Now, the tide of the battle had completely turned. In just a few seconds, the dwarves were barely hanging on; if it weren’t for the extreme defense provided by their armor, they would’ve already started dying. But that resistance wouldn’t last much longer.
’The God of the Forge mentioned that the main goal of these people was to steal the divinity from the followers of the God of Merchants,’ Alm analyzed coldly, recalling the words from that encounter.
Both of them focused on the statue, sensing a strange and unknown power within it. The ability to strengthen their enemies puzzled Bruno because he noticed the fluctuations were similar to the power of faith but on a much higher level.
’This is definitely related to that so-called ’stolen divinity.’ It must be the power of an immortal God,’ Bruno quickly remarked.
With each passing second, the amount of resources burned to power the statue only increased. These followers of the God of Wealth weren’t crazy; they didn’t hesitate to use all their resources to secure victory. Their goal was always to steal the followers of the God of Merchants, and now that so many had appeared, there was no reason not to go all in.
’This is way beyond what I know about the power of faith. We’re out of options too… damn it, if we’d used anti-life, they would’ve all died before this happened,’ Bruno lamented.
Alm scoffed dryly. They always managed to land themselves in tight spots, and things always escalated, forcing them to change plans.
’The enemies are burning everything they’ve got, but even then, they’ve only become a bit stronger than the dwarves. This won’t last forever. Our only options are to hold out long enough or…’ Alm murmured, turning to Zaimo, ’…or make the dwarves even stronger.’
Bruno got it right away. Zaimo’s manifestation might be the key to solving this.
Both of them focused on him, who was nearby. Next to Zaimo was Nebai, and they were both tensely watching the battle. Their hands were clasped together; this gathering was the perfect opportunity for Zaimo to show his true nature to her.
Alm and Bruno sighed in sync. Earlier, they’d chosen not to waste time asking Ruri why Nebai and Zaimo seemed to not get along so well in the city of the four nations (Chapter 636).
It probably happened because Nebai hadn’t yet seen Zaimo’s true will. It was obvious that, being so young, he’d be shy; and having spent his whole life in the forge or fighting, he hadn’t had many social interactions. But during a battle, he was trained by the whale to be someone confident and extremely reliable.
If they had been more attentive to the two, everything could’ve been resolved more easily. They just needed to set up a situation where Zaimo fought alongside her, and they could’ve gotten the hammer much earlier.
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’It’s hard to change your attitude after so long and start caring about people… we need to make sure not to neglect Ruri because of this,’ Bruno murmured, thinking deeply.
’Now, it all depends on him. Zaimo’s manifestation is almost like a Dao, created to connect and protect everyone. But since it’s just a manifestation, there’s a clear limit; if he can break past that threshold, uniting all the dwarves, we’ll turn the tide.’
Alm nodded, and at that moment, several dwarves were thrown back, coughing up blood. Quickly, others moved in to protect them, preventing the enemies from finishing them off; but in the next few minutes, the first deaths would start.
’What’s missing in him?’ Alm asked, while he and Bruno reflected deeply.
Zaimo had always shown a strong inclination carried over from his past life. Even though his father Vuard had the Dao of the God of the Forge, Zaimo never cared about that. Instead, he became completely obsessed with Thea and the technology of her body. His determination was so intense that she felt compelled to take him as a disciple and teach him everything she knew.
Moreover, the Zaimo they encountered on that main mission was remarkably similar to the one now. He was someone who wanted to protect and fight, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
Just like Quirio, Zaimo didn’t understand why he acted or felt this way. Both were born in the whale’s city on planet Pristine and grew up in a universe that was already stabilized, with no major dangers. Even so, the will to fight was overwhelming in both; proof of this was that they pushed themselves to the limit to keep up with the whale.
Suddenly, Alm and Bruno had a flash of understanding.
’That’s exactly the problem,’ Bruno quickly said. ’He feels an internal drive, but it’s irrational, like it’s not really his own. He grew up in peace in the city, so why the hell does he want to fight for others so badly? In his mind, this must be confusing and senseless. Maybe he even thinks he’s an idiot for it. All because he has no idea what he’s already lived through.’
Alm added, ’His mind and Dao Heart are unstable because he doesn’t know the reason and is still so young. He lacks conviction and the will to surpass even the heavens to fulfill his desire. That’s why his Dao wasn’t even acknowledged by the heavenly laws.’
If most people knew exactly what they had done in the past, no one would forgive themselves, and they wouldn’t be able to live their current life properly. Committing heinous mistakes and learning from them is the law of the world. That’s why people have karma, which directly influences their destiny. Since so few have an extraordinary destiny, the truth is simple: no one’s a saint, and everyone’s screwed up a lot.
In Zaimo’s case, maybe this is his destiny. He was chosen by Heaven’s Will and placed in their path. After reincarnating, he still held onto his convictions, even without understanding the reason.
The whale turned to Zaimo, and their gazes met. "Kid, I’m about to do something that might not be good for you. There’s a chance unexpected things will happen, and you could be seriously harmed…"
"I don’t care, sir. If there’s a chance to save these dwarves or help you end this, my life will have been worth it." Zaimo responded without hesitation.
The whale sighed; indeed, Zaimo was exactly the same, even his words were strikingly similar to the past. He was someone precious and rare, a reliable ally who, no matter what, would remain true to his convictions.
Nebai, standing next to him, heard those words with a fixed gaze, her eyes trembling slightly. Alm and Bruno recognized that look; it was something they often saw in a woman in love, always by their side, smiling.
His suicidal thoughts were problematic; but just like Ruri, he simply hadn’t experienced enough of life to want to live at all costs. In the future, when the two of them unite, that will change.
The whale focused, and through the array, used the Origin Law within Zaimo to perform the task. They had practiced this enough for the consumption of that law to be minimal.
One of their concerns was that they had previously used Zaimo’s Origin Law, just like everyone else in the array.
It was a minimal amount from each, just enough to ensure nothing serious would happen and that the heavenly laws would replenish it over time. But now they had no choice but to resort to it again.
The consequences were uncertain; Zaimo’s consciousness could disperse forever. Since everyone had already lost the maximum safe amount, taking more from each in the array would be risking everyone’s lives. Perhaps there were other paths, but time wasn’t on their side; it was better to take from just one and let fate decide.
Zaimo felt his mind going blank...
Alm and Bruno acted quickly and precisely. In less than ten seconds, they opened something within him and felt various small fragments of indescribable energies. From experience, they knew these were memories; they were scattered, with the most recent ones nearby, but there were also some from very distant lives.
It took only two seconds for Zaimo’s body to start trembling. In his mind, an incredibly detailed and extensive movie played out rapidly.
At that moment, the whale’s eyes trembled, and his expression changed. Nebai’s heart pounded, filled with growing despair. Both of them felt Zaimo’s life slowly dissipating from his body.