Listening closely to a grand door Dax clearly sensed two presences inside the imperial throne room, while his injuries had healed up the qiton had still lost a considerable amount of strength and the ability to use mana, on the other side Dax simply couldn't risk involving his allies in the confrontation which was about to unfold so in the end, he decided to go in alone.

Or as alone as he could be when surrounded by over 50 combat drones which he had mind melted with anyway.

(.., In the end, there's only one way to go about this huh? Well, Ra did say that this was more my style anyway.)

Reminiscing about the more aggressive of the Avoaxian sisters Dax had come to call family while settling on an approach, Dax smashed his fist through the large locking mechanism on the door, then gently pushed it open as he remained standing in the centre of it.

"If only you had responded to some of my letters this wouldn't have happened."

Looking at the single throne which had been placed about 50 metres into the grand looking room with a high ceiling and detailed stone roofing and pillars Dax addressed the blond haired youth in his late twenties which was sitting on top of it with a confident expression on his face.

"Why isn't it that so called outsider? Sorry to say, but we have never heard of such letters."

"Yeah, yeah sure. Let's just get this s.h.i.+t over with, where is that which is mine? I have a war to get back to."

Taking brisk steps forward into the large hall of the throne room, Dax's drones followed behind him while holding up a strict battle ready formation, the reason being the other person who was in the deserted throne room together with the Emperor and Dax.

"That's quite close enough demonkin, keep your dirty toys away from the Emperor."

With the person next to the throne speaking up, Dax focused his attention on the archangel Limos as he continued walking closer while his drones kept their distance.

"My, isn't that lady Limos? What are you doing here? Didn't lady Eos command you to return to the 22nd?"

"I have no obligation to heed orders from a traitor."

"Is that so? Then you've just confirmed for me that you are currently going against the orders of the 22nd sanctuary which I have allied myself with temporarily, that makes you the traitor and thus there should be no problems with killing you off."

Showing a slight smile to Limos before he started ignoring her completely, Dax turned his attention back on the Emperor as he continued 'negotiating'.

"If you hand it over to me now along with all other artefacts recovered here and in the Northern republic I'll not only let you live and keep power, I'll also help rebuild the empire in its entirety. This is your last chance."

Presenting an ultimatum directly to the Emperor's face Dax noticed that his diplomatic smile slightly twitched, that was because Dax had just given him a chance, it was like saying 'do any more than this and you're dead', still the Emperor had to maintain his pride.

It was one of the few things he still had left after losing so much doing past few days.

"I will have to refrain from such an offer."

"I see… Before this meeting I held a bit of respect for you, seeing as you were their master, but all that is gone by now."

"Their master?"

Noticing a change in Dax's empty smile the Emperor couldn't help but ask who he was referring to.

"The Shadows, or whatever you called them. They all fought brilliantly until the end, I have taken the liberty of seeing that they all get a proper burial, seeing as they would just be left to rot otherwise."

Hearing Dax's words the Emperor was reminded how he had ordered them all to such a cruel end, but that only hardened his resolve.

Their sacrifices must not be in vain.

"But enough of all that, if you want to try and use your trump card now is the chance, I've left some good meat in the smoker back home and would like to return in good time."

Hearing Dax's mocking words it was clear that he had seen through all of the Emperor's plans, and now he even allowed him the first move. While it had been a long time since the Emperor had felt such humiliation, he still realized that this situation also presented a change, perhaps the last one he would get.

"In that case, we will take this opportunity without reserve."

Holding out his hand to the side, the Emperor made sure that Limos also followed Dax's suggestion instead to charging at him in a blind rage, the Emperor tapped his foot on the stone floor below his throne, then a ma.s.sive surge of mana was suddenly unleashed.

(Case delta confirmed, ICI, condition red.)

(CONDITION RED CONFIRMED, CHARGES SET AND READY. SAFETIES NOW DISABLED.)

Watching as the mana surge started concentrating at a point right behind the Emperor, Dax readied his contingency plan.

"Then let's see how you handle this one, outsider. We would like to introduce the true protectors of the empire!"

Turning his thin smile into a full on grin, the Emperor was only just able to contain his laughter.

And this was precisely the moment Dax chose to act.

"Enact case delta."

[CASE DELTA CONFIRMED, ALL CHARGES ARMED: NOW DETONATING.]

With ICI's cold and unfeeling voice echoing out from all over the ma.s.sive throne room as a signal, the ma.s.sive transportation spell which was starting to take shape behind the Emperor's throne suddenly disappeared without a trace as if the earlier spike in ambient mana had been an illusion.

"... W-what was that?"

Sensing the sudden change in mana the Emperor didn't even need to turn around to notice that the gate spell had failed. In utter disbelief, he quietly muttered those words, something which Dax seemed to pick up on.

"Magic destruction, or more like 'ambient mana annihilation trough destructive interference'. I just like to call it jamming."

Taking a confident step forward with a cold smile on his face Dax made the until now so proud Emperor flinch in fear.

"Now I believe we were talking about you returning the belongings of the Galactic Empire, we can do this the painful way, or we can do it the really painful way. Which one would you like?~" 

Dax had completely defeated the Emperor and by that extension, the Empire itself. Seeing the fruit of multiple months of work come to fruition Dax was in quite a good move as he approached the Emperor with a smile on his face.

It was at that exact moment that something went wrong, as if to punish Dax's hubris.

It started at a subatomic level, a small breach in the fabric of s.p.a.ce. Slowly it grew larger as a surge of mana seemed to support it, then in the faction of a second, it overcame whatever resistance was holding such an abnormal and gross breach of the universe' law, fully forming behind the Emperor's throne.

(What the f.u.c.k?... ICI was there any spike in the mana signature?)

(NEGATIVE, NO EVENT RECORDED WITHIN TIMEFRAME.)

(Then it's from somewhere else, what's the gravsig?)

(GRAVITATIONAL SIGNATURE DETECTED, SCANNING…)

Getting a really bad feeling while ICI ran its scan Dax reached out to the cursed sword,

(There's a good chance we need to run, make sure you are ready to strengthen me with all you got.)

(Oh~ What is this, are you scared Dax?~)

Sensing a new emotion from its partner the sword got all excited and started to tease Dax.

(Yeah I am, and you should be extremely scared too.)

(G-got it, I'm ready whenever you need me.)

Making the sword realize the gravity of their current situation just as ICI finished up scanning the signal to confirm Dax's fear, all the drones under Dax's command instantly pointed their weapons at the portal.

(GRAVITATIONAL SIGNATURE IDENTIFIED, POINT OF ORIGIN IDENTIFIED, READOUT AS FOLLOWS: BLACK CATALOGUE, RESTRICTED ENTRY #0666.)

With the portal stabilizing at that exact moment, the other side came into view as some of the colour drained from Dax's face.

"What have you done?"

On the other side was what appeared to be some sort of deserted plaza, with some benches about and a single tall tree in the centre of it. 

(CARRIER CONFIRMED, CASE BLACK CONFIRMED. ARMING BLUE MATTER, ARMING RED MATTER. TARGET: LUNA.)

"Ha! Ahahaha! How do you like that!? I told you it was time to meet the true protectors of the empire! These are the legendary beings which once saved us doing the great calamity!"

Seeing Dax's expression the Emperor started boasting loudly, completely unaware that the sound of his voice travelled through the open portal and awoke things on the other side.

"... While they might have been as you described a long time ago, that moment has long since pa.s.sed."

Suddenly, the brightly green oak tree on the other side started dying at an incredible rate, withering away in mare seconds and revealed one of the creatures which stood behind it. Standing at a height which surpa.s.sed 3 metres the amalgamation of half rotten flesh, runestones and biomechanical implants with a malignant growth of flesh and electricity eating fungus had no set form as it's numerous limbs squirmed around and acted as both hands and legs at the same time. Suddenly its movements came to halt, it seemed the creature which had just consumed the tree had noticed that a portal had opened, suddenly there was a way out of its prison.

(Oh f.u.c.k.)

Sensing that the creature on the other side had 'seen' him, Dax realized that it also properly recognized him too. Relying on his instincts in this kind of situation Dax started slowly inching away while the creature on started moving towards the portal while serval more of its brethren came into sight behind it.

(Enact Exterminatus, enact MAD.)

Being suddenly faced with the worst possible outcome, Dax had no choice but to release all limiters on his weaponry.

No matter how heinous those weapons were he had to use all of them.

(REQUEST NOTED, PROCESSING…. REQUEST APPROVED, NOW ENACTING EXTERMINATUS PROTOCOL, NOW ENACTING MUTUALLY a.s.sURED DESTRUCTION PROTOCOL, RESTRICTED ARMORY UNLOCKED.)

(Firemission: Send one times apocalypse by fire exotic matter warhead to my current position, full armament.)

(PLEASE AFFIRM USE OF EXOTIC MATTER ANNIHILATION WITHIN A POPULATED AREA.)

(Affirmative.)

(FIREMISSION CONFIRMED, CODE: BRIMSTONE, THUNDER.)

While the emperor was still laughing, Limos started noticing that something was wrong and when she finally had worked up the courage to turn around, one of the creatures had already made it all the way right behind her. Looking at the creature which was even beyond the power of the mighty archangels, Limos let out a scream which was cut painfully short as fungus covered tentacles burrowed into her head through her mouth and eyes without mercy. The Emperor's fate wasn't much better as he left the world screaming and shouting as he looked on with horror at the gostisce ma.s.s of rotten flesh devouring his still twitching minister of magic.

He would only need to wait a few more seconds until he suffered the same fate.