"Emperor Daimon," Marr's voice sounded through his mask. "The Dark Council acknowledges your… arrival. However, Emperor Vitiate does not grant audiences to foreign dignitaries without prior arrangement."
Daimon sized the man up then chuckled. "I'm not asking for an audience," he replied, continuing to walk forward without even paying the Sith Lords any attention. "I'm informing you now that I will see him."
Several of the Sith Lords hesitated as their hands moved toward their lightsabers. Darth Marr raised his hand to stop them. "You presume much. This is the heart of the Sith Empire. Even one as powerful as yourself should show proper respect."
Daimon stopped directly in front of Marr, looking down on him as Marr looked up at him. The height and size difference was not something that Marr was worried about as size didn't win fights, skills and abilities did. However, as he looked into Daimon's eyes, his skin began to crawl and he felt cold for a second.
"Your Emperor conspired with my enemies to invade Imperial territory and attack my daughter. Now while it was overwhelmingly unsuccessful, I cannot allow such a direct attack to be left unanswered. His plans were to draw me out and yet here I am."
The temperature around them started to drop second by second as more of Daimon's presence was slipping out. Frost formed on the landing platform, and several of the lesser Sith Lords took involuntary steps backward.
Then a voice was heard, "Let him in Darth Marr." came a voice that could be heard from all around them.
Darth Marr and the other Sith knew this was the Emperor so they obeyed and escorted Daimon and his group into the temple and toward where the Emperor was waiting for them. Cortana began scanning their surroundings for any ambushes while the Balance Keepers and Empyrean Guards remained on alert, hands on their weapons in case anything happened.
They were in an unknown place surrounded by enemies. If they were to be attacked, they would be without support for several hours before the fleet managed to breakthrough and land reinforcements.
The palace interior was the pinnacle of dark architecture. Statues of ancient Sith Lords stood along the corridors and the walls were carved with scenes of conquest and domination. Red lighting bathed everything in a crimson glow, and the air itself felt heavy with dark energy circulating all around.
They walked through empty halls that should have been filled with servants and guards, but instead it was silence. Daimon could feel some dark energy conforming into one spot as they got closer, and he could guess that the Emperor was preparing for the confrontation that was about to happen.
After a few moments, they had finally reached the massive circular chamber. At its center sat a throne carved from obsidian, and upon that throne sat a figure wearing black robes.
"Emperor Daimon," Vitiate's voice echoed through the chamber, seeming to come from everywhere at once. "The one who caused the downfall of our ancestors before we called ourselves the Sith. Tell me, do you come to destroy us once again or perhaps make us your slaves?"
Looking past Vitiate, Daimon could see the Dark entity that stood behind him, giving him significant power and controlling him. "Neither. I came to understand what happened to the Sith. I'm sure that Dark Entity told you already, but I gave your people a purpose. The Sith were meant to explore the darker aspects of the Force through discipline and controlled passion, not become slavers and tyrants."
"Discipline?" Vitiate laughed, though his face remained hidden beneath his hood. "You speak of discipline while your Imperium conquers entire civilizations. How are we any different?"
"We integrate those we conquer, preserve their cultures when possible, and offer them a place within something greater than themselves. You consume them entirely, leaving nothing but ash and suffering in your path."
Vitiate rose from his throne, getting annoyed at Daimon's constant pestering at the morals between the two. "You created us to be a counterbalance to the Jedi, yet you judge us for embracing what we are? The dark side demands strength, and strength comes through domination. You of all beings should understand this."
Daimon almost snapped at this. He hated it when people with limited understanding tried to explain how things should be. "The dark side demands many things," Daimon replied, letting some of the control over his Force presence loose. This started to push back against the oppressive darkness that was starting to overwhelm the room.
"But you've allowed it to consume you rather than master it. That entity whispering in your mind, feeding you visions of immortality and unlimited power, do you truly believe you control it?"
Vitiate was surprised. "You sense it?"
"I've sensed it since I arrived in this system. An ancient darkness, older than the Sith, older perhaps than the Jedi. It's been manipulating you, using your ambition to feed itself." Daimon took a step forward. "Tell me, Emperor, when was the last time you made a decision that was truly your own?"
Vitiate clenched his hands. "I am the Dark Lord of the Sith! My will is absolute!"
"You know, there is a saying that anybody that have to say 'I am the King' is no King. You're just a puppet." Daimon looked deeper into dark side energy surrounding Vitiate. There he found it, a parasitic consciousness feeding on Vitiate's life force and amplifying his worst impulses. "You're not even speaking to me right now, are you? It's the entity using your voice."
The figure on the throne trembled, and suddenly two distinct presences became clear. Vitiate's own consciousness, diminished and trapped, and the ancient darkness that had been slowly consuming him for decades.
"Clever," the entity spoke through Vitiate, its voice now distinctly different from what it was before. "The God-Emperor sees through my deception. I wondered how long it would take."
"What are you?" Daimon asked, unsure of what entity from his memory that this was.
"I am what remains when civilizations fall to darkness," the entity replied. "I am the accumulated hatred of a billion dead worlds. I am Mnggal-Mnggal, the eternal consumer. And I have been waiting for you, God-Emperor."
The name was familiar as Daimon faintly remembered reading it from the Celestial technology and other information that the Father had given him. Mnggal-Mnggal was one of the primordial horrors that had existed since the dawn of sentient life in the galaxy. However, he was severely weakened and almost destroyed by the Celestials before their departure from the Galaxy.
"You orchestrated the Sith attack on my daughter," Daimon stated. "You wanted to draw me here."
"Of course. Vitiate was useful but his abilities are limited. His ambition made him easy to manipulate, but his power pales before yours. I have consumed Force-sensitives for millennia, but never one such as you. Your essence would sustain me for eons."
Daimon laughed, "You actually believe you can consume me?"
"I have consumed beings you would call gods. What makes you different?"
"Because unlike them," Daimon grabbed his lightsaber, "I understand what you truly are. You're not some unstoppable cosmic horror. You're a parasite that feeds on fear and desperation. And I am neither afraid nor desperate."
The entity charged forward, abandoning all pretense. Vitiate's body trembled as dark energy erupted from him, tendrils of pure darkness reached out towards Daimon. The Balance Keepers ignited their lightsabers, preparing to defend their Emperor, but Daimon raised his hand.
"Stand down. This one is mine."
The tendrils struck his Force barrier and bounced off as if they were burned. Mnggal-Mnggal's surprise was palpable through the Force. It had expected resistance, but not outright rejection of its essence.
"Impossible," it hissed. "No mortal can resist direct contact with my being."
"I told you," Daimon said, walking forward as more tendrils lashed out and were deflected. "I'm not like those you've consumed before."
Daimon rushed forward and reached the throne where Vitiate's body was. Placing his hand on the Sith Emperor's head, Daimon began to pull. The entity screamed, a sound that transcended physical hearing and resonated directly in the minds of everyone present.
"You cannot separate us! We are one!"
Daimon kept pulling, until the sound of more Sith Lords coming in had caught his attention. Darth Marr, who had been stunned by what was happening had snapped out of his daze and rushed forward toward Daimon.
Darth Marr ignited his lightsaber mid-sprint, his blade arcing toward Daimon's exposed back. The Balance Keepers moved to intercept, but before any of them could reach him, Cortana appeared in Marr's path. Her own lightsaber caught his strike, the impact sending sparks across the chamber floor.
"Stand down," Cortana warned. "You have no idea what you're interrupting."
"I will not allow this heretic to defile our Emperor!" Marr roared, pushing harder against her blade.
Behind them, more Sith Lords poured into the chamber, all activating their weapons, forming a semicircle around the throne room's entrance. The Empyrean Guards and Balance Keepers formed their own defensive line, creating a barrier between the approaching Sith and their Emperor.
Daimon continued, his hand remaining pressed against Vitiate's head, and the extraction continued. The entity screamed louder, its voice fracturing into thousands of different tones as Daimon tire through its connection to its host.
"You are... destroying... everything!" Mnggal-Mnggal shrieked. "Without me, the Sith Empire will collapse! Vitiate is nothing without my power!"
"Then let it collapse," Daimon replied. "Better that than allowing you to spread your corruption further."
The dark entity made one final desperate attempt, putting all of its accumulated power into a single attack. Black lightning erupted from Vitiate's body, arcing toward Daimon with enough force to vaporize any lesser being in an instant.
The energy struck his barrier and sent him flying but never hit him directly. He crashed into one of the walls, which allowed Mnggal-Mnggal to separate himself from Vitiate's body and escape. Daimon tried to recover and catch him but Mnggal-Mnggal was surprisingly fast and managed to slip away.
However, the battle was not done. Darth Marr had managed to push Cortana back, forcing her toward the defensive line where the other Balance Keepers were holding off dozens of Sith Lords.
"Enough!" Daimon yelled, amplifying his voice with the Force. The sheer power behind it caused several weaker Sith Lords to stumble, breaking their concentration.
After this he raised both hands, and a wave of Force energy exploded outward from his position. Every Sith Lord in the chamber was thrown backward, their bodies slamming into the walls. Darth Marr was the only one who managed to resist it, but he couldn't maintain his footing and was forced to one knee.
He looked up and Daimon was already standing in front of him. "I'm surprised." he started. "Only a few have managed to withstand that attack." He said placing his hand on Darth Marr's head.
Darth Marr tried to move, but his body wouldn't move an inch. "You're a valuable asset so I won't kill you. Instead, I will put you to good use."
Daimon began to tweak his mind, changing his loyalty. Once he was done, Darth Marr knelt before him. "I am at your service Master."
Daimon smiled. People like Marr were rare in the galaxy, so when he came across them, he often tried to recruit them or subjugate them like he just did if they were an enemy.