So, I have to beat these guys up, right? I mean, they attacked me first, so it's self-defence.
(Hey.)
Hm?
['Hey, Altair, that wasn't you, was it?']
I asked my mental partner.
[Nope. It was probably Lili.]
I looked up at the Purple Emperor, completely ignoring the five men in front of us.
('Basically, you have to beat those five guys and come up and bow in front of the Emperors. No one knows you're the Black Emperor and we'll keep it that way for as long as possible.')
I want to talk to her but it seems to be one-way telepathy. I don't agree with this at all.
('It's either you follow what I say or we persecute you in front of everyone. Wouldn't do well on your father's position, would it?')
I knew Lilith was slightly out of it but I never knew she could be this threatening.
"I'll get you!"
Oh, here comes some guy with a mana axe.
So... How do I deal with this in front of all of these people?
"Gyah!"
I pivoted; the axe sunk itself into the wooden planks, under the red carpet.
"Huh?"
"I'm not dying yet."
I punched the guy in the face. His body dropped to the ground, unconscious.
"--Fireball!"
The man furthest in the back said.
The fireball made itself past the four guys and soared toward me. The young man with the spear ran behind the fireball.
Really? Are the tactics really needed?
I'm just a 16-year-old boy.
I can't exactly dodge this due to the confined space. Dealing with this fireball will be easy but I don't want to use Erebus or Shadow Magic.
Ah, right, I can use what Lilith taught me.
I bent my knees and held my hand out. Mana seeped through and formed a thin hexagon, a mana shield.
The fireball hit and destroyed the barrier.
"You're mine!"
He charged at me, aiming his spear at my head, for some reason.
Just by slapping his wrist and pounding his chin, the young man also dropped to the floor.
"H-hey! We need some more reinforcements!"
The guy in the back said.
And so, around ten more people joined in.
Most with weapons.
"Please, no one else join this battle."
Reinhardt said, only AFTER they increased their numbers.
Son of a bitch.
['I don't want to but I'm forced to use Shadow Magic in this case.']
[You're going to use that move you told me about right? What was it called again?]
Using Shadow Magic, I cloaked my hands and feet with armour.
I exhaled.
"Behemoth."
This is a move that I created with the general idea that I'd be able to get a decent hit on Aden-Lada by using it.
To be honest, this is the last thing I have up my sleeve but I don't want to hurt these guys.
If I'm right, these guys are nobles and I don't want to have any trouble afterwards.
With this move, I should be able to charge through them and knock them out quickly and not cause them to bleed or anything.
Of course, I am suppressing my mana output. If I go all out, I will probably kill them and even some people watching.
Yeah, if I don't hold back, Behemoth is that powerful.
"What is he doing?"
"Is he a dog?"
I got onto my fours and began secreting mana.
"Fire at him!"
I'll reduce my output to... 20%.
Within a second, I kicked off the ground. In the next half second, my mana hardened into a thin boar shell, and the final, I charged through the nobles.
I stopped before the stairs.
"What... was that?"
"They're all down."
Yeah, I should've just clocked each one of them in the head no matter what injury they got. Using Behemoth is something I should never do again, if not necessary.
The only reason I used it here is because I wanted to experiment. Behemoth was... merely experimental.
I'm glad it worked though.
"Come, Shoya Sasaki. Your gifts are awaiting."
I looked up at Reinhardt.
I walked towards them and... you know, dropped to one knee. I didn't want to do this but it was better than them sending nobles on me.
Aden-Lada, Reinhardt, Lilith and Astoria gathered around me.
['Hey, what are they going to do?']
I asked Altair.
[From the looks of this, it looks like an award ceremony.]
['So, I'll get a medal? For what?']
[Not a medal. Powers. Emperors can boost others' abilities with their Sigil. I don't know what my sigil does since I've never gifted.]
The Emperor's Sigil can do that much. I guess there's more authority to being an Emperor than I thought.
"Now, this was my fault. Shoya Sasaki here wasn't given an invitation and was invited late."
Reinhardt said with a soft smile.
No shit, no one told me anything until I woke up an hour ago this morning.
"The reason why I allowed him to fight those nobles is to show you his might since he is the boy who fought against Aden-Lada, the Pink Emperor, being mistaken for the Black Emperor."
People began whispering. I looked over my shoulder to eye the crowd. I noticed Anastasia in the far back on my right.
So she came, huh?
Let's see... Who else?
Hysaka and Hikari are to my left. I don't see my sisters or Kuro anywhere.
"So, the Blue, Green, Pink and Purple Emperors shall award him each a Signet for his chivalry, perseverance and strength."
I looked back at the four Emperors.
They all raised their hands out; all their Sigils engraved themselves in the air. I felt a warm sensation drown my body.
"You have been granted the Sigil of Collection, Signet of Effervescence, Signet of Primality and Signet of Dominance."
"I just... What happened?"
[Your mana absorption rate increased, your potential has been unlocked, you've obtained a sixth sense and your control over your mana has improved.]
That's what Signets do. That's amazing.
"Wait, if I was going to retrieve these Signets then why was I training?"
I asked them.
"Well, you're even stronger now, so don't complain."
Lilith told me.
Wow...
---
"You're crazy!"
Anastasia grabbed my shoulders and shook me.
"Crazy how? You heard how the Green Emperor explained it."
"Glad you're alright though."
Akane said.
The purple-haired mistress let go of me.
"Same for me."
"But still, did you battle an Emperor and survive?"
If I just give a simple answer like 'yes,' then they'll just question me. Not just any high-schooler can fight against an Emperor, not that I actually lasted against Aden-Lada.
I was getting beaten the shit by Aden-Lada because she made me temporarily unable to speak. So, eventually, thanks to Kuro, Altair took over my body and overpowered Aden-Lada.
"I only survived for a little while. She was ready to kill me but held back when she figured it out."
Absolute total lie.
"Oh, okay. What was that move you did?"
Anastasia asked.
"It's a secret."
I said in an attempt to tease her.
"What. Was. That. Move. You. Did."
The girl got up close to my face. She looked extremely determined to find an answer.
"Uh... It was a move where I gather mana and harden it into the shell of a boar. Upon contact, it releases its compound shape. And... that's not what you wanted to hear... It's called Behemoth."
Akane narrowed her eyes.
Jealousy, I think?
Then, there was a subtle growl.
"What was that?"
Sebastian asked.
"So..."
Everyone looked at me.
"Do any of you have any food?"