Diana List believed Regent Victor von Doom had been driven mad by immense pressure.
Over the past twenty-four hours, she had worked tirelessly alongside the Regent, signing one administrative order after another, sending the last batch of supplies to the airport, then transporting them to Sky Sword Space Station aboard Heavy Assault Transports, where they were transferred to three Helicarriers. Only three Helicarriers could take part in this expedition, because the other battle fleets lacked faster-than-light engines and could only remain near Earth and Mars to defend against a possible Dark Order attack.
After such prolonged work, Diana List felt as though she might pass out at any moment, yet Regent Victor von Doom was still energetically processing documents, his only intake being hot coffee. Then she noticed the Regent talking to himself—he pulled out a stack of documents and slapped it onto the desk, muttering things like, "If blood brings you pleasure, there are plenty of death-row prisoners here for you to slaughter"—but there was no one opposite the Regent's desk. There were only the two of them in the office.
Two Imperial Guards in golden armor stood watch at the office entrance. Further out, the corridors were guarded by the Sacred Guard and the Sisterhood. Combined with the ever-present motion sensors, surveillance cameras, mass detectors, and low-light thermal imaging devices, no one could infiltrate this office without alerting the guards.
"Are you all right?" Diana List asked cautiously. "Do you need some rest?"
Regent Victor von Doom did not answer until a figure appeared on the sofa beside them.
"Your Majesty!" She jumped, then recognized the figure at a glance.
What frightened her was the bloodstained shirt the Emperor wore. The blood had already dried, like huge patches of rust stuck to the fabric. That fierce and terrifying