Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

"What do you want to say to me?" the king asked.

"It concerns Her Majesty the Queen and Her Highness the Princess." Aaron uttered the prepared statement. Ironically, he had come here to assassinate the King, a mission with no chance of return, yet he had already devised an excuse for failing. Moreover, he spoke with a blank expression and eloquent conviction, as if he had truly come for this matter.

As he had predicted, the king's face showed displeasure, even a sinister expression. An ordinary subject would probably be trembling with fear at this moment, but for Aaron, who had just been planning to do that kind of thing, this expression meant nothing.

After Aaron finished speaking, the king turned around, indicating that he was to be seen off. Aaron naturally took his leave as well. From beginning to end, the two knights never took their eyes off Aaron, but they did not show any particular expression. They had no idea what had just happened, and they never imagined that they had almost become a bloody corpse.

"and many more."

When Aaron walked out of the chapel and saw the young priest again, someone called out to him from behind—it was the Sword of Omniscience.

Akil came to Aaron and said, "Come with me. I have something to tell you."

“I have other matters to attend to. Your Highness, the Knight King, you may speak here,” Aaron replied, showing no intention of giving the Knight King any face.

Akiel came to Aaron's side and whispered in his ear, "After you and I clashed, I went back and asked Cilio about you. He told me that you usually hold your sword in your right hand, just like other knights, whether you're teaching or practicing. But I clearly remember that when you and I clashed, you held your sword in your left hand."

Akil stared straight ahead, but no further explanation was needed, for Aaron's sword was hanging on his left hand, which he could draw with a slight reach, unlike any other knight, or even himself in the past.

His left-handed grip is his preferred way of holding a knife, and only those who have pushed him to his full strength can notice this. This seems to perfectly illustrate the saying that the person who understands you best is not your friend, but your enemy.

Chapter 89 The Sword of Omniscience

Aaron and the Knight King left the labyrinthine palace, and the whole world suddenly became vast and profound.

Although they were still imprisoned in the city of Esgard, they felt a sense of liberation.

Aaron's attempt to assassinate the king, which was discovered by the All-Knowing Sword, should have been a terrible thing. However, when the All-Knowing Sword stopped him, he did not feel disappointed, but rather relieved.

He had done everything he could, he had done all he could. Whether the country was destroyed or went to an unknown end was none of his business. He owed Lusset nothing, nor did he owe the people here anything.

He never considered sharing life and death with the country. Long ago, he had converted his assets into gold and silver, which were then entrusted to an international bank. Although not all of his wealth, it was enough for him to live a life of comfort and security.

According to his estimate, the anti-Lucerte alliance will arrive in Esgard soon, within a month, and the final siege will begin, at which point the millennia-old Lucerne will face destruction.

Aaron and the Sword of Omniscience walked together through the street in front of the palace. People on the street looked at them with respect and even fawning eyes when they saw where they came from and the clothes they were wearing.

The more war-torn the times, the higher the status of soldiers and knights rises. In the past, a knight without power or influence was nothing in Asgard and could only bow and scrape before wealthy merchants. But now, even the poorest knight can earn respectful glances from merchants. Their status has been reversed during this special period.

As for Aaron and the Omniscient Sword, they were already highly respected in peacetime, and during wartime, they became almost the most respected people in the entire country. Every place and venue was unconditionally open to them, and everyone would show them cautious smiles, afraid of offending them. This period should have been a paradise for knights and soldiers, but Aaron did not like it. Every time he faced those expectant gazes, he would quickly pass through the crowd.

But now his mindset has changed. Although once the war starts, everyone here will die in the flames of war, Aaron no longer has any psychological burden. His mood is completely different from a few days ago.

Finally, they walked out of the streets near the palace and came to a cedar tree. No one dared to eavesdrop on the conversation between the Obsidian Knight and the Omniscient Sword.

“After that day, I investigated many things in the kingdom and discovered these things.”

The All-Knowing Sword produced a stack of documents from somewhere and handed them to Aaron. Aaron flipped through the documents and suddenly became interested.

He used to be prejudiced against this Knight King, thinking he was the embodiment of perfection, but he never saw the filth and corruption in the kingdom. Like a child, he firmly believed that what he was protecting was righteous, but he never expected that the Knight King would take the initiative to investigate these things.

Lord Knight King did indeed make progress in his investigation. Given his status, if he truly wanted to know something, it would be difficult for anyone in the country to stop him. The documents the Knight King gave him were mostly secret experiments that the King was conducting in secret. There were so many documents that Aaron couldn't even hold them all in one hand. Aaron knew about most of them, and there were some that even he didn't know about.

"What's wrong? Are you surprised to suddenly discover that our Emperor is not a benevolent ruler, but a scientist obsessed with experiments?" Aaron glanced at the data and then returned it to the Omniscient Sword.

“I knew His Majesty would conduct some experiments, because he possesses all sorts of knowledge from the Book of Omniscience, but I didn’t expect that all the experiments he conducted were of this kind.” Faced with Aaron’s slightly teasing tone, the Sword of Omniscience lowered its head slightly, seemingly accepting Aaron’s sarcasm.

The Sword of Omniscience is right. The king possesses the Book of Omniscience, which grants him access to all sorts of strange and wonderful knowledge that is difficult for ordinary people to access or even imagine. Faced with this knowledge, ordinary people would feel fear, as if they were seeing an unexplored wasteland. Wise people would feel awe, exploring the wasteland while worrying that they might leave the human realm and never be able to leave again.

King Lucretia is the third party, a madman. He excitedly rushes into the blood-stained wasteland. In reality, this means that once the king gains some inspiration or knowledge, he will start to conduct experiments. Some of these experiments are harmless, or even extremely beneficial to Lucretia, while others are extremely terrible, requiring people to be used as test subjects and challenging the limits of human reason.

For a king with almost unlimited power, any ethical restrictions are meaningless. He can not only conduct his experiments without any restrictions, but also ensure that these experiments are completely undetected by outsiders.

This resulted in the Dark Awakening Experiment and the Self-Destruction Experiment, and their research in this area far surpassed that of other countries in the world.

"I saw your name in the Dark Awakening Experiment," the Knight King said to Aaron as he took the documents.

Aaron nodded, appearing quite composed.

Of all the secret experiments conducted in the kingdom, the Dark Awakening experiment was the one the king was most obsessed with, which is why he raised all sorts of monsters, and people who could transform into monsters at any time.

Although Aaron believed that such experiments were extremely inhumane and anti-human, he had to admit that the Dark Awakening experiment could indeed greatly enhance a person's strength. Can you imagine that a person whose superhuman ability is usually only level five could, after Dark Awakening, have their strength skyrocket to twenty or even thirty? One person could suddenly be equivalent to ten or even twenty people. This is a revolutionary technology for the superhuman world. Whoever masters this technology will control the future of the superhuman world.

Unfortunately, even now the king still hasn't been able to create a way to mass-produce soldiers who have mastered the Dark Awakening. After experimenting for a while, he discovered that this is a technology that requires extremely high control over spiritual power. Anyone who is not qualified will inevitably fall into depravity during the awakening process, turning themselves into mindless monsters.

Only a few exceptional cases produced a different effect than those who degenerated into monsters, such as Abby, whom Akiel was chasing that day.

Abby was originally an orphan from a workhouse, but one day, someone discovered her talent and brought her into a laboratory. Later, she even joined the Obsidian Knights and became a knight.

Her life was originally on the right track because Abby had been a wild child since she was a child. She was unruly after joining the Obsidian Knights and did not behave like a knight at all. But fate played a trick on her. The experiment produced different effects on her. She showed signs of rejuvenation and turned from a seventeen-year-old girl back into a little girl. She also gained some control over the ability of dark awakening.

From then on, she disappeared from the Obsidian Knights and became an extremely precious experimental subject. She may even have mastered the ability of Dark Awakening, which even the experimenters did not know. Therefore, when she escaped from the laboratory, the king did not hesitate to treat her as a traitor in order to capture her.

Aside from those exceptional cases, there exists a perfect example in the kingdom. He is said to be the only person who has perfectly mastered Dark Awakening since the king began his dark experiments. His name is Aaron Brando.

“I didn’t expect you to be the perfect example,” Akil said, looking into Aaron’s eyes with pity.

Upon learning the truth, Aguirre felt that everything made sense. Why the king liked Aaron so much, valued Aaron so much, and often allowed Aaron to enter the palace and carry out those secret missions was because Aaron was also a precious asset of Lusset, a suitable candidate for the Dark Awakening, that one-in-a-million perfect example.

This also explains why Aaron is so powerful. How could someone who has mastered such terrifying technology be weak?

Aaron rolled his eyes: "But actually, my situation isn't as dark as you think, and you seem to have misunderstood the chicken-and-egg problem."

"What do you mean?"

What do you think Dark Awakening really is?

The Omniscient Sword frowned, while Aaron slowly drew his longsword from its sheath.

Needless to say, the Omniscient Sword immediately recognized the dark aura emanating from the Dark Awakener as an evil ability, certainly not the work of a righteous person. However, after reviewing so much material about the experiments, he was indeed interested in hearing Aaron's explanation.

"Knight King, have you considered that our blessing may have a living aspect?" Aaron asked.

He gripped the hilt of the knife and said softly, "People who have reached our level often have two completely opposite attitudes when faced with this kind of problem."

"One firm belief is that blessings are inanimate objects, mere commodities, lacking any living characteristics, without their own soul. The mission of the omniscient blessing-giver is to wield the power of blessing like a weapon; this is everything about the blessing-giver."

"The other faction believes that Blessed Ones, like Superhumans, possess life. The moment a Blessed One is born, life is also born. However, Blessed Ones are born with different vitality. Some Blessed Ones have strong vitality, and Superhumans can easily feel the pulse and life of the Blessed Ones. Other Blessed Ones have weak vitality and are mostly in energy-saving mode because they believe that Blessed Ones are dead."

Aaron grasped Bai Yue's hand: "As for me, I firmly believe that the Blessing possesses the characteristics of being alive, because from the moment I touched the weapon, I could feel its pulse, and I could even sense its thoughts."

“What does this have to do with what you’re saying?” Akil asked.

Aaron, as if he hadn't heard the Knight King's words, continued:

"To regard the blessing as a living being is almost equivalent to heresy in many people's values. It is the devil's act and a complete evil way. If someone says these things in public now, there is a risk of being burned at the stake. But I have always been obsessed with it. I believe that the blessing is alive. It will laugh with you, cry with you, and be angry with you. It reflects you and can feel your emotions."

"Dark Awakening is actually a feeling of going to hell together."

"When you explore in Hell, reaching its deepest depths, you will see not someone else, but your own blessing. At this moment, you will have reached the other side of the Dark Awakening. And when you fully understand this, empathize with your blessing, and can share its anger and sorrow, the perfect awakening begins."

"To reach this level, one needs to actively explore Hell and, during the exploration, possess control over spiritual power. One must understand that the Blessing has the characteristic of being alive, and ultimately be able to fully empathize with the Blessing in order to achieve a perfect Dark Awakening. If you get lost in the process of falling straight into Hell, you will become like those monsters. If you only go halfway, you may become like Abby. Only by completing this journey can you reach the perfect state like me."

“Your Highness, the Knight King is not what you imagine. I do not have the dark past you imagine. I have received orthodox knight training since I was a child. I have never lived in a laboratory, nor have I been asked by Aurelia to do anything. I participated in the experiment because I realized my talent and the compatibility between my talent and the experiment. As I said, I am someone who voluntarily stepped into hell.”

Akil fell silent. This feeling was unsettling, as if Aaron had seen through all his thoughts and said everything he wanted to ask beforehand. Although there was no sarcasm, it still made him feel very uncomfortable.

None of them mentioned Aurelia, but she was important to them all. Aurelia had been Akiel's teacher, and he had never understood why she had abandoned him and chosen to take Aaron as her student, bringing him to the Obsidian Knights.

When he learned about Aaron's past, he felt like he had found a treasure. It was as if his doubts had been answered. It must be because Aaron was the perfect example that Aurelia chose him and gave up on herself. That made sense. But things were not as he thought.

“I participated in the experiment when I was sixteen, and I met Aurelia when I was nine. There is no ulterior motive between us as you might imagine. In fact, she saved my life when I had nothing, and it is only right for me to repay her now,” Aaron said calmly.

Akil shook his head, as if trying to clear those words from his mind: "I didn't come to you today to talk about that."

“I now know why you protected them back then, and I also know the truth.”

"Oh, so what are your thoughts?"

"I don't want these things to continue to happen."

Aguirre picked up the documents: "These things should not exist in this world. I can completely understand why someone who has seen that dark world would choose to do what you did today. I am not angry at all, but I admire you quite a bit. There are many people in this country who have seen the truth like you, but you are the only one who has the courage to put it into practice. Even in the history of Lusset, you are the only one who dared to do so."

"But you stopped me."

"Yes, because I am not only Akil, I am also the All-Knowing Sword."

Chapter 90 I Don't Care

"Yes, because I am not only Akil, I am also the All-Knowing Sword."

As he said this, Akiel's face displayed the noble expression unique to the Knight King, and the awe-inspiring radiance he exuded could dim the eyes of all those who stood against him.

"To me, this statement is nothing but blind loyalty, and it's also full of arrogance." Other knights might have been moved to tears by the King of Knights, but Aaron was clearly not one of them.

"Arrogant? Perhaps so. When we became knights, we all swore an oath that knights are inherently quite arrogant, to live with honor and to die for honor."

"From this perspective, the Knight King is actually a megalomaniac."

"You might be right. The King of Knights is the most arrogant of all knights, a king who looks down on the world. Isn't that what he's always been like?"

"Most of the knight kings in history did not have a good end; they almost all died on the battlefield," Aaron said.

"Yes, from the moment I became the King of Knights, I accepted my destiny. Fortunately, I can still protect my country."

When Akil said this, his eyes were calm and still, like a deep well, as if one could see his noble soul through them.

Akil shook his head: "Foolishness or arrogance, none of that matters anymore. I came to you hoping we could stand on the same side."

"Standing on the same side?"

“You’ve done more than one stupid thing. You blocked me once, and now you’ve done this audacious act. I think you’re ‘stupid’ too. You’re actually on our side, aren’t you?” Akil said, extending his hand.

"The final battle is about to begin. For Lucretia, for Aurelia, for Joan of Arc, for all those who live in the kingdom, we should stand together."

"But I don't seem to care what happens to this country."

"What?" Akil was taken aback.

"I care neither about the final battle nor whether this country will be destroyed. I don't care about any of the things you're talking about."

Akil frowned as he looked at him. At first, he seemed confident that Aaron would understand him, just like in a fairy tale, that he could do whatever he said. But now he looked at Aaron with an incomprehensible gaze.

"It seems my judgment was correct. All the Knight Kings are megalomaniacs, and they cannot understand the thoughts of ordinary knights."

"Although you are not the King of Knights, you are not weak. You at least have the strength to be my competitor, so why do you prefer to remain unknown?"

"Although I don't consider myself an unknown person, it doesn't affect my answer. You've already given your answer: the fate of the Knight King is to be killed, and I neither want to be killed nor bear that responsibility. Is this reason hard for you to understand?"

“But you just said you don’t care about this country, yet you’ve done so much.”

"It would be a lie to say I don't care at all, but I have done my best."

"The current situation is like we are a group of ants living in an ant kingdom, and a wheel is about to fall on us. Before the wheel falls, as a member of the ant kingdom, I will of course try my best to find a way."