Chapter 312

I looked at Kinuan before me and retraced my past.

The orphanage, the cadet years, the Storm Era, Border City, and now.

Major events and backdrops passed along the trajectory of my life. Countless people were entangled in that path—some I parted ways with, some had died, and some were still around me.

Life isn’t something that can be neatly divided, but it’s undeniable that the person who had the greatest influence on the life of "Luka" was "Kinuan."

I learned how to survive in this world from Kinuan. Luka, the boy, was rigid yet sometimes rebellious. If not for his talent for violence, he would have long since ended up dead in some back alley.

'But talent for violence alone has its limits.'

No matter how great the talent, in the end, it's still just an individual’s ability. Moreover, my talent was nothing more than personal violence, and in comparison to the military force wielded by nations and organizations, it was insignificant.

'How a frail individual survives within a massive tide.'

That was what Kinuan taught me.

Akies Victima is the art of the weak. But the concept of weakness isn’t limited to battle alone.

A user of Akies Victima adapts flexibly to an unpredictable reality, seizes the gaps, and finds their own answer.

That's the elegant way to put it. In truth, it was no different from a death-defying high-wire act where a single mistake meant certain death.

But thanks to Akies Victima, I survived.

I barely managed to protect myself, teetering on the edge between monsters that could swallow me whole in an instant and organizations that could end my life with a single decision.

'If a weakling wants to survive among the strong, they need to make them clash against each other.'

Going head-to-head with an entity like a nation or a powerful individual beyond comprehension meant that Akies Victima or whatever else wouldn’t matter—I wouldn’t stand a chance. Not even Kinuan’s master’s master would be able to do anything, and even its creator, Noel Mullizcane, eventually reached the limits of an individual’s power.

However, the more the strong clashed with each other, the more entangled incidents and conflicts became, and the more delicate the balance of power grew—the weak could serve as a precise counterweight.

'It’s inevitable that users of Akies Victima pursue chaos.'

Whenever I found myself in a difficult situation, I always drew in multiple factions. From there, I twisted the situation into something even more complex, waiting for an opening to emerge.

'From an outsider’s perspective... I must seem just like Kinuan. Whenever I intervene, things become more tangled, and unexpected events keep unfolding.'

Kinuan and I were each a different kind of storm. Whenever we moved, reality seemed to tear apart into utter chaos.

The result of the chain reaction that Kinuan and I set off was the Storm Era of Akbaran and the Border City incidents.

'The hotter the updraft rising from below, the stronger the storm becomes.'

…The updraft that fueled the storm called Kinuan was composed of hatred, anger, and vengeance. He manipulated and used people through negative emotions. At times, he even became the very source of hatred and rage himself.

'Thinking about it, he deliberately made enemies. He had to become the destination for multiple people… That way, chaos and disorder would follow him wherever he went.'

Kinuan was a coordinate.

Whenever the coordinate known as Kinuan appeared, forces from multiple directions converged upon him simultaneously. These forces, each with different vectors, clashed, collided, and influenced each other. The result was a state of unpredictability.

'Kinuan is not some incomprehensible phenomenon or a supernatural being.'

In the distant past, before science became a tool for understanding, humanity’s ancestors feared volcanic eruptions and lightning storms, believing them to be the wrath of gods.

'They were afraid simply because they lacked the knowledge to comprehend natural phenomena.'

Understand Kinuan, Luka. There's no need to fear him.

'There is logic behind his actions. He is not an unfathomable existence.'

As the bitter tea passed down my throat and settled in my stomach, countless thoughts ran through my mind.

Kinuan’s own thoughts were likely spiraling out of control as well.

He hadn’t answered my question about whether he had achieved his goal. That, too, was a clue.

I decided to shift the conversation.

"Now that I think about it, you only ever appear in front of me when you’re backed into a corner. You were afraid that I’d step off the stage."

Kinuan did not deny it. Instead, he simply nodded and refilled his teacup.

"I had to intervene so you wouldn’t give up on tracking me. Talking about it like this, it feels like reviewing an old game of Go."

I continued speaking. What I lacked was information.

Kinuan wasn’t the type to make mistakes easily, but if I kept talking, I might be able to extract details I didn’t yet have.

"The pursuit of a mighty empire couldn't have been easy. Among all the forces converging on you, the most formidable must have been the Empire and the Emperor. You needed someone to absorb some of that pressure. That someone was me. And also Mushir al-Kashura's attention."

"If the Empire’s focus was entirely on me, even I wouldn't have been able to move freely. Ilay was extremely capable as well. Hmm… I suppose I should start calling him Carthica’s Fox now. He’s grown into something far too large for me to handle."

"I was someone who drew the attention of Ivan Accretia and Ilay, so my return must have been a great help to you. And my brain serves as the perfect bait to attract Mushir al-Kashura's interest."

"In my plan, you were supposed to have died at Mushir al-Kashura's hands. This is the first time you've escaped from my web. I never expected Mushir al-Kashura to be defeated. That man… he's a legend, almost mythical. He's long surpassed the realm of ordinary humans. The disciple has outdone the master."

I knew that already. Kinuan never accounted for Mushir al-Kashura's death in his plans. The fact that I had survived him was nothing short of a miracle.

'It was thanks to an unexpected intervention that Kinuan hadn’t foreseen.'

That intervention was Ilay and Barbara.

"You're being surprisingly honest with me."

"I no longer have a reason to deceive you."

I blinked. There was a lot of meaning in Kinuan’s words.

'…It’s already over.'

Kinuan had used the Mind Transfer Device and the Holenergy Capsule.

'What changed?'

Had he transplanted his mind into someone else's intact brain? Or was someone else’s brain biologically embedded within Kinuan’s prosthetic body?

There was no way to know without cracking open his skull.

"What did you offer the Parish Overseer?"

"Dican is an incredibly pure-hearted man. Naturally diligent and kind… but he doesn’t hesitate to dirty his hands for the greater cause. Perhaps this will be the last lesson I ever teach."

I frowned and waited for Kinuan to continue.

"Dican would do anything for the Border City Parish. And I don’t have many bargaining chips left to offer him. After already betraying him once, how do you think I managed to win him over?"

There was no need to think too deeply.

Kinuan was cornered. He had no more hidden cards to play.

All that mattered now was what was in front of me.

There was only one answer.

"I am the ‘tribute’."

"Excellent. Just as I expected of you. His Majesty, Ivan Accretia, will make considerable concessions for you. Holenergy Capsules may be rare, but among the relics nations possess, they aren’t the most precious. In negotiations with His Majesty, your value far exceeds that. All I had to do was make Dican understand that."

I opened my mouth to speak but hesitated.

This conversation was dangerous for Lars.

I turned around. Lars, half-destroyed, was watching. His eyes were wide as he listened to our exchange.

"Lu…"

Lars tried to say something.

I lifted a finger to my lips.

'Stay quiet.'

With just a look, my expression alone made Lars fall silent.

"Lars has served his purpose, so let him go."

If he stayed any longer, even if he were released, Ivan Accretia would have him killed.

The people of the Empire must never learn that their Emperor is an emotional man.

Hearing my words, Kinuan laughed. He stood up and called for Quilia, entrusting her with Lars’s transfer.

Quilia entered and bowed her head slightly to me. She had likely spoken at length with the Parish Overseer, as her bitten lower lip revealed the weight of her emotions. For her, that was a considerable display of sentiment.

"…You go to such lengths for a subordinate you’ve only spent a few days with. That’s something I truly admire about you."

"I have no interest in hearing praise from you."

"It’s not praise. It’s the reason why you’ll never be able to defeat me. Your relationships with others are shackles. That’s why you’ve lost to me time and time again. And it’s why you’re losing even now."

Kinuan sat back down and took a sip of tea.

"You’re bound by others, which leaves you with many decisions you cannot make. Because your possibilities are so greatly narrowed, reading your moves is easy. On the other hand, I am free from emotional attachments, which is why you can’t read me."

"‘Be loved, but never love in return.’"

I recited one of Kinuan’s old teachings. He had lived his life faithfully by that principle.

"That is the key to maintaining control in all relationships. You’re an exceptional student… but this is the one lesson you never learned. You loved as much as you were loved."

Instead of feeling regret or self-reproach, I simply chuckled.

"That’s just my way of doing things."

Kinuan laughed as well.

"And that difference is what determined our fates. Ivan Accretia was a lonely child. To him, you were the only friend who truly understood his darkness, the one companion who might walk beside him for life. More than you realize, he loves you deeply. You should have actively taken advantage of that. But instead, because you couldn’t bring yourself to reciprocate, you kept running away."

"Are you saying I should have manipulated him the way you did the previous Emperor?"

"Manipulation…? The power gap was far too vast to call it that, don’t you think? I was merely struggling to survive. Now that you stand where I once did, surely you understand just how much effort it took for me, as the weaker party, to claw my way up."

I fell silent for a moment, watching Kinuan.

Perhaps…

Perhaps to Kinuan, I was his only friend. The only one who truly understood him.

"Ilay, Jafa, Anguis Regina, Ismael La, Son Seok-jae. They were all excellent cards in your hand. If you had used them and discarded them, you could have become someone like me. You would have enjoyed freedom, unbound by anything. After all, people are born alone and die alone."

"…Even if one is born alone, no one is born without parents."

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them.

Kinuan let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Hmph, how fitting for someone from an orphanage to say that. Ah, by the way, that was meant to be a jab."

I shrugged. I wasn’t even angry.

"Still, one thing reassures me. You have to take me alive. But I can kill you."

"As your so-called mentor, I should at least fight with some restrictions against my student."

"Didn't you just say the disciple has surpassed the master?"

"That was just flattery."

"Well, it’s only proper for a disciple to surpass their master."

Seated across from each other, we began our preparations for battle.

A faint hum filled the air.

My prosthetic body was slowly activating. A barely audible increase in output came from Kinuan’s prosthetic as well.

"You must be tired too, so let’s finish this in five seconds."

As if signaling the start of the fight, Kinuan moved his fingers. He flicked his finger against the teacup.

Ka-ang!

The cup shattered, and its fragments flew straight toward my face.