Justice led Yuki and Yuno to a small room. It appeared as though only the three of them were present, but even Yuki could detect at least thirty armed soldiers lying in ambush nearby using his psychic senses.
These were the Inquisitor's private stormtroopers, equipped with gear superior even to the Astra Militarum. Among them were a few individuals whose identities even Yuno couldn't quite pin down. If they were the freakish killers of the Officio Assassinorum, things would be difficult. The combat prowess of those assassins had a massive range, but there were recorded cases of them successfully assassinating Primarchs. Whether or not that Primarch had held back was irrelevant; being able to breach such defenses and deliver a killing blow was proof of terrifying skill.
"Mr. Yuki, you are familiar with the concept of an Inquisitor, I presume?"
"Not really. I've only heard it's a position of immense importance."
"Indeed. We are the executors of the Emperor's will. We punish His enemies, and we purge all those who are unworthy of being His subjects." Justice spoke without any emotion, as if he were describing a trivial, everyday task.
"Then, Lord Justice, executor of the Emperor's will, what is it you want from me?"
"The work of the Inquisition is divided into three major branches: the Ordo Xenos, the Ordo Hereticus, and the Ordo Malleus. I am a member of the Ordo Xenos."
"Xenos? Meaning..."
"Aliens. My responsibility is to hunt down the enemies of humanity that exist outside our species. Given your position, I believe you're aware of what happened on the other planet in this system. Isn't that right, Yuki, Boss of the Underhive's Yuki Gang?"
Dammit, Yuki thought. Griffith just had to drag me into this mess.
"Yes. I heard there was a xenos issue there."
"It was a significant issue, and it even led to a Daemonic outbreak. Fortunately, I arrived in time. Had I been any later, my colleagues from the Ordo Malleus would have intervened."
"That sounds worrying. How can I help?"
"Tell me, Yuki," Justice said, suddenly shifting the topic. "What is your relationship with the Genestealers?"
Yuki felt a jolt of alarm. Yuno didn't understand the Inquisitor's words, but she felt the sudden shift in Yuki's emotions. She began weaving a psychic spell; the moment Yuki made a move, she would blow the room apart.
"Haha, Genestealers? What are those?"
"Don't play the fool with me, Yuki. I have investigated you. You appeared out of nowhere and rose rapidly in the Underhive. First, you seized a corpse-starch processing plant, then you wiped out the Dorai Gang, launched gang wars against two other minor factions to expand, and finally fought your own allies. You are now one of the most powerful gang leaders in the depths." Justice took a sip of water. "Furthermore, there is a community of Emperor-worshippers near your territory. I suspect that is a Genestealer cult nest."
Is this guy using cheats? Yuki was stunned. The man had mapped out his entire history over the past few years.
"Well, that's certainly a fresh perspective," Yuki remarked.
Justice looked at him and gave a chilling smirk. "Moreover, you are an unsanctioned psyker, aren't you?"
What the hell does this guy want? Yuki's expression turned grim. He knew he couldn't let this man live. The immediate priority was finding out where his data was stored.
The good news was that the Inquisition was rife with internal strife and mutual distrust; Justice was unlikely to have shared these findings with others yet. The bad news was that killing an Inquisitor usually just brought someone even more troublesome to your door.
"Heh, Yuki. My original intent was to execute you on the spot. But your performance has been surprising. Perhaps you and your girlfriend can be of use to me."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I need to annihilate the Genestealer presence on this planet. You don't appear to be infected, yet you can interact with them normally—that speaks volumes of your capability. From now on, you will follow me and investigate across the sector. Consider it penance for your betrayals."
Yuki struggled to keep his face neutral. "I'll consider it."
"This isn't a request; it's a notification. I don't know where you truly came from, but you cannot oppose me."
"Hmm..."
"If you want to try assassinating me, go ahead. But if you do, I guarantee you will regret ever being born." Justice checked the time and left one final instruction before walking out. "I'll give you three days. Hand over the military strength and all relevant intel on that Genestealer community. That is your first mission."
Yuki watched Justice's back as the hidden ambushers followed their master out.
"Dammit," Yuki whispered. "That guy is a dead man."
"How much does he know?" Yuno asked.
"Everything except for the Tyranids and the Daemon incursions."
"So he doesn't know much at all then."
Yuki felt he really needed to figure out how to summon Khorne. "The situation is actually better than I thought." He deduced that this Inquisitor might not have a massive force backing him yet—at least not enough to handle Yuki directly—but he still needed to find out how many warships were in orbit.
Later, Yuki met with Griffith. The Bishop's demeanor hadn't changed despite the change in attire. Yuki told him about Justice's threat, omitting the parts about his relationship with the Genestealers and his status as a psyker.
Griffith wasn't an ordinary man; he knew Yuki was hiding things. But in this world, who didn't have secrets? Griffith was a pragmatic Bishop; he understood that a tool shouldn't be broken before its value was fully extracted.
"What will you do?"
"Obey, of course. Do I have any way to defy an Inquisitor? Surviving today was an act of the Emperor's mercy."
That was a lie. Yuki was already calculating how to kill Justice.
"Good luck."
"I've already had the greatest luck of my life. I'll face whatever misfortune comes next," Yuki said. Griffith looked thoughtfully at Yuno, who had quietly taken Yuki's hand.
"You two should settle down a bit," Griffith added. "Sister Sego's reports have already reached me. It's good for young people to be energetic, but don't overdo it."
Yuki remained noncommittal. "If that guy dies, we'd be in big trouble, right?"
"Yes," Griffith said seriously. "We would all be dead, and everyone associated with us would be dragged down too. I advise you not to entertain such thoughts. This isn't the Underhive. Don't apply your street logic to the Spire."
"In my eyes, the whole world is just one giant Underhive. Fine, I'll handle it properly."
Can he really handle it? Griffith wondered silently. If things reached a breaking point, would he be able to save his own neck by betraying Yuki to the Inquisitor?