The Emperor’s Angel of Death

After finishing his trip to the Senatorum Imperialis, Sorskyan originally thought everything would end with a grand banquet, but to his surprise, the Adeptus Custodes made a new request of him. →

And this was exactly what he had been expecting.

Captain-General Trajann Valoris would meet him at the Tower of Hegemon, and perhaps regarding the inside story of this expedition, as well as some answers Sorskyan wanted to obtain, the Captain-General would give him a satisfactory result. Therefore, he gladly accepted, handing the banner to a servant to take to the Chapter members outside, and followed the Custodes towards the Forbidden Palace area of the Imperial Palace.

As the core of the Terran Imperial Palace, the Forbidden Palace also had its own separate walls. Although the Forbidden Palace as a whole was relatively small compared to the Imperial Palace, these walls were not as grand as those of the palace districts, but they were higher, and the whole was golden in color. On the top of the wall, Custodes holding swords and shields could be seen at intervals; they were the most basic sentries of the Custodes.

Walking on the road paved with whole pieces of marble, Sorskyan had some calculations in his mind. From the deployment of the Custodes' defenses, combined with his many years of war experience, he deduced that the number of Custodes was definitely more than most people imagined, and it might even have recovered to nearly ten thousand.

Because even if the Forbidden Palace's walls were short, they might still be dozens or hundreds of kilometers long. Even if only one sentry was deployed every five hundred meters, it would still require three or four hundred people. And this was only the most basic defense, not even defense at all, merely outposts or honor guards. If manpower was tight, so many troops would not be deployed on a wall, after all, the Custodes could not just need to stare at a wall.

Similarly, Sorskyan could not enter through the main gate. He followed Valerian all the way to a side door in the Forbidden Palace's walls.

The inner palace area near the Forbidden Palace was a large garden, as mysterious and wonderful as a fairyland. Military and religious sculptures could be seen everywhere in the garden, mostly shaped into mighty generals and serene saints, telling the vicissitudes of forgotten history.

Gurgling fountains sparkled in the sunlight, and the white statues matched the surrounding greenery, making the whole environment appear noble and elegant.

Walking on the ancient bluestone-paved road, winding corridors led Sorskyan into magnificent and spectacular paintings. The mysterious atmosphere permeated every building and decoration. Servants wearing black or white robes silently served everything in the court.

Black represented solemnity and mysterious beauty, while white was more gorgeous and precious. The two colors complemented each other, like pieces on a chessboard.

In addition, Sorskyan could feel that some of the servants were not ordinary people, but psykers. He could feel the energy they released, fresh and quiet, making the entire garden full of unique spirituality and energy.

Using psykers to shape the environment was really ingenious, but he wondered about the safety.

In this charming place, while bathing in the sun, one could also feel the charm of nature. The air was filled with a fresh floral fragrance, intoxicating, as if being in an incredible dream. It was hard to imagine that outside the walls was a savage steel jungle. →

"Do you feel resentful, Chapter Master Sorskyan?"

Suddenly, just as Sorskyan was browsing the scenery in the Imperial Palace's garden, a slightly joking voice came from the side.

He turned his head and saw Valerian, who had come to his left hand side from the front at some point.

"Captain Valerian, what do you mean by that?"

"You have won such a great victory, but the High Lords are repaying you with their own sarcasm and questioning. Don't you feel resentment in your heart?"

After listening, Sorskyan chuckled.

"What's the point of hating a dozen or so mortals who can only live for a few decades?"

"An unexpected answer. Should I say you are open-minded, or should I say you are arrogant?

"Just telling the truth. If I had to hate every dull, selfish, short-sighted, and昏聩 mortal, then I probably wouldn't be able to do anything. Anyway, at least they gave me a medal."

Sorskyan smiled and pointed to his chest.

"It's not all bad."

"It seems that Tirenn's visit to you was not without gain."

"Prime Minister Tirenn is a capable and thoughtful person. He made me realize that some of the Empire's problems are not caused by just twelve people. Captain Valerian, do you think I might become the next Huron?"

When Sorskyan asked the last question, all the Custodes around him instinctively tilted their heads slightly, and Valerian's helmet also lifted slightly.

After a moment of silence, he said softly:

"No one knows until the moment it happens."

Sorskyan shook his head with a smile.

"So, you see, everyone is suspicious, and the High Lords' duty requires them to voice people's suspicions. I admit that I was indeed angry at first, but that's all, because even if I argued with them about this, it wouldn't dispel everyone's doubts, so let it be. I probably won't have a second chance to come to Terra in my life."

Suddenly, Valerian laughed, his deep laughter coming from under his helmet.

"Chapter Master Sorskyan, I am now convinced that you will not be the second Huron."

"Oh? Why?"

"Huron doesn't have your magnanimity and mind."

"Sounds like you know him very well?"

"We know far more than you imagine."

Gradually, the team approached the Forbidden Palace's walls. The towering golden walls were covered with traces of history, and were dotted with large and small defensive towers and void shield spires, all shaped in the Baroque architectural style. Every detail showed the glory and splendor of the Master of Mankind.

A Custodes sentry team then walked up to meet them and communicated with Valerian. During this process, Sorskyan could feel dozens of eyes sweeping over him.

During this process, Sorskyan noticed a warrior holding a huge long sword, wearing a scarlet cloak and tassels, and wearing a high-crested helmet, silently staring at him. He guessed that this should be a Champion of the Custodes.

He wondered how strong the opponent was. Sorskyan even rarely had the urge to fight the opponent. It had been a long time since he had encountered a warrior who could be evenly matched with him.

But this was just a thought, after all, this was the Forbidden Palace, under the eyes of the Master of Mankind. Sorskyan wondered if the Deceiver was watching him in the dark.

Maybe he would meet the opponent here?

Anyway, he had a lot of questions, and the other party could answer them.

A few minutes later, Valerian seemed to have coordinated with the other party, and the team continued to move forward. However, when crossing the opened gate, Sorskyan could still feel many machine beams scanning back and forth on his body, but the other party did not take away his saber. Either the Custodes were very careless, but this was absolutely impossible, or the Custodes were highly confident, thinking that an Astartes could not do anything under their noses.

Sorskyan thought it should be the latter.

Passing through the huge arch, Sorskyan truly stepped into the Forbidden Palace, the most sensitive area of the Empire.

As soon as he entered here, he saw a towering building in the distance, shaped like a trapezoidal pyramid, with the exterior walls mostly in gold and black, highlighting a sense of majesty and tranquility.

That was the Throne Room, the place where the Emperor rested!