Mythology: Ragnarok

Chapter 161 The Days I Was Slayed by Heroes (Part 5)

Three months later, time flew by.

Bruce had been waiting for this day for a long time. Today, he was going to challenge the last warrior he had not yet defeated, 'Gannon'. Once he broke through this barrier, he could finally settle things with the Shadow King.

Bruce strode confidently to the front of Ganon's mansion, surrounded by the crowd. He then loudly proclaimed, "This junior has come to seek guidance from the senior!"

Before he finished speaking, the hero Ganon slowly walked out wearing a somewhat worn suit of armor, and in his hand he held a brand new sword. This sword was a rare and powerful weapon that Agreed had later given him as compensation.

Ganon had noticed Bruce's progress these past few days. To be honest, Ganon genuinely liked this humble and unassuming young man. However, he also understood that if this kid wanted to defeat the Shadow King, he would need power far greater than his own. Therefore, Ganon would not hold back, because the final hero was facing a terrifying being that even he could not comprehend at the moment.

Ganon said in an unquestionable tone, "We can't fight here, let's go to the training ground." After saying that, he walked towards the training ground without looking back, and Bruce obediently followed.

On the training ground, both sides took their stances. Bruce attacked first, thrusting his sword to force Ganon to dodge with a quick attack. Ganon, however, neither dodged nor avoided, using his exquisite swordsmanship to parry the series of thrusts to the side. Seeing this, Bruce immediately swung his sword horizontally, and a sharp sword aura instantly appeared, aiming straight for Ganon's vitals.

As the sword energy appeared, Ganon's fighting spirit erupted simultaneously, shattering the sword energy. Then, Ganon's aura instantly changed, and he began to counterattack. A terrifying aura and a powerful sense of oppression emanated from him. Countless sword moves were skillfully executed by Ganon, striking Bruce. The situation instantly reversed, and Bruce could only continuously parry and block the endless and deadly sword moves.

Seeing that he couldn't make any progress, Ganon unleashed his ultimate move. His massive battle aura transformed into a tangible tide that surged towards Bruce like a thousand horses. Upon seeing this, Bruce's eyes lit up, and in an instant, he controlled Ganon's battle aura tide and counterattacked against Ganon.

Ganon never expected that his attack would be controlled by the enemy. In the blink of an eye, the situation reversed. Ganon hurriedly urged all the remaining battle qi to break through his own battle qi tide. But at this moment, Bruce also seized the opening and closed in. Then, the longsword stopped just one centimeter away from Ganon's neck.

Ganon looked at the sword tip so close to his eyes and said dejectedly, "I lost. You truly deserve to be called the strongest hero in his eyes."

Upon hearing this, Bruce asked in disbelief, "Who said that?"

Ganon chuckled and then replied, "The Shadow King said so. Congratulations! Tomorrow you can officially go to his castle and put an end to our long-standing unfinished business. Let's give you a proper send-off tonight."

Bruce remained silent. Ganon clearly didn't think he would win. Bruce couldn't understand why this first-generation hero was so desperate. But before Bruce could ask further, the people around him happily took him away to celebrate this hard-won success.

That evening, all the heroes and their followers gathered together for their final celebration. At that moment, they felt as if they were no longer trapped in enemy territory, and freedom and hope filled everyone's faces. Bruce, however, did not particularly enjoy crowds, and after spending some time in the jubilant throng, he withdrew.

After Bruce left the rally, he immediately spotted Ganon, who seemed completely out of place in the atmosphere. He was still lounging in his deck chair, looking as lazy and carefree as ever.

Bruce then walked over and sat down next to Ganon, asking, "Senior, you don't seem happy?"

Ganon stopped rocking in his recliner, then sat up, sighed, and replied to himself, "It's all coming to an end. What's there to be happy about?"

Bruce asked, puzzled, "Why do you seem to lack confidence in us? And why do you seem to have such reverence for the Shadow King?"

Ganon, seemingly unrelated to the question, countered with, "Have you tried to see other parts of this country?"

Bruce shook his head and said, "I've never had the chance. You must have been there before, senior."

Ganon nodded, as if reminiscing about the distant past, and slowly said, "Actually, the Shadow King didn't restrict our activities in this country; he simply forbade us from returning to the human realm. After my first defeat, I began to travel through this country, which we perceived as barbaric and unteachable. But when I truly opened my eyes to this world beyond humanity, I was shocked. If we only use the Empire of Light as a reference, I can even say without reservation that we lost completely. I can see light in the eyes of everyone here, I can see their yearning and enthusiasm for tomorrow, their expectations and fantasies for the future—things I can't see in my homeland!"

At first, however, I dismissed it all, deceiving myself into believing it was a performance deliberately arranged for me by the Shadow King. I began to boast and even nitpick, pointing out the country's shortcomings and faults, endlessly glorifying and exaggerating the system and advantages of the Light Empire to satisfy my ridiculous vanity. I even wrote a letter of advice to the Shadow King, arrogantly instructing him on how to govern the country.

Bruce asked, "Did he read your letter?"

Ganon gave a bitter smile upon hearing this and replied, "He saw it, and even a year later he came here in person and showed me around the whole country. He happily shared with me the new system that he had improved upon based on my suggestions. He even publicized my help to his people. I walked through town after town, more prosperous than before, under the worshipful eyes of his people. Seeing those admiring eyes, I broke down. I realized that the destruction of the Kingdom of Light was inevitable, and the enemy we faced was a hundred times more terrifying than us!"

Bruce, still somewhat puzzled, asked, "Just because... he accepted your suggestion?"

Ganon countered with, "If you were a king, and one day one of your prisoners suddenly wrote you a letter criticizing your country for this and that, and that his country was actually not as good as yours, how would you deal with that letter?"

Bruce thought for a moment and said, "I'll take this as a ridiculous prank, and if I'm in a bad mood, I might even... kill the prisoner who dared to provoke me." After saying that, Bruce seemed to have understood something and looked up at Ganon, his eyes now filled with fear.

Ganon chuckled and said, "It seems you've finally figured it out. The most terrifying enemies in this world are not the so-called gods who are born powerful, but those monsters who never stop growing, evolving, changing, and surpassing themselves! The Shadow King is such a monster. A joke can become the opportunity for his growth, an accident can make him realize things that we can't understand in our entire lives, and while we complain about trivial matters, he is always thinking about the essence of these things."

This is terrifying, my friend. It was from that moment that I understood a horrifying truth: this undead Grand Duke, who already reigns supreme, is still growing at a rate we cannot comprehend. He is an absolute monster. And it was from that moment that I understood I cannot win, we can never win, because only a monster can defeat a monster!