"Thank you, Kara, for your service. That will be all for now. I should talk to my dear little brother alone."
The voice that followed sounded like a guy trying his hardest to sound mature and regal, reverberating across the balcony like a phony superhero's cheap-looking hologram.
The hover bike had reached the castle in about 10 minutes, and Kaisen had gawked at the city below.
One thing he noticed was that the residents weren't living peacefully; instead, they were busy cranking out weapons and armor like a dystopian Santa's workshop preparing for a very bloody Christmas.
Big restaurants, or at least that's what Kara said they were, dotted every major block, and small vendors with food lined every other street. It was for the rebels to eat and drink as they toiled away in the smithies and workshops, keeping the war machine well-fed and well-armed.
Kaisen had thought these people might actually live here without worrying about taking over the land or the Authority itself, but no, they were gearing up for a war that would make every history book read like an action-packed thriller.
This war was set to be one of the most violent conflicts ever to take place on this world.
After all, since the creation of the Authority, no one had struck a blow as powerful as Kayden did, and that's exactly why these people were rallying behind him, like fans cheering for their favorite underdog in the ultimate showdown.
After that, they parked in the castle grounds, which were perched on a high hill adorned with golden steps leading up from the ground.
More Murderbots were stationed on either side of the steps, but this time they weren't playing hide-and-seek. They stood there, weapons in hand, looking straight ahead like soulless toy soldiers ready to annihilate anyone who dared cross their path.
Kara and Kaisen walked into the castle, and he couldn't help but notice the gawking expressions from the inhabitants.
It was as if they had never seen anyone like him before—well, not exactly like him.
More like someone who was hotter and handsomer than Kayden waltzing through the doors. It was as if a movie star had just strutted into their midst.
Everywhere he turned, people were staring at him with wide eyes, mouths slightly agape, like they were seeing the handsomest man in the whole world.
Helena didn't actually harm Kaisen; she just straight-up ignored him like he didn't matter. She never spoke to him whenever she was in the shabby place Kayden and he stayed at.
Kayden, on the other hand, had told Helena many bad things about Kaisen to keep her away from his younger brother, and it seemed to have worked.
'I wonder what I have that he wants, and what he has that I want. Well, if it's his girlfriend, then...'
Kaisen didn't have any qualms about spending a night with her. He was shamelessly practical that way, always ready to exploit a situation to his advantage.
Brotherly love? Yeah, right. There was nothing like that between the two of them at all. They were just two strangers who happened to be born from the same womb at the same time.
Nothing else.
They had stuck together because, well, it was better to stick with someone you knew from a young age rather than some random stranger on the street, especially when crime rates were higher than a kite on a windy day.
Even if that meant the person you stuck with was the same guy who killed the woman who gave birth to you.
"Thank you, Kara, for your service. That will be all for now. I should talk to my dear little brother alone."
Kayden said, his voice dripping with a pompous authority that suggested he was the top dog in this pound.
Kayden slowly turned around, and Kaisen couldn't help but smile. How could he not? After all, he was seeing his brother after so long.
For a second, Kaisen actually felt that he missed this guy—the conman capable of conning anyone to his advantage.
A weird dude with a knack for making people follow him... or even love him.
And so finally, the two brothers reunited. The Emperor and the Hero, that was going to turn this world and the game world, upside down.