Void Evolution System

As expected, he went on to spew a load of self-righteous nonsense.

If anyone present actually cared about what he was saying, then it might have been worth hearing, but was there even a single person who actually shared his views?

Every single Holy Clan genius in the room at the moment, at least of the ones that were still standing, hated Wilhelm for various reasons.

Whether it was his disgusting personality, his way of fighting, or his general reputation, he didn't really have anything going for him.

The only thing that people could latch onto was his strength. For dragons who liked to prioritize that aspect over everything else, it was enough.

Wilhelm had a grand following exclusively because of his talent. He had a clan that allowed him to act as deviously as he pleased without repercussions, and naturally that led him to become a person that nobody else could stand.

Even if their levels differed a little, everyone in this room had a similar level of talent. Given time, all of them could reach or surpass his strength.

So, what reason did they have to ignore his obvious flaws?

Wilhelm's tantrum mostly went along the lines of:

"You're all disgraces to the Holy Clans!"

"It is truly unfathomable that you can be so idiotic with your upbringings!"

"Wait until your elders hear of this. None of you will make it out unscathed."

…and various personal insults that didn't need to be repeated.

Truthfully, it all went in one ear and out the other for every genius who had the freedom to listen to what he was saying. But, it really didn't matter.

Since he was complaining like this, he knew that he couldn't get past them.

If Wilhelm still believed that there was a way for him to succeed in what he was doing, then he would put his head down and seek nonaggression until he'd found a way out of his circumstances.

He only complained like this when he had no better solution but petty tricks.

Nevertheless, Wilhelm's lack of involvement only gave Valerie and the rest some time. If something didn't change soon…

…their somewhat even struggle would end along with their lives.

There was only one person who could change things now.

And he…

He was still in the process of dying in a realm where nobody could hear him scream.

***

August refused to believe that there wasn't a time difference in this realm.

It could not be flowing as it was in the outside world.

After all, a possible successor could not be contained in a secret realm with their body vulnerable for so long. They would be killed without mercy in ninety percent of possible scenarios.

Especially considering where August entered from, he refused to believe that three years had passed in the outside world as well.

However, his body definitely experienced three years of growth.

Perhaps it was because his soul body was pulled into this realm rather than his consciousness alone, but August's body had been growing with the passing of time. He was fourteen now. He could feel that even his body had experienced these changes.

His musculature was maturing, and his mana was maturing alongside it. The power he had gathered in his short years of life was deepening as his body became more suited for controlling it.

There was a reason why the recommended time for geniuses to start training was around twelve or thirteen years old. If they were able to gain a sufficient amount of mana, then by the time they were sixteen, the age at which an average practitioner would optimally begin practicing, they'd already have a huge head start.

It was an important thing specifically for August at this time. His body naturally becoming taller and more robust helped him immensely in his quest to strike the First Dragon Emperor.

'He is growing at an unimaginable rate.'

The Dragon Emperor was truly surprised by August's potential.

He had been testing Dragon Emperors for a very long time. In order to ensure that his successors were all worthy of his throne, he sealed himself here and resolved to live eternally in order to keep the dragon kingdom alive.

Clearly, he wasn't doing the best job.

There had been many Dragon Emperors in the past who contributed to the kingdom's current situation. Qinglong and Zenith were outliers.

However, it wasn't the First Dragon Emperor's fault.

He wasn't aware of the outside world's situation. And, even if he wanted to keep the throne in the hands of those who deserved it, what was he supposed to do when he only had bad choices?

Before Zenith, no candidate could meet his expectations in the ambition and character departments. Every single person from every single era was unsuitable, but Arulion still needed an emperor.

Someone needed to sit on the throne so that the kingdom's fate would never die, so, even if he had to put a villain in that position, he made sure that it was never vacant.

The First Dragon Emperor was always waiting for the candidate to come who he could truly entrust his legacy to. As he watched August, he started to believe that the child had the kind of soul that he had been searching for.

'Not only has he come closer than anyone else in three years, it seems that he is using me as a training doll as well.'

August was no longer approaching rashly.

In the past three years, he'd found a way to easily dodge the first wing attack and several other abilities the First Dragon Emperor used.

He, in his True Dragon form, weaved and dodged with a kind of proficiency that he didn't have before.

The First Dragon Emperor's element was light. He used the most basic light attacks, as even basic attacks from him were insurmountable for someone on August's level. Despite being a dragon of an entirely different element, August learned those light attacks and incorporated their mana sequences into his own abilities.

Speed was the key thing he took from the First Dragon Emperor.

Previously, August had been known for his dexterity only because he needed to make up for his lacking speed when compared to others. As a water dragon, he was definitely fast, but not enough for it to give him an advantage against other faster dragons.

Power was an Azure Dragon's speciality. Defense was not, but water was incredibly good at redirecting attacks so August didn't necessarily have to worry in that aspect.

The only thing he was lacking with his element was absolute speed, and from observing and fighting against the First Dragon Emperor, August found the path to that destination which was once hidden from his eyes.

'He might be the fastest finisher in history.'

For other previous emperor candidates, it had taken ten years at the very minimum to land a single hit, despite being stronger overall.

The First Dragon Emperor could have easily assumed that it was because he himself was expressing a weaker power to make it possible for August to get close, but he did not.

Precisely because of August's rapid growth that could not be ignored, he believed that August's feats were entirely the product of his own efforts.

In the former emperor's mind, he was certain that August would complete this trial in just a few years' time.

The only remaining concern was…

Without knowing how drastic the time dilation in this realm was…

…would a few years be fast enough?