Titus stepped forward and began unfastening Sergeant Kahn’s power armor.
The servos emitted a harsh metallic whine as the locking mechanisms disengaged.
Kahn grunted in discomfort while helping Titus remove the pauldrons, breastplate, greaves, and other armor components.
One by one, the heavy ceramite plates crashed onto the metal floor.
Only the Black Carapace remained attached to Kahn’s body—the neural interface that allowed an Astartes to synchronize perfectly with his power armor.
The veteran glanced silently at the dismantled armor lying on the ground before turning away.
That suit had accompanied him through more than a century of war.
Now…
It was about to be dismantled.
Roya casually summoned an Iron Pickaxe from his inventory.
Walking up to the battered Mk VII power armor, he aimed at the center of the breastplate.
Bang!
The pickaxe struck the ceramite with a loud metallic clang.
Black Minecraft-style cracks spread rapidly across the armor.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Roya continued swinging.
Pop!
The battered suit instantly disappeared.
In its place floated a miniature item shimmering with a purple glow.
Roya reached out.
Pop.
The item entered his inventory.
A system notification appeared.
[Obtained: Damaged Mk VII “Aquila” Power Armor Fragment] Inside his inventory, the three fragments automatically drifted together.
A flash of blue light appeared.
The fragments merged into a glowing blueprint.
[Obtained: Mk VII “Aquila” Power Armor Manufacturing Blueprint] Roya immediately opened the blueprint.
The crafting recipe appeared.
Mk VII Aquila Power Armor Materials Required: 28 Iron Ingots1 Redstone Block Twenty-four iron ingots formed the helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots according to Minecraft’s standard armor recipes.
The remaining four ingots, combined with a Redstone Block, crafted the Power Pack.
Iron wasn’t a problem.
The ruined manufactorum was filled with abandoned pipelines and scrap metal.
Redstone…
That was another matter.
“Sir…” Kahn stared at the empty space where his armor had vanished.
His eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Suppressing the pain in his heart, he asked, “Can we manufacture a new suit now?” “Yes.” Roya nodded.
Kahn’s eyes brightened instantly.
“But we’re still missing one crucial material.” Roya looked around.
“Is there a swamp nearby?” If he wanted Redstone quickly…
The fastest solution was obvious.
Find a Witch Hut.
Build a Witch Farm.
Kahn blinked in confusion.
He had absolutely no idea what those words meant.
Among the nearby Imperial Guardsmen, however, a man wearing a long officer’s coat and a peaked commissar’s cap stepped forward.
It was Commissar Silas of the 318th Imperial Guard Regiment.
“Lord Roya.” Silas saluted.
“Approximately five kilometers from here, near the lower waste-processing district, there’s a massive toxic swamp.” “It formed after thousands of years of industrial runoff accumulated there.” “The area is extremely dangerous.” “Perfect.” Roya smiled.
“Lead the way.” The group advanced rapidly through the underhive.
Soon they reached their destination.
Sulfur filled the air.
Before them stretched a vast swamp bubbling with toxic green sludge.
Rotting support pillars leaned precariously from the poisonous mire.
Silas immediately ordered the Guardsmen to establish a defensive perimeter.
Roya scanned the swamp.
Deep within it…
A crooked wooden hut stood quietly upon the marsh.
The roof was covered with strange fungi.
Titus immediately followed Roya’s gaze.
He clearly saw the strange block-shaped structure.
Kahn looked in the same direction.
Yet all he saw was poisonous water and abandoned pipes.
His brows furrowed.
“…There’s nothing there.” Roya summoned his Crafting Table.
Using iron ingots and logs, he crafted an Iron Axe before handing it to Titus.
“Take this.” “We’re going to gather materials.” Titus accepted the axe.
Despite its blocky appearance, it felt surprisingly solid.
The two leapt onto the swamp.
Roya rapidly placed Cobblestone blocks across the toxic water, creating a bridge.
Together they reached the Witch Hut.
Roya immediately began constructing a large Cobblestone platform above it.
Meanwhile, Titus efficiently chopped down nearby trees and vines with the Iron Axe.
“Titus.” Roya continued placing blocks.
“Watch carefully.” He poured water into each corner.
“The currents all converge toward the center.” “Below, we dig a twenty-two-block drop.” “Hoppers at the bottom feed into chests.” “Anything that spawns falls to its death.” “The drops are collected automatically.” Titus observed every step.
His Villager template allowed him to instinctively understand Minecraft mechanics.
Combined with his exceptional tactical mind, he quickly grasped the entire automation process.
Without another word, he joined Roya.
The two worked seamlessly together.
Within fifteen minutes…
A simple Witch Farm stood complete.
At its base sat a single collection chamber.
The two returned to the bottom.
Only moments later— “Hehehehehe…” An eerie cackle echoed overhead.
Roya smiled.
“They’ve spawned.” A Witch wearing purple robes dropped through the water stream.
Bang!
It slammed onto the killing platform.
The Witch flashed red but survived.
Immediately, it pulled out a healing potion.
“Chaos witch!” Titus instinctively reached for his combat knife.
Roya shook his head.
“No.” “This has nothing to do with Chaos.” “It’s simply another Minecraft mechanic.” Before the Witch could drink— Slash!
His Iron Sword struck through the collection gap.
Slash!
The Witch screamed before dissolving into white smoke.
Pop.
Several piles of Redstone Dust dropped into the Hopper before sliding into the chest below.
Titus looked inside the chest.
Redstone Dust.
Exactly as Roya had predicted.
His respect for Roya rose even higher.
The Witch Farm operated continuously.
Within minutes, more Witches spawned.
One after another, they fell into the trap.
Roya simply stood below, occasionally swinging his sword.
Soon…
Nine pieces of Redstone Dust had accumulated.
He opened his inventory.
The dust automatically combined.
[Crafted: Redstone Block] Roya placed twenty-eight Iron Ingots and one Redstone Block onto the Crafting Table.
Ding!
Five brand-new items appeared.
Mk VII Aquila Helmet Mk VII Aquila Chestplate Mk VII Aquila Leggings Mk VII Aquila Boots Mk VII Aquila Power Pack He immediately tossed the equipment toward Kahn.
The heavy ceramite armor crashed onto the ground.
Kahn froze.
A flawless suit of Mk VII Aquila Power Armor lay before him.
Its blue ceramite gleamed like polished sapphire.
Not a single scratch.
His hands trembled as he picked up the breastplate.
With Titus’s assistance, Kahn reassembled the suit.
The moment the Power Pack locked into place— Bzzzzz…
The reactor awakened.
Servo motors hummed with perfect synchronization.
The helmet lenses glowed crimson.
Kahn slowly clenched his fist.
The response speed…
The strength amplification…
Every system outperformed his previous armor.
He immediately knelt.
“The Emperor…” His voice trembled with devotion.
“…this is a miracle.” Nearby, Commissar Silas and the Imperial Guardsmen erupted into thunderous cheers.
Roya ignored them.
His attention remained fixed on the Witch Farm.
More Witches continued to spawn.
Iron was plentiful.
Redstone was now renewable.
That meant…
Mass production.
Standing before the Crafting Table, Roya quickly assembled two additional suits of Mk VII Aquila Power Armor.
He tossed one toward Titus while keeping the other for himself.
“Put it on.” Titus caught the armor but hesitated.
“Lord Roya…” “I haven’t completed implantation of my Black Carapace.” “I can’t synchronize with power armor.” “It would crush me.” Roya smiled.
“My rules don’t work that way.” Without another word, he pressed the armor against his body.
A blue flash erupted.
The entire suit instantly transformed into streams of light before covering his body seamlessly.
Helmet.
Chestplate.
Leggings.
Boots.
Power Pack.
Within seconds…
Roya stood fully clad in Mk VII Aquila Power Armor.
He rolled his shoulders.
No weight.
No discomfort.
His armor bar inside the Minecraft HUD was completely full.
Seeing this, Titus no longer hesitated.
He pressed the armor against himself.
Another flash of blue light.
The armor instantly equipped itself.
Titus stared at his gauntleted hands.
He casually threw a punch.
Boom!
The air exploded.
No Black Carapace.
No neural synchronization.
No decades of implantation surgeries.
Yet he wielded the full combat capability of an Astartes in power armor.
Kahn stood frozen.
Behind his helmet, his eyes widened in disbelief.
One was merely a Scout who had yet to complete his augmentation.
The other…
Was an ordinary human.
Yet both effortlessly wore and controlled equipment that only fully initiated Space Marines should have been capable of operating.
At that moment…
Everything Kahn knew about the universe had been completely overturned.