Reaper of the Martial World

Book 10: Chapter 54: Effort (3)

By the time Dyon started paying attention again, the Emperor Giant was well along in his story. It was a good thing he started paying attention again too… Because it seemed there was something just as important that Dyon almost missed.

“… With the help of Lord Zeus, the Titans were on the brink of extinction. Even coming together, they weren’t enough.

“Unfortunately for the Titans, this wasn’t because they were so much less talented. The true reason behind this was their lack of innovation! After they reached the top, they stopped improving. Their techniques completely stagnated and never changed, allowing the Angels to adapt and think of counter measures for everything they could possibly do.

“Many of them had already given up what it truly meant to be human. For them, it was already too late to turn back. They believed in their own strength too much, and eventually, this became their downfall.”

When Dyon heard this, his eyes narrowed. The reason was simple. If this was the end of the story, what was the point of all of this to begin with? Dyon had asked who the enemy of the angels were, not who their fallen enemies were!

Luckily, Emperor Angelus didn’t disappoint.

“But, as the Titans neared their end, it seemed that some of them grasped that this was their weakness. If they lost what it meant to be human, what would be the point of it all?

“It was then the Heavens smiled down upon Titans and the Ancient Battlefield was created!

“The very first Failed Clan… It was the Titans themselves!”

Dyon’s heart palpitated. He had always wondered why his constitution’s world was the Ancient Battlefield. It turned out that this was the reason!

He always knew that there had to be a secret behind this reality, but he hadn’t expected a simple visit to the supposedly simple-minded giants would reveal all of this to him.

Who said that Giants were all brawn and no brain? Ridiculous!

“In the end, it turned out that the innovation of us angels became the very thing that allowed our enemies to survive. It turned out that the Titans were given this opportunity because they also managed to subdue a Universe Spirit. Such a large secret was simply too difficult to keep hidden.

“In reality, the Angels never tried to hide it. The reason was simple… our ancestors simply didn’t believe it was possible to subdue a Universe Spirit without comprehending Qi. What they didn’t know was that the Heavens didn’t play favorites… All three paths were given equal opportunity to succeed!

“In some circles, many believe that the only reason the Soul Path is so weak in combat is purely because the Golden Era was the shortest of the Eras. historical

“Wasn’t the body path once weak? Didn’t the humans have to first become Demons, before then becoming Titans, before they could finally display their true strength?

“Wasn’t the energy path also once weak? Did we humans have to first become Pseudo Angels before evolving into the mighty seraphim?

“In my humble opinion, the soul path simply didn’t get the opportunity to develop it should have!”

Dyon trembled once more.

These revelations, they were like sledgehammers to his heart.

Doors began to open in his mind one after another. Why was he so certain that the soul would be weak until one transcended? What if the soul was only powerful after one transcended because Transcendents continued to research the soul while those of the Mortal Plane gave up on it?!

“Sorry, I’ve lost my train of thought…” Emperor Angelus shook his head.

“… Upon entering the Ancient Battlefield, the Angels completely lost contact with Titans, and we believed it was all over, that we had finally won…

“It wasn’t until Lord Zeus had long since died and the Angels reached the absolute apex of all of existence that we understood we couldn’t have been more wrong.

“When everything couldn’t have been more perfect, the Ancient Battlefield descended for the first time.

“It was a bloody massacre. The Titans returned with a vengeance and sought to lay the angel species to waste.

“Though we eventually won in the end, it came with a heavy price… The Angels fell into obscurity, no longer able to raise our Heads.”

Dyon’s heart grew somber. Now he finally understood how the mighty Angel race had fallen to the point of not even being capable of ruling a single planet… It seemed the second trial took place after this bloody war concluded…

A mutual destruction maybe?

Unfortunately, this faint hope was dashed by Emperor Angelus’ next words.

“I fear, though, that this isn’t the end of the story. If our ancient texts are correct, as the final Titans who chose to descend died out, they claimed that they were just half of the Titans who existed on the Ancient Battlefield.

“It seemed that the Titans were split, as they had always been. Half of them wanted to descend and seek revenge, while the other half felt they should put down their arrogance and wait for the perfect opportunity.”

It was exactly as Dyon feared.

In the previous timeline, when he took over the Mortal Plane, the rulers weren’t the Sapientia or Nephilim… They were the Titans!

Back then, Dyon had been able to take advantage of their lack of unity to win. They were united when they initially descended, but began to fracture afterword.

However, this version of himself couldn’t afford to wait until those Titans fractured. If he did, the Mortal Alliance might be finished!

“In the end, if it wasn’t for Lord Zeus, the Angels would have never been able to stand against the Titans. The descent of the Titans proved this. Without Lord Zeus, even with vast amounts of Faith, we still almost lost.

“… And this time… I’m afraid nothing can stop them.”

Emperor Angelus took a deep breath. “Have I shown you enough, Higher Existence Sacharro?”

Dyon remained silent for a moment, his mind spinning at inconceivable speeds.

He suddenly understood something…

The birth of the peak species of an Era was always the result of human effort.

The Demon evolved from humans and eventually became Titans by studying beasts and strengthening their bodies. The Angels research type qi, created conventional qi, and relied on Zeus to give them their final push to the very top.

As for the elves, though they didn’t create soul qi, they relied on it to increase their standing by forming contracts with beasts. Each contract they signed increased their strength by taking a portion of the talent of said beast… There was a logical flow to it all… their strength didn’t just magically appear…

Even the so-called peak race of this era, the sprites, were the product of a child between a true sprite and a human.

Everything had a reason, a place, an… instigator, of sorts.

But that then begs the question… What about his own race…?

Whose efforts was his Mortal Race the product of…?