The two brothers found themselves in a well-decorated corridor, and the emperor smiled, leading them to a nearby room. They entered together into a small, isolated space. As soon as the door closed, numerous runes appeared and completely sealed the entrance, isolating the three from the outside world.
"It seems the heavens have blessed my race," the emperor said, sitting on a nearby chair.
The two dwarves, along with Alm and Bruno, looked deeply at the emperor. He smiled and continued.
"The message received by the last hero was simple. Fight and use everything, for another enemy may arise. Those with potential will be blessed, my blessing is eternal."
Alm and Bruno understood immediately. The queen knew that the Heaven’s Will would try to prevent her from capturing the two women. Probably, a missionary would be sent, and therefore, she created another hero to combat him. Now that the new hero had died, another would arise. The Divine Inquisitors had already been sent; she just needed the hero to buy time and avoid the interference of the missionary.
The emperor continued, "The orders of the Golden Goddess are absolute; we must fight with everything and win. But the entire empire is tainted by greed; the last hero did not die because he was weak, but because he was a dwarf. The two clans simply did not give him the necessary support and let him die. So, deliberately, I chose to find a true hero, not a mediocre substitute."
"To save the people, it is necessary to first solidify their will. To save the flowers, one must first save the roots. If the will dies, if the roots wither, no matter how many times you save them, the result will be the same. You will not be able to escape the fate of being destroyed. The best remedy to save the people’s hearts is a hero, a true leader capable of leading an entire era. This hero can light a path for people to follow, saving their souls and purifying what is corrupted."
"Therefore, we need a true hero to give hope to all, to correct the value system here and unite them. This is the only way to truly fulfill the queen’s orders and to be able to fight. Everyone admires heroes and will follow in their footsteps. This will allow them to see beyond and not lose themselves in what lies before them."
The emperor exuded an impressive firmness, his undisturbed appearance making him enigmatic. Alm and Bruno nodded. ’He’s someone who understands the path to victory,’ Bruno said calmly. ’Indeed, it must have been easy for the two Divine Fairies to act. The empire’s internal conflicts were an easy weakness to exploit; they would be destroyed in no time.’
"Emperor, how can we find this hero and change the course of the game?" Ximo asked the dwarf emperor, his eyes trembling.
"Young Ximo, you stand beside him," the emperor replied with a smile. "From the moment the late hero was decorated, I knew his end would be tragic. That’s why I deliberately gave more and more freedom to the two clans, hoping someone like this would emerge."
Ximo’s eyes narrowed. "So... all the humiliation the dwarves endured..."
"Yes. A hero is not born in times of peace, let alone in the midst of greed and power struggles. This title cannot be given, but earned. Pressure, humiliation, and difficulties are the essential ingredients to forge the right mentality in a hero. Now, look at your brother; can you perceive any weakness in him?"
Ximo looked at Zaimo, but could only feel his brother, the one he had always lived with.
’Shit, excuse me.’
Alm took control of the body; immediately, the dwarf’s eyes changed, and the atmosphere seemed denser.
"Brother, you really..." Ximo muttered.
Alm then turned to the emperor and said, "If we’re going to try, it must be Ximo and not me. What influence can a stranger like me have? He’s different, a respected leader of a clan. A hero must be known by all to connect with ordinary people. Only then can his voice be persuasive."
Ximo was stunned, but they continued. "Of course, I’ll lend my support to him. In the end, it won’t make a difference; he’ll just be the recognizable face. A hero always has companions to back him up."
Obviously, this was the best outcome for them. After completing the mission, if anything went wrong, it would be better for the Divine Inquisitors to investigate the "hero" Ximo. That way, their actions would remain covered.
"Not bad. I didn’t choose the wrong person," the king agreed excitedly. "To be blessed as a hero, one must undergo a ceremony. Since the old hero died a year ago, the ceremony was scheduled for fifteen days from now..."
"Bring it forward to two days from now," Alm abruptly interrupted the emperor. "Also, deliberately spread the news everywhere."
The emperor and Ximo widened their eyes. "But... hero power takes time to assimilate. If the new hero is attacked too early..."
Alm cut in, "Yes, that’s exactly what we want. The two Divine Fairies will attack as soon as they know the new hero is about to be born. They waited for the decoration and attacked right after. This is our chance. By the way... excellent, prepare the ceremony outside the imperial city. Spread word that the queen has ordered the ceremony to be grand and outdoors, all for the new hero to receive a new type of power. This will lure the two to the planet, it will be a perfect opportunity."
"You want a full-on fight? But we won’t have the hero’s power..." The emperor spoke tensely.
"They certainly know that and will suspect it’s a trap. But they can’t risk it if it’s true. So they’ll come personally with a small but more powerful army, all to ensure they can infiltrate, investigate everything, and escape if necessary." Alm said calmly, then smiled.
"Even with a hero, can we win? No. They are superior in cultivation, intelligence, and organization. But in a battle, it’s not always the strongest that wins. Sometimes, it’s the one who can conceal their weapons and use them at the right moment. If the enemy doesn’t know what’s coming, they can’t prepare. We won’t have the hero’s power, but this will be our greatest chance to surprise them. Let’s do the unexpected and take the initiative."
The emperor took a deep breath, while Ximo was left speechless. This was risky... very risky... he was the bait with the blade at his throat. But... he trusted his brother. Even if he died, he wouldn’t back down.
"Alright. Since you won’t be the face, you can act more freely. Even if we’re not victorious, we must cause as much damage as possible," said the emperor, turning to Ximo. "Young man, unfortunately, your death is almost certain."
"If we injure the enemy, we’ll prevent them from hurting more people. And we’ll buy time for the Golden Goddess. My life means nothing for the purpose," replied Ximo, and the emperor nodded.
"So, how should I prepare?" Ximo asked seriously.
The emperor turned to Zaimo, who simply nodded in response. "To be a hero who doesn’t arouse suspicion, you must be approved by everyone. If a hero desires the people’s approval, there’s always a shortcut. Demonstrate your superiority."
"Right, take this," said the emperor, then he took out a golden tablet and handed it to Ximo. He just held it without understanding.
"This is the symbol of the vice-emperor. With this tablet, you have the legal right to kill people. Anyone who disobeys can be eliminated. You kill until they submit. Now, understand?" explained the emperor.
Ximo widened his eyes in surprise, while the emperor nodded and the door of the room opened. He bid farewell lightly. "I’ll make the arrangements. In two days, we’ll start the ceremony. Many people will try to become the hero. Not only influence, but strength is necessary; you’ll have to fight to earn it."
Ximo was speechless, but Zaimo nodded, reassuring him. "Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything."
The two calmly exited the room and crossed the palace gates. As they did, they were surrounded by an enraged crowd. The possessed dwarf crossed his arms and grinned maliciously.
The area in front of the gates was packed with people, and there was no way to pass through them. It was clear they had come to confront the emperor. Zaimo’s action of killing people had angered them; it seemed they had no intention of giving the emperor a break, seeking justice.
Clearly, by killing citizens within the imperial city, Zaimo had humiliated everyone. They were not willing to let it slide.
Now, hundreds of the highest elders appeared, including the leaders of the human clans and the divine beasts. Zaimo trembled; facing a battle of this magnitude was truly frightening. However, Alm and Bruno didn’t see these cultivators in the same light.
None of them were truly powerful. Their Qi and cultivation were developed solely to advance as quickly as possible. As a result, their auras were empty. Deprived of their armor and equipment, these people wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow from the dwarf.
’Come, come, attack!’
Seeing how arrogantly they were acting, Alm mentally mocked, excited. At that distance, he was sure that if he attacked, these people wouldn’t even have a chance to summon their battle armors. It was evident that they had lived peacefully for too long and lost the sense of danger. To him, they were just a bunch of foolish old folks.
"Where is the emperor? Why hasn’t he shown up yet?" the leader of the human clan asked aloud, addressing the palace.
At that moment, a kitchen knife stealthily appeared in Ximo’s hand, leaving him stunned to feel it in his hand.
"Hm? A nobody has no right to address him. He’s busy; if you wish, you can schedule a meeting," Zaimo replied calmly.
The human’s face contorted. "You damn dwarf, who do you think you are?"
’Hit him,’ the voice echoed in Ximo’s mind, prompting him to act on reflex, without thinking... Or maybe his hand moved on its own; he wasn’t sure.
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CRACK!
In response, Ximo immediately lunged forward and delivered a punch to the man’s face, knocking him to the ground amid a cloud of dust. Alm and Bruno only partially guided the movement of his hand, as he decided to act as requested earlier. Surely if Alm were in control, he wouldn’t throw a punch, but rather use the knife.
His movements weren’t as natural and graceful, but with a slight touch of their divine soul, he caught the opponent off guard.
"Old man, who do you think you’re talking to?" Zaimo’s voice echoed as he rolled up his sleeves and pointed, scolding the fallen elder.
Everyone around withdrew their weapons, with fierce looks, ready for a total fight. But... Ximo made a gesture, and a golden tablet appeared. Upon seeing the tablet, everyone was stunned.
Someone in the crowd murmured. "Vice-Emperor..."
"Exactly, as commander general and vice-emperor, I have the right to punish whoever I want. Any objections?" Ximo spoke firmly.
"You bastard, the selection of a vice-emperor needs to go through a vote! We refuse to accept your status!" shouted the leader of the divine beast clan.
"Are you an idiot? Or are you senile? The vice-emperor is chosen by the Emperor. Only the evaluation process, after a few years, needs to go through that. Keep babbling, and I’ll slap you!" retorted Zaimo disdainfully. This time it was the real Zaimo speaking, making it clear that he was aware of the procedures.
"EMPEROR, COME HERE! What’s going on... Cough, cough!" The leader of the human clan roared, but perhaps due to his overwhelming anger, he ended up suffering an intense coughing fit with quite a bit of blood mixed in.
"Ximo, don’t be so pleased just yet!"
A voice echoed among the elders. A tall, lean figure, with a beastly aura, emerged from the crowd. This person’s Qi was reasonably dense, and the divine light in their eyes sparkled. In terms of power, they seemed to be average, like a wolf among sheep. They stood out quite a bit.
"The vice-emperor and the hero cannot be different people. The hero’s ceremony is scheduled for..."
"In two days, that will be the new date," Zaimo interrupted the figure’s words.
Ximo’s eyes turned cold, this man had caused many problems already, leading to irreconcilable enmity. He responded curtly, "We’ll settle our differences at the ceremony soon. Keep your head until then."
A heavy silence hung over everyone, and Alm expressed his disappointment deeply. Soon, Ximo and Zaimo calmly walked away with no one to stop them.