Marius slowly raised his gaze, yet it seemed to sweep over everyone present.
The air seemed to tighten invisibly, leaving no gaps.
"You will choose sacrifice only when you believe that, through sacrifice, you can obtain something more precious—the honor of those who come after you, tangible benefits, the safety of others, or perhaps pure self-satisfaction."
Marius's words grew even more solemn:
"In other words, only after you know what you believe in, what you cherish more, and what you want to trade away do you have the right to choose—what you have the right to sacrifice in good conscience, such as your life."
Tales remained silent. He had the strange feeling that Marius had been staring at him all along.
The next second, Marius swiftly turned around. Patterson swung his arm at the same time, and the two lashed out together once more—
Crack!
This time, Toledo did not even have time to react. His count barely caught up.
"Otherwise, your so-called glorious sacrifice..." Marius looked expressionlessly at the two men lying on the ground and gasping for breath.
"...is nothing more than a momentary impulse born of hotheadedness, a foolish act manipulated and incited by others, or even self-abasement born of blind faith and obedience."
Crack!
Another lash.
Gollor dragged his chest up from the ground, gritting his teeth and stubbornly holding on, while Doyle simply leaned back and sat on his lower legs.
"I am punishing you, Doyle, not because you made the wrong choice."
Marius said coldly:
"When your father was kidnapped and the situation was tense and unclear, you appeared utterly heroic, casting everything aside, drawing your sword and charging recklessly forward, determined to duel and sacrifice yourself to save your father."
Doyle stared blankly for a moment before looking at the Watcher.
"But what