Chapter 225: Chapter 157: Ideals Tainted by Dust (Part 2)

"Oh... so it’s you, Ed, my former most outstanding and brave sergeant."

Horn smiled: "No wonder the Ark Kingdom could easily deal with that group of ill-trained trash, cough, cough..."

As he laughed, he suddenly coughed out a mouthful of blood in embarrassment, the blood mixing with the wine in his cup, indistinguishable from one another.

The moment Ota’s light cannon pierced through the main ship of the legion left a shocking wound on the Legion Commander’s chest.

But for Horn, compared to the void feeling of losing everything, this pain was almost insignificant.

Ed fell into silence.

"Do you still resent me? Ed?"

Horn swirled his wine glass, the rich aroma of the red wine spreading: "You should understand that an Alliance soldier’s duty is to obey orders, right?"

"In my view, my strategy at that time was completely more beneficial than harmful for the Alliance."

He spoke to himself: "At the critical juncture of war, to appease the citizens on the main island, the Commander’s reputation couldn’t withstand any damage. Your sacrifices weren’t in vain."

"So I never had thoughts of revenge."

Ed replied in a deep voice: "My comrades and I have fulfilled the mission of Alliance soldiers; I owe the Alliance nothing now. Today, I’m merely guarding the land I recognize."

"For people like you, how could the Alliance’s generosity ever be paid back?"

Horn shook his head, his eyes turning sharp: "In my eyes, you’re just a stray dog who betrayed the Alliance."

"Besides, I had no choice but to give up on you back then."

Horn laughed: "Why didn’t you agree to sign a personal contract with me at that time?"

"Aren’t you a bit too arrogant?"

Eleanor simply pressed the gun muzzle to the other’s forehead: "If you say any more nonsense, I’ll blow your brain out with one shot!"

Facing the fierce Doragon people, Horn’s expression remained unchanged as he tilted his head back, drinking up the blood wine in the cup.

Lin Lan scrutinized the other’s expression.

He sighed: "You look much calmer than I imagined."

"Heh, what do you think I will do? Grovel on the ground, wag my tail and beg for mercy? Then plead for you to spare my life?"

Horn sneered coldly: "Don’t be ridiculous, the pride of an Alliance Commander is never to be desecrated!"

He locked his gaze on the Ark Leader.

Horn did not scold the other’s actions; losing is losing, there was nothing worth arguing about in that.

"By the way, want a taste of ’Twilight Blood’? It’s the highest-grade rare commodity in the Alliance, ordinary people couldn’t buy it even if they had the money."

Horn wobbled as he stood up, pouring a small amount of thick wine for Lin Lan himself.

Lin Lan did not refuse the other’s goodwill, he raised his glass, took a sip, smacked his lips, and immediately made a face.

Goodness, bitter and astringent, incredibly spicy, it was truly an awful drink, far inferior to soda pop.

"Truly awful."

Lin Lan stuck out his tongue.

"Heh, the Golden Acorn Newspaper wasn’t wrong calling you an unsophisticated tyrant..."

Ignoring the threatening look of the Black-winged Calamity Master for ’a share too,’ Horn simply took a swig from the bottle, a look of enjoyment appearing on his face.

"You have to savor the rich fragrance interwoven by various berries and grains, the sensation is extraordinarily wonderful."

He exhaled a breath of wine: "As a king, if you don’t know how to enjoy, how will your subordinates ever progress?"

"You’re quite humorous even in the face of your demise."

Lin Lan pursed his mouth: "Don’t just drink, should I have someone prepare some snacks for you? So you can chat freely?"

"Hahaha... ’Twilight Blood’ doesn’t need other food to ruin its taste, come, drink a bit more with me...."

Though the two were having an amiable conversation, the tension in the atmosphere was like an unbreakable layer of ice.

Between a few short exchanges, Horn understood the Ark Leader would never spare him, and Lin Lan realized Horn could never divulge any information about the Alliance.

"Am I destined to die today, Lin Lan?"

A moment later, Horn drunkenly put down the wine bottle, seeing the murderous intent dense in the other’s eyes, his tone somewhat hazy.

"Yes, you must die."

Lin Lan nodded: "If you had merely destroyed the port, there might have been room for negotiation, but since you’ve already taken innocent lives, there’s no room for discussion."

"You should understand, the Alliance has more than just two legions, executing me will only push relations between the two nations into the Abyss."

Horn was truly puzzled: "But holding a living Alliance Legion Commander is sure to bring unimaginable benefits to the Ark Kingdom."

He inquired: "In your eyes, how could the massive interests between countries not outweigh the lives of a few dozen civilians? What a strange logic is this?"

"Is it hard to understand?"

Lin Lan said lightly: "Because the Ark Kingdom’s current law is that murder demands a life; any outsider must obey Ark’s iron laws."

"Obey the law... obey the law..."

Demon’s eyes grew increasingly confused.

"Ridiculous, since ancient times, all laws have merely been tools for the strong to restrain the weak..."

Horn suddenly pointed at the crowd behind Lin Lan: "If one day, they break the laws you’ve set, what would you do then?"

He sneered: "Would you harshly punish them? Can you guarantee they will always maintain their original intent?"

Ansel instinctively gripped the handle of his hammer.

He suddenly recalled the Eternal Holy Spirit in the Sun Divine Kingdom, they were all once noble martyrs...

"You mean I should dismiss the people now with hypothetical future scenarios?"

Lin Lan smiled, utterly unmoved: "You’re just sophizing."

"That day will definitely come, Lord Linlan, I’ve seen far too many idealists fall into desire."

Horn shook his head: "That’s why I don’t trust others, others are never reliable; only by relying on oneself can you change this world, leading people to a more perfect path."

"Didn’t expect you to consider others?"

Eleanor’s eyes were filled with surprise.

"Only by raising them fat can I feast delightfully, what’s the contradiction with my ideal?"

Demon smiled, not hiding his most greedy, twisted ideal.

For Demon People, greed was an instinct engrained in their nature; it was their predatory method.

"I’m not afraid of death, I’m only scared my ideals lose their meaning of existence, but now it’s all over..."

Horn’s eyes were filled only with emptiness and void: "My mistake is irredeemable, the Silver Wing Corps now has no reason to exist, I’ve lost everything."

Lin Lan nodded.

He turned his head, and with merely a glance, Eleanor handed the single-action revolver over tactfully.

The young man slowly lifted his arm, Horn’s life reaching the final countdown just like that.

"Look at yourself now, Lin Lan, in the end, we’re actually the same..."

Horn’s voice grew lighter and lighter, he stood upright, exposing his chest like this, where the heart burning with sulfurous poison fire was faintly visible: "We both will, for our ideals, ruthlessly kill all obstacles in our path."

He fixed his gaze on the Ark Leader’s eyes: "You and I are merely satisfying our ambitions!"

Just a hint of hesitation would be enough...

"Don’t misunderstand, I won’t use ideals to embellish the Ark’s path, nor do I care what kind of revilement others attach to my ’ambition.’"

Until this moment, Lin Lan’s deep eyes showed no trace of wavering: "Besides, you could never imagine the obstacles on the path I walk."

Invisibly, the soul contract shattered instantly, and Horn let out a muffled groan, a helpless, bitter smile escaping the corner of his mouth.

"You’re truly a madman..." He closed his eyes.

Lin Lan aimed at the demon’s heart and mercilessly pulled the trigger.

BANG!