As Faxul spoke again, he understood that that was not the case.
"What he means is that you should keep your apology to yourself. All of us weren't blind. We saw the kind of powers you were dealing with. All of us could place ourselves in your position, and all of us know that we would only be a hindrance: we would probably have died with the first attack, and you can't do anything about that. It's the bitter truth, one that we've been seeing every year: your power far outstrips ours."
Daneel was quite surprised as he heard this - not at what his best friend was saying, but the fact that he was the one who was speaking so much. Faxul always weighed his words as if they were made of gold: he only used as many as were absolutely necessary, and if he was speaking now, that meant that whatever he was saying was so vital that it affected the very core of his heart.
Of course, this wasn't the first time this was happening, and although Daneel had hoped that the last time would be the last, it was sad that that wasn't the case.
The sovereigns knew this too, and this became clear when Kellor spoke next.
"The Black Raven King speaks truly, and in fact, this difference in power is so large that it can get quite depressing. In fact, even speaking about it, again and again, is almost like rewinding a trinket and playing it over and over again. However, there is a certain reason behind why we are bringing this up now."
At this, each of them nodded to each other, and the fact that this nod was shared between Percy and Xuan, too, even though they weren't part of the discussions before, made it apparent that whatever they were going to say had come into being after he had succeeded in capturing Vohler. At that point, they must have begun talking to each other, before reaching a decision as one.
With determined expressions on their faces, the ten knelt, and Daneel even leaned forward on his throne, interested to see what they might be doing.
When they spoke, they spoke together, and their words echoed in the sky over the feasting millions of Angarians, who were not aware of just how important this moment was.
"Never again will we be so powerless as to have to sit on the sidelines. Never again will we be so useless that our very existence would feel pointless when our home and our loved ones are being threatened. Never again will we have to repeat this vow, because we vow to overcome our weaknesses even if it means straying close to the abyss of death. In the war that is to come, even if we have to die, we will be of use. Backed into a corner, we will improve…or meet our end willingly."
Daneel was quite startled as he heard this, as what they were essentially doing was backing themselves into a corner. Yes, they were right: this exact moment had been repeated multiple times, so much so that it was becoming a regular thing that they did every time there was a major conflict.
However… This time, something felt different, and on further examination, he realized what it was: desperation.
They knew, as well as he did, but this was the final fight which would decide the fate of the continent, and hence, if it all went to hell, then they would have to die with regret that they weren't even useful, despite the exalted positions that they had been given to them by their King.
They continued to kneel after giving the oath, as though they expected something from him, and taking a moment, Daneel activated the Basilisk's Breath and began to converse with the system.
They were all powerful Champions, so they didn't need to look up to tell that the king had entered a pensive mood.
However, after a few seconds, he snapped up his head as if he had received some very good news, and with a roar of laughter, he walked forward and began to raise each of the sovereigns by their shoulders.
Each time he did so, he looked deep into their eyes, and saw the same conviction with which they had bound their thrones. Even now, what they had used during the binding remained etched into the back of each throne, and Daneel was excited to see those words, and the unexpected ways in which they would come of use when the war arrived.
Since all those years ago when he had seen the vision given by his master, he had done everything with the war in mind, and this was the same: each and every step of his was to save Angaria, and even without his sovereigns giving this oath, he had been prepared to use them to the fullest.
Besides, his conversation with the system just now had told him that he might be able to do so in much better ways than he could ever have expected, so with a smile, after they were all standing, he spoke.
"Placing myself in your shoes, I can understand how frustrating it must feel- being sidelined time and time again despite doing your best to become the best you can be. Worry not, for just as your oath says, this will be the last time that you will have to do so. In the war, all of you will -"
All of the sovereigns looked at the King askance as he suddenly stopped talking midsentence, and after a second, as his face was abruptly drained of all blood and went deathly pale, they widened their eyes and wondered what the matter was.
Letting out a slow, pained sigh, Daneel looked up at the sky, and it almost seemed as if there were tears shining in his eyes.
He had to take a few seconds to speak, but when he did, his words were filled with so much anger that they made all of the sovereigns take a step back, while the air began to vibrate due to his emotions.
"My master's ruse has failed… The Bishop knows everything. He was able to send just one message before the line of communication was destroyed: one month. In one month, they will be here. In one month, it will all be over. Gear up, sovereigns. The war for Angaria… Is here."