"Wh-what are you saying, Duke of Darkness...?" Ben Lark of the Lark Corporation stammered nearby, his face utterly drained of blood as he spoke in disbelief.
"What am I saying? I am saying what needs to be said, Mr. Lark!"
Declaring that, the Archduke of Darkness shifted his gaze toward the Star Emperor, whose face had flushed a furious red—though whether from embarrassment or rage at being denounced by his own supporters remained unclear.
Ignoring the Emperor's darkening expression, the Archduke pointed an accusing finger directly at him. "How could you forget this, Emperor? How could you?! An event like this—every tenth cycle—is not something our Empire can counter on its own! Every single time, it is only through the joint armadas of multiple Tier 3 Orders and super-states that we manage to successfully defend against this calamity! And every time this happens, the—"
