He Must Kill Him

When Harlan arrived at the council chamber, he was somewhat ill at ease. He was not accustomed to serious occasions.

The weakness of King Norwick on the throne surprised Harlan and even frightened him.

He did not know what had caused a king so admired by warriors to become so weak.

There was now a figure in black robes beside King Norwick. The hood concealed the face beneath its brim.

A trace of displeasure flashed across Harlan's face, but he quickly concealed it.

Harlan naturally knew those black-robed figures who never showed themselves. They were the outsiders of the Guardian Domain, specially trained psionics because of the need to fight with psionic powers, and directly governed by the royal family.

"My king!" The Champion Swordsman dropped to one knee and paid King Norwick the highest respect in a firm, powerful voice.

"Champion Swordsman, Haran Ogilvy!"

The king's feeble voice was like a summons, calling for his guardian knight.

"Can I trust you?"

It was a simple question, but Harlan felt an immense burden in it, as though the king had placed all his hopes on him.

"My Second Oath! I will never fail King Norwick!"

Harlan lowered his head deeply. He was always prepared to fight for Nul with his life and spill his blood for King Norwick.

"If I asked you to break the Third Oath and kill Doom, in order to uphold the First and Second Oaths—the oaths of protection you once swore—what would you do?"

Boom—

King Norwick's question exploded in Harlan's skull like a thunderclap, leaving his head buzzing and his nerves in disarray from the explosive information.

The First Oath required the Night Watchers to protect Nul. It was the Watchers' original oath, and the entire system of the Night Watchers had been built around it.

Doom... At the thought of that name, bitterness spread across Harlan's face. Had King Norwick sensed something and decided to erase him to protect Nul?

"My king... are you certain that is what you just said?"

The Champion Swordsman's body was taut. Inside his power armor, he was drenched in cold sweat as he asked with difficulty.

Though Harlan had spent only a short time with Doom, he had watched his sworn lord grow up. The two of them had been both teacher and friend, and their bond was deep.

Leaving aside the feelings between them, Harlan felt that this question violated all moral and ethical principles.

A father killing his son! Since the founding of the Guardian Domain, such a terrible crime had never occurred.

Most importantly, Harlan felt that Norwick thought too highly of him and too little of his son.

Against such a powerful being, one could count oneself fortunate if he was an ally. If he was an enemy, even giving one's all might only ensure that one did not die too disgracefully.

"I am certain, Champion Swordsman. If I asked you to kill Doom, what would you do?"

Norwick leaned against the throne and watched Harlan with a scrutinizing gaze, waiting for his answer.

"I will fulfill the First and Second Oaths!" Harlan let out a long breath, as though he had exhausted every ounce of strength to make that choice.

Protecting Nul was an iron law above all else. The Night Watchers would never violate it!

"Good. Your answer satisfies me."

After receiving the answer he wanted, King Norwick gestured for the Psionic Master beside him to deploy a barrier. He had some absolute secrets to entrust to the Champion Swordsman.

"Champion Swordsman, come closer."

As he beckoned Harlan over, Norwick lowered his head over the throne within the psionic barrier, activated the Nul Crystal, and opened another dimensional barrier.

Harlan's scalp prickled. He felt as though he had been forced into a colossal whirlpool, and his choice would be crucial.

Under his astonished gaze, King Norwick took out a strange sphere and opened another transparent barrier.

Harlan was certain that such a sphere had never appeared in Nul's human civilization. It had a pale-gray, jade-like texture. Extremely complex lines were carved across its surface, yet they also seemed to form a seamless whole, without any trace of workmanship.

"We can speak freely now."

With the opening of the three layers of barriers, the weariness on King Norwick's face eased considerably, and he revealed a relaxed smile.

"Champion Swordsman, do you believe there are gods in this world?"

"No!" Harlan gave a resolute answer almost without hesitation, his tone as decisive as a blade.

There were no gods in the universe!

Humanity had flown out of the atmosphere with chemical rockets for the first time and searched all around, yet had found no gods.

Harlan's answer brought an understanding smile to King Norwick's face. Not long ago, he too had believed that no gods existed in the universe.

The gods truly were not in the universe. They were in the Warp, behind the veil of reality, silently observing the living beings of the universe.

"There are gods in this world!" Norwick said heavily and solemnly. Then he activated the throne's projection, displaying Harlan's physical data.

On the battlefield, the king knew every detail concerning the Guardian Domain, and his gaze had always seen through everything.

"Haran Ogilvy, you should have felt the changes in your body."

Faced with the data provided by King Norwick, Harlan opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He did not know how to refute it. He did not believe that gods existed in the world, nor did he know what scientific principle could explain the abnormalities in his body.

"You are unfortunate. A god has set its sights on you. Yet you are also fortunate. It values you greatly, and that attention has gradually made you stronger."

"Is a god watching me all the time?"

"Look at the defenses I prepared." Norwick pointed toward the surrounding translucent barriers. "Why do you think I put these measures in place? Whose eavesdropping and prying are they meant to guard against?"

"My king. Have you seen a god with your own eyes?"

Harlan removed his helmet and fixed his tiger-like eyes on his king, earnestly seeking a definite answer.

"They talk to me here, day and night." Norwick pointed to his own head and gave a faintly contemptuous smile—not at Harlan, but at the gods.

"Who do you think caused me to become this miserable?"

"Then..." Harlan knelt again, cold killing intent filling his face. "I am willing to believe that gods exist, and I will brandish my sword against them!"

At that moment, most of the doubts in Harlan's heart were resolved.

His king was afraid—afraid that Doom had been bewitched by the gods and would stray from the Way of the Warrior, perhaps even doing something absurd that would harm Nul.

"I swear to you! If Doom ever turns toward the gods, I will do everything I can and use every means at my disposal to kill him!"

The Champion Swordsman's gaze was firm, fearless even in the face of death. He knew how powerful Doom was, yet he still swore the oath without hesitation, carrying the determination of a moth flying into a flame.

"Good!" Norwick nodded in satisfaction. Harlan's thinking was clear, and he understood right from wrong.

"Open your mind and let the Psionic Master hypnotize you. Seal away these conversations, promises, and memories to evade the gods' gaze."

"An instruction will be planted deep in your mind. If Doom ever strays from the path, these memories will be activated. You will know what to do then."

"Of course, as a father, I hope this never happens."

"This is my final arrangement for you, Champion Swordsman." Norwick spent a great deal of effort explaining everything to Harlan. With his wisdom, he had taken control of everything and arranged every contingency.

"With the utmost reverence, I offer you my highest respect!"

Harlan closed his eyes and gradually lowered his mental defenses, allowing the Psionic Master to lay the measures in his mind.

He knew that within King Norwick's plans, he was the final safeguard. He could not undo anything, but he had to do everything possible to stop the spread of corruption.

The Psionic Master finished everything. When Harlan's consciousness returned, he had already forgotten what had just happened, and he knew that it was time to leave.

No explanation was needed. When Harlan saw the Psionic Master standing before him, he knew that someone had tampered with his memories while he was unconscious.

"King Norwick." Only the Psionic Master remained in the room. His voice was dry yet filled with profound wisdom. "I am looking forward to the ending of the story you have directed. Sadly, I will not live to see it."

"My respects, Psionic Master. Though nothing you have done will be remembered, its influence will reach far."

Norwick had the Psionic Master brainwash him as well, making him forget everything that had occurred within the barrier, including his own arrangements.

"Farewell." Within the shadow of the master's hood, King Norwick saw a trace of a smile. "May you achieve final victory in your game against the gods."

With that, multicolored psionic flames rose from the master's body. In the calmness of flowing water, his flesh and soul burned together into ash.

King Norwick solemnly offered his respects, put away the sphere, and withdrew the layers of barriers.

The game had only just begun, and someone had chosen to sacrifice himself to preserve the secret.

The brief calm faded away. The gods' insidious murmurs returned, and his mind once again became a battlefield of debate.

"The wisdom of mortals dares to reverse the game? That ancient artifact has blocked our sight, but it cannot change the outcome."

"Success depends on human effort!"

(The next part of the plan—the honored readers are already impatient for the Great Crusade.)

(There should be three updates today, right? Right? Bring on the votes!)