Chapter 1019: Suppressing a Lion
"It's a trap."
This is what Gu Hang said to Leon.
What he mentioned was the current action of the Angels of Death gathering a large number of sub-groups, forming a legion-level scale, and heading out of the Absolute Night Universe.
"But the Angels of Death refused to listen to the Imperial Center's persuasion and even refused reinforcements. They claimed that this was their own business and their own vendetta, and they would resolve it themselves."
"But this is not right, this is not their business."
"To put it bluntly, even if the Angels of Death were destroyed, it wouldn't matter much. We have ample production capacity and sufficient gene-seed to rebuild the Angels of Death in a few years. The casualties of nearly 20,000 Space Marines are a significant loss, but I can barely accept it, especially since these 20,000 or so don't like to obey the orders of the Imperial Center. Let them be sacrificed."
"But I will never allow the Stone Monastery of the Angel of Death to fall into the hands of the great enemy of Chaos."
"I have ordered the Angel Expeditionary Force to fully assemble and march to the Nightless Universe. Whether the Angels of Death need reinforcements or not, our reinforcements will arrive."
"If the Angel of Death can save the Stone Monastery, then the Empire can allow the Angel of Death to continue to preserve and protect the Stone. If the Angel of Death cannot do this, the Stone Monastery should be kept by the Empire, or the Angel of Death needs to protect the Stone with the help of the Empire."
"If the Angel of Death were to become an obstacle to the Empire's defense of the Stone, then..."
"They are the enemies of the Empire and traitors to humanity!"
Hearing this, Leon finally couldn't help but remain silent.
Leon Charlie stood up abruptly, his heavy, finely crafted dark green and black armor rubbing against the stone chair, making a sharp, piercing sound. The Son of God's massive size was enough to look down upon Gu Hang's incarnation, who sat like an ordinary mortal.
"Traitor?! Prime Minister Gu Hang!" Leon's voice was low and oppressive, and every syllable contained power. "You'd better think carefully about the meaning of your words! You accuse my descendant, the empire's most loyal and tenacious Angel of Death, of being a traitor? The First Legion, which sacrificed countless blood and won countless glory, is a traitor? Even if there is a possibility, it is an unforgivable humiliation!"
"You're unwilling to hand over the foundation you've guarded for ten thousand years to a..." He paused, as if searching for a less pointed but equally questioning word, "...a new government they don't yet fully understand? That's perfectly reasonable! Even if what you say is true, the Angels of Death have guarded the Stone for ten thousand years and will continue to do so for another ten thousand! The Angels of Death's loyalty to humanity and the Empire cannot be questioned!"
"I'm not accusing them of loyalty," Gu Hang's voice was as steady as the abyss beneath the windless sea. "I'm accusing them of arrogance and shortsightedness!"
"They have the ability to protect it!" Leon growled, clenching his fists. "The destruction of Knight Star failed to erase their will! For ten thousand years, they have stood firm, defending the territory even as the empire crumbled..."
"The destruction of Knight Star ten thousand years ago," Gu Hang interrupted him, his tone suddenly rising. "Wasn't it precisely because of the irreconcilable internal secrets and internal struggles?! Wasn't it precisely because of their stubborn adherence to traditions and actions that gave the enemy an opportunity to exploit, ultimately leading to tragedy?! Your Highness Leon, history has taught us a bloody lesson! The tenacity and traditions that the Angels of Death are so proud of are leading them to a dead end, facing the evil god's carefully woven conspiracy web! This is not tenacity, this is stubbornness!"
"Who do you think you are?!" Leon's fury was ignited. He took a step forward, and the ground seemed to tremble. "A human prime minister who has been in power for less than a hundred years?! What qualifications do you have to so casually question or even judge a legion with a thousand years of glory and my blood flowing through its veins?!"
His words were filled with the unique pride and intimidation of a Primarch. "Their problems are my responsibility! I will deal with them and guide them! I don't need your 'Empire' to judge them in this way!"
The two people's eyes collided fiercely in the air.
The aura of the Lionheart King is like that of an ancient lion awakening, enough to make mortals crawl and suffocate Space Marines.
But Gu Hang, bolstered by his powerful psychic energy and will, not only didn't retreat, but instead grew even taller. A powerful "pressure," originating from the very essence of the real universe, spread out from Gu Hang. The air thickened, the light distorted slightly, and it forcibly froze and neutralized Leon's surging pressure.
"You are their Primarch, the Son of God, the Lionheart King, Leon Charlie." Gu Hang's voice was no longer passionate, but carried a more terrifying coldness, as if dominating fate. "But at this moment, do you still acknowledge that you are a member of the Empire? Do you still obey the Empire's orders? Do you recognize the New Empire after you have met the Emperor?"
Without waiting for Leon's reply, Gu Hang continued, "If your answer is 'yes', then I tell you, I am commanding you as the supreme leader of the Imperial Government, carrying the Emperor's will and maintaining the hope of all mankind to breathe in the dark galaxy!"
Gu Hang emphasized the word "command".
As the son of God, Gu Hang had never spoken to Robert like this before.
But for Leon, it's different.
This suspicious, arrogant Son of God, who had just awakened after a 10,000-year slumber, was not a very reasonable being. Simply using rational arguments like Robert's would not work.
This lion must be convinced.
"Even if you are the Son of God, even if you are a founding chapter, your honor and disgrace, and the ten-thousand-year tradition of the Angels of Death, are insignificant on the scales of human survival." Gu Hang's words were like a hammer. "If you think my 'New Empire' is an illusion, then you can go to see the Emperor again, or test it with your sword!"
"But at least now, the order is before you: accept the imperial government's assignment and immediately follow Marshal Dante and his Angel Expeditionary Fleet to the Absolute Night Universe!"
The dangerous rage in Leon's eyes was about to burst out like a substance.
But he used his last bit of rationality to control his emotions, and only his chest heaved violently.
"Your mission is not to lead them on a revenge expedition," Gu Hang stared into Leon's eyes and said without question, "but to prevent a catastrophe caused by their loneliness and stubbornness! If the Angels of Death accept the central government's order, abandon that foolish expedition that is most likely a trap, and assist the Empire in defending the Stone Monastery, then they will still be the pride of the Empire. If they stubbornly refuse to change their ways and, for their own selfish vendettas, disregard the Empire's overall strategy, refuse to cooperate, or even obstruct the Empire's actions to protect the Stone Monastery..."
"Then, no matter whose descendants they are, no matter how glorious their past was, they are enemies of humanity! And your responsibility, Your Highness the Lionheart, is to carry out the will of the Empire—control them, or destroy them."
Destroy them?
Destroy the legion he created and treated as his own?
He...seems to have done it once.
After waking up, he was determined not to let the past happen again.
but……
"You have no right..."
"I have the right!" Gu Hang declared decisively. The power of his dominance suddenly intensified, and the lights in the conference room even flickered. "If you want to talk about legal principles, the Imperial Constitution grants the Prime Minister supreme decision-making power! The Imperial Dual-Head Council grants me the final authority to deal with all major crises!"
"Or do you want to talk about something else? About violence?" He pointed at Leon. "Violence is power. The ultimate violence of mankind. It's with me."
By this point, Gu Hang had already made his words very explicit.
"Choose, Leon." Gu Hang's tone softened slightly, but the force in it remained undiminished. "Will you become a warlord who serves the interests of humanity as a whole, or a lonely warlord obsessed with bloodline and legion traditions, who may ultimately destroy his own offspring with his own hands? Time is running out. Every second wasted brings Chaos one step closer to what we want to protect! The Angel Expeditionary Force's fleet is ready to sail, and their commander is waiting for you."
"Will you lead your gene-children to redemption, or add to the lamentations of their destruction?"
A huge silence fell over the meeting room.
Leon's chest heaved violently, and the black armor seemed to have become a heavy burden.
The pride of a Son of God, the sense of responsibility towards his offspring, the anger of not having heard such a naked rebuke in who knows how many years...
The power displayed by Gu Hang, the guidance he received during his audience with the Emperor, and the crises and risks that must be acknowledged by the rational thinking within...
These things were burning together in his heart.
He thought of the chaos of his awakening, and the hardships of leading a desperate people to survive under Chaos's rule. He understood that for that small alliance to grow into the behemoth it is today, ruling over half the empire, it must have had a ruthless and cruel side. Beneath Gu Hang's gentle exterior lay a terrifying determination to survive at any cost.
And his previous audience... the Emperor asked him to listen and obey?
No, the audience oracle was not so clear.
But that feeling of heaviness is so similar to the will that Gu Hang is showing at this moment, to crush all obstacles for the survival of mankind.
Finally, Leon's clenched fists slowly loosened.
He did not lower his head, but beneath the blazing fire in his eyes was a deep fatigue and a solemnity that came from being firmly bound by the ropes of fate.
"My power armor needs to be repainted," Leon's voice was dry and hoarse, carrying the fatigue of ten thousand years of sleep and the fierce argument just now, but it was full of firm determination. "Prepare a shuttle to Comoros."
He did not admit all of Gu Hang's accusations, nor did he completely abandon his trust in his own offspring, but he chose to obey orders and accept the assignment.
"Where's Dante?" he asked, his voice returning to its usual calm, as if the previous outburst had never happened. "Call my... Angels of Absolution Guard. Tell them we're about to correct... a misstep."
Gu Hang's signature polite yet cold expression reappeared on his face. He nodded slightly. "A wise decision, Lionheart. Dante and the transport team will be waiting at the designated 'gate.' Remember, your mission is to solve problems, not create new ones."
In a flash of light and shadow, Gu Hang's figure disappeared like a bubble. His attention on maintaining this projection had obviously been drawn back to more important matters.
In the empty conference room, only Leon remained. Standing amidst the gradually fading psychic energy and the cold reality, the Lionheart's heavy figure seemed strangely lonely. He raised his hand and covered the cold, hard breastplate, which seemed to still retain the lingering warmth of his previous rage.
"Emperor..." An extremely light sigh filled with complex emotions escaped from between his tightly pursed lips.
(End of this chapter)
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