The Emperor’s Angel of Death

"The Malicious Gliding Troupe wasn't in cahoots with Vect; they went to help the Ascetics and had warned the Ascetics' think tanks beforehand, but they were ignored. When they intervened, the Ascetics retaliated, unable to distinguish friend from foe. However, when Vect's assassin launched a fatal attack, the troupe members stopped it, saving Lord Mazal's life."

Inside the Phoenix Palace, Sozhian relayed what he had seen to Veronica. The image in the glass orb was the Harlequin's record of the battle in the Death Temple, explaining why the Ascetics encountered Eldar using psychic powers.

The only reason the Malicious Gliding Troupe did this was that they didn't want the Royal Court and Commorragh to start a full-scale war. If Mazal had died, Sozhian might have launched a full-scale war in anger, which would have been the largest Aeldari civil war since the Fall, potentially involving all Craftworlds.

Although the Malicious Gliding Troupe had deep ties with Commorragh, their philosophy was still about balance. The Eternal Royal Court and the Black Heart Kabal, as the two largest political entities of the Aeldari, maintaining a state of hostility without direct war was an ideal situation for the troupe.

Vect's actions were clearly aimed at breaking this balance, which the Malicious Gliding Troupe couldn't accept, so they intervened as soon as they found out.

However, they underestimated Vect's determination. This action didn't truly stop him, but only prevented the situation from developing to the worst possible outcome.

After listening to Sozhian's explanation, Veronica nodded in understanding, saying:

"So that's how it is. I was wondering why the troupe would tie themselves to Vect's chariot."

"That's just one aspect. As I feared, the Harlequins don't necessarily approve of Commorragh, or rather, the destruction of the Kabal. If Vect wants to break the balance, they will intervene. Then, if the Royal Court wants to break the balance, will they also intervene?"

"Now that you mention it... it seems so."

Then, Sozhian turned his gaze to Doral.

"Lord Doral, what did Abrahak say?"

"Your Highness, Abrahak's message is that Vect didn't mobilize the Black Heart Kabal this time, but the forces of the Commorragh pirate duke, Travialias Slyskus. This person is elusive, and he couldn't find out about his actions, hoping Your Highness can understand."

"Hmm?"

Sozhian narrowed his eyes. He was unfamiliar with this name, but he seemed to have heard it from someone.

Seeing his lord's forgetfulness, Star Disaster reminded him in time.

"Isn't that the unruly pirate rogue whom Vect has very little control over or can't threaten in Commorragh? His nickname seems to be 'Great Serpent'?"

"Ah, Lord Doral, you told me his story, the master of the Sky Serpent pirates, once the biggest drug dealer in Commorragh, until he stole Vect's favorite treasure, an ancient hypercube, right under his nose, plunging the entire lower city of Commorragh into a sea of fire in the process, and even successfully escaped Vect's pursuit, is that him?"

Doral nodded.

"Yes, Your Highness, that's him."

"Isn't he at odds with Vect? He's even wanted."

"In fact, he should have returned to Commorragh hundreds of years ago, after the failed attack on Fenris. As for whether he and Vect have reconciled, it doesn't matter. They are both cunning people who know what's best for them. Vect probably knows that the Royal Court is monitoring the Black Heart Kabal, so it's not unexpected that he hired the Sky Serpents specifically for this operation. Slyskus is very good at raids, especially against Space Marines. This operation was so swift and clean, it's definitely his style."

Sozhian thought for a while and suddenly asked a question unrelated to the topic.

"Lord Doral, do you think Abrahak is still reliable?"

"Your Highness, it depends on your thoughts. What he is like is not important, but I personally prefer to stabilize him first."

After pondering for a moment, Sozhian nodded.

"Since you say so, let's ignore him for now. Since this so-called pirate duke chooses to stand with Vect, then he is an enemy of the Royal Court. Lord Doral, collect all his information, especially the location of his lair. I guess this cunning thing definitely won't set up his nest in Commorragh, especially under Vect's nose."

"Yes, Your Highness, I will arrange for people to do it immediately, but this person has made countless enemies and his whereabouts are extremely secretive, so it may be difficult to get any results in a short time."

"It doesn't matter, I have plenty of time, after all, there's Vect who hired him."

Sozhian's gaze then shifted to Ivarhan.

"From the Privy Council, has the fleet been arranged?"

"Returning to Your Highness, it has been arranged."

"Good, this time I came back to solve the problem of the Void Dragon Pirates first, and also to cut off Vect's outstretched hand. He placed a bait there, waiting for us to take the bait. This time I secretly returned to give him a surprise."

At this moment, Veronica's hand suddenly rested on the back of his hand.

"Perhaps this plan can be done better. Vect is a treacherous tyrant, it's hard to guarantee that he won't see through the plan. We can try to use some trick to divert Vect's attention."

"Oh? What ideas does Madam have?"

"Do you remember what happened in Commorragh after we left?"

Sozhian thought for a while and said:

"I remember, Iphireni's awakening seems to have caused some sealed gates in Commorragh to collapse? But the aftermath doesn't seem to have worsened, didn't Vect solve it?"

"His solution was to hand over those areas to the Mandrakes. Those secondary areas invaded by demons have all become part of the Shadow Realm, it seems to be called Aelindrach?"

After hearing this, Sozhian's eyes lit up slightly.

"Madam means, from the Mandrakes?"

"Yes, do you remember your family history? About the situation in Commorragh, Lord Doral, tell Sozhian in detail."

Doral bowed slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty, in fact, I submitted these matters to Your Highness in the form of a report a long time ago."

Hearing this, Veronica glanced at Sozhian helplessly, while Sozhian coughed twice somewhat awkwardly.

"There are too many things, piled up together, there's really no time to read..."

"Because the residents of Commorragh cannot use psychic powers, they have no ability to repair after the seals are broken. The lower city of the Dark City was soon filled with demons. Although Vect is not a good person, he regards Commorragh as his territory, and he can only do his best to prevent the situation from deteriorating. It is precisely because of this that he had no power to launch an attack during the early and most vulnerable period of the Royal Court. In this regard, the demons helped us a lot. After realizing that investing too much power still couldn't see any hope of a solution, Vect seemed to have reached some agreement with Kandrak, Kandrak killed the Archon Syslak and used his skull to perform a ritual, turning the lower city of the Dark City into a sea of living shadows, even devouring the demons within, which resolved Commorragh's demon crisis."