Raven said, "Big Guy, those terms sound pretty good. We could take this planet without spilling a drop of blood."
"Pretty good?" the Emperor replied through their mental link. "Why should I let him use my things to bargain with me?"
Raven: "..."
"Big Guy, was that how you talked to those four in the Warp back then?"
"No. I just took it by force."
Raven tilted his head at Big Guy, eyes widening.
So back then, the four petty vendors had been eating hotpot and singing songs in the Warp.
Then you suddenly burst in and robbed them all!!
No wonder the four petty vendors had paused the Eternal War and joined forces to deal with you.
Not only had you broken in and robbed them, you had even planned to wipe out the Warp in one go.
Who could possibly stand that kind of arrogance?
"Your terms hold no appeal whatsoever." Waldo stepped forward and spoke in the Emperor's name.
"I own the entire planet," Citizen 13145209527 said.
Waldo's expression remained cold, carrying a trace of disdain.
"For my lord, the only wealth worth securing is the citizens of this planet."
"As for the natural resources and technological creations you possess, whether you are willing or not, they will belong to the Empire."
"Why should my lord allow you to use things that already belong to the Empire to bargain with the Empire?"
Citizen 13145209527's expression turned ugly.
"Everything I own was acquired legally. How can you be so shameless as to forcibly claim it for yourselves?"
"What we are doing is also legal," Waldo said calmly.
"Under the constitution issued by the Empire, we have the right to punish those who seek to hinder humanity's rise."
"Hand over everything you possess unconditionally, or the Empire will take it from you by force."
"Hahaha, what a satisfying outcome." The man beside him burst into laughter.
Citizen 13145209527 trembled with rage.
"You damned bandits! You invaded my home, and now you say I'm guilty?"
"No, no, the Human Empire is not made up of bandits," the man beside him said. "We welcome the Empire's arrival and sincerely hope human civilization can flourish once again."
"See?" Waldo said. "On this planet, everyone except you is willing to accept the Empire's rule."
"I will never submit to bandits." Citizen 13145209527 clenched his fists and looked at the man beside him.
"They can use violence to take my wealth. Do you think they cannot use violence to take you as well? You sympathize with bandits. You truly are too stupid to be saved."
The man grinned. "That only proves they are fair, like a social machine. We merely chose another social machine."
"The Empire can bring us greater benefits. What is wrong with choosing them? As for the losses you suffer because of this, what do they have to do with us?"
"If you failed to survive in the new era, it only means you did not work hard enough. You cannot blame anyone else."
"You taught us all of this. Have you forgotten already?"
Citizen 13145209527 shook with fury.
"You are all bandits. I will never hand over my wealth willingly. If you insist, then let there be war."
"The Empire does not care," Waldo said, enunciating every word. "No matter what you choose, the Empire will have this planet."
The discussion was over.
Citizen 13145209527 cut off the communication.
A humming sound rose from all directions.
Countless law enforcement units took off from across the city and rushed toward the Emperor and the others.
The Adeptus Custodes activated the Gene Engines within their bodies and entered combat mode.
A chaotic slaughter erupted.
The order to begin the war reached the fleet in low orbit.
It reached the commanders of the Astartes Legions and auxiliary forces that had long been prepared.
Warships opened fire. Dense torpedoes, missiles, and laser beams poured down like rain upon the planet's orbital defense system.
In barely a dozen minutes, the orbital defense system was declared offline.
Then came the planetary landing operation.
The Astartes Legion's drop pods fell like meteors, trailing flames and carrying terrifying kinetic force.
When they struck the ground, they unleashed explosions that shook the earth.
Their target was the control center of the social machine.
The battle lasted only twenty-three hours, not even a full Terran day.
Auctis III declared total surrender.
Citizen 13145209527 was also captured by Astartes warriors such as Astran of the First Legion and brought before the Emperor.
He looked like a sturdy middle-aged man.
Yet the scans showed traces of genetic engineering throughout his body.
His biological lifespan had reached an astonishing two thousand four hundred years.
"Bandits! You are all nothing but bandits!" Citizen 13145209527 cursed without end, his body trembling with rage.
"Who is the real bandit?" Waldo stood before the man. "You intended to steal the Empire's property, and you intended to resist the Empire."
"Shameless!" Citizen 13145209527 shouted. "You are shameless beyond measure!"
"After a vote by all citizens, Auctis III has declared its complete submission to the Empire."
"Imperial law is the highest law in this world, so you are the shameless one."
The man from before still stood beside the Emperor and the others.
He had launched a vote online.
The number of people supporting surrender to the Empire had reached 99.999%.
Perhaps the only dissenter was Citizen 13145209527 standing before them.
No matter how bad things became after joining the Empire, they could not be worse than they were now.
At the very least, they would be free to breathe.
After his trial, Citizen 13145209527 was sentenced to death.
Auctis III abolished its former laws.
It declared that ownership of natural resources would forever belong to the public and could not be privatized by anyone.
"Reason is important, but human society is complicated. Reason alone is far from enough."
"If everything were done according to reason, people would not find happiness either."
Raven looked at Citizen 13145209527 being hanged and spoke with feeling.
"I feel offended," Waldo said in a low voice.
"Don't merely feel offended. I was offending you. Of course, you do not need to be angry, because I was not just offending you. I was also offending Big Guy."
Waldo: "."
The Emperor: "."
Nukeria.
The gladiatorial arena announced a temporary closure.
The reason was a gladiator riot.
Inside the arena, the corpses of dozens of High Knights lay strewn across a dim corridor.
Their bodies, clad in high-tech silver armor, had been torn apart, and crimson blood flowed across the floor.
Nukeria's technological level was very high. It had inherited much of the technology and knowledge of the Golden Age.
The personal guards of the great houses had undergone advanced cybernetic implants and genetic modification. Combined with their unique weapons, their combat strength was terrifying.
Yet before the enraged Angron, they were still torn apart like rags.
"You should not have been so impulsive, child."
Oenomaus looked at the battered Angron, his expression filled with worry and heartache.
"I had no choice, Father!"
Angron gripped his battle axe tightly.
"They have taken too much from us. I will never allow them to take you as well."
"Child." Tears appeared in Oenomaus's eyes.
This man, who had survived in the gladiatorial arena until now and endured countless life-and-death battles, had long possessed a heart as cold and hard as iron.
Yet now, he wept for Angron.
He had watched Angron grow up and knew how kind this child was.
Angron comforted the dead so they could rest in peace.
He used his mind to communicate with the living, bringing them tranquility.
Every day, he used his unique ability to draw away his companions' pain, only so they could sleep peacefully.
"If only you had not fallen into this world."
Oenomaus hated the cruelty of fate.
If Angron had been born into a peaceful world, he would certainly have become a good and kind person.
He would have protected the weak, understood sorrow, and shown mercy to the world.
Yet fate had cast him onto Nukeria, a hopeless hell.
"House dog, you will regret what you have done today."
A furious voice echoed through the arena over the loudspeakers.
Then thick anesthetic gas, dense as fog, flooded into the gladiatorial arena.
The powerful gladiators imprisoned in cages fell unconscious after taking only one breath.
The High Knights entered the arena filled with anesthetic gas, wearing full protective gear.
They had thought they could easily subdue Angron.
Yet Angron was not brought down by the anesthetic gas and still retained formidable combat strength.
In the battle that followed, Angron killed at least one hundred High Knights.
Only when his body had reached its limit did he finally lose consciousness.
In the end, he was dragged away by the High Knights like a dying stray dog.
After the battle, one of the planet's rulers, the lord of House Tarka, ordered Oenomaus to be awakened.
He looked down upon the gladiator who had always cared for Angron.
"This is all your fault, you fool. But soon, Angron will personally correct this mistake."
"When nails are driven into his brain and his hands are stained with the blood of you, his father, he will have no chance of redemption left."
"Once you die, he will fall into hell forever and become the strongest, most bloodthirsty gladiator in history."
Oenomaus was furious beyond measure.
He let out a low roar, trying to break free of the High Knights' restraints and pounce on the man to tear him apart.
But he could not. He could only watch helplessly as the lord of House Tarka left with laughter.
"Angron..."
Despair consumed Oenomaus's heart, and his voice was filled with unbearable pain.
He had seen gladiators controlled by the nails. Endless agony had driven every one of them mad.
He did not dare imagine what those things would turn that pitiful child into after entering Angron's brain.
Gods, please, do not be so cruel.
In the dark, cold void, reality itself continued to warp.
A vortex slowly formed, swallowing all light.
Strange sorcerous fire rose from nothingness, scorching the shell of reality.
Cracks emerged from the distortion, and brilliant spiritual light burst forth.
A majestic warship bearing a golden Double-headed Eagle upon its prow emerged from the Warp amid that brilliant radiance.
Destination reached. Locking onto target planet.
A cold mechanical voice echoed through the warship.
Several Adeptus Custodes clad in golden armor stood before the observation windows.
Their gazes were icy as they stared into the void, fixed upon the distant planet.
They would reach the planet where the Primarch had fallen in three hours.
Before you continue