Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 55: Is This the Burden of Genius?

The air inside the hall felt heavy enough to press down on the skin.

Manester sat at the center of the stage. Whatever signs of the scuffle remained on his clothes, none showed on his face now. The disorder had vanished beneath a solemn, commanding calm.

He cleared his throat.

The sound carried through the speakers and silenced the last murmurs in the chamber.

"Last night, Norcrest stood on the edge of collapse."

His voice was low, steady, impossible to ignore.

"Tens of thousands of Voidbeasts struck our defenses. Twenty Rank Four lord class Voidbeasts led the assault, with three Rank Five beast kings behind them."

He paused.

Across the hall, breathing seemed to stop with him.

"And in that moment, someone stepped forward."

Manester’s gaze found the young man seated in the third row.

"Private Joren turned the battle alone."

"He cut through the Beast Tide, killed twenty Rank Four lords, and drove back an army of tens of thousands."

A wave of noise swept through the hall.

Everyone had heard the stories.

Everyone had seen parts of the footage.

But hearing the supreme commander state it before the entire branch made it official.

Joren’s name would be written into the history of Norcrest.

The report would reach Solhaven.

Perhaps the whole nation.

Manester raised one hand, and the chamber settled again.

"For a hero like this, no reward is too generous."

He picked up a red document from the table and began to read.

"By decision of Alkaid Authority High Command, Joren will receive the following rewards."

"First, one hundred million federal credits."

"Second, access to the Alkaid Authority S Class Resource Vault, with the right to select any three items."

"Third, the Norcrest Guardian Medal."

A remarkable amount of swallowing followed from the audience.

Then Manester lowered the document.

His hawk sharp eyes returned to Joren.

"In light of the leadership, judgment, and willingness to risk everything for humanity that Joren displayed in this battle..."

"I have made another decision."

He drew in a breath.

Then dropped the real weight of the ceremony.

"Effective today, Joren is appointed the new Frontier Marshal of Antares Command."

"He will command every Awakened Warrior under Antares Command and oversee all external military operations involving Norcrest."

"He will report directly to me."

"No intermediary approval will be required."

The hall erupted.

The earlier rewards had been impressive.

This was something else entirely.

Frontier Marshal.

Within the power structure of Alkaid Authority in Norcrest, only the branch commander stood above the heads of the major divisions.

And Antares Command was the largest and strongest of them all.

Its Frontier Marshal held real authority.

More than that, the position carried weight even over the leaders of several other branches.

A seventeen year old Frontier Marshal.

No one had risen this fast before.

No one might ever do so again.

"Damn..."

Alar had already guessed it.

Still, hearing it from Manester made him suck in a breath.

Eyes turned toward Joren from every direction.

Envy.

Jealousy.

Admiration.

Respect.

Then applause thundered through the hall.

No one objected.

No one dared call it undeserved.

In a world ruled by strength, achievement was the only qualification that mattered.

Joren had cut through a Beast Tide alone.

That was enough.

Manester watched the reaction with satisfaction.

Then he leaned forward, looking at Joren with the warm smile of a father placing a future in his son’s hands.

"Joren."

"Will you accept this responsibility?"

Was that even a question?

This was the kind of authority most people spent their entire lives chasing.

Joren was about to rise.

Smack!

A palm struck the table.

The sound cut cleanly through the ceremony.

Every head turned toward the other side of the stage.

Kyo slowly withdrew his hand and dug one finger into his ear, wearing open contempt.

"Manester."

"Has age finally rotted your brain?"

The hall went dead silent.

There was only one person in all of Norcrest who would insult the supreme commander in public and still remain standing.

The smile vanished from Manester’s face.

A vein rose at his temple.

"Kyo. What exactly are you trying to do?"

Kyo ignored him.

His eyes, wild and wolfish, fixed on Joren instead.

"Do not listen to that old fool."

"Frontier Marshal sounds impressive."

"In reality, it is a glorified caretaker."

He stood and adjusted the torn sleeve of his coat.

"Every day, you deal with these brats eating, sleeping, complaining, and causing trouble."

"You write reports."

"You attend pointless meetings."

"Every minor issue becomes a request, an approval, another document."

"You think you can live like that?"

Across the hall, Alar and the rest of Antares Command wore the same expression.

Brats?

He was powerful, certainly.

Did he really need to insult the entire division to their faces?

Kyo stepped down from the stage and walked toward Joren.

"You were born for battle."

"Locking you inside some bureaucratic office will grind away everything that makes you dangerous."

"In the end, you will become another useless man signing papers."

He tapped the wolf head insignia on his chest.

"Become my successor."

"The next Sirius Bureau."

"Take that title, and no one in Norcrest can command you except Manester."

Kyo grinned.

"Even that is mostly for appearances."

"Do not feel like listening to him?"

"Then do not."

"No troops to lead."

"No reports."

"No meetings."

"You go where you want."

"You kill what you want."

"You only draw your blade when everyone else has failed."

"When a Voidbeast appears that no one else can stop."

"When the city itself is about to fall."

A ring of smoke left his mouth.

His eyes stayed on Joren.

"So."

"Do you want to become a Frontier Marshal who works himself to death and takes the blame for everyone?"

"Or Sirius Bureau, free to walk alone?"

At last, the entire hall understood.

So that was why Manester and Kyo had arrived with torn clothes and murder in their eyes.

They had been fighting over Joren.

Manester wanted to anchor him inside the system, a pillar holding Norcrest together.

Kyo wanted to drag him into the wilderness and forge him into the sharpest blade alive.

One path offered command over thousands.

The other offered freedom beyond ordinary law.

How was anyone supposed to choose between those?

Jazz stared ahead, unable to look away.

"So this is the burden of being famous?"

On the stage, Manester finally lost patience.

His hand slammed into the table as he shot to his feet.

"Kyo! You are stealing one of my people right in front of me!"

"Joren belongs to Antares Command!"

"What can Sirius Bureau teach him besides killing?"

"Smoking?"

"Drinking?"

"Tattoos?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Kyo fired back without missing a beat.

"He could learn my swordsmanship in a day."

"What can you teach him?"

"How to make presentations?"

"How to flatter the people above you?"

"You bastard!"

"Come outside, then!"

"We did not settle it earlier."

"This time I am breaking that useless sword of yours!"

"Try it!"

Thousands of eyes turned toward the young man sitting at the center of the storm.

The situation had become very simple.

Only Joren could end this fight.