Chapter 33

Chapter 33: By the Sin King's Side

Everything was so dull and repulsive...

The moonlight, the chirping of insects, the sky, the clouds, the dew...

Colors, sounds, sensations, people, thoughts...

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

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

Meaningless, senseless.

There had never been any right or wrong, nor any fall 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 possessed an 'original form,' why not just turn it into something one liked?

When the clamorous noise became deafening, one could grow numb and accustomed to it.

Or simply let it fall into utter silence—that wouldn't be so bad either.

Mo gently crouched down, gazing at a small pink flower beneath the shade of a tree. He could feel its vibrant vitality, and precisely because of that, it was able to stubbornly grow in this place where the environment was hardly suitable.

"Resolute, tenacious, and aloof." A serene smile actually appeared on Mo's face, his eyes revealing pure admiration: "But this unique beauty still holds some flaws..."

A dark red halo flickered and vanished, silent and traceless.

A charred black petal drifted down to land at his feet...

"There, that's..." Mo straightened up, his figure seeming to stagger slightly. He raised a hand to touch the half mask covering his eyes, murmuring softly: "Perfect~"

"When I first walked over, I thought you were complimenting me."

Ji Xiaodao had appeared behind Mo at some point, her rather indifferent tone seemingly carrying a hint of concern: "Are you alright?"

"Resolute, tenacious, and aloof?" Mo turned to look at the tall girl with long silver hair in the game, not answering her final question, but only shaking his head coldly: "All I see in you is blindness, willfulness, and relentless pestering."

Ji Xiaodao shrugged nonchalantly, her expression blank as she said: "With a personality like that, no girl will ever be interested in you."

"Aside from you, that is indeed the case." Mo leaned sideways against an ancient tree beside him, gently rubbing his temples: "Stop following me. You should know you're getting in the way..."

A faint blush suddenly rose on the Dark Elf's pale face. Ji Xiaodao stared straight at this guy who didn't seem like a normal person at all: "What did you say!?"

"You're in the way." Mo repeated without a trace of emotion.

"That's not what I'm asking about!" The girl gritted her teeth, her brows slightly furrowed.

Mo merely glanced at her: "You're really annoying..."

To be honest, the fact that he hadn't killed this overly troublesome girl by now was nothing short of a miracle for Mo. Although his earlier attempt to do so had been interrupted by that cavalry squad—now long since reduced to bones—he'd had plenty of opportunities to finish the job afterward...

【I really should kill her.】

Just as Mo Tan was thinking this for the umpteenth time, the girl in front of him changed the subject.

"The Messenger arrived in the capital this afternoon," Ji Xiaodao suddenly said. "The Investigation Team is expected to arrive here in two days. Viscount Teal, following your orders, has not sent any rescue troops to Banser City again. He seems to be waiting for further instructions from you..."

Beneath the mask, the increasingly violent chaos in Mo's eyes receded slightly as he narrowed his gaze.

Ji Xiaodao continued on her own: "I found out that among the investigators coming this time, there is a Grand Duke named Bart Gallos. He holds considerable power among the empire's high-ranking officials and is himself a High-level Hurricane Archmage, deeply trusted by the emperor."

A wicked smile suddenly bloomed at the corner of his mouth. Mo nodded to the girl. "Continue."

"Also accompanying them are the High Priest of the Nightfall Sect and several High Priests. I've learned that they worship the Ranger, the Poet, and the Guardian of Children—the Moon Goddess Rose, a True Neutral deity." Ji Xiaodao's speech seemed to quicken. "I think those people will definitely be interested in you. They might even try to tie you up and..."

"Stakes aren't popular around here. And even if they were, I'd only be one of the spectators." Mo walked slowly to stand before Ji Xiaodao, looking down at the Dark Elf girl who was a few centimeters taller than him in the game. He asked softly, "What are you trying to say?"

The girl stared back stubbornly. "I just want you to know that I'm not trouble, and I'm not in the way!"

Mo shook his head slightly. "I don't need a companion, and I'm unwilling to trust anyone other than myself."

"I can help you!" Ji Xiaodao raised her voice. "I'm already doing it!"

"But I don't need an ally."

"I..."

"Or do you think I couldn't have gotten that information out of Viscount Teal myself?"

"..."

"However~" Mo stared into Ji Xiaodao's bright, disappointed eyes and said softly, "He is, after all, just an ordinary tool."

The girl blinked in slight confusion.

"I have no interest in any of your thoughts. But if you insist on following, perhaps I can indeed show you many different sights... or nightmares." Mo's voice suddenly turned low and ethereal. "Only..."

At that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Ji Xiaodao's mind—fear, confusion, anticipation, pity, anxiety...

And many, many more.

"You can keep your self, but you must unconditionally obey all my commands."

Boundless evil surged from his eyes. In that instant, Mo activated his Talent Skill against a player named Ji Dao.

[Original Sin]

"Suicide." When Ji Xiaodao's slightly stiff body relaxed a little, Mo said to her casually, "Now."

The blade slid from its sheath, and the girl unhesitatingly thrust the weapon fiercely toward her own heart!

But Ji Xiaodao failed...

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

"I've changed my mind." Mo tilted his head and whispered softly into the ear of the struggling dark elf girl in his arms, "You'll stay by my side... for now..."

Ji Xiaodao immediately stopped struggling, turned her head, and bloomed into an unprecedented gentle smile at him: "Mm~"

Mo released her and walked off into the distance without looking back: "Wait for me here."

...

Five minutes later, in a sparsely wooded area a short distance away.

Mo stopped, pulled a hexagonal crystal from his pack, and examined it closely...

[Nameless Blood Contract]

Quality: Unique Legendary

Requirement: Possess a Summoning Class / Total Base Stats no less than 300

Effect: Permanently deduct 20% of Stamina and Health Points Cap (non-current) as a cost to create a custom summon. Its existence duration is permanent, it can execute any command without distance restrictions, can be summoned and dismissed at any time, possesses growth potential, but its abilities can never exceed the summoner's total stats. It can share the skill list with the summoner (excluding Special Skills and Talent Skills). If killed, it can be revived beside the summoner after 240 hours (game time).

[Note: Whether this is a worthwhile deal depends entirely on your purpose.]

This crystal was one of the spoils Mo obtained during his first login, in the process of bloodbathing Banser City. It was also the only Legendary Grade item on him, and very likely the first Legendary item discovered by a player in the game.

But from a gamer's perspective, the cost-performance ratio of this [Nameless Blood Contract] was not high, even for players specializing in the Summoner class.

First, its cost was too steep. Permanently deducting 20% of Stamina and Health Points Cap was undoubtedly a massive impact for anyone, and it was 'non-current,' meaning after use, when a player's theoretical HP was 100, it would drop to 80. After a long period of leveling up, when the theoretical value became 1000, it would only be 800, not just losing the initial 20 points to become 980.

The same logic applied to Stamina.

As two of the most important stats in the game, this effectively made oneself 20% frailer permanently.

Second, although the summon could be customized—theoretically, even conjuring a dragon was no issue—and could share most skills with the summoner, its overall abilities could never surpass the summoner's. So while it seemed quite formidable, it wasn't overwhelmingly strong...

You see, in any game, the common trait of Summoner Class players in the later stages is that their Summoned Creatures are stronger than themselves, which means... a big shot, equals... taking off, equals... being flashy, equals... escorting a girl, equals... online romance, equals... meeting in person, equals... dumbfounded, worldview shattered, blood spilled in five steps, instant explosion...

Seems like I've gone off track~

What I mean is, this type of Summoned Creature in the later stages can hardly boost the player's Coolness Value significantly, leading to a series of delightful outcomes.

Plus, considering the cost I mentioned earlier, the Cost-Performance Ratio isn't high. (See, I've circled back.)

But Mo never approached it from a gamer's perspective from the start, so he doesn't care. Besides, for various reasons, this thing actually suits him perfectly.

Of course, not in terms of combat, but rather...

"Deception." Mo stared at the face on the crystal's surface—his own, yet not solely his—and with a wild laugh, he crushed it to pieces, unhesitatingly sacrificing 20% of his Health Points and Stamina caps to activate it.

As several plumes of Blood Mist rose from his body, Mo revealed a carefree and inscrutable smile. Watching the black silhouette gradually taking shape before him, mad whispers seemed to come from that Chaos Beyond: "Now, the last lingering worry is about to be dealt with..."

He gazed at the chaotic patch of ground not far ahead, as if looking into a Mirror, scrutinizing it carefully...

...

By the time Ji Xiaodao finally waited for Mo to return, the sky was almost brightening.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Mo said to her without a hint of apology, his tone flat. "Got held up a bit longer."

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

Her smile seemed gentler than before...

But Mo didn't notice. He simply walked past her, heading toward the dense rows of Camp Tents ahead. "Let's go. We still have some time."

"Yeah, I'll go with you." Ji Xiaodao naturally followed behind him, walking half a step behind, just as she had been doing these past few days.

...

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

A position where one could watch over, could accompany, could reach out and touch that person with just a hand.

As for whether the Dark Elf Ji Dao was truly under the Sin King's control, we don't know...

And whether the Sin King ever cared if that girl was truly under his control, no one knows either.

Looking back at history, we can only use the word 'fate' to offer a fundamentally unreasonable explanation for their encounter, and insist that it has meaning.

To understand it through a romantic lens... yes, romance, even though that word seems utterly disconnected from that man, we can still speculate among many possibilities for the most far-fetched one...

Perhaps in the Sin King's heart, there was always a place that was unique, just like her—unique.]

So he left it for her~ (Thank the Common Language for allowing me to express this possibility so succinctly.)

From everything recorded in those previous volumes, we can see that whether it was the Four Demon Generals of Original Sin under the Sin King, the Thirteen God-Slaying Stars, or his Six Legion Commanders of Absolution, none of them ever truly gained the Sin King's trust, nor were they ever truly regarded by him.

They were merely... tools...

A pity...

Of course, I harbor no pity or sympathy, for the wounds these people inflicted upon this world have yet to fully heal. Had I lived in that era, I too would have wished for all those accomplices to be utterly annihilated, body and soul, and die a miserable death.

But I am ultimately not a person of that era, so I still cannot help but feel regret for them.

From countless battles and operations, I could see how much those people revered and admired their king, to the point where even death or utter destruction could not stop their stubborn loyalty.

It was a kind of faith...

A mad faith and loyalty that I might never understand in my lifetime.

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

Only that Dark Elf who had followed the Sin King from the very beginning could truly stand quietly by his side in that era...

Perhaps we cannot forgive her, but anyone must admit that Ji Dao was special, different from those other villains whose hands were also stained with blood...

She was an Otherworldly Being not originally from this world...

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

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

She was his strategist, confidante, bodyguard... and perhaps also his partner...

She was unique—By the Sin King's Side.

—"Conjectural Epic, Sin King Volume: By the Sin King's Side"

Chapter Thirty-Three: The End