SHK CH 571 (Patreon)

[Wratharis]

While most of the world was going in Frenzy over the exploit of the Prince of Lustburg and the ultimatum.

Wratharis was bathed in silence. The citizens, be it those at the border or those in the Capital had been watching the fight, and like everyone, they were astonished at the power of the prince.

But the situation they were facing was much more real. After all, what they kept in mind was the warning the prince gave about stopping holding back.

In all War. Because of how overwhelmingly powerful individuals could be, it was necessary to impose limits.

This was why King could only step on the battlefield when the capital was in danger or when a very large part of the country was conquered.

They were supposed to be the last bastion and even when they intervened, while not an official rule, they would do their best to fight as far as possible from the enemy line and minimize damage.

If a King rank went crazy and started massacring people then this would be the start of an era of Chaos. No one would fight a war if they knew a King could come and choose to wipe them out.

As for Dukes. While Dukes could be powerful they were ultimately limited in what they could and could not do.

Sol was in no way a normal Duke and his threats were in no way amusing jokes. The fact that he was partially dragon made those threats all the more frightening.

After all, Dragons were not exactly known for being kind, gentle, and cute.

All of Wratharis was silent. All of them were gazing at the imperial castle.

The riots had ceased and the chaos quieted down.

They were all waiting. All wondering what choice the so-called King would make.

History was moving inexorably and the decision he took now would be one that would be remembered for generations to come.

***

Standing on the balcony of the imperial castle, Lupus was gazing at the beautiful capital of Wratharis.

He could feel it. A kind of pressure of the like he had not felt even when he fought his brother and her mate.

It was ironic in a way. His goal had been to initiate a large-scale conquest similar to the one made by Jupiter Luxuria one thousand years prior and succeed where the man failed.

His dream had always been to be the center of the world. His ego could not accept any other reality.

He wished to live in a world where all eyes were riveted on him and awaited his verdict.

He was now living in such a world.

Just not in the way he initially expected to.

“You can laugh, you know.”

Sitting in the corner of the balcony with his staff against his shoulder and his head down as if he was resting was none other than Sun Wukong.

Lupus had called for Wukong and ordered him to stay in the castle and serve as a guard.

Lupus did not know how powerful Wukong was currently. But he had a faint inkling that this was the best solution to keep that man who messed up with his memory away for now.

Hearing him, Wukong raised his head with, light go curiosity dancing in his eyes,

“Why should I?”

“Don't you think it's pretty amusing? The Fall of a tyrant that is.”

Currently, the castle was 90% void of all occupants. They had all fled one after another and Lupus had been disinterested in keeping them any longer.

He looked around, “The Citizens hate me. The servants reject me. The world mocks me.”

Wukong seemed baffled, “The Citizens never liked you. They simply didn't really have a choice. The servants all feared you. You keep killing some of them for random mistakes. The world has no care for you. Only a few individuals outside of Wratharis will observe your situation. The Farmers are too busy thinking of the next Harvest. The smiths hit metals, the slaves serve and the nobles will work or dance.”

Wukong looked up, “The sun will still rise in the sky. The wind will still blow and the earth will still exist. You are not the center of the world, Lupus.”

“...”

Lupus closed his eyes. If this was him a few months ago, he would have exploded in rage at being slighted thus.

Now though, he realized that he could not even muster the interest in becoming angry.

The words of Sun Wukong were as blunt and straightforward as always. They were really hurtful. But it also served as a wake-up call in a way.

In the grand scheme of things, he was nothing.

Sadly it was a wake-up call that came too late.

“I have never understood the thirst for power some of you seem to have. But in your search for power, you guys all seem to forget. No matter how much you conquer. If you aren't a demigod, you will simply die as a mortal.”

Wukong shook his head and Lupus lamented.

Becoming a demigod was certainly a goal they were all striving for and as they were Blessed, it should have been far more easier for all Blessed of the different countries to become Demigods.

If so, why then was it so complicated for them?

Lupus always thought that it was because ascending was simply that hard. But now he realized that he had been wrong.

The one who called himself a god had told him the bitter truth.

Gods were created by focusing on one concept. By becoming one with a concept that formed the law of reality one would become truly eternal as long as the universe existed.

Because of this, no two gods could thread on the same path and the more powerful individuals were on a path the harder it was for others to climb.

In a way, the law of the world were akin to a road that progressively became narrower and thus limiting the number of carriages that could take it at the same time.

It was nearly impossible for Divine Beasts to even reach the level of False gods. For the simple reason that they were fully imbued with the power of the concept of the goddesses.

—These same rules applied to the Blesseds.

Because of the existence of those demigods and all those Kings…All Blessed had nearly no possibility of becoming demigods themselves.

By threading on a road already existing they could advance faster than anyone else but the limits imposed on them were also clearer than anyone else.

“How ridiculous.”

He chortled as he remembered this truth. So shocked that his shock had turned into derision.

The only way for him to become a demigod would be to break all his foundation and thread a new path starting with the Duke level.

The King looked up, his eyes had never been so clear and the world had never seemed so bright.

“I have a new ambition, Wukong. For that I need to survive. Will you help me?”

Wukong quietly observed the king, “For the first time, I find you to be somewhat interesting.”

Lupus laughed out loud and burned the image of Wratharis one last time in his eyes before turning around.

Whether this was the last time he watched the capital would be determined soon.