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Book 8: Chapter 215: Pride (2)

Despite only being able to wield essence grade qi, the male wyverns were only marginally weaker than Queen and the female cobra. Though, Dyon didn’t believe this to be because the potential of the bronzed and cobras were lacking, rather, the male wyverns simply had a higher starting point.

Due their nurturing piles, the bodies of the male wyverns were cultivated with saint grade energy even before their births. As for the bronzed and the cobras, Dyon took their nurturing piles from them, stunting their growth. Though he was slowly making up for that with the meat he fed them, it was still lacking.

As of now, the wyverns were simply of a higher caliber. And, since a year had passed, a new batch of eggs had been laid, giving Dyon an additional 16 eggs to foster the growth of.

This time, Dyon knew better than to take their nurturing piles. He allowed the eggs to be nurtured naturally while hoping that this next batch would have a female.

Following those matters, Dyon went on to split his army among his 13 Regions.

By design, Dyon conquered Regions as follows: there were 3 that stood side by side furthest North. Of these Northern Regions, the two on the wings were protected by tall and far reaching mountain ranges while the middle territory was located in a natural basin with only two exit points.

From the southern exit point of this Basin Region, there spread a wired connection of rivers and lakes that also occurred naturally. Due to the relatively safer conditions, incredibly strong beasts used this area as their main water source, even descending from the surrounding mountains. This was the natural divider that led to the next Regions Dyon had conquered.

With these 3 Regions acting as the head, the following 10 Regions were clustered together. Due to the fact their natural protections were weaker than the 3 Regions Dyon chose as his vanguard, most of Dyon’s fortresses were concentrated along their border Regions.

Dyon left his beast squadron and half of his Titans in the basin and vanguard Regions. As for the remaining 10 000 Titans, he stationed a thousand each within the clustered Regions.

In addition to the Titans, Dyon conscripted more laymen warriors, providing them equipment and bolstering his protective forces from 20 000 to 100 000. This move wasn’t very difficult considering the Tribesmen were used to battling.  

After putting his mind at ease, Dyon turned his attention toward the center of the battlefield. He had accomplished what he wanted already, it was time to go and save Eli. Little Aiden had spent long enough without a father… But, before he left, Dyon wanted to see the Pride Clan’s burial ground.

Dyon’s instincts told him that there might be an answer there to what was truly troubling.

As his main body continued to wage a petty war against long dead Dragons, Dyon wanted to know if his arrogance was truly worth it. Did he even understand what it meant to be arrogant?

In the English language, arrogance had a negative connotation. But, there were many languages where arrogance referred to a dignified self of worth. It represented what it meant to be a man, a woman… A being who understood their value.

Dyon wanted to understand what his so-called ‘arrogance’ meant to himself. Why was it so important to him? Why was there a rational side of himself that said he needed to place it down, but a deeply enraged side of himself that pointed forward and said, ‘Don’t you dare’?

When Jade spoke to Dyon one last time before leaving her final wishes to Rose and her younger self, she noted that the calmness in Dyon’s voice wasn’t something he should have now…

The calmness Jade referred to was something only Dyon’s future self had cultivated. Though Dyon tapped into it for a moment, allowing him to reach a level of focus he had never felt in his lifetime, it wasn’t truly his… Nor did he understand where that calm stemmed from, until he read what Jade left for him, that is.

His alternate timeline self spent years running. Time and time again, he was slapped in the face and forced to endure. He learned harsh lesson after harsh lesson about why it was he hadn’t earned his arrogance.

Those years took a toll that Dyon. It whittled him down, and chipped away at his very being.

But, was that Dyon a failure? Of course not. In fact, it could be said that that Dyon was far stronger than the current Dyon.

He was a man who suffered through untold horrors, yet still stood atop the world at the end. Sure, he lost to The Entity, but was that a result of his tempered arrogance? Of his calmness? No. His only fault was not being as lucky as his current younger self…

Dyon knew this. He didn’t blame his elder self, nor did he look down upon him. In fact, he was the kind of man Dyon wanted to be, even right now.

What Dyon needed was understanding. The issue was that even he himself didn’t know what sort of understanding he was looking for. There was no one to tell him that his personality should be this way or that. And even if there was, was Dyon really the type of person to listen to such things?

Instead, Dyon chose another path.

This calmness that Dyon was seeking after was an idealized caricature of something he didn’t truly understand, so why try to understand it at all? Instead… Why not dive further into arrogance? Why not learn what the true meaning of arrogance was?

Who better to learn of arrogance from than the Pride Clan?…