Chapter 558: Chapter 46 Dust Settles (Part 1)

The city-wide berserk battle concluded in the early hours of today.

The hottest topic of recent times will undoubtedly be the Demon, trembling the sky with his deeply ingrained, terrifying strength.

Not long after the battle had ended, a new hot thread appeared on the academy forum. Enthusiastic citizens discovered several members in the ruins who were believed to have “died” or “disappeared” in the Thorn District, debunking the rumors that the Demon was a serial killer.

Even without this new evidence, people would no longer believe Aorus’s words. Everyone had witnessed the Demon’s battle. When a man could literally destroy a city and easily take countless lives, calling him a sneaky murderer in alleys became an utter joke.

People discussed the Demon’s power and his final declaration, but few paid attention to those he had defeated. At most, some daring individual would comment that the Supreme Crown seemed not as righteous as he appeared… and that was it. After all, the Supreme Crown, powerful enough to fight the Demon, was also not to be offended.

And those who were defeated had entirely different thoughts.

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Aorus did not know when he had awakened.

Everyone had already dispersed, and it seemed someone had given him first aid. At this moment, the Supreme Crown had lost all his power, struggling on the ground… like an ugly worm, pitifully struggling in the filthy mud.

“You don’t look so good, Little Aorus.”

Aorus struggled to lift his head, and the Rainbow Winged Lord Hadrian stood not far away, looking down at him crawling on the ground. Hadrian’s face still bore the kind and gentle smile, as if he was indifferent about everything that had transpired the night before.

Aorus felt like he was falling into an abyss.

“Respected… Mister Hadrian, I, I am very sorry…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Little Aorus,” the Rainbow Winged Lord waved his hand, “you did well! Thanks to your help, we have completed the stability test for the Final Sword, and the Sealing results are satisfying. The new controller is trustworthy.”

Aorus’s lips turned pale, like a fish out of water.

“…Stability, test?”

“If you had defeated that boy, or forced him into a rampage, we would have said, ‘the holder of the Final Sword lacks the necessary power and stability to manage the sword responsibly. For the public’s benefit, we must take emergency measures to choose a safer custodian, or return it to the Kingdom of Morton for support.'”

Hadrian elaborated like a grandfather explaining intricacies to a child, “If that boy had overcome all obstacles, even when pushed to such an extent by you, and the Final Sword had not escaped control, we would happily declare ‘the holder of the Final Sword is reliable, strong, and possesses the strength to shoulder heavy responsibilities; we can watch the situation confidently.’ This is, I must say, the outcome most people would prefer.”

Aorus’s mind was a mess. He suddenly felt like a monkey in a little suit, squeaking and gesturing wildly on a table, thinking he was negotiating with the humans opposite him, unaware that they were laughing at his ridiculous actions.

“So this is, this is…” he stammered.

Hadrian looked at him gently.

“Child, you seem to think that a couple of people talking in a room can form a conspiracy without a third party knowing. But for those who oversee everything, there has never been any secrets in this world.”

Aorus was at a loss for words.

Hadrian stroked his beard and said, “To get back to the matter at hand, let’s not talk about the boring affairs of adults. Let’s talk about you, Little Aorus.

You contacted all forces in advance, made plan after plan, used public opinion to create an advantage for yourself, and crafted targeted attacks for your enemy. You even used sequential battles to ensure victory, only going all-out in the end. Looks good, doesn’t it?

However, you still made a few small mistakes. For example, you were unwilling to ally with those you despised, thus missed opportunities time and again; you were too obsessed with a perfect victory, so you often left room for your opponent; unwilling to make even a small compromise, you didn’t modify your original plan…”

Aorus listened as the old man peacefully said, “But these are not important, child. These are all minor details. There’s only one real mistake you made.”

“—You weren’t strong enough.”

Aorus looked blankly at the old man, like a student who couldn’t understand the lesson.

“This world is simple, child! The rules that support the running of the world are even simpler than you think.”

Hadrian said cheerfully, “Take this matter, for example… that gray-haired boy from the Empire, in all aspects he seemed far inferior to you. He had no plan, he was clueless, he was exhausted, but why did he end up winning? Because he was stronger than you, because he was stronger!”

Whether in ancient times or the modern era, whether in an Empire or the United States, things are just that simple.

It’s always the victor who wins.

The brown-haired boy widened his eyes bit by bit, and yelled almost madly, “Please! I beg you, allow me to practice the Brahma Form Skill—”

“The victorious child gets a prize; there’s no reason for the defeated child to receive a reward. Due to the supreme risk associated with the Dragon Species itself, you are not permitted to practice the Brahma Form Skill.”

Hadrian stepped forward, walking past Aorus.

“Want to become stronger? Then think of another way yourself, Little Aorus.”