Speaking of this, Alfia grew even more agitated.
Whether it was the opponent's act of fighting blindfolded, his constant complaints about noise, or even his pretentious demeanor, it all made her feel as if he was a clumsy imitator of herself.
Her body felt uncomfortable, as if countless ants were crawling on it.
"The method to break this sword technique is simple: just be faster and more lethal with the first strike than he is. Can you do it?"
Her tone grew increasingly impatient.
If Ryu said he couldn't do it, she would probably really pick him up on the spot and give him a good beating first, then blast the other guy into dust.
Ryu, hearing this, silently lowered his stance as well, adopting a draw stance even more imposing than Lidali's.
"Only two strikes… In that case."
"—Calamity's Other Shore Flower."
Ryu recited a super-short incantation, drawing his sword from its sheath with divine speed.
"Iaijutsu — Five Lights!"
On the other side, the armored knights, seeing their captains take action, also quickly drew their swords.
"Damn it! In that case, we have no choice but to act!"
"Protect the Princess!"
Although the four armored knights didn't understand why the situation, which had originally been quite harmonious, suddenly deteriorated to this extent, they still drew their swords and attacked the others for the sake of the nation's safety.
A Di, while fending off the four of them, loudly questioned.
"Aren't you Taruvi's knights? Aren't you supposed to exist to protect Taruvi, to protect important people?"
The coordination of the four armored knights was extremely fluid, their encirclement seamless, their attacks relentless. Coupled with the harassment of dark swords and smoke bombs, they temporarily completely suppressed A Di.
"We are indeed knights, knights who have dedicated our lives to the Princess!"
"Precisely because we are knights, we must send the Princess to the [Ritual]!"
Riveria frowned.
"This coordination reminds me of those reckless quadruplets."
"Is it okay if we don't intervene?"
Although Rhode liked the simple A Di very much, he hardened his heart at this moment.
"She must grow. Upholding justice is not wrong, but what is wrong is not having the strength to match it."
Riveria's face showed a look of reluctance, but then she heard Rhode say.
"Besides, this young Saintess next to us, though young, isn't fake either~"
Riveria then remembered that Amid was also there to look after her. She rolled her eyes and lightly nudged Rhode with her elbow.
Really, he had considered everything, yet he insisted on putting on a cold facade.
Among them, only A Di's battle would be somewhat difficult.
Ais and Ryu had no need to worry.
In the original story, during this plot point, Ryu, who was already at the peak of LV.4 in the main timeline, surprisingly couldn't defeat Uskali and was even instantly killed by a self-destruct move, which was simply absurd.
Even if the Belden bloodline was a bit unusual, they were inherently suffering from terminal illnesses, constantly living in a toxic environment, and had difficulty with food daily, mostly surviving on potatoes.
To say that these bumpkins could cultivate to a level where even Ryu was no match for them, then Orario would be nothing as the center of the world.
The four armored knights were even more ridiculous; it was understandable that LV.2 Qiancao couldn't defeat them, but Aisha, who was LV.4 at the time, was also no match for them, which truly made Rhode unable to hold back his laughter.
Rhode did not continue to pay attention to this battle, which no longer had any suspense, but instead turned to look at Taruvi, who had a worried expression.
"Now that you know everything, what are your thoughts?"
Taruvi pursed her lips, her expression a little sorrowful.
Uskali and the others had indeed treated her like a princess all these years; their friendship was not fake.
But in these short days, she had also forged friendships with these kind-hearted girls.
Since she knew they were fighting for her, she couldn't bring herself to resent them.
"Mr. Rod, can you please stop fighting?"
"Uskali is right, I have indeed come to terms with it. I chose to sacrifice myself to protect everyone."
Rod bent down, meeting her heterochromatic eyes, and asked calmly.
"Did you make the choice yourself... or could you only make this one choice?"
!!!
"From birth, you knew your mission. Everyone around you was very kind to you, making you unable to bear watching them die from illness. In the end, this was the only answer you could come up with, wasn't it?"
Taruvi's eyes wavered intensely; her worldview was on the verge of collapsing.
She quickly gripped Rod's hand and asked, choking back tears.
"Are you saying that their care for me was all fake?"
Rod tightened his grip on the girl's cold hand, tearing apart their disguised facade.
"Not necessarily fake, but since you were going to die for them anyway, why wouldn't they treat you well while you were alive?"
"This both eases their guilt and satisfies their hypocritical desires."
"The simplest question: if they were truly friends who cared about you, would they personally send you to your death?"
"Do you... truly want to die?"
Taruvi squeezed her eyes shut, but large drops of tears still streamed down her cheeks.
"I really... still have many things I want to see and do. I still want to eat the fried potato balls Rod gave me, and I want to go shopping and play with everyone..."
"I'm also very happy that everyone stood up for me, and very happy that Rod spoke up for me."
"At this moment, I am truly happy. I like everyone, and I like Mr. Rod the most!"
Taruvi suddenly threw herself into Rod's arms, hugging him tightly and apologizing through her tears.
"But, I'm sorry... I'm not a tragic princess; I am here to save my country."
"One of the descendants of the four witches, a child of Scylla, is me."
"Everyone has been waiting for my birth. I am everyone's wish and prayer."
"My name means 'winter' in my homeland, so I am destined to never see spring..."
Even at this point, Taruvi still hadn't given up the idea of sacrificing herself, and even apologized for wasting Rod's kindness.
Rod was not angry about this.
After all, if she didn't possess such a pure heart and strong sense of responsibility, Rod wouldn't have bothered to save her.
He just ruffled her head and asked a question.
"How many people are in your country?"
Taruvi sniffled.
.....A few thousand people.
"Then, to bring you into existence, how many people's happiness was taken away, and how many were forced to mate?"
...!!!
Taruvi froze.
She had never thought about this question before.
Just then, Vera walked over.
"I'm very curious, your reason for intervening is a sense of justice, right? Then why don't you resent me for making the suggestion?"
Rod didn't even turn his head, saying faintly.
"Because you didn't lie, and you only offered a suggestion. They were the ones who made the choice."
Vera was silent for a long time, looking at Rod's back with a complicated expression.
"I thought he was some hot-headed, reckless youth, but isn't he quite perceptive?"
"Then you should know that they weren't actually wrong, this is just a simple question of choosing between 'one' and 'a hundred'."
Rod's chin tilted towards Alfia, who was standing nearby.
"If someone put your sister on the 'one' side, what would you do?"
Alfia didn't hesitate for a moment, her face expressionless.
"I would kill all 'a hundred'."
Riveria couldn't help but scrutinize Alfia.
This feeling was so familiar, yet she just couldn't recall it...
Vera looked thoughtful, then turned back to Rod.
"I understand, but that's not a choice a 'hero' would make, is it?"
Rod couldn't help but burst out laughing at her words.
"How interesting. Then do you know that this person, who you don't consider a hero... would willingly put herself in the position of 'one' for 'billions', becoming a sacrifice, the cornerstone of a hero?"
"Compared to those who sacrifice others just to cling to life, she is far nobler."
"One could even say that if the plan proceeds, she will save the entire world in the future!"
Vera's eyes widened, and she re-examined Alfia.
Riveria's heart suddenly thumped at the words, and an almost unbelievable conjecture rose from the depths of her mind.
No way.....
Metria, having arrived in the present world, had long known about the Great Struggle plan, but at this moment, she also looked at Alfia with a gaze of both concern and pride.
No matter how aloof she appeared, she was always a true hero in her heart!
Alfia was a little unaccustomed to such gazes, and she turned her body away, feeling embarrassed and awkward.
"Don't... don't look at me like that..."
Vera sighed.
"So you've already saved 'one'. I know her choice, so what about you?"
"Heh heh, I'll just directly kill anyone who dares to make me choose."
....
In fact, the Great Struggle plan and Belden's plan were not dissimilar in form.
Both involved sacrificing a small portion of people to benefit another portion.
However, their essence differed greatly. Although the other people sacrificed in the process were innocent, Erebus truly gave Alfia and Chardo a choice, and its purpose was for the future of the entire world.
This was why Rod disliked the plan but would not disparage it.
Without his intervention, if the Great Struggle did not happen, this world would be destroyed.
But Belden and his ilk were purely trying to prolong their own lives; it was an utterly selfish and hypocritical act.
On the battlefield at this moment, Liu's battle had ended. She was panting heavily, while Lidali lay on the ground, covered in sword wounds, unconscious.
Ais was still fighting Uskali.
Uskali used a technique called "Martyr's Light," which allowed him to forcefully detonate his materialized wind sword.
Although this move cost him his left hand, it did cause Ais a little trouble.
But only a little.....
Ais, in her [Wind Spirit Sprint] state, was extremely sensitive to the flow of wind.
She had already predicted and avoided the core of the explosion the moment it occurred.
Uskali, having lost an arm, was gradually falling into a disadvantage.
He heard what Rod said and shouted angrily.
"Do you think you are on the side of justice?"
"Forcibly imposing your goodwill on others, all the people of our entire country just want to survive, what's wrong with that?!"
A goddess with hazelnut hair slowly walked over.
"Although Rod is sometimes a bit extreme, and occasionally even uses unjust methods that annoy me, at this moment, I believe he is just."
Uskali looked at the newcomer with reddened eyes.
"Who are you again? What right do you have to say that?!"
Hestia crossed her arms, saying with a complicated expression.
"She is Astrea, the Goddess of Justice. If anyone in the world can define absolute justice, it is her."
Uskali was instantly speechless.
In his daze, Ais seized the opportunity, crippling his remaining limbs. He slumped to the ground, powerless and in tears.
"Damn it... a mere group of outsiders who know nothing... I didn't want to kill Princess Taruvi either. But the Swamp King is about to awaken, and all our citizens will die!"
"Then let them die."
Rod's cold voice instantly plunged the entire scene into silence.
Vera's eyes widened.
"Hey, hey, hey, are you serious?"
Rod looked down at Uskali with contempt.
"You think you're pitiful? You think your country is tragic? But... I think the children who are reincarnated into your country are the most innocent."
"Damn it, what did you say...?!!!"
"Isn't it? It's one thing not to know at first, but later, knowing that the children born will inherit a terminal illness and that there's no way to completely cure it, why do you still let such unfortunate children be born into this desperate hell?"
....!!!
Facing a stunned and helpless Uskali, who didn't know how to respond, Rod revealed a pleased expression.
"Since you can sacrifice 'one' for 'a hundred', then why can't I eliminate 'a hundred' for the 'ten thousand' who might be reincarnated into Belden in the future?"
The knights who were besieging A Di not far away also stopped their movements in astonishment, staring blankly as A Di knocked them to the ground.
Astrea lowered her gaze, silent.
This was also why she would say Rod was 'just'.
Not out of favoritism, but because it was the truth.
Rod's rhetoric sounded somewhat twisted, even inhumane.
But in this world, where "reincarnation" truly existed, it was an undeniable truth.
Vera opened her mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
She stumbled, appearing somewhat lost and disoriented.
When she stepped out of that narrow perspective, she was startled to realize that what Rod said was the true, cruel reality.
She even began to wonder...
If she hadn't saved that group of people in the first place, perhaps not so many people in this world would have suffered from terminal illnesses.
Hestia walked to her side, hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand on her shoulder, saying softly.
"This is the price of us gods interfering with the world..."
A Di had originally wanted to persuade Rod, but now, she couldn't say anything at all.
If those words only made everyone decide to ignore the Belden people who were seeking their own demise, then Rod's next sentence made everyone present, even harbor the thought of personally eliminating them completely!
"And there's one thing you shouldn't forget... a mere highly poisonous slime monster became so troublesome after absorbing the Spring of Life."
Rod calmly spoke words that sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"What if a more powerful monster absorbed it, or even... what if that Black Dragon devoured the Spring of Life?"
A biting cold wind blew through.
The atmosphere instantly became incredibly murderous!
Ais's body uncontrollably revealed an ominous black wind.
"Black Dragon...."
Fortunately, Riveria, whose face had changed dramatically, arrived in time and held her tightly in her arms.
"It's alright, Rod won't let that happen."
Alfia's eyes were even sharper, and her voice was cold.
"Rod, we must take the Spring of Life. If the Belden people try to stop us, I will kill them all!"
"!!!"
Infected by this terrifying killing intent, Taruvi collapsed weakly into Rod's arms, her eyes filled with confusion and fear.
At this moment, she no longer knew what was right or wrong.
Rod looked down at Uskali and the knights with indifference, slightly raising his chin.
"What's wrong? You, who are good at multiple-choice questions, can't calculate now?"
"Which is more numerous and important, the lives of everyone in the world, or the lives of everyone in the entire nation of Belden? Can't you figure it out?"
They couldn't answer.
Having long been accustomed to morally blackmailing others, they probably never imagined that they would also have a day when they were morally blackmailed.
No one is not afraid of death.
Especially the Belden citizens who had already survived for hundreds of years by sacrificing others.
Even if these people now said they were willing to give up the Spring of Life for the whole world, what about the other people in Belden?