Maintaining a regal composure, Neo replied,
"Is it truly so difficult to fathom, Lord Garrick? That a mere human could ascend to sit among you?"
"You all look at the vast cosmos and categorize power by the blood in one's veins or the ancient lineage of their empire. You believe true strength is an inherited right. But humanity is vastly different. We are born weak, fragile, and incredibly short-lived. Yet, it is precisely that fragile mortality that births an unyielding ambition."
Neo set his goblet down.
"We do not rest on the laurels of our ancestors. We adapt. We survive. We synthesize the absolute truths of this universe, forging our own path to the apex through pure will and endless tribulation. A human does not wait for destiny to grant them power. We carve our own destiny out of the fabrics of reality."
He then turned to the Solar Saint, saying coldly:
