This must have been the diary entry the emperor wrote when he truly made up his mind and began preparing to advance to "Black Emperor."
Was staking his life on a chance of survival the emperor's state of mind back then?
By then, he had already unilaterally broken with the God of Steam and Machinery and could not obtain help from the other six gods. Of course, even if a god had been willing to help, he could not truly trust them.
So, after discovering that he had been corrupted and learning of the apocalyptic crisis facing this world, the emperor ultimately accepted Adam's advice and assistance. For his own sake, and for the family he cared about, he chose to become the Black Emperor to solve the problem.
If he lost the gamble, the Church of Steam would still look after his children. Besides, with the angel Bornova around, they would not be hunted down and purged like the descendants of the defeated true deities of the Fourth Epoch.
If he won, everyone would be happy, and the balance of power in the world would change.
That was very much in keeping with the emperor's personality.
Hmm... have I spent too long with a Spectator? I feel like my approach to analyzing things is becoming more and more like a psychiatrist's.
Gathering his thoughts, he looked at Bernadette again and translated the emperor's final sentence for her:
"The emperor wrote a sentence at the end of this diary page, saying that he had placed all his hopes in it."
"It should read: 'Stake your life on a chance of survival.'"
"It roughly means putting yourself in a position where retreat is impossible and fighting to the death is your only option. Either you find a way to survive a