The Emperor watched silently.
He had observed the entire event from the moment Huron entered the banquet hall.
Seeing the Sister covered in prayer scriptures, He was reminded of the “Last Church,” an ordinary church He had personally burned down at the end of the Terran Unification War.
He had hoped to sever the barrier of religion to human civilization, allowing everyone to understand the world rationally.
Yet now He was being worshipped as a “god,” and this sect had even become the “state religion” of the Imperium.
Seeing the Sister being sacrificed as food, He was reminded of the various barbarian tribes and the Ethnarchs He had annihilated during the Unification Wars.
Various barbarian tribes widely believed that devouring enemies granted them strength and courage.
This custom was prevalent in the wastelands of Terra, representing the most primitive and savage state He sought to eradicate.
The Ethnarchs, on the other hand, were obsessed with sacrificing human blood to their gods and were enthusiastic about crafting various religious ritual implements from human blood, bones, and skin.
What He abhorred most was cannibalism as a form of divine sacrifice.
He exterminated them and attempted to liberate humanity from this barbaric and anti-social behaviour, encouraging them to coexist in a spirit of mutual assistance.
As a result, the nobles of the Imperium now openly and brazenly use humans as sacrifices and food, to the point of it becoming commonplace.
It’s as if the Imperium has become a larger version of the Ethnarchs and barbarian tribes.
Even the Emperor, with his proud nature, couldn’t bear to witness this and even felt a pang of regret.
If He hadn’t prevented the Astartes from participating in politics, if He had allowed the Astartes to monitor and manage these insects, would the Imperium have ended up in this state?
But this slight regret was quickly dispelled, because He knew that letting these superhumans manage mortals would only result in a different kind of perversion.
However…
The Emperor looked at Huron, who was bewildered, but not completely bewildered.
With that unknown power as an aid, perhaps this soul from another world could change everything, change the Imperium’s ignorant and cruel state.
Unconsciously, the Emperor’s evaluation of Huron and the system slightly improved.
At the same time, He dragged the Imperium’s insectoid nobles’ evaluation to its lowest point, placing them at the same level as the Ruinous Powers.
Meanwhile, good news came through the Chapter’s vox channel.
“The Vera family raid was successful.
Family members fiercely resisted, resulting in 389 deaths and 122 prisoners.
Family head Klaus Vera was killed on the spot.”
“The Mercer family raid was successful.
Family members attempted to escape, resulting in 113 deaths and 344 prisoners.
Family head Silas Mercer was killed on the spot.”
“The Salom family raid was successful.
Most family members chose to surrender, resulting in 89 deaths and 455 prisoners.
Family head Marcus Salom was also captured.”
Thanks to the surprise of the operation and the Terminators’ powerful breakthrough capabilities, several high noble families had no time to react.
Before the small void shields capable of covering the family fortresses could even be activated, the Terminators, accompanied by ordinary Astartes, stormed into the fortresses, swiftly suppressing any possible resistance.
“Well done.
Imprison the prisoners and await trial.”
Although it was strange that the Salom family, whose rhetoric was the most radical and who sought revenge against the Astral Claws, was the quickest to surrender, Huron didn’t bother to consider their thinking.
Based on the actions of these nobles, they didn’t even need the yet-to-be-published Badab Code for trial.
The Lex Imperialis promulgated by the High Lords of Terra, and the Imperial Law itself, revised and amended since the Great Crusade, were enough to ensure their utter annihilation.
Even though the Lex Imperialis was so lengthy and complex that no one could fully grasp it, leading to various regions modifying it according to their own interpretations,
At least “cannibalism” was a universally accepted standard of heresy — a serious matter, weighing heavily, if not immensely.
Although the major noble families were brought under control in the raid, the remaining nobles, both large and small, including honorary nobles with titles like knight, as well as factory owners and merchants dependent on these families, continued their fierce resistance.
Therefore, the blockade of the entire Hive City lasted for over a week before finally ending.
After the blockade was lifted, the Hive City’s residents were informed of a major event: a public trial for the nobles.
The central square of Paratos Hive City served as a makeshift tribunal.
This area was originally the nobles’ exclusive parade ground, paved with expensive black granite imported from other planets, each slab polished to a mirror-like finish.
The square had previously been surrounded by statues of the patriarchs of various noble families throughout history, but these statues had all been removed, replaced by massive holo-projection screens and live pict-recording equipment.
It was nine o’clock in the morning, and the sunlight bathed the square, bringing an unprecedented warmth to most of the spectators, but it offered no warmth whatsoever to Marcus Salom.
He knelt in the centre of the tribunal, looking at the audience below, mostly Lower Hivers, and felt a deep disgust for their various breaches of etiquette.
“How dare these people enter the sacred central square?
It’s blasphemy against the Emperor!” Marcus felt genuine contempt and humiliation.
Beside him, Odinson wore ceremonial power armour, adorned with sashes and ornate decorations.
He looked at the audience below.
The central square was enormous, capable of holding millions of people, but compared to the population of Paratos Hive, it was a drop in the ocean.
Fortunately, it could be broadcast via the noosphere.
Lower Hive had urgently constructed and laid numerous vox-channels in advance, ensuring coverage of 99% of the Hive’s residents.
In other words, at this very moment, there were probably tens of billions, or even more, watching this live broadcast.
“Good morning, people of Badab, I am Odinson,” he introduced himself to the crowd.
“Most of you may not have heard of me.
I was once a member of the Chapter’s serfs, and now I am an Astartes, also known as the ‘Angel of the Emperor.'”
He continued, “As the acting governor of the planet authorized by Chapter Master Huron, I hereby represent the Astral Claws Chapter to try the Paratos nobles who have committed numerous crimes.
In the name of the Astral Claws and the Emperor, I condemn them as heretics.”
He looked at the audience below; most were completely bewildered.
Apart from a few auxiliary members who had received general education, most of the audience had no idea what this meant, as it was so far removed from their previous lives.
Odinson wasn’t surprised and continued his pronouncement: “The first prisoner on trial is Marcus Salom, patriarch of the Salom family.
You may not have heard of this name or this family, but their Starch Guild monopolizes nearly 90% of the food supply in the Hive City.”
This time, the audience reacted.
The Starch Guild was a name familiar to everyone in the Hive City, and many even held it in high regard.
After all, without the Starch Guild, they wouldn’t even have anywhere to buy food.
They would have to risk consuming dangerous mutated creatures, or…
resort to worse.
—l