Klaus took a moment to catch his breath before probing whatever was now in his mind.
“It’s the memories,” Klaus muttered, quickly realizing what had entered his mind. He focused on it for a while and then let out a sigh.
“I guess I can’t run from it anymore,” Klaus said softly.
What had entered his mind were memories or rather another part of them. He didn’t dive into them immediately; he needed to clear his schedule first before going deeper into those memories.
He set those thoughts aside and decided to test his new upgrades, thanks to his connection with Miriam. From this bond, Klaus would benefit as much as she did.
It took Klaus four hours to fully review all the changes that had happened to him. First, his sword qi had become much more lethal. Although he hadn’t advanced to the next stage yet—which the senior called the Adept stage—he could still feel the difference.
Klaus had seen how Miriam used her sword aura during her battle with the Zombie Emperor. She wielded it like he used his ice and fire elements. When he asked the senior about it, he learned that Miriam had already advanced past the Adept stage to the Enhanced Sword Aura/qi stage.
The reason she could use it so fluidly was because of her awakened light element. It shared many similarities with sword aura, allowing her to wield it more naturally.
Klaus knew that if he could reach that stage, his combat power would increase significantly. However, he first needed to master the small advancements he had made and hoped to reach the Adept stage soon.
The second thing he tested was his mental strength. Thanks to the ball projection system he had trained with in Arcadian City, now installed in his training room, he could see his improvements firsthand.
He increased his control from managing 130 needles to 150, and his control was fluid. It felt like his mind had opened up to a whole new world, giving him the mental clarity to pop all 2,700 balls within 30 seconds, at six times the speed.
Lulu had ordered a more advanced system for him. So, instead of 1,020 balls, he had 2,700, and he was able to pop all of them without hitting a single red or yellow ball.
This shocked him greatly. He then tried combining all the needles to form the Void Piercing Needle, and the result was astonishing.
It formed into a 45-inch long, thick, and pointy needle—about 3.7 feet, which was long enough to deal some heavy damage. Klaus grinned evilly as he envisioned what the Needle would be doing soon.
He also tested his soul-attacking skills and was pleased with the results. When everything was set, he left the training room to relax a little. He still had things to do, and one of those tasks came knocking just after sunset.
Klaus had left a marker for Luna to use to contact him when she and her sister were around. Right after 6, he received the signal.
He left the house, making sure he was perfectly disguised to avoid prying eyes. He even moved erratically to lose anyone who might be following him before heading to the meeting point.
It was somewhere in the slums, so the area wasn’t well-lit. Klaus moved through the space and stopped behind an abandoned warehouse. It was one of the few places the homeless used to crash at, but even they avoided it now.
Because of the dangers in the slums, not even the homeless wanted to stay there.
“Trust me, you might get hurt if you try anything stupid,” Klaus said, gazing at the lit Ross City in the distance.
It wasn’t the first time he did that. Back when he was still in the slum, he would stand every evening and gaze at the beautiful city and then promise himself he would one day take his mom to live there.
He then gently turned his gaze toward a certain direction, specifically a shadow.
The shadow stayed still for a while before a figure in dark clothing appeared. She wore a mask and gripped a dark dagger.
“I told you he’s different. Now, do you believe me?” Suddenly, another figure appeared from the shadows. She wasn’t wearing a mask but was dressed in the same black attire as the first figure.
“I can see that,” the masked figure said, removing her mask. The face that greeted Klaus was the same as Luna’s.
“I am Nuna,” she said, dropping her dagger into her shadow just like Luna had done when Klaus last met her in Arcadian City.
“I’m Klaus, but I have a feeling you know more about me than I do,” Klaus said with a small smile. Despite being in the presence of two deadly assassins, he showed no sign of fear.
He wasn’t afraid of either of them. Well, he knew he’d be in danger if they ganged up on him, but he was confident they wouldn’t be able to kill him.
“Well, Klaus, my sister told me everything, but I want to hear it from you. Even though I want nothing more than to be free, I want to know your plans and how they will affect me and my sister,” Nuna said. From her tone, Klaus could tell she was the elder sister, making her the one in charge of Luna.
“Basically, I want to use you two to get to your mother, who I was told is high-ranking in the Dark Order. I’m not asking you to work for me or even help capture her. All I want is for you to lead me to her, and I’ll handle the rest.
In return, I’ll break the seal your mother placed on you. Essentially, I want you to help me kill your mother. No hard feelings, I hope,” Klaus said with a smile.
Nuna stood there for a few moments, scanning his expression, then tapped her foot on the floor. Klaus smiled. It was similar to how Luna had responded to his proposal back in Arcadian City.
“So, all we have to do is act as bait, and you won’t want anything from us ever again?” Nuna asked.
“Yes,” Klaus responded.
“When?” she asked.
“Well, I’m not strong enough to catch a Sovereign yet, so maybe in a few months. But don’t worry, I’ll break your seals, which will free you from your mom’s influence,” Klaus replied.
“What if she notices? And even if she doesn’t, what makes you think we won’t run away once the seal is broken?” Nuna asked again. Klaus could tell she was being meticulous or perhaps overprotective of her sister.
“You could run, but I doubt you will. You won’t ever be at peace as long as your mother is alive. So, I’m sure you’ll stick around. And as for whether your mother will notice if the seal is broken—she won’t. You can continue to act like you used to.
I even have the perfect plan for that. Since she wants me dead, you can keep pretending to try to kill me. That should be enough to maintain appearances.”
Nuna said nothing. She turned to look at her sister. After a few seconds of silent communication, she turned back to Klaus.
“We’ll take the deal, Klaus Hanson. But know this: after the deal is over, you must promise that the others won’t come after us.”
Klaus smiled when he heard that. They were worried the Overlords would come after them, which was natural for people who had killed so many.
“You have nothing to worry about. As long as I’m alive, nobody will hurt you two.” Nuna and Luna nodded.
“Then let’s begin,” Klaus muttered and started forming hand seals.