Warhammer 40k, but I’m really not an angelic father!

"The one waiting for you is inside. I'll be waiting outside the door. Once you've taken care of your business, come out and join me in defending the Lion's Gate."

"The upcoming battle will be more difficult than expected. The Imperial Guards and the palace guards alone will likely be unable to withstand it."

Trajan pushed open the door of the state religion's office area inside the palace, and when Sandales walked in, he saw several mortal figures with solemn expressions.

The current Grand Master of the Assassins' Court is Fadix, representatives of the three major orders of the Inquisition, and the current Pope of the Ecclesiarchy, Bardo Sleister.

Among these people, Fadix and Sleister have the highest status.

Because from the legal perspective of the empire, they occupy two important seats in the Council of High Lords.

"Sir, we have been waiting for you for a long time. Our ten-thousand-year wait has finally paid off."

"When Valedin sent your message back to Terra, we had already begun preparing for today's events."

Sandales originally thought they were talking about the Archangel Sanguinius, but he soon realized that the person they were talking about was the real him, not Sanguinius.

"The then Prime Minister buried this secret beneath the ruins. The Inquisition knew very little about it, and successive Grand Masters of the Assassin's Court only allowed it to be passed down orally, forbidding any written records."

"This secret has been passed down to this day. Even in today's Inquisition, only these three most loyal Inquisitors know this secret."

After saying this, Fadix glanced at the State Religion Pope Sleister.

And in Sandiles's perception, a Vindicare assassin who was hanging upside down in the shadow of the ceiling had already pointed the killing rifle in his hand at Slester.

This most sophisticated sniper rifle in the human empire is enough to easily tear through the outer armor of the dreadnought and directly kill the remains of the old soldier in the coffin.

Phadix had no intention of letting Sleister walk out of this room alive. He was a fervent follower of the Emperor, but he was not on their side.

The only reason why he asked Slester to come over was to let him hand over the position of Pope of the State Religion to Sandales with full legitimacy.

If he did as he was told, he could give Sleister a quick death.

But if he intends to do something he shouldn't do, then I can let him experience the methods of the Assassin's Court.

"There's no need to say more about this matter. I will continue to trust you, but this secret must be sealed and concluded. From now on, there's no need for this secret to be passed down any further."

"I have returned to the Empire, and the secret has become reality."

Sandiles's orders were unanimously obeyed by Fadix and the representatives of the three major orders of the Inquisition, while Sleister looked at the Primarch in front of him with great excitement.

He was originally discussing with other high lords how to maintain the empire, but when he left the meeting room, he was abducted by the Assassin's Court and taken to the interior of the palace.

He didn't even know why Phadix had ordered the assassins to capture him.

But after a brief moment of confusion, he was shocked to see a living Primarch.

"Bardo Sleister, the current Pope of the Ecclesiarchy and successor to Decius 23."

"He openly opposed all the Empire's reform bills and was a fanatical but pedantic state religion pope."

Fadix introduced the name and deeds of the Pope of the State Religion to Sandales.

In terms of his fanatical belief in the Emperor, Sleister was indeed very capable. He personally killed countless heretic enemies who intended to overthrow the Empire, and spread the glory of the Emperor to maintain the stability of the Empire.

These achievements would have been great.

But he was too greedy.

Like his predecessor, Pope Decius XXIII, he always wanted to hold more power in his own hands.

He even openly opposed any reform bills in various discussion meetings, hoping to maintain the status quo of the empire forever and maintain a so-called ancient and glorious empire.

As the Grand Master of the Assassin's Court, there are some things I shouldn't say.

But this act of calling the Empire, after losing its Primarch, an ancient and glorious name is simply a huge joke.

This so-called ancient and glorious thing was obtained through countless sacrifices and blood, and most of the high lords who had never left a prosperous life throughout their lives were not qualified to say this.

Among them, Sleister is considered to be relatively good.

He is indeed greedy, but also loyal and fanatical enough.

All I can say is that Sleister is a very complicated guy. After all, loyalty and greed are not contradictory.

"My Lord, this is a shameless slander. I will always maintain an endless and sincere faith in the Emperor. My actions are only to prevent those treacherous people from taking the power of the state religion and doing whatever they want."

"Everything I do is to maintain the stability of the empire!"

Sleister howled as he looked at the Son of God standing in front of him. He had never thought that he could actually see a demigod alive, and at such a close distance.

He does have a desire for power, but he also has an absolute fanaticism for the Emperor.

If the Emperor or the Son of God needs to use his own death to establish something, then he will definitely meet his own end.

"As the Primarch and the Emperor's own son, I ask you to transfer the title of Pope of the Ecclesiarchy to me."

Sandiles' calm words penetrated into Sleister's ears, and almost instantly stopped Sleister's wailing.

But this was not because Sleister was unwilling to give up his power, but because he was searching for the certificate on his body that symbolized his identity as the Pope of the state religion.

He held it high with both hands and presented the seal of the Pope to Sandres.

This seal symbolizes the power of the Pope of the state religion, and the holder of the title of Pope can change it by simply drafting a document of abdication.

Sleister could see that the political situation in the Empire had changed suddenly, and now no one could stop the Primarchs from reforming the Empire.

When Sandales took the Pope's seal from Sleister, the Vindicare assassin had already placed his finger on the trigger of the extermination rifle.

But Sandres' raised hand immediately made him give up the assassination attempt.

"Bardo Sleister, as the Pope of the Ecclesiarchy and the Emperor's own son, I now test you. What we are about to face is a terrible war. You will need to prove your loyalty and faith to the Emperor in battle."

"From now on, you are appointed as the first war preacher and are allowed to have your own guard. You need to ascend the Lion's Gate and protect the safety of the Imperial Palace and the Emperor in the upcoming war."

Without even thinking, Sleister immediately lowered his forehead to the ground in a humble manner.

He originally thought that after he gave up his position as Pope of the Ecclesiarchy, the Son of God would personally send him to meet the Emperor, but he did not expect that the merciful Son of God would actually give him the opportunity to face a glorious death.

I will not refuse, and it is impossible to refuse.

Countless Popes have been nailed to the pillar of shame for various selfish reasons. Their names and surnames will forever be despised by the people of the Empire, and the glory of the Emperor will never shine on them.

I have done right things and wrong things in my life.

But in the last period of his life, he hoped that he could do something that would make the emperor happy.

"Bardo-Sleister swears on his life that the currency of this name will only be spent in battle against the enemy."

"I will prove my loyalty and faith to the Emperor and atone for the mistakes I have made in my life."

107

Chapter 107: The Second Battle of Lions Gate.

(It's noon! All troops charge! While the enemy is cooking, plunder their navigator and bring back the three rings to use as flannel balls!)

(If the midday attack is still discovered, there will be another opportunity for a surprise attack in the afternoon!)

"The Prime Minister really set a trap for me..."

Sandales looked at the seal holder's certificate on his finger, which was the same design as the one Makado had had back then, and suddenly felt a headache.

Malcador not only left the Assassins' Court and the Inquisition to him, but also left him the title of Sigillite.

Now he controls the three forces of the Assassin's Court, the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy, which can be said to be half of Malcador in the past.

The state religion is a tool used to provide legitimacy for one's identity, and it is also the rudder and sail that guides the human empire to continue looking into the future.

As long as he possessed the power of the state religion, he could, in the name of the emperor, gradually shift the direction of ignorance and stupidity towards pioneering and rationality.

Ultimately putting the future of mankind back on the right track.

Although the Emperor repeatedly reiterated that he was not a god.

But the empire now needs a truly powerful figure to unite the entire human race.

So even if the previous emperors were not gods.

But now the emperor must be a god.

"The light of the Astronomican is growing dimmer, almost extinguished. Are Guilliman and the Emperor preparing some plan?"

While Trajan was preparing the Praetorian Guard inside the palace, the tribune Cocon was conversing with Sandales above the Lion Gate.

He learned from exchanging information with other colleagues that the light of the Astronomican was becoming increasingly dim.

Nothing will happen to the Emperor himself.

The only explanation is that Guilliman and the Emperor reached a consensus on a certain plan, and the gradual dimming and extinction of the Astronomican was a necessary step in this plan.

After taking a look at the tribune Kokon beside him, Sandales once again looked towards the residential area in the distance.

"Guilliman must be working on some plan with the Emperor, but I don't know the details of that plan."

This is not because Sandales is modest, but because he really doesn't know what kind of action plan Guilliman will reach with the Emperor.

The war they are about to face will be extremely terrifying. Even if there is a slight mistake in the plan in this war, the fate of the human empire is likely to experience another ups and downs.

Seeing that Sandiles was also unaware of the inside story of the plan, Tribune Koken did not ask any more questions. Instead, he followed Sandiles' gaze and looked towards the civilian residential area on Terra.

There, countless Astra Militarum soldiers and imperial laborers were setting up various defensive weapons and equipment. They had to defend the imperial palace, so they could only place their relatively weaker military forces in the hive area.

"You're worried about the civilians, aren't you?"

"Many people will die in this war, and I'm wondering if I can protect as many civilians as possible without affecting the outcome of the plan."

"We cannot open the Lion's Gate. The direct consequences would be too serious."

"I know, so I was wondering if I could take the opportunity to take the initiative."

Tribune Koken looked at the Primarch beside him in surprise, but at the same time, he remembered the scene that happened at the Lion's Gate ten thousand years ago.

"Sanguinius, according to your prophecy, if I were to leave the city to fight, how many people could I save?"

'Countless, Chagatai, countless people.'

'Then I will fight.'

At that time, there were other Primarchs who could help the Archangels, but now there are none.

"If you need additional troops, the Custodes can assist you."

As a tribune, he had the right to command a considerable number of imperial guards stationed in the palace. As long as Trajan did not give the order personally, he still had the ability to add some additional imperial guards to the archangel.

Sandiles could only appreciate Koken's kindness, but he really didn't need the Imperial Guard's troops to assist him.

In the moon's low-Earth orbit, there are still thousands of Blood Angels from the Death Company on the Blood Angels' transport ships.

If the time really came when he needed to go out of the city to fight, he would immediately throw the thousands of Holy Blood Angels into the path that the demon army must pass, and he would fight with them until the last moment of their lives.

"My Lord, the Astronomican is out!"

When Sandales wanted to respond to Koken's kindness, a shield guard captain suddenly reported such a sudden news to Koken.

Koken and Sandiles turned around almost at the same time and cast their gaze in the direction of the Star Torch, but what they saw was not the bright light that reached the sky as before.

Instead, it was the surging subspace energy.

"Sound the alarm and order Terra to be on alert immediately!"

"Activate all defenses of the palace immediately! Prepare to warm up the backup void shield generator!"

Koken issued a series of orders, and the entire silent palace almost came alive at this moment. Thousands of imperial guards began to prepare for war inside and outside the palace.

Those Warp Demons will definitely make the palace their ultimate target. They must do their utmost to stop the demon army outside the Lion's Gate and the palace walls.

The Imperial Fists company responsible for coordinating the garrison on Terra was now on high alert. They activated all the defense facilities installed on the high walls of the palace. This was the last line of defense designed by their Primarch for Terra.

Even after tens of thousands of years, it still stands.

The planetary defense system covering the entire planet of Terra withstood the impact of several warp turbulences.

But with the continuous influx of subspace energy, even the planetary defense system of the throne world was gradually worn down and rendered ineffective under such continuous action.

The surging Warp energy began to churn directly on the surface of Terra, and the heretical cult that had been waiting for a long time immediately raised its flag and started a series of riots and sacrificial ceremonies within the residential areas.

The enemies hidden beneath the Terran Hive began their actions. The minions of the Four Gods directed the power of Chaos directly to the surface of Terra. The symbol of the Chaos Octagram even continued to appear in the sky above the Throne World.

A gentle breeze blew, but mixed with it was the thick smell of blood from the Blood God Demon.

When this disgusting smell entered his nose, Sandiles' brows instantly frowned.

Among the Four Chaos Gods, he had fought with the Blood God Demon the most times. The Blood God always chased after him like a mad dog, and refused to give in even though he was frustrated time and time again.

He had rescued Angron from the Blood God, but the Blood God still wanted to cause trouble for him.