Chapter 536

Chapter 536: Battle of Wits

"The Rule of Death… If only I could have gotten it when I was alive. Unfortunately, I became a god through dreams, and I didn’t have a physical body back then," Messiah sighed. "Moreover, as a god, I no longer have the chance to use the source power taken by others."

"Oh, just chatting."

Just at that moment, another shadow appeared here.

A few people glanced at her, and Lord of Eternity quickly covered his hand. Messiah also shivered, and Aurora Goddess frowned.

"What is it, what is it? Am I that scary?" Surtr shot a glance at a few of them.

"Hehe, your clone is definitely not scary," Lord of Eternity said, his mouth twitching. "Why are you here?"

"When I was fighting God of Wisdom, this guy was in chaos inside, and my mark and Card God’s mark both got destroyed," Surtr said helplessly. "He absorbed all of our powers."

"Later, he went to Acheron, and my clone couldn’t go with him. It was only after he came back that I had a chance to attach to him."

"I estimate that when he becomes a god, I will be easily cut off."

"I can’t compare to you all. I don’t have many clones left in this continent. If this one is gone, there is just one left at headquarters. The new church is completely useless; after all, I created clones based on the number of existing churches."

"Tsk, what a pity. In my time, there weren’t many humans, and few believed in me. Otherwise, I would have more followers than Leona."

"You and Marl gave humans a way to survive. At first, the most believers were those who trusted you and Marl. But when Marl finished their tasks, they went traveling. You…" The Lord of Eternity said with a mix of laughter and tears, "Your followers are as fierce as you, and many have perished over generations. If it weren’t for what you did for humanity, unless it was the Goddess of the Night from that era, who could have followers that could compete with yours?"

"Ahem, just a small problem, a small problem," Surtr chuckled. "To reach the top, you must follow an unbeatable path. A genius who falls halfway is not a true genius."

"Four gods watching him reach the top is quite impressive," Messiah said with a thoughtful expression.

"No, no, no, three and a half. You count as half," Surtr said, looking at Messiah with disapproval.

Messiah: …

"Speaking of which, it seems this girl can’t even defeat my servants. Using the terms of this continent, if my ten-star God Card summons a servant to fight her, she would barely manage to hold her own," said the Lord of Eternity. "If she goes outside, she might only be able to fight ordinary beings."

Messiah: …

She didn’t want to speak anymore.

After all, I’m a god too, and I deserve some respect, right?

No, I still have to argue again.

"What do you mean I can only fight normally? You are being biased. Those with god-like powers are rare, while people like me are common," Messiah countered. "There are only a few rules, and how many gods like you are there in the whole world?"

"Well, that’s true. Ah, it doesn’t matter anyway, since there’s no one who can beat me," Surtr waved his hand.

"Surtr, do you think this little guy can survive this battle?" The Lord of Eternity asked. "Many rank nine fighters have come. Without the influence of the gods, this should be all the high-level power in this era on this continent, right?"

"Of course he can! He is my chosen one. I think just like Leona does; he can definitely break through and become a god in this battle," Surtr said with a smile. "Once he becomes a god, he will be on a completely different level. He could crush these little things with just one hand."

"But, I heard him say before that he still has a lot to do, so he might not become a god, right?" Messiah said uncertainly.

"Not becoming a god, in this situation…" Surtr frowned slightly. "Which one of us could handle so many at rank nine at the same time? To put it simply, those who reach ninth-tier peak, who knows how much they have gone through; they have climbed over mountains of blades and seas of fire."

The few gods present fell silent.

Without becoming a god, facing so many at the same level, no one dared to say they could win.

If you can hit twice, you can succeed for a lifetime.

Although the top three fighters are slightly weaker than Karoso, they are still at the same level.

The rest may not be as strong, but they can still be helpful.

With so many level nine fighters, it’s confusing for anyone.

……

[It’s coming, it’s coming]

[Which support will Master Karoso summon this time?]

[Using my Merlin, it targets all classes one hundred percent]

[What? One hundred percent targeting? Are you joking?]

[The strongest warrior in B is here; my hero can be used anytime.]

[The number one in the official game is here too; my Karn is really strong.]

Slowly, one by one, figures appeared around Karoso.

"This is much bigger than I imagined," Karoso looked around and greeted Celica, "High Priest, it’s been a while; you look well."

"You are impressive, kid! You’ve reached the ninth level at such a young age; that’s at least thirty years earlier than me!" Celica said with admiration.

"Ahem…" The Pope gave Celica a sharp look.

"Well, Master Celica, would you like to observe the battle?" asked Admiral Sakaski of the Yggdrasil Empire, who had fought Celica before.

It was clear he was worried that Celica might suddenly strike him during the fight.

"Everyone, let me talk to him first," the Pope said and flew toward Karoso.

When the two men stood face to face, the Pope spoke, "This is our first meeting."

"Well, the old me was not worthy to meet you," Karoso nodded.

He still admired this Pope very much.

The Church of the Dawn Goddess has fallen apart, but the Pope has not, and neither has Celica.

It is these people, who truly spread the light, that support the current Church of the Dawn Goddess.

"Hey kid, you were behind those news stories, right?" Ivan looked coldly at Karoso. "Do you know you are asking for trouble?"

Although the ones captured in the end were all from the Thieves Guild and some from the Shadows of Canglang Province.

It is not hard to imagine that Karoso must be the mastermind.

Without a strong ally behind you, who would dare to act recklessly?

"Because I spoke the truth?" Karoso looked at Ivan, "Just tell me, is my report lacking evidence, or what?"

"Many things are the hidden rules of the nobility; you are asking for trouble!" A cold light flashed in Ivan’s eyes.

"Hidden rules? I don’t know when such rules appeared that make ordinary people spend their whole lives working hard, only to end up in a pauper’s grave at thirty-five. You consider yourselves nobles and experts, but weren’t your ancestors also commoners? Didn’t they also start from nothing?" Karoso retorted, "Now, the Dragon Slayer has become the evil dragon; you feel a sense of accomplishment, don’t you? Blocking others’ paths and giving no opportunities at all, are you really happy?"

"We could work our way up to where we are now; they had their chances too," Ivan sneered.

"Oh? Where did I miss the opportunities? I haven’t heard a story about rising through hard work in a long time." Karoso shook his head, "For a commoner, the knight tournament is already the peak; even then, you have to steal lessons just to have a chance, and how many are stealing for the sake of protecting commoners? Where is the knightly spirit?"

"Once you enter the Knight Tournament, the organizers are corrupt, and everything is chaotic; without some money, you can’t buy information about your opponents and can only passively take hits…"

"If someone truly has the power to dominate their peers, they can still win," Pande Empire’s Stan Eichler countered, "I can do that."

"I know you made it to the end through strength, without buying opponent information, but…" Karoso looked at him with disdain, "You are using the Golden Card and mocking the inability of the Blue Cards."

"What gives the Knight King, after generations of hard work, the right to lose to those commoners?" Stan Eichler spoke seriously, "Karoso Colloa, don’t forget, you are also a noble; your father also started from nothing, and commoners still have their chances."

"My father did not start from nothing. He is the son of a fallen count, but he is still a noble!" Karoso said seriously. "As my friend would say, a poor family is still a family. A fallen family is still a family, and a fallen noble is still a noble!"

"My father has all the rights that nobles should have. If he were a commoner, he wouldn’t have the ability to learn knowledge, learn martial arts, or gain experience, let alone lead soldiers in battle."

"If he did not have the noble title, everything he built up would be taken away the moment he started to succeed."

"He belongs to the noble circle; he is not some true commoner who has risen up against the odds!"

"Ha! In my friend’s words, Xiangzi worked hard all his life and thought he couldn’t afford a car or live well because he didn’t work hard enough. You people do not know who Xiangzi is, but he is a reflection of countless commoners."

"Don’t let this little brat lead you astray." Presea Hercules spoke up. "To put it bluntly, why should we give commoners a chance to rise?"

"You’re absolutely right. Why should we? In your view, commoners should support you and give you everything. That’s supposed to be their honor. You’re right. After generations of hard work, why should you give chances to others? So, you don’t have to give, and there’s no need to give, but if you are willing, then I’m happy to give." Karoso pointed to his heart, "I, Karoso Colloa, really admire the Knight King and deeply respect his nobility."

"The things he did back then, I want to do them again."

"The things he didn’t do well, I want to do right for him!"

"Pande is already on the brink of destruction; what makes you think you can mention the Knight King?" The Pande wizard Julia Eichler glared fiercely at Karoso.

"Why can’t I?" Karoso raised an eyebrow. "In the past, the Knight King suppressed Pande with unmatched strength, the Pande Empire flourished, the people of Pande were happy, and the country was rich and powerful."

"The knights exist to protect and serve the common folk, and the people respect the knights enough to treat them well in return."

"Back then, the nobles had very little power in Pande."

"Back then, there were smiles on the faces of the people in Pande."

"Back then, Pande was the strongest country in the world!"

"Look at now; the nobles have regained their power and brutally oppress the common folk. The Knight Tournament is filled with dirty secrets, and nobles sit below commenting on the knights who once upheld this nation, picking favorites to take to bed or even make them slaves or dogs."

"Leave the knights with economic value alone for now, but when their value is gone, send them to the battlefield to be captured and sold by other countries."

"If this could make Pande stronger, I wouldn’t say anything, but has Pande really become stronger?"

"On top of it all, Presea, the Yggdrasil Empire, is a black hole for taxes all year round."

"The people are getting poorer and poorer, and the country is not wealthy, not developing, holding onto old ideas."

"Do you think this kind of Pande is a good sign?"

"Besides the nobles, I don’t see anyone in Pande who is rich."

"Right now, I don’t want to destroy Pande, I want to help it be born anew!"

"Well said, that’s amazing!" Celica gave a thumbs up.

Stan Eichler quickly looked at the Pope.

"Ahem." The Pope coughed twice to stop Celica.

In fact, he also thought what Karoso said was quite good…

"That’s a matter for our Pande, and you have no right to interfere!" Julia Eichler was left unsure of how to respond.

At first, the people present did not understand Karoso; why would a noble want to change his own fate?

Now, they understood.

Although Karoso did not do these things because of the Knight King, mentioning the Knight King could persuade many people and help them understand why Karoso acted this way.

Even more, after learning his reasons, many who were not originally on Karoso’s side might actually join him.

There are quite a lot of admirers of the Knight King…

"Well, regarding Pande, I am only taking a small step to help the common people and my friends. After that, I will not involve myself in your family matters. To put it plainly, I do not intend to interfere in your internal affairs, but I want to support friends who share my ideals, that’s all. Besides, your so-called revolutionary army has the rightful heir of Pande and the holder of the Sword in the Stone," Karoso smiled and said. "Even if the current government is overthrown and all the nobles are defeated, Pande will still be under your Ishtet’s rule."

Julia and Stan exchanged glances.

Damn, that makes sense!

Even if Aileen wins, so what? She is still part of the Pande royal family; it is just a change of power.

Even if the future nobles disappear, it won’t affect those at the ninth rank, and there are other royal families too.

"Don’t be fooled by him," Presea Joseph said. "Does he really not care? What if he waits for Aileen to take advantage of the revolution?"

The two of them were not deceived by Karoso.

"You have also been involved in our country’s affairs, Adolf Vienna; you have given him a lot of help," said Gul’dan, the last ninth-tier Warlock of the Yaleman Empire.

"You can’t be sure he is right, can you?" Karoso smiled and said, "Also, my dealings with him are just normal business."

"In any case, it is a fact that the ninth-tier is doing these messy things," the Pope spoke, "Karoso, you still have one last chance to surrender."