Chapter 53: Arrogance Requires Power

Chapter 53: Arrogance Requires Power

“Doctor, could you take a look at this kid?”

“Hm? …Innate Star Energy—max level? Tachibana, where on earth did you find him?”

“Just… picked him up on the street.”

“…”

. . .

“Tendou, after several days of observation, our team has reached a conclusion: the Stellaris Program is far too dangerous for you.”

“Given the talent you’ve already demonstrated, even without obtaining the so-called Star Core, you could still grow into a powerhouse admired by countless people. So tell me, do you really intend to take part in a project with a mortality rate exceeding ninety percent?”

“Will it make me stronger?”

“…It will. But only if you survive.”

“Then I’m in.”

“…Why?”

“Doctor, if I die during this experiment, it only proves I’m not the ‘strong one’ you claim I am. But if I truly am that strong, then I won’t die.”

“So, I’ll participate. And if the surgery fails… It's simply because I was too weak, so it’s no one's fault but mine.”

“…Understood.”

. . .

“Tendou, have you decided which Star Core you’ll choose? As the first test subject in the project’s history, I’ll make an exception and let you pick it yourself.”

“I’ll take the Eyes.”

“May I ask why?”

“Because I want to stand at the highest point… to see the farthest reaches, and uncover the truth of this world.”

“…Very well.”

. . .

As the footage played, showing the young Tendou—who knew full well the risks yet stepped forward without hesitation—and when that line echoed again: “if I truly am that strong, then I won’t die.”

—the dimensional audience’s image of Tendou as the strongest existence in the series was carved even deeper.

“So even knowing the danger, he still believed in himself completely? Damn, Tendou, you’re terrifying…”

“To stand at the top and see the farthest—what the hell are you planning, Tendou?! Leave some cool lines for the rest of us!”

“Bro was already that cool as a kid?!”

“Tendou-sama, I’m your loyal dog!”

Amidst the excited cheers and playful comments from the dimensional viewers, the flashback shifted—to one month after Tendou’s Star Core surgery.

The boy sat quietly on a hospital bed, his eyes wrapped completely in white bandages.

Today would be the day he finally removed them… and saw the results for himself.

“Doctor…”

As the doctor entered, the medical staff surrounding Tendou stepped aside to clear a path.

“How’s his condition?”

“Doctor, based on our observations, Tendou has fully adapted to the Star-Eclipse Eye. He can safely remove the bandages.”

“Good.”

The doctor personally began to unwind the layers of gauze around Tendou’s eyes.

The camera closed in.

Unlike his taller, sharper appearance in the first episode and beyond, this younger Tendou still had traces of baby fat on his cheeks—his features soft, not yet handsome but undeniably adorable.

He sat there, eyes still shut—and then, as the lens drew close—his eyelids slowly opened.

In that instant, the entire room dimmed, as though light itself fled before his gaze.

Only a pair of pale blue eyes filled the entire screen—cold, brilliant, and overwhelming.

At that moment, the doctor’s voice echoed softly over the scene.

“Tendou, how do you feel?”

“It feels… incredible. Right now… I can finally see this world for what it truly is.”

As Tendou’s calm voice faded, the scene suddenly switched—the audience now saw the world from his perspective.

A dazzling world unfolded before them, filled with streaks of flowing star energy—currents of light weaving through every corner of existence, vivid, complex, and alive.

This was the real world he spoke of.

Then, the memory sequence ended.

The screen sank into brief darkness.

A faint line of text appeared beside the doctor’s voice:

“Arrogance requires power, and Tendou was filled to the brim with it.”

When the image returned, the scene had shifted to Yong Amsan, viewed through its first-person lens.

On the screen stood Tendou—expressionless, silent—while at his fingertips, Dark Grey began to condense and swirl like liquid shadow.

The audience could almost feel the suffocating pressure radiating from him, as though the air itself trembled in fear.

Yong Amsan’s heart pounded violently in his chest.

Every instinct screamed the same thing—

I’ll die. I’ll definitely die.

He could feel it—his heart caught in invisible hands, gripped so tightly it might stop at any second.

In that razor-thin moment between life and death, time itself seemed to slow.

Beads of sweat the size of pearls rolled down his forehead, sliding down his cheek—the camera followed a single drop as it fell to the searing floor.

Sizzle—

The instant it hit, it vaporized into nothing.

Then, with that faint sound, Tendou’s Dark Grey bloomed like a flower of death opening before Yong Amsan’s eyes.

“Move!!”

A furious roar split the silence.

Claude’s mechanical eye burst into a storm of sparks, his neural circuits screaming from overload.

Driven by sheer willpower, he forced himself through the terror, diving toward Yong Amsan at the very last second.

He slammed into him, shoving him out of the attack’s path, but by saving Yong Amsan, Claude had become the target himself.

BOOM!

Yong Amsan turned back just in time to see Claude’s body, midair, colliding with the Dark Grey.

For an instant, time seemed to freeze.

Then his form began to disintegrate, piece by piece—circuits, plates, and metallic shards scattering like ashes in the wind.

In mere seconds, a third of his body was gone. His upper and lower halves separated.

CRASH!

Claude’s torso hit the ground heavily.

His bisected abdomen exposed shredded circuits, sparking with blue electric light.

Barely clinging to consciousness, he looked up at Yong Amsan, still frozen, trembling, eyes wide in shock.

“Go—! RUN!!” he screamed, with the last of his strength.

The words had barely left his lips before—

CRACK!

Tendou stepped forward and stomped down, shattering Claude’s head like brittle glass.

The sound was sharp, chilling—metal and silence breaking together.

Without a flicker of emotion, Tendou lifted his gaze.

Those cold, azure eyes turned toward Yong Amsan.

That single look was enough to snap Yong Amsan out of his stupor.

Without thinking, he scrambled to his feet, stumbling, then turned and ran, tripping over debris, desperation twisting his movements.

I’ll die, I’ll die, I’ll die—faster, move faster!

The supermarket’s shattered entrance was right ahead.

So close.

So close!

Gone was the arrogance that once filled his eyes.

Now, only pure, desperate will to live remained.

He wanted to survive.

He couldn’t—he refused—to die here.

But before Yong Amsan could reach the supermarket doors—a voice, calm and mocking, came from behind him.

“Leaving now? Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that?”

The scene cut back to Tendou.

He stood amidst the wreckage, amusement flickering in his cold blue eyes as he watched Yong Amsan’s pitiful attempt to flee. 

With a lazy motion, he raised one hand.

In an instant, the ominous Dark Grey once again gathered at his fingertips, pulsing with lethal power—ready to claim the life that had escaped him moments ago.

But just as Tendou was about to strike, a familiar voice echoed softly by his ear—calm, almost teasing.

“Alright, Tendou-kun. That’s enough. Leave him be, he’s still useful to us.”

Tendou paused, brows furrowing slightly, and turned.

From the lingering flames stepped Tachibana, brushing soot from her coat as if she’d merely gone for a stroll.

Behind her, Cromwell carried an unconscious Chen Kong over his shoulder.

And even Caroline, who had been absent the entire afternoon, appeared from the shadows, expression unreadable.

Seeing them all together, Tendou instantly understood.

With a faint sigh, he let the energy fade from his fingers—the swirling Dark Grey dissipating like smoke in the wind—and silently allowed Yong Amsan to crawl his way to freedom.

A moment later, Tendou turned to Tachibana with an exasperated tone.

“So basically, you guys were watching the whole time, huh?”

“If you’d told me from the start, I wouldn’t have even bothered.”

Tachibana chuckled, that knowing smirk tugging at her lips.

“Now, now—don’t say it like that, Tendou-kun. If not for you, poor Kong might’ve actually died, you know?”

“...Heh.”

Tendou let out a short, cold laugh. He clasped his hands behind his head, visibly annoyed.

“Died, my ass. You clearly set this up from the beginning, didn’t you? I bet everyone knew—except me and Kong.”

With that, he kicked aside the twisted remains of Claude’s broken body, metal clattering against the floor, then turned and started walking toward the exit.

“This is boring. I’m leaving.”

His voice echoed through the scorched supermarket as his figure disappeared into the dim light outside.

Tachibana watched him go, tilting her head slightly. Her lips curved into a half-proud, half-weary smile as she murmured to Cromwell beside her:

“Well? When Tendou-kun actually gets serious, he’s terrifying, isn’t he?”

Cromwell stared at Tendou’s fading silhouette, expression solemn.

He nodded deeply.

“He truly has the right to be arrogant. In all the Starbearer world, I’ve never seen—or even heard of—anyone who could do what he just did. Not even the one they call the strongest Starbearer of our era… the Chairman himself.”

Tachibana’s smile softened, tinged with pride and nostalgia.

“You’re right. From the moment I first met him, I knew… that child was going to change the world.”

Cromwell turned to her, curiosity flickering behind his helmet.

“Then… if I may ask, how did you first meet him?”

Tachibana shrugged lightly, as if recalling something trivial.

“Oh, nothing special. I was just walking down the road—and suddenly, I found him on the sidewalk.”

“…”

Cromwell could only stare at her in silence.

If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon:

Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 100: Obtaining “Overclocked Computation”

Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/146986674?collection=1761063

https://www.patreon.com/collection/1761063?view=expanded