Chapter 1002 Declaration 2
He… had finally accomplished the goal that he had set for himself so long ago, and he had promised himself that after doing so, he would never hold back or control himself from being as dominating as he wanted to be.
Yes! Why be cautious, even now? They were the enemies that would soon be coming here to fight against him, and it was a reasonable assumption that they already knew about the status of the Heroes that they had sent. Even if all methods of communication out of the continent were being blocked actively by him using the ancient, hidden city of the Empire, there were some things that just could not be stopped. For example, it was written in the records of the Order that there were certain Artefacts whose sole purpose was to transmit the status of one's life over vast distances. It was usually done when sending messengers or assassins so that it could be known whether they had lived or died even if all other means of communication were blocked, so even now, the Church must know that most of its forces were dead, and because no communication had been sent about their success, that it was possible that the rest of them were captives.
Putting all this aside, the thing above had already seen an image of him addressing the people in this manner. If so… Why pretend that he was weak?
Getting a playful grin on his face, Daneel said, "How do we stop it? I don't have any clear communiqué with the Church, but why not give a declaration of war by blocking them from seeing as?"
[Looking for available methods. Discarding methods based on time required and resources. Most effective method found: Use the Artefact of the Church which is in the process of being bound to block the continent from all external surveillance.]
Perfect!
What else could be more fitting than obtaining a valuable weapon they had sent, and using it to stop them from keeping track of their enemy?
Daneel wasn't sure of the details, but if he was a betting man, he would have bet a lot on the possibility that whatever they were using to look at him from above, it was definitely a very costly method which they hadn't used up until now as they might have felt that it wasn't worth it.
What he was going to do was both protect Angaria, and slap the Church's face in the process.
"Do it, but let's add a special touch..."
[Affirmative. Control has been taken. Deploying Artefact in cloaking form.]
A moment later, a change came in the atmosphere that was only felt by the Heroes of the continent.
Even they could only tell that something had changed, but after a few seconds, it almost felt as if it had been a hallucination, as there was no difference in the sky between now and a few seconds ago.
Only… To the eye above, all of the people disappeared, and what appeared in their place was a vast sweeping grassland, on which a few words were written.
And reading them, on the Mainland far, far, away, the Bishop's face turned red with anger.
"You're next."
Unaware of the change he had brought on his adversary, Daniel smiled once again, and throwing his hands aloft with joy, he began to speak.
"My dear, dear people. On this happy, yet grim occasion, I have much to say, but I will keep it short. We are all weary of the ordeals that have threatened to vanquish us, yet here we stand, battered but brave, in the wake of the largest threat that we have had to face…so far. It is a happy occasion because today, finally, I have accomplished something I had set out to do, even without realizing it, so, so many years ago. I set out to rule for I saw no one else who could do it better, and with every step I took, I kept looking for someone who might do it better so that I could learn from them, but every step of the way, my search was in vain, so for better or worse, the mantle was mine. I took it up, upon myself, to bear it for all of this beautiful land which has endlessly graced me with plentiful love and bountiful pleasure. Some thought me wise. But many thought me foolish, and kept calling me a 'kid' or a 'brat' whose eyes strayed far too high upon the horizon. I won't boast about how I've proved them all wrong…as there is nothing to boast about. All I did was what my heart thought to be right, and on every step of the way, the support of you people was what kept me going, even though the path grew treacherous and forlorn. After many difficulties, we are here, and right now, it is my greatest wish that we could call it a day. It is my greatest wish that I could say that this is the end of a saga, the end of a tale, but alas…it is but the beginning. Much awaits us, but what I promise is this: I will do all I can do to save our Mother from the great enemy that threatens her existence. When we are born to her, we come into life in darkness, with our eyes closed, but that same darkness must never, ever enshroud the one from whom we came. My dear people, the worst is yet to come, but we shall face it together with our heads held high. The war is coming, sooner than we ever thought it would, but we will be ready. We will fight with fervor, and we will prevail, for this is our land, and no bastard can claim it while we stand! WE LIVE, FOR IT LIVES! AND WE WILL DIE BEFORE LETTING IT DIE! DEATH TO THE ENEMY! DEATH TO THE CHURCH! DEATH TO DESTINY, IF IT STANDS AGAINST US! THE WAR IS COMING, AND AS WARRIORS, LET US BRING FORTH VICTORY! FOR ANGARIA! FOR ANGARIA! FOR ANGARIAAAA….!"
And so, caught up in his own enthusiasm, the King began to chant, and the people followed him, as the entire continent seemed to scream, defiantly, against the eye in the sky.
This sound was allowed to leak through the Artefact, and hearing it, far away, the Bishop gritted her teeth and muttered her reply to the King under her breath
"Even a fly will get complacent if it's allowed to fly at will in the open sky. I will swat you to the ground, no matter what it takes, and I will make it so that that name that you chant so proudly will be lost, never to be found, in the annals of time. Mark my words, king…I am coming."
As he heard her, to Jonah, it felt as if he was hearing battle drums in the air, and letting out a breath, he prayed for his disciple, and his home.