The Emperor’s Angel of Death

The priests' imitation of Holy Terra's ideals was understandable, but limited by their abilities. To call this Snow Palace luxurious, well, it was somewhat luxurious. It contained over nine hundred buildings of varying sizes, complete with gardens, hot springs, and even a small zoo. Of course, the main structure was a grand cathedral, as the Snow Palace was built for the Patriarch—not the current Ignatius II, but many of his predecessors had approved the plan. The Snow Palace served as a retreat for the Patriarchs, a place to escape worldly affairs and better commune with the Emperor spiritually.

As for why this place for spiritual communion required over eight thousand carefully selected young women from across the Archdiocese as attendants, the explanation from the College of Cardinals was—the Patriarch needed to understand and learn about the local customs and the faith of the people in the Archdiocese, and pure, innocent girls best represented the local level of faith.

Sorshyan only replied with two words:

"Bullshit."

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Especially after learning from Viletts that the most common disease in the Cardinal Worlds was sexually transmitted diseases, he could only conclude that the High Lords were right to try and restrain the Ecclesiarchy. Unrestrained, the Ecclesiarchy would likely become like the current Archdiocese.

Religion can be a valve to control desires, or a magic mirror that amplifies them.

As the Stormbird shuddered to a landing, Sorshyan stepped out of the cabin and onto a plaza carved from solid rock, surrounded by massive pillars inscribed with scripture.

Sorshyan walked along the marble-paved road, which felt somewhat deserted as most of the attendants had been sent away. Only the cleaning servitors were still mechanically repeating their daily tasks. After a dozen minutes, he arrived at the main building of the Snow Palace, the Soul Temple. This was originally a place for the Patriarch to conduct daily rituals, but now many useless decorations and seats had been removed, replaced by a large amount of equipment and a massive star chart display. The huge statue of the Emperor in the shrine quietly overlooked everything below.

"Lord."

As Sorshyan entered the gate, a male attendant approached and held out a tray. Sorshyan took the golden cup from the tray and took a sip. It was a local specialty wine from the vineyards of Venoix III, not comparable to Eldar wine in quality, but still palatable.

"The Tyranids will soon begin to digest Venoix V and IV. We have essentially achieved our objectives for this operation."

Marakin, Seth, and other Chapter Masters had arrived at the command post in the Soul Temple before him. Sorshyan, holding the wine cup, walked to the star chart and picked up a command rod, drawing several lines on the chart.

"But it won't ignore this place. We have angered it, and the biomass here is very attractive. So, while devouring the other two worlds, the Tyranids will definitely send tendril fleets to consume this world as well. This is a good thing, meaning its already dispersed forces will be further divided."

Then Sorshyan looked at Third Company Captain Farzad.

"How is the construction of fortifications on Venoix III progressing?"

Farzad, wearing a metal headband, had a subtle expression. After hesitating for a moment, he said:

"Most of the fortifications are progressing smoothly. The nine large settlements around the Saint's Crown Mountains have urgently repaired double-layered walls and established minefields and small void shield generators. The interior of the cities is also being rapidly modified, but there are still some places-"

Sorshyan immediately guessed what had happened, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Someone is not cooperating?"

"Ah, some estate owners are refusing to relocate and modify their properties in the name of religion. I-"

Sorshyan waved his hand directly.

"Go now. Immediately call in a Stormhawk squadron and blow up all the estates that refuse to cooperate."

Farzad was stunned at first, then nodded vigorously.

"Yes, sir!"

With that, he turned and left in a hurry. Marakin glanced at Farzad's back and said softly:

"Isn't this too drastic? Maybe I should go and persuade them-"

"We have more important things to do and no time to waste on these trivial matters."

Sorshyan reached out and tapped the console, turning the star chart into a holographic image of the planet.

"To defend this world and slow down the Tyranid consumption, we must rely on the terrain and fortifications. The Saint's Crown Mountains are an excellent place. The rock here is extremely hard and can effectively defend against the Tyranid worms that can burrow underground. So, we must abandon other areas. Soon, fire will engulf most of this world, and the ocean will be filled with deadly poison, turning it into a pool of toxic water. The nine large settlements built in the Saint's Crown Mountains will become the core of the resistance, and the core is the Snow Palace."

Andar stared at the enlarged mountain terrain map, then nodded.

"A very targeted plan. The steep cliffs can greatly compress the Tyranids' numerical advantage, but the threat from the sky will be severe, and the Tyranids will also drop a large number of spore cysts. This is, after all, just a temporary stronghold, not a true fortress, without a real air defense system. How can we counter the threat from the sky?"

"That is indeed a problem. Before leaving, I prepared a considerable number of anti-aircraft weapons, and the void shields can resist high-speed landing spore cysts. In the end, we can only do our best. As for how the battle will actually go, we can only fight and see."

Seeing Sorshyan say this, Andar nodded and had no further objections.

"However, considering that the void shields require a lot of energy, and only the Snow Palace has a reactor beneath it in the Saint's Crown Mountains, the small void shields in other strongholds can only be activated occasionally. But the Tyranid spore cysts are not that precise. I think most of them will still hit the Snow Palace. The strongholds in those tricky terrains should not face much anti-aircraft pressure."

Marakin then asked a crucial question.

"How long can the local supplies last?"

"About three months."

"Three months."

As the fleet commander, Marakin estimated the time required to defeat two Tyranid fleets in succession, and finally frowned.

"I'm worried that we won't be able to complete the combat mission within three months. By then-"

Sorshyan smiled slightly.

"The Tyranids may not really be able to exert that much pressure. I believe in you, Brother Marakin."

Hearing Sorshyan say this, Marakin could only sigh inwardly. After a moment of silence, he said for no reason:

"Will there be additional support in times of crisis?"

This sentence seems harmless at first glance, but if you listen carefully, you will find that it doesn't make sense, because Sorshyan has already arranged every step of the campaign, and arrangements have also been made for the reserve team. Marakin's statement is a bit like asking a question he already knows the answer to.

But why would Marakin ask a question he already knows the answer to?

Only two people could hear the implication.

Sorshyan and Andar.

Sorshyan's expression did not change, but he was already certain in his heart that Marakin must have discovered the relationship between himself and the Eldar, but perhaps Marakin was not sure what kind of relationship it was.

Andar was simply keenly aware of the implication and guessed that it might be related to Sorshyan.

"If the situation is really bad."

Sorshyan did not deny it, nor did he explicitly say what it was, but gave a vague answer.

"Perhaps reinforcements will be needed."

Marakin looked at him with a complicated expression, and finally nodded.

"That's good."