Return of the Fallen Volume 12 Chapter 74
The poor fool was tossed out on his ass into the dark alley. Covered from head to toe in shit and death closing in on him every passing second. This man who had nothing laughed as if he had gone insane. In the end, he slowly stood up and began to slink out of the alley, stumbling as he went. It was then that Kazuki called out from behind.
“Do you wish to live?”
The man turned and looked at Kazuki. The two had never met but he did see Kazuki moments ago inside the bar. He thought Kazuki was just another asshole trying to have a laugh at his expense.
“I’ve already been humiliated plenty enough for one day. Can’t you just leave me to rot in peace? I have nothing.”
The man turned away and continued heading toward the street. Just before he felt the sun on his face, he was pulled back into the alley and thrown against the side of a building.
The man was shocked. He had done nothing that was worthy of such treatment and hostility. Not just him but Arc and Codex didn’t understand what Kazuki was up to.
(Kazuki why are you messing with this poor man?)
(Brat this God is close to death and we still have things that need be done. Forget this weak being and let us prepare.)
Kazuki felt the two were not giving him enough credit.
(What thoughts do you two have of me? This man, I am simply offering him life in exchange for his information. I’m not playing with his life here. As to why you two wanted a reason to deal with the shadow, this man said it already. The Black Gate. A treasure of some kind that has the potential to change the Higher Realms. If the shadow gets ahold of such a power, it won’t matter how strong of an army I procure, or how many ranks are filled, the shadow would be unstoppable, no?)
Arc and Codex went silent.
(That’s what I thought. Hiding in the darkness and going about my grind with slow progression is no longer an option. We cannot wait for the shadow to just claim this powerful object. If we cannot swoop in and steal it away from him, then we must find a way to destroy this Realm chaining treasure. This man knows things, even if it’s not much, it’s better to gain every piece of info I can before the path to the Black Gate opens.)
The man was slumped against the wall. Instead of showing fear though, a look of pure defeat spread across his face.
“I don’t know how I offended someone like you but it no longer matters. I’m dead soon anyway. Kill me if you want but do me a favor and hurry up. I’m tired of the constant pain my soul endures.”
The man threw out his longbow and that same foul dark energy emitted off of it.
“The pain from this…I’ve suffered enough. Just kill me.”
The man’s words did not match what his soul was saying. Even though he was a God and Kazuki normally could not use his soul-reading ability on them. Because this man’s soul was so badly damaged and weakened from this foul energy, Kazuki could read his true intentions, his true will. On the outside, he wished to be done with it all but deep down, his soul was screaming to go on. What he really wanted was to live. To live without pain, without torment, to make those that laughed at him and called him the worst of the worst eat their own words.
Kazuki leaned forward so that a small beam of light fell on his face and he smiled almost demonically.
“Kill you, there’s no point in killing you. Rather, it would benefit me if you lived. So, I ask again, do you wish to live?”
The man actually looked up at Kazuki. His expression was that of a beaten dog. He held no such thing as hope.
“Sir, you are too cruel. You know as well as I do there is no life after one’s soul has been destroyed. Is it really so fun to make fun of me?”
Kazuki could see words were ineffective. Reaching down, he picked up the man’s bow. The dark energy spilling out of it touched Kazuki’s hand. The broken man saw this and tried to warn Kauzki not to touch it lest his soul be destroyed but Kauzki had already grabbed it before he could.
To his shock, the dark energy pouring out of his bow did nothing to Kazuki. No more than that, from his own eyes it looked as if the dark energy was actually flowing into Kauzki’s hand and was actively being absorbed by him.
The man couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing. This dark energy was something that came directly from within the Black gate. It was a terrifying power that was incredibly hard to resist without plenty of preparation or overwhelming power. Once it got in, it was like an unstoppable infection as it ate away at one’s soul. Spreading and corrupting. Even if one could defend themselves from this energy, it was an entirely different thing to absorb it.
The man’s eyes went wide and he tried to say something but it only came out in a belligerent stutter.
Kazuki took a step toward him and as he did, the dark energy began to fade away. Kazuki handed the bow back. There was still dark energy inside but the man could sense a great deal of it had been suppressed. Even if nothing changed from this day forward, the change Kazuki just brought forth would allow the man at least a year longer of life.
“Have you really given up? Have you really decided your life is no longer worth fighting for? Understandable to some degree but when you actually stop trying, when you actually lay down and allow darkness to roll over you like a black wave in the ocean. Well at that point, are you even worthy of life.”
Tears began to fill the man’s eyes.
“I…am I not worthy of living. Do I not deserve to go on?”
As he began sobbing he hugged his body tightly in his chest. Kazuki placed a hand on his shoulder and sent out a way of powerful ki. This energy was like a second chance, a new life. It was light in the darkness, a blazing flame in the black abyss. With a serious tone, Kauzki’s aura filled the alley and he spoke.
“ARE YOU WORTHY!”
Kauzki’s voice boomed in his ears and reverberated in the man’s chest. The man’s entire body shook and it was as if something had awoken deep inside of him. The ki inside mixed with this powerful booming force shook him to the core and his soul responded back in kind with a roar of its own. This was not something he did but rather something instinctual. His soul responded to Kazuki’s power and he on reflex shouted back.
“YES!”
Kazuki smirked.
(I guess that got his attention now didn’t it.)
Kazuki offered the man a hand and asked.
“This is it, this is the final time I’ll ask you. Do you wish to live?”
The man didn’t hesitate as he reached out and took Kauzki’s hand. As he got pulled up back to his feet, again he felt a jolt from his soul.
“YES. I WANT TO LIVE!”
Kazuki didn’t allow the momentum to slow as he looked the man in the eye and gave him the truth.
“I want everything within your mind. If you wish to live on, give me everything and you shall. This is the deal I offer you. Life for your life. What say you!?”
The man was shocked. Everything was flowing way too fast. Kazuki had just asked for his life and in exchange, he would be granted life. One could easily misunderstand what this meant but this man did not. Slavery was no small business in the three Higher Realms. To become, someone’s slave meant absolutely no freedom. No self-governance of any kind. To give up your entire future and all that you are. One would have to be insane to take such a deal or at the very least desperate beyond desperate.
The man did not want such a thing. To live the rest of his life as a slave, would it not be better to simply die and end one’s own suffering once and for all? You would think many would choose this but in the end, it was human nature to struggle and fight for the chance at life in the face of death. Even if that life was a life of servitude.
The man shut his eyes for a moment before he asked.
“Can you promise to take away this pain? You have that power right, that’s how you suppressed the dark energy in my Soul weapon right?”
“That is an ability I certainly have. If you hand over your soul to me, naturally I will heal it and remove this foul energy.”
The man’s eyes opened and a look of determination lit up like an infinite inferno.
(One day I will break the chains of slavery, one day I will free myself and live the way I so choose. Until that day…)
“I offer my life for a life.”
Once again Kazuki smirked.
“You chose correctly.”
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