Chapter 621: Mass Leap of Faith Incident in Another World

"Nothing is true, everything is permitted" was never meant to be an excuse for reckless abandon, just as the combat arts taught within Assassin’s Creed were never intended to forge a legion of mere war machines, hollow and born only for slaughter.

It was only when Altaïr struck down the final Templar that the truth unraveled: his master, too, was a Templar, having used his disciple to eliminate nine of his brethren so he might claim the Piece of Eden entirely for his own.

It had taken Irina a considerable amount of time before she finally fought her way to this concluding chapter of the tale.

On the normal difficulty setting, Altaïr had by this point reclaimed the zenith of his strength, and the battle proved less daunting than she had imagined.

Yet, as she watched Altaïr defeat his mentor, looking upon the Piece of Eden and murmuring, "Is it doctrine you bring us, or destruction?" an inexplicable, lingering sorrow suddenly bloomed within her chest.

"When other men blindly follow the truth, remember—Nothing is true.

When other men are bound by morality or law, remember—Everything is permitted."

This was the ultimate reverence for free will; only through its existence could human civilization continue its relentless march forward.

And this was the Creed of the Assassins, the very soul that animated them.

Only from this moment onward were the Assassins liberated from the shackles of their labyrinthine dogmas, ensuring that even through cycles of corruption and decay, they would invariably rise again.

This was the profound realization that Altaïr, the first Grand Master of the entire saga, had spent a lifetime comprehending and passing down through the ages.

Irina felt that this was precisely what she—and perhaps all of her kindred—lacked, which explained why they were so often consumed by doubt, wandering aimlessly without direction whenever failure befell them.

"What a truly great Master...!" The elven maiden Sera had not yet finished the entirety of Assassin's Creed 1 herself, her progress noticeably lagging behind, though this did nothing to diminish her wonder as she watched the story unfold through others.

At this moment, her perception of these assassins had shifted entirely.

Or perhaps, it was a reverence reserved solely for the assassins within the world of Assassin’s Creed.

The faith required for the Leap of Faith was not a devotion to any deity, but a profound belief in free will itself.

"Brilliant!" Sera had never imagined that a place they casually referred to as a "cultivation realm" could stir such deep, resonant emotions within her.

She felt an almost desperate urge to introduce it to others, to share it with her kin back within the Silvermoon Forest.

They shared the same innate longing for freedom, and Sera knew, with absolute certainty, that they would understand its meaning.

Having witnessed the end, Irina remained motionless for a long time, a sudden clarity dawning in her heart. She finally understood why the eyes of those Master Assassins were never clouded by hesitation.

Was it because they were stronger than the Templars? No, it was because they possessed an unwavering, immortal faith.

To the veteran players of the shop, truly magnificent things were naturally appreciated by all, transcending any divide.

They did not necessarily have to live their lives by the Assassins' code—to many, it was simply a game—but that did not hinder their profound respect and admiration for these white-robed warriors who fought for free will.

By now, Irina and the others found themselves once more within the game, standing at the stronghold where the journey had begun: Masyaf.

The peaks loomed as majestic and vast as ever, with idle clouds drifting into the distance. Peering downward, the cliffs dropped sharply into a abyss where mountain streams murmured softly. The stone platform below, where they had crashed and bruised themselves countless times before, now looked so agonizingly small that a single misstep would surely result in nothing less than being dashed to pieces.

Yet, there stood Irina upon the wooden beam extending outward from the tower.

She spread her arms wide.

Like an eagle taking to the open sky, she leaped.

Sera stood atop a similarly towering viewpoint, and like an arrow loosed from a bow, she dove from the dizzying height.

"Screeech—!" Amidst the rushing wind buffeting their faces, they seemed to hear the piercing, clear cry of an eagle.

A perfect landing.

Silence stretched between them for a long while.

...

"I..."

"I actually did it?!"

After what felt like an eternity, Sera stared at herself in sheer disbelief. Though she hadn't died from the fall before, the previous attempts had left her utterly dazed; this time, it was a flawless landing.

"Unbelievable!"

The assassin Irina looked upon the scene with equal delight and awe. The Leap of Faith was actually real.

"Incredible!" She covered her mouth in pleasant surprise, her gaze vacant, as if she could scarcely trust her own eyes.

Lancer, the captain of the Elven Guard, now stood at the valley floor, drawing a deep breath. It was evident that he, too, had just executed a flawless Leap of Faith.

"What an utterly magnificent sensation."

"Oh! I succeeded!" The young recruits of the Golden Gryphon Knights let out a chorus of ecstatic cheers.

"I really want to try this in reality!" Sera spoke up.

"Me too! This is just too cool!" Helen said excitedly, "I want to go right now!"

Their commander, Evan, was still throwing himself off the ledge over and over again, weeping without tears: "Why did I almost break my leg again this time..."

At least it was an improvement; previously, he had routinely broken his lower body, resulting in a swift desynchronization.

Removing his virtual reality headset, he blinked: "Huh? Where did everyone go?!"

"Wait for me!"

...

Within the beautiful, waterside city of Azure Anchor, the central castle loomed altogether too conspicuously.

It was the aristocratic district of the entire city, housing the city hall and various administrative offices at the heart of this fortress-like architecture.

It was also the highest point in the city.

At that moment, upon the massive clock tower situated toward the eastern side of the castle grounds, a group of people stood shoulder to shoulder, right at the very edge of the precipice.

Just as Altaïr had done upon his debut, they leaned their bodies slightly forward, one foot planted firmly on the outermost brick.

The fierce, high-altitude wind whipped their robes into a frenzied rustle.

Gazing into the distance, the remote mountains formed a protective screen, while the tranquil lake below shimmered with faint, phosphorescent light.

The city beneath them hummed with a thick flow of people and a endless stream of carriages.

Looking down, the base of the clock tower appeared as nothing more than a slender thread.

Directly beneath them lay stacked mounds of golden-yellow straw.

Though an assassin possessed of true faith had no need for padding... this was, after all, their first attempt.

It had to be said that the sensation of being entirely unburdened, requiring no magic or strength to sustain oneself, feeling as though one were truly flying through the air, was absolute bliss.

Sera could not help but close her eyes.

In truth, Helen did exactly the same.

As a race imbued with a deep sense of artistry and romance, the elves were uniquely equipped to appreciate such poetic beauty.

Lancer, the guard captain, also felt the irresistible urge to try.

They closed their eyes, clearly channeling the essence of that profound sensation.

Meanwhile, the crowd gathered below...

"What are those people up there trying to do...?"

"No idea... Wait, aren't those members of the Golden Gryphon Knights, and the elves who arrived in our city a few days ago?"

"What on earth are they doing standing up there?"

At first there were only a few people, but before long, the space beneath the clock tower was packed with a dense crowd.

The elf maiden Sera seemed to have found her bearings, being the first to leap down from the tower.

Immediately afterward, the rest followed in rapid succession, falling like dumplings into a pot.

"Ah! This is terrible! Commander Evan is leading the knights and the elves in a mass suicide!" The onlookers were utterly paralyzed with fear.

Their minds had completely gone blank with terror.

.