Chapter 578 – Irene’s Dilemma

“Zirians…stand tall! For hope is not yet lost. See this again and witness how we were able to push back the imperial army and even its leader, the Xeton Emperor, the most powerful emperor. This is a historical feat that we had never been able to achieve, especially in a time when we didn’t even have the time to prepare against a sudden attack. It is indeed true that we have lost a lot of good people but let us not let their deaths be in vain. The Xeton Emperor will never rest till he eradicates every single one of us. So the only choice we have is to fight back with every single ounce of our strength. Giving up is for cowards and for those without honor. But with Triton and the Lightning Prince at our midst, it is only a matter of time before our Zirian Empire sees the light of day again,” Irene said in an impassioned tone as she addressed the surviving Zirians, including the experts like Blake and Shania.

All of them were greatly elated and relieved the moment Irene showed up before them. They all had been teleported to another safe house that was still not known to the Xeton Empire, and since they never heard from Irene or Triton for all this while, they had been sick and worried.

Most were wallowing in despair while mourning the ones who met an unfortunate end in the other Forsaken bases. Only because Shania and Blake were reassuring their people that Irene and Triton were alright they had been able to stay sane.

Otherwise, they all would have fallen into depression a long time ago.

However, the surprise appearance of Irene before them was like the ray of hope they had been desperately searching for.

She was showing an ethereal projection of Damien taking on the imperial army all on his own while using the support of the Zirian experts to even push back Ruthren for a while. This was a feat that shocked all the Zirians who teleported away early since they couldn’t believe a young man was capable of taking on experts that were centuries old and even had the courage to face someone like Ruthren.

Everyone had a stupefied expression mixed with awe and couldn’t help but feel that Irene’s words couldn’t be more true. If this young man was capable of routing the imperial army all on his own, then what would he be capable of after just a few dozen years. What about after a few centuries?

Wouldn’t he be like a god among men that could easily destroy armies like this in his sleep? Before they knew it, the Zirians had already started to dream about getting liberated, at least within a few centuries.

But of course, they also knew that Damien was number one on every hit list throughout the continent. And right now, there was no way for him to survive if he showed up in public and if he died, then all their dreams and hopes would be for naught.

However, the first thing Irene did while appearing before them was reassure that Damien and Triton were in a safe place. So, for now, the Zirians were feeling relieved. They hoped that the two wouldn’t come out for at least a few dozen years for their own safety.

“Mother Irene, we believe in you, and we are prepared to fight and die for our cause. But…has the Venerable One really left us? Without his divine presence and blessings, would we still be protected?” One of the Zirians asked in a worried tone, making other Zirians mumble about the same topic as well.

Irene felt a headache hearing this question as she still had a dilemma about whether to tell them the truth or not.

There were only a thousand survivors in total after the great tragedy that occurred upon Yohr’s death. 

She knew that the future was not necessarily dark since their biggest enemy and obstacle, Yohr was finally dead. But her people didn’t know that. They were still believing and had blind faith in Yohr, who was not even present here anymore.

Irene finally made a decision as she said, “The Venerable One…is no longer with us and probably never will…since he had to go back to where he came from…” Irene felt her heart wrench just by addressing the divine being she loathed the most so respectfully like this.

Whereas the people had devastated expressions hearing her words. It was as if they were like kids who got abandoned by parents whom they dearly loved.

Irene noticed how their expressions became pale and sullen just like she feared and continued, “But fret not…even if he may not no longer be present in this world, his divine presence is boundless and infinite. He will be watching all over us from the heavens, and his divine protection will forever protect us. We mortals cannot comprehend the power of the gods, but all we can do is have faith. The moment we lose faith, we would be insulting everything the Venerable One has done for us, and he would be extremely disappointed in us.”

Hearing her words, the Zirians quickly prayed to apologize to the Venerable One for momentarily losing faith, and their faces regained some vigor and color. They didn’t feel abandoned anymore and were determined to fight for their cause and not let down the Venerable One for supporting them all these centuries.

Seeing how their expressions changed again, Irene felt as if she had made the best decision possible. At least, she could use Yohr’s death to her advantage by letting her people feel even more motivated.

She then told her people she would come by occasionally and tasked Shania and Blake to look after them in her absence.

—

Some more time passed as Damien finally opened his eyes and was a bit surprised to realize that it had been a while since he turned 18 and that only a few more months were left before the tournament!