"Lightbearer, go and see if you still want to spare them after witnessing what they've done."
Charles spoke while clutching his wound, glancing weakly at the Lightbearer beside him.
"Understood..."
The Lightbearer replied hesitantly and began walking down the corridor.
But as he turned the corner, the sight before him froze him in sheer terror.
The heads of five gravity-armored soldiers were severed and mounted onto a towering red armor, arranged like war trophies.
Their bodies—or rather, what was left of them—were mangled and fused with the crushed gravity suits, with flesh, blood, and armor shards scattered everywhere.
"Tell me where your city lord is."
Kahn's voice was cold and impatient as he lifted one of the city defense soldiers effortlessly with one hand.
"Y-you… you must be dreaming…"
The soldier stammered, trembling.
Without another word, Kahn removed his helmet, leaned in, and bit down on the soldier's head, crushing it like a melon.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he tossed the lifeless body aside.
The genetic ability of the Eighth Operative Gene among the 19 Legions activated:
By consuming the flesh and blood of an enemy, a Space Marine could absorb partial memories—like hidden locations, access codes, or even learned combat techniques.
"Shangmin… surface dwellers… corpse-eaters… beacon hunters… crimson pigment..."
Kahn muttered to himself, processing the stolen memories.
"This really is a feudal society…"
He growled.
After extracting what he needed, Kahn marched toward the command center.
As he moved through the corridor, he passed Charles—the once proud Light and Shadow Bearer—now collapsed on the ground, paralyzed with fear.
Kahn instinctively raised his weapon to strike him down, but was stopped by Oaks.
"The Empire still needs a witness. We've spilled enough blood for now."
Kahn didn't look disappointed. Like a predator momentarily pulled back from the hunt, he simply grunted and holstered his weapon. Then, he gestured at one of his men.
"Bring that one—Mark. We'll need him to open the door later."
Kahn said, gripping Mark like a chicken and dragging him along as the Iron Warriors advanced deeper into the enemy stronghold.
"Straight ahead."
Kahn pointed at the towering steel door in front of them, his voice cold and heavy.
"Requires a passcode," he stated flatly.
He stepped forward, eyes locked on the glowing red control panel. Without turning, he addressed Mark with a low growl.
"Do you know the code?"
Mark swallowed hard, his face pale.
"I—I don't know… Usually only the city lord or top-level officials would know something like this," he stammered, shaking his head.
"So, do we need to capture a hacker? Or… kill a high-ranking executive?"
Mark asked in a trembling voice, his eyes glued to the towering metal giant before him.
After all, who wouldn't tremble at the sight of a two-meter tall steel behemoth who had just drunk someone's brain like it was orange juice?
Kahn scoffed.
"Get out of my way."
His voice was deep and irritated.
He stepped in front of Mark, raised his massive fist—larger than a human head—and slammed it into the control panel.
BOOOM!
A sonic blast ripped through the air, shaking the hallway. Mark dropped to the ground, covering his ears as the shockwave rattled his skull.
The massive door groaned… then slowly began to open.
"Fire!"
Chug tug tug tug tug...
The sound of countless bullets clashing against Kahn's armor echoed through the corridor.
Bullets rained down like a violent storm, striking Kahn and the others as they marched through the breached steel door.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Each round sparked against their ceramite plating, like rain pattering on iron statues. Sparks danced in the air, and flashes of light illuminated the hallway in bursts of fury.
The firefight was over in seconds.
None of them were harmed.
Kahn stood in the middle of the smoking hallway, dust and embers settling around his towering form. His voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"Enough. This farce ends now."
He stepped forward slowly, eyes locked on the trembling defenders who had already dropped their weapons.
"What... what do you want?"
Lord Morgan, the city governor, stammered from the command dais, his hands shaking as he saw Kahn's glowing red eyes approach.
Kahn's voice was like thunder.
"Submit yourselves to the glorious Emperor Kenthelion."
"Do so, and He shall grant you great mercy for your heresies... and allow you to leave this world unscathed. This planet shall be repurposed for the Emperor's scientific enclave."
"Is... that all?"
Morgan looked dumbfounded, his disbelief barely hiding the fear in his voice.
A 'good man'—that's what people used to call him.
He recalled the steel giants slicing through barricades like fruit, cutting down defenders as if they were nothing more than weeds in the way.
Those people had died... for nothing.
With a heavy heart, Morgan stepped down from the dais, legs weak, and lowered himself halfway to the ground before the towering warriors.
"Lord Morgan submits... to the will of Emperor Kenthelion."