Chapter 53: Mock Battle
After receiving a blessing from a Law and successfully creating a second core, Nero had become more sensitive to his surroundings. For some time now, he had felt hostility directed at him, and it was becoming bothersome. There weren’t many people who could harbor such feelings against him, aside from his half-brother Barak and his little crew. Even without checking, he knew the source of the hostility was them.
"He must be cooking something bad up," Nero thought, not particularly bothered by it. Instead, he decided to chat with Adam.
"Adam, tell me, how would you deal with someone whose reputation is starting to grow?"
At this sudden question, Adam, who had been meditating and performing a breathing exercise, snapped his eyes open.
"I think the easiest way would be to destroy his growing reputation through rumors. It doesn’t matter if you have anything on him or not."
"I thought so," Nero remarked with a smile, though something deadly lurked behind this seemingly normal expression. Adam shuddered for a moment before shaking his head; even without further explanation, he could guess that Nero was referring to Barak. His half-brother must be planning something awful. Humans are truly creatures of discord, Adam thought, but he decided to offer some words of advice to his friend.
"Never underestimate your enemy. In situations like these, it’s better to completely crush them to set an example for those who harbor vile intentions."
"Thank you for your advice. I’ve taken note of it, and you don’t have to worry; I’ll deal with it soon enough," Nero responded with a smile. Although he hadn’t initially planned on making a big deal during the upcoming mock battle, his mind had changed. He would thoroughly crush Barak. He had a strong feeling that Barak would be his opponent; their teacher had a bit of a nasty personality, and knowing their backgrounds, he would likely pit them against each other. This was an opportunity Nero wouldn’t miss. He intended to crush Barak’s self-esteem, trampling over him to the point of trauma. From that day forward, Barak would live in his shadow, and Nero would become his inner demon.
Imagining this scenario, Nero couldn’t help but grin, not bothering to hide it. His desire to crush Barak was palpable, sending chills down Adam’s spine.