The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Beside the Arakken Broodmother, walked two Arakken Sire wearing magnificent armor woven from metallic threads. Each stood approximately three and a half meters tall, their legs visibly and exceptionally strong, with noticeably flat and long calves. Their legs accounted for more than sixty percent of their total height, while their bodies appeared more slender in comparison. Two of their four arms were folded across their chests, while the other two held a gift box each. Their heads were triangular, featuring sharp mouthparts and two prominent black compound eyes.

Stepping onto the carpet and proceeding towards the throne, the three Arakken representatives performed a bow in accordance with their species' customs.

“Greetings to His Majesty, the Phoenix King of the Great Eldar Empire.”

A soft voice echoed in Solzhenitsyn's ears. The Arakken possessed a strong ability to mimic languages, and with their unique vocal organs, the Broodmother quickly mastered the complex Eldar language system after receiving a translator provided by the Eldar.

This Broodmother's name in Eldar was [Lan], which Solzhenitsyn already knew. He nodded and said slowly,

“Madam Lan, you may dispense with the formalities.”

“It is our great honor that His Majesty deigns to personally summon us.”

Subsequently, the two Sires opened the gift boxes they were carrying. One contained a scroll about the size of Solzhenitsyn's palm, seemingly woven from metal. The other was a hollow disc, appearing to be made of some kind of jade, with densely engraved symbols.

An Eldar Warsinger walked over, picked up the scroll, turned, and handed it to Dorar, who then passed it to Solzhenitsyn.

Upon opening the scroll, Solzhenitsyn discovered it was made of a flexible metal as thin as a cicada's wing, with a texture almost like Eldar spiritbone silk. The thin surface was also engraved with many characters, all in Eldar.

The scroll's content was straightforward. The first part described the Arakken's origins, their past suffering from the Tyranid invasions, and their current state of wandering. The latter part expressed their willingness to contribute to the war between the Eldar and the Tyranids, and their desire to become subordinates of the Eldar, similar to the Tyranids' vassal races, but with the hope of maintaining the independence of their own culture and spiritual world.

After reading, Solzhenitsyn felt a sense of irony. A race that the Tyranids had failed to subdue with force ultimately chose to become vassals of the Tyranids' enemies after experiencing the suffering caused by the Tyranids.

“This storage disc contains all of our race's knowledge, technology, and skills, which we are willing to offer to the Royal Court as a token of our sincerity.”

Solzhenitsyn put the scroll aside and said slowly,

“Madam Lan, I deeply sympathize with the Arakken's plight. The so-called Greater Good of the Tyranids is merely a pretext for expansion. Their brazen invasion of the Royal Court's vassal states shows their wolfish ambitions.”

After the pleasantries, Solzhenitsyn stated that the Eternal Queen's compassion was not limited to the Eldar but also applied to other races pursuing peace and goodwill. However, for the Arakken to become a vassal state of the Eternal Court, they had to accept several conditions.

He then presented a slightly modified version of the Maranther Treaty, mainly removing the clause requiring the veneration of Veronica as a deity. He knew that the Arakken had a high regard for spiritual freedom, and forcing them to accept it would only breed resentment. So, he adapted by removing that clause. The remaining conditions included pledging allegiance to the Eternal Queen, paying regular tribute, and accepting military obligations. Since the Arakken had almost no psychic abilities, there were no restrictions on them regarding the Warp.

In return, the Royal Court would provide them with military protection, as well as some technical and commercial support, and find them a new home.

This condition greatly exceeded Lan's expectations. In fact, they had considered that the Eldar might impose even harsher demands than the Tyranids, given the Arakken's current state compared to their past. However, the Eldar almost completely accepted their 'conditions.' She immediately stated that the Arakken would swear allegiance to the Eternal Queen.

“There is no need to rush this matter. Her Majesty the Queen will arrive soon, at which time she will personally accept your allegiance.”

After saying this, Solzhenitsyn paused for a moment, as if considering his words, before speaking again:

“Madam Lan, there is something I must clarify. Although the Royal Court has achieved an overwhelming victory in this conflict with the Tyranids, it will not choose to continue expanding the war for the time being, as the Royal Court has many things to deal with. We have more powerful enemies to face.”

After a long silence, the gentle voice echoed in the air with a hint of sadness.

“We understand, Phoenix King.”

“But we will make the Tyranids pay the price they deserve, and the Arakken will be compensated. Moreover, a ceasefire does not mean peace. The Arakken will have opportunities for revenge in the future.”

Solzhenitsyn's words rekindled Lan's somewhat low spirits.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Haha, just call me Your Highness. By the way, I've heard that the Arakken Sires have unique combat skills. I am very interested. Would it be convenient to demonstrate them?”

Lan then emitted a series of strange sounds, and the Sires on her left and right responded in kind.

“Of course, they are very honored.”

Solzhenitsyn then slightly crooked his finger, and several spiritbone levitation spheres flew out from the side. These were common training tools for Howling Banshee paths. A qualified Howling Banshee could split 2-4 small spheres moving at the speed of sound in the blink of an eye, while a Principal could split 5-6. Here, there were 8.

The Sire on Lan's right gently stamped its left and right feet. Its triangular boots, which appeared to be made of leather, split apart on all four sides, revealing sharp, razor-like, or rather, razor-blade-like calves. Solzhenitsyn blinked. Clearly, their metallic calves had been modified with a technology similar to prosthetics.

The blade-like feet landed on the carpet without the slightest wobble. The Sire stared at the eight spheres flying at extremely high speed in the sky, raised its right leg, and supported its body with only one leg, like a still statue—

At some point, its compound eyes twitched slightly, and the whole figure drew several afterimages. One second later, sixteen sphere halves fell to the ground, while the Sire folded its arms across its chest and returned to a two-legged stance. However, wisps of white smoke could be seen rising from its thighs.

“Good!!!!”

Solzhenitsyn cheered and clapped his hands three times forcefully. The other Eldar also applauded.

This cheer was from Solzhenitsyn's heart because it was too fast. This was almost the fastest creature he had ever seen. How could any creature withstand such speed? It was so fast that he could hardly see it clearly. The opponent's legs used an almost laser-like efficiency and incredible accuracy to split all the spiritbone spheres in half from the exact center. This combat skill was almost miraculous. Solzhenitsyn suspected that even the Eldar would have difficulty reacting.