One step,
Two steps,
And several steps after, Israfel and Jibrail dared not to look elsewhere lest staking their lives by being attacked unknowingly. The duo was not ecstatic to meet the demons, but the anticipation was progressively killing their patience.
"--- --- ------- -- -"
"-- --- --!"
"----- -- - - -"
"-------- ------"
Although they coveted to cover their ears from the ringing reverberations that were defiling their ears, they maintained their alertness - Endeavouring to harken the voices of the Demon Nobles arising out of a great distance away.
The knights descried something quaint deriving out of the tone of the otherworldly creatures' conversation.
"Are they in a quarrel? They seemed tensed." Israfel orated, his body now facing sidewards as he girded himself with the incitation to flee.
"Hmm, let me check," Jibrail uttered, closing his eyes to aid his mind in focusing a tad more effectively.
The puissance of Sagramore's senses was restricted by Sarakiel ahead of their infiltration. It was to the extent that the knight was required to concentrate for a moment to exploit his own ability. He proceeded to sough laboriously to get the oxygen in his brain going.
"About three kilometres off, there are four life signs that are making their way to where we presently are. I am certain that three of those are the auras of the Demon Nobles. Withal, the last one is quite peculiar." Jibrail spoke of his findings out loud, so his companion would also be aware of their impending foreordination.
Israfel narrowed his gaze that was straightly fixated on the eerie darkness of the forest, speculating on the emergence of an uncharted enemy.
Concurrently, Jibrail was resolutely trying to analyze the identity of the last individual, evident from his deeply furrowed eyebrows and the veins that protruded on his temples. Thereafter, he fluttered his eyelids open pronto upon coming to an enlightenment.
"It's His Majesty, the Emperor." He confidently stated, yet his countenance was a tad disconcerted.
"What?! I thought that he was with the others!" Marquiss Morholt faintly clamoured, considering that he did not foresee the arrival of the Emperor from outside the dimension built by Khamael.
He felt muddled knowing that the monarch went off on his own again, sans any escorts.
"It's definitely him. Then, the horrid aura that we sensed earlier-" Jibrail halted his words to a trail, attempting to deny the actuality. "- Belongs to him?"
Israfel gave Jibrail an inquiring stare, wondering why the latter was disturbed of his discovery. If he could have a say regarding the matter, he wouldn't be surprised if it was proven to be true.
"Is there anything unusual with that?"
"Not by itself. I apologize for my unwarranted reaction. It just felt utterly sinister and unfamiliar that I became perplexed." Jibrail said as he lowered his head.
Israfel noticed the hesitation in his comrade's gestures, but he wasn't the sort of person who could ease someone else's perturbations.
"The Emperor has a myriad of confidential information that he isn't disclosing to us, even his capabilities. Let's move that issue out of the way and simply apologize for causing trouble." The Marquiss didn't want to dwell on meagre recriminations towards the monarch, so he stated his sentiments as lineally as he could.
It appeared to be effective when Jibrail met his eyes with reinvigorated positivity.
"You are right with that. Maybe I've been affected with paranoia the instant we ingressed the barrier."
Consequent to their discussion, they both composed themselves to appropriately welcome the Emperor. Still and all, it did not change the fact that they couldn't approach the source of the ghastly aura, yet their urge to escape this ongoing dilemma was suppressed with the remorse that had been bugging them for a while. Well, the duo ought to reconsider their choices if they recalled for a second that one of the scrolls was missing.
The pair bided their time in quietude until several silhouettes could be seen from the near murky horizon.
What greeted Israfel and Jibrail's visions were two novel figures; a lanky skeleton in a stork's frame, walking unsteadily in a twist and turn manner; a human carcass, wearing a crown, mounted on a crocodile spanning approximately five meters long. The Emperor had the creatures partially under his control, pulling them along with an invisible force.
The man of interest didn't emblazon his feat, absent any signs of struggle on his sparkling clean garments.
"--- -- - ------!!!"
"-----"
"--- - - --- - ----!"
"-- ---- --"
It was as clear as the muren Sirno to the Rounds that the individuals abreast of the ruler were Demon Nobles. Moreover, they were now exonerated from the thought that the adversities were at odds at each other.
"They're begging, aren't they?" Jibrail initiated a discourse as they tarried for the Emperor to nigh them a little closer.
Israfel's orbs lingered on the newcomers as he replied.
"Their pained visages are insinuating that."
"I presume it's not mind nor blood control."
"Yes, his Majesty is using his main attribute -- Sovereignty."
Sovereignty was an ingenuity which didn't utilize mana. It's the inherent talent of an individual to make other creatures submit to them through the strength of their soul's aura.
Whenever the Emperor professes Sovereignty, no existence could disobey his orders. The Rounds hadn't experienced its full susceptibility. However, as the two knights vigilantly espied its potential, they couldn't help but marvel at the skill's prowess further than they did, seeing that the Demon Nobles were influenced by it.
"The Emperor is using it sans the restraint to accommodate the Demon Nobles. I did not expect Sovereignty to be this intimidating at full power."
Thenceforward enunciating his admiration, Israfel and Jibrail genuflected on their knees, with solely the right touching the ground. Then, they put their right hand on top of their abdomen and placed their left undeviatingly above their spine tail.
Hereafter, they finally gave their respects to the Emperor, who was now standing merely a couple of meters away from them.
"We greet Your Majesty, the Emperor. How was your expedition?" Israfel declared, bowing his head as they were not given permission to rise yet.
The monarch perused that their limbs were trembling, ever so slightly, upon being exposed to a denser amount of his aura. Withal, he couldn't deactivate Sovereignty lest freeing the treacherous detractors.
"---- - - - - ------!!!"
"---- ---"
Sincere to his aloof personality, the Emperor regaled the demons' complaints at no time. He only did what he desiderated, and that was to bring the crisis towards a favourable conclusion.
The monarch sauntered, nearing the two Rounds, and laid a hand on top of each of their heads.
"Parva sub ingenti" He uttered an incantation that would alleviate the stress in Israfel and Jibrail's body.
Remarkably, this particular spell didn't require the Emperor to manipulate his mana. Instead, it drew out the mana from the two knights' system for their own benefit and protection. It was a spell to exclude them from the torment of Sovereignty.
Once the spell was cast, an invisible shield completely outlined the duo's whole body. A feeling of mitigation abruptly expunged the suffocation in their minds.
Latterly, the Emperor took off his hands, moving on to interrogate his retainers.
"Why are the two of you in the alfresco of Praetorium?"
The pair promptly lifted their heads, warily shifting their stares to avoid the monarch's gaze. Following their flimsy struggle to elude, the pressure that was radiating from the Emperor's orbs contrived Jibrail to speak.
"We were too enthusiastic in jumping into action that we didn't heed Lord Claudas' warnings. We apologize for our misdeed, Your Majesty."
"Do not ask for forgiveness when the both of you are going to carry it out once more."
The quick dismissal of their atonement made them flinch in fear of an incoming retaliation from the Emperor. Thankfully, it was not in the ruler's agenda.
"I'm already cognizant of these demon's names - Saleos and Halphas. The scrolls could acknowledge their life cores. Are any of yours reacting?"
"----- -- --- --!!"
"------ ---"
At that moment, the two misfits remembered that a swift stole Israfel's scroll.
"---!"
"--- - - ---"
"Ah, that, you see--"
"W-we lost it, Your Majesty."
Israfel and Jibrail elucidated on their circumstance respectively, with feeble voices that sounded as if they're whispering.
"--- - -- -----!!!"
"-- ---"
"-- -- - -- --------!!!"
"-- - -----"
"Shut your f*cking disgusting mouths, too boisterous."
The Demon Nobles toiled to articulate more words, yet Sovereignty suspended them. The organs they were using to verbalize continuously opened and closed, but no sound came out.
The Rounds suddenly flinched, reckoning that they were sinking further down the ground. Directed or not at them, if the Emperor's manner of speech switches to a recalcitrant attitude, even the most defiant Mikhail would be anxious.
"Both?" The monarch questioned anew.
Lying and stalling would serve to aggravate the Emperor. Thus, Jibrail answered immediately.
"No, Your Majesty. It was solely Israfel's scroll that was taken by an avian."
'Atticus strained his eyes once he noted the unbelievable explanation.' - Was what they imagined the Emperor's face to appear. They couldn't watch his expression for their ogles were locked on their feet.
"You mean this p- hmm?"
The monarch halted his address, scrutinizing the enormous cube built in the middle of the plane, with distress bothering his consciousness.
'Did Khamael just collapse?'