Back in the banquet hall, a few hours had passed but no one had left. Regardless of whether Dyon truly got better or not didn’t change the fact that this universe was still in a bad spot. The next campaign was only a few weeks away and had to be planned for.
Under normal circumstances, this was something left to the youth. Never would clan heads or elders participate. However, it was clear that the balance had been tilted. Now that so many of their towers had been conquered, the campaigns had changed from a training ground for young talent, to the literal life and death of a universe’s sovereignty.
“As much as I appreciate what Dyon has done for us, we can no longer continue to concentrate our forces to attack the Epistemic Tower. If we continue to do so, it’s only a matter of time before Earth Tower is conquered.” A Belmont Elder spoke. He had been lucky enough to be part of the Belmont entourage that escorted the royal family to the World Tournament, as such he wasn’t as heavily injured as the other Belmont under the attack of the Daiyu.
After the events of the war ended, many Belmonts were found chained and bound in the castle underground prison.
Ri and Madeleine, although angered by this statement, only responded with logic and not emotion.
“In case you’ve forgotten, the choice to focus our forces on the Epistemic Tower is about more than just saving our husband’s life.” Ri refuted.
“This about this logically,” Madeleine continued, “Despite us concentrating the entirety of our forces at the Epistemic Tower, not only have the defended so well that not even a single one of us made it through, they also had enough forces to attack our other towers and conquer them.”
What Madeleine said was correct. What they described as “the entirety of their forces”, was really just the vast majority of what they had at their disposal. With that aside, they had of course left some numbers behind to defend their towers adequately, and yet, they had still lost them. The meaning was clear.
“If they could conquer and defend so well at the same time, that means that they are simply that much more powerful than us,” Ri support Madeleine’s statement wholeheartedly, “This means that our only chance of winning is Dyon’s recovery. His life means more than just his life.”
Hearing these words, many in attendance couldn’t help but frown. The truth of the Epistemic Tower was still a tightly guarded secret. Understanding just how much the Emperor God Clans wanted it, how could they allow such information to be spread willfully?
So, when others heard the confidence in the voices of Ri and Madeleine, they couldn’t help but believe that it was simply blind love that clouded their judgement. How could one boy, a heavily injured one at that, change the course of a war against a King God Clan by himself? It didn’t make sense to them.
Even King Acacia was skeptical. As the only one truly aware that Dyon had the Epistemic Tower Key, he by all rights should be full of confidence. But, he simply didn’t know what the key could do. His knowledge of the Epistemic Tower was limited to the fact that it was a cultivation resource of utmost importance. In fact, he wouldn’t have even recognized the key at all if it wasn’t for his True Empathy.
As much as he wanted to tell Amell and Nora, at the very least, he couldn’t. Not while Dyon was unconscious and not while he didn’t understand the function of the key. Amell and Nora simply had too many enemies. This was the reason they could only output a max of 10% of their power, or else they would be found. Luckily, 10% of a dao formation expert’s power was enough to run rampant in this universe.
“I know that you trust your husband’s ability. We’ve all witnessed it as well. But, don’t you believe that this is on an entirely different scale? Even if we manage to get him to the tower, who knows how long it will take him to recover in there?” A youth of the Jafari clan spoke.
Honestly speaking, many youths were quite disgruntled. Before, no one was aware of the names of Clara, Ri and Madeleine, but in the past two years, there wasn’t a single youth who didn’t either look up to them or dream of them. Those three had firmly erased all ideas of the six beauties. Now, there was simply a triad of goddesses.
However, therein lied the problem. All three of these women had somehow fallen for the same man, not showing even a hint of interest toward anyone else in his absence. It was almost to the point that it was depressing.
Sure, Dyon had been crowned the honorary first place champion of the World Tournament, a feat less than a hundred people had accomplished, also being by far the youngest to do so. And, sure, it was clear after his fight with Zabia that Lionel Belmont and Tau Aumen stood not a single chance in defeating him. But, he was a cripple now! How could they just sit idly by and let three pristine beauties wallow away their youth for a now useless man?
Unfortunately, these feelings were shared by many. The martial world was a cruel and disgusting place, incapable of understanding even the most basics of human decency when it was left to the opinions of the masses.
Jealousy. Envy. Inferiority.
These things were only made worse every time Dyon woke up… As they steadily watched him decline.
Ri looked at the Jafari clan member with a look of sheer disgust. She still hadn’t forgotten what happened those years ago, but she had forgiven because Ulu had done right by her in her nine months of pregnancy.
Dyon’s first instinct, even while so injured, was to try and save your very own King and yet this is how you repay him.