Chapter 649: The Man Who Wants to Be a Hero

Chapter 649: Chapter 11: The Man Who Wants to Be a Hero

To be fair, Su Zhou was well aware that Zhou Buyi had already done better than he could have imagined. In this world, this was how things had to be done—no, it was the *only* way. Otherwise, how could such a massive Alliance stay true to its original mission and be forged into a single entity in just over a century?

Admittedly, this course of action had caused some civilian casualties, but it was unavoidable. Even a contrarian like Su Zhou could only say, ‘But it’s still not good enough.’ He couldn’t offer any other critique, because if he were in Zhou Buyi’s shoes, he couldn’t have done any better. At the end of the day, Su Zhou wasn’t a Demon; he couldn’t just pass judgment on everything.

But just then, Zhou Buyi had cut in before Su Zhou could speak, saying it himself: “It’s still not perfect.”

And at that very moment, through the Thoughtless Mind which came from the Silent, Su Zhou heard Zhou Buyi’s innermost thoughts.

—It was the voice of a man in agony, condemning himself because, despite the choice he had made, innocent people had truly been harmed.

‘To sacrifice one life to save the world… I will not do it.’

‘If a price must be paid, is my life alone not enough?’

What Zhou Buyi wanted in his heart was a perfect Taiping, one where no one but himself would ever have to be sacrificed.

To sacrifice a few for the happiness and Taiping of the many… to commit a small evil for the sake of a golden age. Is that not a choice that is easy enough to accept?

—But that is wrong.

Sacrifice is a shortcut.

Within that man’s heart, the voice of a Hero was whispering.

—’To give something up in order to gain something else, to be forced to make such a choice, only proves that he isn’t strong enough. That as a Hero, he is not yet worthy!’

‘To be praised for such a choice is a ridiculous joke.’

What Zhou Buyi needed wasn’t someone to agree with his choices. Hailed and worshipped as a guardian deity by the entire Tianzheng Alliance, he had no desire for more voices of “approval.”

He needed someone who could condemn him, criticize him, and tell him in no uncertain terms that he was wrong—that what he did wasn’t perfect, and that there were better options.

He needed someone to jolt him awake, to pull him out of the delusion of “You did the right thing!” and “It was the only way!”

He needed someone to push him toward Perfection, toward an absolute Taiping.

Zhou Buyi needed a Demon.

But in this world, who could possibly criticize the first chairman of the Tianzheng Alliance, the Director of the Demon Suppression Bureau, the Celestial Spirit Martial God, Zhou Buyi?

As it happened, Su Zhou was right there.

‘Deciding to protect the vast majority and making such a choice makes one a competent leader. But only by ‘wanting to protect everyone’ and facing that responsibility head-on can one be called a Hero.’

‘Zhou Buyi, you want to be a Hero, but you were forced to become a leader. You used to be the kind of man who would grieve and rage over a single innocent life sacrificed, but now you have to harden your heart and make ruthless choices… Is that why you want to fight me?’

‘Because you’re surrounded by voices of praise and approval, you’re afraid of being corrupted by this atmosphere, of truly becoming a ‘leader’ who treats lives as numbers to be expended for the sake of Taiping. Is that why you want me to beat the pain back into you? To jolt you awake?’

Even if you don’t know the way forward, or even if it’s the right way, at the very least, you must demonstrate the attitude of ‘moving forward,’ of striving for ‘greater Perfection.’

Whether or not it can be done is another matter. The desire to do it is the true principle of the heart.

It was precisely because he himself was such a difficult person that Su Zhou could understand the conflict in Zhou Buyi’s heart. He didn’t truly want to fight Su Zhou; he wanted to use Su Zhou’s hand to battle the arrogance, satisfaction, and complacency that had grown in his own heart from his success. For one hundred and forty-seven years, his name had been celebrated for too long. Zhou Buyi longed to hear a different voice.

‘—Then as you wish.’

And for that very reason, Su Zhou would give it his all.

In the heart of the Tianzheng Alliance’s Old Thirty-Six Central States, across the vast Two Rivers Plain, residents all along the way looked up in shock at a flash of light in the High Heavens. There, an impossibly fast point of light, like a Meteor, trailed a long, cyan-purple ribbon of light as it sped southward, leaving a wake of expanding clouds and mist.

The immense fluctuations of Spiritual Power even affected the weather along its path; thunderstorms broke out in already overcast regions, and strong winds swept through areas of unstable air pressure. Aboard the Flying Airships pursuing the point of light, the crew reported in astonishment that they could faintly hear what sounded like the long, drawn-out roar of a Dragon from afar.

“The target has reached the Central-South Plain, traveling at 1,528 kilometers per hour! And it’s still accelerating!”

“The target’s flight path is a perfectly straight line! Based on our projections, its destination is the Third New Southern Celestial Capital—the Divine Wood Ruins!”

“At this speed, it’ll reach its destination in another ten minutes! We can’t possibly catch it!”

In the hastily assembled crisis response office, a continuous stream of bad news arrived. Not a single Flying Battleship or Defensive Magical Artifact could match the speed of that point of light. The deputy director of the Demon Suppression Bureau, an old man from the Mediterranean who was the one truly in charge, sighed and tore out a handful of white hair. He then asked, “What’s the evacuation status in New Southern Celestial Capital?”

“Not good. They’ve been at peace for too long over there, so they don’t have the experience of the border regions. There aren’t enough shelters either.” The secretary reported rapidly, his voice anxious. “Deputy Director, I’ve already contacted the Director, but he hasn’t responded yet…”