Hero? Are You Worthy?

Horus!

Candice echoed in Qin Chu's ears, a name not much different from the common ones in this world, yet Candice couldn't help feeling how powerful and perfect it was.

Only such a beautiful and majestic name would be fitting for such an enigmatic being.

Candice was deeply shocked by the name casually borrowed from Egyptian mythology by Qin Chu, "Great Lord Horus, I have one last question..."

Qin Chu spread his hands, "I'm in a good mood today."

Candice knew the great Horus had granted her permission to ask, her face lit up with joy, and her eyes sparkled.

It seemed that this powerful Lord wasn't the difficult-to-talk-to type, at least when in a good mood, for Qin Chu had directly revealed his greatest secret—although his presence was weak, he seemed quite relaxed and at ease in front of her, as if he didn't take her seriously at all.

Moreover, Qin Chu even knew the precise movements of Unmoving Shield Guard Benson from the Hero Team, knowing the hiding place of the Seventh Prince...

And when Qin Chu was angry, Candice saw a vision like a hallucination of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, with nothing but crimson in front of her eyes, as if she could smell the acrid scent of blood through her nostrils.

Although Qin Chu had never shown his power, Candice grew increasingly convinced that Qin Chu was an old monster of terrifying strength.

In front of such an old monster, even if he was in a good mood, she must not be too presumptuous, as characters like him tend to be very peculiar, and she had no idea which careless word might provoke him.

She clenched her fist and gently thumped her chest twice.

duang, duang!

"Great Lord Horus, I do not know what conflict has occurred between you and the members of the Hero Team, nor do I intend to probe... To be able to help you with trifling matters that you are inconvenient to handle personally, is Candice's honor,"

"In the future, if Great Lord Horus has further needs, Candice is also willing to serve."

Candice made her position clear first, hoping her words might please Lord Horus further, or at least not make things worse.

"Just one thing, I really need an answer to, why do you know so much about my affairs, as if... you've seen it with your own eyes?" More than just seeing with his own eyes, Candice's entire twenty-one years of life seemed as if it had been under the scrutiny of Horus, and that was what truly sent chills down her spine.

This point, if left unanswered, would leave her restless.

Qin Chu smiled wryly, "You told me..."

"Huh?" Candice was stunned, "This... this can't be possible, today is definitely the first time I've met Lord Horus..."

Qin Chu remained inscrutable, "Some things are known without being spoken."

Candice was a bit confused, her eyes wide open, not understanding what he meant.

Was Lord Horus a riddler? This wasn't a good habit.

In her mind, Candice silently criticized, while sneakily glancing at Qin Chu, wondering if the great Lord Horus had already seen through the criticism in her heart.

Yet as she looked up, she immediately locked eyes with Qin Chu's deep, starry gaze; Candice was surprised to find that Lord Horus had been watching her with a smile all along.

Her body involuntarily leaned back.

A chill went through her heart as she felt that the irreverent thoughts she harbored had been fully heard by Lord Horus, and she quickly curbed those impious ideas.

Thankfully, the great Lord Horus was magnanimous and did not take her to task over such trivial matters.

Finally, Qin Chu spoke.

His voice was calm yet solemn.

"My eyes..."

"Can pierce through a thousand years..."

"When I saw you, I had already seen through your heart, your past, and even your future..."

The expression on Candice's face grew increasingly strange; this was... too exaggerated, what kind of eyes could see through a person's heart, their past, and future?

Qin Chu didn't care about Candice's doubts and continued, "You've been through a lot, and although you seem quite mature, that's just a false front. Deep down, you're always like a child..."

Candice wanted to deny it, but Qin Chu didn't give her the chance: "The only thing your heart desires is recognition."

"Whether it be human or demon, you just want to have a place that is willing to accept you."

"This is your most fatal weakness. Demons despise and reject you for your human blood, and humans loathe and fear you for your demon lineage..."

"You live in the cities of humans, enjoying your life now, but you also fear the consequences of your identity being exposed. You're well aware of it, yet unwilling to face it..."

Candice's lips were trembling.

At some point, her face had lost all color.

"You struggle with your actions now. You long for the recognition of demons yet refuse to completely betray humanity. This weakness will kill you... Throughout history, middle-of-the-roaders have never had a good end."

"You actually know very well that demons will never accept you. They just see you as a useful tool, and when you are no longer of value, they will kick you away."

"Humans will not accept you either. Even if you now side with humans, betray demons, and tell all you know to the humans, after they've wrung out your value, they will also kill you..."

That's right, that's how it was in the first week.

Qin Chu naturally didn't have the ability to see through a thousand years at a glance. The things about Candice were indeed heard from Candice herself.

Four years later, Candice finally reached her limit. Unable to bear the pain of being caught in the middle, she actively sought out the human leadership and revealed her identity.

The human leadership forgave Candice's crimes, but, after having squeezed out all of Candice's information, the other members of the Hero Team killed her. The reason was that she had demon blood flowing in her veins, 'Those not of our kind must have a different heart.'

Candice's eyes had become almost empty and desperate.

Just as the great Lord Horus had said, she actually understood everything; she just didn't want to accept it, still holding a small hope in her heart.

But now, Qin Chu mercilessly peeled back that bloody reality, forcing Candice to directly face a future without hope.

On her face was an expression about to break into tears: "Then... what should I do..."

"It's simple. You don't need the acceptance of demons, nor the acceptance of humans. As long as there is one existence willing to recognize you, that's enough," Qin Chu said indifferently.

"Who?"

"Me!"

Candice was stunned, staring at Qin Chu blankly. After a long while, she finally spoke with a trembling voice: "Does Lord Horus... really... really want to recognize me?"

"Of course. To me, all things in the world, all lives are equal."

"Demons, humans, birds, beasts, fish, insects, are all just forms of life, and there is no difference between all living beings."

"I am your only destination!"

The deep and magnetic voice entered Candice's ears, making her heart beat faster.

Abandoned by her father, used by her mother, not accepted by humans, and despised by demons, Candice had thought there was no place for her in this world. But now, this man in front of her—fearful, awe-inspiring, mysterious—was willing to recognize her existence.

Her heart felt a bit warm.

A strong impulse surfaced in her mind.

But at that moment, Qin Chu spoke again: "However, you need a token of submission..."

"Token of submission?" Candice didn't understand.

"A demon is approaching this location..."

"Kill him to prove your complete break with the demons."

Qin Chu was going to subdue this woman!