rr"My name is Gack, Sir... Boss."
"Interesting."
Seeing this, the manager immediately stepped forward to curry favor. "Should I arrange a room for you, or will it be right here?"
Yuki didn't answer immediately. He placed a hand on Gack's head, using his psychic power to probe the boy's inner thoughts. Fortunately, the boy's mind was relatively clear; he knew Yuki was a newcomer and that the previous atrocities had nothing to do with him. A lad with potential.
"Do you know why I am here?"
The manager didn't know why Yuki was asking this and didn't dare to act smart. Although the man before him was his current boss, no one truly understood him. "That... forgive my ignorance, I do not know."
"You know, although I seized this territory from the previous generation, my situation is not as stable as it looks," Yuki said. He walked to the entrance and closed the door. In this "raw material warehouse," only the manager and his few guards posed even a slight threat.
"What... is the meaning of this?"
"I have all these men and all this territory, but who truly obeys me? Who is secretly plotting to replace me? I don't know. Perhaps any organization is like this—those above and those below cooperating and competing simultaneously. Most of the time, the things that bind them are quite simple: Strength, Fear, and Boons."
"Boss?" the manager stammered, feeling increasingly uneasy.
Yuki smiled. "Hehe, I need your help with something."
"What... what is it?"
"Lately, I've been thinking about how to make them fear me. I thought of many ways, but none were secure enough. But then, I figured it out." Yuki looked at the guards who were now on high alert, his smile widening. "Truthfully, in this world, nothing inspires fear quite like death."
"Yuki! What are you trying to do!"
The manager retreated rapidly, but his speed was laughable. He had been standing close to his security personnel the whole time. By the time the guards had even raised their guns, Yuki's fist had already punched a hole through the manager's chest.
The guards never managed to fire. Eleven used a fraction of her psychic power to instantly melt the internal components of their weapons. To avoid having a near-Alpha level psyker detected by the Imperium, Yuki had strictly limited Eleven's psychic usage to non-dangerous situations.
The manager's heart was ripped out, and his corpse was tossed to the floor. Only then did the "raw materials" in the warehouse, who had been living like walking corpses, begin to show signs of terror.
Yuki looked at them and announced: "You are in luck. You've met me just as I've taken power. From now on, you take your orders from Gack."
Twenty minutes later, every gang member in the district was alerted. Thousands of men rushed out from their small turfs, carrying weapons and bringing their comrades. The residents of the district slammed their doors and windows shut; those without either found any corner they could hide in.
Their destination was the cluster of raw material warehouses. Little did they know, their enemy was just one man, one teenage boy, and one blind woman.
"Dammit, I knew that lunatic wouldn't let us off easily—didn't even come to say hello."
"That guy is definitely wrong! I suspect he's one of the Hexed!"
"How many men did he bring?"
"I don't know, but it must be at least three thousand! We stationed so many people at the warehouse!"
"Curse it, we are the strongest district in the gang! How does this Yuki dare to break with us?"
There was no more time for discussion. They soon witnessed a scene of absolute horror. The populace was rioting—or more accurately, they were massacring the lower-level gang members. Armed with cleavers and crude weapons, the residents were settling scores with the outnumbered gang enforcers. Their organizer stood on high ground, overlooking the scene.
It was a mob of rioters satisfying their hunger. Hunger is always unbearable; even as powerful as Yuno, she endured the agony of hunger every moment. What fault could be found in people who, in such a state, did everything possible to fill their bellies?
Eleven and Gack stood behind Yuki. Gack had been designated as the new overseer of this district.
"I don't care if you are capable, and I don't care what you do here. All you have to do is ensure the population here keeps growing."
"I... I..."
"Strange, isn't it? Why I chose you, why this is happening so suddenly? Hehe, because I have the power to do so. The strong are allowed to violate and insult this world."
In order to obtain as much biomass as possible and to ensure the Hive Fleet met the least resistance upon arrival, Yuki had to control as much power as he could. He was doing the work of a Genestealer. Did he have selfish motives? Yes. He wanted to make his own strength formidable. Only then could he do what he truly wanted. Only then could he stand by Yuno's side and love her.
"Eleven, do you see those people?"
"I see them, My Lord."
"They will open fire soon. Do you think I should stop them?"
"Do not stop them, My Lord. Only when these people face death will they feel the full weight of adoration for the one who saves them. Only that is worthy of You."
Yuki stood there, watching the riot below. "Gack, now is your time to perform. Make sure they leave some bones and flesh; I have a use for them."
Facing the volcanic eruption of the rioting masses, Gack summoned his courage and stepped forward. Upon seeing Gack, the people were overjoyed, hoisting him up and shouting cheers.
"Yuki is here! Better days are coming!"
"Yuki is here! Peace has arrived!"
Gack was seen as Yuki's messenger. Yuki, who had killed the villains of the Ray Gang, had now come to save them.
All of this was under Yuno's observation. Using optical cloaking, she easily followed Yuki. Since Yuki had died once before due to her absence, Yuno would never let that happen again. Even when they slept together or when she diverted her attention to other fleets in the galaxy, she left a reflex to respond to any threat.
Watching Yuki standing on high, Yuno felt a trace of warmth. Yes, she loved him just like this—a deep, inexplicable love. It was like Cthulhu falling in love with a worm; the gap was perhaps even larger than that. But what of it? Yuno loved him dearly.
"How wonderful it would be if the whole world were left with only him. Hehehe, how many marvelous things could we do? Should I go look for Slaanesh? I never had such thoughts before."