The Sin King's Side

Everything was so dull and disgusting...

Moonlight, the chirping of insects, the sky, the clouds, the dew...

Colors, sounds, sensations, people, trains of thought...

Hatred, bonds, order, love, chaos...

Truth, lies, reality, sin, deception...

Utterly meaningless and senseless.

There had never been any such thing as right or wrong, nor had there ever been such things as corruption or redemption. This world had never been twisted, because from the moment it was born, it had already been twisted beyond repair.

Since it had never had any "original form," it might as well become whatever form one liked...

When the noisy clamor became deafening, one could still grow numb and get used to it.

Or one could simply let it return to absolute silence. That did not seem so bad, either~

Mo bent down lightly and gazed at a small pink flower beneath the shade of a tree. He could feel its vigorous vitality, and precisely because of that, it had been able to stubbornly grow in this less-than-suitable environment.

"Steadfast, tenacious, and aloof." A tranquil smile appeared on Mo's face, and his gaze held pure admiration. "It's just that this one-of-a-kind beauty still has a few flaws..."

A dark-red halo flashed and vanished, soundlessly and without a trace.

A charred-black petal drifted down beside his feet...

"Like this..." Mo stood up again. His figure seemed to stagger slightly as he raised a hand to support the half-mask covering his face and murmured, "Perfect~"

"When I first came over, I thought you were praising me."

Ji Xiaodao had appeared behind Mo at some point. Her rather indifferent tone seemed to contain a trace of concern. "Are you all right?"

"Steadfast, tenacious, and aloof?" Mo turned to look at the tall, silver-haired girl from the game. He did not answer her last question, merely shaking his head coldly. "All I saw in you was blindness, willfulness, and relentless pestering."

Ji Xiaodao merely shrugged, unconcerned. "With that personality, no girl will ever be interested in you."

"Other than you, that's indeed the case." Mo leaned sideways against an ancient tree and gently rubbed his temple. "Stop following me. You should know that you're a nuisance..."

A blush suddenly rose across the Dark Elf's slightly pale face. Ji Xiaodao glared straight at the man who looked nothing like a normal person. "What did you say!?"

"You're a nuisance." Mo repeated it without the slightest emotional fluctuation.

"That's not what I asked!" The girl gritted her teeth, her willow brows rising.

Mo merely cast her a glance. "You're really annoying..."

To be honest, the fact that he still had not killed this excessively troublesome girl was practically a miracle to Mo. Although his previous attempt had been interrupted by the cavalry squad that had long since been reduced to bones, he had had plenty of opportunities to make another move afterward...

He really ought to kill her.

Just as Mo was wondering for perhaps the umpteenth time whether he should do so, the girl before him changed the subject.

"The messenger reached the Imperial City this afternoon," Ji Xiaodao suddenly said. "The investigation team is expected to arrive here in two days. Because of your orders, Count Tiel didn't send another search-and-rescue force to Banse City. He seems to be waiting for your further instructions..."

Beneath the mask, some of the increasingly violent chaos in Mo's eyes faded. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Ji Xiaodao continued on her own. "I heard that one of the investigators coming this time is a Grand Duke named Bart Gallows. He wields considerable influence among the upper echelons of the empire and is also a high-ranking Tempest Magus. The emperor trusts him deeply."

A wicked smile suddenly bloomed at the corner of Mo's mouth. He nodded at the girl. "Continue."

"The others include the High Priest of the Kaguya Order and several high-ranking priests. I learned that they worship Moon Goddess Rose, the guardian of rangers, poets, and children—a goddess of Absolute Neutrality." Ji Xiaodao seemed to speak a little faster. "I think those people will definitely take an interest in you. They might even tie you to..."

"There aren't many stakes for burning people here. Even if there were, I'd only be one of the spectators." Mo slowly walked up to Ji Xiaodao and looked at the Dark Elf girl, who was several centimeters taller than him in the game. He asked softly, "What are you trying to say?"

The girl stubbornly stared at him. "I just want you to know that I'm not a nuisance, and I'm not in the way!"

Mo shook his head slightly. "I don't need a companion, nor am I willing to trust anyone other than myself."

"I can help you!" Ji Xiaodao shouted. "I'm already doing that!"

"But I don't need an assistant."

"I..."

"Or do you think I couldn't have gotten those words out of Count Tiel myself?"

"..."

"However~" Mo stared at the girl's bright yet dejected eyes and said softly, "he is, after all, merely an ordinary tool."

The girl blinked, looking somewhat bewildered.

"I have no interest in any thoughts you may have about me. But if you insist on following me, perhaps I really can let you see many different sights, or perhaps... nightmares." Mo's voice suddenly grew low and ethereal. "It's just that..."

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Ji Xiaodao's mind: fear, confusion, anticipation, pity, unease...

And many more.

"You may retain your sense of self, but you must obey every one of my commands without condition."

Endless sin rose from Mo's eyes. In that instant, he activated his innate skill against a player named Silent Prayer.

Original Sin

"Commit suicide." When Ji Xiaodao's somewhat rigid body relaxed slightly, Mo said to her casually, "Now."

With a clang, the sword left its sheath. Without the slightest hesitation, the girl viciously thrust the weapon in her hand toward her own heart!

But Ji Xiaodao failed...

Mo moved behind her in an instant, wrapping one arm around the girl's slightly slender shoulders while his other hand firmly seized the sharp rapier.

"I've changed my mind." Mo tilted his head and whispered softly to the Dark Elf girl struggling in his arms, "For now... stay by my side..."

Ji Xiaodao immediately stopped struggling. She turned her head and gave him a gentleness-filled smile unlike any she had ever shown before. "Mm~"

Mo released her and walked toward the distance without looking back. "Wait here."

Five minutes later, in a patch of land a little farther away where the grass and trees grew sparse.

Mo stopped and took a hexagonal crystal from his pack, examining it carefully...

Nameless Blood Pact

Quality: Unique Legendary

Requirement: Possess an unlocked summoning-class profession / total base attributes no lower than 300

Use: Permanently deduct 20% of maximum stamina and health (not current values) as the price to create a custom summoned creature. Its duration is permanent. It can execute any command without being restricted by distance, and can be summoned or dismissed at any time. It possesses growth potential, but its abilities can never exceed the sum of its summoner's attributes. It can share the summoner's skill list (excluding special skills and innate skills). After being killed, it can revive beside its summoner after 240 hours of game time.

Note: Whether this is a worthwhile bargain depends entirely on your purpose.

This crystal was one of the spoils Mo had obtained during the massacre of Banse City on his first login. It was also the only legendary-grade item he possessed, and was quite possibly the first legendary-grade item discovered by a player in the game.

However, from a gamer's perspective, the cost-performance ratio of the Nameless Blood Pact was not particularly high. This was true even for players who specialized in summoning-class professions.

First, its price was far too steep. Permanently deducting 20% of one's maximum stamina and health would have an enormous impact on anyone. What was more, it was "not current values." In other words, after using it, when a player's theoretical health was 100, only 80 would remain. After lengthy leveling, when the theoretical value became 1,000, only 800 would remain—not 980, as if only the initial 20 points of maximum health had been lost.

The same applied to stamina.

As the game's two most important stats, this was equivalent to permanently making oneself 20% more fragile.

Second, although the summoned creature could be customized—one could theoretically even create a dragon—and could share most skills with its summoner, its overall capabilities could never surpass those of its summoner. Thus, although it seemed impressive, it was not overwhelmingly powerful...

After all, in any game, the common trait of summoning-class professions in the late game was that the summoned creatures themselves became powerful. Thus, it was equivalent to... having a powerhouse... taking off... looking cool... bringing along girls... falling in love... meeting in person... leaving everyone dumbfounded, shattering their worldview, spilling blood for five steps, and exploding on the spot...

That seemed to have gone a little off track~

What I meant was that this type of summoned creature would have a hard time greatly increasing a player's coolness factor in the late game, and thus producing a series of results that people would be delighted to see.

Combined with the cost mentioned earlier, its cost-performance ratio was therefore not high. (See? I still managed to circle back.)

But Mo had never considered it from a gamer's perspective to begin with, so he did not care. Besides, for various reasons, this item was instead extremely suitable for him.

Of course, he would not use it for combat. Rather...

"Confusion." Mo looked at the face on the crystal's surface, a face that belonged to him but did not belong only to him. Laughing madly, he crushed it in one hand and without hesitation sacrificed 20% of his maximum health and stamina to activate it.

As several wisps of blood mist rose from his body, Mo revealed a blissful yet unfathomable smile. He looked at the black silhouette gradually taking shape before him, while crazed muttering seemed to come from the far side of chaos. "Now, the only remaining trouble will soon be resolved..."

He looked toward the patch of empty ground not far ahead, filled with an aura of chaos, and examined it carefully as though gazing into a mirror...

By the time Ji Xiaodao finally waited for Mo to return, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

"Sorry for the wait." Mo spoke to her flatly, without the slightest apology. "I was delayed a little."

Ji Xiaodao shook her head and smiled. "It's fine. It really wasn't that long."

Her smile seemed much gentler than before...

But Mo paid it no attention. He simply passed by her and walked toward the densely packed tents ahead. "Let's go. We still have some time."

"Mm, I'll accompany you." Ji Xiaodao followed him naturally, walking half a step behind Mo, just as she had done these past few days.

Perhaps fate had reserved this position for her from the very beginning...

A position from which she could watch over him, accompany him, and reach out to touch that person with merely a lift of her hand.

As for whether the Dark Elf Silent Prayer had truly been controlled by the Sin King, we did not know...

As for whether the Sin King had ever cared about whether that girl had truly been controlled by him, no one knew that either.

Looking back through history, we could only use the words "fate" to give a fundamentally unreasonable explanation for their encounter, and firmly believe that it had meaning.

Viewed through the lens of romanticism... yes, romance. Although those two words seemed impossible to associate with that man, we could still speculate among the many possibilities about the least plausible one...

Perhaps there had always been a place in the Sin King's heart. It was unique, just like she was—one of a kind.

So he left it to her~ (Thank goodness the Common Tongue lets me express this possibility so concisely.)

From all the events recorded in the previous volumes, we could see that whether it was the Four Cardinal Sin Generals under the Sin King, the Thirteen Godslaying Stars, or his Six Absolution Legion Commanders, none had ever truly obtained the Sin King's trust, nor had any of them ever truly been taken seriously by him.

They were merely... tools...

How unfortunate...

Of course, I felt neither pity nor sympathy for them. After all, the wounds those people had inflicted upon this world had yet to fully heal. If I had been born in that era, I would certainly have wished for every one of those abettors to be utterly annihilated and meet a horrible end.

But I was ultimately not from that era, so I still could not help feeling sorry for them.

From their countless battles and operations, I could see how deeply they revered and yearned for their king. Even death, destruction, and laying down their lives could not stop their stubborn loyalty.

It was a kind of faith...

A kind of fanatical faith and loyalty that I might never be able to understand in my entire life.

But as I said before, no matter what, in the Sin King's eyes, they were merely tools.

Only the Dark Elf who had followed the Sin King from the very beginning had been able to quietly stand at his side in that era...

Perhaps we could not forgive her, but everyone had to admit that Silent Prayer was special. She was different from those evildoers whose hands were likewise stained with blood...

She was a person from another world who did not belong to ours...

She was Lady Night Angel of the Grand Alliance's biological younger sister...

She was the only woman the Sin King had ever truly trusted...

She was his strategist, confidante, and guard... perhaps even his partner...

She was one of a kind—the Sin King's side.

—"An Imagined Epic, The Sin King Volume: The Sin King's Side"

Thirty-Third Chapter: End