Heaven Breaker: SSS Rank Tiger Evolution-Chapter 60: Freedom or Death

"When I woke up, I was alone in this endless desert," Mai said while drinking her coffee. "So I explored it, trying to make sense of what I was seeing..."

Gulp

"It was chaos—an organized chaos that somehow made sense. But still complete chaos," she continued. "There was only war, death, tragedy, and misery. And I was forced to witness all of it, in every one of its facets, as I explored that land."

I kept listening in silence as she spoke.

"Then, one day, I met a boy." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "A dirty, wounded boy who, when I tried to get closer, acted more like an animal—growling and trying to bite me. Even so, I insisted on approaching him, and then he ran away. And I followed him."

"Where did he take you?" I asked, absorbed.

"To many places... many of which I couldn’t describe in words," she said, holding back tears. "I didn’t know things like that happened to children."

"But then I met a teenager." She lifted her gaze. "He walked through the desert beside me with a gentle smile, but he never slept or rested near me and always kept his hand resting on a knife. When I asked why, he said it was just a habit."

"He must have had a hard life," I laughed lightly.

"Eventually, he came into this café and made me a coffee," she pointed behind the counter. "And then he left again."

"And what did you find this time?" I asked, as she sighed heavily.

"A young adult with a sharp gaze. He wore military clothes, and hundreds of adults—young and old—followed him."

"He then grabbed weapons and led them into battle, war destroying his friends and himself." She placed her hand over her left eye, hiding it. "In one of the battles, he lost his left eye along with his right hand. And even so, the very next day he returned to lead his soldiers."

"He shouted, day after day: ’Only victory will bring peace! Only victory will bring freedom! Only victory will make you free! So fight only for victory! Because only victory matters! Only victory has value! Only victory has meaning!’"

"And how does the story end—did he win?" I said with a smile, as Mai began to cry, thick tears streaming down her face.

"He won the war and founded a new republican nation. But on the day they declared themselves an independent nation and were about to inaugurate the president, there was one last attack by the enemy army. And that boy—the one I had seen grow from beginning to end—advanced onto the battlefield without thinking twice, even though he had already done his part."

"Yes, he was a true warrior," I laughed nostalgically. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

"He was brought to the brink of death in that battle, and when he returned, he was taken to his deathbed..." She began to sob. "He watched the president receive the sash on TV with a smile... and then he quietly closed his eyes and died smiling."

"He fought his entire life only to die in the end without receiving anything for his work. His endless battles brought him nothing—only pain and suffering. And even so, he died smiling, knowing that others would be free in a way he never was."

I laughed.

"I’m pretty awesome, aren’t I?" I burst out laughing, throwing myself back in the chair. "But don’t be mistaken—my enjoyment was being able to give back everything they put me through."

I looked up at the ceiling, remembering the past.

"I was an orphan in a country with rigid social castes," I added. "I was born destined to be nothing more than a street dweller, even lower than slaves in the hierarchy."

I laughed.

"As a child, I used to eat whatever I found in the trash and often slept with animals, whether strays or those in barns. So I guess that’s where those bestial traits came from, hahaha. Maybe that’s why I became an animal in this life! And that’s also why I grew disgusted with animal meat—since they were my only equals."

"And of course, I know this is hard for you to hear... but back then many wealthy adults came to me... They offered me good food and much more if I followed them..."

I sighed, letting that part of the story fade away.

"As a teenager, I started trying to improve my life, since sleeping on the streets was very dangerous... but I couldn’t work because I belonged to that caste... even so, some people were willing to let me work for very low pay..."

"...But if I were caught working, I’d be taken to the public square and punished with whippings and endless humiliation. And that happened a million times. Maybe that’s why, in this life, I got used to pain so quickly—I was already accustomed to far worse, hahaha."

"And when did you change?" she asked me curiously. "When did you stop accepting all of that and decide to fight?"

"Hmmm... that’s a hard question." I thought deeply. "I think it was on that day..." I shifted my posture to tell my story.

"As a teenager, I became increasingly well-known for being a good worker—something both good and bad for many reasons... but the most important part is that it allowed me to learn to read and write, as well as do calculations, since that was in my employers’ interest."

"Eventually, I started working in increasingly specialized jobs, such as accountant, lawyer, translator, and so on. By the time I became an adult, I knew at least the basics of ten different languages—many of which I was fluent in—which proved useful in this life, and I had a lot of technical knowledge..."

"...That led me to meet some important foreign figures who wanted to intervene in my country. And without realizing it, I became one of the main candidates to lead a rebellion. After all, I was a polyglot, erudite ’beggar.’ To them, I was living proof that being born a ’beggar’ didn’t mean being less than those born ’kings’ or ’nobles’..."

"...Then they showed me some footage... children, like I once was... with those kings and nobles... my past haunted me once again..."

"...My blood boiled like never before. I didn’t care about my suffering—but I would never again allow others to go through that. Never! And before I realized it, I was in the central square where one of our own was being whipped to death... I snatched the whip from that man’s hand, freed all the prisoners, and then declared before all those damn nobles: Freedom or Death!"

"What followed was history," I said before looking at Mai, who listened silently with anticipation.

Her two big, round eyes were completely focused on me.

’She looks so much like a daughter...’ I snorted, satisfied. ’I always wanted to have a daughter... maybe that’s why she’s like this.’

She gave a wide, satisfied smile.

"That’s my father!"