Sure enough, just as they reached the entrance of the council hall, they bumped into Leo was pacing back and forth.
The usually composed and dignified deity of the King of St. Garus now had a look of anxiety on his face.
Upon seeing Lynn approaching, he immediately went to greet her:
" Kerry, you've arrived!"
"I've completely lost contact with the Decapitation Squad. The signals on the three underground levels are all blocked, and none of the scouts we sent in have returned!"
He was only halfway through his sentence when he noticed Lynn's expression and was taken aback.
The Kerry von he knew always appeared calm and composed, as if he could remain unfazed even if the sky were to fall.
But at this moment, there was an uncontrollable chill in the other person's eyes, along with a hint of barely suppressed impatience.
"The situation inside is more complicated than we anticipated," Lynn said in a deep voice without offering further explanation.
" Luna colluded with Chaos and laid a trap underground. The Decapitation Squad is trapped. If this drags on any longer, none of them will survive."
" Chaos?!" Leo's pupils contracted. "She really..."
"She's not your aunt anymore." Lynn looked up at him, her tone resolute.
"This is no longer a matter within the St. Garus family."
" Leo, this is a heretical rebellion, Chaos invasion. If we continue fighting like this, we will lose, and Brevis will lose."
Leo's breath hitched.
Internal family feuds, involving the use of private soldiers, are always stopped short of serious conflict. Even if people die, it is merely a dispute between nobles.
But once it's labeled as " Chaos collusion," the nature of it completely changes.
They are enemies of the Imperium, heretics who must be completely eradicated.
Correspondingly, the size of the forces deployed will no longer be subject to any restrictions.
"Whatever you say, I'll do it." Leo didn't hesitate at all, raising his hand to put on the golden helmet.
"All of St. Garus's private soldiers are at your command. Even if it means tearing the entire castle down, I will drag that woman out!"
"I don't need your private army." Lynn shook his head and pressed the internal military communication button on the wall. "Use the Vanguard."
Forty minutes later, in the square outside the main gate of Saint Garus Castle.
Tens of thousands of Vanguard stood in formation, their black Power Armour gleaming with a cold, hard sheen under the artificial lights.
Leman Russ Russ stood in neat rows, his long, thick main gun barrels raised high.
The Sentinel Walker stood on either side of the formation with heavy steps, their onboard heavy machine guns ready to fire.
The air was thick with the scent of steel and gunpowder, and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
This doesn't seem like the scale of handling family affairs at all; it's more like preparing to launch an expedition.
Lynn stood on the roof of a Chimera Armoured Vehicle, dressed in a gray-blue governor's uniform, the golden eagle on his epaulets gleaming.
He didn't use a megaphone, but rather spoke clearly through the Vanguard's all-area communication channel, his voice reaching the ears of every soldier.
"Soldiers!"
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a power that pierced the heart.
"Right here in this castle, Luna St. Garus, Lord Regent of the St. Garus Family, abandoned the glory of the Emperor and embraced Chaos!"
"She conspired with the wizards of the Lord of Change, spreading plague in the Lower City, constructing blasphemous altars underground, and plotting to drag the entire Brevis Hive City into the abyss of the Warp!"
"The valiant Lord Leo Saint- St. Garus, the Councilor, discovered her plot, but the army he sent out was ambushed by the heretics and trapped in the castle's underground."
"This is no longer a power struggle among nobles; this is a war, a war between us and the enemy of humanity!"
Lynn's voice suddenly rose, carrying the fervent yet chilling sense of justice unique to the Warhammer World.
" The Emperor bestows weapons and armor upon us, not so that we may hide behind high walls and enjoy peace!"
"It is our duty to eradicate heresy, purify the filth, and protect the hundreds of millions of people behind us!"
"Today, we will raze this heretic's lair to the ground!"
"Rescue our comrades, kill the rebellious Lord Regent, and let the lackeys of Chaos know that those who betray the Emperor shall die!"
"For the Emperor! For Brevis!"
"For the Emperor!!"
Tens of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, waving their weapons in salute, creating a unified, muffled sound.
The sound surged into the sky, causing the ground of the square to tremble slightly.
Leo, standing at the front of the line, looked at Lynn on the roof of the car and felt a surge of excitement.
He had initially worried that mobilizing a large-scale Vanguard to besiege a noble castle would draw criticism, but Lynn's words directly defined the operation as a righteous war to eradicate the Chaos heretics.
Let alone besieging a castle, even if you turned the entire Uptown upside down, no one could utter a single word of complaint.
Just then, there was a slight commotion on the flank of the team.
A squad of soldiers dressed in black cloaks of the Vanguard strode over. They were all tall and had steady steps. Their hoods covered most of their faces, revealing only their hard, angular jaws.
Their aura was restrained, yet it exuded a fierce sense of having been through countless battles, a stark contrast to the demeanor of ordinary Vanguard.
The leader walked to the car, nodded slightly to Lynn, and spoke in a very low voice:
"Sir, the people have been brought here. There are over three hundred of them, all of them have changed clothes, and no one noticed."
He's Butcher.
Lynn glanced at the line.
Ten bishop-level hybrids were hidden in the center of the group, their eyes occasionally flashing with a purple light beneath their hoods.
Hundreds of acolytes of mixed race lined both sides, their third arms hidden under their cloaks, wielding specially made weapons.
There were also some apostles and Purestrain Genestealer were well hidden by their cloaks.
The camouflage was very well done; judging by appearance alone, they were no different from an elite Vanguard assault squad.
He nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes.
The Butcher was as reliable as ever in his work.
"Attack!"
Without wasting any more words, Lynn swung his arm forward sharply.
boom!
The first shell was fired and struck the massive bronze gate of the castle's main entrance with precision.
In the violent explosion, the heavy bronze door twisted and deformed instantly, collapsing along with the surrounding stone walls and raising clouds of dust.
The next second, the steel torrent roared into action.
The tank tracks rolled over gravel, making a screeching sound, and the infantry spread out in tactical formations, advancing behind the armored units.
The sound of Boltgun was deafening; the guards inside the castle who had barely peeked out were riddled with bullets.
Under their cover, the Vanguard advanced at an astonishing speed, breaking through the outer defenses and flooding into the underground level in less than five minutes.
The Plague-Cleansing Apostles mingled among the Vanguard and deployed a Psychic Power barrier upon entering the underground levels, isolating the Vanguard from the corruption of the Warp.
Lynn stood atop the armored vehicle, gazing at the flames engulfing Saint Garus Castle, his eyes as cold as ice.
Luna.
Whatever you want to do, I'll see it through to the end!