Kobilio fell silent, merely gulping down his wine one mouthful after another.
This question was both embarrassing and difficult for him to answer, especially in front of a beautiful woman.
But ultimately, he admitted it frankly, spreading his hands in resignation.
“I don’t know, because I am too weak. Before him, I couldn’t even withstand one move. It’s like an ant has no way to measure the strength of a human.”
“What about compared to State Preceptor Antonia?”
Ananna asked with a frown.
Antonia was the most mysterious and powerful Archmage in the empire.
His power was unfathomable and peerless.
Previously, Ananna had believed that although the Hero possessed naturally powerful magic, the State Preceptor — with his vast experience and an endless array of high-level spells — might not be entirely without a chance of victory.
Practicing magic required talent, effort, resources, and mentorship; not one could be missing.
State Preceptor Antonia could be said to have pushed each of these elements to their absolute limit.
He was a famous magical genius in the empire during his youth, and later, he became extremely hardworking, shunning women and luxury.
As a close friend of the Emperor, he enjoyed the top mentorship and magical resources in the entire empire.
Kobilio was naturally aware of all this.
Yet, he remained silent for a long time before saying seriously, “There is no chance. I feel that in front of the Hero, the State Preceptor wouldn’t be able to chant even a single spell.”
“But what if the State Preceptor prepared in advance, calculating against an unsuspecting foe?”
Ananna continued to press.
Her instinct as a member of the imperial staff drove her to involuntarily seek a way to restrain such uncontrollable individuals, hoping to regain that old sense of security where “everything is under control.”
“Then it would depend on how much of the State Preceptor’s magic actually takes effect,” Kobilio said with a bitter smile.
He still did not favor the State Preceptor.
The pressure the Hero exerted on him was simply too intense.
Back then, it only took an instant for him to activate his Blood Burst, yet he was still easily knocked unconscious by the Hero.
“At the very least, if three… no, four Sacred Relics were used together, they could surely suppress the Hero, right?”
Ananna had already stretched her imagination to its limit.
A single Sacred Relic could turn an area within 10 meters into a magic-restricted zone.
When two relics were layered, it wasn’t just the range that increased; the suppression power would grow exponentially.
With three relics, the suppression power and range could cover an entire battlefield.
Four… honestly, she couldn’t imagine what kind of terrifying creature would require such measures.
“That should… work,” Kobilio finally nodded.
It wasn’t rare for the empire to use one or two Sacred Relics.
Usually, in important battles, someone of imperial blood would accompany the army, carrying a Sacred Relic just in case.
The Emperor would also carry a Sacred Relic for protection during tours.
However, using three Sacred Relics simultaneously was extremely rare.
According to records, they were used to deal with ancient monsters of other races that were difficult to solve through conventional means — such as the Chosen Archdemons who secretly infiltrated the empire.
Those cunning Chosen Archdemons never confronted the empire head-on; instead, they hid among the crowds, waiting for opportunities to cause chaos.
Using three Sacred Relics could seal off an entire city for a door-to-door search, or even… result in the direct slaughter of the city.
As for using four Sacred Relics at once… as far as he knew, it had only happened once in the entire history of the empire.
That was a tragic disaster and the source of the empire’s subsequent absolute hostility toward dark mages.
About 900 years ago, an elderly emperor became obsessed with dark magic, attempting to gain immortality.
By some bizarre coincidence, he summoned a shadow of a Demon God.
The Demon God that invaded reality turned the entire imperial capital into a living hell.
Fortunately, a branch of the imperial family allied with the Hero of that time, sneaked into the palace, stole back the Sacred Relics, and sacrificed a large amount of Dragonblood.
Only then were they able to suppress and destroy that shadow of the Demon God using four Sacred Relics.
“Four Sacred Relics, and you only say ‘should’?” Ananna looked at Kobilio skeptically.
“Are you making the Hero out to be more legendary than he actually is?”
Kobilio let out a wine-induced hiccup.
He tapped the table, staring seriously into Ananna’s beautiful eyes.
“I admit, I might indeed be a coward, but I’ll say it again — an ant has no way to judge the strength of a human.”
“Before Jon, I am merely an ant.”
Ananna stared blankly at Kobilio.
Suddenly, her plan to use emotion and beauty to control the Hero flashed through her mind, along with the Princess’s words: “You can take my place and be ‘that’ by him.”
Unknowingly, her palms had begun to sweat, becoming hot and sticky, her fingers curling restlessly.
“Your face doesn’t look too good. Are you sick?”
Kobilio suddenly leaned closer, asking with concern.
She was startled and quickly hid her fluster.
“Ah? It’s nothing, just a bit of a surprise. I didn’t expect the Hero of this generation to be so strong.”
“Not just strong, but… his growth speed is also incredibly fast.”
Kobilio raised his wine glass, a hint of melancholy and envy appearing in his eyes.
“When we were in the military camp, his training data was exaggerated, but it was still within a range I could understand. But once he stepped onto the battlefield, he improved at a divine speed every day. By the time he defeated the Demon King, I completely lost the ability to understand his combat style.”
“Past generations of Heroes always seemed to grow quickly,” Ananna said softly.
“It’s different. For past Heroes, defeating the Demon King was their peak. But Jon… I always feel that defeating the Demon King was, for him, only a beginning.”
Ananna remained silent.
A question that had been lingering in her heart, its answer seemingly obvious, remained unasked.
‘The Demon King is dead; if this is only the beginning, then next, who will the Hero pursue?’
The autumn wind swept up the clouds on the horizon, resembling a white dragon slowly stretching its body across the firmament.
Below the white dragon, the river waves surged.
People wearing multi-colored “Pupu life jackets” filled the river surface like dumplings in a pot.
Everyone was searching along the rapid currents, looking for compatriots trapped on rooftops, treetops, and reefs.
Whenever a victim was discovered, everyone’s eyes burned with a heat as if they had seen gold.
The gameplay at the Pupu Town redemption point was constantly being updated.
A brand-new “grand prize mechanism” had just been announced — by referring a newcomer to join, one could draw once from the Lucky Pupu Turntable for a chance to win the Koi Prize, which rewarded 6.66 gold coins.
Many people had explosive luck and had drawn ninety-nine reward fragments.
As long as they collected the final piece, they could claim the super prize.
Although most people complained that the last reward fragment was extremely difficult to draw and usually required them to continue playing the Lucky Pupu Turntable, their enthusiasm remained high.