Chapter 204: The Sunblade!

"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 blades 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 play this right, to squeeze every last 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 plans. 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 glanced 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 become 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 declared, as if unveiling the secret ingredient in his recipe for world domination.

Kaisen's eyebrows shot up in genuine surprise.

EMPs?

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

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 slammed 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 unflappable 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 place..."

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 Sunblade! Is it Eldric Sunblade?!"

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 Sunblade, brother. That's him!"

He snapped his fingers and gave a thumbs-up, looking like he'd just solved a particularly 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!"