Bab 1529: -1510- Who's the real strong one
"————"
Silence.
In the guest room reduced to ruins, an indescribable silence spread out.
The smile on Zeth's face disappeared, and he stared directly at Rozen, his gaze void of emotion.
On the other hand, Rozen's smile grew wider as he watched Zeth's expression.
"Can't accept it, can you?"
Rozen's voice carried a tone of mockery.
"According to your argument, the weak should be ruled by the strong. If that's the case, then submitting to me should be the right choice for you. So why can't you accept it?"
The reason was simple.
With Zeth's ambition and status, it was impossible for him to be ruled by anyone, much less submit to a human.
"But you're weaker than me, yet you refuse to be ruled. According to your logic, isn't that strange?" Rozen sneered. "If it's strange for you, then isn't it equally strange for the weak to refuse your rule?"
In Zeth's view, he never considered the rights of the weak in his ideology.
After all, Zeth claimed he wanted to protect the weak, but in reality, he wouldn't care about the deaths of a few humans if it meant achieving his goals.
He didn't even care about the lives of his own kind.
This was the mindset of a conqueror, a ruler.
With such ambition, Zeth had never imagined being reduced to a weakling, much less thought of yielding to anyone.
"So, in the end, you're just using excuses to justify your ambition. Can you stop making it sound so noble?"
Only now did Rozen finally retract his smile, speaking with an indifferent tone.
"..."
Zeth remained silent, unable to utter another word.
Both fell into a quiet standstill, neither speaking.
The difference was, Rozen remained lazy and nonchalant, while Zeth's face was cold and emotionless.
"It seems we cannot become partners after all."
Zeth spoke, sounding either regretful or resigned.
To this, Rozen had only one response.
"With your intelligence, you must have anticipated this, right?"
Rozen's expression was equally calm.
"I just thought it wouldn't hurt to try, even if the outcome was obvious."
Zeth's tone lightened.
"And now?" Rozen glanced at Zeth, his voice playful. "Are you going to kill me now, since I refuse to submit? After all, shouldn't you nip threats like me in the bud before they grow?"
At these words, Zeth's expression faltered.
Suddenly, an overwhelming power surged within Zeth.
It wasn't mana, nor was it jutsuryoku. It was genuine Collapse Force.
From Zeth's body, an astonishing amount of Collapse Force began to emerge, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, sending out shockwaves that shook the air.
At that moment...
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
With the sound of two roars, a silver-white two-headed dragon appeared silently behind Zeth and pounced.
"—!"
With a tearing sound, the two vicious dragon mouths bit into Zeth, tearing his body in half, and each head devoured the pieces.
The Third Beast Vassal of the Fourth Primogenitor, Al Meissa Mercury.
This Beast Vassal, known as the most ferocious among the twelve of the Fourth Primogenitor, could devour anything, even space itself. Summoned in its lion-sized form, it tore apart Zeth's clone along with the erupting Collapse Force inside it.
"Truly devious."
Rozen watched this unfold before him, his face impassive.
"First, you set up such a tightly sealed barrier around this mansion, making me think the real you was here. Then you sent a clone carrying Collapse Force to talk to me. And when the negotiation failed, you tried to detonate the clone, blowing up both the mansion and me in one go. It was all perfectly calculated — I expected no less from you."
"But unfortunately, I saw through it."
"And now, our score has increased once again."
Murmuring to himself, Rozen stood up.
Before him, the Third Beast Vassal, Al Meissa Mercury, let out one final roar before vanishing.
"So, the masks are off. What's next in our little game?"
Rozen whispered, a faint smile on his lips, as he turned and disappeared from the spot.
Only the half-destroyed mansion remained, soon drawing the attention of the city police in Vebel, causing countless people to rush toward the scene.
...
Noesis Palace.
Here, aside from the Pope's chambers and the audience hall, there was also the conference room of the Floating City Alliance and the office of the Council Chairman.
At this moment, Zeth, who had been sitting quietly in his office, suddenly opened his eyes.
His breathing became slightly erratic.
"...What was that...?"
Zeth clutched his forehead, his pupils trembling.
Though it had only been a clone, Zeth shared its senses, meaning everything that happened over there was something he could experience personally.
And so, Zeth still remembered clearly how he had commanded the clone to detonate the prepared Collapse Force. But just as two roars echoed, he felt a sharp pain, and everything went black.
However, he distinctly remembered the overwhelming malice and the sense of mortal danger when those roars erupted.
Recalling the sound of the roars, Zeth murmured to himself.
"What on earth was that?"
His voice, for the first time, was filled with rare trepidation.
Because whatever it was, it proved beyond a doubt that Rozen possessed capabilities that Zeth had no knowledge of.
The endless tricks and the fact that Rozen's true strength was still unknown frustrated Zeth to no end.
"Could it be... that he's right? Is there truly no one stronger than him in this world?"
No. That was merely an illusion.
Even if Rozen was powerful, he couldn't possibly be that strong.
Zeth kept repeating this to himself.
And then...
"Lord Zeth..."
A weak voice called out, and a figure appeared in front of Zeth.
"Cough cough..."
The person was coughing up blood, clearly badly injured.
"Did you return safely, Kirsty?"
Zeth immediately stood up.
"Yes, as you ordered, Lord Zeth. I struck as soon as I saw an opening, and when I was at a disadvantage, I immediately retreated. When I was blasted underground, I had already escaped."
Kirsty wiped the blood from her mouth and reported truthfully.
It turned out this too was part of Zeth's plan.
Of course, Kirsty had acted out of genuine intent. Though she had a purpose, she could not tolerate anyone insulting Zeth, even if it was just a clone.
But when she thought of the pitch-black sword, Kirsty's breathing quickened.
That sword was truly too powerful.
"In any case, it's good you returned." Zeth nodded. "Proceed with the next phase as planned."
"Understood." Kirsty bowed her head in obedience.
Zeth then turned to look in the direction of his mansion.
"Let's see who the real strong one is, Rorelai Arneet."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone