"Abandon human form?"
Todd reverted to human form and looked at the two people in front of him: "Can I take this as giving up being human?"
Meredith nodded: "If you wish to continue using the Tyrant's abilities, you will inevitably enter the Tyrant's second form, which is equivalent to giving up your human identity."
"So what exactly is this training you're talking about?"
"The prerequisites for supporting the Tyrant's second form, besides physical changes, also include the enhancement of mental strength. Only through repeated training can one acquire mental strength that matches the Tyrant form and be able to use this ability flexibly. The Cú Chulainn you once met obtained the necessary mental strength for the Tyrant form through training, which supported his transformation into the Tyrant's second form."
Todd turned his gaze to Meredith: "So, Cú Chulainn chose the second path; he was determined to abandon his human body and retain the form of a tyrant."
The latter nodded and said, “That’s right, but the problem is that he’s only been here for a year, and his training is far from over. His mind still can’t support the Tyrant’s second form for long. It won’t be long before his mind starts to have problems again. Todd, if you need my advice, then I recommend that you do what I did and choose the first path: try your best to abandon the Tyrant’s abilities and maintain your human form.”
Todd sat cross-legged on the spot, looking at his human body, without saying a word.
Scáthach suddenly spoke up, saying, "The power of choice is in your hands. Whether you choose a peaceful existence or a dangerous power is entirely up to you."
After a long silence, Todd raised his head and looked at Scáthach: "I have some things to do. Before I finish these things, I can't hide away and enjoy a comfortable life. It's like a cicada hiding in the soil for seven years, knowing full well that it only has a week to live after it breaks through the soil, but it can only climb to the top of the branch without hesitation."
Meredith was getting anxious: "Todd, I know you. You are not one of those ambitious people who crave power. The power of a tyrant is not something you need."
“No, not at all. The power of a tyrant is very important to me. As you know, I am the king of Twilight City, but when I first arrived in that land, there was nothing but a beach and pebbles.” Todd chuckled self-deprecatingly as he spoke. “In the beginning, I had only forty-one followers, and the ‘land’ beneath my feet was barely a village. As for my people, what impressed me most was a fisherman’s family who went out to sea and were so poor that they couldn’t even afford a complete set of clothes.”
Scáthach and Meredith remained silent, listening quietly to Todd's account.
“Back then, even before I was king, I kept thinking, why should I stay in this godforsaken place? With my own abilities, I could have easily lived a better life. These people aren't my family, nor are they my friends. Why should I shoulder the responsibility of their survival?”
Meredith said softly, "But in the end, you didn't abandon these people."
Todd smiled and shook his head. "Yes, no. I was driven by an inner force that compelled me to stay and to do everything in my power to build a prosperous and free kingdom in that barren land. My friends call this feeling a sense of duty, while my enemies call it foolishness. But whatever my motives, one fact cannot be ignored: in the near future, this kingdom will face a fierce war, a war in which it may very well lose everything..."
"The palaces that the artisans painstakingly built will be reduced to ruins by the enemy's gunfire; the world-renowned gardens that poets have praised will be reduced to ashes in the raging fire; and the people who have just experienced freedom and happiness will wail as slaves under the enemy's iron heel."
"Whenever I think about all that might happen, and how I will watch my efforts be destroyed, as a king, as the pioneer who created this kingdom, all I can do is to do my best to protect everything before me, even if it means giving up my human body."
Meredith shook his head vigorously: "Todd, perhaps you don't understand the seriousness of the matter. Once you accept the tyrant's power and enter the second form, your appearance will forever be that of a monster. The kingdom's subjects may not be able to accept your existence, which is tantamount to being banished from the Kingdom of Twilight forever."
Todd stood up and calmly said, "Power has many uses. It can be used to fulfill one's desires or to protect one's beliefs. If I can use this power to defeat the kingdom's enemies and protect everything that has been hard-won, what does it matter if I am exiled?"
Scáthach slowly walked up to Todd: "Abandoning your human form and stepping into the realm of demigods, are you finally ready?"
Todd sighed softly, his eyes resolute: "Yes, I have chosen my path."
Scáthach raised a hand and placed it on Todd's head, causing the latter to feel a dull ache in his brain.
“You possess exceptional talent in mental strength,” Scáthach said, withdrawing her hand in surprise. “The power manifested by your soul astounds me. Have you never received any training in mental strength before?”
Todd shook his head, but secretly wondered if his powerful mental strength was related to the "soul link" ability.
“I can sense that your soul possesses a vast and boundless space, and a surging power.” Scáthach looked into Todd’s eyes: “You are perhaps one of the most powerful souls I have ever seen among all humans.”
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