Bloodstar System: Infinite Evolution Through Beast Slaughter

Chapter 56: Only Kids Choose!

Manester had gone red with fury. He jabbed a finger at Kyo, spraying words and spit in equal measure.

"Kyo! This is completely irresponsible!"

"Joren has the makings of a commander, and you want to turn him into some brute who only knows how to swing a blade?"

"What is wrong with being a brute?"

Kyo planted one boot on the conference table, looking every bit the thug.

"When I was killing Rank Five beast kings, you were sitting in an office drinking coffee!"

The situation had become awkward in the extreme.

Rejecting Manester would mean humiliating the highest authority in Norcrest before thousands of people.

Rejecting Kyo meant slighting the strongest man in the city and giving up the protection of a top fighter.

This was not a choice.

It was a death trap.

Everyone waited to see what Joren would do.

Only Joren knew the answer.

Choices were for children.

Adults took everything.

Both sides were offering benefits, so why sacrifice one for the other?

Surely there had to be a way to take the rewards from both paths without surrendering either.

Handled properly, there was.

"I have decided."

His voice was not loud, yet it cut through the chaos with ease.

Both old men stopped at once.

Joren rose, smoothed a collar that was already perfectly straight, then walked out from his seat with an easy smile.

He approached Manester first and inclined his head.

"Manester, I will remember the trust you have shown me."

Most of the anger vanished from Manester’s face.

He even sent Kyo a smug glance.

See?

The boy understood who mattered.

"Norcrest is where I grew up," Joren continued. "Now it is surrounded by enemies, and millions of people live under constant threat."

His voice carried farther through the hall.

"As an Awakened Warrior, I have a duty to defend this land. If I can lead Antares Command, strengthen the defense lines, and keep Norcrest secure, then I have no reason to refuse that responsibility."

The answer was flawless.

Manester looked ready to glow.

He nodded again and again.

Then Joren turned.

He faced Kyo and offered the same respectful bow.

"Senior Kyo, what you said is also true."

"Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."

"If humanity only knows how to defend, then all we can do is wait for the next attack."

"We need a shield."

"But we also need a spear."

His gaze sharpened slightly.

"To face death directly, to walk forward even when an army stands in the way, that is also the path I want."

Kyo’s head snapped around.

Light flared in his eyes.

He burst into laughter.

"I knew it!"

"You and I are the same kind of man."

"So come with me."

Manester’s face went dark.

Why was the brat praising both sides?

Was this some kind of two timing speech?

"Manester. Senior Kyo."

"If humanity needs both a shield and a spear..."

Joren spread his hands.

"Why can I not be both?"

The hall went quiet.

"What I mean is simple."

His voice carried across every row.

"I will accept the position of Frontier Marshal."

"Most of the time, I will remain with Alkaid Authority, oversee military affairs, coordinate the defense lines, and make sure Norcrest cannot be broken."

A smile returned to Manester’s face.

"But..."

Joren turned toward Kyo.

"I also want the privileges of Sirius Bureau."

"When I am not needed in the command center, or when a high level Voidbeast requires a direct strike, I want the freedom to set aside the office of Frontier Marshal and act as an independent blade."

"No military restrictions."

"No requests for approval."

"No waiting for orders."

"I act as the situation demands."

He looked between the two men.

"What do you say?"

The meaning could not have been clearer.

He wanted the authority of Frontier Marshal without surrendering the freedom of Sirius Bureau.

All power.

None of the chains.

He was treating the two strongest men in Norcrest like gift givers and placing an order.

Anyone else making such a demand would already have been buried in the nearest wall by Manester.

It was shamelessly greedy.

Manester and Kyo looked at each other.

Manester’s brow tightened as he considered whether such a double identity could even function.

Kyo grinned.

"Interesting."

"You want to make the rules and step outside them whenever you please?"

Joren answered without flinching.

"That is the best way to make full use of what I can do."

"Good!"

Kyo slapped his thigh.

"I do not care what he thinks."

"The Sirius Bureau position is yours."

"However you want to use it, I will support you."

Half the decision was made.

Now all the pressure fell on Manester.

His head was already starting to ache.

It broke every rule.

What kind of Frontier Marshal disappeared whenever he pleased?

Then again...

Forcing someone like Joren to sit in an office drinking tea and reading reports would be an even greater waste.

And if Manester refused?

What if the boy simply left with Kyo?

Antares Command would lose everything.

Better to compromise than walk away empty handed.

As long as Joren carried the title, he would become the golden signboard of Antares Command.

A weapon did not need to be used every day.

It only needed to exist.

Once Manester reached that conclusion, the tension left his face.

He pointed at Joren with a helpless smile.

"You greedy little schemer."

"But..."

His palm struck the table.

"In a world like this, how do you survive without greed?"

"How do you win?"

"If you have the appetite for both, then I will let you take both."

Manester rose and faced the entire hall.

"I approve."

"Effective today, Joren will serve as Frontier Marshal of Antares Command and concurrently hold the title of Sirius Bureau for Norcrest."

"Except during major military operations, he will possess complete freedom of action."

"Across Antares Command, his authority will be equal to my own."

The hall exploded.

Applause crashed upward like thunder and seemed ready to shake the ceiling apart.

Alar clapped until his palms turned red.

"That is insane!"

"Absolutely insane!"

"Joren just took both roads and made them his!"

"He is a top military commander and a lone war god at the same time."

"Who would dare provoke him now?"

Joren stood before the stage beneath thousands of eyes, listening to the roar around him.

The corner of his mouth rose.

This round had gone perfectly.

Reputation.

Authority.

Freedom.

He had taken all three.

Next came the fun part.

Using those resources to collect every purple Talent still beyond his reach.

His gaze drifted toward the windows.

Beyond them lay the wilderness.

And out there, three Rank Five beast kings were still waiting for him.

"Wait for me."

The words remained inside his mind.

"I will give each of you a proper death."