"It's good that you all have come." Dyon spoke with a light smile.
Currently, he was within the world hidden below Soul Palace. It was the very same grey filled expanse he met the Researchers for the first time in. Except this time, he wasn't meeting Researchers, he was meeting the young geniuses of the Five Beast, Ragnor, Pakal and Uidah Clans.
Not only were they here, but the Mortal Clan geniuses had come as well. For almost a year now, Dyon's clone had been guiding them diligently through battle, helping them to grasp more confidence. Today, Dyon decided to bring them here for a first true test.
To now, he had been coddling them, but he couldn't do so forever. Though he felt bad about neglecting them originally, now was the time for them to grasp their own path.
There was a mixture of reactions amidst the geniuses. Some showed reverence, others showed haughtiness, and yet others still showed hatred and rage.
This latter emotion made sense to Dyon. After all, he had uprooted all of their lives and destroyed the homes they grew up in. For many of them, he was the reason their parents died, whether that was in battle, or by execution after the war was already over. If they didn't feel this way, it would only disappoint Dyon.
After taking special note of those among the several ten thousand that felt this way, Dyon began to speak once more.
"Though it wasn't exactly your choice to be here, you all represent the peak talent your Clans once had to offer. But… I should tell you an infallible truth."
Dyon's smile disappeared, his gaze unwittingly placing an immovable mountain on the chests of the young ones before him.
"In as little as 10 years, you'll be forgotten. You've lived long enough to become the geniuses of your Clans, but that's not a good thing. This truth only means you've spent more time without my guidance and as such, your paths have already mostly been set.
"With my guidance, my resources, and my Mortal Alliance, those budding talents who are younger than you all will become the true geniuses in as little as a decade."
Hearing these words, the number of those who felt rage multiplied several times over. The sound of gripping fists and grinding teeth couldn't be ignored.
"But, I'll give you all an opportunity. If you're willing to die to grow stronger, step forward. If you're willing to live a life of mediocrity, feel free to leave to now."
Dyon's eyes deeply scanned the crowd of young geniuses.
"The choice is yours."
"And we're just supposed to believe that?"
A Ragnor genius with blond hair and blue eyes, as typical for his clan, lashed out, unable to rein in his emotions any longer.
Not only had his father been sentenced with Third Grade Severity, his mother had been as well. On top of all of this, he only barely squeaked by with First Grade Severity, meaning he had fallen from the status of young noble with the world in his palm, to mere mule.
It could be said that the only thing he had remaining in life was the battle prowess he had accumulated to now. He believed that he would climb back up from his dreadful circumstances in a matter of time and find a place for himself in this society.
Some nobles, no matter how clear the spoon feeding had been throughout their lives, still somehow believed that they were simply a cut above everyone else, not realizing that much of their achievements had been handed to them on a silver platter. This young man was no different. He really believed that with or without the backing of his noble status, he would become a great man.
Yet, Dyon was now telling him the exact opposite. Not only that, but he was directly saying that they would be useless without him. How could he take such a thing lying down?
"Well, you can believe what you want." Dyon without care. "Ten years isn't very long for cultivators, so you'd see how right I am in the blink of an eye.
"Plus, I'm not here to convince you. Like I said, I'll have talents easily capable of more then replacing you within a decade. I'm only here to give you a chance that many of you don't deserve.
"Feel free to leave if you don't want that opportunity, but I personally think it's quite high-headed of you as a mere mule to turn down an easy opportunity to earn merits."
"YOU –!"
A Presence descended from the skies, forcing the young man to kneel so quickly that the sickening sound of his kneecaps shattering reverberated through the underground space.
An agonizing roar escaped his lips, or rather, tried to… In the end, not only could he not move a single muscle, his voice refused to work.
"It seems you've forgotten that you're speaking to a ruler of over a hundred universes." Dyon's nonchalant tone became cold.
"Since you seem to have forgotten, how about I remind you of a little something.
"Brady Ragnor. First Son of Fifth Branch Head of the Ragnor Clan and his first wife.
"Your father was responsible for the death of over 13 000 innocent female commoners for his sick lustful pleasure, and over 3 000 male commoners for little more than looking at him incorrectly.
"Lest you forget the meaning behind my words, how about I explain them in further depth to you?
"…Took Rayai Jun because he like the look of her plump ass. Got bored of her in 46 days and burnt her to ash due to unwillingness to pay for another mouth to eat…
"…Stole Lina Karim from her husband and four children because her breasts were to his liking. Got bored of her in 4 days because he didn't like the look of her stretch marks. He handed her to his servants, but when she inevitably became pregnant just a few months later, he killed her by stamping his foot through her impregnated stomach…
"…Enticed Minni Meo with dreams of riches and prosperity, knowing that her aging grandfather was soon to be gone. After stringing her along for 4 years without ever raising a finger to help her grandfather, he finally passed away. Because Minni dared to cry about this news, your father accidentally killed her because he slapped her across the room…
"… Hazel Gent…
"… Avena Enger…
"… Kendle Varma…"
The more Dyon spoke, the paler Brady grew.
