Theorem: when you strike at a king, you must kill him. (Credit assignment: Ralph Waldo Emerson.)
My restatement (yours may be different, but still): when you strike at the God-Empress—well, striking at the God-Empress wouldn't work. But when you strike at one of the God-Empress's minions, you have to either kill him or provide sufficiently strong evidence that you could kill him if you wanted.
Theorem: when you strike at a king, you must kill him. (Credit assignment: Ralph Waldo Emerson.)
My restatement (yours may be different, but still): when you strike at the God-Empress—well, striking at the God-Empress wouldn't work. But when you strike at one of the God-Empress's minions, you have to either kill him or provide sufficiently strong evidence that you could kill him if you wanted.