The Suffering I Was Meant to Endure Has Already Been Endured by My Ancestors!
He straightened up and adjusted his meticulously tailored collar.
He resumed that slow, deliberate yet chilling tone, as if stating a universal truth:
"Hurry up and start fighting!"
If you have anything to hate, hate that you weren't born into a better family.
He opened his arms as if embracing the entire Colosseum, or even the entire planet.
"My ancestors were veterans who fought their way out of Ullanor, following the great Emperor and the Primarch!"
He shed blood, was wounded, and risked his life to bring our family its current status and prosperity!
"All the hardships I'm destined to endure in this life have already been borne by my ancestors!"
He stared at the two ashen-faced workers below and spoke slowly and deliberately, as if it were the most self-evident logic in the world.
"And you?"
He laughed contemptuously, "You people who were born to burn yourselves out on assembly lines, in mines, and in front of boilers, just be your 'consumables'."
"You don't actually believe those propaganda posters that say things like ' The Imperium belongs to every loyalist' are true, do you?"
Hahahaha!
The noblemen behind him erupted in even louder laughter, filled with a sense of superiority and mockery.
A girl with brightly colored lipstick shrieked, "Exactly!"
The Imperium has always belonged only to us, to our noble bloodline!
They are nothing more than talking machines, numbers, and resources!
Just by changing their title to "Imperium Citizen" and shouting "Long live the Imperium!", do they really think they're no longer slaves?
Innocent!"
Lucius listened to the agreement with enjoyment, but when the laughter subsided, he looked back at the center of the arena, his face instantly darkening as if his expression had changed.
"Alright, enough of the nonsense."
I'm giving you one last 'merciful' reminder: now, immediately, beat them to death!
"Let me see the 'fun' I want to see."
His voice was low, yet carried a chilling edge:
"Otherwise, I assure you, before sunrise tomorrow, your families will disappear from this planet in the most undignified way."
"I, Lucius Anvil, keep my word."
The two men's last line of defense completely collapsed.
The older workers closed their eyes, hot tears washing away the blood and grime on their faces.
He spoke softly and quickly, as if using his last strength to pray to the gods in the void:
"My Emperor... if you are truly watching... please protect my innocent wife and children... forgive me..."
Then, he opened his eyes and looked at his coworker opposite him, who was also in tears and trembling all over. There was only a deathly resolute look in his eyes.
He spoke in a hoarse voice, in a whisper that only the two of them could hear:
Hit me, hit me hard, friend!
For... our family...
Before he could finish speaking, he had already delivered a powerful and solid punch to his coworker's already swollen face!
The bones emitted a dull, teeth-grinding crack.
The coworker opposite him was knocked back, biting his lip until it bled, the taste of blood filling his mouth.
Looking into the unfathomable pain and pleading in his friend's eyes, he understood.
There was no anger, only an overwhelming sadness and an overwhelming sense of guilt.
He let out a sob, gathered the last of his strength, and delivered a powerful punch back to his opponent's chest!
Hahahaha!
Yes! That's it!
Push harder!
"Push harder!"
Lucius clapped his hands excitedly, his face beaming with pure and cruel pleasure, as if he were watching a magnificent drama:
Look!
This is power! This is privilege!
We are born with the power to decide their life and death, and to control their Destiny!
These lowly people live only to provide us with labor, or entertainment when needed!
He laughed wildly, reveling in the pleasure of dominating the suffering of others.
However, at this moment--
"Snap, snap, snap."
A steady, powerful, and rhythmic clapping suddenly rang out beside him, clearly drowning out his laughter and the clamor of the other nobles.
Lucius's laughter stopped abruptly, and he was initially annoyed.
Who's so tactless as to applaud like that?
But then, a sudden chill crept up my spine.
The applause... was too calm, too heavy, even carrying a... suffocating sense of oppression.
His arrogant smile was still frozen on his face. Somewhat surprised, he slowly turned his head to look in the direction from which the applause came.
Then he saw it.
Not far from him, in the noble seats, sat a giant, who had appeared out of nowhere.
The figure was over three meters tall, and even sitting down, it resembled a small mountain.
He was clad in heavy armor, a deep blue like the ocean, with beautiful and powerful lines, and a scarlet cloak draped over his chair.
Beneath his short, black hair was a handsome face, yet as cold and aloof as if sculpted from marble.
And the eyes that were gazing at him were a deep blue, like the icy sea of the Arctic.
What surged within was Lucius had never seen or could never comprehend in his life—a boundless rage and a chilling sense of judgment.
Robert Guilliman sat there, his hands, which had just finished clapping, resting gently on his knees.
The entire noble seating area was now deathly silent, like a tomb.
All the noble children who were laughing just moments before now looked like chickens with their necks being choked.
He sat stiffly in his luxurious chair, his face drained of color, his eyes filled with boundless fear.
Behind each of them stood a silent, towering Space Marines clad in blue armor, as imposing as a mythical Titans.
These steel giants remained silent, but the palpable killing intent and oppressive aura they exuded almost suffocated and caused these pampered young masters and ladies to faint.
Lucius's gaze instinctively turned to the back of the companion who was laughing the loudest.
There stood the Chapter Master, Calgar.
Calgar did not look at Lucius.
He simply extended his large hand, covered in blue precision-engineered Power Armour.
As if handling an object, he casually yet firmly grasped the nobleman's entire head.
His fingers tightened slightly, as if he could crush that head and its filthy thoughts like a grape at any moment.
Calgar's face was expressionless, except for his eyes, which burned with rage.
He stared intently at the two workers on the sidelines who were forced to fight each other.
The raging fury in those eyes was so intense it seemed to materialize into flames, burning the sinful arena and the maggots in the stands to ashes!
Lucius opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Extreme fear gripped his heart, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his luxurious silk underwear.