Sword God in a World of Magic

Shang wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

For now, he decided to remain silent.

"Let me explain my conundrum with a metaphor," the Lightning Emperor said.

"Imagine you are a mortal and live in a village with 50 other villagers. You don't have any sort of real societal standards and norms, and the strongest person in the village is the leader."

"Now, imagine there is a council of five leaders since they don't want to fight each other for whatever reason, and you are one of them."

"One day, you find the offspring of a very powerful beast, which is far more powerful than any member of the council."

"You nurture it, and it follows you."

"Yet, it doesn't completely follow your commands, and you know that there is a chance that it might attack you and everyone else. After all, it is still a wild beast."

"But maybe, it will also help you."

"But also only you. What if it attacks any of the others in the village?"

"Right now, the beast is still a baby."

"So, what do you do?"

"Do you nurture it?"

"Do you kill it?"

"Do you ask the others?"

The Lightning Emperor drank another mouthful of tea.

"Everything about this beast screams risk at you. No matter what happens, it will be a risk. If it isn't one for you, it definitely will be one for the village."

"But you like the village. You live in the village. You are happy with the village."

"You don't want your beast to kill other villagers."

"But it very likely will."

"So, what would you do?" the Lightning Emperor asked.

Spirit Sense focused on

that his answer would

Should he lie?

wouldn't even

had the skills to lie in front of a Mage

argue for the beast's

good reason, this would feel

he defer the responsibility of the decision to the Lightning Emperor? After all, he was much older and much more powerful than

give a

someone else should do, what the village should do, or

the Lightning Emperor answered as

do would be to send it out of the village," Shang said. "If you can't do that, nurture

Lightning Emperor didn't

either collectively raise the beast to make it follow everyone's orders or kill

Emperor

would depend on their ambition. Is it worth the risk to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the

the Lightning Emperor's interest,

as for what I would

would let

the Lightning Emperor

has no impact or relevance," Shang

Lightning Emperor

be the

shot at reaching my goal. Even more, the beast's growth might even give me the incentive to train even harder

me, it means my goal was impossible to achieve from

I might as well

Silence.

Emperor looked at Shang

just tell me to kill myself?"

answered emotionlessly. "I told you what I would do. I know that my

"You are not me."

mean that you should make that choice or that it is the correct

eyebrow. "That sounds a bit extreme. Is

Shang said. "I sacrificed everything else, and I don't regret

so many people in this world. Geniuses might be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however

how many

one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I have to defeat

stops them from being the