Forge a path to success.

Chapter 410 The Love of Protecting All Beings (Part 2)

"Yes, our mission is to protect humanity, which is why I started this project."

The aging king's eyes flickered, revealing deep weariness and anxiety.

"The Earth will soon be unable to hold on."

“How could that be!” one of the family heads retorted. “The economies of all countries are currently on the rise, and technology is developing steadily. Intelligence manipulation is even smoother in the network environment, and secrets can still be kept securely.”

He showed little respect to the old king, because the king had concealed his identity and appeared before everyone only as another family head.

The head of the Ivanrenko family continued, "Our alliance survived even the Cold War, and regional wars are still under control!"

"Have you noticed the frequency of abnormal weather events over the past decade?" the old king asked. "Average temperature? Sea level? Typhoons and earthquakes?"

The family heads all fell silent. One of them spoke with a hint of fear, "It shouldn't be that bad..."

"The infiltration of the calamity species has become stronger," the old king said with certainty. "The birth rate is declining year by year, while the frequency of sightings of werewolves and other anomalies is increasing proportionally. I don't think this is just a coincidence. The contamination of the funeral procession is intensifying."

“I would like to add something,” the head of the Velus family said calmly. “Hedonism is on the rise worldwide, and the worship of evil objects is still popular among many young people. We thought the panic brought about by the ‘end of the century prophecy’ had passed with the turn of the century, but now it seems that the corruption in action has come back to haunt us.”

"It is not yet clear whether the source is a demon, a lustful monster, or a fallen being... but it is very likely a combination of all of them. The infection of heretics in the information age presents a complex and difficult-to-distinguish trend, which is a signal that deserves our vigilance."

The older patriarchs' eyes gleamed, and one of the younger patriarchs retorted, "Our technological weaponry far surpasses that of 20 years ago—"

"This is precisely what worries me deeply. Our technological development is accelerating, surpassing the progress of the past millennium in just the last fifty years," the old king said in a low voice. "We weren't pursued by the Empire in the past because Earth's technology was too rudimentary. But given the current trend, how long until we make contact with the Empire? Are we already on the brink of danger?"

"Or perhaps, they have already seen us?"

The conference room was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the greatest obstacle that had plagued the Blood Alliance for nearly 200 years. Advances in technology, an unstoppable trend. The Blood Alliance, hidden in the shadows of society, could not halt the overall development of human civilization, especially since the Earth was already inseparable from technology.

If they lose science, what means will they have to fight against those who are different? Can they return to the dark Middle Ages and raise the banner of religious inquisition?
“But that’s no excuse to exploit the Fallen,” said the head of the Velus family. “Compared to technology, this is a far more serious case of drinking poison to quench thirst. At least we still have martial arts.”

The old king shook his head: "Time has proven that this path is meaningless. Even a man like Chu Tongchen cannot withstand mass-produced machines. Unless we can cultivate a true martial arts cultivator."

Another tall, thin old man smiled bitterly: "How could that be? We have no teachers or lineage, we can't even find our way in that field."

“This is why I made this decision. Although we cannot reach the path of ascension, we can at least easily reach the heretics,” the old king said. “The Fallen are different from the other heretics. They are bound by love. Compared to machines or disasters, they are at least a kind of life similar to ours… I believe that in this similarity of love, there is hope for humanity.”

"You're so old, yet you still speak with such naivety," one of the family heads said disdainfully.

"How can we not harbor some naive fantasies when we fight for the hope of humanity?" the old man chuckled. "If anything goes wrong, the monarchy will hold me accountable. Let's end this hearing here; if we really wanted to delve deeper, how many similar meetings would we have to hold?"

The clan heads tacitly approved, because all members of the blood alliance had harbored designs on the outcasts; a few acted for the greater good, while many more acted out of self-interest. Over two thousand years of tradition, the covenant had long been ingrained in their blood, and now no one could say for sure whether their power existed to eradicate the outcasts or to seize profits.

They got up and left the meeting room. Wang Quan had already hidden himself away, only daring to breathe after all the footsteps had disappeared. She was covered in a cold sweat because those unfamiliar words felt strangely familiar.

She seemed to know more about what the old men were talking about than they did, more profoundly than the Allies understood… but she forgot that she had no memories that should exist in her mind. Only occasional images flashed by like stardust, allowing her to see the moon singing in the deep sky.

She felt a deep fear of the scene, but also a profound joy.

·
Since that council meeting, Wang Quan's abnormality deepened. She often felt her heart and body separate, her ugly form soaring into the sky with the moonlight, while her cold heart wandered through human cities. Yet, in neither direction could she truly follow. Because she was unaware of the Blood Pact's secrets, the mystery shrouded in mist became an inescapable knot in her heart.

She applied for more missions because at least she could enjoy the thrill of killing. But the backlash from her mind was ever-present; after each mission, her aversion grew exponentially. She was almost splitting into two different people: one who wanted to sing in a sea of ​​blood, and another who wanted to kill herself.

Her lies were so convincing that no one noticed anything amiss, except for the old woman, who remained apprehensive. The old woman began frequently handling items related to the dark wizard, and she knew why. This wasn't just to correct her mistakes, but also to facilitate the old woman's plan.

She was the old man's most successful experimental subject to date. If even she failed, all the effort the old man had put in would be meaningless.

“Child, don’t be stressed. If you’re in pain, then stop working,” the old woman told her.

He thought he could deceive the royal authority with his actions, and even pretended to be indifferent: "You are still a child, don't look at those too big responsibilities, don't think about things you don't know."

"If I cannot complete the mission, what is the purpose of my creation?"

The old man pondered deeply for a long time, then smiled.

"Perhaps you won't become the best assassin, but you can be my best granddaughter. Go read books, play the piano, find a handsome young man to live with, and when I'm old and frail, say goodnight to me one last time, living an ordinary life like many others you've met."

“But that’s pointless,” Wang Quan said.

"Who said that?" the old man scoffed. "If it's meaningless, then what are we protecting?"

He patted Wang Quan on the head and said gently, "You must remember that a happy life is the meaning of life."

·
Wang Quan did not quite understand the meaning of "happiness".

According to common perception, happiness means a sufficient material life, abundant spiritual enjoyment, a certain social status, a sense of belonging to one's peers, and self-satisfaction. However, in her eyes, all humans are the same, offering the same kind of tedium, and the "love" they contribute has no difference in flavor.

She could easily utter lies to gain "love" from humans, but torture and killing brought her satisfaction much faster. For the monarchy, a happy life might be a pleasant, living mountain of flesh and blood, from which she could freely take humans to torture, and the tortured humans would then offer her genuine love.

The day the idea first came to her, she was tormented by a mixture of nausea and elation. She desperately wanted to put her fantasy into action, while simultaneously attempting to strangle herself, but failed. She decided to study human life—to imitate a perfect, happy life. That way, the old man would at least be at ease, and she could repay his love.

Wang Quan was already adept at observing humans, and this time she began to imitate them. She disguised herself as a child to approach their parents, and as a young person to get close to their lovers. This act of imitation, in a strange way, gave her a brief respite.

Because she acted so well, so well, that she could even deceive herself, detaching herself from the identity of royalty and becoming someone else entirely. In those moments, even her inner struggles would subside, and she could distance herself from self-loathing and the thrill of killing, truly becoming an ordinary "person."

But the price she paid was that once she broke free from her disguise, her hatred exploded. She had come to a vague realization of her true nature: a manufactured, vile being, knowingly enjoying a life of pretense. Since it was fake from the very beginning, there was no point in talking about what was real.

However, Wang Quan knew she absolutely could not reveal this anomaly. The old man had placed all his hopes on her, and if she showed any signs of failure, he would spend even more time in ancient texts and his laboratory. She vaguely sensed this was extremely dangerous, and although she couldn't articulate why, she knew she couldn't let the old man reach out to the "fallen" again.

So, Wang Quan meticulously planned a perfect performance. She made a small cake, bought candles, and threw a small birthday party for the old man one night. She acted as sincerely as any kind-hearted granddaughter, even moving herself to tears.

Her lie finally succeeded. The old man believed she was cured, and he shed cloudy tears while unable to stop smiling with relief.

Wang Quan smiled too, she was enjoying her performance and believed that the old man could finally live in peace.

·
However, reality proved quite the opposite of her expectations. After the unusual disappearance of the monarchy, the old king's obsession only intensified. From that day on, the old man became even more fascinated with the experiments of the Fallen. He immersed himself in ancient texts for long periods and invested more and more funds in his experiments.

New experimental subjects were constantly being activated, only to be wiped out by accidents. Even the king didn't know why he was so anxious; it seemed the old man knew more than the other family heads, but no matter where they searched, they couldn't find his secrets.

She was determined to stop the old man from taking any more risks, even if it meant using force. But the old man approached her first, acting like a helpless and foolish old father.

The old man wanted her memories.

"why?"

“You are the most outstanding child so far, and you understand love better than anyone else,” the old man said. “Therefore, I think your memories… your logs and data, may be helpful to others. They may be difficult to teach, but they can understand ‘love’ from such an outstanding elder as you.”

No. Absolutely not.

Wang Quan instinctively opposed the request, not out of preference or nature, but because her intuition told her it wouldn't be a good idea. She told the old man she didn't mind continuing to be an assassin; she was fully recovered and could handle any mission perfectly. But the old man stubbornly refused; he had made up his mind never to let this child's hands be stained with blood again.

"Just live a peaceful, ordinary life. You don't need to worry about missions anymore. I'm sure I can train even better assassins," the old man said firmly. "I won't let you do what you hate."

On this point alone, he remained resolute. Yet, he could not maintain this resolve indefinitely. For he ultimately harbored ideals, and he had to shoulder the responsibilities of his position as king. So he humbly pleaded with the royal authority, hoping for her assistance, hoping for her support of the experiment. His already gray hair grew even thinner; the old man was steadily approaching the end of his life, and he had little time left to realize his ideals.

Wang Quan finally agreed, unable to bear seeing the old man continue to suffer. But things got worse and worse. After obtaining the data, the old man's obsession intensified. He no longer spent time talking to Wang Quan, but instead threw himself into the experiments almost obsessively.

Wang Quan realized that without understanding the secret, she would never comprehend the old man's madness.

She decided to take the risk.

She disguised herself as a young man and kidnapped a family head, forcing him to reveal the secret of the blood oath.

Leaking secrets was theoretically impossible. However, she was proficient in all interrogation methods. Using ambiguous inducements and hints, she gradually guided the person to reveal the secret. Thus, amidst the churning of blood and organs, she finally learned the truth. It was nothing more than fragmented words, filled with the other person's conjectures.

Allied Forces. Heretics. Pollution. The Path of Ascension. The Realm of Submersion.

[The First Abyss]

Forgetting the Cradle

She recalled more things from her bloodline, memories she couldn't understand yet could feel: the deep space, the black moon, the twisted love of ugly life. Her face turned deathly pale, and she rushed home without even killing the patriarch. Because she knew she had committed an unforgivable mistake.

She disguised herself so well that the old man actually believed that the fallen were capable of love.

That's not true at all.

Her appearance was merely a coincidence, a probability even smaller than one in a trillion, a purely unpredictable miracle, because the fallen would not hesitate at all; the fallen only need to enjoy love.

It has nothing to do with love, environment, or education; it's just a coincidence, impossible to replicate or repeat. Following the old man's method won't create a second kingdom, but only countless monsters that revel in killing humans. He could have realized this, but she deceived the old man…

She acted so well. Absolutely wonderful!

She burst through the underground research facility, barely able to feel her own heartbeat. She prayed that it wasn't too late; the old man hadn't gone so far as to lose his reason, and as long as she handled the aftermath, there wouldn't be any consequences.

She burst through the laboratory door and met the old man's astonished gaze. He was holding another young experimental subject, with white hair and a thin body, looking almost exactly like her from before.

"Ah...you noticed?"

The old man was a little embarrassed.

“I’ve started a new type of experimental subject. I think it’s time to let the new children join in. They may not be very mature yet and may make mistakes, but your experience will make everything better. Isn’t that a good thing for you?”

He said expectantly.

"I think you always long for your family."

Behind him, hundreds of sealed culture tanks had been opened, and the white-haired, red-eyed experimental subjects crawled out of the artificial amniotic fluid.

They raised their sharp claws. Their faces were contorted like mud. They revealed innocent, pure smiles.

The baby in the old man's arms laughed loudly and bit his throat.

·
Cleaning up the mess was much harder than she had imagined.

I experienced being injured for the first time. I felt pain for the first time.

When the last victim died, the laboratory was a sea of ​​blood. The old man cursed her madly, vowing revenge for his descendants. She endured his beatings and abuse until she was exhausted, then pierced his heart with her own hands.

This pain briefly brought the old man back to his senses. He struggled to raise his hand and wipe the blood from Wang Quan's face.

“I…failed. I was so stupid. You did so well. Child, you…”

His eyes were filled with a tremendous fear, and he gripped the hand of the king with all his might, even though he could no longer utter a complete sentence.

"Please...please..."

She knew what the old man wanted to say; she could always easily understand human thoughts. So she nodded emphatically and made a promise through tears.

"I will go on to love."

"I will love humanity, and I will definitely protect them!!"

The old woman smiled and closed her eyes peacefully. Holding the gradually cooling body, she wept bitterly.

The conflicting thoughts within her merged into one at that moment. She made a promise; she had finally conquered herself.

She loves humanity.

That is the meaning of her existence.

·
The secret of the blood oath is an unbroken tradition.

Despite two thousand years of war, it has been passed down to this day. Even when dynasties end and families decline, new people will always become the "head of the family," and the position of guardian of the covenant has never been vacant.

Because the covenant that binds people is the only miracle remaining in this powerless world.

Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it "precepts".

The precepts are passed down through blood and emotion. At the moment the patriarch dies, his chosen heir inherits the family secret. That heir will naturally understand the secret, know the responsibility, and must never tell it to anyone until his own death, at which point the precepts will be transferred again.

If the head of the family has no children, the precepts will be passed on to his chosen successor along with his affections. The person who inherits his power, wealth, and desires will become the next head of the family.

For an aging king, that person is the throne itself.

On the day the king was buried, she inherited all the secrets the old man knew. What set the king apart from the other family heads was that he possessed far more information.

Wang Quan immediately understood why the old man was so anxious and radical. It was a fear that could not be told to anyone, a fear that only the ruler could bear.

Within the commandments of the Blood Oath Kings, there exists a constantly spinning countdown timer, accompanied by a simple line of text.

[13 years until extraterrestrial invasion of Earth]

(End of this chapter)