As the High Lords Council concluded, the Imperium of Man dispatched numerous envoys to various young empires and races, issuing them ultimatums, and the necron dynasty made a similar move.
Unlike the Imperium of Man, the necron dynasty was now facing a new situation: the Silent king, who had traveled beyond the galaxy, was about to return.
Szarekh, the last Silent king of the Infinite Empire, was nearing his return.
He had not found a way to save his people, but he was returning nonetheless.
He was currently on his way back to the galaxy, and before long, he would return to the Triarch and reactivate the entire Infinite Empire, bringing a massive challenge to humanity.
This was not the War in Heaven that House Yaeger had once fought with the necrons, which had only affected half the galaxy and the galaxies beyond.
When the necron king returned, the Infinite Empire would once again fall under his command.
At that time, the Imperium of Man would face a War in Heaven that would engulf the entire galaxy, and perhaps even the entire universe.
No one knew what kind of advanced technology these necrons possessed, nor did anyone know what powerful fleets they commanded.
The necrons were mysterious; 60 million years had passed, and even Zeke had been unable to fully understand what weapons and powers these beings harbored.
Zeke would not underestimate any civilization, for he knew very well that a fully developed civilization, one that had developed normally, was absolutely formidable.
Zeke was doing his utmost to develop the civilizations under his command and to mobilize enough fleets to prepare for the upcoming war.
No, compared to the necrons, who had already engaged in skirmishes with House Yaeger's fleet, Zeke now had to turn his attention back to the Tyranid Swarm.
During the time Zeke was holding meetings on Terra, the true vanguard fleet of the Tyranid Swarm arrived, reaching the outer fringes of the Segmentum Obscurus.
Massive tendrils directly plunged into dozens of Imperial worlds on the outer edge of the Segmentum Obscurus.
The vast Tyranid Swarm fleet launched attacks on dozens of Imperial worlds almost immediately.
The Segmentum Obscurus was forced to initiate a new war mobilization, and more fleets from the Terran Dominion began to arrive at the front lines to engage the Tyranid Swarm.
Theoretically, what should have been attracting Zeke's attention now was the Tyranid Swarm, but in reality, it was not.
Something else had captured Zeke's attention even more.
Rebellion!
Loyalty and betrayal truly were eternal constants in this universe; with Zeke's emergence as the Emperor of Mankind, attitudes within the Imperium of Man were actually divided on the matter.
Most Imperial worlds, swayed by the Ecclesiarchy's propaganda and the display of Zeke's powerful army, chose to compromise with Zeke and acknowledge his status.
But how could the Imperium of Man, with its millions of worlds, be so united in heart and mind?
If it truly were so united, the Imperium of Man would not have fallen to its current state.
The rebellions within the Imperium of Man had various causes: some were due to chaos, some because people could no longer survive, and others were due to accidents.
And then there were some who simply failed to grasp the situation, such as the Duchy of Severan.
A few months prior, a very important event occurred on the capital world of the Duchy of Severan: Severan XIII of the Duchy of Severan began to mislead his people.
"My people, my citizens, the high lord' banquet is beyond our imagination!"
"They even abandoned their faith; they held a galaxy-wide broadcast, promoting a new Emperor! My people, do you believe the Imperium could have a new Emperor?"
"Indeed, I believe it; the Imperium will certainly have a new Emperor, but it will never be that brash young man named Zeke!
What right does he have to be Emperor? He is merely a usurper, a heretic!"
"At such a time, those useless high lord actually acknowledged this fellow's existence, and even arranged a galaxy-wide broadcast, creating a false holy image of the Emperor to deceive us!"
"Who doesn't know that the Emperor can only sit upon the golden throne, yet now he has stood up? This is clearly false, clearly problematic!"
"It is a conspiracy from those high lord; they seek to harm the Imperium, and this is evil!"
Severan XIII vehemently questioned Zeke's legitimacy.
But what was even more abstract was that his subjects actually believed what he said, and these reasons were varied.
The most important reason was that this man had accumulated wealth from his ancestors many years ago, so he used some food to win over his citizens.
For the human citizens in Warhammer, being able to eat their fill was their greatest happiness, so they didn't care what the man above was spouting; if he could feed them, they would believe him.
To show their gratitude for the food he provided, some of the Imperial citizens below even raised their hands and shouted.
"That's right, that's right, the high lord are vermin, the high lord are useless!"
"That's right, that's right, the Imperium deceived us, you are absolutely correct!"
Feeling the approval of the citizens below, Severan XIII felt his speech was meaningful and successfully stirred the emotions of the people.
So his speech became even more impassioned, and he eagerly spoke the words he most wanted to say at that moment.
"The Imperium has forsaken its duty to its people; it is time for Severan to withhold the tithe for self-preservation."
"Let us take up arms and resist the xenos and heretics of the galaxy!"
"Let us take up arms for the legitimacy of the Imperium of Man!"
"Everything we do is for the Emperor, everything we do is for the Imperium of Man!"
After he uttered these words, how could the human citizens below, who were still discussing literacy rates, not believe him?
Subsequently, under the persuasion of Severan XIII, the entire Duchy of Severan became utterly foolish.
The entire Duchy of Severan immediately prepared to ally with the dark eldar.
To be fair, the Duchy of Severan did have some past glorious deeds.
For example, they once participated in the Anjou Crusade that erupted in M39, which took place in the then picturesque Calixis Great Dark Region.
After this crusade, the Imperium saw the birth of the Calixis Sector, renowned throughout the 40k era; this crusade had heroes and brave warriors, and of course, some ancestors of future troublemakers.
Take Severan I, for instance; he arrived in this area with a Rogue Trader warrant, issued by Holy Terra, from who knows where.
This fellow was exiled to the frontier after failing in a political struggle on Terra; he was purely a political loser.
He himself was indeed formidable; in that Great Crusade, he achieved numerous merits, even comparable to the Warmaster of that time.
The only thing he wanted was to return to Terra and become a High Lord, but the High Lords Council at the time adamantly refused to let him return.
Because this man's ambition was too great; he wanted to become the dictator of the Imperium, so the high lord resolutely prevented his return.
This made him harbor resentment, and he later founded this Duchy.
Because his dream had always been to return to Holy Terra, this idea was passed down through his descendants until the thirteenth generation.
The story he passed down went something like this:
"We, the lords of Terra, are true lords. Those vermin high lord didn't treat us as such and exiled us to the frontier."
"Those dog-born saints also ignored us. Son, you must remember this hatred."
This was roughly the story, and its transmission filled Severan XIII with hatred and ambition.
Zeke's appearance not only did not frighten him, but instead made him feel that an opportunity had arisen.
How could the Imperium of Man have a second Emperor?
Doesn't this indicate that the current high lord are problematic?
He would lead a righteous army back to Terra to fulfill his ancestor's last wish!
"Let them know that we, the lords of Terra, are true lords."
"Terra's Pacification!"
The rebellion of the Duchy of Severan, of course, could not have succeeded by relying solely on the useless Severan XIII.
How could such a useless individual successfully orchestrate a rebellion?
Severan XIII's biggest characteristic was that he had ambition but lacked influence, and he had ambition but lacked strategy.
Therefore, it was naturally impossible to expect such a useless person to directly rebel.
What truly made this rebellion successful was cabal of the Dark Eldar.
If the Dark Eldar sound a bit unfamiliar, then by another name, you might know them: they are the Dark eldar.
The eldar are not simple; these guys were once the Overlords of the galaxy, even though they brought about their own downfall.
But having been the Overlords of the galaxy, they still possess some wisdom and technological prowess.
The rebellion in the Duchy of Severan is inextricably linked to them.
cabal is composed of the societal dregs among the Dark Eldar, and to one day return to Commorragh, these dregs collect slaves and weapons by any means possible.
Coincidentally, the Severan family of the Duchy of Severan is known for its low moral bottom line, and are known for an even lower one, so after they connected, they hit it off immediately.
In the more than ten years of their cooperation, they successfully took complete control of the entire Duchy of Severan and eliminated the influence of the Inquisition and the Department of the Interior.
This was also the foundation for the Duchy of Severan to rebel.
So, just as Zeke was currently caught between a rock and a hard place, these guys, as if seeing an opportunity, immediately jumped out.
And they announced to the entire galaxy that they had revolted, that they still belonged to the Imperium of Man, but they would no longer obey the orders of those insects on Terra.
They wanted to set things right, to pacify Terra!
Therefore, when Zeke received such an abstract message, his mouth couldn't help but twitch, and not just his mouth, but his whole face twitched.
The actions of the Duchy of Severan were tantamount to them defecating on Zeke's head and then slapping his face several times.
Visibly, the paper document he held in his hand, sent to him, was subjected to increasing force from Zeke.
Then, the entire paper was completely shredded into molecules in his hand.
Overall, for Zeke, the rebellion of the Duchy of Severan could only be described as a slight stain on his clothes, merely like a piece of poop stuck to his attire.
But the matter itself was disgusting enough; after Zeke became the second Emperor of the Imperium of Man, something suddenly popped up announcing a rebellion.
And it refused to acknowledge his legitimacy and legality; wasn't this tantamount to provoking Zeke?
If they were not severely punished, wouldn't these guys become a precedent for other ambitious individuals in the Imperium of Man?
What if the Imperium of Man, because of this incident, spawned a whole bunch of warlords? Wouldn't Zeke then have to suppress them one by one?
But because of this, Zeke had no choice but to take this matter seriously.
Guilliman, who was handling official duties next to Zeke, didn't even dare to look at Zeke, because Zeke's face was terrifyingly grim at this moment.
The rebellion of the Duchy of Severan was no longer a small matter; it required a heavy hand!
"Uncle Yaeger, why don't I take the Ultramarines myself and destroy the entire Duchy of Severan?"
Facing Zeke's expression at this moment, Guilliman felt he could step up and show his worth, and at the same time, escape from handling government affairs on Terra.
He felt that ever since he returned, he had been constantly dealing with government affairs, which was such a headache. Now he wanted to take the Ultramarines and have some fun.
Guilliman looked at Zeke with anticipation, hoping that Zeke would agree to his request.
However, he was disappointed. After hearing Guilliman's words, Zeke's expression gradually returned to normal.
"It's not that serious. This matter doesn't require you, the Imperial Regent, to personally intervene. If you leave, then who will handle the Imperium's government affairs? Terra, the capital of the Imperium, still needs you to hold the fort."
"At least until new Primarchs are brought back to help you work, you cannot leave now. You are currently the most important person in the Imperium."
Zeke directly rejected Guilliman's request and emphasized his importance.
Guilliman was a tool chosen personally by Zeke. For the future handling of government affairs for the Terran Dominion, he still intended for Guilliman to do it, to save his little Grey from trouble.
For his future happy life, Zeke felt that Guilliman should continue to work hard, and as for the enjoyment, he would help him enjoy it.
"This rebellion by the Duchy of Severan is tantamount to defecating on my head, and this is intolerable. Therefore, you, Guilliman, do not need to do this; I will go personally!"
Speaking of which, Zeke had been on Terra long enough, so at this moment, Zeke also planned to go out and have some fun himself.
Although when he was on Terra, no one would give him government affairs to handle.
They all knew that this Emperor, like the one on the golden throne, didn't want to be disturbed, but just staying on Terra was really too boring.
Coincidentally, the actions of the Duchy of Severan were tantamount to directly slapping Zeke's face, so wouldn't it be perfect for Zeke to personally lead troops to destroy them?
As soon as these words were spoken, Guilliman's mouth twitched, and not just Guilliman's; the mouths of the Imperial officials who were also helping Guilliman with government affairs twitched as well.
The Emperor personally embarking on a Great Crusade!?
Good, good, good. The Duchy of Severan has truly committed a great sin, actually attracting the Emperor of the Imperium to personally leave and launch a Great Crusade to punish them.
Regarding Zeke's words, some generals from the Imperium and from Zeke's Terran Dominion originally wanted to voice their objections.
After all, such a small matter requiring the Emperor to launch a Great Crusade was a bit too much.
However, when they saw Zeke's mouth curl slightly, they slowly retreated.
Alright, this Emperor just wanted to take this opportunity to leave Holy Terra and have some fun in the galaxy.
They couldn't be so tactless as to go up and try to persuade the Emperor to stay on Terra.
Ultimately, due to the unique nature of the Imperium of Man, its naval commanders and various generals were all very qualified politicians.
Just by looking at Zeke's expression, they knew what they could say and what they couldn't.
One by one, the naval generals began to look at each other, then collectively looked at the ceiling, sighing a remark.
"The weather is really nice today..."
The officials of the Department of the Interior, on the other hand, began to mark the Duchy of Severan with a death sentence.
The Emperor personally launching a Great Crusade to eliminate a rebellious duchy—was there any possibility of survival left?
The Duchy of Severan could be said to be worthy of being recorded in the annals of the galaxy; such a tiny place actually managed to provoke the Emperor of the Imperium to personally embark on a Great Crusade.
Because Zeke was personally embarking on a Great Crusade, a new order was sent to the Second Crusade Army.
Karl Reiss looked at the order before him, speechless for a long time.
He was the Warmaster of the Imperium, the newly appointed Imperial Warmaster, and thus upholding the Emperor of Mankind's glory was his imperative duty.
When news reached the Expeditionary fleet that the Duchy of Severan, foolishly, intended to betray the Imperium, Karl Reiss was already preparing to abandon other conquest targets and mobilize the entire Expeditionary fleet towards the Duchy of Severan.
He intended to suppress this rebellious heresy with thunderous means.
However, just as his troops were being mobilized, Zeke's order arrived, and looking at the command before him, he didn't know what to say.
A small Duchy of Severan actually prompted the Emperor of Mankind of the Imperium of Man to personally launch a Great Crusade; this truly ought to be considered the glory of the Severan family.
"Order our Expeditionary fleet to continue according to our original plan; there's no need to concern ourselves with the Duchy of Severan anymore. The Emperor of Mankind has personally decreed that he will launch a Great Crusade himself to destroy this heresy."
Since Zeke intended to act personally, he, as the Warmaster, would naturally continue with his original duties, so as not to disturb the Emperor of Mankind's enjoyment.
However, in addition to this, he issued a new directive.
"Inform all Adeptus Mechanicus Forge worlds and Rogue Trader fleets that no one is permitted to transport any supplies to the Duchy of Severan."
"The Emperor of Mankind is personally launching a Great Crusade to eradicate this rebellious duchy. If anyone is so blind as to seek death at such a time, then don't blame me for destroying them first!"
Karl Reiss's words were filled with murderous intent; after all, he had been the Imperial Warmaster and Warmaster for some time, and thus his aura had also been honed.
"Understood!"
The surrounding Custodes, Department of the Interior officials, and Astra Militarum officials immediately accepted the order and began transmitting this information through powerful communication systems to other Rogue Trader dynasties.
The Emperor of Mankind was personally preparing to eliminate the enemy; if anyone dared to mess around here, then they shouldn't blame the Expeditionary fleet for eliminating them first.
Zeke's actions were undoubtedly completely different from the Imperium of Man's usual conduct.
Although the Duchy of Severan was only a small duchy, it encompassed a considerable number of worlds. In such a situation, it would typically suffice to have the Officio Assassinorum eliminate the culprit.
As for Zeke personally preparing to launch a Great Crusade, with the Emperor of Mankind leading the human army to quell the rebellion, such an action was unprecedented in the history of the Imperium of Man.
However, since Zeke was the second Emperor of the Imperium of Man personally recognized by the Emperor of Mankind, there was nothing more to be said.
A month later, a fleet completed its assembly at Holy Terra—
Zeke displayed thunderous wrath. He mobilized an Expeditionary fleet consisting of 32 titan-class warships, 400 battleships, and 800 cruisers, which appeared in orbit around Holy Terra.
Accompanying them were 28 Colossuses, which would be used to cleanse planets.
Serving as the flagship of this fleet was Zeke's newly constructed battle moon—
This was the largest warship Zeke could currently build, with a size comparable to a planet.
The first battle moon constructed was half the size of Holy Terra.
Such a massive battle moon-class warship, if not for its excellent anti-gravity system, might have directly disrupted Terra's gravity.
This class of warship was the largest ever witnessed by the Imperium of Man, even surpassing the war moons of the orks.
The battle moon's size far exceeded the war moons built by the orks.
Completely constructed from null-material armor, this top-tier warship represented the most beautiful form of violent aesthetics among humanity today.
When this fleet appeared in orbit above Terra, everyone fell silent; the sun's brilliance seemed dimmed before the battle moon, and our fleet blotted out the sky.
Because the Duchy of Severan was originally territory of the Imperium of Man, and its citizens were merely misled, Zeke would not directly use the Colossuses to destroy those planets.
The ground forces accompanying this fleet were also of considerable scale.
Zeke mobilized 16 Assault Teams, a skitarii legion, and 24 Assault Teams, collectively forming this Expeditionary fleet.
In terms of Warhammer, Zeke mobilized 40 million Space Marines and a Titan Legions that was difficult to describe.
The skitarii legion consisted of gigantic battle-bodies, each larger than a frigate.
Their entire bodies were still composed of null-material armor, and most importantly, these battle-bodies stood at a height of 1680 meters.
titans of this magnitude would cause the ground to shake with every movement, capable of easily destroying any resisting force.
A casual barrage of firepower could destroy an Imperium of Man hive city.
Each skitarii legion was equipped with 120 Cyberneticus Battle-Bodies!
Such a massive army assembled on Terra within the Solar System, and Zeke once again left the Imperial Palace on Terra to board his battle moon.
Unlike the previous Second Crusade, which was announced across the entire galaxy, Zeke's current expedition was not announced galaxy-wide.
There was no need for it, and he wasn't that kind of person.
The previous grand announcement was to boost morale across the entire galaxy, but now there was no such necessity.
After all, who knew if the Dark Eldar dynasty would try to stop him if he made such an announcement?
This was inappropriate. It would suffice to make the announcement across the entire galaxy the moment the Duchy of Severan was destroyed.
Zeke's fleet was ready to depart; he only needed to go to the Second Duchy and unleash his wrath.
However, during the time Zeke's fleet was preparing for departure, someone beat him to it and carried out his work.
This person was not some other general of the Imperium of Man, nor a governor of the Imperium of Man, but the orks.
Previously, when the three Black Crusades ended, the galaxy descended into chaos, with the Tyranid Swarm, Dark Eldar dynasty, Terran Dominion, and Imperium of Man emerging one after another. As a major power in the galaxy, the orks were naturally unwilling to be left behind.
They also gathered a large army, preparing to launch a massive Waaagh! in the Segmentum Obscurus.
After more than a year of travel, the orks had now arrived.
They finally reached the Segmentum Obscurus, and their first target was the Duchy of Severan.
At the same time, Abaddon also set his sights on the Duchy of Severan.
After all, the Imperium of Man's Expeditionary Army had intimidated him. To find targets for his chaos Warbands as much as possible, he had no choice but to target this duchy that dared to rebel under its own banner.
The current Duchy of Severan could truly be said to be a gathering of all sorts of factions.
eldar, humans, orks—only the Dark Eldar dynasty had yet to arrive. But with Zeke personally taking action, the Dark Eldar dynasty would surely send a fleet as well.
The outcome did not exceed Zeke's expectations.
As Zeke's fleet began to enter the stargate, preparing to head directly to the Segmentum Obscurus, and then use their warp drive to make a short-distance jump directly to the Principality of Sevilant, the Keilzan Dark Eldar dynasty also discovered Zeke's actions.
When that massive fleet appeared before the Dark Eldars, they were utterly stunned.
The enormous human fleet forced them to confront a reality: the Terran Dominion had deployed celestial-class battleships, which were rarely used even in the War of Heaven, and they had to respond to this development.
Nekhtareb Keilzan, the Phaeron of the Keilzan Dark Eldar dynasty, left his main crypt alone.
He did not bring his guard; he simply left by himself and arrived at a secret base.
He slowly took his position within the base, then sat down and directly switched his consciousness.
The next second, his consciousness appeared in the Pacific Starfield, on an extremely massive planet, which slowly opened its eyes.
There was no time for him to stretch his body; after reawakening, he quickly activated the awakening protocol.
A deep green light spread from its center across the entire planet, and the next second, the giant planet began to vibrate.
The Tomb world 'Orith-Asemk'.
Orith-Asemk, this class of planetary battleship, was a planetary battleship reserved for when the Dark Eldars and the Terran Dominion engaged in combat.
Of course, the Dark Eldars possessed planetary-class battleships; otherwise, how could they fight the tyranids?
How could they fight the tyranids beyond the galaxy, and how could they, under the assault of the Terran Dominion, even force the Yaeger family to halt the War of Heaven?
The Dark Eldars were powerful; they not only possessed planetary battleships, but they even had larger battleships, though activating those battleships was simply too troublesome.
This type of battleship does not have a traditional streamlined hull; its appearance is more like a finely modified planet covered in geometric spires and massive weapons.
Its outer layer is several kilometers thick with Living Metal armor, capable of self-repair and forming colossal Dark Eldar symbols and facial reliefs on its surface.
Inside is an extremely complex multidimensional spatial structure.
Thanks to technology that transcends the laws of physics, its internal actual space is far greater than its externally observed volume, containing countless tomb passages, energy cores, drone factories, and stasis chambers, where billions of Dark Eldar warriors slumber as landing troops or internal defense forces.
Power and Core:
The C'tan Shard Reactor is the absolute core of the battleship.
A powerful C'tan Shard is permanently imprisoned and tortured, its painfully extracted energy driving all systems of the entire battleship.
This provides almost infinite energy and imbues all of the battleship's weapons with the terrifying properties of C'tan power.
Not only that, but this type of battleship is also equipped with a hyper-dimensional space engine.
This engine is directly powered by the C'tan Shard, allowing it to perform longer-range, more precise spatiotemporal jumps, and even short-term "phase shifting," temporarily entering another dimension to evade attacks.
This level of War Moon-class battleship even requires a Dark Eldar Overlord to personally command it, serving as the core of the fleet.
This is a War Moon-class battleship capable of confronting the War Moon currently under Zeke's command.
Or rather, continuing to describe this level of fleet flagship as a "battleship" seems somewhat inappropriate.
This level of battleship simply cannot be built by conventional civilizations, not even the previous galactic overlords, the eldar, possessed the ability to construct such a battleship.
Only two civilizations in the galaxy can build this level of battleship: one is humanity, and the other is the Dark Eldars.
The Orith-Asemk is the first battleship of this model of War Moon-class battleship; destroying star systems is effortless for this type of battleship.
It is precisely for this reason that this level of battleship requires authorization from the Phaeron when activated.
Now, as Zeke deployed a War Moon-class battleship, preparing to suppress the rebellion, the Dark Eldar dynasty also felt threatened.
They urgently activated this type of battleship and, immediately upon its activation, engaged its warp drive.
The next moment, this battleship disappeared from the Pacific Starfield and appeared in the Segmentum Obscurus.
Around this battleship, various models of Dark Eldar battleships were moored, and they also diligently assembled a fleet, ready at any moment to guard against Zeke attacking them.
Although the War of Heaven has almost fully broken out by now, the Dark Eldars are still diligently awakening their fleets and armies.
As long as Zeke does not launch an attack against them in the short term, they will continue to maintain a defensive stance.
The gathering of the Dark Eldar fleet naturally could not be hidden from Zeke.
After their massive army was assembled and took up a defensive posture, Zeke also received information about the Dark Eldar fleet's mobilization inside his War Moon-type battleship.
Looking at the fleet assembled by the Dark Eldars, even Zeke couldn't help but sigh.
"Although this universe is very abstract and chaotic, and space combat seems very rudimentary, I have to say that this is just a superficial phenomenon."
"These metal skeletons are indeed worthy of being the former galactic overlords; I seem to have underestimated them a bit..."
The combat power displayed by the enemy made Zeke realize that he had previously underestimated the civilizations of this universe.
The Dark Eldars, a civilization that fell into a great slumber 60 million years ago, always seem to bring him such surprises.
Indeed, heroes emerge in great numbers, and one should never underestimate them.
However, after the Dark Eldar fleet completed its assembly, Zeke did not order his fleet to return; instead, he continued to let his fleet advance in the predetermined direction.
There was no need to return; after all, if the Dark Eldar fleet truly wanted to launch an active attack, they should not have warped directly into the void of space; they should have attacked human territory directly.
Since the other party had no such intention, why should he worry unnecessarily?
However, the Dark Eldars gathering a fleet of this scale indeed posed a threat to humanity, so their actions had to be accelerated.
"The fleet continues to accelerate; reach the area where we need to suppress the rebellion as quickly as possible and crush those traitors who dared to rebel."
"We don't have much time to waste with these guys; we need to seize every second, otherwise, our enemies won't give us this opportunity."
As Zeke's fleet continued its advance, it only took a few days for the entire fleet to arrive in the sector where the Duchy of Sevillan was located.
When this massive fleet truly sailed into this sector, the already rebellious generals of the Duchy of Sevillan discovered the expeditionary fleet from the Imperium.
After all, Zeke made no attempt to conceal his presence; what he wanted was to crush the enemy directly and honorably!
The massive fleet did not immediately launch an attack; instead, it first stopped at the edge of the sector, preparing to give the enemy a good scare, and the Duchy of Sevillan did not disappoint Zeke.
Their generals still possessed some combat capability.
Upon discovering that the imperial expeditionary fleet had stopped at the edge of their duchy,
and seeing the powerful War Moon-class battleships, these imperial generals were scared out of their wits.
"Wh-wh-wh-what is that? Who brought a planet over?" The lord-general on the edge of the Duchy of Sevillan stared in disbelief at the planet-sized battleship that had arrived at their border.
"Send a message to His Majesty Sevillan XIII and tell him that the Imperial pacification fleet has arrived. Tell him to come out and kneel in welcome!"
"Quickly send a message to the opposing fleet, tell them we are currently awaiting the Imperial fleet, and we have no intention of resisting.
The Duchy of Sevillan has long suffered under Sevillan XIII, and now we have finally awaited the Emperor's expeditionary fleet. We surrender now."
The massive fleet left the current Sevillan Duchy army with no intention of resisting; they wished they could surrender to Zeke immediately.
"Yes!"
The guards nearby dared not delay; he quickly began operating the instruments on the panel, then diligently attempted to connect with Zeke's communication.
Soon, the communication was connected, and Zeke's image appeared directly before the lord-general.
"Em-em-em-em... Emperor!?" The moment Zeke's image appeared on the screen, his legs gave out.
He immediately knelt on the ground, then, as if performing a kowtow of three prostrations and nine bows to Zeke, he prostrated himself on the ground like a large toad, not daring to utter a single word.
Heaven knows what was happening; how could this be possible?
The Emperor himself had brought the expeditionary fleet here; did the Duchy of Sevillan have such prestige?
For their wretched little place, merely sending an expeditionary fleet could utterly crush them, so why would the Emperor himself need to bring a fleet to this place?
The lord-general, while kneeling on the ground, congratulated himself on how quickly he had knelt, and that he had pledged allegiance to the Emperor; otherwise, his entire family would probably be wiped out.
As for himself?
To be honest, the moment he saw Zeke, this lord-general no longer believed he would survive.
His actions, even if not outright betrayal, were close enough to warrant the Emperor's personal intervention.
"Emperor, we truly did not wish to betray; Sevillan XIII forced us. He forced us.
All my dependents are in his hands, and the entire duchy's army relies on his provisions; I had no choice."
"You know, the orks have entered the territory of the Sevillan Duchy. Without Sevillan XIII's provisions, the duchy's army would be unable to resist the ork invasion, and then the human populace would suffer immense devastation."
The lord-general spoke somewhat haltingly, but he managed to get all his words out, and then heavily kowtowed to the ground once more.
"I know my sins are grave, and I am unworthy to return to the Golden Throne or to face the Emperor. I will take my own life here now. For my punishment, I beg the Emperor to..."
He had originally intended to plead for Zeke's mercy, but halfway through his sentence, he directly shut his mouth.
Did an existence like him have any right to ask for the Emperor's mercy?
Why should the Emperor bestow mercy upon him?
Not issuing an Exterminatus order on his planet was already considered good fortune; what right did he have to beg for the Emperor's forgiveness?
So, halfway through, he simply stopped speaking.
He drew the lord-general's power sword issued to him by the Departmento Munitorum.
Then, he fiercely swung it at his own head, instantly severing it.
As a lord-general, he still had some skill; therefore, after taking his own life, the blood did not immediately gush out, staining the Emperor's eyes.
Instead, it slowly flowed out, completely defying the laws of physics.
Due to the lord-general's powerful vitality, even after doing this, he was not actually dead.
His nearby soldiers also received his command, and soon guards came forward to melt his entire body with a laser gun.
This was also to spare him some pain before his death, and Zeke watched all of this unfold.
The other party had committed betrayal, and the other party was willing to perform such an act of atonement; Zeke would not stop him.
Although he felt it was somewhat unnecessary... he also understood that this was Warhammer.
During suppression, bloody methods must be used to resolve the matter, otherwise, many people would act recklessly.
Rebellion always has a price to pay for its betrayal. When this lord-general completely vanished from Zeke's sight, Zeke finally spoke.
"I absolve you of your sins, but after your death, you still cannot return to the Golden Throne."
Not being able to return to the Golden Throne, and spoken by the Emperor himself, the severity of this punishment could not be overstated.
The surrounding guards were all dumbfounded.
After all, Warhammer is a world built on a Western background. As an Easterner, it might be difficult to understand the feeling Westerners have when told they cannot go to heaven after death.
"As for you all," Zeke's gaze swept over these ordinary soldiers.
"Your lord-general has paid the price for his betrayal. As for you..."
"You are merely ordinary soldiers. I do not blame you. Continue to hold your ground."
"Soldiers, continue to hold your positions here and atone for your sins."
Regarding the lord-general, Zeke did not stop his suicide but watched him die.
However, towards these ordinary soldiers, Zeke was quite merciful; instead, he absolved these ordinary soldiers of their sins.
In such a stellar universe, soldiers never have the luxury of choice, so there is no need to be overly harsh on them.
These soldiers would still be good warriors for humanity.
When Zeke uttered these words, all the soldiers felt as if they had received a great pardon.
They all relaxed, but the very next moment after relaxing was a profound sense of guilt.
They had been shown mercy by His Majesty the Emperor.
The Emperor had pardoned them, but were they worthy?
Why should they be pardoned?
They must atone for their sins!
The terrifying nature of religion—or rather, the terrifying nature of the Ecclesiarchy in Warhammer—lies here. Even though Zeke chose to let them live,
for these rebellious soldiers, even if the Emperor himself pardoned them, they would still feel profoundly sinful.
For them, living on would be more painful than dying, because they were once traitors!
Within the Calixis Sector of the Duchy of Severan, planets one after another immediately surrendered upon seeing Zeke's fleet, while the planetary Governors and planetary Generals on those planets immediately committed suicide.
Some planets, upon learning that Zeke was approaching, even saw their Imperial citizens rise up directly, bravely resisting under the organization of the Ecclesiarchy.
In less than two days, all the planets in the Calixis Sector of the Duchy of Severan had surrendered to Zeke.
They returned to the embrace of the Imperium of Man; they reaffirmed their loyalty to their Omnissiah.
As for whether anyone still stood up to question if Zeke was the Omnissiah? Of course not.
Could such a massive fleet not prove that Zeke was the Omnissiah?
planet after planet fell, and each planetary Governor and planetary General on these fallen planets would send a Astropathic message towards Severan XIII before their death.
"The Omnissiah is arriving at his loyal Severan. Severan XIII, why do you not quickly come out and kneel to welcome the Omnissiah?"
One such Astropathic message after another was continuously sent to Severan.
And Severan XIII, upon receiving one such Astropathic message after another, was absolutely furious.
Within his luxurious palace, he paced back and forth, back and forth, alone in his palace, surrounded by his guards and personal soldiers.
Although Severan XIII's intelligence was not great, and he even provoked an attack on the Omnissiah, rebelled against the Imperium, and openly challenged Zeke's claim to be the Omnissiah, he did have a group of people loyal to him.
And now, these people remained loyal to him and were willing to stay with him.
However, most of these individuals were his guards and servants—mindless beings.
As for the intelligent advisors and the like, they had long since fled. But then again, he had the support of the Dark Eldar from .
Therefore, his palace could still be considered full of talent full of Dark Eldar scum.
Severan XIII himself continued to pace, venting his anger. What kind of messages had he been receiving lately?
"The false emperor from the Imperium of Man has approached the borders of the Duchy of Severan."
"The emperor who usurped power and changed the glory of humanity has entered Severan."
"Zeke has already occupied half of the Duchy of Severan's territory."
"The Omnissiah of the Imperium of Man, Zeke, is approaching the Severan world."
"The great Omnissiah of the Imperium of Man, Master of stellaris, executor of humanity's manifest destiny, protector of the Imperium of Man, His Imperial Majesty, will arrive today at his loyal Severan."
…God knows how speechless and furious he was after seeing this series of Astropathic communications.
How dare they? How dare these people? How dare they send such Astropathic messages? How dare they betray him!
Such a vast sector as the Duchy of Severan was now almost entirely in the hands of the Imperium of Man. Why?
"I am a Lord of Terra, I am a Lord of Terra!
How can a country bumpkin like Zeke come to attack me?"
"My family has rendered great service to the Imperium. How many bribes did I give to the high lord? How many benefits did I give them? How dare they allow this false emperor to send people to attack me!"
"Isn't it just House Yaeger? That's just a cowardly family, and who knows where they got the luck to become the Governor of the Segmentum Obscurus!?"
"What are these insignificant houses? How dare they sit above my Severan family? What are they?"
"knight houses are just a bunch of country bumpkins. How can they compare to us Lords of Terra? Even if our family has left Terra, we are still Lords of Terra!"
Severan XIII continuously roared and muttered his dissatisfaction in his palace.
He could not accept it.
Why?
He was a Lord of Terra. Why would the Imperium of Man attack him?
He, a Lord of Terra, why should a trashy knight house sit above him?
The Severan family had some background; they were individuals exiled from Terra to the frontier. Therefore, they had some origins and claimed to be Lords from Terra.
However, having some status did not mean they truly had any significant status, as how could people of true standing be directly exiled to a frontier like the Segmentum Obscurus?
Even during their time on Terra, the Severan family was not even qualified to know of House Yaeger's existence.
And now, as his Duchy began to fall continuously, as his armies surrendered directly to Zeke without firing a single shot, and as the situation became increasingly unfavorable to him, Severan XIII, who was never a true hero but rather a deranged individual with a twisted mind, naturally felt deep fear.
In short, before the rebellion, Severan XIII, this simple-minded fool, genuinely believed in his heart that the Imperium would certainly recognize his glorious and honorable independence.
And would even help him eliminate Zeke, this false emperor.
After all, he was a Lord of Terra.
He was a Lord of Terra. Compared to Zeke, a knight house that had only with great difficulty emerged from the Segmentum Obscurus, wasn't his lineage far more noble?
Why would the Imperium help Zeke instead of him, a Lord of Terra?
This led to the fact that under the guidance of this great fool, the entire Duchy of Severan had actually made no preparations for war before openly declaring rebellion.
The so-called "starting military preparations only a month after the war began" was precisely this abstract situation.
And Zeke's speed was simply too fast. In a matter of days, his army was already at the city gates; he hadn't even issued the war mobilization order yet.
Many planetary Governors and planetary Generals of the Imperial worlds received the order to rebel in such a confused manner.
They hadn't even had time to express their stance when the Omnissiah himself arrived with the Expeditionary fleet, blocking their doorsteps.
What to do next was naturally clear to those planetary Governors and planetary Generals.
These individuals could only commit suicide, but before their deaths, they were still furiously cursing Severan XIII.
This ambitious individual, who planned a "Terra Pacification," only knew about the political intrigues on Terra and nothing else.
This fellow was like a certain type of Boss.
He just thought that if the pie was drawn big enough and the bribes were in place, he could do whatever he wanted.
Little did he know that his rebellion was directly dancing on Zeke's minefield. He jumped out and questioned the Omnissiah's legitimacy, declaring Zeke a false emperor.
With such statements, which of the high lord on Terra would dare accept his bribes?
Yet, this guy had no way to establish real-time contact with Terra, which meant that although his bribes were sent out, he didn't know that they were not accepted.
In his view, those high lord would definitely accept them.
After all, Zeke was just a country bumpkin from a knight house. How could he be the Omnissiah?
And who was he?
He, like those high lord, was a Lord of Terra.
Shouldn't they, as Lords, help each other instead of helping a country bumpkin?
That was absolutely impossible!
In such a situation, Severan XIII could be said to be furious. He continuously reprimanded his own armies for their inaction, for directly surrendering to the false emperor.
At the same time, he kept muttering,
"I am a Lord of Terra, I am a Lord of Terra."
At this moment, he was like a madman, continuously muttering this phrase, as if he couldn't say anything else.
Severan XIII's behavior, in the eyes of the Dark Eldar, was almost indistinguishable from that of a madman.
At this time, at least half of the subjects in Severan XIII's imperial palace were Dark Eldar.
Therefore, when these Dark Eldar saw Severan XIII's deranged behavior, they exchanged glances and then quietly began to slip away.
, a group of scoundrels among the Dark Eldar, sought to restore the great glory of their race.
Of course, their presence in the Duchy of Severan was also due to Severan XIII granting them permission for legitimate plunder.
Now that Severan XIII had clearly lost his mind, were they to stay and die with him instead of seizing this last chance to make a fortune?
The speed of the Duchy of Severan's collapse far exceeded the Dark Eldar' expectations, so they were certain that the human army must be unimaginably vast.
Given this consideration, these Dark Eldar now intended to flee; they certainly didn't want to stay here and be buried alongside this idiot.
What right did these savage monkeys have to keep their great Aeldari here with them? None! They had no right!
The Dark Eldar began to leave quietly, and their departure was not hindered by the guards.
After all, they still held a certain degree of power within the palace; as the Dark Eldar left one by one, half of the palace emptied.
It wasn't until the last Dark Eldar quietly departed that Severan XIII seemed to regain his senses, turning his gaze to the ministers below.
But just that one glance made Severan XIII almost lose his composure; half of his palace was empty, and all the Dark Eldar ministers had fled. This filled him with a burning rage.
"This is betrayal, naked betrayal! These damned xenos actually dared to betray me!"
Severan XIII was already seething with anger because his generals and planetary Governors kept sending him abusive astropathic messages and constantly urging him to surrender.
Now the Dark Eldar had even fled.
How was this any different from betrayal?
He couldn't punish the lord generals and planetary Governors fighting outside, but these Dark Eldar were different; they were currently on Severan.
"Dis! Dis!"
"Are you there, Dis!"
The departure and betrayal of these Dark Eldar made Severan XIII's mind, for once, clear.
He began to loudly call out for his most trusted lord general, the one who commanded most of the Duchy of Severan's military forces.
"Your Majesty!" Hearing Severan XIII's call, Dis emerged, clad in power armour specifically equipped for mortals, and then knelt on one knee.
"Hmm," Severan XIII murmured, nodding slightly.
"Die! I want those Dark Eldar to die, to know the consequences of betrayal! How dare they betray the master of Terra!
It's outrageous! Let them die!"
These officials of the Imperium of Man might all be vermin, but one of the Emperor's ideas still resonated deeply: the attitude towards xenos.
When cooperation was necessary, these individuals could suppress their dislike and discomfort with xenos and work with them.
But when the other party betrayed, or even just showed signs of betrayal without actually doing so, these individuals would quickly choose to stab them in the back.
Dis took the order and stood, his eyes behind his mask cold as ice.
He had long been dissatisfied with these arrogant Dark Eldar, and now, with Severan XIII's clear directive, he turned without hesitation and issued orders to the remaining loyal guards in the palace.
"Seal all exits! Don't let a single one escape!"
The palace immediately plunged into chaos.
The once solemn and majestic hall echoed with the hum of unsheathing weapons and the low rumble of power armour. Guards loyal to Severan XIII moved swiftly, their heavy footsteps reverberating through the corridors.
At this moment, the Dark Eldar had just slipped out of the main hall, secretly rejoicing at their impending "freedom."
The leader of , Loth Silverblade, had even planned which wealthy noble district to loot.
They contemptuously believed that humans were foolish and slow-witted, and would never discover their departure in time.
Especially since Severan XIII was such a great fool; how could he possibly realize that the Dark Eldar had left?
"Quick, our time is limited. Find any noble district, seize their wealth, and then immediately take the west gate passage," Loth urged his comrades in a low voice. "Our people have transport ships ready at the port..."
Before he could finish, a heavy blast door suddenly descended in the passage ahead, blocking their way.
At the same time, the sound of synchronized footsteps came from behind, as a squad of fully armored guards, armed with bolters, sealed off their retreat.
"Despicable xenos!" General Dis's voice boomed through the amplifier in the passage. "In the name of the Emperor, you will pay the price for your betrayal!"
Although the Duchy of Severan questioned whether Zeke was the Emperor of the Imperium of Man, they still believed in the Emperor.
After all, faith in the Emperor was a consensus within the Imperium of Man.
Severan XIII could question Zeke's legitimacy when he had not been around for long, but he could never deny the Emperor's legitimacy.
The Dark Eldar were momentarily flustered, but they were, after all, warriors who had experienced countless battles.
Loth quickly drew his power sword, and a ghostly green energy pulsed along the blade: "Break through! Kill these lesser beings!"
A bloody melee erupted in the palace's opulent corridors.
The Dark Eldar resisted fiercely, relying on their agile movements and advanced weapons. Aeldari power swords easily cut through the power armour of ordinary mortal guards.
But General Dis had brought not only ordinary guards but also the elite Imperial Guard of the Duchy of Severan.
They were well-equipped, well-trained, and, more importantly, they had long harbored resentment towards these favored xenos.
"For the Emperor! For Humanity!" the Guards roared, retaliating against the Dark Eldar' shuriken weaponry with meltaguns and plasma weapons.
Energy bolts flew through the corridor, and the tapestries and decorations on the walls were incinerated.
General Dis personally joined the fray, his power fist smashing a Dark Eldar warrior, armor and all, into a bloody pulp. "
Leave none alive!" he roared. "These xenos vermin have defiled our palace for too long!"
Meanwhile, in the main hall, Severan XIII listened to the distant explosions and sounds of battle, a twisted smile on his face.
He slumped back onto his throne, his fingers nervously tapping the armrest.
"Do you see? Do you see?" he shrieked at the remaining human ministers. Already not intelligent, he now appeared even more insane.
"This is the fate of those who betray me! All disloyal ones shall be purged!"
The ministers trembled, bowing their heads, none daring to speak.
Everyone understood in their hearts that Severan XIII had completely lost his mind, and the Duchy was heading towards ruin in his hands.
They didn't say much but remained in place, awaiting the arrival of the Imperial pacification army.
A large-scale melee unfolded on the planet Sevilan. By the time Zeke's fleet arrived at Sevilan, the planet was already embroiled in chaotic warfare.
These Dark Eldar continuously counterattacked humanity, while the human armies relentlessly tried to suppress these Aeldari.
By the time Zeke's pacification fleet reached the planet's star system, the fires of war had already fully ignited.
Such a battle made Zeke's mouth twitch uncontrollably.
He simply couldn't comprehend what kind of situation this Duchy was in.
They brazenly and openly questioned his legitimacy, loudly proclaiming their intention to invite the Terra Pacification Army.
Then, during the pacification operation, the enemy didn't even resist.
Lord Generals, planetary Governors, and planetary Generals all knelt and committed suicide upon seeing his arrival.
Their suicides were incredibly smooth; no one thought they could survive, nor did anyone have any intention of resisting.
That would have been understandable, after all, if they dared to rebel, their home planet should have some powerful defenses, right? But what was he seeing now?
The fleet had just arrived in the Sevilan system, and all conditions within the Sevilan system had already been scanned clearly by the fleet. At this moment, the armies of the Sevilan Duchy were already fighting in a chaotic mess with those Dark Eldar.
Is this... how abstract a rebellion can get?
In short, Zeke was truly enlightened. Although he had already learned in his previous life, and in this life, that many things in the Imperium were quite abstract.
But this was the first time he had seen something as serious as a rebellion handled in such an abstract manner.
"Emperor, should we now deploy troops to the ground to suppress their rebellion?"
Not only was Zeke's mouth twitching, but even the Army Commander responsible for this ground operation was also twitching his mouth.
He had originally wondered what kind of enemy they would face, after all, the Emperor had mobilized so many troops. Even if they could simply sweep through, theoretically, the enemy should still have some forces, right?
What were they seeing now?
The rebels and the xenos were fighting each other, and it even seemed like the rebels were losing to the xenos?
Are these guys really trying to rebel against the Empire?
Or is it because they were being beaten by the xenos in their own backyard, afraid they couldn't win, so they loudly declared rebellion, hoping imperial reinforcements would come to save them?
Just looking at this scene, the Army Commander inexplicably felt that this possibility was the highest, after all, who could be so abstract?
"Your Majesty, I think they might just want to get aid from the Empire, which is why they're loudly proclaiming rebellion. They just want to get the Empire's support faster."
The Army Commander said, directly stating his guess... Zeke fell silent. If it weren't for the fact that all the Lord Generals and planetary Governors he encountered along the way had committed suicide on the spot because they were traitors, he might actually have thought the same.
"Deploy troops, eliminate all those Dark Eldar, and bring Sevilan XIII to me. As for the others, only execute the ringleaders."
"Hurry up, resolve this rebellion here. After suppressing the rebellion, broadcast it across the entire galaxy. There's no need for a live broadcast; this stuff is too embarrassing to air..."
"Their rebellion has no technical skill whatsoever. After dealing with these guys, the fleet will turn and we'll go deal with the orks—"
Zeke found this abstract battle somewhat unacceptable. He had personally led the fleet here, hoping these people would resist resolutely and fight with some technical skill.
He could have directly ordered the Colossus to destroy the planet, thereby demonstrating his power to the entire galaxy and informing all the rebellious forces in the Empire what the cost of rebellion and treachery was.
If they weren't afraid of their planet being directly blown into dust in the galaxy, then they could try to become traitors.
But what about now? If this was broadcast now, Zeke would feel utterly humiliated.
It's better to quickly resolve this rebellion and then go fight the orks.
One can only say it's a good thing the orks also liked to join the fun and came here, otherwise, wouldn't it be incredibly awkward?
Such a large fleet came all this way and did nothing but deal with a few Dark Eldar?
Zeke had a million complaints to make, but in the end, he didn't voice them, and the Army Commander also followed Zeke's orders.
The next second, the army transport ships dropped a large number of army landing craft, which slammed down towards the planet's surface.
Eight million Space Marines were directly air-dropped, ready to suppress the rebellion on this planet.
The Titan fleet began to enter planetary orbit, preparing to conduct orbital bombardment to provide sufficient support for their own troops.
A large number of drop pods began to be launched towards the planet's surface.
Originally, according to the normal combat plan, the anti-air defenses on the planet's surface should be firing at full power and then be eliminated by the Titan fleet.
But to everyone's surprise, the anti-air artillery did not fire.
It was as if all the orbital anti-air defenses on this planet had gone silent; no anti-air fire opened up on the pacification army sent by the Imperium.
Eight million Space Marines arrived on the surface of this planet, and accompanying them were 600 Emperor-class Titans and 1200 Warlord-class Titans, also air-dropped.
In addition, armored forces and tanks used by the Federal Commandoes had also been air-dropped.
The Dominion's medium combat titans were also air-dropped.
After reaching the ground, the troops quickly assembled into companies, and, equipped with their respective armored forces, began to advance towards the hive city.
The massive Titan war machines and titan forces began to push forward.
Originally, they had planned to open fire on the local resistance forces on the planet, but the scene below further exceeded their expectations.
Upon seeing the Space Marines advancing, these human armies, who were already fighting the Dark Eldar, with the exception of those on the very front lines, quickly knelt on one knee and performed the Aquila sign.
"The Emperor's angels have arrived! Quick! Destroy the xenos for humanity's manifest destiny!"
For a moment, the brains of these space marine units all shriveled up.
They no longer knew what they were even doing here. Wasn't it agreed that they were here to suppress a rebellion?
It was one thing not to encounter any resistance along the way, but now they had reached the enemy's capital planet, and these guys still weren't resisting. What was going on?
Were they here to suppress a rebellion or to provide support?
The Space Marines on the planet's surface were confused. They somewhat doubted what they were doing here, but the Emperor's orders still had to be carried out.
If these soldiers weren't resisting, there was no need to open fire on them. They just needed to keep advancing.
The Dark Eldar were clearly no match for Zeke's Space Marines.
Their resistance was almost negligible; in just four standard Terran hours, all the Dark Eldar were dealt with, and the entire planet returned to Imperial rule.
Severian XIII, his officials, and the high-ranking officers who had rebelled with him were all brought before Zeke.
All the way, Severian XIII struggled and raged.
"You dogs of the false Emperor, release me! Release me quickly, or the Emperor will never forgive you! I am a lord of Terra; what are you?"
"Release me, you hear? I am a lord of Terra! Did you not understand what I said? I am a lord of Terra!"
Severian XIII flailed and struggled, trying to break free from the Custodians' grip, but it was clearly useless.
The Emperor's Custodians were not ordinary soldiers. Severian XIII's desperate struggles were futile.
Even if he wanted to bite off his tongue to commit suicide, he wouldn't be able to. Trying to make any small move under the Custodians' watch was akin to dreaming.
Struggling, Severian XIII was escorted by two Custodians into what was once his imperial palace, while the officials around him had long since resigned themselves to their fate.
With such a king, what could they do? They were also on the verge of a breakdown.
To raise a banner and directly rebel against the Emperor, thereby provoking the Emperor's punitive expedition.
Even at the moment they were apprehended by the Emperor's Custodians, these officials still couldn't understand why such a small nation as the Duchy of Severian would warrant the Emperor's personal intervention, or even why the Emperor would personally lead an army to eliminate them.
A group of bewildered officials were thus brought before Zeke, and when they saw Zeke seated on the throne, they all knelt.
They had never seen what the Emperor looked like on the Golden Throne, but when Zeke sat on the throne, they perceived a divine majesty that shot directly through their very being.
That suppression from a higher life-form made them involuntarily kneel the moment they saw Zeke.
Even Severian XIII, who was still struggling to break free from the Custodians, fell to his knees with a thud after feeling Zeke's gaze upon him.
Good heavens!
He had considered countless possibilities, but he had never imagined that Zeke across from him was truly the Emperor.
This suppression, stemming from a difference in life-forms, made him kneel without the slightest doubt, not daring to utter a single word.
"The Pacification of Terra?"
"Severian XIII, you've been quite active lately, even requiring my personal presence."
Zeke's calm voice drifted down to his ears. Hearing those words, Severian XIII seemed to lose all his strength and means.
"Weren't you quite arrogant before? The Pacification of Terra?"
"Well, now I am before you. Don't you want to take up a sword and personally come to pacify?"
As he spoke, Zeke flicked his finger slightly, and a power sword was thrown before Severian XIII.
"Don't say I didn't give you a chance. I'm sitting right here, and I've given you the sword. Pick up the weapon and charge at me."
Severian XIII trembled as he looked at the power sword lying before him.
The blade gleamed with a cold metallic luster, and the humming energy field seemed to mock his cowardice.
He had fantasized countless times about facing the false Emperor with a sharp blade, but now, truly facing the Emperor himself, every cell in his body screamed to flee.
"Pick it up," Zeke's voice was calm and unwavering, yet it echoed through the hall with a suffocating resonance.
The kneeling officials buried their heads even lower, some even beginning to sob silently.
They had already confirmed that Zeke was the true Emperor, and the consequences of offending the Emperor were, of course, self-evident.
Moreover, they hadn't merely offended the Emperor; these fellows had directly rebelled!
Their souls would not return to the Golden Throne but would be tormented by the Chaos Gods of the High Heavens.
People from the East might not understand the deterrent power of a Westerner saying, "You cannot go to heaven," but now such a deterrent power had been demonstrated.
A group of terrified officials knelt on the ground, not even daring to look at their own king.
Severian XIII was even more wretched; he looked at the power sword before him, feeling as if all the strength had been drained from his body.
Zeke sat on the throne and waited for about five minutes.
"It seems you don't have the courage to pick up a weapon and swing it at me, do you?"
"I gave you a chance, but you were useless!"
"Then tell me why you dared to rebel, why you wanted to betray!" Zeke emphasized his tone.
And merely this emphasis made everyone in the hall once again press themselves tightly to the ground.
"Drag them all away and execute them with white phosphorus. Their houses, except for the loyalists, will also be dragged out and eliminated, not a single one left!"
"Your souls will not return to the Golden Throne, but will wander in the High Heavens, to be toyed with by the Chaos Gods."
Zeke pronounced his final judgment on these individuals: everyone would be eliminated, except for a small number of loyalists.
Betrayal came with a price, but the family members of the loyalists had to be kept alive.
After all, they had opposed their houses for loyalty, and their loyalty needed to be rewarded.
The Custodians stepped forward and dragged all these individuals away. Severian XIII, at this point, still hadn't recovered his strength or his faculties.
He was like a soulless puppet, mercilessly dragged away by the Custodians.
After this ordeal, he had completely lost his wits, becoming nothing more than a pile of rotting flesh.
Of course, the prerequisite for losing his wits was that he had to possess wits in the first place, and clearly, he didn't seem to have much.
The officials who were dragged in with him also remained silent, simply being hauled away.
They hadn't yet recovered from the immense blow of not being able to return to the Golden Throne.
The thought of their cruel future lives made them feel as if they had lost everything and had no reason to exist.
But after all these individuals were dragged away and the Custodians handled the matters of confiscating property and eliminating houses, Zeke finally turned his attention to other things.
This was over. The farce of the Duchy of Severian was directly quelled by the Imperium within a few days, and what came next was the real war.
With a portion of the Sentinel Array completed, Zeke could now scan the entire galaxy.
The Imperium was said to possess a million worlds, but this was merely an estimated figure. In reality, based on the number Zeke had now detected, the Imperium had over 10 million worlds.
However, due to the overly abstract nature of the Imperium's administrative system, they themselves believed they only had a million worlds.
In addition to these tens of millions of Imperium worlds, there were also a host of alien worlds, the largest of which were the orks.
Within the galaxy, humanity occupied over ten million worlds, while the number of ork planets combined also amounted to over a million.
Coincidentally, a large ork army was heading in this direction; the enemy was directly coming to them.
Zeke was currently having a headache, as his counter-insurgency operation had been extremely troublesome, feeling less like quelling a rebellion and more like providing support.
To only be out for such a short time and then have to return to Terra was truly unbearable.