The council.
It was the highest authority on the world of Limnos III.
This institution had gained its power at the beginning of the Great Crusade through the Iron Warriors Legion.
At the time, the Space Marine Legions had not yet reunited with their gene-fathers and were led by the Emperor of Mankind across the stars.
"This hall does not seem designed for the entire nobility, but only for its elite," Atreus analyzed as he took his seat on a throne hastily built by the council.
Perhaps because of his immense stature, the primitive materials of this world creaked in protest as they received him.
Anthony and Barnaby stood guard on either side, while the other brothers temporarily secured the city's strategic locations.
Even though they had been welcomed as saviors thanks to their ancient status as Angels of the Emperor, Atreus remained an extremely cautious man.
He feared nothing from the feudal-level technology of Limnos III. Nevertheless, war had taught him to always be prepared.
"Is that the legendary steel angel?"
"He is so tall…"
"Can he even take pleasure with women?"
"Stop blaspheming!"
Several murmurs echoed through the room as the former Iron Warrior analyzed the people present.
The last two remarks made him frown, but he decided to ignore them for now.
Space Marines had not been created to replace humanity, but for war.
For that purpose, the Emperor had not deemed it necessary to preserve the reproductive function of their sexual organs.
Their gene-seed was the only thing biologically close to semen.
Moreover, there was no record of any "child" ever being born from the seed of a Space Marine.
"Can I fix that with 'Trust'?" he wondered.
The power from the world of To Be Hero X functioned similarly to the Warp of the Warhammer 40k universe, according to Atreus's memories.
The only difference lay in the emotional versatility of the Warp.
Atreus remembered an anecdote about the Warp's ability to twist reality.
The Alpha Legion had drugged a large number of psykers on an Imperial world to make them believe it was raining snakes.
The psykers' psychic power then altered the reality of that world and made snakes actually rain down.
"Trust" also allowed reality to be bent using only human emotion, but it did not draw from a wide range of emotions.
Only "Trust."
An example of its application was the Unyielding Hero.
All his fans could never imagine him bending in their minds. Thus, the man could literally never yield before any obstacle.
The trust of many people in that idea had bent logic itself.
An incredible power.
By contrast, the Warp would certainly have twisted the man in one way or another.
Thus, the idea of using "Trust" to fix the annoying issue of sterility interested him. However, now was not the time.
Atreus had other concerns than losing his virginity in this life out of mere lust.
He was not a follower of Slaanesh and did not find it urgent to indulge in pleasures.
He had to lead his brothers toward glory equal to, or even greater than, that of the Great Crusade era.
He had no time for amusement.
"Thank you all for answering my summons," he said while observing the nobles around him.
The murmurs stopped at the sound of Atreus's voice.
"I believe countless questions haunt your thoughts. Therefore, I will do my best to end this meeting quickly," he continued, analyzing each person's reactions.
Finally, Atreus's eyes naturally settled on the governor of Limnos III.
The governor stood before Atreus's imposing stature.
The man was dressed in traditional Limnosian white linen, an elegant purple cape, and unique leather sandals.
He appeared ordinary, but his graying hair betrayed his age.
He was clearly no longer young, yet his musculature showed he had not given up physical exercise.
Under the focused gazes upon him, he quickly bowed in a sign of respect:
"Steel Angel of the God-Emperor, have you returned from the stars to convey the will of our lord?" he asked cautiously.
"Hmph!" Anthony, standing nearby, let out a displeased grunt.
A mortal facing his superior should not merely bow; in his opinion, kneeling on at least one knee was the minimum mark of respect to offer.
Especially since Anthony was a traitor — he did not view mortals with any mercy.
For him and the other subordinates of Atreus, they were nothing more than servants or slaves.
Nothing else.
Observing his friend and battle-brother's displeasure, Atreus raised his hand.
With that gesture, he signaled him not to concern himself with it.
After all, the other party was merely an ignorant being who did not know his true place in the grand scheme of things.
Since when did a human concern himself with the rudeness of an insect?
"We are no longer the Angels of the Emperor, and we convey no will," he said in a calm, unhurried tone.
He wanted to be clear on this point from the very beginning.
"W-what? You are no longer angels?" the planetary governor stammered in confusion.
He was not the only one confused, as the nobles present began whispering among themselves.
Atreus's words had the effect of a bomb.
However, he continued without paying attention to their state.
"I come from the stars not to guide your people, but to rule over them. From now on, you will obey my orders," he announced, as if everything had already been decided.
"Huh?!" The old governor felt a deep unease upon hearing these words and decided to probe further.
"Do you mean that you will become our new planetary governor?" he asked, trying to clarify his confusion.
Atreus shook his head.
"I have no desire to become a mere planetary governor," he said, remembering Guilliman's actions.
Ruling a single world? Ridiculous. I want to control as many as possible, he thought, imagining his own version of Ultramar's Five Hundred Worlds.
"You may keep the title of planetary governor. However, you will become my slave," he explained bluntly, without sugarcoating it.
He could have softened his words by saying "servant," but Atreus did not want any vague relationship.
He wanted domination, plain and simple.
The old governor swallowed hard, his heart pounding wildly.
The descent of the Steel Angel was actually aimed at seizing his power; it was simply incomprehensible.
He had always been taught that the Angels of the Emperor were not greedy for power, but sometimes demanded taxes.
It was his duty to provide them.
That was why the government had always complied with the Emperor's will.
He wanted to follow the protocol his ancestors had bequeathed to him.
"I-I cannot be the one who ends my family's rule over Limnos III," he thought while timidly looking at the steel colossus on the throne.
The old governor nevertheless tried to keep his composure, then an idea came to him.
If he eliminated the leader of these false angels, then there would be no more problem, right?
Once that idea took root in his mind, it seemed very sensible.
The old governor also remembered that he possessed an artifact from the first governor (a laspistol).
Even though he did not know the name of this artifact, it could pierce very thick knight armor.
He nervously assessed the risk, then decided to act to preserve his power.
"So, what can I do for you, my lord?" he asked while analyzing the positioning of the Space Marines.
The old man's mind was clearly nervous; he tried to bring up trivial matters to lower the steel giants' guard.
Atreus opened his mouth to explain the future reforms, but the old governor attacked.
With a speed insane for his age, he drew the laspistol from under his cape and pulled the trigger.
Unfortunately, he had underestimated the reflexes of a Space Marine.
Atreus tilted his head to dodge the first shot, then raised his arm and blocked the second with the vambrace of his standard Mark armor.
When the third shot struck his chest, it left only a simple black mark.
A glacial silence spread through the room after the governor's failed assassination attempt.
Atreus had slowly risen from his makeshift throne and now stood before him.
Outside, soldiers hearing the gunfire burst into the hall.
Those who tried to place themselves between Atreus and the governor with their spears were crushed by simple ordinary punches from the Space Marine.
The spectacle was so shocking that the sensitive noblewomen fainted upon witnessing the brutal deaths of the soldiers.
"M-mercy, lord…" the governor let out, facing Atreus's immense steel stature.
"No mercy," he said simply in an indifferent tone.