Warhammer: Beginning with Planetary Governors

Chapter 699 An Urgent Communication from Holy Terra?!
Archbishop Frederick knelt very thoroughly.

The troops of the Third Diocese could no longer protect him, and the remaining soldiers regarded him as a heretic. Now even their retreat was blocked.

He had no choice but to surrender.

This archbishop, a great preacher, cherished his life and understood the ways of the empire.

Based on the information he has observed during this period, he can roughly guess what exactly happened.

Without this ability, how could he have eliminated his rivals during the Dark Ages of the Great Rift and firmly ruled the turbulent Third Diocese?
"The Emperor...

It is unknown which High Lord seized supreme power in the struggle for Holy Terra, and who also possesses powerful psionic magic.

Flakeber pondered.

He knew that something dramatic must have happened in Holy Terra, and that the effects had spread to the Third Diocese.

The mysterious emperor has come knocking and taken control of the cathedral.

Faced with that force and slaughter, he had to submit and offer value.

If that mysterious imperial emperor really did control the heretical Golden Chicken Thief, and also managed to retain the Rift Lords Chapter from the Holy Army.

The other party must care a lot about the value of the emperor and people.

Of course, that was just a guess, but it was the only chance to survive, and we had to seize it!
Therefore, Flakeber's surrender was so decisive and resolute; as long as he was alive, there was still a chance to rise again.

He knelt humbly on the jeweled tiles, displaying piety and helplessness, like a harmless old preacher.

The archbishop slowly turned to face the cursed chicken thief covered in golden eagle armor, looking up with pleading eyes.

If the mysterious emperor of the empire is manipulating the Golden Heretic Chicken Cunning through witchcraft, the other party should be able to see all of this, and he must gamble on that last chance.

"As expected, that cunning golden heretic did not launch an attack."

I made the right bet!

Flakeber was pleasantly surprised when he saw the cunning glint in the man's eyes.

His chances of survival have greatly increased!

The archbishop quickly increased his bet, displaying utmost piety:
“Great Emperor of the Empire, I and the Third Diocese are willing to accept your rule and offer all our loyalty.”

Your will is the direction of the Third Diocese, and we will offer up a rich treasure, which only I, this humble archbishop, can unlock…

It was unprecedented for a cardinal to fawn over an imperial ruler so effusively.

In the past, no matter who the ruler of the empire was, the state religion remained supreme and maintained its nobility under the protection of faith.

He believed that the emperor of the mysterious empire would accept all of this.

The other party is unlikely to refuse an archbishop's allegiance, much less give up a treasure that even the High Lord covets.

"Damn it, that guy swore allegiance to the Emperor!"

When Ansemor and the other pursuing soldiers saw this scene, they felt a deep sense of resentment.

They were powerless against this empire's insect.

In fact, if the other party had not been suspected of being heretics, given the Rift Lords' status in the Imperial hierarchy, they wouldn't even have the right to offend an archbishop.

Unless the archbishop is definitively judged as a heretic by a higher authority.

As can be seen from the Oracle of Vision, the Imperial Emperor is the ruler recognized and crowned by the Emperor, the Lord of Mankind.

He represents the will of the emperor.

If the Emperor accepts Flakeber's allegiance, then they have no choice but to obey, and will likely continue to be ruled by that archbishop in the future.

"This is the nobility of faith, a nobility that imperial warriors can never attain, only obedience..."

Flakeber caught a glimpse of Anselmore and the others' hesitation out of the corner of his eye, and a slight smile crept onto his lips.

The lowly warriors of the Rift Lord could do nothing to an archbishop, and even the Imperial Emperor had to win him over, otherwise it would be difficult to exert influence in the Third Diocese.

It's always been like this.

If he regains power, he will surely throw anyone who dares to pursue him into the Eye of Fear to participate in the expedition.

As for the disloyal members of the Crusades, they would be burned at the stake as heretics!
However, the moment the archbishop, the great preacher, showed a slight smile, the four arms of the cursed chicken thief were raised.

The shimmering light from the dome cast a glow on the silhouette of the cursed thief, and the shadow cast upon him resembled a cross of judgment.

"No...no, you can't do this..."

Flakeber realized something was wrong, and in fear he collapsed to the ground, frantically trying to move backward.

He sensed disgust and murderous intent from the Golden Chicken Thief Alien.

yah~
Flakeber's personal force field activated, but the Cursed Chicken Thief's sharp tail stabbed down even faster, destroying the force field generator.

Then, a surge of spiritual energy gathered in his four arms and struck him at incredible speed.

The psionic energy from the subspace instantly enveloped it, lifting it from the ground into the air and inflicting immense pain.

That was the power of the emperor.

“I cannot die; the Third Diocese cannot be without an archbishop.”

"I still have treasure; don't you want that inheritance?!"

Flakeber howled in agony, making his final struggle as he was enveloped in psychic energy, filled with such resentment.

"Fool, even if I kill you, the treasure will still be mine!"

Ron coldly stared through the eyes of the cursed chicken thief, at this heretic rebel who had carried out numerous extermination orders and killed countless citizens of the empire.

He used psychic powers to steal the archbishop's memories, becoming increasingly enraged by the sins he had committed.

In those memories, believers of the state religion were burned by flames on the execution platform, the imperial planet was destroyed by the bombardment of whirlwind torpedoes, and the cries of countless humans filled the sky.

This seemingly respectable and righteous archbishop committed heinous crimes in the name of faith!
Tear it~
The cunning scoundrel tore off Flakeber's crimson robes, deeming him unworthy of such attire. Beneath the crimson robes lay a body of fair, voluptuous skin and flesh—a physique that the lower classes of the empire could never possess.

He has lived for centuries, and it's unknown how much he must have expended to maintain such vitality.

Some technologies even use the blood of young children.

Now, the archbishop's crown has been shattered by the savior, and he can no longer maintain his nobility, leaving only naked embarrassment and resentment.

"This is the judgment you deserve."

After stealing the memories, Ron did not use the Cursed Chicken Thief to kill the archbishop directly, but instead threw him in front of the pursuers.

Their anger needs to be quelled.

Flakeber landed naked in front of Anselmore and the others.

Faced with the contempt and anger of the crowd, he cried out in fear, "You are not allowed to come over! You are not allowed to come over! I am the archbishop, the great preacher!"

Bang!
The next moment, his nose was smashed, and his face was dented in.

"This punch is for the Lord of Rift's brother!"

In a fit of rage, Ansermor threw a punch, which even the archbishop's enhanced body couldn't withstand.

Flakeber covered his face, wailed, and wept bitterly, trying to beg for people's forgiveness.

However, he could not be forgiven and was instantly consumed by rage.

The archbishop of the Third Diocese, a great preacher, was beaten to death, his flesh mangled beyond recognition, and even the life support devices in his body could not be repaired.

All his muscles and bones were shattered, and he died in extreme misery and pain.

But death was only the beginning for this guy; Ron then captured his soul and placed it in raging flames.

As the "minor god" Diablo of Chaos, he has plenty of ways to punish heretical and rebellious souls.

They would not allow these heretical and rebellious souls to be favored by the Chaos Gods, giving them a chance to be reborn in the Warp.

That would be a huge threat to the empire.

Without a doubt, the soul of this archbishop, this great preacher, will be devoured by Diablo in extreme torment, but that process will last a very long time.

That was the judgment of the Savior upon sin. After Anselmour and the others executed the heretics, they were extremely excited; they had finally gained their freedom.

"From this day forward, we will obey the savior's command and fight to the death for the empire!"

They slowly stepped forward, bowing to the radiant, cursed chicken thief beneath the imperial statue, and offering their loyalty to the savior.

"You are all loyal warriors, and a glorious war awaits you."

The empire will eventually be glorious…

Ron enveloped Anselmor and the other warriors in his life force, healing their external wounds—a demonstration of his own power.

This was the first time he had projected spiritual energy onto an unfamiliar being from a great distance.

"No wonder the Emperor can bestow blessings everywhere and manifest his power from time to time. It turns out that his power is exerted through living saints and the cursed legion, just like a god."

Ron was quite moved.

This way of wielding power is very taxing, but the experience is wonderful, giving you a feeling of being in control of everything.

In fact, the cursed chicken thief he was currently controlling was equivalent to the "great demon" of the savior in terms of rank, possessing even greater combat power.

That demon was more controllable than the cunning demons cultivated by exploiting the power of the Chaos Gods; its will could be invoked at any time.

Following Archbishop Flakeber's death, a purge targeting other senior officials of the Third Diocese began.

The Cursed Chicken Thief, the Imperial Cursed Legion, the Rift Lords' Warband, and some Crusaders executed the high priests of the Third Diocese within the cathedral.

Subsequently, this purge spread to the entire Third Diocese Fleet.

Ansermor took control of the command flagship's communications.

He sent messages to the entire fleet detailing the archbishop's and his cronies' heretical and rebellious acts, informing them that they had been executed by the Imperial Army.

At the same time, all fleet commanders were ordered to cease their attacks on Fanes and await further instructions.

Any act of disobeying orders will be considered a betrayal of the Empire and the Emperor!

"With the deaths of Flakeber and his senior associates, the state church's control over the Third Diocese had already substantially collapsed."

This large fleet is now mine.

Ron observed the changes in the Third Diocese fleet from the perspective of a cunning individual and was quite satisfied.

This is why people like the decapitation tactic.

Although achieving a decapitation strike is difficult, once successful, it can provide a huge advantage, making the entire war unstoppable.

As the last ferocious state religion redemption mech fell, the flames on the Cursed Legion gradually died down, disappearing into the gray mist.

Their mission is over.

"The Emperor is asleep again. It seems that suppressing that darkness is really difficult."

Ron frowned slightly as he thought to himself.

Just now, he was cursing his cursed legion for being a mess and wanted to control the cursed warriors to see how cunning his cursed army really was.

Unexpectedly, before they could even make a move, the Emperor fell asleep prematurely due to exhaustion.

Of course, he was able to sleep so peacefully only because he knew he had the situation under control.

Before the Great Rift, the Emperor would control the Cursed Legion, which would roam around, often appearing one by one.

They occasionally rescue soldiers or human refugees.

"Sigh, it's quite contradictory that he keeps showing off his divine powers everywhere while stubbornly insisting that he's not a god."

Ron suspected that the old man was too lonely and bored while squatting on the toilet, so he was controlling the cursed warriors to move around.

This could not only change the situation, but also save lives, chat with believers, and convey divine messages.

Why not?!

However, with the arrival of the Dark Ages of the Great Rift, the Emperor's condition deteriorated, and his manifestations became less frequent. Having suffered the pain of faith, he increasingly emphasized that he was a human, not a god.

Given the Emperor's current condition, deploying the Cursed Legion in non-core battlefields would be quite disadvantageous.

not worth it.

"The Emperor may not be able to continue, but I can..."

Ron himself is currently in his prime and is still some distance from the backlash of faith, so he can still afford to be carefree for a while.

He simultaneously deployed the Cursed Chicken Thief Legion to the other ships of the Third Diocese Fleet, sending them to deal with the Skinner Aliens and the remaining Archbishop's cronies in key areas.

This pinpoint-and-shoot combat style is very resource-intensive, but incredibly satisfying.

After the enemy was mostly dealt with, Ron recalled the Cursed Chicken Thief Legion.

He felt a little weak.

That thing consumes a lot of one's will and strength, especially when it's deployed on a large scale.

Even emperors cannot maintain this for long.

Otherwise, the Cursed Legion would have long been a permanent force of the Empire.

Their role was originally to provide support in key battles, to secure victory when necessary.

After Ron completely resolved the problem of the Third Diocese fleet, he turned his attention to Fanes.

He sighed deeply: "Now it's time to address the real issues."

Hopefully, the Kalozasa dynasty's king has not yet betrayed the empire out of hatred.

The state of that Necromancer King will influence the course of this war and may even affect the situation in the Vigilant Star region.

Moreover, even the Cursed Legion would find it difficult to behead such a high-ranking Dharma King; otherwise, the Empire would have been invincible long ago.

Whether I make a huge profit or suffer a huge loss depends on this wave.

……

Phanes' main nest.

Ruins of Shangchao.

The artillery fire from the Third Diocese covered this Upper Nest area, causing widespread destruction and melting many buildings into smooth crystalline surfaces.

Many more buildings collapsed in the aftershocks and shockwaves, and the thick smoke lingered for a long time.

hum-

The ruined buildings were dissolved by Gaussian rays, and the space undead royal guards overturned the remaining obstacles.

Emerging from the ruins.

Behind them stood Zabok, the governor of Fanes and the king of the Kalozasa dynasty.

The being was in a sorry state; his magnificent robes were charred and torn, and his makeup was filthy and comical.

Zabok came to the rubble.

He looked at his ruined territory and his groaning, wailing people, his mind filled with rage:

Why does the Empire attack the people of Fanes? Why does it inflict suffering on its loyal followers?
Is this the true face of the empire? Does it still deserve Fanes' respect?!

The living metal governor tore off his magnificent robes and threw them into the flames of the ruins, along with the meticulously polished Imperial Skyhawk.

He gazed at the State Religion fleet in the sky, which was temporarily silent but could launch an attack at any moment; his eerie green pupils grew increasingly cold.
"This was a massacre, a massacre of Fanes by the Empire."

If this is the war the Empire desires, then Fanes has no choice but to fight; it is unworthy of our loyalty!

at the same time.

An urgent communication from the distant star system of Holy Terra, relayed through several Star Court temples, arrived at the court of Fanes…

(End of this chapter)