Chapter 184

Chapter 184: Chapter 182: "Heart of the Future" (Thanks to Alliance Hierarch "Mengdi Here" for the added Chapter)Su Ming’an saw a lot in that small town.

He had once thought that blood relatives sending their own children to the mouths of demon beasts was too ruthless. But now, seeing a brother send his younger sibling to the sacrificial altar and confine him for eighteen years, not allowing him to go far, just waiting for him to die, was outrageous as well.

The silence around was deafening, with only the ethereal sound of sacred music and the faint rustling of long robes trailing against the carpet. One could hear a pin drop.

"Have I still not moved you?" Su Ming’an asked him.

Qin Wang had already done his utmost, and Su Ming’an, following him, had also done everything in his power, perfecting his accomplishments to the best possible point.

But on the tenth day, Hui Shuhang still wanted him to go back, to accept his predetermined destiny.

They couldn’t wait for any further progress and hurried him to his death.

The famous continent’s Sage Master was facing death, revered by those who didn’t know the truth, while those trying to save him were ineffective. Dressed in plain clothes, he stood on the platform, unguarded and alone.

All his efforts over the past eighteen years seemed unable to save him.

Holy Initiation looked over.

In those silver bright eyes, there was a bewitching tranquility.

"No, you have moved me," he said. "You have succeeded, congratulations."

Su Ming’an was slightly stunned.

He heard a soft, rustling sound and, listening carefully, it was the flapping of wings.

"Today, I just want to congratulate you," Holy Initiation said with a trace of a smile emerging. "Congratulations, Qin Wang, you have come of age."

Su Ming’an didn’t speak.

The moment the crown was placed upon his head, he suddenly felt a tearing sensation in his body, as if something was about to burst forth.

In that moment, he realized that this was probably the eruption of the Evil Dragon bloodline that Hui Shuhang had talked about, which would come forth on the day of adulthood.

He looked at the survival odds without any hope.

He looked at the figures, and the soft sounds were growing more intense.

Holy Initiation slowly raised his hand.

And everyone, a sea of people, instantly became shorter in unison.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang——"

The onlookers, who had been standing, suddenly fell to their knees as if crushed by mountains, their knees bleeding and their foreheads forced to the ground, lips sealed tight, unable to make a sound.

The sound of knees hitting the ground in the square was like drumbeats pounding in people’s hearts.

At the same moment, people in nearby cities and villages were also forced down by an invisible force, without even understanding what had happened.

Channel chat exploded instantly; it seemed that players were also affected.

Su Ming’an looked at the people in front of him, who had all somehow shrunk in stature, wondering what Holy Initiation was playing at.

Next to him, Hui Shuhang also slowly knelt down, she was the only one not forced down, but instead knelt wholeheartedly and willingly.

Holy Initiation smiled, looking at this scene where his words had caused the masses to worship, with not a single person daring to look up.

"Isn’t this what you wanted, Qin Wang?" he said gently.

"What?"

"You said you wanted everyone to kneel before you, thanking you."

Su Ming’an felt that this highest leader might have become somewhat abnormal from sitting in a high position for too long.

...No, why was the other party so obliging to his wishes, to fulfill Qin Wang’s desire?

A dying man’s compensation?

"No matter," said Holy Initiation. "I remember, you also wanted children to sing for you, all the people crying with gratitude, birds dancing for you... Although I couldn’t fulfill the former, I can still do something about the birds, look."

Su Ming’an looked up.

The deep blue light shield was still pulsing brightly, and flocks of silver and jet-black birds danced around the square, their feathers falling like little stars reflecting the sky’s light.

...So that was the source of the soft noises from before.

"See for yourself, not just this square, but the whole of Ming Hui, a world, billions upon billions of living beings, are all bowing before you."

Holy Initiation looked at him, "When the results spread down below, to every corner of the continent, everyone will be grateful to you, and your wishes will be fulfilled."

"What exactly are you doing," Su Ming’an asked.

The man in front of him was clearly an ambitious ruler, unconcerned with the lives and deaths of outsiders, merely safeguarding the safety of the Regular Army. He forcefully conscripted troops, causing countless families to be torn apart and countless civilians to become displaced.

That boy from Kelili Town, who had no choice but to resort to desperate measures, Su Ming’an still remembered his eyes.

They were the eyes of one driven to a dead end, mixed with shattered emotions.

And such children existed all too commonly in every corner of the continent.

"Qin Wang, do you know why I haven’t been able to leave the palace?" Holy Initiation was also asking him.

Su Ming’an didn’t respond but instead shifted his gaze.

He saw that on the outskirts, a figure was breaking through the suppression, making her way toward him.

In the scene where everyone else was kneeling, her upright figure stood out all the more clearly.

"—Let him go."

The crisp and loud female voice came from the other, illuminated side,

echoing over the empty square, creating clear reverberations.

A slender figure approached against the light, her bright red hairband curling, it was only upon closer inspection that one could see her pale face and the pair of obsidian-like jet-black eyes, filled with unwavering determination.

Her body was stained with the blood of enemies, and the Black Blade in her hand remained sharp. As she approached, her spine made sounds that betrayed the immense pressure against it, yet still, she stood straight.

"—Revolutionary Army Second Commander, Dan Shuang, has come to bring down you, the continent’s greatest evil!"

Dan Shuang clenched the Black Blade, her eyes as sharp as knives.

"You think you can do it alone?" Holy Initiation laughed out.

"No, not just me." Dan Shuang’s gaze was cold, "Even if I die here, there will be thousands, millions who will stand up. As long as your tyranny doesn’t change, there will always be people who take up arms. Holy Initiation, with your unjust policies and heavy taxation, indifferent to the plight of the poor, today is the day you pay for your sins!"

Holy Initiation’s expression remained unchanged, Dan Shuang’s strength was to him no different from that of an ordinary soldier, all within his grasp to snuff out with a single hand.

He slowly extended his hand towards her, who stood with her back straight.

"Swoosh!"

In an instant, blood splattered.

Holy Initiation was still extending his hand, his expression calm.

He looked down as if expecting this scene, at Su Ming’an who had pierced through his body with a sword.

Su Ming’an himself hadn’t expected the other to be completely unguarded. Seeing the notification pop up, he met the other’s profound eyes.

Those eyes were extremely focused.

"Swoosh——"

He swung his sword horizontally, the blade with the annihilation effect passing through the opponent’s body without any hindrance.

It was only after he saw the opponent fall to the ground, blood slowly seeping out and nourishing the array on the ground, that he realized—he hadn’t heard the system’s boss battle start notification.

Clearly, there had been a combat power comparison notification when he had raised his sword earlier.

...What happened to the promised combat power of 9999?

He hadn’t originally planned on attacking, but being so close, and without any restraints on him, he thought to try attacking, never expecting an outright success.

Watching the strongest person in this world fall to the ground and facing all the nobles who were gradually straightening up in dumbfounded shock, he heard a clear system notification:

...He really died.

Su Ming’an even saw the equipment drop notification.

[Heart of the Future (Purple Grade): "A path to the future void of all, dead silent, and you are the future."

Physical Defense: 30

Mentality Defense: 10

Durability: 30/30

Equipment Requirement: Must have at least two Red Level or higher skills.

Special Skill (Energy Suppression): You can activate this skill by channeling Mana Points, suppressing nearby enemies, the range and strength of which depend on the amount of Mana Points channeled and the enemies’ resistance. Enemies under suppression will continue to take critical hits.]

"Ding Dong!"

At the same time, the players, who were still dazedly straightening themselves up, also heard the system prompt ringing in their ears:

The city gates were suddenly opened, and the researchers, no longer suppressed, promptly cooperated from within and helped the Revolutionary Army storm into the Inner City.

Despite the Revolutionary Army’s shabby equipment, the Regular Army didn’t even activate a single defense formation, and in their internal chaos, they actually got breached.

The sound of fighting outside the city was intense, while inside the city, there was dead silence.

All the nobles with the ability to resist, with high strength, were gathered in the square at this time. It was precisely because they had never taken action that the Revolutionary Army was so triumphant.

But now, as they watched two figures they both deeply respected on the stage, one suddenly drew a sword and killed the other... this scene nearly brought their thoughts to a halt, leaving them unable to react for a moment.

Because everyone firmly believed that His Majesty could not die.

With His Majesty, the Regular Army would always be unbeatable, and with His Majesty, their stronghold would always be as firm as a rock.

He was the ultimate being of the Continent, the strongest Ruler. Judging from the scene just now when a mere gesture made thousands kneel, his strength had also reached a terrifying level, beyond what everyone combined could defeat.

But now... He actually fell under the seemingly effortless sword of the Sage Master, inevitably causing the collapse of these nobles’ belief, who were like zealots.

They stood there, rigid as wooden stakes, with no reaction at all.

Su Ming’an exchanged a look with the silent nobles, and then suddenly saw a flash of red hurling towards him.

The girl hugged him tightly, with a force so heavy, it was nothing tender or delicate, but more like the embrace between brothers in arms after a battle.

Su Ming’an only felt as if a bear had suddenly pounced on him, almost crushing him to the ground.

"It’s great, so great!" Dan Shuang smiled with tears streaming out, her Black Blade cast aside. Her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, "We’ve finally killed that damn thing, you’re a hero! Qin Wang, you’re absolutely a hero of the entire Continent--"

She seemed too excited and nearly strangled Su Ming’an to death, prompting him to push her away immediately and truly experience the strength of this powerfully-built girl.

"Really, it’s just so great! I—I’ve never been so happy in my life..." She was so excited that her words were broken, and then, two trails of tears slid down her large eyes, astonishing in volume: "Holy Initiation is dead, he’s dead! The Revolutionary Army is saved, the world is saved! Just, just as long as we conquer the Regular Army, gain resources, and follow the revolutionary path... there will be no more obstacles in front of us. You are a great man, the absolute great man, it’s so wonderful, Chen Yang, do you see? You didn’t die in vain..."

She laughed, and then she suddenly cried again, a river of tears flowing down her fair cheeks, shimmering in the light:

"Everyone in the Glazed Tower... all who sacrificed on the battlefield... none of you died in vain..."

Light danced in her eyes, within which was a clear and translucent reflection.

This Leader of the Revolutionary Army, silent until now, when her emotions surfaced, they did so completely.

Perhaps it was because she had seen too much sacrifice and death along the way, life felt as light as a feather beside her, and some people would say take care and never be seen again.

Life had gradually evolved into data in her heart, all her actions had become a balance scale, facing a demoralized army with inadequate equipment, her shoulders could hardly bear the burden, yet she couldn’t show any weakness.

In the moment when she learned of the final victory, making it to the end, she now cried and laughed like a madwoman out of control.

Su Ming’an finally witnessed what it looked like when someone cried until they melted, a state often spoken of in legends.

But at this moment, he saw the little loli who had been kneeling on the ground, slowly standing up.

She looked at him, bowed slightly, made a curtsy, her eyes calm as still water.