One Pound Meat, One More Attribute Point

"You say that during the thousands of years following the Federation's demise, I scorched planets, slaughtered the people. But why don't you think about who heartlessly abandoned the citizens and warriors of the Federation during the outbreak of the war, bolting away with the last of the supplies? Weren't they you so-called refugees, who bragged about being humanity's last hope?"

"As for betraying my sect and killing our teacher..."

Tajadon sneered, extending his index finger to gently touch the fierce Black Dragon tattoo on his face, "The moment he sent me into that prison with his own hands, the bond between master and disciple was shatteringly severed. Revenge is the most ancient, most pure, and bloodiest form of justice in this world, forming the foundation of all laws and morals."

"He sent me into Hell, and I committed the same brutality against him. Only, he wasn't as strong as I, failing to persevere through that Purgatory."

"Is it because you erred, tampering with taboos, trying to integrate the Eternal Heaven Power into the human bloodline?" the Great Clan Chief said.

"Erred!?"

Tajadon suddenly burst out laughing, a torrent of imposing energy erratically crashing down from him.

The bowls and cutlery on the table in front clinked noisily, the entire hall shook violently, and from all directions, the rapid and heavy footsteps approached. But Tajadon simply raised his hand, and those footsteps disappeared in unison. Breathing deeply, he leaned back against the chair, his expression gradually calming down, and then he revealed a smile, "Sorry, I just lost control of my temper for a moment, making a fool of myself."

"If you truly think I've done wrong, then how were these children that you've created brought into being? I see shadows of my past achievements in them."

The Great Clan Chief was momentarily at a loss for words.

"The mistake wasn't with me touching the taboo, but because I was born lowly. In that era, people were separated by invisible barriers, and to take a single step forward meant confronting dam walls erected high by their predecessors. Of course, the whole world was like this at that time, so I don't hate you for it.

After all... if not for you, I would have been executed by fire, instead of being sent to the Mirror Prison."

"That is what I regret the most in this life," said the Great Clan Chief.

Enveloped in shadows, Tajadon's rugged face spoke slowly, "In this world, the strong enslave the weak, acting with wanton disregard, stripping them of everything, obstructing progress. They are the root of ignorance and foolishness, and so, they must die. And the weak, who clearly know they are enslaved but do not rebel, living their lives for the crumbs dropped from the fingers of those in high places.

They are victims, but also accomplices to the evildoers, passing down suffering from generation to generation. They, too, must die.

Thus, all I have done is a necessary act.

I am not the destroyer of human civilization, but its purifier. Let the Galaxy burn. When these overwhelming flames of karma burn everything to ashes, a new hope will be born from the scorched earth."

As he spoke these words, Tajadon's tone unconsciously heightened, an ancient and dark aura rising behind him.

The Great Clan Chief saw the threads tied to him, shaking his head in pain, "You've delved too deep into the trials of Eternal Heaven, now controlled by those beings. You're merely a Puppet under their control, a chess piece for Eternal Heaven to invade the universe. Arrogant, pitiable, and pathetic, just as you were when I first saw you."

"To obtain power, one must pay a price; importantly, from start to finish, I've always acted according to my own heart," Tajadon shook his head, disregarding the Great Clan Chief's words.

"I have no interest in continuing this argument with you; these matters are now meaningless."

Hiss!

With the sharp scraping sound of a chair on the floor.

The Great Clan Chief suddenly stood up from his spot, staring into Tajadon's eyes, his voice carrying a certain resolve, "Give Henos back to me, and I won't meddle in what happens next. You're free to wreak havoc in this world with your insurgent forces. Otherwise, let's have ourselves a confrontation, and let me see how much you've improved over these thousands of years."

"You remain as arrogant as before, but that's good, as such battles are the most interesting, aren't they?" Tajadon said with a smile.

Looking at the smile on his face, the Great Clan Chief suddenly felt an emptiness in his heart, as though something scorching had been viciously cut out from his chest.

His face turned pale, repeating in a low voice, "Henos..."

Tajadon's smile was barely concealable as he vanished from the chair, appearing behind the Great Clan Chief, leaning close to his ear, "Haven't I already given him to you?"

He grabbed the Great Clan Chief's hand and reached for the chopsticks set aside, extending towards the neatly cut pieces of meat on the table.

Smack!

The Great Clan Chief violently flung Tajadon's hand away.

He looked at the table, at the neatly arranged rows of exquisitely presented dishes.

Suddenly, a severe sense of dizziness came over him, the world spinning before his eyes, his stomach convulsing, sour bile mixed with pieces of undigested meat surged into his throat.

"Blargh!"

A large mouthful of sour-smelling stomach fluids was vomited directly onto the desk.

"Tsk, tsk," Tajadon shook his head, a feigned expression of disappointment on his face, "Such good stuff wasted, what a pity."

"Come out, Indra."

Tajadon tilted his head up slightly, looking towards the darkness at the end of the hall.

"Click," as the sound of the portal opening, Indra walked slowly forward with a golden platter in his hands. He stopped in front of the Great Clan Chief, trembling as he saw the horrified and desperate look on his own father's face, a layer of fine goosebumps emerging on his indigo skin. The feeling of revenge was so blissful that it gave him a sensation akin to ascension.

And his own father...

He had never seen the Great Elder so weak, appearing just like a real, childless old man.

Indra's heart was full of glee and malice, and he couldn't help but think, "Damn old bastard, you didn't show such an expression when Agni was burned alive."

Tajadon nodded slightly, his expression understated as if a director watching the drama he directed reaching its climax.

"I always keep my promises, senior brother," he said, "since you dared to come, I will return your daughter to you."

Whoosh!

Indra violently ripped off the red silk covering on the tray.

Golden hair, pale skin, three-dimensional features adorned with a pair of beautiful, expressive eyes, only, those eyes would never smile or cry again.

They were just vacant and lifeless, quietly meeting the Great Clan Chief's gaze.

Bang!

The Great Clan Chief stepped back as if electrocuted, and then another step back, knocking over the chair behind him. His face was a mix of ferociousness and pain. Between his lips, he seemed to still savor that familiar taste... Finally, when he saw the messy plates and overturned slices of meat on the desk, the Great Clan Chief painfully closed his eyes.

When he opened them once again.

The Great Clan Chief was beyond ordinary, with only blinding gold light remaining in his pupils, like the light of Constant Star.

...

...

...

The following battle was beyond Indra's comprehension.

At the instant when the war erupted.

Indra was flung away by the ferocious power; the last image in his sight was the Great Clan Chief erupting with a brilliant glow and the wide, dark silhouette of Tajadon. Beams of intense light flashed past the shoulders of the Commander of the Dark Army, the surrounding buildings, warriors, and even the meticulously crafted Formations were silently collapsing.

The surging torrent of energy decomposed matter back to its most fundamental state, everything visible to the naked eye was annihilated.

Then Indra lost consciousness amidst severe pain.

A moment of terror grasped his heart.

He knew the Great Clan Chief was strong, but he had never imagined him to be this powerful.

He even worried whether Tajadon would perish at the hands of this old monster.

Fortunately, such an event did not occur, and by the time Indra awoke from his coma, the battle had already drawn to a close.