Chapter 534 The Rise of the Lion King: Usurping Assassination
The Ryan Palace within the high walls of the palace was full of people. The sun shone in from the towering stained glass windows, shining on the gorgeously decorated clothes, making the metal pieces, gold-studded ribbons, and gemstone ornaments sparkle in the sun. People wearing these gorgeous clothes greeted each other and waited in this hall.
The cheers of the crowd continued to come from outside the window. The festival parade was still going on. Flags fluttered on the wide streets, and colorful fireworks fell from the sky. People stood in front of the window, behind the French windows between the two huge lion heads, overlooking the parade below, raising their glasses and clinking glasses with each other.
Soon, accompanied by a heavy halberd hitting the ground, the chattering and noisy hall suddenly quieted down, and everyone turned around and looked towards the main hall. There, the door between the two magnificent lions sitting cross-legged on the ground was knocked open with a sigh, and the imperial guards holding explosive halberds pushed the door in.
The emperor's golden armored guards strode into the hall, like a golden ocean, and behind them, the corridor outside the hall was also filled with the emperor's golden armored guards, who stood on both sides of the avenue and guarded the entrance and exit leading here.
They blocked the accompanying officials at the end of the distant corridor. The senior officials in the hall saw a guard walking out of the guard. He was wearing a golden and red battle robe, and the weapon he carried was not a halberd, but a sharp sword with an eagle with an open beak and a screaming eagle at the end.
This made people recognize his identity at a glance, the Holy Envoy, the personal guard envoy in the Imperial Guard who summoned the emperor's orders and acted on his behalf. He stepped into the hall and stood on the high platform and raised his head to the people below.
"The Emperor's personally chosen Regent, Robert Guilliman, the Angel King, Saint Gilles, and the great Supreme Marshal of the Empire, Vito Constantine, are here. Everyone, kneel."
After he said that, he looked down at all the senior officials kneeling on the ground, and then stepped aside, with his chest and head held high, and the guards standing on both sides with spears stared at the three people who walked out.
Vito glanced at the Oracle, who nodded respectfully to him, but he did not have such respect for Guilliman. The guards only respect the Emperor himself and those they choose to respect, and it has been like this since ancient times.
Although Guilliman is the Regent of the Empire, he only has jurisdiction over mortals and Astartes. The Guards will not obey him. They will only obey the Emperor and the commander he chooses. In the past, Vito led the Guards together with the commander of the Guards, Waldo, and formed many Guards companies. For many Guards, Vito can almost be called the father of the Guards. He is another commander who commands all the golden armor guards when Waldo is not there.
Vito smiled at him, and then followed Guilliman to the steps in front of the senior officials. The three stood side by side in front of the officials, and they all bowed their heads.
"Haha, please raise your heads, friends, I am the Regent, not the Emperor." Guilliman smiled and raised his hand to signal. In his kind words, the officials looked at each other and stood up, looking at Guilliman on the stage. In the crowd, a tall lady with a black high ponytail came up.
"Mrs. Varcia, it's a pleasure to see you here, my dear Imperial Chancellor." "I am also honored, sir, and you, Lord Angel, and of course, Lord Marshal." "Don't worry, Lord Chancellor, I know I am not as conspicuous as them, after all, I am not four or five meters tall."
Vito's words caused a brief laugh, which eased the atmosphere of the reception. Guilliman also smiled in recognition, and Sanguinius patted his shoulder and laughed, enough to eclipse any lady at the scene.
"This is a day worth celebrating and remembering. I believe that the historians of the Empire will definitely write about this day, and Ms. Sumani will leave a strong and colorful mark."
"Yes, Ms. Sumani, the head of our historical court." Guilliman said with a wry smile, and Vito raised his eyebrows, keenly aware of Guilliman's strange eyes, especially when he said the name himself.
Guilliman also noticed Vito's teasing smile, cleared his throat and turned to the senior officials, "Some people didn't come?"
"Yes, my lord, I'm very sorry, some people did not come, I must have summoned them, but I will contact them as soon as possible."
"No, you don't have to." Vito interrupted with a smile. The Speaker of the Valsia Empire looked over with a surprised expression, but soon felt a chill all over her body. She turned her head to look in the direction of the cold, where she saw Eva, the Grand Master of the Assassin Court.
She appeared there silently, and no one noticed how she came before. Even the imperial guards tightened their weapons and showed vigilance and displeasure, as if they were provoking them, but because the Supreme Marshal was present, no imperial guards specifically expressed their dissatisfaction.
The high-ranking officials of the Empire stepped back subconsciously when they saw Eva. It was an instinctive fear. No one would like or be willing to be in the same room with an assassin, especially their Grand Master.
She stood aside wearing the iconic skull mask, with two folding knives hanging behind her waist. There were traces of blood on the blades. With her arrival, it seemed as if winter had also arrived.
Behind her, Celestine fell from the sky. She fell from the glass skylight that was opened high up. There was blood on the armor on her chest. She flapped her wings and landed beside Eva, and greeted Vito with a smile.
"What's going on? What happened?" Guilliman noticed it. It was obvious that he was not stupid and his observation was not bad. "Where are those people?"
"They retired and will not return to their posts, and the problems they brought will be solved." "Vito, what did you do behind my back?" "Solve the problem, the one you told me, I think it might be faster to deal with it in my way, although I didn't know she was involved."
"The Emperor asked me to go. He thought you would need help." Celestine said it without waiting for them to ask her, and this was equivalent to endorsing everything that had happened, from the Emperor himself.
The high-ranking officials of the Empire looked at each other and talked in a low voice. Sanguinius frowned slightly and looked at Guilliman. She knew that they had not had a pleasant chat when they met the Emperor again before.
Guilliman looked down at Vito, and the two looked at each other. Suddenly, there seemed to be a smell of gunpowder, "Vito, if you want to execute my officials, I hope you can tell me first and discuss it, instead of killing first and asking for permission later."
"Some things, there is no time to ask for instructions, so you can only kill first and ask for permission later." "Then I hope that this kind of thing will be as rare as possible." "I hope so too."
The two looked at each other, and the atmosphere around them suddenly became quiet. None of the Speaker of the Empire and the high-ranking officials dared to interrupt. They remained silent in the face of the tense atmosphere. This was a showdown of power and a clear division of identity. As the regent, Guilliman would not allow his authority to be questioned or even offended, even for him.
If this was opened, all order would collapse, and his other brothers would continue to do so after returning, then he would not be able to fulfill his duties as the regent.
"I hope there won't be a next time, Vito, remember." Guilliman said coldly, staring at Vito in front of him coldly. The latter looked at him silently. The guards around looked at each other. They were thinking, if the Regent and the Supreme Marshal had a conflict, which side the guards should stand on.
But in the end, all that didn't happen. Vito looked at him in silence for a moment, then raised his head and nodded, "I will remember it. Now, talk to your officials, and I will talk to mine."
After Vito said that, he turned and walked down the steps. The senior officials in front of him made way to both sides. Guilliman took a deep breath as he looked at Vito who was walking by, and in an instant his face was replaced with a smile, "Speaker, I saw some unfamiliar faces, can you introduce them to me?"
"Ah, of course, sir, this is the new secretary of the Ministry of Political Affairs"
Celestine folded her arms and smiled as she watched the Speaker bring one person after another to Guilliman, who smiled and talked to them, making those newcomers feel terrified, and the atmosphere suddenly changed back, as if the brief conflict just now did not exist.
"It seems that he doesn't like your actions very much. Will this affect the actions of you, the assassins and the inquisitors in the future? I heard that he intends to limit the arbitrary power of the Assassin's Court and the Inquisition."
"You are not a member of Tzeentch, so don't say such inflammatory words. Also, wash the blood off your body. Who knows what the people you killed drank, Eva." After Vito said this, he looked at the master assassin and signaled when Celestine smelled the smell on her body and showed a disgusted expression.
The latter handed him a letter in silence. The latter took the letter, looked at the signature on it, and opened the envelope. "Did you deal with it?"
"Baptism of Fire, as you requested, Master." "Anyone else?" "No one left." "Very good, continue to track down their network of relationships and dig out the rest. This time it's more hidden. You know why." "Understood, Master."
Vito opened the letter and took it out. The fire shone on the surface of the envelope. It was the fire that Celestine used to wash the dry blood on her body. Her armor was stained with fire. She leaned towards Vito from the side and looked at the letter.
Vito did not dodge. He knew that Celestine's fire would only ignite those things she wanted to ignite, so he quickly scanned the contents of the letter with the fire on the little angel.
"What's in the letter?" Celestine asked without seeing clearly. She smiled as she watched Vito close the letter and put it in his arms. Only he saw the contents on it.
"We have to go on a long journey, to the Far East, to the Damocles Gulf."