Chapter 272

Chapter 272

The home planet of the Accretia Empire is Planet Arc, but before we were citizens of the Empire, we were also human.  

Humanity's homeland is Earth.  

However, I do not know Earth. I recognize my home planet and homeland only as words and concepts.  

...Every now and then, I found myself wondering. What kind of place was Earth?  

The homeland of all humanity, Earth.  

The Accretia Empire considers Planet Arc its home. But even the ancestors of that planet ultimately came from Earth.  

Now, we can no longer return to Earth. Why we cannot return, and what the reason is—I do not know for sure. I was never taught.  

‘I can only vaguely speculate.’  

I had once glimpsed the memories and life of Noel Mullizcane, the founder of Akies Victima.  

In Noel Mullizcane’s memories, there were indirect clues about why humanity came to Planet Novus.  

‘But even that isn't entirely accurate.’  

Even Noel had only indirectly seen a ‘foreign outer fleet.’ Since his memories had passed through layers of subjectivity, the landscape I saw was likely filled with distortions and errors.  

I knew all too well how unstable human memory was.  

‘But one thing is certain—humanity was driven by some threat, forcing them to come all the way to Planet Novus.’  

There was a reason why I was suddenly contemplating space and planets.  

Woo-oo-ong.  

A dry vibration spread throughout the spacecraft’s interior. Beyond the small window, I could see darkness speckled with scattered stars.  

‘Outside Novus’s atmosphere.’  

For the first time in my life, I was seeing outer space with my own eyes.  

Traveling through space was not particularly special. For most species on Planet Novus, interstellar travel was a fundamental technology. In the first place, native species of Novus were extremely rare, and the majority—including humanity—were extraterrestrial settlers who had arrived via interstellar travel.  

‘Humanity has no right to reject the other species of Planet Novus.’  

They simply seized dominance over the planet and wielded their influence as if they were its rightful owners and natives.  

If you think about it, what species could be as warlike as humanity? A species that cannot tolerate being anything less than the center, the protagonist, wherever they go.  

You’re letting your thoughts wander, Luka. You could simply say that the sight of a world filled with stars was truly wondrous.  

…Captured by Mushir al-Kashura, I was confined within his personal spacecraft. Outside lay an endless void of darkness. There was nowhere to escape, nor did I have the means to do so.  

‘What a ridiculous sight I must be.’  

My prosthetic arm and leg had been discarded on the floor, leaving me with nothing but my torso, sitting in a chair.

Right now, I was powerless. I couldn't even handle a small child. This was me, stripped bare.  

‘After all that arrogance, this is what it’s come to.’  

I let out a bitter smile and looked ahead.  

Mushir al-Kashura was seated at the center of the spacecraft.  

The chair, perfectly fitted to Kashura’s armored prosthetic body, was covered in a tangle of intricate electronic machinery.  

Keeing, chiiik, clank, clack.  

Mechanical arms descended from the ceiling, working on Kashura’s armored body, performing repairs.  

Whirrr, keeeik.  

Repair drones, each the size of a human head, hovered around Kashura, replacing components and welding the outer shell.  

Giinng.  

Kashura turned only his head to look at me. Out of the four glowing eyes he had, only one remained lit.  

“I ask for your forgiveness for rendering you in such an undignified state. You see, I’m afraid to even install a basic prosthetic on you. I’m not always perfect myself.”  

“You mean you’re never perfect. No one is.”  

I responded flatly.  

“That is true. However, one can be perfect by their own standards. Or at least approach perfection.”  

Kashura spoke with a gentlemanly tone. It was unsettling, considering he was a monster planning to scoop out my brain. That made it all the more terrifying.  

He spoke with quiet politeness, yet carried out madness without hesitation. He was a lunatic so ancient that even his insanity was neatly contained.  

Fwut, fwuut, fushuuuu.  

The cables and tubes connecting Kashura’s occipital region to the metal box snapped off one by one.  

Juruurrk.  

A viscous liquid dripped from the detached tubes. It had a pinkish hue, resembling cerebrospinal fluid.  

Tchok.  

The pink liquid splattered onto the floor, instantly freezing into crystalline formations—likely a coolant, reaching its freezing point upon contact.  

‘Even with multiple brains… his combat prowess was outstanding. He was even cooling them.’  

Kashura had been managing his brains by keeping them cooled within the metal box.  

‘Armored and combat prosthetic bodies also use coolant around the brain containers to enhance cognitive processing and computation speed.’  

But Kashura must have taken it a step further. He had likely submerged his entire brain in coolant. Just like I had during the Storm Era.  

‘Kashura poured everything into this battle. He mobilized all his available resources.’  

I knew all too well what had become of me after the Storm Era.  

Glooop, glooop.  

A sound like flushing water echoed from Kashura’s metal box.  

Clunk.  

The lower section of the metal box opened, ejecting a brain encased in a glass cylinder.  

“You have served me well, Zvely.”

Kashura lifted the brain encased in the glass cylinder and quietly gazed at it. His glowing eyes narrowed with affection. That emotion was no pretense.  

Kashura was an absolute force. He had no need for deception. Every word, action, and feeling he expressed was genuine.  

‘It was pushed to its limits in this battle and ultimately broke down.’  

The brain in the glass cylinder had turned soft and stringy, as if it had melted into the coolant fluid. It resembled a piece of meat that had aged too long and begun to rot. Fragments of brain matter floated aimlessly inside.  

“So this is the end for the brain of an Akies Victima user.”  

And the seat that once belonged to ‘Zvely’ would now be mine.  

“Zvely was a good friend. We spent half a century together. We shared many discussions and debates.”  

“That’s just your delusion. Zvely must have hated you. There’s no way it willingly became one with you.”  

“The emotions and thoughts one holds before unification are insignificant, Luka. Have you ever seen the left and right hemispheres of a brain hate each other? We think of ourselves as a single mind, but in reality, we have two separate selves. And if you break it down further, there are even more. But explaining it in words is meaningless. You’ll understand soon enough—what it means to be one.”  

“That is, if my brain still works properly.”  

I glanced at my reflection. A piece of metal shrapnel was embedded in my left temple. It looked like it had sunk in quite deep.  

“I am an expert in this field. The surgery will be difficult… but I will aid in your recovery. For the sake of unification.”  

“If you try to swallow me whole, you might choke. As you can see, I don’t exactly have the most agreeable personality.”  

Kashura let out a low chuckle.  

“None of the Akies Victima users who became one with me were easy to deal with. Zvely was an especially arduous challenge. Ah, and Zvely… would be your martial ancestor, wouldn’t he? The master of your master.”  

“…What?”  

For once, I was too dumbfounded to say anything else. A head injury could make anyone stupid, so fine, damn it.  

“Zvely was Kinuan’s master. The one who taught Kinuan how to use Akies Victima.”  

“Kinuan… offered his master’s brain to you?”  

Kashura’s glowing eyes curved into a crescent shape.  

“It was a fair exchange. I have observed Kinuan for a long time and have occasionally worked with him. He is a fascinating individual.”  

Perhaps Kashura was the one person on Planet Novus who was closest to Kinuan and truly understood his motives.  

“Worked with him? That doesn’t make sense. I heard you once stood in Kinuan’s way at Barbara’s request. And by Barbara, I mean Giselle Custoria’s associate…”

"Barbara is someone I know far better than you do. At the time, Zvely’s durability had reached its limit, so I intended to secure Kinuan as a replacement. At the same time, I fulfilled Barbara—my daughter’s—request."  

My eyes widened.  

What the hell? What did Kashura just say? Is today the day I officially become an idiot?  

"Daughter?"  

That’s the second time today I’ve blurted out a dumb question. A truly rare occasion.  

"To be precise, I am her biological father. That child does not know that I am her father. I once provided my genetic seed—frozen sperm—to the Empire in exchange for receiving the necessary technology to enhance my prosthetic body. The Empire's armored prosthetic technology surpasses mine in several areas. The power of collective intelligence is truly remarkable, after all."  

Suddenly, it all made sense.  

Barbara and Kashura did share similarities—brilliant intellect, a peculiar form of madness, and a unique mental resilience that transcended physical limitations.  

Kashura was an exceptionally anomalous human, and Barbara had inherited part of that anomaly.  

‘The Empire must have attempted several times to artificially create beings like Mushir al-Kashura. Barbara was likely one of those byproducts.’  

If the Empire could mass-produce multi-brained individuals like Mushir al-Kashura, they would have an utterly terrifying army.  

"Heh… hahaha. So that’s why she’s so damn unusual."  

If I still had my prosthetic hand, I would have slapped my forehead.  

"I don’t hear much news about the child, but I can only hope she is doing well. I have no sentimental attachment to my bloodline, but she is my biological daughter nonetheless. All things being equal, wouldn’t it be natural to show some preference?"  

Kashura added a chuckle. His mechanical body rattled slightly as he laughed.  

Chiiik.  

Kashura placed the glass cylinder containing Zvely’s brain into the ejection chamber.  

"Zvely, may you find rest as you wander the eternal abyss…"  

Kashura murmured as if bidding farewell to an old friend. He watched the glass cylinder drift away, disappearing into the void.  

‘Kashura exhausted Zvely.’  

I had never seen Zvely. Kinuan had rarely, if ever, spoken of his master.  

But Zvely was Kinuan’s teacher, and judging from the scale of this battle, in which his brain had been completely consumed… he must have been an outstanding Akies Victima user.  

‘There can’t be many brains like Zvely’s. Kashura must have carefully preserved it, only to fully expend it in this battle.’

Right now, Mushir al-Kashura was weakened. He wouldn’t be able to display the same overwhelming power as in the last battle. Reaching that level of combat strength probably only happened two or three times in a century at most.  

"If you have any questions, ask away, Luka. After all, information sharing is essential for unification."  

If there was any clue to extract, I had to drag it out of him. Even the faintest possibility had to be pursued.  

"What is Kinuan’s goal?"  

"Who knows? I don’t. When a highly skilled Akies Victima user also possesses the cunning of a schemer, reading their intentions becomes incredibly difficult. Even among users of the same level, how they utilize Akies Victima varies depending on their nature. You, for example, are a combat-oriented Akies Victima user. That makes you more useful to me."  

I frowned.  

"You must have some idea. You even unified with Kinuan’s master, Zvely."  

"At this point, I don’t see why Kinuan’s objective should matter to you… but I suppose I can consider this a foundation for a closer bond between us. Zvely believed Kinuan was a born revolutionary. That aligns well with the essence of Akies Victima."  

"I don’t care about Zvely’s thoughts—I want to hear the opinion of the unified entity."  

Kashura remained standing until Zvely’s brain had disappeared from sight, then finally took a seat.  

"Kinuan is an anti-fate existence. It’s as if he lives to overturn the natural course of cause and effect. He enjoys straying from logical predictions and intuition, mocking the destinies and fates of others. He is the embodiment of that kind of defiance."  

That was vague. I blinked and muttered a single response.  

"…So, in the end, you don’t know."  

"Which is why I said earlier that I don’t know."  

Kashura grumbled.

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