The Emperor’s Angel of Death

From high above, a palace several hundred meters high stood majestically, its exterior as crystal clear as snowflakes. It was midday, and the pure sunlight showered the palace, reflecting shimmering light, as if the stars in the sky had fallen to earth. Like the city itself, the palace's outer walls were made of finely crafted white stone, with tiny mosaic patterns inlaid between the stones, outlining intricate patterns. The golden light shone brightly in the sunlight.

The entrance was located at the intersection of the fifth and sixth floors, with a huge arch and towering spires pointing straight into the clouds. Each pillar was like a finely carved work of art, topped with a golden sphere, shining with dazzling light.

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Inside, most of the buildings had semicircular, torch-shaped spires. Clearly distinguishable were a series of main halls and halls distributed along the central axis, as well as a church that was taller than other buildings.

Soon, the Thunderhawk landed on the top-level landing pad of New Polania. When Soshyan walked out of the cabin, Mikael had already led a group of officials from the planetary governor's office, large and small, waiting at the ramp. Seeing Soshyan, they all knelt on one knee in unison.

Although in principle they did not need to be so obsequious to an Astartes, Soshyan also had another identity as an Imperial Regent, a position higher than almost all the bureaucrats in the Tempest Sector.

“You may dispense with the formalities.”

As he walked down the ramp from the landing platform, Soshyan said indifferently, and Mikael and the others stood up.

Without needing to say anything more, Soshyan, surrounded by the crowd, walked into the governor's mansion and entered the main hall, which was where the governor received Imperial envoys, held welcome ceremonies, and held succession ceremonies.

This place could be described as extremely luxurious, with crystal chandeliers hanging down like waterfalls, the glittering and translucent crystals reflecting rainbow-like brilliance in the light. The floor was paved with smooth white marble, reflecting faint shadows underfoot, as if stepping into another world.

The walls were inlaid with exquisite murals depicting religious stories and legends of saints. The choir's devout chanting echoed in the empty and solemn hall, adding a touch of mysterious and solemn religious color to the palace. On the central dome with intricate patterns, golden chandeliers swayed gently in the artificial breeze, making a pleasant tinkling sound. All the huge windows were decorated with openwork patterns depicting various ancient stories, and every corner had decorations—either gilded sculptures or gemstone-inlaid screens.

Soshyan and his Terminator guards stepped into the main hall on a long and wide heavy red carpet, the heads and dignitaries from all aspects of the planet standing behind the pillars on both sides of the aisle.

Suddenly, the Terminators stopped, their halberds gently tapping the ground, while Soshyan continued forward.

At the end of the red carpet was a raised platform, carved from some kind of patterned marble, with gold inlaid around the edges and various gargoyle shapes. At the highest point was a throne with an Aquila emblem, covered with red silk, behind which was a banner of the Pechinka family. That was the position of the planetary governor, but no one was there now.

Standing under the platform was a person covered in layers of formal attire and a heavy fur coat. A delicate and fair pale face was revealed from the high collar, and he wore a crown that looked very heavy and jeweled. Although he tried hard to appear calm, the hand holding the Aquila scepter, symbolizing the governor's power, was twitching nervously.

Finally, Soshyan, who had walked more than ten steps, stopped and quietly looked at the other party.

“By the Throne! Welcome to you! Chapter Master Soshyan Alexey of the great Star Knight Chapter, honorable Regent of Nason, on behalf of all the people of Volistad, I thank you for your help in times of crisis! And pay you the highest respect.”

After trying to say these words in a steady and sincere tone, the young governor bowed to Soshyan, also avoiding Soshyan's gaze.

Although his makeup tried to make him more masculine, Soshyan could still see that he was more feminine in both appearance and temperament. In vulgar terms, he was just a sissy.

After a few seconds of silence, Soshyan slowly said:

“Greetings to you, Governor Yuri Olikov Pechinka. It is our destiny and duty to protect the subjects of the Imperium. The sacrifice of the Pechinka family is regrettable, please accept our condolences.”

Yuri straightened up.

“Thank you for your concern. I will definitely inherit the will of my family and work hard to protect Volistad for the Throne.”

Soshyan looked at him and suddenly said something unexpected.

“Are you really confident?”

Yuri was stunned.

“Ah?”

Soshyan then repeated it again.

“Are you really confident that you can do this?”

He obviously did not expect Soshyan to ask this, so after hesitating for a moment, he replied:

“Of course... of course I am confident, as long as our faith is firm...”

But the weakness in his tone could not be concealed at all. Soshyan said nothing, but asked a third time.

“Governor Yuri, are you really confident?”

Soshyan's deep voice echoed between the dome and the pillars. Yuri Olikov Pechinka visibly shrank back. His expression became unnatural, beads of sweat began to appear on his made-up face, and his eyes subconsciously moved to the right, towards where Mikael was.

For a time, the crowd waiting on both sides also made very faint noises. Some people showed mocking expressions, some seemed eager to try, and more looked like they were watching a good show, but only one person showed a worried and concerned expression.

Seeing that the other party did not answer for a long time, Soshyan said loudly:

“Protecting the Emperor's territory and subjects requires strength. Will and faith can give us strength, but they are not always enough, especially when facing unpredictable crises.”

His words said nothing, but they also said everything. If his majesty was not too oppressive for mortals, someone might have jumped out to kick him when he was down.

“Lord Soshyan, all those loyal to the Pechinka family, loyal to the Imperium, have confidence in this! They all have confidence in the Governor!”

When Mikael came out and knelt on one knee, the subtle language in the crowd instantly turned into whispers. Soshyan turned his gaze slightly, and after a while he said:

“Are there any people loyal to the Pechinka family besides you now?”

His words were very direct, almost to the point of questioning. Although this was relatively rude in public, no one would object coming from him.

“Yes!”

Mikael said decisively, then turned and swept his arm.

“Everyone here is!”

In an instant, all sounds disappeared. They looked at Mikael in astonishment, and soon realized—

They were tricked!

Soshyan also showed a faint smile at this time, and could not help but admire the man's quick wit in his heart.

After all, everyone present, regardless of which family they came from, was in principle subordinate to the Governor. If they said that they were not loyal to the Pechinka family, it would be tantamount to publicly saying that they were traitors, which was undoubtedly suicide.