Warhammer, I promise I am loyal!!

This was a premeditated coup!

Gulanch suddenly realized this terrifying truth.

He recalled the cold, unfamiliar guards standing at the entrance of the Governor's Mansion earlier today.

At this moment, faint rustling noises came from behind the screens on both sides.

Was this the sound of hidden warriors finally unable to restrain themselves, ready to draw their swords?

"You are all mad!"

Gulanch heard the hurried sound of military boots stomping on the ground outside the door.

Knowing that today's events might not end peacefully, he decided to stand his ground.

"The Empire and the Church will avenge us. You traitors will ultimately face divine retribu—"

Before he could finish, a loud explosion echoed, and Gulanch's head instantly shattered into pieces.

Eaton's hand held a modified explosive rifle engraved with blasphemous runes.

It was then that people noticed his arm was far from human, not only covered with scales but also with fingers transformed into webbed appendages resembling those of some cold-blooded reptile.

His gaze swept across the crowd and finally settled on Leon, who crouched at the back of the group.

Sensing that the attention of this Holy Covenant had once again shifted to his detestable younger brother, the young man seated on the throne flashed a trace of cold malice.

However, neither Leon nor Eaton cared about the opinion of the nominal leader of this planet now that the planetary governor was dead.

Without recognition from the Empire or real power to back it up, what meaning did the title of planetary governor hold?

Eaton observed the boy in front of him, calmly watching all that unfolded.

Facing death, the boy's composure surprised him.

But rather than feeling repulsion, Eaton's eyes reflected a glimmer of admiration.

In the upcoming war to pacify the Empire, having an ally who could assess the situation wisely would undoubtedly eliminate many troubles.

As for the possibility of Leon refusing to form an alliance with him?

Ridiculous! To ensure today's success, the Aurelian family's Holy Covenant sect followers had begun preparations over ten years ago.

A decade ago, the gods of the High Heavens, who once maintained their lofty indifference, suddenly began frequently instructing their followers in Joachim.

They commanded them to hold the grandest of sacrifices on this planet, offering up the entire planet and everything on it to the High Heavens.

The Holy Covenant Sect had been operating here for a long time. Now, from the diocesan overseers to the garrison around the Governor's Mansion, all had been corrupted by the Holy Covenant Sect.

A mere boy—did he really think he could escape the ironclad grip the Church had meticulously built over millennia?

Eaton thought to himself.

To prevent unexpected incidents, today's meeting not only forbade the elders from bringing any guards but also ensured all Mechanicus-related items, including servitors, were cleared from the venue.

After all, no one could predict how many backdoors those oily Mechanicus folks had left for themselves.

Psychic inhibitors were, of course, necessary. Were it not for the Empire's stringent control over untouchables, Eaton wouldn't have minded keeping an army of them under the Church's banner for emergencies.

Nearby, a scribe of the Aurelian family busily recorded the meeting's details with a quill pen on parchment. This meeting was destined to remain unrecorded in the official histories that proclaimed the legitimacy of the Aurelian family's rule.

These mortals had no idea what was truly happening in the world.

Eaton looked around and thought.

For most soldiers, they were simply carrying out orders from their superiors.

Officials sought wealth, officers craved power—all unknowingly becoming pawns in the hands of the High Heavens.

To most, today's events would merely appear as yet another power struggle within the Aurelian family.

"What is your answer, Lester Aurelian?"

"They envy the noble bloodline flowing through your veins and fear the power of the Northern Grey Wolf. But I am different. As long as you swear allegiance to the Holy Covenant Sect here and drink the holy water bestowed by the gods, I shall, in the name of the High Heavens, dispatch troops to escort you to the North and help you ascend the throne."

Eaton stepped toward Leon step by step, speaking slowly.

His terms seemed so generous that the young man on the throne behind him, holding a scepter, showed an expression of disbelief.

Why?

He angrily clenched the scepter, wanting to speak out.

But an elder hand and a weathered voice in his ear calmed the young man who had been high-born since childhood.

"Calm down, young believer! We need Sarka's war fortresses and the Northern barbarian armies to fulfill the mission of the High Heavens descending!"

The ancient voice was icy and merciless.

Angelo Lester Aurelian had no doubt that if he dared to disrupt the Celestials' plans now, the head of the Aido family beside him, who commanded the planet's navy, would decapitate him without hesitation and offer his head to the powerful Celestials.

Angelo remained silent, hiding his discontent at the potential division of power. Meanwhile, the Minister of Military Affairs, Eaton, now five steps away from Leon, was supremely confident in his proposal.

He paid no attention to the soldiers streaming into the hall from outside the Governor's Mansion, dragging out the remaining loyal elders of the Aurelian family to execute them one by one.

The Holy Covenant Sect's influence, cultivated over millennia, had already penetrated deep into the Aurelian family.

It was both the key to their repeated successes within the Empire and the force driving them into the abyss today.

These elders of the Aurelian family were insignificant to Eaton.

Killing them and wiping out the legions loyal to them was an effortless task for the Holy Covenant Sect, which already controlled most of the family's power.

What Eaton truly valued was the Northern barbarian force subdued sixteen years ago and nominally loyal to the Aurelian family.

This force was Eaton's primary objective.

The military minister of Joachim thought so.

How laughable—a mere sixteen-year-old boy.

Unless the God-Emperor himself intervened, how could Leon possibly escape his grasp?

The city housed over a hundred thousand planetary defense troops loyal to him, and the Governor's Mansion was under heavy guard.

Eaton racked his brain but couldn't imagine any way Leon could escape the city.

The boy knelt, his hand trembling as he touched the mutilated corpse on the ground, his expression filled with immense sorrow.

It seemed as if the corpse was not the terrible villain who always sought to annex Leon's future territories into the Aurelian domain but his own father.

"This is your only choice: worship the High Heavens, or face certain death."

Eaton issued his final ultimatum. Though he didn't understand Leon's overwhelming grief, watching the boy stretch out a trembling hand to caress the mangled flesh, he couldn't help but ask.

"Were you close to him?"

"No, not at all."

Leon raised his head, his bloodied right hand glowing with a silvery light.

Eaton's expression froze in shock at Leon's answer, which completely defied his assumptions.

And what Leon did and said next made Eaton feel an overwhelming sense of danger.

"Your offer is great!"

"But…"

Click.

"No."

Leon plunged his hand into the corpse before him, shouting, "What I love most is saying no to those who think they're hot shit!"

.....

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9. Gold Explosion! In Every Sense!

10. Departure.

11. The Nun of San Leor.

12. You Really Take Any Job!

13. The Rebels Are Too Cunning!