Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage-Chapter 595: The Final Trial; One Heaven Sorcerer!

CH595 The Final Trial; One Heaven Sorcerer!

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The Captain found himself within a vast, white void.

Then, an unfamiliar, yet somehow familiar, old man mysteriously appeared before him.

The old man pointed at the Captain.

In the next instant, the man’s form shifted.

The Captain was no longer the Captain.

He was Alex Fury.

His memories surged back into his mind like a broken dam. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Why did you arrange things so that you were the only one who survived?" the mysterious old man asked.

"Because I understand people better than they did," Alex replied calmly.

"They died believing their names would be remembered as heroes."

"But as the sole survivor... I alone know the true face of the people they saved."

"Heroes are only valued during times of crisis."

"Once the crisis ends, those same heroes are often the first to be cast aside— because they serve as reminders of a past people would rather forget."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"And I did what I did because someone had to carry the sin."

"What we did was necessary to save the world. But it would fall upon the survivor to bear the burden of how they survived."

"None of them could carry that weight."

"Only I could."

"The young man who knew nothing had to go first."

"Then the kind-hearted man who hid a soft heart beneath a hardened exterior."

"Then the two soldiers, through and through..."

"And finally, the disillusioned man who wore the mask of a dark joker."

Alex’s voice remained steady.

"Compared to them... I was the only one who could bear the sin and retain my sanity."

"And more importantly..."

"I was the only one who could face the betrayal waiting at home— the betrayal I expected... no, the betrayal I knew would come."

The mysterious old man did not comment on his answer.

Instead, he asked another question.

"You had the power to eliminate all your accusers and conquer the world. Why didn’t you?"

Alex paused.

For a brief moment, a memory from his past life surfaced.

A time when he had worked alongside Special Operations personnel from his country’s military, testing one of his company’s products.

During that discussion, he had asked the soldiers whether they had ever done something they regretted in the name of service.

They all answered yes.

But none of them were willing to reveal exactly what they had done.

He then asked if they would choose differently... if time could be reversed.

If they were returned to that exact moment —the moment of the act they were not proud of— would they stop themselves?

Their answer was the same.

No.

They would do it again.

When he asked why, every one of them gave the same response.

"Because I was a soldier," Alex said to the old man, echoing the words from his memory.

"I was a soldier, and I carried out my duties to the best of my ability," he continued.

"On one hand, I do not believe they were entirely wrong. You indeed could call me a monster... a butcher... a cannibal."

"Even if I did it to save the world, what I did was still a grave crime. And punishment... was due."

"Which is exactly what happened."

He paused briefly.

"On the other hand... if I had denied their accusations, and then wiped out everyone who opposed me..."

"I would have proven their claims true."

"I would have become the very monster they accused me of being."

"In essence, the best choice available to me was to fall back on my duty... and accept the reality of the situation."

"There is a saying from my home world, from the military..."

"’This is no place for heroes. This is no place for a better man. If you are looking to be a hero... go home’."

Alex’s gaze remained steady.

"I was never looking to be a hero."

"So whether the world sees me as a hero... or a villain... It does not matter."

"What matters is that I fulfilled my mission."

"That I saved the world."

"Because of that... they now have the luxury to either praise me... or condemn me."

"So, because of your duty as a soldier, you chose to accept the accusations, the burden, and the condemnation that came with your actions?" the old man asked.

Alex nodded.

"That... and the fact that a leader cannot —and should not —escape the consequences of even a victory."

"He must bear them."

Alex sighed and shook his head.

The final trial had been a sombre one.

By sealing away his memories and allowing only his most instinctive nature to surface, Alex had been forced to make decisions he would truly —inherently— make in such a dark situation.

It was often said that one could not truly claim to be a good person until confronted with a dire circumstance.

In such a moment... would one act solely for oneself?

Or choose a higher calling, placing others above all else?

But beyond the question of what choice Alex would make, the trial had revealed something deeper.

It exposed the lens through which he viewed the world.

And how little faith he placed in the integrity of many others.

Even without returning home, he had already made the decision for them.

He had taken that choice out of their hands.

He could argue that he had prepared for the worst while hoping for the best...

But was that truly the case?

Or was there something darker beneath that reasoning?

The mysterious old man studied the youth in silence for a long while.

The Divergent Trial of Heavenly Secrets had been designed to reveal the true nature of a potential Legatee.

The battle ahead was not one that a weak-willed individual could endure.

Yet at the same time, it was not something an overly cold or dispassionate person could be entrusted with either.

’At the very least... it can be confirmed that he will stand until the very end,’ the old man thought.

Crack—!

Shatter!

With a wave of his hand, the world around them fractured and collapsed.

In the next moment, they found themselves once again before the stele.

The air between them was heavy... solemn.

The old man gestured towards a small courtyard pavilion to the right of the stele.

Alex followed.

The two sat opposite each other beneath the pavilion.

"I will now answer the questions you wish to ask," the old man said.

Alex nodded, his expression calm yet serious.

"First, allow me to introduce myself."

"For most of my life, I stood at the pinnacle of my realm. I was the One beneath the Heavens."

"Then, shortly before my death, I broke through to the Eighth Circle... And became the One who transcended the Heavens."

The old man’s gaze deepened.

"You may address me as..."

"The One Heaven Sorcerer."

***