The Kingdom of Lanthanor seemed peaceful on the outside, but in the Palace, if one knew that those who were at the highest echelon were actually running around with fear in their eyes… They would definitely have been shocked.
Indeed, Kellor, Luther, and Robert, all of whom had casually been discussing about a certain matter regarding implementations of one of the King's many plans, had been badly shocked when they heard that message which was followed by the singular sound of an oathlink being severed.
For a few moments, they had been able to only look at each other, with their faces painted with disbelief.
After that, they took varying times to regain their calmness, but it was Luther who was first.
After all, unlike the sovereigns, these three were older individuals who had been through much more, and they could hold themselves together until they were able to either confirm or deny what they had just heard.
Instead of speaking, Luther entered a period of deep reflection where he considered all of the possibilities available that might have led to this message being sent, so it was Kellor who spoke.
"Who else could this message have gone to? If it was to all those whose oaths are in the oathstone, then the news will get out! That might even result in a continent-wide war!"
This hadn't been the first thing that Luther had thought of, which made him understand right away that they should work together and tackle this from all sides.
Robert sprang into action, saying, "I'll go around investigating if that is the case. I'll send the message to the others, too, but I doubt that they will receive it. Kellor, get to the bottom of this."
With that, he strode out and teleported away with the help of a mage was always on standby to take him to whenever he wished, and Kellor nodded with a grim expression on his face before disappearing, too.
Only Luther stayed where was, as he had just understood something.
Sure enough, not even a minute later, Eloise and the rest of the sovereigns appeared in the room that he was in, which was usually the one that they used to carry out their own discussions.
He had expected that they would come, so he said, "I gather that all of you have received the message, too. We have no time to waste. Kellor and Robert are already finding out about who else got the messages. Assemble underground. We will meet you there. And above all… Stay calm. He will be fine."
Although all the sovereigns were much better after talking between themselves, they still nodded with a bit of hope showing in their eyes as they saw this wizened man say these words with such confidence. Just like them, he, too, had witnessed all the feats of the man who had made their lives revolve around his, so there was no reason for them to lose hope.
"All of us will go help. Let's assemble in two minutes."
With that, the room became empty, and Luther, too, traveled to the Hidden Kill Sect, because there were individuals there who had given oaths to Daneel.
After exactly two minutes, they were all sitting together in an underground room.
"It's strange, but it gives us hope that there might be something else at play here. This message, and the subsequent sound of the oath link being severed was only sent to very select few, and for the rest, it is as if the oath is still present. This either means that the one who has obtained control of the king does not wish this to be broadcasted to everyone on the continent, or that he's laying a trap just for us. One thing is for sure. It might be wise to follow his advice, because it really will result in a continent-wide catastrophe if the news that someone has taken control of the king of the First Alliance of Angaria gets out. The time now is for action, and not for dallying like exactly what we are doing. I propose that we move, right now. Just like he said, every second is precious, and I don't think we have any more."
This was said in a grave tone by Kellor, and each and every one in the room nodded after getting an expression filled with resolution on their faces.
They had all confirmed the same, and they realized that their opponent, whoever it was, had done a very smart thing by putting this pressure over their heads that they might be too late, which was stopping them from considering any plan other than following what had been indicated to them.
Yet… That did not mean that they would go into a trap willingly without taking every precaution that they could.
It was Robert who stood up and spoke, and although his voice was grim, his eyes blazed with a thirst for action.
"Kellor is right. Gather everyone to whom the message was sent, and prepare each and every backup plan that we can deploy. My son has always been a cautious one, so I'm sure that the situation is definitely not as dire as it seems to be. But the onus is on us to make sure that we do the best that we can. If there is a trap, we should be able to spring it and crush the one who dares to target the sovereigns of Angaria. Let's go."
With these brave words, determination shone clearly in the eyes of all the Sovereigns who had assembled, and without a word more, they dispersed for one last time.
Barely a minute later, they were at the specific spot in the continent which Daneel had discussed long back with them. He had apparently found it shortly after upgrading his powers, and although they did not know exactly when that was, they knew for a fact that he had decided to not come here until he was powerful enough.
Something had changed his decision, and Elanev really wished that they had time to investigate why that was, but it will simply not the case.
The old man was back in his head, and he seemed to be roaring with excitement.
"I've been cooped up in that damn stone for too long! Whoever this is, I'm sure we can crush 'em together! Come on, boy! We have some fly swatting to do!"
He echoed Elanev's thoughts, and also of all those who were standing near him.
There were more than 200 of them, and they were, of course, those who had been with Daneel since a very, very long time ago.
They were the Domination corps, and they almost looked like caged birds which had finally been allowed to fly free.
Yet… These birds had found out that the one who was responsible for giving them the ability to fly was in danger, and they were dead set on saving that person no matter what may come.
Indeed, these were some of the first people that Daneel had come into contact with, and they had always been by his side, even though they hadn't been very active in these past few years because of the fact that they had been trying to break through the shackles placed on them by the World.
Gone were the youths who had once entered the Academy with many hopes and dreams, most of which had been baseless as their talent had never measured up to their expectations.
Hence, when they found an opportunity to change that, they had grasped it by both hands, and they had no regrets.
The past year, especially, had been a transformative one for them, since they had come under the tutelage of the one whom they called the Devil of Balance.
Many thoughts ran through their minds, but there was only one that was chief among them all: the one who had changed their lives was at risk of dying, and they had to do everything they could to show that he had not been wrong in choosing them to follow him so many years ago.
Faxul noticed all this and was pleased. He had been there during that iconic speech when Daneel had been cheered for one of the first times, and he had seen just how much of an effect it had had on that man who had risen to become the icon of the continent.
The pleasant emotion was instantly replaced by rage, though, because he wished to transform into a Black Raven and swallow the one who had targeted his friend and ground him to dust in the Black Holes that the originator of his Bloodline was famous for.
Similar thoughts were present in all the sovereigns, and even Eloise, who was the weakest amongst them all in terms of battle potential, was present.
She had been fine with being left behind when they had gone on a mission, but with the man whom she cared about the most in this world in danger… There was no way that she could stay behind.
There had been a slight problem with the Divine Cockroach, who had had to be convinced that she would have to go without them for a brief while. The little girl had surprised her by saying that even she wanted to come with them, as she wanted to help the person who had promised her that he would find her a mate.
"Nothing better happen to him, or Skrr will throw a fit! And mommy always said that Skrr's fits are very, very bad!"
Still, the instruction had been clear: only those whom their faceless opponent had indicated could come, and they did not want to take any risks.
With everyone assembled, Luther stepped forward and shouted, "Are you all ready? Have you made your preparations? If you do not walk out of here, will the world know what has happened?"
This… Was the only part which made a little bit of fear show on a few faces.
Still, the bravery of those that stood nearby managed to wipe away this very dangerous emotion, and as one, they shouted, "Yes!"
Kellor proudly smiled as he saw this, because it showed just how much of an effect the king had had on all of them to make them ready to march into almost certain death if it meant that they had a chance of saving him. They had made it clear to everyone that it was very possible that they would not return, and that they should put in place a few plans so that their families would be notified in case something untoward happened to them. They had also been told that they could stay behind if they wished, but not one, not one had hesitated.
This had all happened so quickly, and it even felt unreal. In fact, it almost felt like they were in some sort of a dream, but at this point, that didn't really matter.
They knew what they were supposed to do, and they would do it.
They would do it so well that whoever was behind this would definitely be surprised, and they were all counting on exactly that to make a difference in what seemed to be a plan long in the making.
It had only been a few minutes before that they had been discussing trivial issues, but now, there were about to walk forward into an unknown location, where they would face an unknown danger.
Yet… Only one face was visible in their minds, and it was of the man who meant the most of them in this world.
They had trusted him, and he had delivered each and every time, without fail.
Now that it was their turn… How could they step back?
The sovereigns all looked at each other and nodded between themselves, and this time, they all stepped forward and shouted together.
"Domination Corps, march forth! To victory, to life, to hope! No matter what crosses our path, we shall not hesitate, and we shall not step back! Onwards! In his name shall we fight, and in his name shall we triumph! For King Daneel Anivron, onwards!"