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 the

answer would

Should he lie?

wouldn't even attempt

he had the skills to lie in front

he argue for

good reason, this would

Emperor? After all, he was much older

he give

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

Emperor answered as he drank

thing to do would be to send it out of the village," Shang said.

Lightning Emperor didn't show any

raise the beast to make it follow everyone's orders

Lightning Emperor remained

to nurture it for the eventual payoff? The person could become the leader of the village. Maybe, they could even leave the village and go someplace

piqued the Lightning Emperor's interest, but

what

let it

your reason?" the Lightning

no impact or

Lightning Emperor

goal is to be the strongest," Shang

stronger than the beast if I want to have any shot at reaching my goal. Even more, the beast's growth might even give

is stronger than me, it means my goal was impossible to achieve

as

Silence.

looked at Shang with a bit of

me to kill myself?"

do. I know that my own goals and priorities are

"You are not me."

it doesn't mean that you should make

"That sounds a bit extreme. Is your

Shang said. "I sacrificed

people in this world. Geniuses might be rare, but among billions, trillions, quadrillions, or however many people there are, there have to be lots

from those geniuses, how many of them are

a thousand people left from one trillion people, that is still a thousand people that I have to defeat if I want to

from being the