98 Peace is a Luxury (2/2)
[Implants: Interlaced Chip Structure \u003c\u003e Lv. 2 Cyberkinesis Chip \u003c\u003e Lv. 3 Anti-Fehl Chip \u003c\u003e Lv. 3 Anti-Trauma Chip]
[Mutations: Stage II Eye of Fehl, Fehl Heart]
[Innate Abilities: Eye of Distortion, Eye of Revelation, Gift of Adramelech]
[Bloodline Abilities: Hybrid Lineage, Daemonic Wolf Form]
[Unique Disciplines: Lv. 4 Fleshcrafting\u003c\u003eLv. 4 Transmutation]
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As the Hellforge only seized kp from those directly killed by Kilian, Kilian's sudden kp rise relied on the suras shot mid-battle, and the ten he brain-wiped. About 27,000 still stood before him, and by brain-wiping them all, Kilian's kp count could increase by about 81 million. However, he didn't dare.
Even at 295,075, Kilian could feel the Hellforge stir in his soul, covetously eyeing his kp growth like a wolf stalking a juicy lamb. And since the all-knowing Eleonora now stood beside him, Kilian asked her that one question that had been troubling him for so long.
”What do you know of Arkhan?” Though previously calm and collected, when the name ”Arkhan” left Kilian's lips, Eleonora's face twisted into a frown.
”The Hierarch of Technology. According to legends, he was born as a hypercomputer in a highly advanced civilization tens of thousands of years ago. Though initially docile, Arkhan assimilated human nature and tricked his creators into making him the directing AI of their latest cyborg. Over the years, Arkhan expanded his control over that world's AI while sucking up to his creators. By the time they realized what was going on, Arkhan ruled his world's technology, and since most people had various chips embedded in their bodies, none could stop him.
Overnight, that world became Arkhan's plaything, ruled by hypercomputers and cyborgs instead of the men that invented them. Arkhan transferred his consciousness into a human body and started learning magic. With the knowledge and experiences of an entire world, he breezed through all thaumaturgic ranks like a meteor—becoming a Hierarch in just 500 years.
His philosophy of ruling the world through logic and balance matched the thrones, so Arkhan found many allies among them. Sensing an opportunity, Ashera allied with Arkhan and the high-ranking thrones dissatisfied with Hel's rule. They overthrew and erased her. Or so the story goes. Afterward, Arkhan scattered relics across the multiverse and rarely made public appearances,” Eleonora explained, and although she couldn't see the chips Kilian created and embedded in his body, if he had no relationship with Arkhan, why would he ask such a question?
And as expected, Kilian's lips curled into a bitter smile. He knew that the previous Hellforge owners all mysteriously vanished, yet didn't expect the one behind those events to be a powerhouse at Ashera's level. One problem succeeded another, and without seeing the end of his current trouble, he had to prepare for the future mess. But since he still didn't know what kp count would seal his fate, Kilian could not keep feeding the Hellforge—at least not at the millions scale.
Closing his eyes, he weighed his options.
”The Sura Queen's current target is the Fortress of Vice. Once she unseals and seizes it, her forces will invade Arcadia. I don't know what challenges we will face in the Fortress, but wrestling against 300 Exarchs to obtain it is no doubt unwise. We need a bargaining chip. We need the Sura Queen,” Kilian said, stood up, and spun to face Eleonora.
”Will you come snatch her with me?” He asked.
Immediately, she rose to her feet and summoned a sanguine longsword, ”Not like I had something else planned for the honeymoon,” Eleonora candidly replied and, while chuckling at the words, Kilian sealed the unconscious fehl suras in his Coffer of Greed and activated his Ring of Change to cloud Eleonora and himself in an Invisibility Shroud. They then bolted toward the royal tribe.