Oakley's eyes widened in bewilderment, and then he burst into laughter.
"That's not the answer I was expecting." He replied with a bright smile on his face.
Helix chuckled with a wry smile.
"You've done a hell of a lot for not knowing what you're doing." Oakley laughed.
"I'm just following human nature, Oakley." Helix sighed.
"The nobles like money, exclusive clothing, power.
The kingdom likes wealth, loyalty, and strength.
Soldiers like prestige, glory, and honor.
The otakus like playing cards, talking to women, and cat ears.
I'm just giving people their simple desires.
The problem is that in my mind, [more] is better than too little, so I go for most.
I should get a power consultant."
Oakley burst into laughter again.
"That makes even less sense." The major cried.
Helix looked at the man with bewilderment plastered on his expression.
"How so?" He asked.
"Because you make it sound like providing limitless everything is easy!"
Helix smiled when he thought about it for a moment.
"To be honest, I've gotten lucky."
Oakley turned to the young man who was speaking with true humility.
"Hmmm. I got an idea. Hook me up with half your luck, and it will be impossible to take things too far." Oakley laughed.
"Haaaaaah. I'll give you half of my problems, too." Helix sighed.
"No can do, chief." Oakley laughed.
"I'm only accepting luck. I can complain about my problems when I'm drowning in cute girls, power, and wealth like you."
Helix gave Oakley a genuine smile.
"I suppose things aren't so bad at the end of the day."
"Nope. So just survive. The rest will iron itself out when the monsters come." Oakley said simply.
"Are you confident they will?" Helix asked.
"Yup." Oakley replied.
"Tyrene said it in her recording.
That's all I needed to hear."
Helix sighed a breath of relief.
"It's great to know one person feels that way."
Oakley turned to him with a quizzical expression.
"Most don't?" He asked.
Helix shrugged at the man.
"Who knows. I only hear from the ones that don't." He chuckled bitterly.
Oakley burst into laughter again.
"Sounds about right. Hopefully, the majority will meet your words with applause tonight so you can hear us."
Helix smiled and looked at the crowd.
"I hope so."
Oakley waved to Helix.
"Good luck. We'll be starting the choppin' here soon." He called out while walking away.
"So kill it with the announcement.
It's your event. You know, like everything else here.
So kill it with those announcements too."
Helix chuckled bitterly with a half-genuine smile.
He then turned to the thumb in the arena.
"Okay. Let's do this." Helix sighed and walked toward the fighting pit.
"Look! That coat!" A woman yelled out.
"Isn't that the famous designer?" Another replied excitedly.
"Yeah! It's Helix! Helix Margrave!" A third yelled out.
Screaming came from the stands from a gaggle of young noble women.
Soon different mutterings started occurring from the soldiers on the left side.
"Is that him?"
"I think so… I hear that strange coat is Earthian battle armor."
"Battle armor?"
"Yeah. I heard it's super strong."
"He doesn't look that tough."
"No… he doesn't. If General Tyrene didn't call him out by name, I'd call bullshit."
"Yeah. I'm halfway there just looking at the kid."
While conversations spread like wildfire, Helix entered the fighting pit casually.
The moment he reached the thumb, multiple cheers and claps rang out.
Then the applause started waving through the crowd from both sides.
It slowly became more uniform as the clapping reached new people and spread to the next like falling dominos.
It was satisfying.
Helix circled the audience to see as many faces as he could.
Once he completed the rotation, he took a light bow, triggering thunderous applause.
He reached his hands down and activated an amplification circle.
"Soldiers, nobles, guards, officials, doctors, citizens, and every other proud Alzerian in this arena…." Helix began with a slight smile.
"Thank you for coming out to celebrate the life of Grandmaster Winter General Dame Tyrene Masney, the legendary warrior that protected our people for the last sixty years!"
Booming applause exploded in the arena, sending shockwaves through the Alzerian skies.
"Thank you to the international guests that have journeyed her upon short notice to pay their respects as well.
I do not speak on behalf of the kingdom, but I believe everyone appreciates the love and support you've brought her today.
Proud Alzerians. Do you welcome our guests!?"
Thunderous applause met his words again, and he circled the audience to give them a warm smile.
"For those who do not know of me, my name is Helix Hellsgate Margrave." He continued.
"I was one of four people General Tyrene took on as exclusive apprentices in her lifetime.
For that reason, the other apprentices, along with the Alzerian military and her Majesty, and I have brought you here today…."
Helix paused dramatically and circled the crowd to prevent cheering.
"For a warrior's celebration!"
The audience detonated with cheering and applause.
"There will be time for real introductions in the future." Helix announced with a slight smile.
"But for now, I'd like you to turn your attention to the small object in the stadium."
Helix was next to the thumb but turned his full body to face the Stalkwalker's four-ton skull.
The people cheering for the thumb paused in bewilderment.
After a second of confused silence, the stadium erupted into laughter.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to introduce you to this sick beast in the stadium's center." Helix requested with a booming voice.
"Do you know what you call this monstrosity?"
Excited whispers washed through the crowd.
"Dead."
Laughter denoted in the stadium and filled the Alzerian soundwaves.
While the thousand people outside couldn't see in, they could feel the emotion and started cheering the same.
Helix circled the crowd again with a cheeky smile.
"That's right. This sick creature had half a dozen titles and some stats." He announced.
"However, it's dead, and the legendary Winter General Tyrene lives on!"
Helix roared and circled the stadium, triggering wave after wave of applause.
"Legends don't die! Today is the beginning of General Tyrene's life!"
Cheers started reaching a fever pitch in the arena.
"She will be talked about for centuries, studied in classes, and recorded in the annals of history!" Helix yelled.
"We're here to welcome Grandmaster Winter General Dame Tyrene Masney into the next stage of her immortal journey!"
Deafening roars and battle cries came from the soldiers in the arena.
"That's right! Today marks a new era where children have a hero to look up to!" Helix continued.
"An era where soldiers and generals look to this legend for inspiration and carry the torch to continue her legacy."
Wild applause met Helix's every word.
He circled the stadium to ensure everyone felt noticed.
"It is our job to fill in where General Tyrene left off." Helix continued.
"To start that step, I have brought you the left thumb of the hand that took General Tyrene's life and made her immortal."
The atmosphere in the arena suddenly turned dark.
What was once a festive area was now an enclosed space with multiplied pressure.
It became hard to breathe.
They were looking at the hand that killed Tyrene, and the person who casually presented it was her unknown apprentice.
Everyone stared at Helix with mixed emotions.
Only then did they truly understand the gravity of Tyrene's death and that the person before them was there.
They didn't know the story, and now they were facing it down.
While he was charasmatic, he didn't have a track record with the Alzerian army.
He didn't have medals.
Distinction.
Prestige.
Most of all he lacked something important: trust.
Everything that Helix had was new; he was an upstart with wealth and backing.
Beyond that, no one knew who he was, his background, or his situation.
Everything he has done of value was in Kozen, and his accomplishments in Alzeria ranged from representing the danger of Earthians to treason.
Therefore, Helix had to turn things around.
This was the defining moment that would make or break his reputation.
He circled the area for maximum dramatic effect.
Then he manerisms shifted.
Helix stared at the audience with a cold expression on his face.
He did not waiver and matched their gazes with a fierce look in his eyes.
The teen did not shy way from anything. He was determined to face the truth head on, regardless of the consequences.
So he prepared himself to tell the truth and spoke with a fierce passion that rocked the stadium.
—
[A/N: I love it when authors leave on cliffhangers.
They provide something to look forward to when I wake up.
I hope you agree. Thank you as always for reading. I'm glad you've joined Helix on his ardeous journey and I hope it fills your day with entertainment.
See you tomorrow, faithful readers! ]
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Power stones and grammatical errors = more content. :)
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