624 Chapter 624 Questions
"Where did those people go to? It's been three days already," Cleome said.
Shinari and Salamander had not returned or informed them for the past three days. At first, Aldred did not had any problem with that, but he became worried now.
"I will check on them," Cleome said. "You stay here."
Cleome left the bedroom, leaving Aldred with Elralya and Cellaeth.
Aldred turned his attention to the both of them after the door closed. "So, what are you guys doing in your free time?"
"Training," Elralya said.
"I mean, what you do for fun?"
"Training is fun," Elralya said. "Because when we train, I know the chance of our survival increased even by a slight margin."
"That's great." Aldred knew a lot of workaholics. These type of people do work for fun. It was one of the major reason why these people were one of the best in their fields. "Where are you from?"
"The Elven world."
"And where is that exactly? I am kinda new in this galaxy."
Elralya was about to answer until Cellaeth stopped her and glared at Aldred. "Why are you asking these questions?"
"Isn't it normal to ask these questions if we want to become friends?"
"We aren't friends. Never will. We only work together because of our goal. If it wasn't for that fact, we would already try to kill each other."
Aldred sighed. "The human and the elves in my world were at peace with each other. Actually, most races were at peace with each other."
Cellaeth burst into laughter before wiping the tears in her eyes.
"I am serious. I am certain the humans and the elves in this galaxy can also be friends."
Cellaeth laughter turned into gritted teeth as she stared sharply at him. "The hatred between humanity and the elven races stretched across several eras and centuries. Thousands of worlds and untold billions of individuals on both sides burned and killed. The grudge between us is so deep that it is considered natural to kill each other on sight."
"But you didn't kill me," Aldred said. You could've do it. You had many chances to do so."
"I told you it's because of our goal. Getting to Lord Malgorth is a higher priority than killing you."
Aldred simply smiled. "Someday, I will unify this galaxy and put peace upon this galaxy."
Cellaeth and Elralya was in disbelief. The words that Aldred spoke was nothing but a mere daydream, but they were speechless because Aldred spoke with such calmness and assurance that he could certainly do it in the future.
What kind of confidence was that? Where did he get it? Was it truly confidence or arrogance?
"Why did you choose this life?" Aldred asked.
"Huh?"
"You could have become a simple civilians working far from danger. Instead, you become a warrior and charge at the danger head on. Is it power? Is it wealth? Status? Fame?"
Back in Aldred's world, almost all of the magicians were individualistic minded and only cared about their own. Every action was done to benefit oneself, to get stronger and more powerful.
Cellaeth frowned, seemingly irritated at the question, but inside, she thought deep about the question.
———
"Cellaeth," her mother weakly said atop the rubble of their homes as she looked at her daughter in the eyes. A smile shed on her bloody lips.
Amidst chaos, screams and roars echoed as soldiers clashed with charging enemies, gunfire and distant explosions creating a symphony of violence.
Little Cellaeth was crying as mother caressed her cheek despite the massive wound she suffered in her stomach.
Soldiers marched past her and began firing towards the sky. Little Cellaeth did not care. She only had her mother in mind.
"Be strong, Cellaeth. Be strong, so you wouldn't have to suffer."
———
"Hello?" Aldred called. "Did you hear my question?"
Cellaeth returned to reality. She gave Aldred an annoyed look. "I have no obligation to tell you that."
Right after those sentences, she stood up and left.
Aldred bitterly smiled seeing her fuming and slamming the door. 'Elves are quite sensitive, huh.'
Elralya approached Aldred. "My turn to ask questions."
"Ask away." Aldred was glad she asked him a question. That meant she start to feel comfortable around him.
"The weapon you use the other day. Can I see it?"
"Maybe not now. The weapon is currently unstable and it's too dangerous if I summon it now."
Aldred did not know what will happen if he summoned the Phantom Doomblade. Currently, he could feel its hunger for flesh and souls. It was like a crazed hungry predators desperate for a feast.
The aliens and the alien queen was enough to satisfy it for a day, if not for that, the Phantom Doomblade might took his friends too.
It was an extremely powerful blade, but its drawback was it could become unstable sometimes. It was expected though as it contain millions of souls within it, and Aldred hadn't even unlock its full potential yet.
"You can't really control it?" Elralya asked. "It makes sense actually. The power I feel from that weapon is not normal. It feels like it has the ability to consume everything."
Elralya was actually spot on. Phantom Doomblade was able to consume various magical weapons and even modern weapons to mimic their shapes and functions. In fact, it became even more powerful than the artifacts it consumed because it was powered by Aldred's mana and the stats of the Phantom Doomblade.
It was Aldred's trump card. Almost all of his victory were contributed by that blade.
"Now, for the more serious question." Elralya got even closer and stared at Aldred. "Are you really a human?"
"I am," Aldred said.
Elralya squinted her eyes. "I don't think so. You are something else entirely. At the very least, you're not pure human. Well, you're not the first one."
"There are impure humans?"
"Of course, the super soldiers, the genetically enhanced humans are actually an organism designed using various means to transform beyond human's physical limitation. The humans used a lot of xenos and other DNAs to achieve this."
"That's... interesting," Aldred said. "I still don't know how powerful they are, but Salamander seems to really admire them."
"The super soldiers of your human race are one of the formidable key in the success of your empire. They are larger, stronger, and faster than normal humans. Their bones are reinforced with a substance called ceramite, and their skin is augmented to resist various forms of damage. They have enhanced senses, exceptional reflexes, and rapid healing abilities, allowing them to survive injuries that would be fatal to a regular human."
Aldred wasn't impressed. On his planet, a lot of people had those kind of abilities.
"Not only that, your Imperium provided the super soldiers with the latest tech possible. They wear power armor, technologically advanced exoskeletons that enhance their physical abilities even further. Power armor provides protection against ballistic, energy, and environmental threats. It also incorporates a Black Carapace, a neural interface that allows the wearer to directly interface with the armor, enhancing their reflexes and control."
'Hmm,' Aldred feel like these super soldiers did not deserve the hype around them. The thing Elralya mentioned about these super soldiers were basically an average magicians or warriors on his planet. There were magical armor that had a variety of functions and abilities even more capable than the power armor.
To be honest, Aldred felt like these super soldiers were just ordinary human with a better physique and equipments.
That was all.
The average opponents Aldred had fought in the past would match against these super soldiers for sure. n-(Ove1B1n
That was his opinion, but he did not want to judge too quickly. The fact that they were so admired in this galaxy must meant that they had something else.
"Okay, so what about your race?" Aldred started. "I am sure your race also has its own super soldiers."
Elralya nodded. "We have something called Aspect Warriors. These are elite troops trained in specific field such as close-combat, ranged, and anti-armor specialist. They are more or less as capable as the super soldiers."
"I see," Aldred nodding a couple of times, wondering what to say to continue the conversation.
"To be honest, your race could have dominated the galaxy entirely if not for the Steel Rebellion."
"Steel Rebellion?"
"You really are not from here," Elralya said. "The Steel Rebellion is basically known by everyone. It's one of humanity's greatest failure."
"What is it exactly?"
Elralya sighed. "The story is too long to explain. Maybe you should look it up."
"I want to hear it from you, first," Aldred said. Getting a perspective from an elf could be more valuable than simply looking up for the information on the Galactic Net.
"Fine," Elralya agreed. "I will explain it as simple and as short as I can. So basically, in the past, humanity actually hold much greater power of technology than the current era."
She continued to explain the Steel Rebellion and as Aldred listened more and more, his countenance
darkened.
