The warship slowly decelerated and entered Nukeria's low orbit.
The satellites circling low orbit immediately detected the magnificent warship that had arrived from the stars.
Nukeria's rulers observed the colossal warship bearing the Double-headed Eagle insignia through satellites and ground radar.
Some families attempted to send out calls, seeking to establish contact with it.
The warship gave no response. It merely moved slowly through low orbit, searching for something.
Nukeria's rulers did not dare launch an attack on the warship.
Most of the voidcraft left behind by the Golden Age had already been damaged.
Even those that remained posed no threat to a heavily armed warship equipped with void shields.
Other than seeking peace, they dared do nothing.
Within the bridge, the clamor of countless secondary systems blended together.
Floating information displays cast a faint glow, illuminating the dim control room.
A rapid ticking echoed across the bridge.
The intelligence chief rose from his seat and walked over to the Adeptus Custodes squad led by La.
He handed a data slate to La.
"We have located Primarch Twelve's life signal and successfully locked onto it."
"However, his condition is highly unstable. His vital signs are fluctuating severely. It appears he is under attack?"
La accepted the data slate and reviewed its contents, his gaze utterly calm.
"How foolish these mortals are, to dare lay hands upon my lord's creation and seek to destroy it."
"Order the auxiliary forces to prepare for a planetary landing. We will not only bring Number Twelve back—we will conquer this planet as a gift for my lord."
The Tech Black Tower, which preserved countless dark technologies, rose from Nukeria's surface.
Tech-Priests lived within the tower, serving Nukeria's great families.
They modified the personal guards of those families, granting them unimaginable strength.
They used dark technology to create all manner of monsters for slaughter in the arenas, entertaining the nobles.
They broke slaves who dared defy their masters, reducing them completely into obedient dogs.
Angron, who had been sent inside, broke free of his restraints once again and began a massacre within the black tower.
The High Knights who served as the great families' personal guards attempted to subdue him again.
But Angron was too strong. He nearly destroyed the sturdy black tower.
The biomechanical killers and monsters regarded as nightmares were blown apart by Angron's fists.
The High Knights, equipped with advanced prosthetics and genetically enhanced, were like frail children before Angron, wholly incapable of resisting.
"Release the anesthetic gas."
"Activate the defense protocols."
The guards of the black tower and the elite forces of the great families exhausted every means at their disposal.
Only then did they force the unarmed Angron back into a desperate corner.
Several thick beams pierced Angron's body in succession, driving him to his limit before he finally collapsed.
Angron's body possessed terrifying regenerative abilities, but every recovery consumed his strength.
When Angron fell from exhaustion, countless High Knights swarmed him.
They wrapped heavy chains forged from high-density alloy around that terrifyingly powerful body.
"This bastard must never be allowed to eat his fill again."
"Forget eating his fill. He should be kept hungry at all times, shackled forever, and leashed like a dog."
Still shaken by fear, the soldiers kicked and beat the beast-like Angron, venting their rage.
"Ha ha ha!"
The general in charge of the suppression planted a foot on the unconscious Angron's head and laughed with his hands on his hips.
"So what if you possess power comparable to a god's? A slave is a slave. You can only ever crawl beneath our feet."
"Get this thing onto the operating table. Dig out his brain and implant the Butcher's Nail."
"From this day forth, he will be a slave. A slave forever."
Crackle!
Crackle!
Tiny bolts of lightning appeared in the air, winding forward like electric serpents.
Before everyone's stunned eyes, a dazzling sphere of light emerged and rapidly expanded.
Then it abruptly exploded.
Forming a brilliant ring of light.
Countless electric serpents swam in every direction.
Twenty golden warriors appeared amid the lightning.
Every one of them was incomparably tall, like gods described in myths.
They held halberds wreathed in arcs of electricity, their cloaks the crimson of a setting sun, blood-red as they covered armor more dazzling than gold.
La stood at the front and swept his gaze around.
He saw the devastated battlefield and Primarch Twelve lying unconscious on the ground, bound in chains like a dog.
The Primarchs were creations of the Emperor.
The most recently returned Primarch Sixteen called the Emperor Father.
And the Emperor had not denied it.
That meant the Emperor acknowledged the Primarchs as his sons.
And now, these people intended to harm the Emperor's son.
From this moment onward, right and wrong no longer mattered.
Defending the dignity of the Emperor and the Imperium was all that mattered.
"Kill them all," La said in a voice colder than ice. "In my lord's name."
A notification from the Gene Engine rang out in the minds of the Adeptus Custodes.
Combat mode activated.
The Adeptus Custodes had always been the Imperium's strongest force. After receiving their exclusive Gene Engines, their combat power soared even further.
With perfect unspoken coordination, they charged toward the enemy, swinging their halberds and sweeping away every foe within sight.
This was a one-sided slaughter.
The High Knights, Tech-Priests, and the monsters they had created were all hacked into pieces by the Adeptus Custodes.
From beginning to end, the battle lasted only five minutes.
The guards and High Knights of the Tech Black Tower were slaughtered to the last man.
Mangled corpses lay everywhere.
Blood dyed the corridors and halls adorned with luxuries red.
The entire scene resembled a hell of carnage.
"Who exactly are you?" A noble stared at the Golden Armored Warrior before him, shocked and furious. "Why have you attacked us?"
La did not answer. He merely swung his halberd and cleaved the man into pieces.
"Number Twelve remains intact. He has not suffered any illegal alterations."
The Adeptus Custodes examined the unconscious Angron.
"Wake him," La said.
The events at the Tech Black Tower immediately drew the attention of Nukeria's great families.
Yet none of them dared order a long-range strike against the tower.
The terrifying firepower of that magnificent warship in orbit was enough to reduce the entire planet to scorched earth.
The Golden Armored Warriors who had swept through the Tech Black Tower had clearly come from that mysterious warship.
If war broke out, that warship would certainly strike the entire planet.
"The Tech Black Tower's guards and Tech-Priests are dead. They are now guarding Angron Tarka. It is obvious they came for him."
"There are obvious traces of genetic engineering on Angron Tarka's body. He may be a creation belonging to some great power in the galaxy."
"Let them take Angron. Ask whether they have any other demands as well. Meet them all, so long as we can send them away."
"..."
After discussion, Nukeria's great families decided to appease the Golden Armored Warriors.
Regardless of why they had come, the families would do their utmost to satisfy them and avoid the outbreak of war.
At the meeting, the lord of House Tarka wore an extremely grim expression.
Angron was House Tarka's finest gladiator.
If there had been any other choice, he would never have handed him over.
Once the meeting ended, the great families dispatched envoys to the ruined Tech Black Tower to negotiate with the Golden Armored Warriors.
"Honored guests, after discussion among the great families, we have decided to present Angron Tarka to you. He is our strongest gladiator, worth a fortune."
Upon hearing the envoy's words, La revealed a mocking smile.
"Number Twelve has always belonged to the Imperium. Why would we need you to gift him to us?"
"You intended to harm Number Twelve and treated him as a slave. This insulted the Imperium and insulted my lord. Go back and tell your masters to choose suicide. That may spare too many others from being implicated."
"If we have to act, Nukeria will run red with blood."
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