Starting from the Planetary Governor

Chapter 1786: Chapter 1018: Suppressing a Lion

"That’s a trap."

Gu Hang said this to Leon.

He was referring to the current action of the Death Angels gathering massive troops and moving beyond the Absolute Night Cosmos Domain.

"But the Death Angels refuse to heed the advice of the Central Empire or even accept reinforcements. They claim it’s their own affair, their own vendetta, and they intend to handle it themselves."

"But that’s not right; this isn’t just their matter."

"To put it bluntly, even if the Death Angels were wiped out, it wouldn’t be a big deal. We have abundant production capacity and sufficient Genetic Seeds to rebuild the Death Angel Battle Group in a few years. The loss of nearly twenty thousand Interstellar Warriors is a significant loss, but I can reluctantly accept it, especially since these twenty thousand or so are reluctant to obey orders from the Central Empire. Let them sacrifice if they must."

"But I absolutely will not allow the Giant Stone Monastery of the Death Angels to fall into the hands of the great enemy of Chaos."

"I have already given orders that the Angel Expedition Army will fully assemble and march towards the Absolute Night Cosmos Domain with all its might. Whether or not the Death Angels need reinforcements, our support will arrive."

"If the Death Angels can hold the Giant Stone Monastery, then the Empire can allow them to continue to keep and protect it. If the Death Angels cannot achieve this, then the Empire should take custodianship of the Monastery, or the Death Angels will need to protect it with the Empire’s assistance."

"If the Death Angels turn around and become an obstacle to the Empire in defending the Monastery, then..."

"They are the enemy of the Empire, traitors to humanity!"

Upon hearing this, Leon finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

Leon Charlie abruptly stood up, his heavy Black Armor scraping against the finely crafted stone chair with an ear-piercing shrill. The massive form of the Son of God was completely enough to overlook the Gu Hang persona, who sat like an ordinary mortal.

"Traitor?! Prime Minister Gu Hang!" Leon’s voice was deep and filled with pressure, each syllable laced with power, "You better think carefully about the meaning of your words! Are you accusing my descendants, the most loyal and steadfast Death Angels of the Empire, of being traitors? The First Legion, who bled untold times and gained countless honors, is a traitor? Even the possibility is an unforgivable insult!"

"Unwilling to hand over the foundation guarded for ten thousand years to a..." He paused, seemingly searching for a word less sharp but equally filled with skepticism, "...new government they have not yet fully understood? It’s utterly reasonable! Even if all you say is true, the Death Angels have guarded the Monastery for ten thousand years and will continue to do so for another ten thousand! The loyalty of the Death Angels to humanity, to the Empire, cannot be questioned!"

"I am not accusing their loyalty," Gu Hang’s voice was calm as the abyss beneath a windless sea, "I am accusing their arrogance and shortsightedness!"

"They have the ability to protect it!" Leon growled, clenching his fists, "The destruction of the Knight Star did not extinguish their will! In ten thousand years of staunch defense, even when the Empire was on the brink of disintegration, they defended the borders..."

"The destruction of the Knight Star ten thousand years ago," Gu Hang interrupted, his tone suddenly heightened, "was it not due to unresolvable internal secrets and conflicts?! Was it not because of their stubborn adherence to traditions and actions that gave the enemy an opportunity, leading to a tragedy eventually?! Your Highness Leon, history has given us a lesson written in blood! The tenacity and tradition of the Death Angels, which they are proud of, are leading them into a dead end in the face of the meticulously woven sinister plot of the Evil God! This isn’t tenacity, it’s obstinacy!"

"Who do you think you are?!" Leon’s fury was thoroughly ignited, and as he stepped forward, the ground seemed to tremble, "A Prime Minister serving less than a hundred years?! What right do you have to casually question or even pass judgment on a legion with ten thousand years of glory, carrying my blood?!"

His words brimmed with the pride and authority unique to a gene progenitor, "Their issues are my responsibility! I will handle them, guide them! There’s no need for your ’Empire’ to pronounce judgment this way!"

Their gazes clashed fiercely in the air.

The aura emanating from the Lionheart King was like an awakening ancient lion, enough to make mortals prostrate and suffocate Interstellar Warriors.

Yet Gu Hang’s figure, supported by his formidable spiritual energy and will, did not retreat one bit; instead, he stood more steadfast. A kind of overwhelming "pressure," stemming from the origin of the real universe, spread out centered on Gu Hang. The air grew thick, light slightly distorted, forcibly stalling and neutralizing Leon’s tempestuous aura.

"You are their gene progenitor, the Son of God, the Lionheart King, Leon Charlie," Gu Hang’s voice was no longer passionate but carried a more terrifying, fate-commanding coldness, "But at this moment, do you still acknowledge you are a member of the Empire? Do you still heed the orders of the Empire? Do you acknowledge the New Empire, after you have paid homage to the Emperor?"

Without waiting for Leon to respond, Gu Hang continued, "If your answer is ’yes,’ then let me tell you, I am ordering you as the highest leader of the Empire Government, carrying the Emperor’s will, sustaining all of humanity’s hope of survival in the dark galaxy!"

Gu Hang emphasized the word ’order.’

Even as a Son of God, Gu Hang had never spoken to Robert in this way before.

But with Leon, it was different.

This suspicious, arrogant Son of God, who had slept for ten thousand years before waking, was not one to be reasoned with. Like Robert, pure rational debate wouldn’t work.

This lion must be subdued.

"Even as the Son of God, even with the founding battle group, your honor, the ten-thousand-year tradition of the Death Angel Battle Group, is insignificant on the scale of human survival." Gu Hang’s words were akin to a heavy hammer, "If you think my ’New Empire’ is an illusion, then you can seek an audience with the Emperor again, or try your sword!"

"But at least for now, the order before you: accept the assignment of the Empire Government, immediately join Marshal Dante and his Angel Expeditionary Fleet, and head to the Absolute Night Cosmos Domain!"

The dangerous fury in Leon’s eyes was almost about to erupt as a tangible blaze.

But his last bit of reason restrained his emotions, only his chest heaved fiercely.

"Your mission is not to lead them on a quest for vengeance," Gu Hang stared into Leon’s eyes, asserting without question, "but to prevent a catastrophe caused by their isolation and stubbornness! If the Death Angels accept Central’s orders and abandon that foolish expedition, which is most likely a trap, and assist the Empire in defending the Giant Stone Monastery, they would still be the pride of the Empire. If they persist in their fallacy, pursue personal vendettas at the expense of the Empire’s overall strategy, refuse to cooperate, or even obstruct the Empire’s efforts to protect the Giant Stone..."

"Then, regardless of whose offspring they are, no matter how much glory they’ve accumulated in the past, they become the enemy of humanity! And your duty, Your Highness Lionheart, is to execute the Empire’s will—to control them or destroy them."

Destroy them?

Destroy the legion he created himself and regarded as his own?

He... seems to have done it once already.

After awakening, he was determined that the past would not repeat.

But...

"You have no authority..."

"I have the authority!" Gu Hang declared sharply, the power of reality’s dominion suddenly intensified, causing the light source in the meeting room to flicker. "If you wish to discuss legality, the Empire constitution grants the Prime Minister the highest decision-making power! The dual-headed council of the Empire grants me ultimate authority to handle all major crises!"

"Or would you like to discuss something else? Violence, perhaps?" He pointed at Leon, "Violence is authority, the ultimate violence of humanity is here with me."

At this point, Gu Hang had laid his words bare.

"Choose, Leon." Gu Hang’s tone slightly eased, but the coercion did not diminish, "Will you be a warlord serving the overall interests of humanity, or will you succumb to bloodline and legion tradition, possibly ending up personally burying your progeny—a lone warlord? Time is tight, every second wasted brings Chaos closer to what we wish to protect! The Angel Expeditionary Fleet is ready to set sail, and their commander is waiting for you."

"Will you lead your genetic descendants towards redemption, or will you only add to the lament of their downfall?"

A tremendous silence enveloped the meeting room.

Leon’s chest heaved violently, and the black armor on him seemed to turn into a heavy burden.

The pride of being the Son of God, the responsibility for his offspring, the anger of not having been openly rebuked in years...

The power displayed by Gu Hang, the guidance when meeting The Emperor, the part of rational thinking within that had to acknowledge the crisis and risk...

These things smoldered and burned within him.

He thought of the chaos upon his awakening, leading the desperate to struggle for survival under the rule of chaos. He understood that for the small alliance to grow into the current behemoth dominating half the Empire, there must be a cold, iron-blooded side to it. Before him, Gu Hang, beneath a gentle facade, harbored a terrifying determination to survive at any cost.

And his previous audience... did The Emperor demand he listen and obey?

No, the oracle of the audience was not that clear.

But the gravity of that request and the will Gu Hang now displayed, willing to crush all obstacles for humanity’s survival, were so similar.

Ultimately, Leon slowly unclenched his tightly held fists.

He did not bow his head, but beneath the burning intensity in his eyes lay deep fatigue and a sense of being tightly bound by the ropes of fate.

"My Power Armor needs a repaint," Leon’s voice was dry and hoarse, filled with the fatigue of ten thousand years of slumber and the fierce argument just past, yet it was full of hardened determination, "Prepare a shuttle to Comoros."

He did not acknowledge all of Gu Hang’s accusations, nor did he completely abandon trust in his offspring, but he chose to obey orders and accept his assignment.

"Where is Dante?" he asked, voice returned to its usual steadiness, as if the previous rage had never occurred. "Assemble my... Pardon Angel Guard. Tell them we are about to correct... a deviation."

Gu Hang’s face regained that signature, polite, yet completely emotionless ripple. He nodded slightly: "A wise decision, Lionheart King. Dante and the transport team will be waiting at the designated ’gate’. Remember, your task is to resolve problems, not to create new ones."

With a flash of light and shadow, Gu Hang’s silhouette vanished like a bubble at its origin, his focus on maintaining this projection clearly drawn to more pressing matters.

In the empty meeting room, only Leon remained. He stood amidst the fading remnants of spiritual energy and cold reality, his heavy silhouette of the Lionheart King exceptionally solitary. He raised a hand, placing it over the cold, hard breastplate, where it seemed to still hold the residual warmth of the anger that had burned just moments before.

"Oh, The Emperor..." A whisper, filled with complex emotions, slipped from his tightly pressed lips.