The Emperor’s Angel of Death

Facing Sotha's question, the Ecclesiarch simply spread his hands, offering a response that wasn't quite an answer.

"Chapter Master Sotha, this is actually quite obvious."

Hearing this, Sotha thought for a moment and said:

"The legacy of Goge Vandire."

Ibanse shook his head.

"He was a madman, a heretic, and a traitor. He should have left nothing behind."

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"Ha."

Sotha chuckled softly, not pointing out that the Adepta Sororitas was founded by Vandire. However, he had already guessed that, much like the preservation of the Sisters of Battle, even the reformer Saint Sebastian realized a problem: in the Imperium, words are never as effective as fists. If the Ecclesiarchy were to strip itself bare, it would be defenseless against other Imperial institutions and organizations, potentially becoming a puppet or appendage. The Reign of Blood was an invasion of the Ecclesiarchy by the Administratum. What about the next time?

In politics, being prepared is an absolutely normal idea. Obviously, besides preserving the Sisters of Battle, the Ecclesiarchy had secretly kept some other things.

"Forgive my curiosity, but how did this fleet escape the scrutiny of the Imperial authorities?"

"The renegade once organized a massive expedition fleet, attempting to assassinate the great Saint Sebastian."

"I know about that. A Warp storm known as the Anger of the Emperor destroyed that fleet."

But Ibanse corrected this statement.

"A portion of that fleet—nearly half of its ships—escaped the storm after a brief period of disorientation. However, when they returned to realspace, the renegade was dead. After careful consideration, the great Saint Sebastian ultimately decided to secretly preserve this fleet for unforeseen circumstances. To ensure the operation of this fleet, the succeeding Pontiffs established the Silent Brotherhood."

Clearly, both preserving the fleet and establishing this so-called Brotherhood were acts that violated the Decree Passive. Therefore, whether Sebastian signed the Decree Passive willingly or under duress is highly questionable.

Moreover, Sotha strongly suspected that what he saw was not the full strength of the Silent Fleet. After all, during Vandire's era, the Ecclesiarchy's fleet was almost on par with the Imperial Navy. During the loyalist advance on Terra, the two sides even engaged in a fierce naval battle of a thousand ships in the Calaf System of the Sol System.

Given the Imperium's efficiency, the time it took for the Decree Passive to be transmitted to various religious worlds was sufficient for the Ecclesiarchy to conceal a portion of its warships through various means.

However, on second thought, things might not be as they seemed. After all, these are just the Ecclesiarchy's one-sided claims. Perhaps Sebastian did hand over all of the Ecclesiarchy's naval forces, but his successors may not have thought it was a good thing. Since the Reign of Blood over four thousand years ago, even with the Ecclesiarchy's power, they could slowly accumulate a large fleet through gradual efforts. Perhaps the "will" of Sebastian is just a pretext used by successive Pontiffs to stabilize internal morale and provide an excuse.

As for this Silent Brotherhood, from the first glance Sotha took at that Long, he judged that he was definitely not a normal person, but some kind of modified warrior or enhanced soldier. As for what technology the Ecclesiarchy used, it was hard to say, but Sotha had heard rumors on Terra that Vandire had conducted many crazy experiments, trying to create "more holy warriors" surpassing the Astartes.

Although no results were recorded, it was hard to say that there really were no results. Perhaps they were just hidden by some force.

In fact, if you think about it carefully, what exactly is better about the current Ecclesiarchy compared to the Ecclesiarchy of the Reign of Blood era?

Sotha himself couldn't say. Perhaps the one who ultimately won this battle of faith was actually Vandire—because most of the things he created were preserved, while everything established by the reformer Sebastian, who fought Vandire for a lifetime, had long since disappeared, leaving only some scriptures and rules on paper.

Sometimes he wondered, are the current high-ranking members of the Ecclesiarchy followers of Sebastian or believers of Vandire?

It can only be said that humanity sometimes likes to go around in circles like this.

Then again, for Balthasar Slither to reveal such a trump card and something so secretive, it was enough to show that Sotha's gift had indeed made the other party believe that he was on the side of the Ecclesiarchy. Although Sotha himself didn't like that extremely stubborn conservative, such people also have their uses as long as they are used well. Furthermore, the Imperium is not lacking in radicals. Being too conservative is certainly not good, but if everyone is radical, that is also a disaster.

A balance between conservatism and radicalism is the most ideal and safest political state for the Imperium.

So he didn't care about making such a political ally. Different people have different uses. Blindly pursuing alliances only with people whose ideas are completely consistent with one's own is not only naive but also dangerous.

Seeing Sotha's silent expression, Ibanse assumed that the other party was doubting the purpose of the Ecclesiarchy's hidden armed forces, so he continued to explain:

"Saint Sebastian once instructed that the Ecclesiarchy must be the last bastion defending the faith of the Master of Mankind. Vandire, as High Lord of the Administratum, was able to so easily control the Ecclesiarchy because he had guns while the Ecclesiarchy did not at that time. It is difficult to guarantee that such people will not appear in the future. Therefore, when a force attempts to shake the eternal faith of the Master of Mankind, and other Imperial armed forces do nothing, the Ecclesiarchy must have the power to wage a holy war of doomsday, and the Silent Fleet and the Silent Brotherhood are this last trump card."

Sotha nodded, showing an expression of understanding, but secretly complained in his heart.

Signing the Decree Passive was to prevent Vandire from appearing again, but violating it was also to prevent Vandire from appearing again. The Ecclesiarchy really said everything, both positive and negative. This really fits their true colors.

"But sending out the Silent Fleet now... aren't you worried about being noticed by other Imperial forces? There are already quite a few Inquisitors active in the Diocletian."

"We have already handed over the Crusader Houses to the Inquisition. What else can they say?"

Hearing him say this, Sotha understood that the Inquisition headquarters on Terra had probably already noticed these small actions of the Ecclesiarchy, so the two sides reached a series of transactions, ultimately leading the Inquisition to choose to remain silent on the matter.

Among them, the Crusader Houses should be the most crucial transaction item. Thinking carefully, it is indeed the case. The Crusader training institutions, clearly established by the Ecclesiarchy with money, effort, and personnel, are usually located near Inquisition facilities, and some are located within large Inquisition fortresses, which is equivalent to the Ecclesiarchy spending money to train followers for the Inquisition.

Politics, after all, is a transaction.

"I see. Besides the Inquisition, there are no other Imperial forces in the Diocletian, so there will indeed be no problem with exposure."

At this time, Talos also finished reading the data slate and placed it on the table with a啧啧 sound.

"7 Emperor-class battleships, 17 Cardinal-class cruisers, 26 Luna-class cruisers... quite a large undertaking."

Sotha then returned the storage device to the other party and smiled:

"With such a fleet joining us, our chances of victory will be greatly increased. However, I am still puzzled. What exactly is the attitude of the High Lords of Terra? Are they really not going to care or react in any way to a sector being invaded by aliens?"