"This is a noble's revelry banquet!"
Avkar's face twisted into a sneer as he gazed at the wild scene in the hall, where people were writhing and contorting, displaying the depths of human depravity like beasts gone mad.
"Hmph, a mere governor dares to pressure me?" He sneered, draining the wine from his glass in one gulp, then flung the exquisite crystal goblet, shipped from the Segmentum Solar, away. "Do you truly believe that with a bit of military power, Avarakon is your personal hive city? Naive!"
"What are you standing around for? Get over here!"
At his furious yell, the trembling maid beside him cautiously approached, prostrating herself before the old man, who was as bloated as a pig. She parted her glistening lips and slowly leaned in.
"Hmm—"
Krast leaned back contentedly, his eyes slightly narrowed. He stroked the maid kneeling before him as if she were a pet, but his mind was occupied with another matter.
He had used his one hundred and thirtieth birthday as an excuse to gather the upper nobility today, precisely to give that ignorant, self-important little girl a small taste of aristocratic shock!
He wanted to make her understand one thing.
Here, even a planetary governor could not wield absolute power. He, Krast, was the true heaven of the hive city!
Noble collective pressure was a common tactic in various hive cities of the Imperium. Though widespread, it was undeniably effective!
The planetary governor was appointed by the Imperium, theoretically the highest administrative officer of a hive city. But the problem was, as a planetary governor, to effectively control the hive city and fulfill the Imperium's tax quotas, one inevitably had to rely on these local powers that had been entrenched in the hive city for many years.
Kill them?
Of course, it was possible. But the problem was, if you killed these nobles, who would collect taxes for you? Who would create value for you? What about your taxes for the coming year?
These were all problems.
Therefore, even a planetary governor with military power dared not easily move against these local nobles. This was partly a political understanding among the noble class, and partly due to these considerations.
Hence, Krast could be so reckless, gathering the top nobles to collectively challenge the governor!
"Father, your strategy is brilliant."
A young man complimented, "With so many nobles united, even if that lord governor is strong-willed, she cannot go against the popular will. She can only obediently submit to us, hahaha."
"Hmph, hmph, she's still too green to contend with me!"
Krast naturally accepted the flattery, a look of enjoyment on his face. "You still have much to learn."
"But I worry, what if she's pushed too far? Will we be alright?" the young man asked again.
"What's there to fear? What could possibly happen!"
Krast scoffed disdainfully, "There's a war going on now. If she were to move against us, let alone whether she could even do it, even if she could, the Ecclesiarchy and the Mechanicus wouldn't agree. I've already made arrangements with them!"
As he spoke, he shivered below.
He couldn't help but shudder, a look of pleasure in his eyes. Then he suddenly grabbed the maid's hair, forcing her head down, his voice hoarse, a fierce glint erupting from his pupils.
"Sooner or later—this old man will make the Jabba family replace their Kussman family—Ah~"
However, just as the old man felt his very skull might explode with pleasure, several burly figures suddenly crashed through the surrounding glass of the banquet hall doors and charged straight in!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sudden loud noises made the old man jump, and the pleasure that was about to reach its peak was instantly replaced by terror!
And in the banquet hall, the noble beasts were also scared into terrified screams by the booming sounds.
Amidst the chaotic crowd, screams rose and fell.
Bang!
A deafening gunshot echoed.
And corresponding to the gunshot, a fat noble, his face full of horror, collapsed in a pool of blood, a large hole blown through his chest.
Only then did they clearly see that these intruders, who had burst into the banquet, were clad in power armor adorned with spikes and horns, like grinning daemons. The auspexes on their helmets emitted a chilling, soul-piercing glow.
They were Chaos Space Marines!
Indeed, with such a menacing appearance, it could only be Chaos Space Marines, no one else!
"Help! Someone, help!"
"Chaos invasion! Chaos invasion!"
The nobles shrieked in terror.
But alas, no matter how much they screamed, it remained quiet outside, as if their voices were being blocked.
"Stop shouting."
The leading 'Chaos Space Marine' sneered, "While you were busy enjoying yourselves, we've already cleared out everything outside. Now, even if you scream until your throats are raw, no one will come to save you."
Krast, in the main seat, felt his heart stop for a few seconds upon seeing the Chaos Space Marines burst into the banquet. Terror then climbed into his mind, and cold sweat poured out uncontrollably.
"You, how did you get in? I—I warn you, don't cause trouble! We are Imperial nobles! Outside there are hundreds of thousands of Astra Militarum, and even a Space Wolves Chapter! If you—if you dare to cause trouble, you are dead!"
In his panic, this noble, who had just been so calm, suddenly lost his composure.
The reason was simple.
Imperial nobles, the Navy, the Astra Militarum, even Space Marines—those were all entities one could reason with, apply pressure with power.
But. Reason with Chaos Space Marines?
Sorry, they only reason with fists!
However, facing the noble's threat, the leading 'Chaos Space Marine' let out a few low, cold laughs, then waved his hand.
The next moment, the seven or eight Chaos Space Marines who had stormed into the banquet hall unleashed a bloody slaughter!
Their targets were precisely those hypocrites, dragging these crying, pleading nobles one by one from the crowd, then using daggers to slit their throats in front of the others, tearing off their heads, and tossing them onto the expensive red carpet.
"Ah ah ah!!!"
"Help!!!"
"The Emperor above! Emperor save me!!!"
This cruel act undoubtedly completely shattered the psychological defenses of these nobles, who were usually so high and mighty. They cried out to the Emperor in collapse, hoping this omnipotent deity could save them.
But alas… the Emperor did not wish to listen.
"You are very noisy—"
The leading 'Chaos Space Marine' sneered, "I do not like you."
As his words fell, the surrounding Chaos Space Marines once again charged into the crowd, either dragging or carrying, pulling out the nobles, and then, in front of the others, slaughtering them one by one in an act of torture, severing their heads and tossing them aside.
Damn Hal!
How was she, the planetary governor, doing her job? How could she let Chaos invade the hive city?!
"No, don't kill me!"
The noble shrieked, attempting to resist, but how could he possibly stand against the strength of a Space Marine?
And so, his head was violently ripped from his body, along with his spine, a truly terrifying sight!
Shaken by the bloody and cruel display of these 'Chaos Space Marines', Krast lost all semblance of a grand noble's demeanor. He tumbled from his chair in terror, falling to his knees and frantically kowtowing, begging for mercy.
"I—we are willing to pledge allegiance to Chaos, just don't kill us! I—I can trick open the hive city's energy shields for you! I have value, great value!"
"Oh?"
The leading Chaos Space Marine seemed intrigued.
"What you're offering, it seems others can do too. What other value do you have?"
At this moment, Krast's mind raced. His pig-like face was covered in sweat. He knew these Chaos Space Marines were very likely a warband devoted to Khorne; he could guess this from their practice of severing heads.
So, Krast kowtowed and shouted, "Lord, I—I control hundreds of factories! Not only can I provide you with supplies, but I can also offer you millions of heads to present to the great Blood God!"
However, Krast, engrossed in his kowtowing, completely failed to notice that the Chaos Space Marine's breathing had grown much heavier, and even his tone of voice was tinged with anger and coldness.
"Then you truly are very valuable!!!"