Chapter 332: Kaedeian's Livelihood
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
Although the gene modification program was prevalent among Ivantians, Patroclus was an exception even among those who claimed to have altered their genes to the perfect state.
Despite being the exemplars of perfect humans as they were, both Patroclus and Rilangalos conceded that they carried the burden of their ever-growing ambition. Therefore, Patroclus had devoted his life to suppressing his inner desires, so that he won't bring disaster to the world.
Patroclus envied Rilangalos for having a worthy opponent who could offer the opportunity to safely release his power. The thought always brought a question to his mind, ‘Who would be my Li Feng? Would it be Li Shiming or Wang Tong?’
Zhang Jin could tell that Patroclus was ready for a change that was extraordinary and terrible, the change that would be ushered in by his destined adversary who had yet to reveal himself. However, she also wondered if either Wang Tong or Li Shiming would be powerful enough to prevent Patroclus from becoming a monster. Genius and madman were merely two sides of the same coin.
Zhang Jin made a mental note that she should spend more time on observing Wang Tong. She had been too busy piecing the information together regarding the new battery technology. Data from all sources told the same story: FFC had already possessed about 80% of the core technology, and was only a few steps away from completing the project. However, the progress of the remaining 20% had been extremely slow.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Wang Tong had defeated his first opponent as everyone had expected. All of his friends had also prevailed in their first matches.
The students from Bernabeu, especially Apache, had done an excellent job in the qualification matches. After disappearing for a while, Apache's power seemed to have become even more potent.
This tournament was not much less of a test to the academy students than it was to others, as many people like Apache, who had already graduated, had also joined the matches. Although the graduates were less in number, they posed a serious threat to those who were still at school due to their much mature experience.
The decision of including older teenagers into the tournament had gone under scrutiny before the organizing committee officially accepted it. In the end, everyone on the committee agreed that challenges were not a bad thing to students. After all, a calm sea wouldn't make good sailors.
There had been no big surprises so far in the outcomes of the qualification matches. Since the outcome of the METAL combat was dictated by the combatants' soul energy, it was very rare to see a dark horse in the tournament. Plus, every contestant had been cautious in their moves, to make sure that they wouldn't slip up.
On Mars, Lie Jian had finished his match with ease. In addition to Lie Jian, Michaux had caught everyone's attention because of his attack using pure soul energy. So overbearing was the attack that his opponent didn't even have a chance to defend himself.
It was evident that the members of the sect possessed a much deeper understanding of soul energy than an ordinary fighter. While the entire world was obsessed with new methods of turning one's soul energy into GN force, the sect of Divine Masters had looked to the old ways, as they believed that soul energy attacks were the purest and the most effective form of attack, while GN force was merely a trick of the desperate. However, the Sect of the Divine Masters seemed to be alone so far in their belief.
One should never mistake the sect as a group of passive monastic hermits, because all members of the sect were fearsome warriors, who were not afraid of standing up for themselves. They had been the vanguard of the Martian regiment during the Zerg invasion. Only a few people had witnessed the Sect's unique coup de grace that had been passed down through generations, and all accounts of witnesses suggested that the sect's understanding of soul energy had allowed them to unleash a tremendous power.
On the first day of the tournament, the title for the most popular fighter went to Princess Heidi. Although most of the human world had already adopted a democratic system based on the concept of civil contract, the Kaedeian society was still a monarchy. The queen held absolute power over all matters of Kaedeian life. Although many people viewed it as a blatant assault on the democratic world, the servile nature of human race drove them to admire and romanticize the Kaedeian Monarch.
Dubbed as the most elegant lady in the civilized world, Princess Heidi sauntered into the Arena. The strict caste system had decreed that whenever a Kaedeian partook in a tournament, the princess was not allowed to fight with her subjects. The organizing committee had made an exception to accommodate the Kaedeian's custom; they would agree to anything as long as the Kaedeians were willing to stay in the tournament.
Heidi had finished off her first opponent with elegance and ease. Her opponent was too weak, and the fight ended in mere seconds. Eyes glued on the princess, the audiences lamented the incompetency of her opponent, who was unable to drag out the game just a bit longer so that they could enjoy the view of the graceful princess.
The Kaedeian girls all had small but exquisite features on their face. The proportion of their bodies and faces were even more pleasing to the eyes than the Ivantians. The Kaedeian's mere presence would evoke earthly desires in a man's heart, and spun misogynistic fantasies in their minds. Sadly, Kaedeian royals were forbidden to marry a human, despite the rumors that General Li Feng had once broken that rule and asked for the hand of a Kaedeian royalty.
As the Kaedeian's neighbor, the Martians desired their beauty more so than Earthlings or Ivantians. The Martian mainstream media had been working industriously in coxing the public to envision a marriage alliance between Lie Jian and Heidi. Lie Jian had also ostentatiously shown up at Heidi's first match; he cheered for Heidi while ogling at her tantalizing features like a hungry carrion. Lie Jian's intention hardly escaped the public's watchful eyes, as tales about Li Jian's lavish parties to entertain the Kaedeian princess filled every corner of the martian street. However, so far, Lie Jian's flamboyant personality had been a hindrance than a help for his pursuit.
After the fight, Heidi quickly returned to her castle. She was agitated not because of the fight, but because of what the augur had told her about the return of the chosen one, that marked the sacrifice of a Kaedeian Princess.
The Kaedeians revered the Blade Warrior as a god, not because of his mercy, but for his godly destructive power. To the earthlings and the Ivantians, Blade Warrior was their benevolent savior, but to the Kaedeians, he meant war and destruction. However impenetrable the royal Kaedeian navy had been, it was decimated by the Blade Warrior within seconds, and that was the first time the Kaedeians felt small and helpless. Eventually, they bent their knees to their new god.
They had since come to terms with the fact that their survival was hinged upon their servitude to their new god. The recent technology breakthrough didn't lend them conceit. Instead, it had redoubled their reverence, as they looked through the lenses of science and discovered that the power of their god was even greater than they had initially thought.
Kaedeians knew that the number of Zergs that human was currently fighting was only a tip of an iceberg compared to its actual size. Otherwise, the Zergs wouldn't be able to devour highly advanced civilizations along their destructive path. The bulk of the Zerg army, Kaedeians believed, was stopped in its track by the Blade Warrior. However, even the Blade Warrior could only stop them instead of eliminating them, and one day, the scourge of the Zerg would return with renewed intensity. Already, the Kaedeian augurs had been dreaming destruction and fire. Heidi's instinct told her that a bloody storm was returning, and so was the Blade Warrior.