Chapter 1348 (2/2)

Well… considering his track record of stubbornly handling dangerous problems… “Yes, he will head toward a Dungeon.”

Even if he realizes the hint, he will still head there to draw you out...

Tilting his head to the side, Kaan Swacc eyed Lyra speculatively. “I can read your emotions, you know. Not even because of this-” He waved the sigil of authority around. “-but just from experience. I can tell you are worried about him but less worried than you were before you left. What gave you this confidence?”

“His new image is… strange and powerful. You might not have felt it here, but it releases a somewhat… ominous aura.” Lyra said truthfully. Although she mostly hoped her message had gotten through to him, the strength of his image had certainly been a surprise.”

Kaan hummed again at that. “No, I did feel it. And it’s impressive, certainly. It wasn’t for nothing that he survived on the frontlines. But his image is complicated and unbalanced. Based on what I can sense… it will consume him within a year. But until that happens… I suppose he will possess a volatile efficiency at what he does.”

Lyra felt her heart flutter at that. Because based on what Lyra had come to know of Kaan in the last week since he had main his presence known, she had learned one thing about him: he was a man too arrogant to lie. If he truly thought Randidly’s image would consume him, there was likely a grain of truth to it.

Before Lyra could consider that issue further, Kaan stood up abruptly flexing his hands. “I’m curious of your thoughts on what the Rashai’i were arguing about… whether it would be worth it to involve the Nemesai. Should we contact them?”

Before she could stop herself, her mouth was moving. Simple questions were almost reflex to answer honestly. “Probably.”

“Why probably?” Kaan retorted.

Lyra shrugged. “If you can keep Randidly Ghosthound from interfering… yes. If not, then there really isn’t any point. As long as he’s present, he’s already demonstrated he can rather simply suppress the entirety of the Nemesai with his presence. In fact, even with you there, Randidly probably could split his attention up enough to dominate the entire battlefield.”

“Believe me, after reading the reports of the frontlines, I more than respect his ability to affect a larger battlefield.” Kaan hummed musically again. “And what do you think the Nemesai would do if I contacted them?”

That caused Lyra to blink because she genuinely had to think about it for a short amount of time. “In terms of response…? They would likely be cautious after seeing Randidly’s power at his birthday, but if you could convince them you had dealt with him, they would gather up and attack one of the task forces while they assaulted the Corrupted Invaders’ base. Likely each task force has enough powerful individuals to weather a Nemesai attack without serious casualties, but it would delay them. With your assistance, the people of Earth-”

“I will not touch the average person on Earth.” For whatever reason, the corner of Kaan’s mouth was stretching wider and wider. It was a smile, but it was a strange, shapeless one. Perhaps it was just because he had no teeth, but his entirely, gleaming face looked like a mask covering something hideous beneath. “However girl, it turns out we are nowhere near as smart as we thought we were. What if I told you I had already reached out to the Nemesai… and they had refused me? Apparently they need time to consider another offer of cooperation. Any idea why they would say that to me?”

“Randidly Ghosthound,” Lyra’s lips opened and closed to let the two words pass before she could even stop herself.

Kaan Swacc nodded slowly. His luminous silver eyes narrowed. “Which is extremely strange. Because what can this Earthling offer Nemesai? My offer to help them fail the Earth should be their ultimate goal… which makes me worry that my secret theory is correct.”

Then Kaan turned to look at Lyra. The worst part of the sigil of authority’s power was that it also be used to force Lyra to take an action. Like bringing Randidly the message that Kaan would attack one of the task forces without revealing Kaan’s plan. A complicated action required a very specific order in order for it to be effective. But for a simpler action…

Eventually, Lyra’s face went pale and she began to cough. When she had recovered her breath, she asked the question that Kaan wanted; the tilt of his chin had been enough to force her to ask it. “What is your secret theory?”

Kaan clapped his hands together in simple amusement. When his two hands touched, they chimed beautifully. “I’m so glad you asked. I believe Randidly Ghosthound is a Nether spy. There is no other explanation for how he was able to survive so long as an image on the frontlines, nor why he improved in power so quickly. More than that...

“In the wake of the battle on the frontlines, the wounded form of a Nether King remained near our territory. My fellow members of the Xyrt Brigade traveled there immediately. Because they acted quickly, they were able to suppress the Nether King and prevent it from healing… but then strangely, some force unraveled their efforts. Only three days ago the Nether King vanished.”

“You think the Nether King’s disappearance was related to Randidly. That conclusion makes me question the integrity of your logic,” Lyra said with great relish. There were sometimes when she quite appreciated being forced to be completely honest.

If anything, however, Kaan shared her amusement. His grin stretched wider. “Perhaps not him directly, but a force that this Ghosthound of yours represents. Like I said, I can read your emotions, girl. You might believe that I am here because I hate this Randidly… but that cannot be further from the truth. I’m actually quite delighted to have the chance to encounter this Randidly Ghosthound.

“Because killing him seems like it will be fun. To actually find a true being of Nether on a planet… It is rare I find an unusual foe, even in the Xyrt Brigade.”

Lyra frowned. “If you want to kill him, why encourage him to go into a Dungeon…?”

Suddenly, Kaan’s smile vanished. He raised his gleaming bronze hand and swirled a finger around in the air, and Lyra felt her body moving of its own accord. After gasping, she found herself facing the ground, bent at the waist.

It was an exact reflection of her posture from when she had been standing before Randidly.

“Orders, girl.” There was no music in Kaan’s voice this time. The man turned and left the room, leaving Lyra trapped in that position until the order slowly faded away. As he left, he provided one last line into the frozen air. “In the Nexus, everyone is puppeted by someone.”