Chapter 435: The Goddess's Two Children

Black Zetsu did not pause in its tale. Instead, it continued, its voice now carrying a trace of "regret" and indignation.

"What a pity... those common people who had received the goddess's grace and were able to live, multiply, and prosper in peace!"

It deliberately emphasized the words "common people," with unmistakable contempt from a position of superiority.

"After enduring more than a decade of peace, as their lives gradually became stable and prosperous, they actually... slowly forgot the suffering they had once endured—the misery of living in constant peril, never knowing whether they would survive another day!"

"They began to grow... greedy. They became... dissatisfied with what they had!"

"No longer content with peaceful lives, they began coveting... the goddess's own incomparable power—the very power that had brought them all this peace!"

"They gathered together and made an... unreasonable demand of the goddess: that she 'share' her sacred power with them!"

"Insatiable greed!!"

A bone-chilling coldness and undisguised contempt instantly gathered in Indra's eyes!

It was as though he had placed himself in the position of the "goddess" who ruled in Black Zetsu's story.

He felt nothing but intense disgust and anger toward those common people who had continued to demand more and shown no gratitude, and he sharply rebuked them aloud!

In his eyes, the strong had bestowed peace and order upon the weak. The weak ought to be grateful and know their place—yet they dared covet the very source of the strong's power?

It was utter rebellion. Utter foolishness!

Black Zetsu appeared extremely satisfied with Indra's reaction.

It gave a slight nod and continued, its voice carrying a sigh over the goddess's "character."

"At first... the goddess paid them no mind."

"Her heart was vast, her power boundless. She regarded the demands of these insects as beneath her notice."

"But she... was too merciful."

"Even when faced with increasingly unreasonable demands—demands that had become outright offensive—she never truly punished any of the common people who made them."

"Perhaps she believed that time would bring them to their senses. Or perhaps... she simply could not be bothered to concern herself with such insignificant beings."

Indra's brows immediately drew together!

By this point, he could already guess the regrettable course the story would take.

A ruler faced with increasingly outrageous provocations and transgressions from those beneath her—especially powerless commoners—yet repeatedly tolerating them out of "mercy" and refusing to impose punishment...

That was undoubtedly one of the greatest taboos of governance!

The beginning of the collapse of order!

Sure enough, Black Zetsu let out a soft sigh. That sigh carried the weight of what it portrayed as the inevitability of history—and a nearly imperceptible... cold delight.

Its voice grew deeper.

"Seeing how 'reasonable' and 'merciful' the goddess was, those common people not only failed to restrain themselves, but instead... became even more demanding and brazen!"

"Eventually... they gathered in mobs, openly raised their banners, opposed the goddess's rule, questioned the 'legitimacy' of her authority, and demanded a 'share of power'—even calling for... a complete change of the world!"

"The goddess... finally became truly enraged."

There was a coldness in Black Zetsu's voice, as though what followed was only natural.

"She eliminated a number of the ringleaders who had led the rebellion and incited unrest, making examples of them to warn the rest."

Hearing this, Indra relaxed slightly. At last, he felt, the goddess had made the correct decision to preserve her rule.

However, Black Zetsu's next words made him frown once more.

"But... when it came to the remaining people—the majority who had once joined in, or even those who had merely remained silent and watched..."

"In the end... she still could not bring herself to impose harsher punishments, punishments severe enough to eliminate all future threats."

"She still... allowed them to live in the peaceful world she had created."

Indra could not help cursing inwardly.

The misplaced mercy of a weak-hearted ruler!

Leave evil unfinished, and disaster would follow without end!

Since she had already demonstrated her strength and eliminated the ringleaders, she should have seized the opportunity to thoroughly restore order and establish absolute authority, ensuring that no one would ever dare harbor rebellious thoughts again!

By leaving behind the "majority," who either secretly resented her or merely feared her for the time being, was she not leaving behind the seeds of future unrest?

"Later, those common people who had witnessed the goddess's thunderous methods yet still harbored resentment... rebelled again in secret, didn't they?"

Indra's voice was cold, carrying both his prediction of what he believed to be an inevitable outcome and his contempt for the "ignorant masses."

In his view, once a ruler's mercy was mistaken for weakness, the flames of rebellion would never truly be extinguished. They would merely go underground, waiting for another opportunity to erupt.

Yet Black Zetsu shook its head.

"No."

Its voice sank lower, carrying the coldness of someone who claimed to understand the darkness of human nature.

"After witnessing the goddess reveal her absolute strength—strength capable of crushing them with ease—those common people... learned to become 'clever.'"

"They hid their naked ambitions and became 'obedient' once more, at least on the surface."

"But deep within their hearts..."

"And in corners where no one could see them, they continued... to covet the power that did not belong to them and resent the 'peace' that 'suppressed' their ambitions."

It paused, allowing Indra to contemplate the deeper danger hidden beneath that seemingly calm surface.

Then, it introduced the most crucial figures of all.

"Until... the goddess's two children... grew into adults."

"Two children?!"

Indra's heart suddenly sank!

It was as though an invisible hammer had struck him with tremendous force!

An overwhelming sense of unease, so intense it nearly suffocated him, swept over his entire body like an icy tide!

The goddess... two children...

Him... and Asura...

This terrifying association, filled with a sense of inescapable destiny, made him almost afraid to think any further. Yet he could not stop himself from being drawn along by Black Zetsu's next words.

As though it had not noticed Indra's violently fluctuating emotions, Black Zetsu continued in that calm yet piercing tone.

"The goddess's two children both perfectly inherited her vast and boundless power. Their strength was likewise... overwhelming."

"Of the two, the elder son... possessed extraordinary talent and profound wisdom. More importantly..."

It deliberately slowed its speech.

"He... was deeply loved by the common people."

"He was always willing to set aside the bearing of a 'divine son,' enter the crowds, speak with the common people, and listen to their 'suffering' and their 'voices.'"

"And through these interactions, he gradually formed a philosophy of his own..."

A faint, almost imperceptible mockery colored Black Zetsu's voice.

"He always believed that his mother—the goddess's way of ruling... was too forceful, with power concentrated too heavily in her hands. That she was, in every sense of the word... a 'dictator.'"

"He would always say: Why can we not step down from the lofty altar?"

"Why can we not speak with all people as equals, understand one another?"

"If we truly could, then there would be no distinction between 'oppressors' and 'the oppressed,' and there would certainly be no... needless 'rebellion.'"