Should he confront the Supreme directly?
The thought crossed Emery's mind, and for a brief moment he seriously weighed the possibility—not because he feared the outcome, but because he needed to decide whether the risk was worth it.
If matters escalated into a fight he couldn't win, he still had options. His standing within the Half-Blood Alliance was far from insignificant. There was a reasonable chance he could talk his way out of a fight, and even if the Supreme proved unwilling to listen, Emery refused to believe that he could be captured so easily.
After a moment, he shook his head.
The truth behind the Serpent Supreme remained his objective, and he hadn't infiltrated this far merely to retreat at the first sign of trouble.
His location already compromised, Emery acted decisively.
With a single powerful strike, he smashed into the already weakened barrier, widening the crack into a gaping breach before the surrounding formations could repair themselves.
