-1509- What do you think of that?

"Cooperation?"

Rozen's expression, which always carried a faint smile, deepened as he listened to Zeth's words.

Zeth, however, didn't seem to notice. His eyes, now devoid of all emotion, were filled instead with a sense of duty and ambition.

"The current state of the world is something you must have noticed by now," Zeth began.

"Humanity, plagued by the Armored Beetles, struggles to survive in the skies."

"The land has been completely overrun by the Armored Beetles."

"Humans can only live in the airspace, and only Sky Wizards can protect them."

"This has already become a trend."

What trend, you ask?

"Only the strong can ensure safety, and only the strong can provide humanity with protection and peace."

Zeth's words carried a powerful weight.

"In the face of the Armored Beetles' slaughter, the weak are powerless and will only perish. The strong, however, can fight them and preserve the last remnants of humanity's glory."

This belief seemed to be Zeth's entire ideology.

For the first time, Zeth spoke candidly, without any ulterior motives.

"I believe that, given the current world situation, the tendency for the strong to govern the weak has become quite clear. We should bring about such a society."

The implication was clear...

"I want to rule humanity while preserving as much of their essence as possible," Zeth said sincerely. "I hope you will join me and help me accomplish this."

This was Zeth's olive branch extended to Rozen.

In simple terms, Zeth wanted to rule humanity.

And he wished to do so with minimal sacrifice.

To achieve this, Zeth was recruiting talents.

Rozen, it seemed, was one of those he had chosen.

However...

"Don't you find your words laughable?" Rozen remarked calmly. "You, being an Armored Beetle yourself, wish to rule humanity while minimizing sacrifice. Would anyone, let alone me, believe such a thing?"

What are the Armored Beetles?

They are humanity's sworn enemies.

Humans and Armored Beetles have been locked in an eternal struggle, each side determined to annihilate the other without a shred of mercy.

Given this, the idea that Zeth, a humanoid Armored Beetle, claimed to want to rule humanity and the weak was nothing short of a joke.

If Zeth had said he was infiltrating human society under the guise of not wanting to expend resources to wipe them out, and now sought Rozen's betrayal, it might have been more understandable.

But now, for an Armored Beetle to declare that they wanted to rule humanity? It was nothing short of laughable.

Yet, Zeth was clearly not joking.

"Humans and Armored Beetles are indeed mortal enemies, but that's only true at the lower levels. We've never considered the unintelligent Armored Beetles to be our kin. Only beings like us, who possess human forms and true intelligence, can be called real Armored Beetles."

Zeth spoke smoothly.

"Given that, we have our own will and thoughts. Why can't we resist the instinct to slaughter humans and walk the path of a true ruler?"

It seemed that Zeth viewed himself as a sovereign.

Therefore...

"If you help me overthrow the Pope and become humanity's ruler, I will take responsibility for protecting them and waging war against the Armored Beetles on the surface."

Zeth's declaration was astonishing.

This, most likely, was his true intention.

Zeth genuinely seemed to want to rule humanity and resist the Armored Beetles, not seeing them as his kin, but as enemies.

In the past, Zeth had made great contributions to humanity, killing countless Armored Beetles and achieving brilliant victories, which was why he ascended to the position of Council Chairman.

Given this, these words could be considered Zeth's genuine intentions.

"I believe this is a mutually beneficial arrangement."

Zeth attempted to persuade Rozen.

"Even someone as powerful as you can't eradicate all the Armored Beetles. But if you cooperate with me, together as strong rulers of the weak, we can protect the human race from annihilation, don't you think?"

Zeth smiled faintly.

"With our combined strength and intellect, humanity will undoubtedly reclaim the land. Doesn't that sound great?"

In order to persuade Rozen, Zeth had truly gone all out.

However, Zeth had made one crucial mistake.

And that was that Rozen could, in fact, wipe out all the Armored Beetles.

With Rozen's current strength, now possessing High-Grade Mana, if he fully unleashed the thirteen Beast Vassals residing in his blood, they could wreak havoc on the surface. In no time, the entire surface might be plowed through, and all the Armored Beetles would be eradicated.

However, if that happened, the planet would be reduced to a barren wasteland, and it might trigger a catastrophe that would lead to the end of the world.

Not to mention, Armored Beetles were still appearing endlessly. Even if Rozen wiped the surface clean, it would soon be filled with countless new Armored Beetles.

Thus, until the truth behind the Armored Beetles' emergence in this world was uncovered, and for the sake of the planet's ecosystem and future, Rozen couldn't take such extreme measures.

Considering this, Zeth's proposal wasn't without its appeal.

However...

"Your argument has two major flaws."

Rozen raised two fingers.

"Go on," Zeth said, as though realizing that the main point was coming, and fixed his gaze on Rozen.

"The first issue." Rozen asked directly, "What will you do after you've ruled humanity?"

"What will I do?" Zeth was momentarily stunned, then replied, "As I said earlier, humans will be under our protection, and against the Armored Beetles—"

"No, this isn't about external issues, but internal ones," Rozen interrupted. "What will happen to humans under your protection? Will they live carefree lives? Certainly not, right?"

Zeth narrowed his eyes.

Smart people tend to catch on quickly, and Zeth instantly understood the meaning.

In other words...

"For someone who can use his own sister as a pawn, no, for someone who isn't even human but the enemy of humanity, I don't think you're trustworthy at all."

Rozen didn't mince words.

Isn't that the truth?

If humanity were ruled by a tyrant like Zeth, their future might be even more hopeless than it would be under the threat of the Armored Beetles.

Therefore, no human who understood Zeth would ever accept his rule.

That was the first issue.

"The second problem," Rozen continued, "is that a world where the strong govern the weak may sound reasonable, but it's not worth considering."

Let's put it this way—if the strong were meant to rule the weak, what would that world look like?

Rozen met Zeth's gaze and suddenly smiled.

"In that case, I should be the one ruling."

"Because in this world, no one is stronger than me."

With this one sentence, Zeth's expression froze.

In other words...

"If you really want to prove your point, then you should assist me in ruling humanity."

Rozen said mockingly to Zeth.

"Have you and your humanoid Armored Beetles surrender to me."

"What do you think of that?"