Warhammer: Lord of the Endless Monster Horde [310]

"Traitors! You're all traitors! Kill them, kill them, defend the dignity of the High Lords!" several screamed.

"Minotaur warriors, where are you? Minotaur Chapter, destroy the Imperium's enemies!" a High Lord called.

"Minotaur Chapter! The High Lords summon you to battle!"

The Minotaurs were a special Space Marine chapter, answering directly to the High Lords, tasked with dirty work.

They were the High Lords' blade—well equipped and trained, among the best in the Imperium.

They hadn't immediately ordered the Fists about, because the Minotaurs weren't present.

"Too late. The Minotaurs already received my orders and are on a mission," Rhodes said.

In the original timeline, Guilliman won them over at once. After seeing Rhodes' giant form, the Titans, the Emperor avatars, the Minotaur Chapter Master immediately pledged allegiance.

He even volunteered to help Rhodes with the dirty work.

Rhodes simply sent the Minotaurs out with his monsters to fight the daemons.

"You must have used some trick to control those loyal warriors! The Minotaurs would never betray us! We gave them everything!" a High Lord screamed.

But in truth, by giving them so much, they developed self-awareness—and realized who to follow!

Sometimes it's better to have dumber but loyal subordinates—clever ones aren't always loyal!

Rhodes laughed. Instantly, he transformed into a terrifying 60-meter-tall giant, stunning the gathered nobles.

They hadn't seen the Titans, monsters, or avatars before, having hidden during the battles.

Now, seeing Rhodes's monstrous form, they were terrified.

"This—what are you? You're not human!" a High Lord stammered.

Even after the Emperor took the Throne, he was never so huge. The tallest Primarch was maybe five meters.

Rhodes sneered, raising his hand and enveloping the nobles and their soldiers in a psychic barrier.

Unless you were superhuman, there was no escape—even several chapters of Marines would be doomed.

Rhodes's psychic power could now envelop an entire city. Mefilas could wrap an entire planet and move it. He wasn't there yet, but he was growing.

"Attack! Loyal warriors, destroy these heretics! The Marines have betrayed us—kill them!" the High Lords ordered, commanding their soldiers to fire.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

 Tens of thousands of guards fired bolters, meltas, and plasma, but the blue barrier held.

"For you traitors, I grant the cruelest death," Rhodes said, making a crushing gesture.

The blue psychic barrier began to shrink, and the trapped nobles and soldiers tried every means to resist.

It was futile. No matter how they struggled, the barrier kept contracting.

The nobles shrank together, cursing Rhodes and the nearby Marines.

"Oh Emperor, do you see? Your loyal angels of death have betrayed us again!"

"Think of your Primarch Rogal Dorn—what would he do? Attack the heretic beside you, save us!"

Some High Lords tried to sway the Marines, but the Fists captain just shook his head.

Were these people truly that blind, or just pretending?

The facts were plain. Even the Custodians now obeyed Rhodes, and the Emperor avatar proved everything!

And the disparity in power was obvious—did they think tens of thousands of guards, even better armed than usual, could threaten Marines?

Even without Rhodes's power, the Fists alone could wipe them out!

"Captain! Take these men and reinforce the front, attack the daemons with my titans, eliminate any survivors," Rhodes told the Fists captain.

The next scene would be bloody.

"Thank you, Lord Rhodes.

At such a critical time, traitors must be dealt with," the captain replied, leading his hundred Marines and 25,000 human troops to the front.

Only Rhodes, Kania, and the surrendered High Lord remained.

Rhodes ignored the nobles' screams and kept shrinking the barrier, slowly reducing their space.

"No! You can't do this! We are the great High Lords, we've given everything for the Imperium, we are loyal!" some finally broke down, but even so, they refused to bow their heads.

"As punishment for betraying the Emperor, I grant you the harshest death; your corpses will be branded as traitors," Rhodes said, compressing the barrier.

The gigantic blue psychic shield, filled with nobles and their troops, slowly floated into the sky—a breathtaking scene.

Hundreds of thousands became a giant compressed biscuit!

Minutes later, the mass was crushed into a huge sphere, flesh and unknown matter mixed together.

With a wave, Rhodes unleashed thousands of degrees of heat, reducing the sphere to ash.

He was rewarded with thousands of system credits. So, killing humans granted system credits too!

Kania and the surrendered High Lord watched, terrified by Rhodes's ruthlessness.

Hundreds of thousands of nobles, executed without hesitation, and in such a fashion.

"OK! It's done. Time to clean up the daemons outside," Rhodes said with a smile.

His main mission on Terra was complete.

…

Inside the palace, Guilliman and Magnus stood on either side of the Golden Throne, hands on the Emperor's corpse-like body.

"Father, isn't this brother a bit too ruthless? Such a death…" Guilliman asked.

What grudge did Rhode have with the High Lords?

"They deserved it. I feel a great relief—those High Lords truly deserved death," the Emperor replied.

Wasn't it true? The ones who turned his perfect Imperium into everything he hated. The Emperor had long wanted them dead.

Magnus simply smiled.