There were clumps of people seated with their backs to each other all over the large room whose ceiling he could not see, and if he didn't know that teleporting to the outside directly was completely blocked even for someone as high up as the bishop, he would have been convinced that this place was not in the headquarters of the Church.
Each group had strange, tube-like objects that seemed to be growing out of their backs, which were clearly visible as they were all naked.
Their eyes were wide open, but they were out of focus. Dust actually gathered their faces, which meant that they had not moved in a long, long time.
It was one of the strangest places that Jonah had ever seen, and this was saying something.
"Enjoying the view?"
The cold voice of the bishop made him whirl around to see that she was right behind him, and as he noticed that she was fuming, he instantly felt happy.
Anything that made her angry was a good thing for Angaria, and as he grinned, he suddenly fell pain radiate throughout his body.
Falling to the floor, he began to shake and convulse. It was only a few seconds later that she finally activated one of the first formations that she had engraved his very skull with, and as he lay there, panting on the floor, she began to walk toward the group that was closest to them.
Jonah watched from the floor. There was something different with this group- after observing for a bit, he saw that the objects that were attached to the backs of all those present here were pulsing as if something was being pumped up toward the ceiling, but in the case of these four, there was no such phenomenon present.
If Daneel was here, he would have been startled to see that these four were the exact twins of those that he had killed before.
After reaching them, the bishop sighed and blew air out of her mouth.
As he watched with shock, all four individuals broke down into the tiniest fragments, and then disappeared as they were swept away by the gust of wind sent forth by the bishop.
At first, Jonah thought that this was some kind of spell that he had never seen before, but after analyzing the situation for a bit, he saw that this disintegration had already happened, but because of the stillness of the atmosphere here, it had not been visible.
The bishop turned to him then, and with a vein throbbing on her forehead, she said, "Your disciple surprises me at every turn. Tell me… He's not some long lost son of some king or monster from here, is he? Because I'm starting to suspect that things might not be as they seem… The eye should have been impregnable for one such as him. Either he had outside help, or he is not whom my information gatherers say he is…"
She spoke while walking, and it was almost as if she was speaking to herself, rather than to him.
Still, he did not want to miss this opportunity that had been presented to him on a silver platter.
"He's the king no matter where he is, and he'll make you wish that you were one of those privileged sons or daughters when the time comes for you to pay for failing in such a simple task. I hope your escape route is secure… I heard that failed Bishops have the most special experience waiting for them. Their essence, skin, flesh, and bones are all stripped and given in obeisance to the Saint, and that's if you're lucky. As you're talented, though, you will be attacked by all the other bishops and then tortured like my poor countrymen until your consciousness is broken enough to be shackled. With a metal collar around your neck, you will be led around like a dog all your life, attacking wherever you're pointed, and eating Energy resources so that they can still rear you into an even more powerful beast to lay at their feet. Or… So they say."
From the way the bishop reacted to his words, he knew, right away, that she knew everything, too, so he began laughing uproariously.
The torture came back, then, but Jonah made sure to keep laughing even though it felt as if his entire body was being submerged in a volcano.
The bishop was ignoring him, though, and when he looked into her eyes, he saw…fear.
The Church, and in fact, the entire Mainland was a very opportunistic place where one was always waiting to take a position if the one who held it made the slightest mistake.
The list of people who were gunning for her was long, and if she really failed here, again, she was done for.
Finally, as if coming to a decision, she set her gaze on some faraway point, and seeing the determination in her eyes, even Jonah could not help but fall silent and frown.
In different circumstances, he would even have admired someone who had apparently come from nothing to such a prestigious position, but right now, he loathed her for everything she was subjecting his fellow citizens to, and hoped that everything he had said really would come true.
As she lazily flicked her fingers to send him back to them, he spit at her again, but sadly, missed, and with the thought that his disciple would surely even the score, Jonah prepared for another long, long day.
…
Daneel didn't know what he had been expecting from the emperor after the man finally came to his senses.
It was definitely not an attack, so his reaction was a beat too late.
A globe made of lightning appeared in his arms as he flew, and the moment he saw it, he recognized it to be the signature attack of the Emperor.
Even then, he could only stare with fascination at this attack which had only been described, but never recorded.
By then, it was too late for him to do anything, so it was the system that acted.
[Security protocols activated. Looking for fastest method to secure host. Method found. Engaging Artefact in defensive mode.]
Not even a moment later, a grey shroud appeared around him which turned transparent just as the Emperor thrust that globe onto his face.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
The globe fell apart, leading to a thousand bolts to attack Daneel at once.
They were all kept at bay by the shroud which stood undamaged, and knowing that the situation was in control, Daneel continued to observe the attack which was so marvelous that it even made natural thunderclouds form above them which could be directed to strengthen its power, and the man who had used it.
His face was filled with the frenzied fury of one who was in the middle of a battlefield, so from that, Daneel guessed the reason behind the attack.
However…what happened next made him drop his jaw and stare with just as much surprise as the assassins when he had made his move before.
Emperor Fenoras let go of the attack, and stood in front of Daneel with his arms on his hips.
With lightning flashing behind him, his grim face, which was legendarily known for never showing any emotions like joy and happiness…broke into a grin.
Throwing his head back and letting out a boom of laughter, he said, "My plans worked well…I am proud of you, my heir. With the Heavens as my witness, I declare…that I, Fenoras, did not fail! Haha!"
Laughing again, he drank in Daneel's image with thirsty eyes, and even as rain began to fall as if Angaria was welcoming back one of its most illustrious sons with a gentle kiss, the Emperor bent down on one knee…and kneeled in front of the throne.