Beyond the Gate: The Last Gozzaki - Capítulo 72

Capítulo 72: Beyond the Gate: The Last Gozzaki Chapter 90: The Moral Test

Beyond the Gate: The Last Gozzaki

Chapter 90: The Moral Test

The morning of March 24th dawned cold and crisp on the mountain peak. Xyron stood overlooking the valley, his hands deep in his pockets. Behind him, Mr. X, his brother Ren, and the strategist Zero waited in total silence.

“You’re 30 minutes late,” Mr. X said, his voice cutting through the wind.

Xyron gave a small, cocky smile. “And you’re still counting? Relax, I’m here.”

“Enough talk,” Mr. X replied. “We have a test to conduct. If you fail this, you don’t leave this mountain alive.”

Zero walked toward a nearby cave and emerged dragging a small, trembling figure. It was a girl, no older than six years old. Her hands and feet were bound in heavy, cold-iron chains. She looked at Xyron with wide, teary eyes filled with terror. Zero shoved a sharp, jagged dagger into Xyron’s hand and stepped back to stand by Mr. X’s side.

“Kill her,” Mr. X commanded, his voice devoid of emotion.

Xyron looked at the dagger, then at the child. His blood pressure spiked. “Are you out of your mind? She’s just a kid! What has she possibly done to deserve this?”

“Nothing,” Mr. X said calmly. “She is innocent. She has committed no crimes. That is the test. Kill her, and you are a Titan. Refuse, and you die.”

Xyron’s expression darkened. He stared at the child—the way she shook, the way she didn’t even fight. He let out a cold, disgusted breath and threw the dagger to the ground.

“If she had committed a crime, maybe. But for no reason? You’re not just sick, you’re pathetic.”

Xyron didn’t hesitate. With a quick, precise movement, he shattered the iron chains with his bare hands. The little girl didn’t run away; instead, she scrambled forward and clung to Xyron’s leg, hiding behind him as if he were her only protector. Xyron placed a gentle hand on her head, shielding her from the others.

Mr. X walked slowly toward Xyron, his footsteps silent on the frozen earth. He reached out and placed a firm hand on Xyron’s shoulder. “You passed.”

Xyron was stunned. “What?”

“Titans never harm the innocent,” Mr. X explained. “If you had killed her, we would have executed you right here. We needed to know if you were a mindless killer or a man with a code. You proved you are the latter.”

Zero stepped forward to take the girl back, but the child shrieked in fear and squeezed Xyron’s leg even tighter.

“Leave her,” Xyron ordered, his voice brooking no argument. He looked down at the girl. “What’s your name, little one?”

The girl looked up, her voice a soft, broken whisper. “Hayi… Hayima.”

Editor’s Comment:

The ‘Test of Character’ is a classic trope, but it works perfectly here. Mr. X is building a team of powerful individuals who aren’t just assassins, but people who follow a specific, twisted code of honor. By saving Hayima, Xyron has inadvertently added a complication to his mission—a child he now has to protect. The name ‘Hayima’ sounds suspiciously familiar to the Gozzaki family tree. Could she be related to Hayato?

Fuente: Webnovel.com, actualizado en Leernovelas.com