Chapter 1143: Something More Than Life, the Meaning of Inscription

In the future, Hawkeye might be destroyed, Iris might be reborn, and everything would be better... but without Sirius.

No, perhaps in the future when the iris is redeemed and humanity is saved, people will remember this extinct family in this way - the Siliaix family, which once almost assassinated Aiwass, who saved the world, and became the sinner of all mankind.

——What did they do wrong?

From a human perspective, he sent Chloe to Avalon to distribute the novel "Dracula," warning the people of Avalon of the dangers posed by the Moon Child. From a royalist perspective, he had long ago plotted to keep the Speaker of the House of Parliament, a man of royal blood, alive, while burying those scum who acted recklessly under the banner of Hawkeye. From a patriotic perspective, he also participated in the curse against the Avalon royal family and in counterintelligence efforts against Star Antimony. From a grandfather's perspective, he had his granddaughter gild herself so that she would inherit the political influence of the Siliaix family after his death...

What did he do wrong?

He single-handedly killed hundreds of Moon Children, including some at the fourth and even fifth energy levels. He was the most prolific killer of Moon Children in all of Hawkeye, and those he attacked were always powerful followers of the Blood Sky Division. His position in Hawkeye was firmly in the top three, and not even the leader could force him to participate in missions. He assassinated traitors, spies, wealthy individuals, and officials attempting to defect... and indirectly saved countless lives.

This is what he vowed to do since he was a teenager when he took over the "Eagle Feather" dagger from his grandfather, and what he has already done - in the name of Sirius, he secretly protects this country.

Why should the Siriax family lose all their glory just because Aiwass became the savior? Chloe, the heir to the Siriax family and the most powerful genius in their history, would become the sinner who "nearly destroyed the world" just because he offended Aiwass?

“——Why?” the old man murmured.

Their family had already paid too much, and they would never allow themselves to become sinners in the future. He would not allow the family to be cut off in his hands, nor would he allow them to destroy everything in his hands.

In that case...

——It would be better to prevent Aiwass from having the chance to save the world.

Dark hatred, jealousy, and despair spread in my heart.

Thomas's selfless devotion led him to his own downfall—everything he did was solely for the hope that the name of "Ciriax" would be etched in history. And the tinge of "hatred" mixed in obscured his true purpose... leading him to ultimately choose to push everything into the abyss.

Or the iris, cleansed by Cyriacs, becomes flourishing again;

Or, let Hawkeye, without Siliaix, be destroyed along with the iris.

He leans towards the latter.

The dim yellow in Thomas' pupils became brighter and more turbid.

His back gradually became hunched, his skin aged at a visible rate, and his presence dwindled. That was the price he paid for using the White Rainbow Tantra; his already limited life would be plundered.

But in contrast—his aura and head became more and more proud.

"So-called assassins...are definitely not just killers who are paid to do things."

He murmured softly, the first words his grandfather said when he taught him the art of assassination when he was a child.

Scenes from the past appeared before my eyes like yellowed photos.

He even thought he had forgotten all these things.

"--Only those who hold the selfless determination can be called an assassin--once this sword is drawn, this sword will come to fruition. Even if the price is one's own life." This is what my grandfather said at the time.

His voice was always hollow and echoing, as if he was talking into a cave.

The long, black hair that was as damp and curly as seaweed, and the dark, oppressive eyes... were like the blackest night, terrifying the child.

Every word was so clear, so clear that it seemed like it was something my memory could not remember.

"life?"

Young Thomas was a little confused at the time: "But if I die... what good would killing him do me? The money I got wouldn't be of any use. And... I might be framed. After all, the dead can't speak."

The grandfather simply stared at him in disappointment, looking at this child whose eye and hair color were different from his own. "Killing him is the meaning in itself. If you don't have the awareness of death, you will never be able to reach the highest realm... And if you already have the awareness of death, then what use are money and power to you?

"Adapting to the Path is the path of the insignificant. Only those who fear death most and desire survival most will awaken the power of this Path. They are willing to bend their knees and crawl on the ground to survive. Even if there is no dignity, as long as they can survive, it is enough.

"At the same time, it is the strong will to survive that allows mortals to bravely fight against those tigers, monsters, demons... or even those villains who are more cunning than demons and more vicious than tigers.

"If you die, others can live. That's the meaning. Generations of Siliaix have lived for this reason—the purpose of living is to die. Perhaps you're not a pure Siliaix... so you don't understand."

——Only things that are higher than their precious lives are worthy of the adapters who are afraid of death and love life to sacrifice their lives.

That is exactly for the purpose of "engraving".

The Siliaix family is a family that inherits the dual paths of dedication and adaptation.

For fame. To leave a name in history. To change the future with my humble body. To create the world with my own strength.

Success may not depend on me, but I must be part of it - even if future generations cannot remember their existence, or even know their names... but what they did will surely change the entire future.

The reason why only he and Chloe are left in the Siliaix family is simple...

Because everyone else is dead.

They used their own lives to successfully assassinate the impossible person.

There is no doubt that the power of the Moon Child far exceeds that of humans.

Even without any training or the ability to manipulate blood, a fourth-level Moon Child could easily shatter city walls with a single punch, resist artillery shells with his body, be immune to illusions of the same level, and see through fog and darkness. His hearing, sense of smell, and reaction speed were several times that of a human. Furthermore, he could recover from severe injuries simply by sucking blood, not to mention being able to transform into bats and fly away. Any bat could become his true form...

That's pure strength. Even without any fancy supernatural abilities, they're already formidable. Those with the Blood Lord class rank, or devout faith in the Blood Celestial, can wield powerful spells and divine abilities... They can also learn curses and rituals on their own, or use potions to further enhance their combat effectiveness. While their abilities may not be comprehensive, killing them is incredibly difficult.

Only the White Rainbow Tantra can accomplish this miracle by defeating the strong with the weak and defeating many with one.

The reason he didn't teach this secret to Chloe was simple... Given Chloe's proud personality, if she had this secret, she would definitely try to assassinate an enemy with a higher power level than herself. As the saying goes, drowning is easy, so if she continued to try like this, she would eventually fail.

He had originally planned to leave the White Rainbow Tantra with an old friend after his death, and then teach it to Chloe after she gave birth to a child.

With the child as a bond, Chloe wouldn't act so recklessly. She'd at least consider the question of "what if I died"... just like him, afraid to die.

In this way, one can use the White Rainbow Tantra with caution and avoid burning oneself out completely.

“Grandfather…”

The old man murmured softly, his skin gradually turned yellow and withered, his teeth fell out, and two tears as turbid as muddy water slowly rolled down his cheeks.

"Have I disappointed you yet..."

He sobbed and gradually knelt on the ground amid the surprised gazes of passers-by.

Then the vague sobs turned into loud crying, and the old man who always wanted to be decent was like a lost child at this moment.

His hair color, eye color... were all different from the grandfather he admired.

That was all because of the bloodline his father brought, which distorted the fearless blood of Sirius.

Because of this, he desperately longed for his grandfather's approval. He wanted to be the best Siliaix could be... the strongest assassin.

——He failed, but he also succeeded.

It's not that he became the strongest, but that all the Silieks who were stronger than him died.

Obscurity. Posthumous obscurity.

Even the death was not even a burial place.

He was afraid of that future... He didn't want to die like that.

The most terrifying assassin is the nameless one. But if no one remembers you... then what's the point of being an assassin?

——In that case, I will become a tombstone.

Although they will die in the line of duty, I will remember them. The Siliaix family is destined to inherit the assassin spirit of the Hawkeye Organization and become the last assassin family...

Remember. Engraved. Never forgotten.

And to never forget also means... one must first reach eternity.

Thus, the desire to survive outweighs the mission to remember... The will to live ultimately surpasses the heart of dedication.

From then on, he no longer carried out assassination missions, but instead focused on training new recruits. Outsiders thought he retired due to injury... but in fact, it was because he was no longer able to use the White Rainbow Tantra.

——Until now, he can do it again.

Siliakes had already determined that there was no possibility of further inheritance. The assassin family founded at the beginning of Iris would be completely cut off here.

Now, when old Thomas looks back, he realizes… he had given up on Siriusx’s will at some point.

Only when he is completely free can he come out again with the determination to die.

However, this time it was not the pure and flawless "engraving" will—

Contaminated by "love and hate," his selfless resolve became blind. He would rather destroy everything in his own hands. As the saying goes, the weak fear the strong, the strong fear the strong, the strong fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the desperate—if someone is willing to give up even his own life, he can do anything.

If he uses this determination to kill evil spirits, he will become a sharp blade that the evil spirits fear; and if he uses this determination to destroy himself, even a small person will have the opportunity to detonate the world.

"Let everything turn into nothingness..."

Thomas' pupils had completely melted, and his skin was dripping like melted candy.

He knelt on the ground, his whole body becoming blurry.

What is it?

Since when did things go wrong?

Such confusion arose in his heart.

Obviously every step is correct.

Obviously every step is taken for granted.

——Where did I start to stray from the path?

(End of this chapter)