Arya asked firmly, "What is your true purpose?!"
"What do you mean? Are you saying I had another goal?" Sekius brushed off Arya's question.
"There are a few reasons why I'm sure you had another purpose.
You deliberately let corrupt rulers take over the cities, leading us gradually toward the capital.
You stayed calm even as the rulers were killed and continued the research as if to slowly strengthen our emotions to kill you.
You had no intention of killing us, because if you did, you could've ordered the Seven Eclipse to attack us together. You know how troublesome each member of the Seven Eclipse is, right?
You purposely spread our wanted posters to ruin your own image, didn't you?" Arya walked back and forth while listing the reasons.
"Hahaha, you're so clever! Your thinking ability doesn't match your age! It's true, I had another goal!" Sekius smiled. "But… if you want to know it, kill me—and the answer is in this notebook." Sekius provoked him.
"Hmph! So your plan really was to make me kill you, huh?!"
"Of course! Besides… can you learn the answer without killing me?!"
"Fine then!" Bang! Arya shot Sekius in the leg.
"Not a vital part!" Sekius wasn't fazed.
"You know… I don't like toying with the weak. Just give it to me!" Arya demanded.
"How about this—if you don't kill me, I'll tear the notebook to pieces." Sekius smiled.
"Haaa…" Bang! Arya shot Sekius's right hand.
"Are you playing with my life?" Sekius asked, smiling.
"No. I'm stopping you from tearing that notebook."
"I still have my mouth to tear it!"
Sekius stared at Arya with a cold smile.
"How many people have you killed, Arya? You said you execute for justice, but don't you enjoy every pull of the trigger?"
Arya clenched his teeth.
"I never enjoyed it!"
Sekius laughed.
"Are you sure? Look at your face when blood splashes from a corruptor's head. Look how proudly you show off your weapon to that little girl—Dina, wasn't it? Are you training her to be your executioner or your replacement?"
Arya fell silent. His jaw tightened.
Sekius stepped closer, still in a mocking tone.
"You accuse me of being the mastermind behind all this, but aren't you the monster I let grow? You think you're free of sin just because your targets are evil? Then how are you any different from me?"
Arya narrowed his eyes. His left hand gripped his weapon tightly.
Sekius grinned, then leaned back into his throne.
"If I die by your hand, it will only prove one thing—that you are indeed like me. An execution machine with no direction, just needing a reason to kill. And when that reason disappears… you'll lose everything."
Bang!
A bullet pierced Sekius's head.
"Haaa… Even until the end, you kept blabbering useless things just to make me kill you, huh? Fine, I'll take your notebook." Arya took the notes.
And the contents of Sekius's notebook were:
DIARY OF THE KING
To Exone
~If you're reading this note, then I am already dead, and surely killed by you.
You might still be wondering… what was my true plan? Then read a little of my story…
I was born as the heir to the throne. Everyone hoped I would be a king who brought peace. But did you know? The kings before me were cruel and immoral rulers. They raised taxes sky-high, let the people starve. I grew up in the midst of hope and inherited destruction.
When I was 14 years old, I once thought:
"What if I myself became the center of all evil in this kingdom? Wouldn't a true hero be born from great evil?"
Back then, I thought it was just a childish fantasy. But after 15 years of being king, and by the time I was 35 and still couldn't fix things through normal means… that childhood dream haunted me again.
Then one day, a prophet came and said that seven years from then, a true hero would be born. That's when I decided to turn my crazy dream into reality. You might think I'm insane for believing a prophet, but it was a lifetime gamble I made…
I began crafting a grand plan. I named this plan:
"A True Hero Is Born from True Evil."
I formed the Seven Eclipse—an organization made of abandoned, talented, and wounded children. They wanted peace, but the world gave them no choice. So when I whispered my plan… they accepted it. They were willing to become the tools for creating a true hero, even if they had to become monsters in the process. I also gave leadership titles to those with rotten hearts so my plan could proceed.
Maybe you want to ask:
"Don't you have a heart, creating experimental facilities that turn people into monsters?"
My answer is simple:
Why should I care?
They were all death row inmates. And if you ask, "Why were there so many of them?" then here's my answer:
Because that's how many wicked people lived during my reign.
Women, men, children, the elderly—all were willing to commit evil to satisfy their greed.
Humans… are greedy and savage beings. Imagine this: you give someone an apple today. You give another tomorrow. But when you stop giving, they will demand, even steal from you.
So I believe:
Humans only learn when pain is engraved into their souls.
And from that pain… hope can grow.
That's my note to you, Exone.
Congratulations… and thank you.
Because with your hands, my plan is now perfect.
I may not have the fighting abilities you do, but… I am the one who won in the end…
Farewell… True Hero.
~Sekius Belmera IV~ to ~Exone the True Hero~
Arya smirked and said,
"HAHAHA! So that's it! Even until the very end I was just your pawn, huh? But… you really were a true king..." Arya stood in silence, looking at the sky from the palace balcony.
The night wind blew softly, carrying voices of the past and guilt that couldn't be shot with a bullet.
"So… you chose to become a devil just to create a hero, huh…"
But his gaze remained cold.
"In that case… I will continue this role.
But not as the hero you wanted me to be…
but as the executor I choose to be."
Arya walked away from the now-empty throne. His steps steady, but his heart heavy. Outside the palace, the sky turned crimson as dusk approached.
"I will travel this vast world…" he murmured quietly, but full of resolve.
"…and hunt down corrupt rulers."
He stopped for a moment, looking back.
"And… hopefully, I won't meet a king like you…"
Then, he bowed deeply with respect.
"Hail… my king."
—Volume 1 ends, and Arya's journey continues in Volume 2—