[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor":3,"chapter-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-499":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1681169,2147,"Chapter 499 - 500 – The Supreme Overlord: Damn, It’s the Ultimate Humiliation!","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-499",499,"\u003Cp>Inside the Webway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Asurmen scion's skimmer sailed silently into a private dock, then vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Raider vessel followed the same route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Was there just a skimmer that passed by?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valek squinted at the distance, half-suspecting his eyes had tricked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His exhaustion had evaporated—he now stood rejuvenated, younger and sharper than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such was the racial advantage of the Dark Eldar: once they fed on enough soul-energy, their bodies repaired, their vitality surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having realized this, the Archon soon guided his Raider into a designated Webway route, bound for the estate of his superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The craft slowed into the private harbor of High Archon Smith. Valek's eyes flickered with a trace of reverence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That black spire of Lord Smith's tower dwarfed his own holdings, a titanic obsidian blade stabbing the void itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a declaration of dominion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As ever, Lord Smith convened a council in the grand hall of his fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Archons from the lesser ranks gathered to confer with him on how to suppress the chaos stirred up by the Asurmen heir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hall embodied Commorragh's cruel opulence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its ceiling soared dizzyingly high, constructed from black crystal inlaid with bone—faint wails of trapped souls echoed within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valek admired the décor with new interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once, he had no mood for such details, but now his spirit was lightened, his senses sharpened by the purity of the souls he had consumed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above all, he was alive—his lifespan extended. That was true beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Straightening, he moved to his appointed place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time he refrained from loudly proclaiming loyalty to the Supreme Overlord, nor did he surrender the \"gift\" given by the Asurmen scion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely the others had received similar offerings yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as Valek, slow though he once was, grasped this hidden truth, he felt a subtle connection when his gaze met that of other Archons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly—they were all \"his kind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They, too, understood. Their looks toward him warmed with unspoken fellowship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Valek, your recent tasks have gone well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High Archon Smith's tone, once dismissive, now carried a note of approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have contributed to the Kabal of the Black Heart. I am pleased.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We all serve the Supreme Overlord, do we not? Therefore we must obey his orders, that he remain secure…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nods and thin smiles spread among the assembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valek understood the hidden message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They need not openly betray the Overlord—but neither need they toil with earnest loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Orders above; counter-measures below. Stability, on the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when needed, they would even fan the flames—undermining crackdowns, feeding the chaos, pulling more into their hidden cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more who joined, the safer they were. And the greater the strength of the Asurmen heir.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For in the end, their goal was obvious: dethrone that decrepit tyrant Vect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valek believed this current ran not only in Emberscar Harbor, but throughout all Commorragh—others like Smith and himself stirring quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too long had they endured Vect's yoke. They longed for a worthier master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what, they would help the Asurmen heir triumph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Valek resolved that, once back at Emberscar, he would keep up the pretense of Vect's hunt orders—but only thunder without rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let the faith in the Asurmen scion spread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so it did, across much of Commorragh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purge orders continued outwardly, yet the heir's influence grew, gnawing at the Supreme Overlord's authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many sensed it. Many joined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the council, Smith hosted a private banquet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the others, Valek offered flattery, small gifts, and seized chances to draw closer to his superior—eager to climb further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deals, alliances, murders—such things were sealed in offhand conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the banquet dispersed, Valek and the others departed for their territories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corridors beyond, High Archon Smith still strode with imperious calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His Lhamean consorts trailed, heads bowed, their silken robes whispering like shadows yet making no sound—none dared disturb their master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All knew his cruelty, the subtlety of his killings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Vect had praised his ingenuity, adopting tortures Smith had invented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, at his signal, the consorts withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alone, his stride grew lighter, his face betrayed a flicker of obsequiousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He descended to the lower levels of his estate—to his private chamber, to pay homage to a higher presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, too, sought advancement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the chamber door, he rapped lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A calm, commanding voice answered: \"Enter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drawing breath, he entered with practiced grace, bowing in Eldar noble form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Honored Asurmen Lord, High Archon Smith welcomes your presence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his first audience, though the scion had long moved in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why betray Vect? Because the heir offered too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as a High Archon, the soul tithe pressed him to breaking—especially now, with the Overlord's hunger insatiable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this heir demanded no tax—and had already bestowed pure souls in abundance. Who could refuse?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Asurmen scion's voice was warm, approving:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You have served the Redemption Zone well. I am pleased.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith bowed lower still before daring to raise his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last he beheld the figure—seated casually upon a throne, radiating nobility even at rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Weaker than I imagined.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith's eyes glinted with calculation. His pulse quickened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No guards. No warriors. Only this frail body—even Incubi could slay him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he seized or slew this figure, delivered him to Vect… the reward could be unimaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps even elevation into the Supreme Overlord's inner circle: one man beneath, all others beneath him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the thought died swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For he discerned the truth: this was not the heir's flesh, but a simulacrum—a Bloodbride's crafted proxy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So that was why it seemed so fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far from insulted, Smith was relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cunning. Careful. Like Vect himself—yet with hidden depth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good. It meant the heir would not be easily destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he had risked his true body here, then the worth of allegiance would be doubtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden closed the comm-link, studying the High Archon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Smith, you seem troubled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, my lord, I do have doubts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Archon laid them bare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your plan is to topple the Supreme Overlord within three months, and spread the word?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And what are our odds?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden raised three fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At present, thirty percent. The rest depends on how Vect answers.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith frowned, pondering, then pressed further:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why are we releasing souls across Commorragh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the plan, Redemption operatives would scatter vast caches of soul-elixirs in every core district—free for any citizen or Kabalite to take.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Smith, the thought was agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He added cautiously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I believe none would dare keep them. Even if they picked them up, fear of the Supreme Overlord would force them to surrender.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is precisely what I hope for,\" Eden replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In that case—our odds rise to sixty percent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith's eyes widened. \"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me, why would anyone surrender souls so easily grasped?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Because of fear.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What lies within that fear?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith's eyes widened as realization struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Rage. Rage toward the Supreme Overlord.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden regarded the High Archon with growing satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Correct. I will draw forth the fury of all Commorragh—and drown that old wretch Vect beneath it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith's expression filled with expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord Asurmen, I believe we can win.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course,\" Eden replied bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Whoever triumphs—you serve, do you not?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smith bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are wisdom incarnate. I will not disturb your rest further. Allow me to take my leave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Archon departed, his doubts dispelled, his heart content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden watched him go with little concern. There were already hundreds of such High Archons temporarily pledged to him, holding sway over vast tracts of Commorragh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, they controlled less than one-fifth of the Kabal's might.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But more would see the truth, and more would rally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eden's gaze burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Vect—I have struck the key blow. Now let us see how you respond.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His borrowed flesh rippled and collapsed into flowing blood—vanishing as though he had never been there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Central District of Commorragh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Supreme Overlord's palace chamber, Vect rose from his bed of flayed skin, face dark, striding out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, broken consorts lay scattered, their eyes holding bitter reproach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the corridor, robed in black, he was met by a High Archon reeking of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My lord,\" the Archon reported, \"the Black Throne is complete. The biological trials enter their final phase. According to the Haemonculi masters, more souls are needed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vect's face was unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then raise the tithe. Increase collection. Stability of the experiment must be assured.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the current rate, many Archons are already discontent. If we continue to levy more—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Archon faltered as Vect's gaze hardened, cutting him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will execute your order. The captured souls of the Asurmen heir's followers will also fill the gap.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Overlord's will was law. Defiance meant death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vect gave no further word, merely a lifted hand, and the Archon melted back into shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do the citizens of Commorragh not understand? All that I do—I do for them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed, expression heavy with a strange grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only a few more souls, a little more suffering, a few more deaths. Endure, and stability will return.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet bitterness gnawed him. Those wretches not only failed to support him—they followed the Asurmen heir in rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly pitiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the thunder of lance fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The palace's defense grid activated instantly, a bastion capable of repelling heavy armor assaults.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reports came swiftly: a Mandrake strike-team, infiltrating to attempt assassination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How laughable,\" Vect sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Asurmen heir dares insult me with this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a dozen Mandrake cadres would break upon his defenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even if they destroyed this vessel—he was immortal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hands clasped behind his back, Vect strode onto his balcony to observe, intent on showing the futility of this assault.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what he saw turned his face green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heir's \"attack\" pierced his defenses—not with weapons, but with mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the palace square below, Mandrakes deployed a device, planting it upon the stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a whir, it launched a metallic sphere skyward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shield shimmered, holding back fire long enough for the orb to split—and unfold a titanic banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of Commorragh beheld it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Asurmen heir, muscular and smirking, arm around one of Vect's consorts—Lady Beda—who wore a radiant smile of bliss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And behind them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vect himself, painted white-faced, with a red clown nose and tangled green hair—eyes brimming with tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pitiful jester.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath, bold script blared as booming loudspeakers shook the air with pounding rhythm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"CUCKED! CUCKED! The Supreme Overlord is CUCKED!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's over! His consort has fled to the Asurmen heir! He cannot satisfy—neither body nor soul!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Across any race that bred, such impotence was the blackest disgrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The equivalent of an Ork that could not fight—mocked as a sniveling grotsnik.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now… destroy it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vect's face burned, shifting from green to scarlet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such brazen humiliation!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held his posture as best he could, commanding the banner destroyed at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was his worst fear realized—propaganda undermining his aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should his subjects see too much of such mockery, fear and reverence would wither.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he was finished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kabalite guards fired, annihilating the device.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vect exhaled in relief—then froze, trembling as realization dawned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"…Damn…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For new speakers already thundered from further off, new banners unfurling upon the spires beyond the defenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once more, the heir's mocking face, the clownish Vect—this time magnified across Commorragh's skyline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that was but the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were not isolated devices. Eden had seeded them across the core districts—banners, flyers, bedtime stories, even satirical grot-comics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The whole Webway would know it:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vect was wearing a Green Clown Hat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the shadowed chamber, High Archons nearby drew sharp breaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honor—face—was everything in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dark Gods fought for prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Primarchs waged rivalries over repute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even titans of Chaos could be undone by mockery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for Vect—once a slave, ruling only through terror and his crafted dignity—this was devastation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not mere insult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the ultimate humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Archons' gazes shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward their Supreme Overlord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward a clown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Get +20 Extra Chapters On — P@tr3on \"Zaelum\"]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Every 500 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter Drop]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Thanks for Reading!]\u003C\u002Fp>",2005,"2026-06-06T13:29:01.689Z",1,"novelbin.me","08de00c6addf354863ff21cc1bef75361c4289f35be68563eb635f58b9cae8c0","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-500","warhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-chapter-498",771,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarhammer-starting-as-a-planetary-governor-cover.jpg"]