"Those mortals are no match for it."
"What should we do? It's time to make a decision."
After seeing another batch of soldiers annihilated, Malcador crushed the detector into powder.
He asked because he had seen the Emperor hesitate.
The C'tan's threat had already revealed itself. It was even more terrifying than a shard of the Void Dragon.
Yet the Emperor had neither rushed in to wage a Psychic battle that might shave away half of Terra, nor sent it to Mars or another planet for a final confrontation.
"..." The Emperor fell silent.
Malcador knew what the Emperor was thinking.
The Emperor was not naive enough to believe that because this C'tan appeared to stand with humanity, it truly stood with humanity.
He was merely considering whether now was the most appropriate time to act.
As an ancient Perpetual, the Emperor had encountered countless enemies who seemed benevolent on the surface while harboring dark intentions within, regardless of whether they were strong or weak.
"Now is not the right time to strike," the Emperor judged rationally. "I am not certain I can kill a complete C'tan, even with your help."
Even with your help.
Those words sounded like a dismissal of Malcador's power, yet Malcador felt pleased. That calm, rational, and factually sound assessment showed that the Emperor was thinking clearly. The faint naivety and sentiment buried deep within him had not affected his judgment.
"Optimistically, I may be able to kill or seal it, but I would certainly be gravely wounded as well."
"Before the Thunder Warrior project succeeds, I cannot be injured. If those who trust and follow me are targeted, and I cannot step forward to protect them as it did, then we will have to rebuild everything from nothing."
"I must conduct focused research—on tactics