Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 999

Chapter 990: Tzeentch is out

. Before Gu Jing’s eyes, a demon ascension ritual unfolded and concluded with remarkable speed.

His past knowledge had taught him that demon ascension was a dangerous process. Accepting the Heretic God’s favor seemed easy, requiring only degeneration, but the price paid was truly immense, and the vast majority of recipients failed to survive. Even for Chaos Champions who had advanced far enough in pleasing the Heretic God, the success rate after receiving the favor was pitifully low, with perhaps only one in a million becoming a Daemon Prince. Those

worthy of receiving the favor were already rare, requiring sufficient merit to please the God. Even so, failure was still the vast majority, and the fate of those who failed was dire—transformation into mindless Chaos Spawns. Perhaps those obsessed with Heretic God worship saw this as a good thing,

but looking at Galardo’s ascension… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a piece of cake. It

‘s said that successful demon ascension depends on the ascensionist, but it’s now clear that as long as the powerful within the Warp desires it, it can be accomplished.

Otherwise, how could this Gallardo ascend to demonhood? Was he more powerful than a million Tzeentch champions? More devout?

It was simply because of his position, his role in this incident, enough to cause dismay within the Imperium of Mankind, that he succeeded.

But Gu Jing wasn’t worried.

His original concern lay with the true might of the Warp. But after the appearance of the thunderbolt that pierced the Warp, that worry was no longer a concern.

Gu Jing only had to contend with this single ascended Gallardo.

What was there to fear?

Even among Daemon Princes, there were differences.

Ascended demons weren’t necessarily exceptional.

Someone like Magnus, a Son of God and the foremost psionic master among them, had almost completely overwhelmed Robert in combat after ascending to demonhood—even with the Emperor’s Sword, he would still have been outmatched. During the Lunar Battle, without Gu Jing by his side and the support of numerous Sisters of Silence and Spellbreakers, Robert alone would have been powerless to dislodge him.

But Gallardo was no such Daemon Prince.

Before his ascension, he was neither an unrivaled warrior nor a champion, nor a psionic master possessing exceptional talent and mastery of psychic energy.

He was merely a mortal, at best intelligent, cunning, strategic, and adept at plotting and scheming.

These were certainly traits Tzeentch admired, but even after his ascension, even if these traits were vastly enhanced, they merely made Gallardo a more skilled conspirator, granting him some supernatural abilities to facilitate these endeavors.

A boost in direct combat power?

For Gallardo, a mere mortal, it was undoubtedly immense. He went from being powerless to capable of tearing apart ordinary Space Marines.

But he could only tear apart ordinary Space Marines.

If he faced a Chapter Champion, he might even be able to crush them with his unprecedented physical and psychic strength.

But if he advanced any further, Gallardo, with virtually no combat experience or skills, would expose his greatest weakness: he had no idea how to utilize his strength.

As for his earlier boasts before Gu Jing?

That was more like nonsense!

And what about Gu Jing?

He was undoubtedly a seasoned warrior. Ever since he reached a certain age and began working, he’d undoubtedly received considerable help from his father. But those countless adventures, those near-death experiences, were no lie. He had already been honed to perfection through this process.

So, with Tzeentch only able to successfully elevate Gallardo to a demonic level, and unable to provide further assistance due to Gu Hang’s obstruction in the Warp, Gu Jing simply dominated Gallardo.

Gallardo’s previous disoriented attitude, fueled by the sudden surge of power far beyond his wildest dreams, was quickly eroded.

He had indeed become immensely powerful, but so what?

On the one hand, he noticed that the power displayed by Gu Jing, the son of his enemy, was on par with his own,

perhaps even stronger.

On the other hand, Gallardo clearly possessed a similar level of strength, yet he couldn’t even touch him.

He was completely toyed with Gu Jing’s psychic abilities. The shockwaves he’d painstakingly built up unleashed with ferocious force, but often the targets were merely illusions set up by Gu Jing. Gu Jing’s attacks were so diverse and dizzying that he couldn’t tell the difference between the key and the deception.

He could only haphazardly resist, often making repeated mistakes. His initial feeling of invincibility gradually gave way to surprise, then to annoyance,

and now, only to panic.

The power bestowed by the evil god wasn’t infinite. The power he could draw upon now was significantly less than what Gu Jing had dissipated during the battle.

Even with his inexperience in combat, Gallardo could sense that he was losing.

But what could he do?

He couldn’t think of a solution.

He was like a trapped beast in a cage, roaring and threatening fiercely, unleashing his strength endlessly towards the open space and cage nearby.

Gu Jing, on the other hand, was like a seasoned hunter holding a spear outside the cage. He kept teasing, tempting Gallardo to waste his “energy”, and then from time to time, he would seize the opportunity to stab him fiercely.

Not deep, not fierce, but blood was drawn every time.

Gallardo became weaker and weaker under the constant bleeding, even his howls and threats became weak.

Was he pretending?

Gu Jing saw it – it was. This guy seemed to be setting a trap by showing weakness, trying to deceive Gu Jing and then wait for an opportunity to strike back.

But… he was too incompetent.

At least, in a battle of this level, his plan was seen through by Gu Jing at a glance.

Furthermore, Gu Jing could see that the vulnerability left by Gallardo was a hole he couldn’t fill; the so-called backup plan was a minor threat.

So, what was there to hesitate about?

Behind Gu Jing, jet-black wings emerged.

They no longer resembled the Lord of Change, but rather the power of Como, the Eldar God of Despair.

These wings carried him at breakneck speed towards Gallardo.

Gallardo’s countless eyes, transformed from all of his body, simultaneously opened to their fullest, radiating a blazing light.

Thousands of beams of light shattered Gu Jing’s figure into fragments.

But before he could even pause in joy, he saw another Gu Jing charging towards him.

The smile on his face froze, and he tried to muster the strength to block the attack, but it was no longer possible.

Gu Jing’s hand held a divine sword.

It bore a striking resemblance to the once-treasured Dark Eldar sword, the Como!

With one strike, Gallardo’s body was split vertically in two.

The two halves of the Daemon Prince’s body still writhed on the ground, attempting to rejoin.

However, the despairing force of annihilation clinging to the cut surfaces prevented the two from merging, and as Gu Jing, standing nearby, chanted a spell, it continuously eroded in the opposite direction.

In mere breaths, the newly ascended Daemon Prince vanished from this world.

Faintly, Gu Jing could hear a scream of unwillingness echoing from the Warp.

Tzeentch had lost, and was the first to be eliminated from the drama of Holy Terra.

…

Tzeentch symbolizes conspiracy, change, the thirst for knowledge, and curiosity.

But that doesn’t mean he is rational.

Is there such a thing as rationality in the Warp?

It doesn’t exist.

Even though Tzeentch, now eliminated, knew he had no chance of a comeback, that he had no more pieces left to play, he remained fuming, raging relentlessly, ready to overturn the entire chessboard amidst the vicious taunts of the other evil gods.

Gu Hang felt immense pressure.

Every time he faced these four detestable beings, he was repeatedly reminded that he had not yet reached their level.

No matter how close he got, that threshold remained.

Here, Tzeentch was clearly not giving his all.

Elsewhere, the eternal war between him and his “kind father,” Nurgle, raged on without a moment’s pause. At the border between their kingdoms, Nurgle’s demonic host, jubilantly mocking Tzeentch’s defeat, intensified their offensive; while Tzeentch’s demonic host, roaring to avenge their lord’s shame, launched a fierce counterattack. The two evil gods never relaxed their grip on each other.

Throughout the universe, countless conspiracies and machinations were unfolding or brewing, guided by the will of the Lord of Change, many of which were under Tzeentch’s watch. While

the drama on Holy Terra was undoubtedly significant, it would not, and could not, require Tzeentch’s full involvement.

Even so, Gu Jing faced a considerable challenge.

However, even in this dire situation, no one in the physical universe could withstand the wrath of an evil god and persevere until the latter, finding it boring, meaningless, and ultimately abandoning it, abandoned it. Regardless

, the outcome was ultimately a good one. Although

Tzeentch was the first of the four gods to be removed from the drama on Holy Terra, Gu Jing actually believed his plans and schemes were the most dangerous of the four.

The other three evil gods primarily focused their operations on the surface. While Khorne had infected ground troops, the Nurgle plague had spread widely among the common people, and Slaanesh had corrupted many of the powerful and wealthy… for Holy Terra, this was tantamount to a comprehensive destruction in progress.

Ultimately, these problems are solvable, provided sufficient effort and cost are invested.

And quickly enough.

However, Tzeentch’s corruption of the navy and orbit, and his sabotage of the peace talks between the Solar Fleet and the Crusade, pose the greatest threat.

If he succeeds, it will be a disaster.

Holy Terra possesses the most powerful orbital defense system and naval coordination in the universe, originally intended to counter humanity’s greatest enemies. If this firepower were to be directed against the Crusade, the problem would be immense.

Even if the loss of the Moon, the Imperial Palace still under the control of the Custodians, and the presence of numerous loyalists—a series of factors—limit the orbital defense system to only 30% or 40% of its potential, it would still be a formidable threat. Even

if the Crusade’s full fleet were to attack, it’s unclear whether they could succeed.

Over time, the Coalition’s ground support would become uncontrollable, and the situation on Terra would become even more unpredictable.

Now, the situation has finally been resolved.

With the death of Gallardo and the repulsion of Tzeentch, the remaining Tzeentchic corruption was no longer a major threat.

The crucial space fortress, Holy Grail Base, was secured by a powerful assault by a hundred Grey Knights and Black Crusaders. With the arrival of more landing craft, it fell completely under the Allied control.

Following this, after persuading the surrender or forcibly seizing control of numerous surrounding fortresses, armed space stations, and starports, an entire swath of orbital airspace was deemed safe for the Allied forces.

A few days later, the ships of the Solar Fleet, which had departed with Marshal Song Min and assembled at designated locations, were inspected by Robert. The entire command and combat system was restructured, loyalty checks were conducted on key positions, and personnel were reassigned to ensure the entire fleet was integrated into the Allied command chain.

They were then transferred to the task of controlling the orbit of Holy Terra.

The entire process unfolded like a falling domino, or a rolling snowball.

The initial struggle was the most difficult, but as more and more Imperial Navy sailors sided with Robert, more and more orbital defenders switched sides, and more and more Chaos traitors who stood in the way were apprehended, eliminated, and purged…

the remaining ones who couldn’t grasp the situation, wavered, or harbored ulterior motives… gradually became more aware of their options.

While casualties and small-scale battles had been raging daily in Holy Terra’s orbit in recent days, even numerous Allied fleets, or those of the Solar Fleet and orbital stations that hadn’t grasped the situation, had been destroyed…

overall, the fighting, no matter how intense, was brief and localized.

Compared to a full-scale orbital naval war, the cost was negligible.

And it was swift.

In less than a month, the entire outer orbital region was under Allied control.

As for ground support, that had already begun three weeks earlier.

Robert and Gu Hang hadn’t forgotten their promise to the Custodians.

They had already risked deploying numerous reinforcements to the surface, even before they had fully secured orbital control.

(End of this chapter)