Nurah responded with a dry mouth... the spiritual aura didn’t just smash them on the ground; its heat was strong enough that it almost boiled them alive.
"87th Millennium? Chained Era?" Azhukar frowned. "Are you telling me I have been imprisoned until a new Era emerged?"
"We don’t know the details exactly, but we know that your empire fell during the Erased Era..." Nurah paused. "Emperor... you have been imprisoned for more than a hundred thousand years, if not more."
"..."
Azhukar was silenced, his expression unreadable... but it was clear to all, he didn’t seem to take the news well.
Being imprisoned for such a long time was one thing, but to wake up and find out that your entire empire, lineage, race... all had perished and been corrupted? Who would accept such news with a warm smile?
"I assume you arrived at my empire after it became an Ancient Distorted Site," he spoke at last.
"Yes... we entered the site for the sake of riches, but then... we found a letter in a temple left behind by one of your High Priests... he beseeched us to save you from the traitorous clutches of the Dawn Phoenix... he wrote what happened to your empire, and how the Dawn Phoenix decided to embark on the Glorious Evolution despite your warnings... and how it went on a rampage, releasing the Ashfall plague that killed the majority of your citizens. After reading the letter, we couldn’t leave you trapped here, not after everything you have done for your people... the Ashori Bloodline must not go extinct." Nurah nodded, not allowing anyone else to partake in the lie to avoid ruining everything for them.
As a Blackthorn Assassin, lying, deceit, interrogation, and such skills were implanted in her since her childhood... she became so good at it, lying became second nature to her. No signs, no tells. Her eyes, tone, body language, everything was in control.
Of course, great liars always weave the truth with the lies to make them harder to spot... just like what she had just done.
When Azhukar heard the letter’s details, his memory was refreshed to the last gathering he had with his loyal High Priests.
’They succeeded in releasing me... but it’s too late, it’s too damn late... the Shadow Dimension has won, and it’s all because of her... HER! If only she listened!’
His expression turned cruel as he gazed behind him at the pile of ash belonging to the Dawn Phoenix... he extended his hand in its direction and released a beam of concentrated red plasma, burning the ash even more, stopping only when the throne melted into a pool of liquid gold.
Seeing this, Arthur and the rest gulped a mouthful in dread... if the spiritual prowess gave them an inkling of his overwhelming strength, the red plasma beam made them understand that even his powers were highly attuned... Plasma Aspect wasn’t something anyone could wield.
’Shit... is he at the final growth stage? Is he as strong as Eternal Daywalkers(Tier 9)? We are so f*cked.’ Tyrese thought inwardly, keeping his head lowered.
The same thought kept resounding in everyone’s minds... they ought to feel terrified. They were in the presence of a powerful emperor who had lost everything, and clearly... he wasn’t in the right state of mind.
They could tell the only reason they were still alive was because of Nurah’s lie and the Emperor’s confusion.
Once the confusion cleared out, they had no clue what he would do to them... especially when he had no empire to rule, no people to call his own, and an appearance scarier than a nightmare.
These thoughts made most of them sweat heavily, their hearts beating out of their chests nervously... unfortunately, this kind of reaction would never escape Azhukar’s senses.
He turned back to them and saw through heat vision how their hearts were too agitated... not from excitement, but fear.
Why would they be scared of him if they truly came here to save him? That was the first question that popped into Azhukar’s mind as his expression slowly turned cold.
It didn’t matter if Nurah was a master in the arts of deceit and control of her body; the rest, while silent, their bodies were like a wide-open book.
"So, you came to rescue me, right?" Azhukar asked.
Just as Nurah opened her mouth, wanting to answer, he silenced her with a raised hand. Then, Azhukar extended his finger in their direction and pointed it at no one else but... Arthur.
"You, answer the question," he ordered.
When everyone noticed that Arthur was the one picked, their eyes reflected a tint of despair.
"M-me?"
Arthur pointed his finger at himself while staring at Azhukar... seeing him nod his head indifferently, Arthur glanced at his friends and then spoke in modern IIthorien with a somewhat decent accent.
"I’m sorry... I haven’t finished my modern IIthorien lessons to learn the ancient version... I don’t understand anything you’re saying...Cough."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Jojo, Shia, Nurah, Tyrese, and the rest of the Daywalkers felt their souls escape from their mouths as they gazed at Azhukar’s deep, confused frown.
"What kind of lowly language are you speaking with? Fool, are you that daring to disrespect the sacred IIthorien language in my presence?" He uttered, not fond of the way Arthur spoke.
"Benevolent Emperor... times have changed since the Erased Era. There is now modern simplified IIthorien and ancient IIthorien." Nurah swiftly interjected to save Arthur before Azhukar vented his buried wrath on him. "No one here but me can speak fluent ancient IIthorien... please excuse them."
"I see..."
When he heard this, his rage was quenched a little... he nodded, understanding that it made sense for the language to change across eras.
Arthur sighed in relief and kept his head lowered, thanking Nurah over and over in his mind. But Nurah knew that it wasn’t enough. As expected, he asked her straight out why they were so afraid of him.
"Emperor... with all due respect, your current appearance isn’t what we expected to see."
Nurah bit the bullet and told him straight out... she knew the only way to kill his suspicion was to be extreme and change his attention to something else unrelated to them.
"My appearance?"
Azhukar frowned as he glanced at his arms, seeing nothing but beautiful, smooth orange feathers tucked inside lustrous armor... but when he tried to look at his face, he stared at the reflection of himself in Nurah’s eyes.
That’s where he saw it... the creature staring back wasn’t an emperor. It wasn’t even a phoenix. It was an absolute abomination.
What was once his crown of authority and dignity had turned into broken feathers fused into his scalp... and this wasn’t even the worst part.
"No..." he whispered, shaking his head slowly. "No... this isn’t me."
He took a step closer, trying to see again, hoping the reflection would change. It didn’t. Nurah’s eyes trembled, and he could see it... every rotted piece of him, every burned feather, every ruined part that used to be glory.
"This... this is a lie," he muttered, his voice shaking. "A curse of your kind! What have you done to me!!"
But the more he denied it, the more his body betrayed him... his vision blurred, and flashes started to hit him... his hands twisted like claws, his legs fused with ash, his wings torn and half gone, the smell of burned flesh following him everywhere.
Nurah and the rest were left stunned, not expecting such a reaction... they thought he knew about his new appearance. But they had no idea that beauty for their race was something sacred.
From an emperor to the lowest of citizens, any Ashori took pride in their regal phoenix-like appearance and took great care of themselves, to the point that it turned into an obsession and could be used as a social weapon for those uncaring enough about their presentation.
If only they knew that it was even worse for Emperor Azhukar... so much worse, he lived in a delusion that his appearance remained the same after he had been imprisoned for so long, with only himself to talk to.
But now... the illusion shattered, and reality came rushing back at him.
The reality of what he did to himself and his people.
The reality of his failed Glorious Evolution.
"No... no... no!" He screamed. His hands clawed at his chest, his skin, his face, as if trying to tear the truth off himself.
"I screwed up! Protect yourselves!" Nurah swiftly shouted while sinking into her shadow.
Arthur and the rest instantly activated whatever defensive ability they had... but alas, some of them were still a tad too late.
Whoosh!
An orange, inflamed shockwave of spiritual energy exploded from his body, shaking the chamber!
Thud! Thud! Thud!...
Everyone was thrown backward like rag dolls, slamming into the walls and pillars... This was the best scenario for the survivors.
Anyone who hesitated to do as Nurah said ended up getting incinerated... set ablaze in raging flames, devoured in less than a few seconds under the eyes of their teammates.
Arthur, Shia, Jojo, and Nurah all survived... but the same couldn’t be said for two members of Tyrese’s team and three members of Evangeline’s team.
As those two gazed in horror at what remained of their teammates, Arthur and the girls kept their eyes fixed on Azhukar in pure dread.
They watched as the ground cracked under his knees as he fell, his hands trembling while his single eye was wide with madness and grief.
"I was light... I was fire... I was an emperor... I was a god!" He roared to the heavens. "How did it come to this? What have I become? Was it not enough to take my empire, my people, my grand plan of ascension? You had to turn me into a hideous beast!"
When everyone saw that his mind had finally cracked after so many hits, they knew that no rewards awaited them if they stuck behind.
They glanced at each other, deciding to run away... they knew the chances of success were abysmal, but it was the best moment possible while the Emperor wasn’t paying them any attention.
However, the moment they stood up, Azhukar’s head snapped at them. His eye reflecting nothing but pure hatred... It wasn’t directed at them, but at himself.
"Where do you think you’re going after seeing me in this disgusting state?"