Defying the Fate of Beheading

Louis looked at Rogen with alertness.

This obviously undead Master Rogen's blade halted in mid-air like that.

There seemed to be a spark of living essence in his eyes.

He cast a probing glance towards William.

William spoke in a deep voice:

"He's not one of Rudelson's men. The scent of the 'New Book of the Dead' you detected is because the lost 'New Book of the Dead' was destroyed by His Highness."

"Turns out it has ended!"

A faint smile appeared on his face, and the fierce yet filthy power slowly dissipated at this moment.

Alice quietly watched this scene.

She watched Rogen's cold and pale body become tinged with blood.

"Good."

He said softly.

At this moment, his body slowly dispersed like ink:

"Alice has grown into a reliable professional."

Alice pressed her lips together without saying a word.

He then looked at Louis: "Thank you for your hard work, and, I'm sorry."

After saying this, Rogen's figure vanished into the air.

Louis, completely bewildered, didn't understand what the situation was.

Suddenly, the long knife Rogen had drawn flew directly in Louis's direction.

Just as he was about to block the flying knife, it flipped over and hovered before Louis.

Louis: ???

What does this mean?

Instinctively, he felt the call conveyed by this demonic blade.

Unconsciously, he gripped the handle.

Fragmented memories flooded his body through the grip.

He saw the past Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

It was a world yet to manifest the Destruction Black Sun.

...

Time flowed by.

In the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm devoid of time concepts, a batch of new Fallen Shadow creatures suddenly emerged.

They were reflections of bloodthirsty people in the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

This group of creatures who loved combat and slaughter were known as War Ghosts.

War Ghosts, born to battle, constantly challenged strong foes from the moment of their creation.

Their belligerent and bloodthirsty nature made them one of the most dangerous presences within the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

And I am one of them.

The blood battles in the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm lasted a considerable amount of time.

In my memories, my kind and I launched relentless bloody challenges against other creatures day and night.

Back then, I fully enjoyed the joy of fighting.

Until one day, after a battle, I suddenly became clear-headed.

Free from the savage nature of the Fallen Shadow creatures, I pondered for the first time why I fought.

I thought for a long, long time and couldn't understand.

Until one day, a cold black sun suddenly appeared above the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

The flames from the black sun, like they were ending everything, granted equal death to all creatures of the Fallen Shadow Nether Realm.

At that moment, I thought I was truly going to die.

Yet when the flames were about to evaporate me, they suddenly stopped.

I heard a voice from within the Black Sun.

"Submit or die?"

At that time, I couldn't comprehend the meaning, so I asked:

"Can submission help me understand the meaning of fighting?"

That Black Sun told him, "I don't know, but I can give you a reason to fight."

He endowed me with a peculiar power.

He informed me that I would henceforth be a Dark Crow.

By luck, having survived, I began my life among the Dark Crows.

Life as a Dark Crow was not much safer than when I was a War Ghost.

I fought against creatures.

I fought against demons.

I fought against devils.

And sometimes, even those known as priests.

I fought for a long, long time just like this.

Sometimes I felt happy.

Because during intervals of fighting for the Emperor, some people I saved expressed gratitude towards me.

For a brief moment, I seemed to understand the purpose of fighting.

But it was only for that moment.

Slaughter had already become part of my life.

The appearance, so different from humans, made me hesitant to remove my helmet.

Each time the helmet came off, I saw odd looks in others' eyes.

It was the gaze which found it hard to recognize non-human entities.

How strange.

When I saved people wearing the helmet, they were deeply grateful to me.

Upon removing the helmet, their gaze transformed.

I gradually got used to those looks.

But I didn't care much, for I had comrades among the other Dark Crows.

Sometimes after a battle, I'd even deliberately remove my helmet to scare them.

It's unclear how much time passed.

One day, a great upheaval erupted.

In order to quell the chaos, I and my brothers embarked on an expedition led by the Emperor.

In that battle, I lost many brothers.

For the first time in my life, I felt loneliness and pain.

Standing amid the ruins of the Imperial Capital, the Emperor made a decision to move the capital.

While evacuating, I was tasked with clearing the devastated cities.

The stench of war lingered everywhere.

The crumbling city often collapsed without warning.

I rescued a family of three that nearly got buried under the ruins.

That day, as I prepared to return to camp, a little girl suddenly ran towards me.

She held up a freshly woven wreath and placed it on my head.

I instinctively touched my face.

It was only then that I realized I wasn't wearing a helmet.

She was the first person to treat me like this while I was unhelmeted.

Later, we relocated to Tino City.

We fought against the Abyss Demons at the Underground City ruins of ancient civilization for a decade.

At one point, wearing the Royal Guard armor of the Brotherhood Combat Squad, I prepared to stroll around the expanded Tino City when I suddenly heard a voice.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Rogen?"

A young girl carrying a basket of flowers looked at me curiously.

I said, "Yes."

Her face blossomed with a warm smile: "Mr. Rogen, do you remember the little girl you saved ten years ago in the Old Imperial Capital?"

She gestured enthusiastically with her hands.

I finally realized she was the girl who gifted me the wreath.

That day she chatted with me for a long time and wished to see me again when leaving.

I touched my face, so different from ordinary people, thinking she was quite interesting.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

The frequency of our meetings increased.

Normally taciturn, I gradually became accustomed to speaking more.

One day, the leader of the squad found me and jokingly asked if I'd like to try the latest technology from the White Tower.

I asked:

"What technology?"

He smiled:

"I've heard you seem to have someone special. Would you be interested in changing your fundamental nature and becoming truly human?"

Strangely, I thought of her.

Under some mysterious impulse, I agreed.

Emerging again from the incubation pod, my cold white skin and peculiar appearance turned into normal skin tone.

When I saw her again, she was equally surprised.

"Whether you wear the helmet or not, you're still Mr. Rogen!"

She said to me.

A year later.

We got married.

Eventually, we had a daughter.

Our daughter was a restless child, often giving us headaches, not knowing how to properly guide her.

I enjoyed a period of rare happiness.

However, it wasn't long before this happiness was consumed by the arriving Wave of the Living Dead.

When I returned home, I was met with our daughter's crying figure and her cold body.

Our daughter asked me in anguish why I hadn't shed a single tear.

I told her, War Ghosts don't cry.

But I could replace my tears with the enemy's blood.

I participated in the battle against Mad King Rudelson.

In that battle, I seemed to return to many years ago, back to my days as a War Ghost.

No need to think about anything.

Only to spread war and slaughter.

The Emperor was truly strong, and Rudelson was swiftly killed.

He brought back a tome of Rudelson's magic, had it recorded, and then instructed me to destroy it.

But... I disobeyed the Emperor's orders for the first time.

Because, because, the 'New Book of the Dead' might truly bring her back to life.

I wanted my daughter to have a complete family.