Odd Containment Specialist.

Chapter 871 The Price of Breaking the Cycle

In the king's bedchamber, a woman with an indistinct face arrived silently.

At that time, Spreadt was reclining on a bench reading a book. After a servant announced that the man was requesting an audience, he granted him permission.

“Are you the one who came to see me?” Sprite said.

"Your Majesty, you may call me Old Ji." The mysterious man knelt down on both knees, respectfully kneeling on the ground.

Spread glanced at the other person, and something sharp and invisible extended forward along his gaze, cutting through the unique aura surrounding the other person, like a skilled chef cutting into meat, judging the type and freshness of the meat solely by the feedback of touch.

He could discern the weight of others solely through intuition, whether they were the weak and arrogant feigning or the strong and humble in awe, all with his sharp gaze.

This time, however, a satisfied look appeared on his face: "Even an ostrich can have such a master." He smiled with a hint of contempt, but this contempt had nothing to do with the woman kneeling before him.

Spreadt put down his book, straightened up and leaned back in his chair, waving his finger: "Someone, bring me a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The mysterious person, temporarily referred to as [Old Ji], bowed respectfully.

What can you do for me?

"I can help you skip over the repetition of history."

“Interesting.” Sprite’s voice was as hard as a nail, piercing the ground instantly. His gaze, which had been fixed on her, transformed into a spear, suddenly finding its target.

"Your Majesty, if the king does not die completely, then he cannot be the king forever."

Sprite smiled silently and said nothing.

What is a king?
Absolute power, the power of life and death, the mandate of heaven, the sun of all people.

Whether it's the scorching sun or the gentle sunshine, the king must be the sun.

A king must have authority; without authority, he is not a king.

"King" is not a title or a status, but a real way of being, just like him.

In the human world, whether it is a name that descends to earth or a person who acts on behalf of others, it can never shake his majesty. Majesty is built on absolute pride, and absolute pride arises from absolute power.

From birth to death, except for the last time, he would never be defeated. From the moment he sat on this throne, this became his predetermined fate, just like the many previous kings of the Rift, just like the first king of the Rift who commanded the submission of ten kingdoms.

Spreadt was always in a state of inner conflict. On the one hand, he was convinced that he was invincible and that no one in the world could defeat him. On the other hand, he also knew that he would not always be the strongest, and that he only needed to make sure that he died as a king at the last moment.

He now knows his experiences in the original history, and he is very satisfied with that life. He did not bow down to anyone, not even those who were named.

But as this woman who called herself "Old Lady" said, a king cannot be a king forever unless he dies completely.

When Sprite first learned that he was in a time loop, he felt joy and excitement. Although he had not yet fully conquered the other countries of this era, he did not mind the sudden appearance of an era that he needed to conquer. Conquest was the duty of a king.

But as time went by and he learned more, Spreadt's thinking slowly changed when he saw texts about his entire life in a future era close to theirs. He began to ponder the meaning of cyclical history more deeply.

A strong person dies, and that's that. Even in defeat, there is a glorious way to die, just like how each generation of the Rift King is killed by the next. Every king has his own ending. The beauty of this exit is that it only happens once, just like the moment the sun sets each day, the second round will have the sun rising the next day.

The cyclical history had tainted this life. Sprite could almost imagine how many people would challenge him in the future—perhaps they were all insignificant ants, or perhaps they would become powerful beings who would surpass him. Yes… once you become a person in the cyclical history, you have to consider the future. Although he had no future, the fact that he was currently the strongest king could no longer be his guiding principle.

He has no present moment, or the endless future is the present moment, because the future is infinite and so is the present moment. As proud as he is, he really has no face to say "I am the strongest". He can no longer look at the world with an attitude of looking down on everything. Just as he knows that in the infinite future, there will definitely be people who surpass him. As time goes by, he becomes as thick as a fossil under the earth's crust, until one day, he is defeated countless times.

His name will appear countless times in later generations, as a prefix for someone.

[The person who defeated Sprite], [The second person to defeat Sprite]... [The person who defeated Sprite]... Gradually, it became [The person who couldn't even defeat Sprite].

He knew that such a day would come. The endless stream of powerful figures would eventually trample the glory of his ancestors into nothingness, because he himself was the strongest who stood up by stepping on countless supreme powerhouses. Weren't the previous Rift Kings before him also unparalleled beings?

They are equally worthy of respect, but history is about constantly surpassing itself, so there will inevitably be someone who surpasses them in the future, a point Spreadt never doubted.

Even though those kings died or were surpassed, they were still kings, because they remained forever in their era, and their end was dignified and unique.

They ruled their own time, and were the sole protagonists of their era.

On the contrary, he can no longer have his curtain fall. Instead, he will be like a recurring drama troupe, constantly being performed in the long river of time, repeatedly challenged by people, turning from an insurmountable peak into a worthless embellishment, and no one will remember the time he now rules.

When those who didn't get what they wanted from him see this ridiculous scene again, will they see him as a clown?
Once the overwhelming power is lost, the more arrogant one becomes, the more ridiculous one looks, like a crab that fearlessly raises its claws at humans only to be crushed underfoot, foolish to the point of being pitiful.

When this possibility crossed Spreadt's mind, he experienced a moment of fear, and in that instant when fear arose from within, Spreadt knew that he had lost his royal status and was no longer the superior person he had been a moment before.

The king should not be afraid, not even in his last moments before death.

As for the solution... of course it exists, as conspicuously displayed before him as the summer sun.

—Just give your name.

Since we are trapped by time, let's break free from it.

A wavering thought swept through Sprite's mind like silk.

He looked at the humble visitor and said, "Very well, come and assist me."

“That will come at a price, but… I think Your Majesty will be happy to accept it.”

"What price?"

Despite these disrespectful words, Spreadt did not take any disciplinary action.

In his heart, he no longer felt like a true king.

"The price would be..."

The mysterious figure stated the price; his face, blurred by mosaic, made it impossible to discern his expression.