They may be dead.
Just because of the raging rage of the Underworld.
——————
The Supreme Lord Admiral of the Imperial Navy, the Pope of the Divine Emperor State Religion, the Pope of the Underworld, the representative of the shopping team, the head of the Imperial Ministry of the Interior, the commander of the Lord of the Astra Militarum, the representative of the Inquisition, the Director of Law...
There is also Kirkland-584, the current acting forging general of Mars, who just walked down from the battlefield with scorch marks on the hem of his robe.
The high lords who were once so arrogant stood together in front of the tightly packed restaurant door, either huddling or straightening their backs.
The Guards and Sisters of Silence lined up on both sides of the corridor, but the two Ultramarines were guarding the gate.
Samuel swallowed subconsciously, and the old man straightened up, hoping to die with as much dignity as possible.
It was silent.
"Why won't you let us in?"
Samuel couldn't help but mutter under his breath. He nudged the Anglican Archbishop Meslin, who was wearing a white robe with gold edges beside him, with his elbow. The two archbishops were of similar age, but the Anglican Archbishop had well-maintained, long white hair and a white beard.
Meslin coughed and silently moved away from Samuel.
“Not everyone is here yet.”
An electronic voice sounded, and the mechanical sage who seemed to be put together temporarily spoke with a grunt. The mechanical body bowed with some joy and stretched out a hand towards Samuel.
"Nice to meet you, Samuel. I am the new general of casting. We will work together for Hades in the future."
Religious madman, Samuel thought to himself, but this might mean that he would not die for the time being. Samuel put on a smile and let his hands crackle as Kirkland squeezed them.
"Not everyone is here yet?" he said casually. "It's the Star Tongue Academy, the Navigator Academy, and the Astronomical Torch Academy—"
Heavy footsteps sounded from the other side of the corridor, stepping over heavy black curtains. The undried blood on the helmet and boots was licked by the carpet. The brand new and clean silver plate was covered with a curved silver lid, and deep red blood oozed from the gap between the plate and the lid.
The sweet smell of blood filled their nostrils.
Buzz and Black walked over, each holding a silver plate, and the guards following behind them were roughly pulling a pale-faced man. The man had almost completely lost the ability to move, bleeding from all seven orifices, and his pupils were empty.
Samuel recognized the living man, the abbot of the Astronomican Temple, Psyche.
“It’s all here.”
In the dead silence, Kirkland said briskly, "I can't wait to offer my loyalty and achievements to my Lord."
Samuel's modified hearing picked up the sound of bones clicking, and some of his former colleagues and political enemies - the high lords - began to tremble.
They all had blood on their hands and had faced countless life-and-death moments, but seeing someone with equal power as themselves fall and die shamelessly was another shock.
They did not die in a life-and-death political struggle, but were simply and casually wiped out...
They can accept death, but they cannot accept that the power that once dominated the world can be easily defeated by other beings.
Samuel felt his heart beating wildly, not because he was afraid of death, but because he really witnessed a miracle. These insects... In the past, he had to kill many people just to give them a small obstacle, but now...
The blood dripped down and was quickly absorbed by the carpet.
There would be no reverberation of the warp, the scene was so pure.
"Good evening, everyone."
Buz spoke briskly, his use of High Gothic and etiquette impeccable as he walked to the front of the High Lords' procession, holding a silver tray in his left hand.
"I am Buzz Bella, son of Pluto, the former regent of the empire. In the name of Pluto, I welcome everyone to the dinner."
Kirkland raised his robe and bowed. Except for Kirkland, no one else took any action, including Samuel. The door slowly opened...
—————
"Old Ma," Hades muttered quietly, "isn't that a weird choice of restaurant?"
"I'm saving your nonexistent image, Revenant."
Malcador said calmly, "Show no mercy to the executioners - your ideas of equality are too deeply ingrained, Revenant."
Hades sighed. He didn't want to make his meal so fancy.
"You should believe me, Lao Ma."
"Then you should understand me - I want to do this."
Malcador said, "A little of my bad taste. I have put up with these ignorant mortals for too long."
—————
…darkness.
Samuel tried to open his eyes wide, tears of rationality flowing from them, but it was still pitch black and he could not see anything.
Buzz made a gesture to invite them in, but no one took action. Kirkland was no longer in a hurry. The Mechanical Sage looked at the high lords with amusement.
Samuel took a deep breath.
"Okay," he made a prayer gesture, "Praise to Hades." He walked into the darkness with his head held high. The light above his head did not diminish the darkness in the slightest.
The Astra Militarum Lord Commander followed him, the second High Lord to enter the dining room.
The other high lords entered one after another.
—————
The hall was shrouded in darkness. A lonely green light was burning on the long table, reflecting on the silver plate, which successfully made people lose their appetite.
The main seat was completely dark, and the candlelight could not penetrate the absolute darkness at all. The high lords stared at the plates in front of them with their eyes and noses, and their hearts were filled with fear.
It's cold here.
Samuel shrank his neck. He was sitting in the second seat to the right of Pluto, and next to him was the Imperial Regent Buz Bella.
The sound of the stool rubbing against the ground could be heard from time to time. It was the nervous twitching of the abbot of Xingju Court. He looked like he was about to faint.
Opposite and beside him were two "empty seats". The silver plate that Mingzi had been holding earlier was already placed in front of the empty seats, with drops of blood seeping out along the tablecloth.
You can tell what's inside just by using your toes.
"Hello, everyone."
A calm and old voice sounded, and a blurry young face walked out from the long table at the other end of Pluto. Samuel saw the wide-open eyes and mouth of the Chief of the Interior Ministry out of the corner of his eye - he knew that kid, he was one of the Chief of the Interior Ministry's subordinates, William.
At this moment, William's red hair turned gray.
"It's been a day. I think everyone can't wait any longer."
William said, disdainfully ignoring the shocked look of the Interior Minister, "Then let's not talk too much and serve the food."
First, the appetizers.
The Son of Hades, who was hiding in the darkness, came out and served the "appetizers" to the seated high lords.
Samuel felt the cold sweat falling from his forehead.
At this moment, a folded piece of paper was lying quietly on the plate, and the size of the paper placed in front of each lord was different.
"Please."
William said that Samuel reached out his hand tremblingly, picked up the paper, and opened it... Inside were some "little things" he had done before.
He seemed to hear the subconscious retching sound of the Director of the Ministry of the Interior.
Still... Well, Samuel comforted himself that his paper was not that big compared to others - he hoped that the font size used by Pluto was the same.
"The second one."
In the white porcelain bowl, the pungent white corn soup was staring at them like an eye.
"It's a specialty from Barbarus, the hometown of Hades. It has a special flavor made with the wine specially made by the god of death. The amount of wine added to each bowl varies depending on personal preference."
William said that at the other end of the long table, a pair of hands reached out silently, and then a face as pale as a stone sculpture appeared, and in the dim light, His face was reflected.
Cold, inhuman, yet great and sacred.
Pluto picked up the silver spoon and naturally began to drink the soup in front of him. Anyone could tell that the soup in front of Pluto was the most "deadly" one.
The host has already started. In the cold light of the candles, the high pressure almost gripped everyone's soul, making them breathless. In this atmosphere, everyone knew what to do, but they were hesitant to hold the silver spoon.
Boots and Kirkland picked up their spoons and began to drink the soup as if it were water.
Samuel swallowed and raised the spoon. The good news was that the believers of the Underworld Cult had often tasted the Pale Lord's drink. For someone of his high level, he had to drink it whenever there was an event. He was not worried about this.
Seeing Samuel start eating, some of the other high lords exchanged glances with each other, while others picked up the spoons directly with a fearless attitude.
As the poisonous soup entered his throat, Samuel felt his tongue festering, and then his esophagus. The toxin corroded him from the inside out, like the whisper of death.
His vision began to blur and the room seemed to brighten. He saw the structure of the dim restaurant. A painting of Mona Lisa was hanging on the main wall, gazing down at them.
Samuel heard violent coughing and vomiting. The Chief of the Interior Department seemed to be vomiting, and his vomit was all over the tablecloth in front of him. He struggled and grabbed his chest, and fell into his own vomit.
Not only the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but also the representatives of the shopping mall team and the court of justice fell down in pain. The others also more or less grasped their throats and whimpered in pain.
However, the performance of the Astra Militarum commander and the Archbishop of the Ecclesiarchy was most similar to Samuel's, except that their faces were pale and their lips were tightly pursed.
Pluto ignored them. The bowl in front of him was already empty. As if urging the food to be served, Pluto looked at William opposite him.
"Side dish, the death of two psychics."
William said, "Anwar is the host of the Star Language Academy, and Hillard is the representative of the Navigator family."
The silver lid oozing with blood was opened, and the two heads stared at the people present with their eyes open.
Some people, however, could only twitch under the effects of the poisonous soup.
"The good news is," William continued, "our competent Astronomican Master Psycho has remained committed to his duties and has not crossed the red line - I think the psykers are between him and..."
"You don't have to be so busy,"
Pluto, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke. People's eyes instantly shifted away from William. They stared at Pluto in fear and anxiety.
"Malcador... We should trust the wisdom of future generations. After all, individual abilities are limited."
Makado smiled.
"Okay, okay."
"I am impatient," said Malcador. "Then let us have the main course."
William walked behind the Minister of the Interior, who was staring at him in agony.
"The death of three high lords."
Malcador said calmly. He grabbed the high stool and knocked the chief steward of the Ministry of the Interior down. There was a dull thud as the stool hit the ground. The chief steward howled and spat out semi-jelly blood from his mouth. He was then dragged into the darkness by something lurking in the darkness.
The sound of bones breaking was heard.
The smile on "William"'s face widened, his white hair grew, he waved his hand, the stool stood up again, he sat on it complacently, and the dirt on the seat disappeared instantly.
In the other two seats, representatives of the merchant fleet and the tribunal also fell down. Death fell upon them, and their bodies were dragged roughly into the darkness.
"The air here is finally a little fresher,"
Pluto said, picking up his glass, "Thank you for your help."
Kirkland raised his glass first, "For Pluto."
Boots followed suit, "For Pluto."
"Then..." Pluto lowered his voice, "You still have to eat something."
Normal food was finally served, which was salad. Along with the salad, there were two pale new faces who were pressed into the seat vacated by the deceased.
Samuel pretended to eat some. His stomach was cramping and it was a miracle that he didn't vomit. The Astra Militarum commander stuffed vegetables in his mouth, as if he wanted to use these herbs to detoxify.
Opposite Samuel was "William", who was staring at all of them sinisterly. Who was he
The dessert was served, and the sweet scent seemed to ease some of the heaviness. After death, Pluto's aura obviously became lighter and gentler.
"This is the pastry that the Lord of Red Sand liked back then," Hades said. He picked up another piece of cake, as if he thought of something, and sighed again.
Malcador's eyes swept across Hades like a knife, and Hades paused.
"So,"
Hades said,
"Next is the transfer order. Malcador the Spellbinder will serve as the Chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Kirkland the Sage of Mars will serve as the representative of the Mechanicus as the Forge General. Tur will serve as the representative of the Merchant Fleet. Venan will serve as the representative of the Inquisition."
My life is saved.
Samuel thought, he believed that he had understood everything, and those who were left now were Pluto's "own people", at least those who had undergone Pluto's first round of scrutiny.
Samuel breathed a sigh of relief, but the "tea" that came next shocked him again. It was called tea, but it was still the drink of death.
It seemed that Hades would not drink anything other than Mortarion's fine brew.
Hades raised his glass casually,
"The rest depends on your wishes. This is just a formality, and someone will work with you next."
Drink it all in one gulp.
Kirkland and Boots also followed Hades in raising their glasses, but Malcador looked at them coldly, picked up the glass, indeed changed the liquid in the glass, and sipped it slowly.
…
Samuel thought about it, since he already had resistance...
With the determination to sacrifice his life for justice, Samuel picked up the cup and motioned to the Son of Pluto behind him to fill it up. He raised the cup and drank it all in one gulp.
As he put down the cup dazedly and was about to fall unconscious on the table, he caught a glimpse of the shocked Pluto.
He made the right bet.
The pharmacist rushed in.
… … … … …
Everyone left their seats.
"That's just nonsense..."
Hades said tiredly, "I've never had such a depressing meal. Old Ma, don't be so hard next time."
“This is necessary to establish authority.”
Hades waved his hand. "Whatever you want, Old Ma. I have something else to do... something personal."
Malcador nodded, the old man looked deeply at Hades, and then left the empty restaurant.
Hades stood up, stroked his chin, and looked at the representative of the Inquisition who was ordered not to leave for the time being.
"… Don't be afraid," Hades said. "Can you call the Grey Knights over now? I have something to ask them."
The red stone around Hades' waist flickered.
(End of this chapter)