Chapter 169: Chapter 169- System Vs Edward
Chapter 169: Chapter 169- System Vs Edward
BOOOOM!
"Edward, don't be hasty—" His father's warning was abruptly silenced by a deafening blast, followed by a violent shockwave that rattled the entire ship.
THUD
"What in—"
"Brother!"
Savants' voices erupted in panic as all eyes fixated on the ship's window, where a colossal metal structure erupted into flames, its intense heat causing nearby metal to liquify.
The sudden surge in temperature rendered the surrounding space a visible inferno, its searing intensity penetrating even the fortified confines of the ship's control room, leaving everyone gasping for breath as fear and adrenaline flooded their senses.
"Stop it, idiots!" Edward shouted, while every other Abernathy stood calmly near the scattered savants on the ground, panic evident on their faces.
Edward's eyes locked onto the glass of the Battleship, the light just a small distance away, his jaw clenched in frustration as only one thought raced through his mind: 'Who did this?'
DING!
[ How pitiful of you, Edward ]
'?!'
WHOOSH
"Who are you!" Edward's sharp voice echoed throughout the entire ship, his energy radiating fiercely, enveloping the entire Battleship in tense mana.
[ Tch, it's a pity that you can't do fapping with that broken hand of yours. ????? ]
CRUMBLE
"Y-you! Bastard!" As those words left Edward's lips, the sheer intensity of his energy caused the walls to quake, yet none of the seasoned veterans aboard flinched, their senses fixed on the mysterious intruder rather than Edward.
[Oh, now I remember, you don't need a hand to begin with, you loose end. ??_??]
"You—"
"Calm down, Edward. That individual is just trying to provoke you."
Interrupting Edward was the man standing inside the control room, observing the chaos aboard the ship.
One of their three battleships had been destroyed, and now a voice taunted them from within, seeking to incite Edward's rage—one who was most dangerous among all of them.
The man himself was a Zenith rank warrior, alongside the other epic warriors within the ship.
However, the issue lay with Edward, whose personality leaned towards the more egoistic side.
There's a saying: Slow success builds Character, fast success builds ego.
This rang true for Edward too.
Blessed with resources from the Abernathy family, he quickly ascended to great strength, but the suddenness of it all left him struggling to respect his own power, other's teaching and even veteran's suggestions.
His disability, compounded with his aggressive personality, stemming from the challenges he faced, only fueled Edward's frustration.
Everything combined caused him to lose his temper frequently, especially when reminded of his disability, be it his hand or his manhood.
'Is it him?' The man pondered, recalling the boy who had attacked him twelve years ago when he went to retrieve his son from Heindal continent.
Back then, due to restrictions, his own strength had been depleted to that of a Phase I warrior from his ZENITH rank.
Added with negligence for a 5-year-old child, it caused him to let his guard down—everything together led to great damage.
[ Aren't you the same guy who got your shit together last time >?.?< ]
"....." Hearing such taunts from the voice, the man remained calm, refraining from taking any actions, understanding the gravity of the situation at hand.
Just now, a Battleship had been blasted, the heat produced from it signaling either a malfunctioning of core or an infiltrator who could manipulate the mainframe, self-destruct it, indirectly capable of vaporizing them all instantly.
Right now, he could only think of a way to save his son, while silently communicating with the individuals in the control room through eye gestures, instantly making them aware of what to do, due to all being experienced in handling such situations.
"Huh, hey bastard, don't tell me, are you that fucker?" Edward's nerves visibly twitched upon hearing the voice mentioning a event known to only few people, his eyes flashing red as he instantly recognized about other person who knew this, from his memories twelve years ago.
[....]
[Yes, I am definitely him.]
"So, you knew about me all along." Edward's mind raced, connecting the dots from the unknown prince who kidnapped him to his journey till now.
It all made sense if Ryuk Devereaux was aware of his real family all along.
Or, Why else would an unknown prince go as far as to cut off his hand?
[Definitely not, or do you think I would have cut off your hands even after knowing this would be your last hope to satisfy someone ^?_?^]
"Ryuk! Don't think I can't kill you here!" Edward cried out, frustration and anger evident, his patience wearing thin from the constant mocking.
[With that wooden hand of yours?]
"...." Edward gripped his hand, realizing the voice was just trying to provoke him. With a visible change in expression, he understood that the owner of the voice held himself in high regard. Edward retorted, "Don't think that those few insects of the Devereaux Bloodline around you could save you."
[....]
"Yeah, now that I remember, isn't your bloodline cursed with the drawback of no self-killing?" Edward had spent years studying the major families' bloodlines and weaknesses, searching for a cure. He had uncovered secrets about his own bloodline's superiority on Ardoros.
[At least a thousand times better than having a Cuck Bloodline =?_?=]
""".....""" The individuals in the control room froze, hearing the forbidden word uttered, a term never spoken by any of the major families.
WHOOOOSH
"YOU BASTARD!"
Edward's aura erupted with anger, his red eyes blazing, as the others in the room lost their composure, their tempers flaring as they looked towards the man at the center.
SWOOOOSH
"How dare he!" Finally, the man who had remained calm and observant snapped, his aura bursting forth to fill the entire interior of the ship, his eyes turning towards the other members who had held back until now, but upon hearing that word, their minds snapped as well.
"Fine, Ryuk Devereaux. Before dealing with the Demon Queen's army, you will die first," the man declared, a sharp glint passing through his eyes as he folded his hands behind him, gripping them into fists.
He stood firmly, with emerald eyes fixed on a direction far away through the glass window.
[Can't say anything about your impotent son, but not all of you accompanying him will see the next day. Mark my words.]
DING!
.
.
.
'What have you done, System?' Ryuk inquired after hearing the screams of a familiar figure, clearly shouting and cursing him from a hundred miles away.
[ Just called his bloodline, Cucked Bloodline =?_?= ]
'I just told you to burn a single ship to provoke them, ain't I?' Ryuk couldn't undo what had been done, but he still questioned the system for its autonomous decision-making skills, which had indeed worked in his favor, yet...
[Host, even though I self-destructed the ship, none of them were smart enough to guess that it was you. So, I acted as a catalyst.]
'....' Hearing the system's words, Ryuk narrowed his gaze towards the fading light falling from the sky, specifically the burning ship. He then addressed calmly, "Lady Drishti, if in self-defense I killed all of them, wouldn't I be taken innocent?"
Drishti's eyes remained fixed on the burning ship, a small smile playing on her lips as she folded her hands in front of her, understanding that something very interesting was about to unfold. She added, "Yeah, yeah, you are the most innocent one but I have a condition."