After Paul pierced the opponent's chest with the blade hidden in his arm and then forcefully crushed their heart, he took a step back, panting as he looked around.
The battle was basically over; all the people brought by that Inquisitor had fallen to the ground.
However, Paul's own people also suffered heavy losses.
Only two of his acolytes were still standing, the Kill Team had lost more than half, and the Department of Justice Marshals had lost two-thirds.
This was a heartbreaking battle; these excellent warriors should have fought for the stability of the Empire and for their loyalty to the Emperor.
But now, they had all fallen here.
For a secret they knew nothing about, they sacrificed themselves meaninglessly under the internal strife of the Inquisition.
However, such things were not uncommon for the Inquisition; the elite of the Empire who fell in the shadow wars within the Inquisition were far more than just those present.
Paul had no time to think about these things. He checked his own condition, looked at the survivors, and ordered them to gather and continue escorting him to the Inquisitor Grand Master's office.
However, just as he was gathering his team to continue forward, the Inquisitor Grand Master appeared before Paul.
"You did very well, Paul; you kept the secret," the Inquisitor Grand Master watched Paul, his expression unreadable, but then he spoke, "Now tell me, what exactly is the secret you brought back? So much so that you needed to execute another Inquisitor to keep the secret."
Paul's eyes froze for a moment as he looked at the Inquisitor Grand Master before him, seemingly not expecting the Inquisitor Grand Master to appear so suddenly.
But the next second, Paul raised his weapon at the Inquisitor Grand Master: "The secret is... you should die!"
Paul unhesitatingly pulled the trigger of the Bolter in his hand at the Inquisitor Grand Master, and a Siren bolt accurately hit the Inquisitor Grand Master's head.
Accompanied by a scream, the Inquisitor Grand Master before Paul instantly shattered, revealing a Psyker with most of his chest blown apart, twitching on the ground.
"Tsk, since you knew the classified information was for the Inquisitor Grand Master, and you still pretended to be the Inquisitor Grand Master to trick me, do you have no brain?" Paul looked at the fallen Psyker, muttering in exasperation, then fired another bolt, shattering his head.
To kill a Psyker, one must destroy their brain, because for powerful Psykers, body destruction is not a fatal injury.
Even if their heart is pierced, as long as their brain can still think and has consciousness, they can use psychic powers to tear apart everything around them; even a leman russ facing a qualified combat Psyker would be crushed into a pile of scrap metal.
Some Psykers even use psychic powers to strengthen themselves, making their bodies invulnerable, capable of fighting even Astartes.
Therefore, destroying a Psyker's brain or disrupting their nervous system is a more direct and effective way to kill a Psyker.
However, this Psyker seemed to be a specialist in mind-related psychic powers; apart from attempting to invade Paul's mind to create illusions just now, their physical abilities were not strong.
And after Paul blasted the Psyker's head, he then led his people towards the Inquisitor Grand Master's office.
Arriving at the entrance of the Inquisitor Grand Master's office, Paul tidied his appearance before pushing the door open and walking in.
As expected, Paul saw the Inquisitor Grand Master and the Grand Inquisitors of the Mariupol Sector Inquisition, who had already gathered.
Grand Inquisitors are not Lord Inquisitors; they are the heads of a Sub-Sector's Inquisition, second only to the Inquisitor Grand Master.
It could be said that these individuals before him were the core leadership of the Mariupol Sector Inquisition.
"It seems you have resolved the trouble," the Inquisitor Grand Master looked at Paul, and his first sentence provided Paul with important information.
"You knew Inquisitor Dragovich would try to stop me?" Paul expressed his question to the Inquisitor Grand Master.
However, the Inquisitor Grand Master did not answer the question, but instead, one of the Grand Inquisitors explained, "This is the Star Sector Tribunal Headquarters. Do you think we would be unaware of the interception and attack that occurred here?"
"Then why didn't you stop it?" Paul was somewhat confused. Since the Grand Inquisitors and the Inquisitor Grand Master all knew he was attacked, why did they allow it to happen?
Had the secret in his mind become a bargaining chip?
Paul's eyes became wary.
"This was a test for you. Since Inquisitor Alex entrusted this matter to you, it naturally means entrusting the dangers it represents to you to bear. We must ensure you have enough ability to bear this danger and responsibility," the Inquisitor Grand Master said. Although he provided an explanation, Paul clearly knew this was not the answer.
This was a battle fought in the Star Sector Tribunal Headquarters, lacking even the most basic secrecy of a shadow war, and tearing off the Inquisition's face. How could it just be a test?
But Paul wisely chose not to ask further, nodding without speaking, waiting for the Inquisitor Grand Master to provide a more detailed explanation.
"We received a prophecy, a prophecy related to Rostov and Inquisitor Alex," another Grand Inquisitor spoke at this moment, revealing information Paul did not know, "A disaster sweeping across the entire Empire is about to strike. The one chosen by the Emperor will bring hope to the Empire, allowing us to find an opportunity to redeem the Empire in the darkness.
But you should understand that there are radical factions within the Inquisition who believe the Empire needs to experience more turmoil, even artificially creating darkness and chaos for the Empire."
Although it still sounded very far-fetched, Paul wisely chose to accept this explanation and did not delve deeper.
"Alright, now tell us, what exactly is the classified information Inquisitor Alex had you bring back? Why does it concern the safety of the entire Empire?" The Inquisitor Grand Master looked at Paul, asking him the most crucial question.
At the same time, the Inquisitor Grand Master also acted, lifting the psychic seal in Paul's mind.
At this moment, the memories sealed by Alex in Paul's mind finally recovered, and he immediately understood the entire sequence of events, and also understood why he had been attacked earlier.
"It is 'loyalty.' As long as one drinks 'loyalty,' the Blood Thirst of Sanguinius's descendants can be controlled. Inquisitor Alex asked me to bring this message back and to give a bottle of 'loyalty' to Chapter Master Dante of the Blood Angels Chapter."
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