"I kinda stole the Murderbots from there along with their source code," Kayden said, his voice carrying the casualness of someone admitting they''d borrowed a pen without asking.


    "I tweaked the code a bit, threw in some des on their guns. We can''t rely on technology alone." He paused, casting a meaningful look at Kaisen. "Not for long."


    That was Kaisen''s cue, the signal in the subtext that Kayden had just handed him a loaded gun. But if he didn''t tread carefully, Kayden could easily use his desperation to go back home against him.


    One wrong move, and he could lose every advantage he had. And Kaisen wasn''t about to let that happen. Even if excitement buzzed in his veins, he couldn''t show it. He needed to y this right, to squeeze everyst drop of benefit from this twisted reunion.


    ''I''ve got to get some serious credits out of this—no, not just some, a huge pile of credits. Enough to set myself up somewhere far from all this madness, just in case I get ejected from the game again.''


    He couldn''t help but let his mind wander for a moment.


    ''Could I bring my women here if that happens?''


    The thought was tempting, but he pushed it aside.


    "What do you want, Kayden?"


    Kaisen asked, suppressing the tremor in his voice and forcing himself to sound as casual as if they were discussing weekend ns. His price was about to be named, and he needed to be ready.


    Kayden chuckled, that maddeningly cryptic sound that always made Kaisen feel like he was missing part of the joke.


    He nced at Kaisen before looking back down at the city below them, as another gust of wind swept past, carrying with it the scent of something ominous on the horizon.


    "Do you know how I was able to be an Emperor?" Kayden asked, raising his hands in a grand gesture that screamed,


    Look at all this!


    He didn''t even wait for Kaisen''s reply before continuing, clearly relishing the dramatic buildup.


    "EMPs!"


    Kayden dered, as if unveiling the secret ingredient in his recipe for world domination.


    Kaisen''s eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise.


    EMPs?


    Electromaic Pulses—those nasty little bursts of energy capable of frying every electrical device within a certain radius.


    Back in the day, these things were as coveted as a golden ticket to Willy Wonka''s factory. Dangerous as hell, they were the ultimate tool for criminals looking to cause chaos.


    One well-ced EMP, and you could turn a police headquarters into a ghost town, then waltz in and loot the ce without a single rm ring.


    But then the Authority showed up, like the uninvited guest who not only crashes the party but also decides to take over the DJ booth. Originally just a glorified securitypany, the Authority rose to power by developing a security protocol that made EMPs about as useful as a chocte teapot.


    They rendered those attacks ineffective, allowing the cops to round up the bad guys without breaking a sweat. After that, the rich and powerful flocked to the Authority like seagulls to a chip, desperate to safeguard their businesses, offices, and even their homes with this new tech.


    But as with anything too good to be true, it all came back to bite them, sneaky as a cat burr in the night.


    The Authority''s iron grip tightened, and before anyone realized it, that little securitypany had morphed into the most powerful entity in the world, controlling everything fromw enforcement to the very air you breathed.


    Kayden''s use of EMPs wasn''t just a power move—it was a statement.


    He didn''t just survive the Authority''s rise; he found a way to flip their own weapons against them, making him the one thing they couldn''t anticipate: a wild card with the ability to short-circuit their carefully controlled world.


    "But how? EMPs are pretty much useless nowadays. So how did you even manage to build something that flipped this world on its head?"


    Kaisen asked, his posture straightening as he tried to make sense of it all. He needed answers, and he needed them fast.


    Kayden''s smile broadened as his hand slowly moved toward the sword at his waist. The handle was as ck as midnight, and with a deliberate slowness, he unsheathed it from its scabbard.


    The de that emerged was so dark it seemed to drink in the moonlight, almost as if it were made from a piece of the night sky itself. It was there, no doubt, but you''d have to squint to really see it—a weapon that was as much a shadow as it was steel.


    The sword looked like it had been crafted with the kind of care you''d only find in a master cksmith''s most cherished work. It wasn''t shy or adorned with thetest tech; instead, it had a simple, ancient elegance, with a double-edged de that seemed to hum with an otherworldly energy.


    It was as if the sword didn''t belong here at all, like it had somehow crossed over from a different realm entirely.


    Kaisen''s eyes widened in disbelief, his mind racing to catch up with what he was seeing.


    ''Holy fuck! This isn''t from our world at all!''


    "What is that?!"


    Kaisen demanded, pointing at the sword with a mix of awe and fear. The sheer impossibility of what he was witnessing shook him to his core.


    Kayden''s smile deepened, clearly relishing Kaisen''s reaction.


    "You can sense it, can''t you? That familiar power, the one you know all too well. I can feel it in this de. I can feel it in you, too. The old man was right—this is magic, isn''t it?"


    Kayden was practically vibrating with excitement, like a kid who''d just found out the family dog might actually be a dragon in disguise.


    It was almost as if the man himself had been skeptical about the sword''s magic until now, but seeing Kaisen''s reaction was the final confirmation he needed. Kaisen''s wide-eyed disbelief was the cherry on top of Kayden''s magical sundae.


    Kaisen, on the other hand, was having a mental car crash. His brain mmed on the brakes when Kayden mentioned "the old man."


    ''Who the hell is this old man?''


    Kaisen''s thoughts raced like a caffeinated squirrel. Does he know him? Is he from the game world? The questions piled up faster than dishes at an all-you-can-eat buffet.


    One thing was clear: that sword was radiating mana like a mystical space heater.


    "Who? Who was the old man, Kayden?!"


    Kaisen''s hands shot out, grabbing Kayden by the shoulders and shaking him like a malfunctioning vending machine.


    But Kayden was as unppable as ever, his grin stretching wider as if he''d just found out Christmas came twice a year. He didn''t even flinch, looking more pleased with himself than a cat who''d just caught the canary.


    "Uh… let me think… He said something about a magical sword that would help me conquer this world and… and… oh, crumbs, I''m forgetting parts—oh, right! He also said I need to find the other half of the sword to fully conquer this ce..."


    Kayden trailed off, looking like a student who''d just had a surprise pop quiz on a subject he barely studied.


    "The name, Kayden! What''s his name?!"


    Kaisen demanded, his patience wearing thinner than a paper-thin pancake.


    "Oh… uh… it''s… um… something like Eldric—uh, Eldric something… I can''t quite remember for some reason—"


    Kayden stammered, scratching his head as if trying to find the right answer in a game of charades.


    "Eldric Sunde! Is it Eldric Sunde?!"


    Kaisen practically shouted, his excitement bubbling over like a shaken soda.


    Kayden''s eyes lit up like fireworks on New Year''s Eve.


    "Yes! That''s the name! Eldric Sunde, brother. That''s him!"


    He snapped his fingers and gave a thumbs-up, looking like he''d just solved a particrly tricky riddle.


    Kaisen let go of Kayden and stood there with his mouth hanging open, as if he''d just discovered his favorite TV show was actually filmed in his living room.


    "Holy fuck! That''s the first Light Bearer!"