"Your laughter makes me sound like a villain."
The Emperor complained telepathically.
"That just means you're terrifyingly strong," Raven said. "Because the weak aren't worthy of being villains."
The Emperor: "..."
Veronika and the others stared dumbfoundedly at the battlefield.
At that moment, their jaws no longer seemed to belong to them.
"Great outsider—no, great Lord of the Empire."
Veronika changed her form of address.
"Please forgive our earlier disrespect and accept our humble loyalty."
"This world shall become your territory. Whatever you command, we will obey."
Just twenty Golden Armored Warriors could stand against the Bloodkin's vast armies.
If they wished to conquer this world, who could stop them?
Veronika had her own pride.
But she was not someone who failed to recognize the situation.
Joining the Empire was the best choice for them and for this world.
"I accept your allegiance."
The Emperor nodded.
"I have already learned the source of this world's suffering. The Empire's armies shall descend in wrath and purge all enemies of humanity."
The boarding deck of the Emperor's Grand Plan bustled with activity.
Large numbers of soldiers boarded Gunships in orderly formations, preparing to carry out planetary landing operations.
Tech-Priests held censers as they conducted pre-battle inspections and prayers for the war machines.
Monstrously massive aircraft were drawn onto their launch rails by mechanical arms.
After reconnaissance by the advance teams, the Empire had grasped the basic situation of the enemies on the ground and could launch an all-out war to annihilate the Bloodkin at any time.
"The First Legion will resolve every battle within three hours."
The First Legion's company captain, Asterlan, declared this to all commanders.
As outstanding warriors among the first batch selected on Terra to become Astartes,
more than thirty percent of the First Legion's members had been implanted with the Empire's first-generation Gene Engines.
This made them even stronger than they already were with their superhuman physiques.
They had become the Empire's deadliest military force aside from the Adeptus Custodes.
Unfortunately, they had only been deployed a few times during the Unification Wars of the Solar System.
Faced with the Empire's fleet, few factions dared to refuse.
And those foolish enough to resist stubbornly were generally not very strong.
The battles were usually resolved within ten-odd minutes.
There was simply no chance to demonstrate the Astartes' formidable combat power.
Their largest operation had been during the Empire's recapture of Luna.
They had replaced the Thunder Warriors, who had suffered near-total casualties, and captured the Gene Cult's core region.
It had been their first planetary-scale operation.
Asterlan and the other warriors had been holding back their eagerness, determined to win a brilliant battle.
They wanted those reporters at the Imperial Daily to know how powerful the Astartes were, and how much they had contributed to the Empire.
As the order to commence battle was issued, the aircraft and transports on the deck gave off deep roars.
Massive jets of flame illuminated the dim deck.
They screamed out, plunged into the cold void, then entered the atmosphere and churned through the dense fog.
The Imperial forces launched operations across the entire planet at once.
They cleansed the Bloodkin gathering grounds, exterminated powerful monsters, and purged the entire world.
The Bloodkin's technology was extremely backward, but they possessed physiques far exceeding those of ordinary humans, as well as dark blood magic.
The magical abilities wielded by high-ranking Bloodkin were even more astonishing. At full power, they could destroy heavy tanks.
But before Astartes warriors implanted with Gene Engines,
these Mutants were still nothing worth mentioning.
Brutal slaughter erupted in every corner of the world.
Ordinary people, long tormented and enslaved, witnessed with their own eyes as those Bloodkin who had once stood so high above them were slaughtered by angels of destruction descending from the sky.
The Emperor personally took part in the war.
His target was the Mutant who called himself the Progenitor of the Bloodkin.
The man lived in a luxurious imperial palace, surrounded by a guard force of high-ranking Bloodkin who wielded dark blood magic.
The Empire launched a full-scale assault on the palace.
The Adeptus Custodes killed every Bloodkin soldier who tried to block the Emperor's path.
They reached the palace's final gate with ease.
When they tried to open it, they found the palace protected by a crimson barrier.
The Imperial forces bombarded it with artillery, but the barrier blocked everything without suffering the slightest damage.
A wizard beside Veronika said, "The Progenitor of the Bloodkin's palace is protected by a dark magic array. Ordinary attacks cannot break it. Only the Cursed One can open a path inside."
"No need." The Emperor waved a hand. "I will break it."
Before Veronika and the others' shocked eyes, the Emperor cleaved the crimson magical shield apart with a single sword strike.
"With such terrifying power, even without an army's assistance, this Lord of the Empire could kill the Progenitor of the Bloodkin alone."
The wizard beside Veronika could not hide the shock in his heart.
He naturally knew how terrifying the dark magic enveloping the palace was.
The resistance had tried every possible method, yet failed to break it.
Only the Cursed One's ability to devour all aetheric power could open a way inside.
Yet now, such powerful dark magic had been split apart by the Lord of the Empire with one sword strike.
That power alone was enough to shock the world.
The Bloodkin guards within the palace were all elites.
They wore blood-red armor and possessed powerful blood magic and superb martial skill.
Against ordinary forces, they would surely have won with ease.
Unfortunately, they faced the Emperor and the Adeptus Custodes.
And with Veronika, Lucina, and the other Cursed Ones weakening their blood magic considerably,
these elite high-ranking Bloodkin guards were soon slaughtered to the last.
Surrounded by the Adeptus Custodes, the Emperor soon reached the palace where the Progenitor of the Bloodkin waited.
The palace seemed alive, its walls pulsing rhythmically.
Dark red blood flowed endlessly from enormous cracks.
Twisted corpses marked with the Chaos eight-pointed star hung from the palace ceiling, bound by iron chains.
Braziers placed throughout the hall billowed with venomous green flames.
When the Emperor and his group entered, the Progenitor of the Bloodkin stood beside a vast pool of blood.
The blood pool churned ceaselessly, its crimson waves forming faces filled with malice that screamed soundlessly.
Ritual attendants in robes stood within the darkness, watching the Emperor's group.
"You've finally arrived."
The Progenitor of the Bloodkin turned around, revealing his appearance.
He wore a black high-collared tailcoat, his complexion deathly pale, with two prominent fangs.
"Today is the day you die!" Veronika shouted.
Too many of her brothers and sisters had died in the war against the Bloodkin.
She bore endless hatred for the creature before her.
"Die?" The Progenitor of the Bloodkin showed a mocking expression. "What gives you the confidence to think you can defeat me? I am a man chosen by the gods."
"Descend, true god not of this world—the master of the Will of Blood, the Crimson Lord who rules over death."
A biting cold wind blew from some elusive, unknown corner, causing the green flames to flicker wildly.
This supernatural gale carried the dust of lost ages and fallen empires, bearing an eternal aura that had lasted since time immemorial.
The temperature within the palace suddenly plummeted, and sharp, venomous laughter like steel needles rang out from the shadows.
An invisible and terrifying will descended upon the mortal world.
A hoarse, malicious voice echoed through the air.
"A group of weak mortals—why have you summoned me?"
The Progenitor of the Bloodkin looked at the Emperor's group and revealed a smile that suggested everything was under his control.
He prayed to that dreadful will.
"Honored Lord of Blood, your devout believer begs you to punish these people who dared offend you."
That terrifying will answered him.
"A group of pitiful mortal insects, you dare to—"
That strange voice stopped, as though it had encountered something perplexing.
A moment later, it let out a piercing scream.
"Cursed Ones! Damn it! Damn it!"
Then that will fled even faster than it had arrived.
The air temperature returned to normal.
The flames no longer swayed.
The Progenitor of the Bloodkin: "..."
Something was seriously wrong with this script!!
"Hehehe, what a pathetic fool. He thought finding a Warp fiend as a backer would let him rest easy forever."
"A mere fiend dares act presumptuously before the golden Big Guy."
Raven let out his classic soul-like laugh.
Realizing that his greatest trump card could not be relied upon,
the Progenitor of the Bloodkin, who had been brimming with confidence moments ago, revealed an awkward yet composed smile.
"If I said I was only making a joke just now, would you believe me?"
The Emperor looked at him coldly and waved a hand.
The Adeptus Custodes spread out and closed in around him.
"All right, I know you don't believe me."
With a bang, the Progenitor of the Bloodkin exploded into countless black bats, intending to escape the Adeptus Custodes' extermination.
"I still have a few tricks for staying alive. The green hills remain, the waters flow on—our grudge can be considered—"
Before he could finish, the Emperor extended one hand.
Terrifying psychic fire erupted in an instant.
It swept across the entire palace.
Every bat was set ablaze.
Miserable screams rang out.
In just a few seconds, every incarnation of the Progenitor of the Bloodkin was burned to ash.
"You talk so smoothly. Were you planning to compete in the King of Comedy?"
Raven looked at the drifting ashes and quipped.
With the Progenitor of the Bloodkin dead, a terrifying surge of psychic energy suddenly erupted.
Centered on the palace, it swept outward in every direction.
The black mist that had shrouded this world for years dissipated in the shockwave, and scorching sunlight shone upon the land once more.
The surviving Bloodkin ignited beneath the blazing sunlight, screaming without end before finally burning into ash.
The Warp monsters wandering the material universe also let out shrieks.
Without the Bloodkin palace and the Progenitor of the Bloodkin serving as anchors,
the barriers of reality strengthened, and the laws of physics displayed their cold, immense power.
The monsters' bodies dissolved at a visible speed, while their twisted souls were cast back into the Warp.
The nightmare that had enveloped the entire world finally vanished.
This planet welcomed hope and a future.
"This experience has deepened my concerns about the Warp once again."
The Emperor looked at the corruption within the palace and conceived a new plan.
"I intend to establish the Silent Convent, dedicated to accepting Cursed Ones. They will establish Night Watch organizations throughout every star system and be responsible for suppressing Psykers and Mutants."
"Big Guy, I think your plan needs a little more refinement," Raven said.
The Emperor looked at Raven and remained silent for a while before saying, "What part is insufficiently refined?"
Waldo, standing nearby, looked at the Emperor with surprise.
The Emperor had always been forceful and rarely listened to anyone else's opinions.
Most of the time, even Malcador felt exhausted and found him difficult to communicate with.
Yet now he was willing to listen to Raven's suggestion.
For the Emperor, whose humanity was steadily fading, this was undoubtedly a good thing.
PS: The corn cob that slaughtered enemies in every direction
Before you continue