The emperor rose slowly from the throne. There was no haste in his movements, nor any intent to fight in his eyes, only the weight of someone who knew that words could be more deadly than swords.
He began to walk toward Saruto. "Saruto… be careful of him," Bianca said, her voice laced with suppressed anxiety.
But Saruto raised his hand reassuringly, without turning his gaze. "Don't worry… he doesn't want to fight."
Then, in a grim calm, he added, "He wants to talk."
The emperor stopped a few steps away and raised his hand. Darkness formed before them, compressed, solidified into a black table flanked by two chairs.
The emperor sat first. Then Saruto sat opposite him. A heavy silence fell. Finally, Saruto said, "I won't speak now."
Then he turned his head slightly toward Bianca. "I want you to speak to your sister first."
The emperor looked at her and sighed. "Why have you changed so much, brother?" Bianca asked, her voice trembling.
The Emperor raised his eyes and said with shocking coldness, "You know nothing, Bianca. I haven't changed… I've always been this way."
Bianca shook her head violently. "You're fooling yourself. Ever since you started talking to that Umbra… you're not the same person."
In an instant, a burst of dark energy erupted from the Emperor, causing Bianca to collapse to her knees, nearly choking. "Don't you dare speak of the ruler Umbra like that!" the Emperor roared.
At the same moment, another burst of energy—Saruto. The two energies collided in the air, stopped, and then went out as if nothing had happened. "Don't unleash your power on your sister," Saruto said sternly. "She's only… worried about you."
Silence fell. Then the Emperor said, his voice less harsh, "…I apologize."
He lowered his head slightly and continued, "I haven't changed. I was just… lost. That day… my parents contracted Energy Accumulation."
Saruto eyes widened. The same disease. The one that afflicted his parents.
"I realized they wouldn't live much longer," the Emperor continued. "And in a moment of despair… the ruler Umbra appeared."
Saruto mind raced. "Umbra… cured this disease?"
"He offered me help," the Emperor went on. "He said he could save them. And in return… I promised to serve him for the rest of my life."
Saruto gritted his teeth. "How? How could he cure a disease for which there was no known cure?"
"Their condition improved," the Emperor said. "Then Umbra began to train me personally. He told me that mercy, compassion, and emotions… were limitations. And that true strength was unnecessary."
He paused. Then he said, "I didn't believe him… until I lost to the heir of the Ice Family… Lucien… at the Academy."
Saruto eyes widened again. "Lucian? But… that fight ended in a draw…"
The Emperor continued, "Then… I realized Umbra was right. I left the Academy. My father opposed me. He was about to usurp my right to the throne."
He paused. Then, his voice devoid of emotion, he said, "So I killed him. And I killed my mother."
Saruto jumped up. The table shook. "This… is madness."
The Emperor said, "When I did that… my power was unleashed. It reached one hundred percent. I returned… and challenged Lucian. And I killed him."
Then, as if recounting a normal history, he added, "The other heirs of the families intervened. And with them, my three fiancées… Star, Eliza, and Camilla. I killed them all."
Saruto body trembled with rage. "This isn't a human… this is a monster."
The Emperor said, "Then I understood. Only those who possess the power of darkness… deserve to rule. As for the rest… they must submit."
The table vanished. The Emperor took a step forward. "So I founded this kingdom. And I destroyed the others."
Then he looked at Bianca: "But there was always someone who stood in my way. You. I spared you because you were the last of my family. But… you went too far this time."
Bianca was trembling. Tears streamed down her face. "If you killed our parents… how could you do that?!" she cried.
She lunged at him, forming a sword of darkness. "I will kill you!"
The emperor seized the sword and smashed it with his bare hand. Bianca looked up in shock. He raised his hand to finish her off. But he stopped. Saruto grabbed his arm. "Don't interfere in a fight between brothers," the emperor said coldly.
"I'm sorry," Saruto replied firmly. "I can't just stand by and watch… a girl being beaten before my eyes."
The emperor took a step back and smiled sarcastically. "How chivalrous."
"I'll be back," Saruto said. "Wait for me."
He seized Bianca and immediately took her to the rebel base. She collapsed in his arms, sobbing. "Take me back… I want revenge," she said through her tears.
Saruto gazed at her for a long moment. Then he struck her lightly on the neck. She fell unconscious. He sighed. Then he vanished. He returned to the palace. He stood before the emperor once more. "I apologize again… for making you wait," he said in a deadly calm.