Adopted Soldier

Alex stood there feeling a bit sad at Richter's response. The old man was crazy, dangerous, and evil, but he was still his grandfather. He couldn't understand the pain or the sorrow that this crazy grandfather had experienced to become like this, but Alex was sure that it should've been a devastating experience for him to be this broken. At first, Alex felt angry at his grandfather, he was full of hatred towards the old man for killing those that he loved, but later as he kept on talking to the old man. As he saw the expressions in the old man's face as he fought, that even the old man himself never noticed Alex came to realize the truth. Everything was a facade, a hoax, nothing about the old man was the truth. He was a man who kept on lying to himself. 

Same as Lyner who was lonely at the top, his grandfather was lonely as well, but in a different way. He was also similar to Lyner for he was also looking for a place to die... But he didn't just want to die, he wanted to make sure that fulfilled his responsibility as the head of the Greyhounds. Even though on the outside he seemed to be proud almost fanatical about the legacy and wish of the Greyhounds, but deep inside he was full of hatred for the name. Alex could not understand why, but he knew that Richter hated his family name. He would smile with pride every time he said the name, but that was a ruse, an act, nothing more than a scam for he hated it to the bone. 

When Alex's mind was full of anger and was filled with only thoughts of killing his grandfather he never truly noticed these things, but now that he could finally think properly without any biases he noticed the hidden truth. 

'I may never understand your reasons for doing everything you did, but as a parting gift, I will fulfill your true wish.' 

Finally deciding what to do, Alex took the most basic stance of the Ultimate martial art that Dan created. It was a stance that emphasizes the right fist for one quick and fatal attack. Seeing him get ready Richter nodded his head at his grandson. He too was ready for this final attack between them. After this one of them or both of them will cease to exist. 

The tension between the two was now at an all-time high. The silence just made the situation even tenser. It was so silent that you could practically hear the beating of their hearts. The two looked at each other, eye to eye, almost synchronizing their breathing. The floor in which they stood was starting to crack as they tightened their grip onto the floor using their toes. 

Alex closed his eyes and spoke the words that gave him courage throughout his year of imprisonment. "Rachel please grant me strength." This was his special prayer, a private prayer to his very own angel of victory. Just speaking her name was enough to give Alex the courage he needed to move onward. He then took a step forward and charged towards Richter for the final time. 

...

Richter who saw the approaching Alex felt like time suddenly slow down. Usually, he was sure that victory was his, but not this time. This time death was practically holding his heart hostage. This was the first in a long time that he truly thought that there was a chance for defeat. 

Once Alex was near the range for him to use the final technique, he had initiated the strike but then he saw a figure suddenly get in the way of his strike. It was not Alex who got hit it was someone else. As Richter was trying to figure out who had intervened at the crucial moment, he felt Alex's hand stabbed right through his chest, he then felt that his heart was taken out of his body. 

It was at that moment Richter knew death was coming for him. As his life was slowly fading away, a memory flash through his mind. It was a memory of his wife the SS rank merc at the time, Tanya. She was a beautiful maiden, that Richter met during one his missions when he was still working as a merc. The two had fought on numerous occasions and every time they would meet he would win, but for some unknown reason he could never finish her off. Usually, Richter would show no mercy and kill off every enemy he met, yet, for some reason he could never seem to force himself to kill Tanya. Richter couldn't understand it either but he always left her alone after beating her. 

When he proposed marriage to her she agreed readily. The two of them got along surprisingly well and even had one child together. Though that child was a disappointment, because his skill wasn't up to par, even though he was the offspring produced by the two of them who were far superior to other human beings. Still, even though he would never admit it and didn't show it, deep within the frost of his heart Richter truly loved his son. 

When it was time to kill his wife, she didn't really struggle which shocked him. She just caressed his face while bleeding and said, "I understand... I'll be waiting for you in Valhalla my love." That was the first time Tanya had ever said the word love in front of Richter. That line really surprised him, but what surprised him the most was that, she claimed to have understood his reasons? Did she truly understand the truth behind him killing everyone from the family? Based on the face she made that day as she died, Richter truly believed that she knew the truth. 

'Ah, I was a bad brother, I was a bad father, I was a bad husband... I was an evil grandfather... But I have no regrets... I could not save myself from the curse of the neverending hatred of the Greyhounds... I wanted to use my grandson as a scapegoat, which I built up to kill me... In the end, he was finally able to do it... I truly was a selfish man...' 

When Richter thought of that only a second had passed by in the real world, as his consciousness was going away, he once again saw that smiling face of his wife. Even though he never said it, and he made it look like he married her because of other reasons, but in truth he really loved her. Richter who was barely awake saw the face of his surprised grandson and spoke his final words to him. 

"You are a true Greyhound..." 

A true Greyhound, not what became of the Greyhounds after their defeat in the war against the Empire. No, Alex became a true Greyhound, the type of Greyhound that existed when they were still the royal family of a nation. A family that was filled with love for their people. A family that treated their allies and friends like family. A family that holds its head up high filled with pride for their strength and righteousness. 

"Alex you truly are a true Greyhound...." Richter smiled, a smile that truly came from the depths of his soul.