Chapter 566: A High-Stakes Gamble

Half an hour later.

Yenir watched the meeting room with an impassive expression as members of Yamamoto Corporation bowed in unison, apologizing. His gaze was fixed solely on one Elder.

He could tell that among this group, that Elder held the highest status—perhaps even the president of the Yamamoto Society.

“So you expect me to just walk in and forfeit?”

“I’ve seen the reward for third place; I don’t even qualify to choose a skill.”

Calmly, Yenir’s eyes flashed with a hint of cold determination as he addressed the Elder directly.

The rewards for first and second are worlds apart—let alone third.

In the prize for the First Divine Warrior, it seems you get to choose from two options out of three, but that privilege truly belongs only to the champion.

In contrast, third place means selecting from a pool of ordinary epic-level rewards—nowhere near what Yenir desired.

Not to mention, after wasting so much time on this, he’d never give up that one weapon!

Even if he had to grab it by force, he would!

“Zemei, it’s a pity—we only just caught wind of this ourselves.”

“For your next match, you won’t face the other two opponents. Instead, each of you will individually challenge a mutated creature, and your performances will decide the final rankings.”

Standing behind the Elder, a middle-aged man in a black combat uniform offered a contrived apology with a slight bow.

“Due to the setup, your difficulty is higher than the others’. What appears equal could easily lead to unforeseen mishaps.”

“That’s why I suggest you forgo this round.”

After another round of apologies from the opposing side, Yenir’s expression remained unchanged as he fixed his gaze on the silent Elder.

Just learning this? No other choice, then?

With his razor-sharp mind, he instantly recognized that the so-called final battle had been prearranged from the start.

The Yamamoto Society never intended to fully back him.

Their promise to help him clinch first was nothing more than empty talk. If he wins, so be it; if not, they lose nothing.

After all, in the eyes of the outside world, ‘Ye Ze Ming’ had already joined them. In the Japanese Battle Zone—where lineage and the samurai spirit mean everything—it meant he could never change loyalties.

A hollow promise, combined with a daughter whom even the Society’s president probably doesn’t know, was enough to secure ‘Ye Ze Ming’s’ allegiance.

It was an incredibly lucrative deal!

In the silence, Yenir couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh, too indifferent to pay attention to yet another apology.

Japanese Awakeners are like that—their apologies are just tactics. All talk on the surface while not caring at all underneath.

“And if I refuse to forfeit?”

“If I meet the requirements, doesn’t that mean first place is mine?”

He spoke slowly and evenly.

At his words, a subtle change flashed in the eyes of Yamamoto Ichiro, who had remained silent across from him, before he nodded just as calmly.

“Yes, Zemei.”

“But I can assure you, the high-level mutated creature you’ll face may be far stronger than you imagine—its power is designed to prevent any unexpected outcomes.”

“Push through and you might just end up dead.”

His tone was flat, void of any emotion.

The Elder’s lips curved into a vaguely meaningful smile as he spoke:

“As an apology for not fulfilling our promise, Yamamoto Ichiro here can guarantee that later on, Yamamoto Corporation and the Cabinet will offer you further compensation…”

It was a nearly blatant suggestion that Yenir should abandon his bid for first.

To them, it was a simple calculation.

First’s reward was already earmarked for military heirs, and while second and third were contestable, they held little real significance.

Thus, under pressure from the Self-Defense Forces’ leadership, Yamamoto Corporation and its peers wisely chose to appear weak—so much so that they didn’t even contest second, opting instead to retreat tactically.

However, as the Elder’s words made it almost clear that Yenir stood no chance, Yenir simply smiled, stood up, and prepared to leave.

“President Yamamoto, your granddaughter is quite impressive.”

“I like her very much.”

With that, Yenir strode out of the meeting room, leaving the members momentarily stunned.

“This kid?!”

“What does he mean by that?!”

Snapping back to attention, the middle-aged man behind the Elder’s side shifted his expression, conflicted between irritation and amusement, uncertain what exactly ‘Ye Ze Ming’ intended.

Meanwhile, the Elder seated at the head of the room paused in thought before a peculiar expression suddenly crossed his face.

“Heh… this kid still wants to contest for first…”

“So full of youthful arrogance… truly cocky…”

Listening to the President’s words, the middle-aged man was struck with sudden shock.

“President, does he really intend to compete? Isn’t he unafraid of dying in the process? Does he really think his innate talent makes him invincible?!”

“President, what should we do now?!”

He asked instinctively. The next moment, Yamamoto Ichiro chuckled softly and shook his head, signaling for calm.

“It’s fine. Let him go.”

“If he doesn’t even know his own limits, then if this genius dies, so be it. He’ll only end up sealing his own fate sooner or later.”

“And if, against all odds, he actually makes it… then what? Should I send him a ‘granddaughter’ as well?”

“Ah, the arrogance of youth…”

“SSS+ level innate talent? I’m curious to see just how strong he really is…”

After three hours of clearing the area, the meticulously prepared arena came into view as Yenir looked up at three enormous floating light screens.

On stage, the host of the Divine Warrior Project delivered a passionate speech while military officials and Cabinet members took turns addressing the crowd.

Amid the electrifying atmosphere, Yenir could only think that it was a bit too noisy.

At that moment, even the General’s Son, Yamato Teng, couldn’t help but feel a tinge of nervousness amidst all the fervor.

Only Yenir remained composed, his eyes continuously scanning the central glowing orb in the arena.

Layer upon layer of handles.

On the altar-like reward platform, the final prizes were arranged:

A sword, a mirror, and an object resembling a ruler.

At first glance, these items emitted a piercing sensation, as if infused with immense power.

The remaining three Skill Books glowed with an S-level brilliance.

“The rewards are lavish enough to display…”

“I wish I could just take them all with me…”

Musing to himself, Yenir stifled the urge to snatch everything and bolt. He sensed that at least six Peak Third-Stage fighters were guarding the area. In fact, the security force here had mobilized most of the Japanese Battle Zone’s regular combat strength.

“Now! Let’s welcome our three genius Awakeners onto the stage! Also, candidates for the Divine Warrior! Let’s see who will become the First Divine Warrior!”

“Who among you will bear the ultimate glory of the Japanese Battle Zone?!”

…

Cheering and shouts erupted.

As the final ‘combat’ began, Yenir casually walked to the center of the arena, calmly accepting the roar of the crowd.

Noticing the three massive light screens overhead, he figured they’d likely be used for later broadcasts.

He couldn’t help but wonder how the Japanese Military would arrange the mutated creature battles.

In his thoughts, just as he reached the center, Yenir suddenly felt two sets of eyes—one intense, one milder—fixing on him.

The former belonged to Kudo Ryuichi, and the latter to the General’s Son, Yamato Teng.

Hostility, disdain, jealousy.

Almost instinctively, Yenir picked up on the animosity in the gloved fighter’s eyes.

Interestingly, despite being preset as the favorite for first, Yamato Teng encountered no hostility from the gloved fighter—who even managed a flattering smile in his direction.

This left Yenir feeling both amused and pitiful.

In a way, his portrayal of Ye Ze Ming was much like the gloved fighter’s own struggle from the bottom up.

“I’ve heard about your innate talent—it’s strong, very impressive.”

“Those old geezers in the Cabinet are too stuck in their ways. If possible, once the contest is over, we should have a serious talk.”

“Zemei.”

Unlike the gloved fighter’s obvious disdain toward him, perhaps confident in his eventual victory or certain of it already,

at that moment Yamato Teng merely smiled warmly at Yenir, as if eager to take him under his wing.

In his eyes, Ye Ze Ming posed no threat—there was a world of difference between their statuses, and he didn’t mind showing extra magnanimity.

The so-called Divine Warrior and the pride of the Japanese Battle Zone were merely titles for show.

In reality, after reviewing Yenir’s battle record, it was clear he was a genius Awakener, skilled in small-scale combat—even assassination.

If he could recruit Yenir, it would be a tremendous advantage. He planned to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Just as he had rallied a group of Peak Third-Stage fighters before, he was confident he could put forth an offer to make Yenir his ‘dog’.

Yet when faced with Yamato Teng’s seemingly polite yet actually arrogant overture, Yenir merely nodded indifferently, too lazy to say more.

Thinking of recruiting him?

Sure enough, just like that old guy from Yamamoto—send over the Emperor’s daughter and throw in the state treasury, and the deal can be struck.

Noticing that Yenir completely ignored his expression, Yamato Teng’s face stiffened, and he had to suppress his anger.

Soon, following a rousing cheer, the final ‘combat’ began.

With a buzzing sound, three light rings appeared simultaneously beneath the three contestants.

“In ten seconds, you’ll be teleported to the one-on-one combat arena!”

“Your performance there will determine your final ranking!”

“For fairness, Yamato Teng, you will face a Third-Stage Mid-level mutated creature: the Corrupted Giant Corpse!”

“Kudo Ryuichi, you will face a Third-Stage Mid-level mutated creature: the Iron Destroyer!”

“Ye Ze Ming, you will face a Third-Stage Advanced mutated creature: the Human-faced Insect!”

…