Excerpted from the diary of a wanderer who was left deep inside a corner of the library. This is Volumn 1
Long ago, there existed a world filled with chaos and conflict. It was a universe that adhered to the Dualism to the extreme. Everything, from living beings, objects, phenomena, even the very essence, the concept of existence - their Law, all were defined to belong to one of the two opposing extremes: Good or Evil. The division came from within the essence, from the moment one stepped into the world, and it was almost impossible to escape from it. And whether an individual belongs to the Good or Evil side is completely random and chaotic, so there are cases where parents and children, or siblings with the same parents belong to two different sides. Not only that, all members of both sides were driven - or more accurately, coerced, by an intense desire that compelled them to plunge into a war to destroy the opposing faction. Thus, the universe was drawn into a whirlwind of war and chaos. Dreams, will, personal meaning of existence did not exist, and were unnecessary. Kill, kill, and kill, destroy, destroy, and destroy - all the reasons for the existence of every individual were encapsulated in those words.
And as if to add more dramatic and fierceness to the battle, from among the ordinary crowd on both sides, there appeared outstanding individuals possessing a special power called Authority. Authority is exclusive power bestowed by Law, or to be precise, it is Law itself of an individual manifested in the form of special power. Individuals possessing Authority on the side of Good are called the 108 Heroes, with the strongest persons among them being called the Ten Saints; on the opposite side, powerful individual are called the 72 Demon Kings, with 7 outstanding individuals being dubbed the Seven Princes of Hell. These are the main fighting forces of both sides, and if this force on one side is completely destroyed, the end of the battle is almost certain, however, every time a person using Authority on one side is destroyed, immediately some replacements on the same side will appear to compensate in terms of quantity. Therefore, the battle continued in a precarious balance for a very long time, and perhaps, this protracted battle will last forever.
In the pitch-black night of turmoil, there once shone a brilliant light. It was an extraordinary hero, a unique talent in the history of the Good faction. He was known as the Undefeatable Saint King David. His Authority was "Undefeat" - true to it name, it embodied the concept of "victory," granting him the ability to triumph in every battle, even by bending fate and narrative. Not only that, he also had the ability to absorb the entire Law of those he vanquished, making him stronger with each conquest. With every foe he absorbed, his own Law became more potent, radiant, and profound, increasingly surpassing others. Simply put, the more he fought, the stronger he became. As the war dragged on, as the death toll rose, David became unstoppable. The Evil faction decided to go all out: they attempted to ambush David with the power of all Seven Princes of Hell. However, with his extraordinary strength, he swiftly turned the tables, vanquishing five and leaving the remaining two gravely wounded, forcing them to flee. An unprecedented achievement, elevating his name to the highest hope of the Good faction, and a terrifying nightmare for the Evil faction. He became a beacon of hope, the sole person instilling the belief that he would bring an end to this world's endless, unyielding war.
That Hero is my father. I am Ash, son of Undefeated Saint King David and Holy Sword Princess Iris. But I am different from my father. Even though I am the child of two Saints of the Good side, I carry within me something I should not have, one of the seven original sins that the Hell's Princes embody: the great sin called Wrath. I am Good carrying Evil, I am Evil hidden within Good, I am Good and Evil. An existence full of flaws, violating the principle of the universe, makes me shunned and hated by everyone. The moment I was born, my mother was scared and threw me from her arms to the ground. The birth attendants beside me did not stop her or pity me, on the contrary, they avoided me as if avoiding a curse. While living with the Good side's people, I was constantly rejected and isolated in everything: eating, exercising, playing, I was deprived of everything. I am often locked up in the house, and sometimes when I'm allowed to go out, I'm thrown alone into the deep forest. My father was the only person who ever treated me well, but he became more and more hateful to me. By the time I was 3 years old, he completely disowned me, forcing me to go to a remote mountain area to live alone. They kept me in captivity like an animal, and discriminated against me as someone carrying an incurable infectious disease. But it doesn't matter, because…
I am wrathful and detest everything. I hate my parents, who gave birth to me full of contradictions and flaws. I hate weakness, ordinary people who only know how to cry and pray. I hate those who possess Authority, those who arrogantly revel in the power they possess, using it to trample on the weak, wage war on the strong, and kill each other. I hate both the Good and Evil sides, they are all butchers who kill each other for no purpose, both those on the Good side who kill in the name of fake righteousness, or those on the Evil side that let themselves be engulfed by wickedness, drawing them into the whirlpool of struggle. But the thing I detest the most, the thing targeted by my utmost indignation, is the damned ■■■■■ thing that divides this world and forces it into conflict.
My Law, my Authority is Wrath. The more rage I am, the stronger I am. The more I hate, the more my Law develops, becomes deeper and more superior. My development was the terrible fear of the leaders of the Good side, so at the age of 5, I was kidnapped by the Heroes of the Good side, with the purpose of killing me to prevent disaster. But they failed, because as soon as they witness my anger, they died unexpectedly. I continued to survive on my own for many years, while forging my Authority, and transforming it into the form of a metaphysical sword. And the older I get, the more I realize, the more angry I feel at this damn world. At some point, my rage reached infinity.
And thanks to that, I have opened up a sixth sense, something my father once told me about, it is called Heavenly Eye. That is what my father achieved after destroying five Princes of Hell, helping him realize that there is a supreme truth that is the nature of the world itself, a transcendent "thing" that cannot be described with only two concepts of Good and Evil. But that was all he knew, he only vaguely recognized, but could not comprehend that "thing". No matter how many more enemies he destroyed and how much stronger he became, that extremely flawed perception was his limit, and the Truth was something he could never reach. But we are different. When I opened the Eye, I realized the nature of the world completely, I heard the voice of the Truth that is constantly creating division and struggle, I saw its shadowy silhouette. And I swear, I will cut off that Truth.
To achieve the ultimate goal, I do not hesitate to sacrifice everything. It doesn't matter, from the beginning, this universe is just a mess worth throwing away. Therefore, my first goal is the revered hero of the Good side, my father. I rendezvoused with him on a desorlated planet, then tell him that I have achieved the Heavenly Eye, have heard the Truth, and to touch it, I need his sacrifice.
"So, can you offer your life to my sword, my venerable father?"
"Well, what can I say? If my child has grown up like this, the duty of a father like me is to help him with all my might, isn't it? So, come to me, my child. Show me your Law!"
At the same time as he spoke, I drew the sword forged from my own Law. Both began a fierce battle that was not allowed between allies. Right now, I feel like I am the Evil one. But so what? To achieve my purpose, I don't care about Good or Evil. The planet trembles after each of my strikes, and although my father is very powerful, his strength is far inferior to my rage, and especially when compared to my inherent nature, his efforts are completely useless. Finally, with the sound of the planet shattering, I pierce through David's chest. His Law, his essence is absorbed into me, along with the fusion of the two Heavenly Eyes, I have found a way to reach the realm of Truth. And I have already accomplished the first part of that method. The Law of the Hero, and the Law of the rebel, their fusion creates a tremendous supernatural force, breaking the dualism.
I am now a being…
…neither Good, nor Evil. Only the constant flow of resentment remains.
But so what? If that's the case, I will become a sword. A sword transcendence Good and Evil, cutting down everything, swallowing the entire world, cutting off chaos, piercing through Heaven - that is me.
But that's still not enough. With the current Heavenly Eye, I realize that I was nothing compared to the Truth before, and I still am now. Because the Truth is even superior than me, it is something indescribable as Good or Evil, not the fusion of Good and Evil like I used to be, and not even the Neither Good nor Evil like I am now, it is a Truth beyond the understanding of this world. Therefore, the universe can only helplessly obey its control. But soon, everything will end.
Now, it's time to carry out the rest of the plan: I need to create a destructive enough battle to destroy the Dualism all over the world, and by absorbing that power, I can break the universe, creating a path to the realm of Truth. To do that, I decide to become an enemy of both sides. I declare my feat of defeating the Invincible Holy King, and then hunt down the remaining 2 Princes of Hell. Then comes a massacre without distinguishing between sides, I slay all those within sight, whether Good or Evil, ordinary or powerful. All efforts of those still entangled in the distinction [either Good or Evil], are all meaningless before me, a being who has transcended Good and Evil. I ruthlessly slaughter across the universe, my sword now stained with the blood of countless unfortunate souls. And both sides realize that their greatest enemy is not the opposing side anymore, but no one else but me. Either they continue to conflict, or they must join hands to fight against the common enemy. And they have chosen to cooperate, despite the continuous cries of Truth forcing them to fight each other, both sides have suppressed the urge to kill, and have formed a temporary alliance to resist the greatest enemy of the entire universe.
After the two sides replenished their lost forces, the army of 108 Heroes and 72 Demon Kings, the embodiment of the Good and Evil alliance, officially went to war. The great, unprecedented battle to decide the fate of the universe has now officially begun. The battlefield is an empty space in the middle of the universe. On one side is a large army with sky-high momentum. The Heroes wore golden armor as bright as the Sun, the Demon Kings wore cloaks as black as the night sky, all armed with weapons, murderous aura thick in the air. On the opposite side, there was only one person standing: a warrior without armor or helmet but only a sword in his hand, but whose aura overwhelmed the entire opposing army. Haughtily brandishing the sword in his hand, the lone warrior roared a declaration of war:
- Come here, you weaklings. Show me what you got!
- Ohhhhhhh!
Responding to the warrior, the Alliance army shouted a battle cry, charging at the enemy before them with the intent to kill. And a massacre took place.
- Damn it. Weak, useless, trash. All of you, I thought you had found a way to deal with me so you started the fight, but you couldn't do anything but rush in like moths and die pointlessly? It's so damned.
The war could not have ended in a more overwhelming way. Ordinary Heroes and Demon Kings can't even touch me. And I just waved my hand and cut them down one by one. So easy, but that's not what I want. Because the war is completely one-sided so the universe is not affected, and I have no enemies to create another battle with, there is no other way to help me achieve our goal. Have I failed? Just when I was thinking that…
From amidst the sea of corpses and blood, a new force emerged. Under the influence of my essence, the Laws of all those who had fallen from both sides merged, creating a new warrior - an immaterial entity that pure is Law. Not only that, he is also transcendence the Good and Evil on same level with me. Without a word, he shaped a spear in his hand, took a defensive stance, and directed hostility towards me. No, he's not quite a warrior, a living being. He is just a being created by the resentment of those who perished on this battlefield. Apart from hatred, there is nothing else to his nature, but because of that, he becomes a worthy opponent. I laughed with satisfaction. So finally, after all the effort, I was about to create a path to the Domain. Just one final step.
- Now, what are you waiting for, defectiver? Show me what you got!
With that, I once again raised my sword and charged at the warrior. In response, he thrust the spear towards me. The sword touched the spear, slash then thrust, offense and defense. My and his Laws clashed, sending shockwaves all around. The atmosphere spread throughout the universe, time trembled, and the sky and earth cracked into pieces. My strength gradually waned in the face of the enemy's relentless attacks. I tried to resist with all my might, but it seemed ineffective, as he continued to press. Finally, something I had never expected happened: the warrior's spear pierced through me, destroying my Law and annihilating my body. I had lost. Was I going to die like this?
As my body disintegrated, something rose from deep within my essence, breaking through the shell of my body and the destroyed Law, manifesting a complete form. I wasn't dead, and this wasn't a recovery or resurrection. I had simply returned to my true nature - a supreme Truth. I am now a Truth, on par with the one I was targeting. All conditions had been met. But first, this battle had to end. I transformed into a familiar sword, aimed a strike at the warrior standing before me. Yes, even though he was stronger than me at the time, he had not achieved the Heavenly Eye, and all he had was resentment towards me, so when he thought he had defeated me, he lost his purpose. Of course, he couldn't recognize me as I am now, that was obvious. The warrior collapsed, the resentment dissipated like foam, and the remainder of his Laws was absorbed by me. It was all over for this world now. I raised the sword straight, struck down, cleaving the universe in two, creating a vast void, which was the final path I had to take. I jumped without hesitation. And I kept falling…
When I came back to my senses, I was standing in an indefinite space. I turned my head to look around. Under my feet, above my heads, around me, everywhere are dense points of light, like countless stars. These point of light are divided into two distinct types: one is black, and the other is white. They simultaneously radiate light of the same color as themselves around them, countless rays of light combine, weaving together like a cloth, an interwoven black and white curtain. In a few places, I can still see the broken segments of the rays of light, and in the middle of the fabric is a large cut that divides it in two, the cut leading straight to where I stand. Yes, this is the Domain of Truth, the center of the universe, of creation and control, independent of the world, transcending and governing space and time. Each point of light is a Law, the fabric is the universe, and it was my hand that cut it in half, opening the gate to enter this place. Black is Evil, White is Good, the bright spots are constantly dyed in one of the two colors, then forced to collide and conflict with each other. Black and white rays of light collide and intertwine, creating a brilliant scene, but full of chaos. When a bright spot disappears, another bright spot of the same color is created, filling in the empty space. And that will probably continue indefinitely, if I don't stop this.
Then, my attention stops at one point. A solitary but noble throne, located in mid-air. All the countless points of light radiate a ray of light connected to the throne, giving it a powerful and brilliant image. The chair is what continuously creates new bright spots, and at the same time indiscriminately colors the bright spots. Sitting on the throne is a woman, with long blonde hair falling down her back, her face full of arrogance and superiority. She looked down at me with eyes full of interest, and in response, I looked up at her with murderous eyes, releasing the wrath that had been building up for so long.
- O Truth, I have come to destroy you. Could you jump down and take the punishment?
- Well, alright, because I can't against you, I know that. But can we talk for a bit? You're not busy, right? - Responding to me, she spoke in a teasing voice
- Don't joke with me! - I roared, jumped up to where she was sitting, and swung my sword horizontally towards her neck. The sword did not reach its intended target, as it was blocked by a staff. The woman swung her staff to knock me away, then rushed out of the chair. Another war has begun. But I am sure, this will be the last war of this era.
The woman brandished her staff and shot out spheres of energy, but I cut them in half before they could get close. I rushed to attack her, but was stopped by an energy shield. The girl spoke:
- So, let's introduce ourselves first, shall we? Minimum courtesy, right? My name is Avesta - The Truth of the Dualism of Good and Evil. Just as you thought, I am the one who covers the world with opposition and conflict. It's so heroic and dazzling, isn't it, that conflict and war? What do you think? Oh and, you haven't said your name yet.
- Shut up! - I pressed the sword hard, cutting the shield in half, but she dodged it and jumped back.
- It seems like you don't like to communicate very much, huh? Okay, no problem, I already know your name before. And even more than that. Do you know your nature? Why are you the only one special, the only one who can understand me - the Truth, and the only one who can reach this place?
I remained silent and did not answer her question. There's no need to do that. On the contrary, I curled my anger around the sword, then slashed out a rolling wave of destruction. In response, the woman - Avesta compressed two spheres, one black and one white, causing them to collide, swirl and rub together, resulting in a grey swirling energy mass. She shot the energy block, it collided with my wave, creating an explosion that shook the entire Domain. The piece of fabric cracked under the impact of the two blows.
- Do not want to answer? Oh my, what an hard-to-approach guy. But it can't be helped, you always been like that. Right, O Truth of Wrath?
Yes, I am the Truth of Wrath, and have always been from the beginning. There are countless Truths that define countless Laws, but among them there will be one Truth that is stronger than all another, it will overwhelm all remaining Truths and cover the existing Laws with its domination. There was once a war in an ancient Territory, a fierce war between the Truths, for dominion over all Laws. And Avesta won, she became the Supreme Ruler of the world, and forced it to follow her damn arrangements. All other Truths were defeated, some lost their consciousness, becoming an inanimate Truth floating in the void, some fled from the universe, and some created a small Domain as a refuge for recovery. The ancient Domain was destroyed by war, and the remains were used by Avesta as a “loom” to weave this fabric called the Universe. And I am also the one defeated by her. After being defeated, I lost consciousness, fell out of the Territory and got lost in the Universe, accidentally created a Law as my cover, and then reincarnated as a person named Ash. My mortal body and the shell called Wrath prevented my awareness and true nature from being revealed, but thanks to that, I was able to silently develop my power. My infinite wrath and union with my father's Heavenly Eye gradually opened my connection to my true nature, and when my body and Law were destroyed by the remorse warrior, the true Truth has been released. That's right, only Truth can touch and understand Truth. No matter how developed, how strong, how profound Law is, it is still just Law, reaching the Truth is impossible. O all being of this universe, I understand all of your helplessness, and I understand your rage toward the Universe, toward "thing" which you cannot understand, and toward your own helplessness. But rest assured. Because there is me, the one who receives all that wrath. Witness this historic moment.
This sword once cut the universe in half.
And now, this same sword will now cut off the Truth.
- You've made up your mind, right? Then there's nothing I can do. The throne is yours. I welcome you with joy, the new ruling Truth.
Avesta let go of the staff in her hand and spoke her last words, which were also a joyful wish. I swung my sword and cut Truth in half. With Avesta's departure, the Cosmic fabric also broke into pieces, the points of light lost their color, the light extinguished and fell into nothingness. The dualism of Good and Evil and the conflict have ended. But my wrath still swirls endlessly, and its ultimate goal is none other than myselves. Yes, Avesta does not deserve to rule, for she will turn the universe into a battlefield of chaos and death. But I, too, with my domination, the universe will become a hell of narcissism and wrath. I am the most hated person.
So, I sit on the divine throne, recreating the universe from nothing, reconnecting the dots of light, and reweaving the fabric called the Universe. The universe will now be tinged with my anger. All existences, including Law, will carry within them wrath, and the more wrathful they become, the greater the power they will gain. Be indignant, world. Wrathed, gained power, and pierced Heaven. Come here, prove yourself worthy, destroy the most hated man, and claim his throne. I'm counting on you.
O universe, break this sword.