(AN: Read previous chapter, more content was added.)
Immediately, the countdown began as everyone tensed up in preparation. When it came to an end, an apparition was manifested in front of them that was of different shapes and sizes, but mostly mirrored a member of one's racial enemy.
For Draco, it was the demon race of Boundless, specifically Lucifer, the former Demon Supreme. As he stood there arrogantly, it was as if he expected Draco to be furious at his presence, but Draco only sized him up with interest.
Hey... why was it that Angel Gabriel perfectly resembled Eva, but Lucifer did not look like him? Was the AI trying to tell him something? Or was it just a mix-up because it didn't know what he should look like?
Whatever the case, Draco felt helpless. By using the image of one racial enemy, the system was clearly trying to make a provision for the various candidates, making it easier for them to invoke their genuine killing intent.
To a human of the main plane of Boundless, the demon race was definitely their feared and hated enemy who everyone from children to the elderly hated with all their passion and energy.
However, to Draco, they were not even just another race, but could even be considered his own people!
His demonic branch saw all demons fall under his purview, and if it weren't for the AI's quest limiting them from Ranking up back then, he would have taken the demons of the main plane under his wing rather than destroy them all.
Trying to invoke Lucifer in order to galvanize him actually had the opposite effect...
However, the others did not have such problems. The one called Bafira was a muscular alligator man who was faced with the apparition of a merman wielding a trident, whose face showed endless disdain.
The moment Bafira saw him, his eyes became red as he almost pounced on his foe but was contained in place by the system in charge of testing, only able to roar furiously as he tried to break free, his killing intent fully tangible.
The same was true for third place which was Deork, a very ugly orcman who was closer to being a pigman than the typical western type of orc that was famously known. He wielded an axe on his back and banged leather armor, his face currently one of indignation, like a bullied child seeing their bully walk towards them.
Opposite him was a slender elf man with pointed ears and a regal disposition, looking at Deork with so much disdain and disgust that even Draco felt a bit offended. Deork was practically frothing at the mouth with hatred, bellowing as he took manifested killing intent towards his foe.
And this was a scene that occurred for pretty much every other candidate. There were very few like Draco who showed no reaction, either because they had never encountered their racial enemies, did not care about their race, or simply never suffered any abuse.
Of course, the system seemed to have predicted such an outcome as it was likely not the first time such a thing had happened in the various variations of this same exam. As such, Draco only felt a cursory scan on his body that became intense as his brows furrowed.
He received feedback from the Infinite Dragon which he had forcibly controlled that his fortune was being scanned and his fate was being measured. Draco didn't even need to do anything before his bloodline began to flare up in defense, but he actively held it back with a look of interest on his face.
The apparition before him warped and shifted like the image from a TV with a bad signal before shifting into a very familiar form.
"Well, well. What do we have here?" Shangtian spoke as his tall apparition manifested with crossed arms, looking down on Draco with disdain.
"Good job, Edgelord Freak. Now that your utility has elapsed, quietly go back into your cell and hand the reins over to me, and things shall remain peaceful." Shameless Bastard Draco said with a kind smile.
However, the 'Edgelord Freak' simply remained standing with his arms folded, looking at his shameless personality as if he were a retard. "Why should I? I have been locked in that damned cage for over ten years and you expect me to go back when I come out? How can there be such a good deal in this world?"
Hearing this, the neutral personality sighed with lament for he knew trouble was brewing, while the shameless fellow simply seemed to size up the other guy with a look of interest.
"Oh? And what makes you think you deserve control? Do you have what it takes to manage our current day-to-day life? I don't think so." The shameless personality said as it unhurriedly walked towards the edgelord fellow and then walked around him.
"You are crass, malicious and terrible, being the manifestation of evil. You are heartless, wicked and immortal, being the form of madness. You cannot manage our current day-to-day life because it consists of peace, progress, and love."
"Everyone out there that you will encounter will flinch away from you. Even our soulmates Eva and Shuangtian will hesitate to feel free and natural in your presence, fearing your reputation and anger. Who knows if you'll start another dumb 8-year war because you couldn't handle the reality of your girl being digitally raped, huh?"
The shameless bastard stopped and folded his arms behind his back, still wearing a slight, silly smile. "We have children now, children who love and look up to us.
Rosella calls us her esteemed father due to her immense respect for us while even the troublesome duo of Loki and Lucitian act the way they do because they look up to us without knowing how to confront their feelings of wanting to be pampered by us but also wanting our respect in seeing them as strong."
"Yet faced with you, all that will change. Rosella will become fearful, her esteemed father filled with love now becoming one of fear. Loki and Lucitian who dared to play pranks in my presence will become subdued and distant, always hiding their thoughts and seeking to avoid our presence."
"Even sweet little Shiro who cannot hurt a fly will burst into tears at the sight of her precious papa who is radiating enough malice to wound a deity. Our wives will shrink back and the entire clan will be ruled by fear of us instead of love and respect."
The shameless bastard stepped back with a smile. "If that is the future you prefer, then go on. Take the reins. Destroying timelines and harming everyone you know and love through your decisions is what you're good at after all, and I will always be here to clean up your mess and restore things to a positive state anyway."
After saying all this, the dark miasma that had been radiating out of the 'Edgelord Freak' receded and displayed his bloodshot eyes as well as his tightly clenched fists which were trembling so hard that one feared his bones might break.
He only glanced at the shameless bastard emotionally before stepping out of the control area and walking towards a giant cage which appeared from the darkness. Before he finally stepped into it, he paused and did not turn his back before saying one last thing.
"You can have control as long as you want. If you ever go against our principles and do something akin to what you did with the situation with Maria, I will break out and kill you." He said in a hoarse voice before walking into the cage, which shut its door loudly and receded into the darkness.
The shameless bastard did not lose his smile but turned to the pale-faced neutral version and asked. "Well? Do you also have any problems?"
The neutral fellow was silent for a while and glanced into the void with a sigh. "Just remember who we are and the creed we live by. Family always comes first, no matter what."
The neutral fellow also receded into the darkness with a helpless look, leaving the shameless bastard to control everything.
Outwardly, not even a minute passed before Draco opened his eyes and seemed to be back to normal, possessing the lighthearted and casual demeanor he had come here with. No one who was around felt that anything was wrong or that anything had changed.
Not even Draco himself.