Siegfried wasn't really afraid of anything when he asked Shu if he would participate. He was quite clear about his own position. Shu standing there was like a world boss. How could a non-top-tier combatant like him even touch him?
But he still wanted to fight. He had always wanted to fight Shu since he had learned of his existence.
And after witnessing the power of the scepter Shu had left behind, Siegfried thought that perhaps Shu could withstand a single White Cell?
Of course, no matter how unreliable Siegfried was, it was impossible for him to actually let Shu act as a dummy and take a small White Cell shot. That was a last resort to eliminate enemies and should not be used against friends.
To be honest, Siegfried didn't even plan to pull out the Star of Judgment. Unlike Gu Chu, he and Shu were at most just sparring. It was impossible for it to escalate to a life-or-death battle.
But this didn't stop him from arranging a set of moves specifically for Shu.
To be more precise, it was a series of moves that Siegfried had prepared to deal with those beyond-spec powers, so that he wouldn't be completely helpless when he encountered those super-spec experts, unable to even stall for time.
Although so far, the only super-spec expert Siegfried and the others had encountered was the Herrscher of Binding. At that time, Siegfried still had a chance to fight a desperate battle against the Herrscher of Binding, who had not yet fully accepted the core.
But now, the opportunity to spar with Shu was right in front of him. He couldn't let it go.
The future belonged to Shu, Kiana, and Bianka. Siegfried knew that he and the others had basically reached their limits. Even if they made progress in the future, it would be difficult for them to catch up to these few people.
The current heights of Kiana and Bianka were too high for "old things" like them. They were like the remnants of the old era, barely surviving in this "new world" by relying on the glory of the old days.
Siegfried could accept being eliminated, but he was not willing to be eliminated.
At the very least, he should have the ability to burn himself. He should be an inconspicuous piece of firewood, not a piece of rotten wood rotting at the bottom of a river.
After confirming that Shu would participate in the selection, Siegfried had already switched his combat strategy in his mind.
He had thought of trying to clear the map, but now it seemed that he had to conserve his strength just to fight Shu.
"Siegfried, it's time for us to go," Cecilia's voice came from the kitchen. Only then did Shu realize that the sound of water in the kitchen was not a hallucination.
Cecilia bowed apologetically to Shu and left his residence with Siegfried without saying anything more.
The two came and went like the wind. If it weren't for the memorable events they had left behind, it would have been as if they had never been here.
It seems... that's not right?
With only Shu left in the room, he finally stretched a long-awaited stretch. The moment he relaxed, Shu felt that his energy seemed to have become particularly vigorous.
Shu moved his much more relaxed body with some novelty. He thought about the difference between today and the past. He had only slept a little more.
So sleeping was that effective?
Hmm... no wonder Kiana and the others said he was very tired. Was it because of his insufficient sleep time?
Speaking of which, it was true... his sleep time and quality had not been very healthy recently. So was this what Kiana and the others were talking about?
Shu reflected on himself very deeply.
---||---
At this time, Siegfried and Cecilia, who had left Shu's place, were on their way back to their own home.
Along the way, Siegfried's mouth moved restlessly several times. He finally asked his question at the door of his house.
"Is Shu's condition very bad?" Cecilia's hidden emotions were seen through by him at a glance. His questioning tone was also a little solemn.
"Very serious..." Cecilia nodded. "I can't see where the problem is."
Not being able to find the problem was the most serious problem. Cecilia told Siegfried her previous conjectures, regardless of whether he understood or not.
In fact, as long as it wasn't full of technical terms, Siegfried could understand what these things were talking about. The same went for Kiana and Kallen.
"Oh~ you mean Shu's body is clearly healthy everywhere, but when it's put together, it's a pile of mud, right?" Siegfried finally understood after digesting Cecilia's words for three seconds. Then he scratched his head in annoyance.
"Then what should we do... Cecilia, have you ever seen a similar case?"
If I had seen a similar case, I wouldn't have said I couldn't see where the problem was... Cecilia had already anticipated Siegfried's obvious question. Siegfried himself also reacted quickly and scratched his head in embarrassment.
"If it's really some kind of side effect... wouldn't stopping using the ability be the best way?" After thinking about it, Siegfried himself felt that his suggestion was absurd.
"But that's impossible... do Kiana and Bianka really have the ability to bear Shu's pressure?"
Their Snow Wolf Squad could perhaps also be considered an object that could share the pressure, and at most, they could add Li Sushang and Fu Hua, who could use the Edge of Taixuan.
If Shu's pressure was divided into four and handed over to them, could they bear it?
Probably... barely?
Siegfried felt that he could only barely bear a quarter of it. Who knew if he and the others would be knocked down by that pressure as soon as they touched it?
"Even if Kiana and Bianka have it now, Shu won't give up his position," Cecilia sighed. "He won't leave that place unless he falls, even if Otto clearly tells him that he will be more effective in the rear."
"Then what should we do?" Siegfried put his hands on his head and messed up his hair. "Sigh, what if we go back and try to poison him again, and then force him to rest and retire?"
"You've said that many times... but you can't even tie up Dr. Ein, who is as weak as a chicken. Can you still catch Shu?" Cecilia complained angrily, and Siegfried smiled embarrassedly.
"I wasn't... in the wrong, was I? If you did it, you could definitely do it! At least you could really poison Shu, with your cooking!"
"Forget it, that method won't work," Cecilia waved her hand and rejected Siegfried's bad idea. "Even if we force Shu to stop his actions, he won't get any rest. Someone like him who wants to have everything in his hands will only feel tormented after letting go of these things."
"Unless..."
---||---
"Unless... a situation that can fundamentally alleviate the pressure Shu is facing appears." Otto's fingers tapped lightly on the desk, the fatigue in his eyes almost concealing his vitality.
After a long sigh, Otto "pulled" himself out of his chair, took the document that contained all his efforts over the past few days, and locked it in the innermost drawer.
"Let me see if you can do it..."
"You usurper who tries to ferry the souls of the dead."