"I'll give all of you one last chance to live," Vanitas said coldly. "Flee now, and you'll get to see another day. But if you remain standing before me…"
The pressure radiating from the balcony intensified the moment those words left his mouth.
The atmosphere throughout the throne chamber became suffocatingly heavy as overwhelming mana spread outward from Vanitas Astrea's body, swallowing the entire space whole.
"…I'll kill every single one of you."
The threat alone immediately caused everyone present to tense up.
Fear settled across the room. Knights tightened their grips around their weapons while mages hesitated mid-cast, their instincts screaming at them that provoking the man now seated upon the Imperial Throne would result in nothing short of slaughter.
Even Irene had to pause.
She had been moments away from lashing out again, but the instant she truly felt the horrifying pressure emanating from Vanitas Astrea, her body instinctively stopped itself.
