Endless Debt Chapter 1079 - 112: One Among the Multitude (Part 2)

"I am not here at Mammon’s command."

Gray drew forth his old comrade’s Secret Sword, its surface slick with foul venom that emitted a peculiar brownish hue.

"Oh? Then what is it you wish to obtain from me?" The Shadow King attempted a laugh, "You had best be quick, my time is exceedingly short."

Gray’s declaration was blunt: "I wish to kill you."

Abruptly, Gray sheathed his blade. He leaned against a fractured stone pillar, settling into a seated position directly opposite the Shadow King.

"You might scarcely believe it, but mere weeks ago, I was still a green recruit among the King’s Secret Sword, following my esteemed captains on this cursed city’s soil, undertaking my very first assignment."

"You were part of Jia Meng’s unit?" The Shadow King, comprehending the intricate network of allegiances, inferred, "I surmise Jia Meng betrayed you all; he slaughtered your comrades… and now, you have come to exact your vengeance upon me."

It was not a difficult conclusion to reach. From their initial encounter, when Gray had recounted the genesis of the two Secret Swords, the Shadow King had harbored a distinct premonition.

A slight nod from Gray followed. He lifted the Silence Sword, intending to clear the venom from its edge, but the instant his palm made contact, an agonizing burn erupted.

"Jia Meng himself met his end by my hand. Yet, after I dispatched him, a sense of satisfaction was notably absent."

Gray articulated, "An inexplicable emptiness consumed me. I discerned that I required a more potent fury to propel myself forward… Consequently, from that moment, my sole desire became to extinguish you, the very architect of my despair."

"Then why do you hesitate?" the Shadow King inquired.

"I find myself somewhat adrift,"

Gray replied, shaking his head. Though outwardly brimming with animosity towards the Shadow King, his actual interest in slaying him seemed diminished. "The sheer weight of my accumulated hatred has left me disoriented. I cannot grasp the concepts of so-called justice and iniquity, nor do I comprehend the path I ought to tread. I’ve come to realize that perhaps, this blind pursuit of vengeance will not bring me solace."

"So, what is it you truly seek from me?" the Shadow King pressed.

"I desire to comprehend your motives," Gray stated, his gaze fixed. "Why did you betray the King’s Secret Sword? Why did you establish the King’s Shield Guard? Why orchestrate these events? In my perception, you members of the King’s Shield Guard are nothing short of traitors. Yet, from your own vantage point, you perceive yourselves as the epitome of unwavering loyalty."

The Shadow King fell into a profound silence.

"Will you carry that secret to your grave?" Gray’s voice escalated. "If you harbor such deep contempt for the King’s Secret Sword and deem yourselves utterly loyal, why then withhold these truths from me?"

Gray continued his impassioned questioning, "Why? Why did we fracture? Why did we, who should have stood united, turn upon each other in a bloodbath? Why!"

The barrage of ‘whys’ today was overwhelming.

"I need to understand the genesis of all this. I yearn to uncover the truth behind this devastating tragedy!"

With these accumulated emotions finally unleashed, Gray experienced a peculiar sense of release.

Much like the Shadow King, Gray had endured prolonged suffering. Jia Meng’s perfidy had shattered his very convictions, and Milasha’s demise had nearly obliterated his spirit.

Ever since that fateful rainy evening, Gray had been set upon a divergent path of destiny, his entire world reduced to ruins.

Now, Gray no longer harbored any longing for tranquility. His sole pursuit was understanding the reason ‘why’.

Why had matters escalated to this point? Why had his life become such an absurd charade?

Gray's voice took on a distinctly pleading tone.

"What if you could persuade me?"

This was a secret the Shadow King had guarded fiercely throughout his existence, vowing to cleanse this ignominy with blood and prevent its revelation. However, at this precise juncture, he appeared utterly spent. As if touched by Gray’s raw anguish, the Shadow King realized that the revelation of this truth no longer held consequence. For after this day, the Kagader lineage would be irrevocably severed, rendering all his past efforts utterly meaningless.

"It is a narrative both protracted and, in retrospect, brief."

The Shadow King’s demeanor seemed to rekindle a spark of resolve, a will to persist, a desperate attempt to remain lucid.

"In ages past, there existed a warrior. Through countless campaigns, he ascended the ranks from a simple soldier to a non-commissioned officer, eventually commanding his own troops, and ultimately, achieving the status of General. His conquests were so vast that he even subjugated an entire kingdom, crowning himself its sovereign. From the ranks of a soldier to the eminence of a King, he amassed legions of accolades. Yet, beneath this veneer of glory, his ambitions festered and grew. The King harbored an intense dread of mortality, a fear of being sundered from his dominion. He craved the eternal wearing of his crown, the perpetual rule over an unending kingdom. Driven by this overwhelming desire, one fateful day, a sinister entity – a Devil – presented itself. The entity offered the King the coveted gift of immortality, but at a steep price: the forfeiture of his progeny."

As these words left his lips, an unnamable fury surged through the Shadow King’s form. He uttered a solemn curse.

"The King in this tale was the progenitor of the Kagader Empire, the very First Enshrined King."

The brutal, blood-soaked truth struck Gray’s consciousness, leaving his mind utterly blank, devoid of thought.The First Enshrined King obtained a profound Blessing, a miraculous gift enabling his soul to traverse through his lineage. This means he wasn't merely the First Enshrined King; beneath each subsequent King's mortal form, the original soul had long since been extinguished, a sacrifice made to the Devil. The true sovereign adorning the crowns throughout history is none other than the soul of the First Enshrined King. He is, in essence, the King of Kings. Gray fixed his gaze upon the Shadow King, his breaths becoming ragged and strained, as though breath itself was a painful struggle. "Then... the current King of Slaughter..." Gray's voice was barely a whisper. "Yes, he too is the First Enshrined King," the Shadow King confirmed, his voice tinged with an ancient sorrow, a wound that time could never heal. "Not everyone yielded to his dominion, willingly offering the Kagader family's destiny to the Devil's grasp."