[Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor] Chapter 126/127 (Patreon)

The blood and flesh of the Khorne Blood Beast splattered, painting the surrounding Khorne cultists in a gruesome spray.

This scene left them utterly stunned, with some even collapsing to their knees in disbelief.

The cultists couldn't accept what had just transpired.

The great emissary of the Blood God, summoned with so much blood and sacrifice, had been killed so easily?

"Governor, how was the power of my invention?"

On a steel platform several kilometers away from the Khorne cult stronghold, Kaul eagerly showcased his masterpiece to Eden.

"That sneaky missile you just witnessed is one of my finest creations," Kaul boasted. "It utilizes a high-strength alloy mixed with explosive compressed fuel, capable of penetrating nearly any flesh target…"

Eden turned his gaze away from the surveillance feed and nodded in approval.
"Impressive. Expensive, but worth the cost. However, there's one small issue…"

Kaul, feeling slightly deflated at this critique, responded, "What could be wrong? It's perfect!"

Eden smiled. "The name. 'Sneaky Missile' is far too plain. How about calling it 'Golden Whirlwind' instead?"

Kaul's face lit up. "Excellent name! From now on, it'll be called that!"

Behind them, Arye and Kaes exchanged whispers.

Scratching his head, Arye murmured, "Why does the Sage insist on making such 'sneaky' additions to everything? Wouldn't it be simpler to just create a missile outright? And honestly, the Governor's naming sense isn't much better…"

Kaes rolled his eyes. "You don't get it. That's the Sage's genius. The Governor's budget specifically allocated funds for 'sneaky' units. If the Sage wanted to research something else, what do you think he'd do?"

"What?"

"Add sneaky features to the new project! That way, he still gets the budget while doing his own thing."

"Huh. Makes sense," Arye said, nodding in realization.

"As for the names," Kaes continued, "would you dare criticize the Governor's choice? If you want to keep getting funding, you keep your mouth shut."

"Do you think the Governor knows about this?" Arye asked cautiously.

"Of course. Smart people don't reveal everything they know…"

Realizing what he'd just said, Arye pointed to himself. "So, am I the only fool here?"

Kaes nodded solemnly.

Eden, with his sharp hearing, caught every word of their muttered conversation but chose not to intervene. He knew Kaul's habits all too well and had deliberately left leeway in the budget for his creative liberties. As long as the results met expectations, Eden didn't mind.

"Governor, there's also this: the Heavy Armored Ravager Genestealers…" Kaul began.

Eden continued listening, occasionally nodding in praise. While Kaul's antics could be excessive, his results were always reliable.

Beneath the platform, a vast army of Heavy Armored Genestealers units began assembling, advancing toward the Khorne cultist stronghold. Behind them surged waves of standard Genestealers troops, with the Imperial Guard's sentinels, armored tanks, and infantry bringing up the rear to finish the job.

Kaul highlighted one special feature. "These Heavy Armored Genestealers units are equipped with sound emitters to maximize psychological impact on the enemy."

Eden clapped his hands, full of praise.
"This is a fantastic idea, but I have one more suggestion."

"Please, Governor, do tell!"

"You forgot to emblazon them with the Imperial Aquila emblem. Make sure it's prominent and unmistakable."

Eden checked his ornate gold pocket watch, adorned with gemstones, and noted the time.

"The operation begins now. All forces, attack!"

At the Khorne cultist stronghold, chaos erupted.

A thunderous explosion reduced the sacrificial altar to rubble.

"Enemy attack!"

The cultists, shaken out of their stupor from the Blood Beast's death, grabbed their weapons and charged outside.

The zealots, ever loyal to the Blood God, roared their war cries, ready to slaughter their enemies. Yet this time, what they encountered was far from ordinary.

"Blood for the Blood God!"

At the vanguard, a brave cultist halted mid-charge upon seeing the incoming Heavy Armored Genestealers units.

"Skulls for the… wait, are those contraptions?"

The ground shook violently as the bulky units stormed into the cultist ranks.

"For the Emperor!"

The sound emitters on the Heavy Armored Genestealers units blared triumphant oaths of unwavering loyalty to the Emperor, drowning out the cultists' bloodthirsty chants.

This unfamiliar dynamic unsettled the cultists. Normally, their ferocious cries would terrify their enemies while invoking the Blood God's blessings. But now, their voices were overshadowed, sapping their morale.

"Blood… blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"

Desperate to reclaim their footing, the cultists charged at the intruding units.

One bold cultist brought his axe down on a smaller Genestealers unit, nearly splitting it in two.

"See? These Genestealers machines are no match for us!" he declared triumphantly, covered in viscous fluid.

But what he had struck was a self-destructing Genestealers unit.

With a mechanical click, spikes shot out, trapping him in place. Moments later, an ignition mechanism activated, engulfing him in flames.

"AAAAAHHH!"

The cultist was reduced to a blazing figure, horrifying his comrades.

The battlefield devolved into pandemonium.

From high-explosive to highly toxic, each Genestealers unit carried a unique payload designed for mutual destruction.

Facing relentless waves of Heavy Armored Ravager Genestealers units, wielding chainsaws and claws, the cultists found their usual tactics useless. The armored adversaries were impenetrable, and even when one fell, another took its place.

Advancing with unyielding determination, the Genestealers units proclaimed their loyalty to the Emperor with every step, overwhelming the cultists.

Eden, watching from afar, was deeply satisfied.
"So loyal!"

Behind the vanguard, the ordinary Genestealers units flooded in like a tidal wave, overwhelming the exhausted cultists.

By the time the Imperial Guard arrived as the third wave, there was nothing left but mangled remains.

Sentinel pilots, eager for action, could only vent their frustration.

With no enemies left, all that remained was to clean up the battlefield.

Deep within the Khorne cult's core territory, a massive tent surrounded by piles of bones housed the mightiest Blood God warriors. Towering over three meters tall and clad in thick armor, these fearsome warriors paid no attention to the distant sounds of battle.

This was merely another day in their brutal domain. Even without external enemies, infighting was constant.

A frantic cultist burst into the tent.
"Priest, those Genestealers are attacking our—"

Slash!

Before he could finish, a blade-wielding guard cleaved him in two.

The largest figure on the throne nodded in approval.
"Anyone who disrupts our duels or shows fear before the enemy does not deserve to live."

The duel resumed. As for the invaders? They could wait until the fight was over.

(End of Chapter)

As the relentless advance of the Heavy Armored Genestealers units continued, the Khorne cult's High Priest remained unfazed. Compared to the small fry outside, he had far more pressing matters to attend to.

"Fight, warriors of the Blood God!"

Inside the grand tent, under the High Priest's watchful gaze, two Blood God champions engaged in a sacred duel.

Determined to the death, the combatants clashed with ferocity, scattering flesh and blood.

Only one would emerge victorious.

Thud!

A battle axe split through a skull.

The champion wielding a greatsword fell, defeated.

The challenger, wielding the axe, stood victorious, having secured his place as the High Priest's first champion.

"Warrior, you have earned my favor…"

The High Priest, showing no pity for the fallen, regarded the victor with admiration.

With a swing of his blade, he severed the defeated champion's head and impaled it on the victor's spiked armor—a symbol of his triumph.

Such was the rule of the Khorne cult: endless slaughter and duels to secure status.

There was no escaping a challenge. You either defended your honor or became a corpse.

Victory promised everything. Defeat left only death.

But victory clouded the axe champion's judgment.

In a fit of hubris, he roared and swung his weapon at the High Priest's head when the latter turned his back.

The Priest, sensing the attack, narrowly dodged, causing the axe to embed deeply into his shoulder instead.

"You dare to strike me from behind?"

The High Priest turned swiftly, grabbing the champion by the throat.

"This is the act of a coward. You are a disgrace to us all!"

With a sickening crunch, he snapped the champion's neck, tearing his head clean off and mounting it on his own spiked armor.

Blood gushed from his wound, but within moments it healed completely—a testament to the Blood God's blessing.

As the cult's leader, his combat prowess was unquestionable.

The sharp sound of a horn interrupted the scene.

The warriors inside the tent stiffened.

The horn signaled that the enemy had reached the core of their territory.

"Fools! How could they let those insignificant Genestealers creatures invade this far?"

Furious, the High Priest grabbed his massive sword and addressed his warriors:
"Warriors of the Blood God, follow me to slaughter!"

The identity of the intruders mattered little. To the Priest, it was simply an opportunity to claim more skulls for his armor.

Throwing open the tent's heavy flaps, he froze in place.

His confidence evaporated.

Everywhere he looked—on the streets, rooftops, and surrounding structures—stood waves of Heavy Armored Genestealers units, armed to the teeth.

They stared back at him in silence.

Despite the ongoing battles elsewhere, the Genestealers units had converged here with pinpoint precision, guided by meticulous commands.

Dozens of kilometers away, Eden watched the scene unfold on a monitor, nodding with satisfaction.

"Bow before the master of micromanagement!"

With overwhelming numbers on his side, Eden had no need to take personal risks. His loyal forces were more than enough to overwhelm any resistance.

For the strongest enemies, sheer numbers were sufficient to drown them.

Encircled by 500,000 Heavy Armored Genestealers units, the High Priest and his core members were trapped.

Even flight or tunneling would avail them nothing, as jet-propelled and tunneling Genestealers units awaited their escape attempts.

The sheer dominance of this strategy was intoxicating.

The High Priest and his followers stood frozen, unsure of how to respond.

"Cowardly Genestealers! How dare you ambush us!"

The High Priest brandished his massive sword and prepared to fight.

"We will never surrender! Warriors of the Blood God, charge to your deaths—blood for the Blo—"

"Ahem."

A voice boomed through the speakers on the Genestealers units, interrupting the Priest mid-chant.

"Times have changed," Eden's voice declared, his words resonating as if spoken by countless mouths at once.

And then, the final order was issued:
"Kill them all."

The Khorne cult had caused the deaths of billions. Against such vile chaos worshippers, Eden chose the simplest solution: annihilation.

At his command, the Genestealers units charged without hesitation, engulfing the Priest and his followers in a tide of destruction.

Even with the blessings of the Blood God, the cultists were ultimately just flesh and blood.

Though they managed to kill thousands of Genestealers units, they were eventually torn to shreds by the relentless assault.

With the cult's leadership eliminated, Eden ordered his forces to spread out and eradicate the remaining enemies across the territory.

After ten grueling days of cleanup, the Khorne cult was completely wiped out.

This marked the final enemy faction within the hive city.

With the cult dealt with, Eden directed his Genestealers units to purge the underhive of mutated creatures and hidden threats, leaving the area spotless.

The entire underhive was now under Eden's control.

This meant the entire hive city was his.

As for the bottommost layers of the hive, Eden dismissed them as a dumping ground for the city's waste—sealed off and forgotten.

Future plans could address that if necessary.

In the following weeks, Eden remained in the underhive, restoring order and productivity.

The underhive was soon integrated into the administrative system of the central spire.

Of the population, only 700 million humans had survived. The remaining billions had perished in the chaos.

Without the Genestealers units, few would have made it through.

At the church's temporary headquarters, Eden contemplated the fate of the hybrids.

For centuries, the Genestealers had thrived in the underhive, finally revealing themselves with the arrival of the Great Rift.

Now, millions of their descendants inhabited the underhive. While human-like in appearance, they were far from human.

Eden's advisors debated their fate.

Bayev proposed their extermination to preserve humanity's purity.

Bishop Doni countered, arguing for their isolation but acknowledging their unwavering loyalty to the Emperor—more loyal than most humans.

Eden made his decision.

The hybrids would be separated from the pure Genestealers units and allowed to live.

However, their mental conditioning would remain. Knowing the truth would likely drive them to madness and death.

Eden named these hybrids Eredars.

While indistinguishable from humans in appearance, their slightly pronounced cranial ridges set them apart.

Designated as a sub-human species, Eredars were prohibited from interbreeding with humans.

Devoted to the Emperor, they were his most loyal and fearless servants, willing to give everything, even their lives, for him.

In reality, the "Emperor" they worshipped was none other than Eden himself, disguised by their faith.

Their belief and devotion fed directly into Eden's strength.

The Eredars were settled in isolated enclaves, kept separate from human populations.

In time, they would expand to other worlds infested by Genestelares, absorbing other hybrids and growing their numbers.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the reclaimed underhive, an 80-meter statue of the Emperor was erected in the church square.

This monument marked the church's largest outpost in the underhive.

A grand ceremony celebrated the underhive's return to order, reminding the citizens of their true ruler.

With the underhive secured, Eden turned his attention to the remaining three hive cities.

As vital industrial centers, their reclamation was paramount.

Eden issued his orders: all three hives were to be fully reclaimed by the end of the month.

With overwhelming forces at his disposal, it was only a matter of time.

Eden could hardly wait to reestablish dominion over the entirety of Urth.

(End of Chapter)

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