The resurrected were in a state of absolute disbelief. Piecing together their fractured memories from seconds prior, they knew they had crossed the threshold of death. Yet, here they were, breathing. Had the Emperor personally pulled them back from the underworld?
Long live the Emperor, the thought bloomed simultaneously in thousands of minds, a fervent, fanatical devotion taking root.
They desperately wanted to scream their praises, to chant his name until their lungs burst. But even though the crushing pressure had been dismantled, their bodies refused to function normally. They were caught in a terrifying deadlock, trapped between the presence of the demon king in the sky and the radiant, overwhelming proximity of their own sovereign.
The Emperor fixed his gaze on Ruarc, his words falling slow and deliberate.
"The death of even a single citizen of Aureth leaves an unfillable void within me."
In a flash, his figure vanished from the spot.
