Chapter 280

Chapter 280

Darkness stretched on. I felt like I was about to sink into it completely. But gradually, light began to seep in.

At times, weak thoughts crept into my mind.

I wanted to sink into the darkness just like this. The urge to forget everything and find peace was dragging my consciousness to the depths.

…However, not yet.

Blink. Blink.

I moved my eyelids, trying to bring my blurred vision into focus.

As my sight cleared and I rolled my eyes to look around, I found nothing but unnatural monsters.

Mushir al-Kashura, now reduced to a metal box.

Ilay’s Legion, leaning against the wall with arms crossed.

And Barbara, the witch who controlled androids.

The three of them were watching me as I awoke. Even Kashura, confined within his metal box, must have been observing me through some means—whether a camera or something else.

‘Ah…’

I tried to speak. But no voice came out. My mouth and tongue fumbled clumsily, as if I had forgotten how to move them.

‘Brain damage, huh.’

Ilay’s eyes narrowed as he watched my feeble attempts to move my lips.

- Communicate through writing.

Ilay said as he handed me an electronic panel. But even my fingers wouldn’t move as I willed them.

‘Pathetic.’

I had no control over my body. My cybernetic implants had always been a mess, and now, in my current state, there was nothing I could do.

Static. Crackle.

A mechanical voice emitted from Kashura’s metal box.

- Your brain has been torn apart and healed multiple times. Because of that, you were already experiencing chronic functional decline. It was only a matter of time before you lost some abilities. This time, it’s aphasia.

Kashura explained.

I had no way of knowing what kind of conversation had taken place among the three of them while I was unconscious.

Still, it seemed Ilay had granted my request right before I collapsed. If I hadn’t given him a reason, he would have destroyed Kashura’s metal box on the spot.

From Ilay’s perspective, Kashura was someone who should be executed immediately. He was an enigma with unknown depths, and even if subdued, keeping him alive was a disturbing notion.

- There is equipment deeper inside my hideout. With proper calibration, Luka should be able to move his hands again.

Kashura continued.

Ilay and Barbara’s android exchanged glances. It seemed they were communicating via short-range wireless transmission.

- I’m warning you, Mushir al-Kashura. You’d best not try anything foolish. Unless you want your long life to end in vain.

Ilay warned before dragging Kashura’s metal box across the floor.

Kashura’s metal box was powerless. All the equipment connected to it had been removed. The communication devices had been stripped away, severing its network link.  

All that remained for Kashura was the life support system.  

- I lost the bet with Luka. I have no intention of going back on my word.  

Kashura’s metallic voice came from the box.  

…I had a vague understanding of what Kashura truly was. Perhaps it was because I had nearly reached the state of unity myself.  

‘Kashura has controlled and cycled through multiple brains while maintaining his own identity.’  

There was something bizarre and abnormally resolute about his self-assurance.  

‘Someone who easily goes back on their word or breaks promises wouldn’t be able to control that many brains.’  

He must have established his own strict order to maintain the identity of "Mushir al-Kashura." The moment he broke that order, his sense of self would collapse completely.  

‘Since he has no physical identity, internal oaths are crucial to him.’  

Barbara’s android lifted me up, my limp limbs hanging weakly.  

- Things have gotten complicated, Luka. It would’ve been easier if you had just escaped with me.  

Barbara spoke through the android. I remained silent, as I had no way to respond.  

Kashura’s metal box led us to a maintenance room.  

- I’ll start with calibrating Luka’s cybernetic implants. His ability to communicate is important for my own safety as well.  

Hearing this, Ilay signaled Barbara with a glance.  

- Barbara, you handle Luka’s calibration. It’s better than leaving it to Kashura.  

- Lately, everyone seems to think it’s normal to make me do all the work. Hilarious.  

Barbara grumbled but moved as instructed.  

She laid me down and first disconnected the mess of improperly linked cybernetic parts. As I rolled my eyes to look, I saw patches of necrotic tissue and darkened blood from excessive fusion.  

Barbara asked Kashura for the location of medical supplies and performed emergency treatment.  

The more I thought about it, the stranger the situation seemed. Barbara, Kashura, and Ilay—three people who should never have been in the same space—were now together.  

- Try curling your fingers.  

Barbara uttered the standard phrase as she checked my nervous system and helped calibrate my implants. The newly connected cybernetic parts responded to my will.  

As soon as my right arm was reconnected, I grabbed the electronic panel and started writing.  

‘Where do we begin?’  

There were countless questions in my mind. But one loomed above all.  

What had Ilay sacrificed to get here?  

But I doubted Ilay would answer right away. More than that, Kashura was still present.  

- Mushir al-Kashura, can your abilities help with my recovery?

I wrote on the electronic panel and held it out. I could already hear Kashura’s laughter in my head.  

- Of course, Luka.  

Kashura answered readily.  

Kashura possessed Zvely’s memories and knowledge. The only thing he had lost was the physical functionality of Zvely’s brain.  

‘Zvely was Kinuan’s mentor and a master of Akies Victima. Kashura himself is an expert on the brain.’  

It was a reasonable conclusion that Kashura could aid in my neurological recovery.  

- But all I can offer is a temporary fix. Whether it’s Akies Victima or a Legion, they treat the brain as a consumable resource. If you want to keep using yours, you’ll have to reduce that consumption.  

I scrawled on the panel.  

- That’s not your concern. You’re the loser, and I’m the winner.  

I continued writing and showed the panel to Barbara and Ilay.  

- Let Kashura handle my surgery.  

Barbara’s android let out a low chuckle, while Ilay looked visibly unsettled.  

- Are you serious? That bastard was after your brain. Just find another doctor.  

- There’s no better candidate than Kashura. And he can’t touch me. For Kashura’s wretched existence to remain tethered to this world, he needs his curse. He won’t break the curse that binds his own soul.  

I wrote at length while glancing toward Kashura’s metal box.  

I had decided to entrust my brain to Kashura. Even I thought it was insane.  

Crash!  

Ilay struck the wall with the base of his fist. The impact sent tremors through the room, shattering the tiles.  

- Do whatever the hell you want, you bastard.  

Ilay’s raw emotions cut through the air.  

*         *         *

Kashura took charge of my surgery. There was no room for Ilay to intervene. Even if Kashura attempted some deception, Ilay wouldn’t be able to tell what was wrong.  

- I appreciate your trust, Luka.  

Kashura’s metal box was now connected to a series of wires and cables.  

Whirr. Clank.  

Medical robotic arms under Kashura’s control descended from the ceiling.  

Whirr. Crack.  

The sound of my skull being opened was unsettling.  

Even my instinctive resistance to having my skull opened was fading. It meant I was drifting further from the instincts of a living being.  

Swish.  

I moved my arm and started writing on the electronic panel.  

- How is Kinuan still alive? Shouldn’t he have reached his limit by now?  

No matter how fiercely I had lived, my years were short compared to Kinuan’s. My own brain was already in ruins—I couldn’t even imagine what state his must be in.

- I don’t know either. But he’s hanging on, barely scraping by at the edge of his limits. Maybe he was just born with an abnormally resilient brain.  

- So there are things you don’t know.  

- Which is why Kinuan was such a dangerous factor. Achieving unity with him would have been the ultimate challenge of my lifetime. To me, Kinuan is like a poisoned chalice.  

…My consciousness faded for a moment.  

By the time I came to, it felt like quite some time had passed. The robotic arms were still rummaging through my head.  

“Ah, mm…”  

I could feel my language functions returning. Words were forming the way I intended.  

- I removed the necrotic sections and stimulated the damaged areas to reconnect and reactivate the language center. Occasionally, you might feel like words or sentences get stuck in your mind, unable to come out fluently. But with time, it will improve.  

I parted my lips, testing my voice, then spoke aloud.  

“A skilled surgeon, I see.”  

- Hmm, you’re already choosing your words well. No need to worry about your recovery.  

I felt my skull being sealed shut. The surgery was finished.  

Kashura’s skill was impressive. Just like before, he had performed brain surgery while only trimming a small portion of my hair.  

Now, with my forehead wrapped in thick bandages, I was left alone with Ilay.  

- Luka, there’s no reason to keep Kashura alive any longer, is there?  

There was a sharp edge to Ilay’s mechanical voice.  

‘Ilay’s brain is reaching its limit too.’  

He had been using his Legion for a long time. He had to be nearing his mental and physical breaking point. After all, a Legion was designed for short-term use.  

“That doesn’t mean we need to kill Kashura here.”  

- Are you kidding me? They must have messed with your brain during surgery! Goddammit!  

Ilay shouted. He was more impatient than usual.  

“Calm down. I know how insane this sounds. But I understand Kashura’s nature now. He doesn’t possess human emotions. He doesn’t feel things like emotional hatred or anger. He is a being who moves solely according to his own order. Losing to us… doesn’t mean he’s plotting revenge.”  

- Luka, have you completely lost it? Do you even understand what I’ve sacrificed to get here?  

Ilay’s voice was full of emotion. But that was a good sign. The real danger would be if he had lost even this kind of reaction.  

“Kinuan’s goal is for Kashura and me to destroy each other in the end. But if Kashura and I both remain as separate entities, then things change. Kashura’s next target won’t be me—it will be Kinuan.”

I pressed my thumbs together and closed my eyes.  

‘The reason Kinuan pulled me back into reality…’  

I was getting closer to understanding Kinuan’s way of thinking.  

Regardless of his intentions, I had once confronted and subdued Kinuan in the real world.  

As a result, the Kinuan within me had shrunk significantly. The psychological pressure that had been suffocating my vision lifted, and new fragments surfaced from the depths of my mind.  

“Ilay, if you return to the Empire like this, you’ll be executed, won’t you? You disobeyed Ivan’s orders and recklessly used military facilities and equipment.”  

Ilay didn’t deny it. I opened my eyes.  

“Take me to Ivan, Ilay.”  

- Forget it. I knew what I was getting into.  

“This isn’t for your sake. I have to do something I normally wouldn’t. Kinuan has hidden secrets in the choices I wouldn’t make.”  

I had to reach into the darkness and pull out the light.  

“You’re not in a state to make rational decisions right now. The Legion’s overload is clouding your judgment. So this time, trust me. The same way I trusted you.”

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