Lynn raised his chin, Isolde's figure flickered, returning to where he belonged.
The door opened, and a tall figure clad in golden Power Armour strode in.
Leo took off his helmet, revealing his handsome, angular face.
He carried the St. Garus Family's heirloom Chainsword at his waist, his steps were steady, and his gaze fell directly on Lynn as soon as he entered the room.
The two exchanged a glance, but neither said a word of pleasantries.
They were comrades who stood back to back against the Orks ' charge under the Forbidden Wall; some things could be understood with just a glance.
"You guessed right." Leo spoke first, his voice low and deep.
"Something's been off in the castle lately. Her people are being moved around a lot, the guards on the underground laboratory have been tripled, and even people from the collateral branches aren't allowed near."
Lynn nodded slightly.
He summoned Leo for this very reason.
He had always had some reservations.
Luna holds some of his and Rena's secrets. If things come to a head, the other party might resort to desperate measures and leak the information, resulting in a lose-lose situation for both of them.
So even though he knew the other party had been Tzeentch and was secretly plotting against him, he never went for the kill, only maintaining a delicate balance.
But things are different now.
Luna has already ignited the Plague Cleansing Cult; retreating further will only embolden them.
He cannot directly use the governor's regular army.
The Imperium rules are set in stone. If the governor personally intervenes to suppress aristocratic families, the nature of the operation changes, and it will give the governor ammunition for criticism.
But Leo is different.
They both belonged to the St. Garus Family; one was the de jure king, and the other the Lord Regent, making them contenders for the supreme throne.
Internal strife and fratricide were commonplace in the Imperium aristocracy.
The bigwigs of Terra never cared who was in charge of the noble families.
They only cared whether the family could pay taxes on time, provide soldiers, and maintain stability in the territory.
In other words, what a tool is called is not important; what matters is whether it can fulfill its intended purpose.
So as long as Leo wins and can stabilize the situation in St. Garus, no one will delve into the details of the process.
"Is the location confirmed?" Lynn asked.
"It's confirmed. It's the secret room at the deepest part of the third basement level. She stays in there almost every day and rarely comes out."
Leo's jawline was taut, and complex emotions surged in his eyes.
Luna is his aunt.
A few years ago, he would never have imagined that he would one day lead a group to kill her.
But as family secrets gradually surfaced, and as the traces of Chaos became clearer, he understood perfectly well.
This aunt is no longer simply a power contender.
She was a cancer to the St. Garus Family.
If she is not eliminated, the entire family, and even the entire Brevis family, will be dragged into an abyss of no return.
"I'll take care of the outer perimeter." Lynn pointed to the mark of Saint Garus Castle on the star map with his pen.
"The security forces cordoned off three blocks in the surrounding area under the pretext of a 'nighttime counter-terrorism drill,' allowing entry but not exit."
"Your men are responsible for all entrances and exits; cut off reinforcements and block retreat routes."
" The Decapitation Squad will take the old secret passage on the west side and directly break through to the third underground level."
"There's only one target." He looked up at Leo, his tone calm yet decisive, " Luna."
Leo took a deep breath and nodded heavily.
He raised his hand and put on the golden laurel wreath helmet, and two points of cold red light instantly shone through the goggles.
Operation codename: Duel of the Two Kings.
Lynn reached out and shook his hand firmly.
"Let's do it."
In the dead of night, the gilded spires of the Uptown are bathed in the inky darkness.
The area around Saint Garus Castle, which is usually bustling with activity every night, is unusually quiet tonight.
The intersection was blocked off by temporary roadblocks. The Vanguard soldiers stood expressionless behind the cordon, stopping all the noble carriages traveling late at night, saying only that it was a routine anti-terrorism exercise by the governor's mansion.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a surprise attack that would determine the fate of the family had already quietly begun.
Beneath the castle walls, Leo's elite private army had already assembled.
These were all veterans who had fought alongside him on the Forbidden Wall battlefield. They wore Orks Power Armour, their Boltgun were loaded, and their breathing was as steady as a rock.
There were no shouts of killing, no challenges.
As the order was given, several squads acted simultaneously, silently taking control of all the castle's entrances and exits, ventilation ducts, and underground escape routes.
Their mission was not to charge and decapitate, but to keep a close watch on every opening.
They neither allowed any collateral forces to enter as reinforcements nor allowed anyone inside to escape.
The real dagger has already reached deep underground through the old, abandoned secret passage on the west side.
In the underground passage on the second basement level, the assault team was advancing rapidly.
Leading the way was a sword and shield Armiger Knight mech.
It is only about half the size of a regular knight mech, and is specially modified for narrow terrain. Its left hand has a thick and reliable Ion Storm Shield.
His right hand Reaper Chainsword razor-sharp, and his heavy footsteps created a powerful, oppressive vibration on the metal floor.
The thirty soldiers following closely behind were all veterans of the Vanguard that Lynn had assigned to Leo.
They joined St. Garus's private army as free men, becoming the backbone of the Decapitation Squad.
They wore highly sophisticated Power Armour and used the best tactical weapons.
They spread out in standard tactical formation, with their infrared vision fully open and their Boltgun always ready to fire, their movements as swift and precise as a machine.
The security on the basement level was even laxer than expected.
Most of them were ordinary family guards, with a few Adeptus Mechanicus Skitarii mixed in.
These men were no match for the elite assault team; they were silently killed before they could even sound a full alarm.
Melta cutting machine is pressed against a metal door, and the high temperature instantly melts and breaks the door lock hinges.
Then, Reaper Chainsword slashed through the dim light, reaping the lives of the guards.
The whole process was clean and efficient, without any unnecessary movements.
In less than ten minutes, the basement level was completely cleared.
The team stopped in front of the heavy-duty blast-proof door leading to the second basement level.
The captain raised his hand to signal the team to stop, then glanced down at the life detection signal on the tactical terminal.
There was utter silence behind the door.
There were no patrolling guards, no people moving around; it was as quiet as a tomb.
This is very unusual.
He felt a slight chill and made a tactical hand gesture.
Two soldiers immediately stepped forward and firmly attached the Melta explosive to the load-bearing hinges of the blast door.
"Three, two, one!"
boom!!!
A violent explosion erupted in the confined passage, sending blast waves carrying metal fragments flying in all directions.
The heavy blast door collapsed inwards like torn pieces of paper.
"Charge!"
With a low shout from the captain, the Armiger Knight mechs charged in first, braving the smoke and dust, followed closely by thirty veterans, their guns all pointed forward.
The smoke and dust cleared.
What appeared before everyone was no longer the cold, orderly underground fortifications of the Imperium.
The metal walls on both sides of the passage were covered with eerie, dark blue runes. These runes seemed to writhe slowly as if they were alive, gleaming with a chilling luster in the dim light.
A strange fragrance filled the air; inhaling it made one feel slightly dazed.
Whispers also drifted into people's ears, guiding them to pursue the mysteries buried deep within their hearts.