Chapter 204
It had always been that way.
You had always been that way.
Ever since I was a child.
The first ti I t you was when I was fifteen.
At Old Mayfield School—a boys’ boarding academy attended only by the top 1% who led New Valhalla City.
I didn’t like you from the start.
You were the son of the man who, decades ago, had resorted to the worst possible move—war—to keep Millennium Technology in check as it rapidly grew.
Your father had pushed us down with military might, forcing us to remain second place.
Because of his personal greed—his refusal to relinquish the throne—rivers of blood were spilled in the last civilized city of humankind.
But… do you rember?
Crown Prince, Aaron Stingray.
When I first confronted you about that fact.
You didn’t even recognize who I was.
You didn’t even see as a rival.
The humiliation was unbearable.
‘From that mont on, you were my enemy.’
No—long before that.
You had been my enemy since the mont you were born.
From the mont we t, our fates were entwined in hostility.
You were the man I was destined to hate with every fiber of my being.
“Module Online—[Bullet Ti]!”
I hated your build that was far too sturdy for a fifteen-year-old, the way you accomplished everything with ease during class, your arrogant attitude, and the sycophants who groveled before you. I hated all of it.
I hated you.
I didn’t know how you felt.
But as for —
You were soone I had to make kneel before soday, to beg for forgiveness beneath my feet.
To reclaim the crown that should have rightfully belonged to Millennium Technology, I had done everything.
I studied, built my body, underwent top-tier cyberware surgeries, injected nanomachines to beco an Adaptee, and equipped the finest modules ever produced by Militech.
All of it—to catch up to you.
And then, at so point, you finally began to recognize . Just as I looked at you with envy and longing, you responded with disdain and mockery. The more that happened, the wider the distance between us grew.
Even so… in a way,
my life, not yet thirty years long,
had been filled with you.
I had lived solely to catch up to you.
To one day defeat you.
I had dedicated everything to that purpose.
And yet…
Even so…!
“Why can’t I win!? Why!?”
Vladimir roared as he charged toward Aaron. In the world slowed by [Bullet Ti], Aaron once again stood motionless before his eyes.
But the blade Vladimir swung moved—slowly, yes, but it moved. In a world where even bullets were frozen in place, his blade alone sliced through ti.
An impossible speed.
‘Had my module activation been a second slower, I’d be dead…!’
Vladimir narrowly dodged Aaron’s blade and slipped behind him, pressing his plasma-bullet pistol to the back of Aaron’s head and pulling the trigger without hesitation.
But the instant ti resud, Aaron moved with unbelievable speed—evading every round.
“Damn it…!”
The new Ga-Changer-level module he had obtained wasn’t showing any power at all. No matter how strong his attack during ti acceleration, if Aaron simply dodged everything once ti returned to normal, what use was it?
Still—when you lose sothing, you often gain sothing else. From Aaron’s evasive movents, Vladimir learned a few things.
First, that his attacks were effective.
If Aaron’s defense had been absolute, he would have simply endured Vladimir’s assault instead of avoiding it. The fact that he dodged ant that even Aaron couldn’t withstand a .50-caliber plasma round head-on.
Second, the threads Aaron had set up.
Vladimir realized too late that Aaron had spread [Cloud Spider] throughout the entire area beforehand. He’d thought it was just a trap—but it wasn’t.
‘He’s using it like a sensor.’
No matter how fast the human reflexes, the brain has limits in processing visual information.
Even when boosted to the extre through cyberware and combat modules, the chain—[Information → Eyes → Brain → Action]—is nearly impossible to override.
So Aaron had chosen a different thod.
‘He made his body move on its own…!’
While he moved, his body brushed against the [Cloud Spider] threads without even realizing it.
They were so fine, so thin, he couldn’t consciously perceive them—but touching them triggered an automatic physical response, like setting off a trap.
‘Then…!’
Cut the threads.
A simple solution.
“Module Online—[Aegis]!”
Once again, Vladimir deployed [Aegis]’s energy shield—max output, max range—enough to protect his wife and daughter while enveloping the area.
Pzzzzzzzzzt!
Sparks erupted in midair. Invisible strands shimred into view—Aaron’s [Cloud Spider] threads.
Seeing his prediction proven right, Vladimir grinned and aid his gun at Aaron once more.
“You won’t be able to react to this!”
He activated [Bullet Ti] again.
His thoughts accelerated.
Moving quickly, Vladimir squeezed the trigger repeatedly. The heat resistance of his Skin Armor Module had reached its limit—pain began to flare in his arm. He was nearing his limit.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Seven large-caliber rounds drifted slowly toward Aaron.
[Overload Rate Rising!]
[Bullet Ti Module Forced Deactivation!]
[Cooling System Engaged!]
Sensing the danger to his life, the nanomachine system forcibly shut down the [Bullet Ti] module. The sluggish world regained its original pace, and the flying bullets accelerated instantly.
But—
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Aaron swung his sword with impossible precision, deflecting all seven rounds.
“What—!?”
Vladimir froze in disbelief that very mont.
When I ca to my senses, Aaron’s blade was already piercing through my shoulder blade.
The sword was so sharp that I hadn’t even noticed it entering my body until it was too late.
“Kh—ugh!?”
Aaron’s speed was close to teleportation.
However, even this was within Vladimir’s calculations. No—perhaps it was more accurate to say that he had been waiting for this mont.
“[Aegis]!”
He deployed his shield once again.
A spherical Energy Force Field enveloped both Aaron and himself, though its size was far smaller than usual. Remaining within that state, Vladimir began to compress the shield’s size little by little.
[Warning]
Air pressure increasing!
Temperature increasing!
The air trapped within the shield compressed, and the pressure and temperature began to rise to dangerous levels.
“Heh... hehehe... You would never have stood still if I’d just raised a normal shield...”
“Vladimir...”
Aaron twisted the sword embedded in Vladimir’s shoulder, as if demanding he dispel the shield. But Vladimir had already activated a Pain-Block Module. re pain wasn’t enough to immobilize him.
Aaron’s expression faltered slightly as he spoke.
“...You won’t walk away unhard either.”
“Hah, what are you saying... You don’t even know what modules I ca prepared with, do you? You know nothing about .”
“You’re right, I don’t. But why do you hate so much?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Ha! Vladimir wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but the increasing pressure made even breathing difficult. His ears started ringing, and the oxygen and nitrogen levels in his blood climbed dangerously high.
If they were ordinary n, they would already be dead. Yet as top-class Adaptees, the two continued speaking calmly.
“Why do I hate you? Let turn the question around. Why are you so unaware? How can you live so carefreely after ruining so many lives?”
“...”
“Silence, huh. A wise choice. I’m not asking for an apology anyway. To be exact, even if you hadn’t been arrogant or condescending, I would’ve hated you all the sa.”
“Why is that?”
To Aaron’s question,
Vladimir answered.
“Because you’re a monster.”
There are those who destroy the lives of others simply by existing.
Even without causing direct harm—just by breathing, just by being alive—they wound others and trap them in unending suffering.
Aaron was such a person.
He had been that kind of boy, and that kind of man.
A man made to beco Crown Prince, a being who naturally overwheld everyone around him. People instinctively sensed his danger—either fearing him, or willingly falling beneath his feet.
To Vladimir, who was one of those “ordinary” people watching from below, it had been unbearable tornt.
Because he was the heir of Millennium Technology, he was constantly compared to that “monster” Aaron, scolded for not being able to surpass him, and trapped in a cycle of self-loathing for failing to et those expectations.
Yet no matter how much he tried, he was still human—and could never beco a true “monster.”
“...I wanted to defeat you.”
Just once would have been enough.
He wanted to beat Aaron Stingray.
He wanted to prove that there was at least one thing he could do better—especially before his wife and daughter.
“I know, Aaron Stingray. This isn’t your full strength. You’re not in a condition to fight at your best. That’s why... this is my only chance.”
“Vladimir.”
“So I beg you. Please... just this once, lose to . I don’t want to lose them because of my own weakness. Those two are everything I have left. You probably see as an idiot in love with a test subject, but I—!”
“You’re not an idiot.”
At Aaron Stingray’s words,
Vladimir froze.
“...What, what did you just say?”
“On the contrary, I respect you.”
“...Are you mocking ?”
“No. Not at all.”
Aaron shook his head.
“I should’ve died long ago. The fact that I’m standing here now is nothing but a twisted quirk of fate. And I know what happens after my death.”
“What are you talking about?”
“After I die, you would’ve remained as Chairman of the Militech Foundation. Benedict would’ve inherited my position, and Kallia would’ve risen to oppose him.”
There was conviction in his voice,
and Vladimir unconsciously found himself listening.
“Within two years of my death, you would’ve risen as the undeniable successor of Millennium Technology, taking all authority into your hands. Then you’d have struck the weakened Stingray family—torn apart by the struggle between Benedict and Kallia. Another corporate war would erupt... and its victor would be Militech. Yes, Vladimir—you were destined to beco an Emperor.”
“...!”
Aaron nodded slowly.
“You were an ordinary man. Aside from your lineage, your abilities were only slightly above average. Compared to the Stingray brothers—products of experints ant to create a ‘perfect human’—you were simply... human.”
“...”
“And yet, within just two years of my death, you defeated both Benedict and Kallia. You’re an incredible person. You knew your limits, and still kept striving. Arrogant and complacent, yes—but also soone who never lost hope. You’re the very embodint of ‘human triumph.’
So no, I don’t look down on you. I know how great you are. I an that sincerely.”
“What...!”
“So.”
Aaron concluded.
“Don’t envy . If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it’s stupid. You shouldn’t chase after , Vladimir. Do that, and you’ll forever walk in my shadow.”
Aaron drew his blade.
Blood began to trickle from his ears.
His eyes reddened, his breath grew ragged.
“Walk your own path. Don’t think you’ve lost just because we fought in my field. And let make one thing clear—don’t resent this defeat.”
In that mont,
Aaron’s blade glead.
[Techblade: True Form].
A sword so sharp it defied visual perception—a theoretical weapon capable of cutting through anything. Holding that blade, Aaron took his stance and declared:
“Combat is my specialty.”
And then his blade swung.
The world was split in half.
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