Above the painting was a figure holding the Emperor's Book.
He sat upon a grand, towering throne in a magnificent palace. A heavy black cloak draped over him, and beside him sat a cup fashioned from a Crystal Skull. Most of his body was concealed beneath the cloak. The only thing visible was a ghastly pale mask.
Below him stretched a long flight of stairs. On either side stood six armored Knights, men and women alike, some with Western Continent features and others with Eastern Continent features.
They seemed to be holding a banquet or discussing some great matter. The painting's style was bold and exaggerated. The Twelve Knights below occupied only a tiny portion of the canvas.
Most of the painting was taken up by that lofty, mysterious, and uncanny figure.
The painting did not directly name him, but the Emperor's text, scattered along its edges as part of the composition, and the imposing air conveyed by the entire image made his lofty status and special identity unmistakable.
The Emperor!
The figure in the painting was the Emperor!
The Emperor who had once led humanity to defeat every anomaly, forged a pact with the world, and ushered in the era of Reconstruction Civilization!
And the Emperor who had ultimately betrayed humanity, only to have every trace of his history erased!
No wonder the person on the other end of the phone had sounded so certain. Han Su really had understood what ritual the man wanted him to perform the moment he saw the painting.
In fact, he understood even more than the man on the other end of the phone had intended to tell him. A sudden clarity washed over him, as if countless scattered fragments had finally fallen into place.
From his earlier discussions with Xu Ji's Father