Chapter 523: Rules Are Dead (1/2)

BANG!

The surroundings exploded as earth shot throughout the horizons.

”How dare you!” the badger shouted in uncontrollable fury.

”You say that you didn't want to do this!? You kill one of my companions and say that you didn't want to do this? You had a choice! If you genuinely didn't want to do this, you would have decided against doing it!”

Gravis remained calm as he turned his gaze to the Inquisitor. ”You are right,” Gravis said. ”I had a choice. Some beasts might blame the circumstances and say that they were forced to do this, but that is not the case. I had a choice.”

The Inquisitor gritted his teeth as his frustration became so powerful that he even injured his gums by gritting them so hard. ”Then how dare you say that you didn't want to do this!?”

”Because I had to,” Gravis said. ”I could have let him live and let bygones be bygones. In my opinion, Commander Rime didn't deserve to die for this.”

”Usually, I judge situations based on the beast's intentions rather than their actions. If they intend to hurt me, it doesn't matter if they actually managed to hurt me or not. They are an enemy in my mind. Yet, I haven't done that in this case,” Gravis explained.

”Because it suits your selfish goal?” the badger asked with disdain.

”Yes,” Gravis said, surprising the Inquisitor. ”The goal to reach supreme power is inherently selfish. We kill others to become more powerful. Yet, this goal is more important to me than my morality. In order to achieve this goal, millions of innocents have died under my hand,” Gravis said as he thought back to the apocalypse he had wrought when he had fought the lower Heaven.

”I don't want to kill beings that have done nothing to me, but if that is necessary to become powerful, I will do so regardless. I avoid killing friendly and innocent beings, but to keep my path to power alive, I need to do so regardless.”

”I have a choice,” Gravis said, ”and the choice is to choose between killing no one and remaining weak or kill everyone that is a danger to my path. I have chosen power, and I am fully committed to this path. If it is necessary, I am even ready to kill my companions. My goal is more important than nearly everything else.”

”Nearly?” the Inquisitor asked with a cold voice.

”Yes, if I had to choose between my close family and supreme power, I wouldn't know what I would choose,” Gravis said.

”You value your family more than your companions?” the Inquisitor asked with confusion and disdain. To beasts, family was irrelevant. So what if they shared their blood? They hadn't fought together with them, and they had no feelings for each other. Companions have proven their loyalty by fighting alongside one for the same goal. That was why companions were more important to beasts than family.

”To me, my close family is just as important as my goal,” Gravis said. ”Our values do not match, and we won't find a middle-ground, Inquisitor. Instead of continuing this discussion, we should return to the Empress. She will judge this situation,” Gravis said.

The Inquisitor furrowed his brows. ”You do realize that, even though Commander Rime has accepted the duel, you have still committed an act of betrayal? If you return to the Empress, you will be executed as a traitor. Though, you don't have a choice. I will drag you to the Empress regardless.”

Gravis closed his eyes and shook his head lightly. ”Inquisitor, you don't realize the way the world of leaders works.”

These words made the Inquisitor angry again. ”And what, pray tell, is the way of the leaders?” he asked with disdain.

”Sentient beings have created rules to serve the greater collective and their goal,” Gravis said. ”The Empress has made the rules for our Icy Pride Empire. Yet, in front of her, the rules don't matter. She has decided the rules based on her own mindset and goals, and if breaking the rules helps her to achieve that goal, she won't have an issue in breaking them.”

The badger refused to believe something like that, but before he could answer, Gravis continued. ”Commander Rime has realized this truth. As his title says, Commander Rime was a Commander, which is a position of leadership. He has realized this truth and knew that I wouldn't be executed.”