When the plot-skips players into the game world

Perhaps the future Hawkeye will be destroyed, Iris Flower may be reborn, and everything will become better... just without Cherioux.

No, perhaps in the future where Iris Flower is redeemed and humanity is saved, people will remember that once an extinct family—the Cherioux family—nearly assassinated Aiwass, the savior of the world, and became the sinners of all humanity.

——What did they do wrong?

From the human perspective, he sent Croix to Avalon to distribute the novel "Dracula," to warn the Avalonians about the dangers of the Son of the Moon; from the Royalist perspective, he had long planned for a councilor with royal blood to survive, to see those ruffians who act recklessly under the banner of Hawkeye be buried together; from the patriot's perspective, he also participated in the curse against the Avalon Royal Family, as well as the counter-espionage work against Star Antimony; from a grandfather's perspective, he gilded his granddaughter so she could inherit the Cherioux family's political influence after his death...

What did he do wrong?

He alone killed hundreds of Sons of the Moon, among them not a few at the Fourth Level and even Fifth Power Level. He was the person within Hawkeye who killed the most Sons of the Moon, always going after those who followed the Blood Celestial Marshal; his status within Hawkeye was consistently in the top three, and even the leader could not force him to participate in missions. He assassinated traitors, spies, and wealthy officials attempting to defect... He indirectly saved countless people.

This is what he swore to achieve—when he took the "Hawk Feather" dagger from his grandfather's hands in his youth—and what he has already achieved: to guard this country in the darkness in the name of Cherioux.

Why should the Cherioux family lose all glory just because Aiwass became the savior? Croix, as the successor of the Cherioux family, the most talented of the family's generations, has to become the great sinner "who nearly destroyed the world" just because she got involved with Aiwass?

"——Why?" the old man muttered.

Their family has sacrificed too much, and he would never allow them to become sinners in the future. He would not allow the family to end in his hands, nor allow everything to be buried in his hands.

In that case...

——Then might as well ensure Aiwass never has the chance to save the world.

Black hatred, jealousy, and despair spread in his heart.

Thomas, with a selfless decision of devotion, allowed himself to fall into the dusk—everything he did was hoping that the "Cherioux name" could be engraved into history. And the bit of "hatred" mixed in blurred his true goal... leading him to ultimately enjoy pushing everything into the abyss.

Either the Iris Flower becomes purified because of Cherioux, flourishing once again;

Or let the Hawkeye without Cherioux be destroyed along with the Iris Flower.

And he leans towards the latter.

The yellow hue in Thomas's pupils grew brighter and murkier.

His spine gradually hunched, his skin aged rapidly, and his presence continually diminished. That was the price of using the "White Rainbow Secret Continuation," depleting what little life he had left.

But in contrast—his aura and head grew increasingly higher.

"An assassin... is far more than just a hitman for hire."

He whispered, the first thing his grandfather taught him when he was small and learned the assassination technique.

Scenes from the past, like yellowed photographs, floated before his eyes.

He even thought he had forgotten these things.

"——Only with the resolve of selflessness can one be called an assassin—once the sword is drawn, it must reach its target. Even if the price is one's own life," his grandfather said back then.

His voice always sounded hollow and echoing, like speaking into a cave.

The black, wet, seaweed-like curly hair, and those oppressively dark eyes... like the darkest night, making the child feel fear.

Every word and phrase was so clear, clearer than what one's memory should be able to retain.

"Life?"

Young Thomas was a bit confused back then: "But if I die... what use is it to me to kill him? The money I get would be useless. And... in that case, I might be framed. Because dead men tell no tales."

Grandfather only looked at him in disappointment, gazing at this child whose eye color and hair color were different from his: "Killing him is the meaning in itself. If you lack the resolve to die, you can never reach the highest realm... And if you already have the resolve to die, what use do money and power have for you?

"The Path of Adaptation is the path of the small. Those who fear death the most, who most want to live, are the ones who awaken to this path's strength. They can stoop and bow, prostrate and kneel, just to stay alive without any dignity.

"At the same time, it is precisely this strong desire to survive that gives mortals the courage to fight against tigers, Demon Beasts, and Demons... or villains more cunning than demons and more ferocious than tigers.

"You die, others live. That's the meaning. The Cherioux have lived for generations because of this—the purpose of living is to die. Perhaps you are not a pure Cherioux... so you don't understand."

——Only those things higher than their invaluable lives could make adapters sacrifice their lives.

That was precisely for "engraving."

The Cherioux family has always been an inheritance of dual paths of Dedication and Adaptation.

For fame. To be remembered throughout history. To reshape the future with a humble body. To create the world with individual strength.

The achievement need not be attributed to me, but I must be part of the achievement—even if future generations don't remember their existence, or even their names... but their actions will surely change the entire future.

The reason only he and Croix are left in the Cherioux family is simple...

Because everyone else is already dead.

They succeeded in assassinating the unassailable with their own lives.

Undoubtedly, the power of the Son of the Moon surpasses that of humans.

Even without any training, the Fourth Level Son of the Moon, who cannot manipulate blood, can easily smash through city walls with a punch, withstand cannon fire with their flesh, be immune to illusions of the same level, see through fog and darkness, with hearing, smell, and reaction speeds several times that of humans, and recover from serious injuries just by lifedrain, not to mention transforming into bats to scatter and fly away, with any bat able to become the original body...

That is sheer strength. Without any fancy extraordinary abilities, it is already hard to deal with. If they possess the professional level of a Blood Lord, or devoutly believe in the Blood Celestial Marshal, they can have powerful spell and divine arts abilities... They can also learn curses and rituals on their own or use magic potions to further enhance combat power. Although their abilities may not be comprehensive, it is still incredibly difficult to kill them.

Only the White Rainbow Secret Continuation can accomplish the miracle of defeating the strong with the weak, fighting many with one.

The reason for not teaching this Secret Continuation to Croix is simple... With Croix's prideful nature, if she were to obtain this Secret Continuation, she would surely attempt to assassinate enemies with higher energy levels. As the saying goes, "he who knows how to swim drowns"; such attempts will eventually end in failure.

Originally, he planned to leave the White Rainbow Secret Continuation with an old friend after his death. Only after Croix had given birth to a child would he teach her this Secret Continuation.

In this way, with a child as a bond, Croix would not act so recklessly. She would at least consider the matter of "if I die"... Just like him, timid in the face of death.

Only then can the White Rainbow Secret Continuation be used cautiously, without leading to complete self-destruction.

"Grandfather..."

The old man murmured softly, his skin turning yellow and withered, teeth falling out, and two murky tears rolling down.

"Did I still... disappoint you..."

He whimpered, gradually kneeling on the ground under the bewildered gaze of passersby.

The blurred sobs soon turned into wails, the always dignified old man now akin to a lost child.

His hair color, eye color... were not the same as the grandfather he admired.

All because of the blood his father brought, distorting the fearless blood of Cherioux.

It was precisely because of this that he was eager for his grandfather's approval. He wanted to be the best Cherioux... to become the strongest assassin.

--He failed, but also succeeded.

It's not that he became the strongest, but rather that the Cherioux stronger than him had all died.

Silently unknown. Anonymous after death.

Not even a resting place in death.

He feared such a future... he didn't want to just die like that.

The truly terrifying assassin is the anonymous assassin. But if no one can remember oneself... what is the point of becoming an assassin?

--In that case, let oneself become the tombstone.

Though they may die due to missions, he would remember them. The Cherioux family is destined to inherit the assassin spirit the Hawkeye Organization had at its inception, becoming the last assassin family...

Remember. Inscribe. Never forget.

And never forgetting means... one must achieve eternity oneself first.

Thus, the desire to live surpassed the mission to remember... The will to survive eventually transcended the Heart of Devotion.

From then on, he no longer performed assassination work but devoted himself to training newcomers. Outsiders thought he retired due to injuries... but the truth was, he could no longer use the White Rainbow Secret Continuation.

--Until now, he can use it once more.

Cherioux has confirmed that there is no longer any possibility of passing on the legacy. The assassin family established at the dawn of Iris Flower will be completely severed here.

Looking back, old Thomas realized... he had long since abandoned the will of Cherioux.

Only by being entirely free could he rise once more with the resolve to die.

But this time, it wasn't the pure and unblemished will of "inscription" —

Under the pollution of "love and hate," the selfless resolve became blind. He was willing to bury everything with his own hands. They say the weak fear the strong, the strong fear the tenacious, the tenacious fear the mad, and the mad fear the fearless—if one can abandon one's own life, there is nothing they cannot do.

If he uses this resolve to slay demons, he will become the blade that demons fear; if he uses this resolve for self-destruction, even a small figure has the chance to ignite the world.

"Let everything become void..."

Thomas's eyes had completely melted, skin dripping viscously like melting candy.

He knelt on the ground, his whole being blurred because of it.

When exactly...

did things start going wrong?

Such confusion surged in his heart.

Clearly every step was correct.

Clearly every step was justified.

--When exactly did he deviate from the path?