Full management authority over the sealing device has been received by The Swarm. Tell the Titan-Eater to prepare for takeoff."