With furrowed eyebrows, Daneel looked up, as that was where the transmission had come from.
He had guessed that a couple of Heroes might drop in to watch the show, but he could never have expected that his target would be the son of one of the Heroes of this continent.
Initially, although Daneel had been surprised and skeptical of the story, it was still believable. It fit with Raul's nature of wanting to save citizens.
Of course, the question regarding how it was even possible for such a scenario to occur had to be placed to the side. After all, it sounded pretty absurd.
Still, Daneel had been ready to accept that there might be strange inheritances or whatnot that he might not be aware of.
However, it was the latter part that left a bad taste in his mouth.
Clearly, it was a threat from an all-powerful Hero who saw it to be beneath him to ask politely, even though his son's life was at risk.
Such an attitude was something that irked Daneel to no end.
If he agreed, it would seem as if he had gotten scared of the threat. True, it might not be known to many people on the outside, but Daneel didn't care about that.
HE would know, that even after accomplishing so much and having a Hero-level Ancient Dragon in his head, he had practically bowed down just because he didn't want to make an enemy.
Wait…was this pride? The same pride which led to the deaths of many powerful individuals, because they wouldn't be willing to let certain things go even though there were more benefits in doing that?
This thought made Daneel enter a deep period of thought. He had seen this pride in various forms, and, in most cases, it had led to the deaths of whoever let their pride dictate their actions.
At the same moment, he also realized that he had changed. Being powerful, doing powerful things had changed him in ways that even he couldn't comprehend.
He was no longer that scared Human in Lanthanor who wanted to be absolutely safe in all the things he did, even if it meant killing his dignity in the process.
Slowly, he had grown into someone who was worthy of sitting in his seat. And…that worth was also attached to the self-respect and self-confidence that he had built.
If that weren't the case, he would never be capable of the gravitas with which he was sitting on the Throne right now, which had become engraved into the minds of all those watching.
It just wouldn't be the same! If his regality all stemmed from someone who was still that kid who valued safety over all other things as he was too weak, then it would just never seem real to those who were watching.
It was just like they said on Earth: a fox could don a lion's skin, but it would never be able to imitate the grandeur of a true lion.
That didn't mean that he could be overly cocky like all those pig-headed protagonists or young masters in stories that he used to read on Earth.
No, he just had to know when to choose which path. Where cockiness and the will to never bend was needed, it had to be there. And where it might be necessary for him to take a step back, he had to be ready to do so.
Even if it was best if the former eclipsed the latter, he had to be ready for both.
And right now, Daneel was leaning toward the former.
It wasn't the foolish pride of an arrogant King who didn't want it to look like he was capitulating to a threat.
No, it was the pride of a World Dominator who had no intention of doing so, especially when he had enough tricks up his sleeve to make sure that he wouldn't regret it.
Still, Daneel was moved by the Hero's story. What if it was true? Would he still want to kill Raul?
If he removed that threat from the equation, what would his decision be?
Right now, he had two options: One, he could kill Raul just to make the statement that threats wouldn't work on him.
Or, two, he could let Raul go and live with the fact that he had given in to the threat.
When Daneel pondered on them, he realized that he didn't like either of them.
Although so many thoughts were going around in his head, in the real world, not even a second had passed.
Just when Daneel was about to reluctantly choose one of them, an idea struck him.
If he didn't like the options, why not…create a new one?
After all, when a chess board wasn't to his favor, the best thing to do was flip the board itself.
This idea captivated him, resulting in him quickly forming a plan and asking Drakos for the tools which he would need to implement it.
Thankfully, Drakos delivered.
As soon as everything was finalized, the idle, royal smile appeared on his face again.
Looking up at the spot in the sky where the transmission had come from, Daneel…winked.
It wasn't the playful wink of one who had agreed to the option set forth.
No…it was a wink that said 'kiss my a*s'.
As soon as the man shrouded in black understood this, a very bad feeling engulfed his heart.
Sure enough, the next second, the stars around the King grew even brighter, becoming so bright that they seemed to inundate everything around them in a flash of light.
At the same moment, the King's Sun Ray suddenly underwent a qualitative change.
Where before it had been slowly eating away at the enemy's attack and getting stronger, now, it started to devour the Sun Ray in front of it with gusto.
It was almost as if the combined rays which were impacting the opponent's attack had opened their maws to rout their opponent in one go.
The moment this happened, Raul screamed while clutching his Mageroot.
All the elementary particles that he had been controlling had been forcefully wrenched away from him, and before he could even comprehend how this was possible, the King's Sun Ray shot toward him with unimaginable speed.
"NOOOOOO!"
In Kasar, and the other towns which were near the area where the contest was taking place, citizens looked up in the direction of the sky as the powerful sound of a thunderclap reached their ears. The reverberations of this thunderclap even caused all of the houses to shake, as if an earthquake was affecting the area.
If they knew that all this was just the effect of a scream of fury from a Hero, they would definitely have been shaking in their boots.
Indeed, when he saw the Sun Ray shoot toward his flesh and blood of whom there would be nothing but ash left soon, the man shrouded in darkness let out a scream of rage that resulted in the thunderclap naturally forming in the air around him, even though his Mageroot was tightly bound by the Head. In vain, he tried to break through the barrier that was stopping him, but the Head was just too powerful.
He was in a transparent cage while watching the demise of his son in slow motion. Even though it only took a few seconds, it seemed as if eternity was passing in front of his eyes.
What was the point of all his power if he couldn't even save the only one he was supposed to protect?
The darkness he was shrouded in surged, seeking to break apart the barrier, but it was all in vain.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Losing hope, he even started to bang on the barrier with his bare hands, while his whole body shook.
Beside him, the bearded man only sadly shook his head, and then, it was all over.
The moment before the King's Sun Ray met Raul's body, a bright flash of golden light obscured the vision of all those watching, including even the numerous Heroes, some of whom were watching with glee while the man who was responsible for the deaths of their sons and daughters was brought to' justice'.
Even the Head and the man he was stopping from wreaking havoc unto Angaria had to look away, following which they saw only ash remaining of the man who had broken through to become a Champion in such a spectacular method.
Alas, he had met the wrong opponent.
"Humph, this kid really loves being flashy…"
While the Head said this under his breath, the spectators all over the continent started to cheer on seeing such a show-stopping grand finale to an event that would definitely be talked about for decades.
Meanwhile, the man shrouded in darkness just stood there silently, watching as the King made a gust of wind disperse even the ash, leaving him with nothing to remember his son.
Momentarily, he regretted that he hadn't chosen to leave his dignity behind and beg. Perhaps…things might have been different, that way?
He had seen no reason to do so when dealing with a puny Warrior who he thought would be ready to give anything to hold a debt with a Hero.
Yet, he had been wrong.
That regret…gave way to an all-encompassing wrath that made his eyes go completely red.
However, when he turned those eyes toward the King, he heard the Chief speak.
"Surpsising. I thought he might take your offer, after which I could have placed both you and your son in Heavenly Confinement for breaking the rules of Exile."
Wh-what?
He had been sure that he had succeeded in sending a message without the Head finding out!
As the wrath turned into shock, the Head chuckled and said, "You thought I didn't see you send it? Humph, how naive. If that kid agreed, it would have counted as you stepping in - which would allow me to imprison you both. Well, this works, too."
Looking at the Head, the man was reminded about what other Heroes usually said about him.
'The old monster who always wins.'
Yes, that fit him perfectly.
All along, everything had been in the palm of his hand.
The Head was one of those whose son had died at that time. And…Heavenly Confinement was an area that only he had access to.
The man didn't even need to imagine what they would have gone through if the other scenario had taken place.
Still, his son would have been alive.
This time, the fury that erupted was targeted toward both the King and the Head, but because the latter was untouchable, he focused it all on the King.
"I'm afraid I can't let you have revenge on him, either. But I also can't imprison you without any grounds. I'll be keeping a watch on you, though. And I'll be placing a formation in Lanthanor so that you won't target the King. Come on. Let's go. We can head to your place, where I'll help you cool off before leaving. I heard you acquired a very special bottle of 230-year old wine? Let's see how that tastes."
Without giving the man any chance to respond, the Head teleported them both away after sending a message to the King of Lanthanor.
…
Meanwhile, Daneel was giving his show the fitting end that it deserved.
For a grandiose scene, he ordered the system to let the stars remain even though they had no job to do except stay there and look great.
A communication eye flew up to his level, where he paused to make sure that it encapsulated the entire scene of the shining hand of a giant made up of stars which was cupping him.
Waving his hand as if to signify the end of something, Daneel said, "Well…that was unexpected, but I bet it must have been entertaining. What you saw was a fight between an Amateur Champion and me, a Warrior. If I were just any Warrior, it would be my ashes spreading in the air. Thankfully, I managed to withstand the onslaught because I am a Paragon."
"Daneel, you're tooting your own horn too much."
Receiving this message from Eloise who always transformed into a different woman when she was working, Daneel paused and cut his speech short, deciding to end it with a flourish.
"The winner chosen by you is Number 3, the lady with the mesmerizing style. Her life will be spared, while the rest will meet the fate they are due. You've been a wonderful audience, and I can only hope that I find more chances to put on such shows. But, that's all for now. Once again, I, King Daneel Anivron of Lanthanor, thank you all for watching. Good night, Angaria!"
With another bright flash, the Network Trinkets went blank, while cheers louder than ever resounded throughout the continent.
Meanwhile, Daneel heard the other message he had received from the same spot.
"Kid, this is the old man who saved you from those two Heroes. I'm honestly and pleasantly surprised that you stuck to your guns and went ahead. If I were you, I might have chosen to have a Hero in my debt! But I guess this is the kind of single-minded determination that is required to progress on the legendary path of a Paragon. Still, you've made quite a powerful enemy. I've laid down a formation along the borders of your Kingdom using which I can get to you and save you if needed. For a period of time, until the Hero in question cools down, do not exit your Kingdom. I'll come talk to you soon."
Instead of making him panic, this message made the smile on Daneel's face grow wider.
A second after he received this message, he sent one of his own to Eloise.
"Eloise, pack up and start making the highlight reel."
"But you said you would join me?", asked Eloise, to which Daneel answered:
"Yes, I'll see you soon. But, before that, I need to take a small stroll on our border."
...
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