Around Hayes, representatives from the major powers who had come to participate in the
Battle for Dominance
found themselves gathered in one place, utterly subdued.
Daniel had brought them all here effortlessly, and not one of them had the strength to resist.
It was a chilling realization: their lives now rested entirely in Daniel’s hands.
In front of Daniel sat five items, each belonging to one of the five superpowers.
These objects were
rule derivatives
, remnants of gods and devils that had long since perished. Each contained a trace of the
power of rule
, though their strength varied significantly.
The derivative from
Dragonscale Bank
was by far the most potent, which perhaps explained why Imora had appeared so far ahead of her peers during the competition.
Without Nora unexpectedly becoming Karea Academy’s champion, Imora would likely have claimed victory.
Setting aside these reflections, Daniel turned his attention to the assembled representatives.
“I’m giving you two choices,” he began, his voice calm yet commanding. “First, live and lead me to your respective headquarters.”
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
“As for the second…” Daniel didn’t bother finishing the sentence. The implications were clear.
Daniel’s intentions were evident. If they refused to cooperate, he would have no qualms about ending their lives and studying their derivatives directly.
The
grand steward
of Dragonscale Bank broke the silence, his voice tense.
“Daniel Headmaster, are you sure you want to go down this path? You may be strong, but the forces behind each of us…”
He hesitated, his tone shifting into a thinly veiled warning. “Do not underestimate what stands behind the superpowers.”
Daniel dismissed the threat with a wave of his hand. “You have a few minutes to decide,” he said curtly. “Choose: live or die.”
Then he fell silent, waiting.
Seconds ticked by.
The representatives exchanged uncertain glances, their faces etched with fear and indecision. This was an unprecedented situation—never before had someone dared to target all the superpowers simultaneously.
Was Daniel mad? Or did he truly possess the power to back up his actions?
Finally, the
grand steward
stepped forward.
“If you insist, then I will take you to Dragonscale Bank’s headquarters,” he said, his tone resigned but firm.
His decision sparked a chain reaction. With the first to take the lead, the others quickly followed suit, one by one agreeing to Daniel’s terms.
Faced with the prospect of death, they chose survival.
Among them, Hayes and the grand steward seemed to harbor the most confidence.
In their minds, once Daniel confronted their full organizational might, his arrogance would be his undoing.
With the situation settled, Daniel turned his attention to Rose and the others.
It had been six years since Daniel had personally trained these five students.
Each had grown into a formidable force, capable of overwhelming their peers at the same level.
Now, he had a monumental task for them.
“You’ve all done exceptionally well over the years,” Daniel said, addressing the group. “Now, I have an important mission for you.”
“Headmaster, is it planting trees to save the world?” Nina interjected enthusiastically.
Daniel smiled faintly. “That’s exactly right. The world we live in is on the brink of destruction. To save it, I need you to plant
Trees of Origin
at each
world node
on the continent.”
He projected a detailed map into their minds, outlining the locations of the world nodes. The images were vivid and precise, leaving no room for confusion.
“These world nodes are crucial,” Daniel explained. “Planting the Trees of Origin there will promote their growth and help stabilize the world.”
He gestured, summoning an array of glowing saplings.
“Each of you will take 1,500 saplings. Choose a direction and plant them along your path. Additionally, eliminate any remnants of god and devil influence you encounter—they’ll make excellent fertilizer for the trees.”
Nina’s hand shot up excitedly.
“Headmaster, am I going too?” she asked, practically bouncing in place.
“Yes,” Daniel said with a nod. “You’ve grown enough to handle this task on your own.”
Nina beamed with pride, though there was a hint of reluctance in her expression. She had grown accustomed to being by Daniel’s side.
“Father, aren’t you coming with us this time?”
“No, I have other matters to attend to,” Daniel replied.
He had recently discovered a troubling pattern while observing Dragonscale Bank’s derivative. Its power stemmed not only from its inherent strength but also from the extent to which it had corrupted the world around it.
This realization pointed to the existence of at least four more derivatives of equal potency, each with a significant capacity for world erosion.
Daniel knew he couldn’t entrust this task to his students. These entities were far too dangerous.
Moreover, there was another matter that had haunted him for years: the mystery of his predecessor’s death.
He now suspected his initial assumptions were wrong.
The individual who had set a trap within the
Sacred Time River
was likely not the same person responsible for his father’s death.
The trap appeared to have been incidental, triggered by Daniel’s investigation of the time river.
Given the power required to lay such a trap, Daniel theorized that its creator had long since left this world.
Only entities with the ability to transcend dimensions could achieve such feats.
This left Daniel with one conclusion: his father’s death, as his mentor Ryze had speculated, was tied to the remnants of god and devil influence.
With this in mind, Daniel was determined to confront these forces head-on.
While Daniel contemplated his strategy, Rose and the others discussed their assignments.
Rose chose to continue her journey east, following the path she had taken upon leaving Riverside City.
Reed, on the other hand, selected the western route.
“I’m going south!” Nina declared eagerly. “I’ve spent five years in the north—it’s boring. I’m done with it!”
Green volunteered for the northern route, noting its proximity to the academy.
That left Nora, who hadn’t spoken yet.
Daniel glanced at her and then at Nina.
“Nora, you’ll accompany Nina to the south,” he said.
He didn’t entirely trust Nina to stay focused on the mission, especially given her tendency to get carried away. With Nora by her side, he hoped for some balance.
As the group finalized their plans, Daniel prepared to confront the superpowers directly, setting the stage for the next phase of his mission.