THE REAL PROTEGE-Chapter 523: WHEN THEY FRIST FEARED OTAKO
Eternal Sovereign Stage — Current
"At this stage," the Azure Dragon said, "Otako’s qi no longer leaks.
His body does not deteriorate.
His soul does not fracture.
His presence bends spiritual law subtly."
Outside, the bamboo leaned in, silent and attentive, as if the stalks themselves hungered for the story.
"Otako no longer cultivates upward.
He cultivates inward.
Refining smaller and smaller points of existence."
A shadow flickered over Shi Min’s gaze, something untold tightening under the surface. His hands curled in his lap, hidden but rigid. Doubt passed through His mind, not exclusively about Otako’s power but about what power meant for those who followed in his path. As Shi Min listened, a sharp, quiet fear twisted in his chest — the knowledge that greatness could erase as easily as it inspired, that none of them were beyond reach. Shi Min kept his profile calm, but inside, he wondered if any preparation could ever be enough.
The Night of the Crimson Assembly
The Azure Dragon’s brows furrowed.
The birds in the trees turned quiet. The story pressed against the world’s skin, thin as glass.
"The world first learned to fear Otako during the Night of the Crimson Assembly.
Nine great sects gathered.
They had heard rumors.
A masked immortal. Silent. Untraceable.
Sects disappearing. They all believed it was exaggerated."
A faint line nipped at the corner of the Azure Dragon’s mouth.
"So they converged together and laid a trap.
A total of eighteen peak-stage cultivators and three half-immortals.
"Otako walked into the courtyard, straight to the trap.
Alone.
No weapon.
No aura surge.
No killing intent.
Just the mask."
Shun watched everything unfold, the vivid scene dancing behind his eyes, so close he could almost reach out and touch it.
Fatty took a hard gulp, his mouth feeling dry and rough like old paper.
"One of the elders laughed."
The Azure Dragon mimicked lightly -
"Show us this finger."
Silence.
"Otako raised his hand.
FLICK."
The Azure Dragon’s finger moved once.
"That elder stiffened.
Collapsed.
No blood.
No wound.
Soul gone."
A single, suffocating heartbeat stretched through the garden hall. Even the koi pond outside froze, water held from dread.
Red’s eyes narrowed, her aura flickering with fear she could not hide. Fatty pressed a quivering hand to his chest, as if to make sure his soul had not slipped away. Four Eyes stared, unblinking, breath ceased.
The legend was no longer distant. It pressed into the room, heavy as a fist around their hearts.
The Azure Dragon continued.
"Another cultivator attacked.
The attacker’s defensive artifact instantly shattered from the inside.
He dropped.
Then another.
Then another.
No explosions.
No qi storm.
Just falling bodies."
Even Mushu, unflappable as stone, sat motionless, eyes fixed and persistent.
Ren’s breath faltered.
The Azure Dragon’s gaze honed.
"Even the half-immortals felt it.
Their meridians trembled.
Not from force. But from recognition."
The garden hall itself appeared to lean in, breathless.
"They understood.
If Otako chose them...
They would cease.
One half-immortal roared and unleashed a domain."
For a second, the bamboo outside thrashed, as if recoiling from the memory.
"Otako advanced.
The domain cracked."
The Azure Dragon flicked his finger again.
"The half-immortal’s dantian strangled inward.
He died standing."
The stillness that followed was not empty. It was sacred, heavy, unbroken.
"By daybreak—
Eighteen corpses.
Three half-immortals erased.
No visible battle damage."
The Azure Dragon’s voice mellowed, reverent.
"From that night forward, cultivators changed how they spoke.
They did not say, ’He will fight you.’
They said—"
The Azure Dragon’s eyes glinted.
"’If he flicks... You are finished.’"
No one dared laugh.
"And no one ever again demanded to see the finger."
The Truth About Otako
In old border towns, children whisper Otako’s name to ward off spirits. On distant islands, his legend drifts like haze, unstoppable and strange. Sects that survived speak of Otako in cryptic phrases, memories shrouded in reverence and fear — each fable more impossible than the last.
"...."
Ling Li deep inside, she truly wants to laugh out loud.
The Azure Dragon leaned back slightly.
"Otako does not dominate through splendor.
He dominates through inevitability.
He mastered—
Structure.
Law.
Continuity.
And —
Erasure."
The Azure Dragon’s voice dimmed.
"Otako is terrifying because he exerts the least force necessary."
The bamboo outside whispered again, daring to breathe.
"The strongest being in your world is not loud."
The Azure Dragon looked at each of them slowly.
"Otako is precise."
Silence swept the hall, swallowing every stray sound.
No one spoke.
Because they grasped now.
Power that screams can be challenged.
Power that murmurs cannot.
And somewhere in that understanding—
A subtle current passed between Ling Li and the Azure Dragon.
Four Eyes saw it.
And his suspicions deepened.
But for now—
No one dared break the silence.
Not even Lily.
The hush that followed the Azure Dragon’s final words proved almost sacred.
No one shifted.
No one breathed too loudly.
The bamboo outside whispered, but even that quiet sound came off distant, as if the mountain itself bent closer, listening for what might come next.
And then—
Of all people—
It was Red who broke it.
The Phoenix, His Majesty’s wife. She lifted her chin slightly, crimson hair sparkling like a controlled flame. Her golden eyes peered with unmistakable curiosity.
"What about Otako’s samurai mask?" she asked suddenly.
The question cut cleanly through the atmosphere.
’Where did that come from?’
Everyone turned toward her instinctively.
"...."
’Lily ultimately stopped. But she continued.
Our miserable hearts!
Our Poor Hearts!
Our Pitiful hearts!
Hays!’
Even Ling Li’s gaze wavered. However, seeing everyone’s expression, her lips twitched, and she almost laughed. ’They were persistent but couldn’t endure the extremity of the facts.’
Red crossed her arms, lips pressing faintly.
"Where did his mask come from?" she continued, "and why does he hide under that ugly mask?"
The word ugly earned a small, surprised snort from Fatty before he quickly stifled it.
The Azure Dragon turned to his wife slowly, sapphire eyes gleaming with amusement.
"I didn’t know you would be interested in Otako as well."
Red lifted her brow ridge.
"Hey," she retorted with a soft snort, "since you started this, you have to complete it thoroughly."
Her manner was half playful, half firm.
Husband and wife.
Old entities.
Bickering like mortals.
The tension eased just slightly.
But not fully.
Because now everyone wanted the answer. Shun’s hands gripped his knees, knuckles paling visibly as he bent forward, eyes never leaving the Dragon.
Lily forgot to blink, her lips parted, and her breath was shallow with expectation.
Shi Min remained perfectly still, but his brows drew together and a vein pulsed at his temple, betraying tightly held tension.
Ling Li did not move at all, but a delicate quiver wavered at the corner of her mouth, curiosity fluttering behind controlled features.
Fatty shifted nervously, cheeks bulging as he held in another comment, while Four Eyes pushed up his spectacles, gaze flicking between Red and the Azure Dragon as if trying to read secrets in the air.
