Daneel could only gape at his elder brother for a few moments, before looking around the rest of the room to notice the extreme level of training that had gone on here.
There were multiple strange apparatuses which seemed to have been constructed to train punching and kicking, and all of them were stained with blood.
Even Elanev was practically wearing rags: it was as if explosions had rocked his body, making him look like the survivor of some terror attack.
By the time Daneel managed to completely comprehend his words, he heard a wise voice coming from behind him.
"I trust that my clone technique served you well?"
How the h.e.l.l had someone managed to evade his Peak Exalted Warrior senses to appear behind him?!
Turning around with an expression of extreme seriousness, Daneel came upon the visage of an old, bald man with striated muscles and a long beard.
Huh? Why did this guy look so similar to a very sleazy character in a very popular show back on Earth?
This was the first thought that went through Daneel"s mind, but he discarded it, knowing that it must be a coincidence.
He would have cause to be truly puzzled if this man also turned out to be sleazy, so he hoped that that was not the case.
When Daneel finally focused on the words said by the man, he immediately understood who he might be.
"You…are you the one who established the Fists of Justice Training Hall before leaving?"
A proud grin came on the mottled face of the old man as he heard these words, as he puffed out his chest and said, "The one and only. The moment I stepped foot in this Kingdom, I could tell that someone had taken the secret techniques I had left behind for those who proved themselves to be worthy. And of that caliber, only you exist in Lanthanor."
"Hey! What about me?!"
Hearing the old man praising his younger brother, Elanev spoke out with exasperation, but the old man"s merciless reply shut him up.
"Be quiet while those superior to you are talking."
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Elanev just stood there, but he reacted when he saw Daneel walking toward him.
Daneel had already made certain shocking deductions which made him wonder whether he was dreaming, but first, he decided to support his elder brother, whom he valued highly for various reasons.
After reaching him, Daneel took him into a bear hug which made Elanev"s face soften.
This reminded him of that time which felt so long ago, when this kid had looked up to him for guidance.
It was actually partly that feeling that spurred him on in his pursuit for power: under no circ.u.mstance did he want to be left behind by his younger brother.
His father, the Righteous Hawk, had brought him up with core values that emphasized the importance of one"s origins, and their duty to serve it.
True, he had never listened to his father"s admonishment about how it was best to enter the administrative wing in order to fulfill his duty, but he had still instilled those teachings deep into his heart.
Now, he had been prepared to finally aid his younger brother for that end, but it seemed that he had been outstripped yet again.
After the strong hug, Daneel held Elanev by his shoulders and asked, "How"ve you been? Things just got very…hectic after the Olympics."
Laughing, Elanev clapped Daneel on his shoulder and said, "Of course I understand. Well, this old man has been putting me in the grinder day and night after I became a Warrior to train me in what he claims to be the "Best Fighter Inheritance on the Continent". It sounded like a load of hogwash, but since I"ve started training in it, I gotta admit that it"s pretty powerful. Maybe we can have a spar later!"
"I"m right here!"
As the old man bristled with anger on being ignored by both the people in the room, Elanev secret smiled before winking at Daneel.
Daneel had ignored the man because he would always support his elder brother over someone he didn"t know, and it seemed that Elanev was following his example, and finally taking some revenge by making him angry.
Daneel had been able to guess the old man"s character the moment he had seen him puff his chest up like that: he was clearly very prideful, so being ignored was definitely something that would sting heavily.
"It"s been h.e.l.l, I tell you. I haven"t been with a woman in months! d.a.m.n, whenever I think back to what a colorful life I had before I left on my trip, I just feel like cursing…"
Daneel knew about his elder brothers varied "exploits" in the Kingdom, which had made him quite famous as the playboy of Lanthanor. So, puzzled, he asked, "Why? Is it a prerequisite for your training?"
Shaking his head, Elanev answered, "No, but how would you feel if you did it while having an old man in your head who"s watching everything all the time? He says that it helps in training as a Fighter, but I call bull! I bet he"s satisfied that I can"t do it, because he hasn"t done it in thousands of years!"
Umm…that"s too much information.
His face burning slightly, Daneel looked to the side before confirming something.
This old man…must be another Empire Spirit!
As he asked the system to make sure, he got the answer.
[Affirmative. System has detected similarities between the changes in the minds of host, target "Faxul" and target "Elanev".]
Even though Daneel heard this, he was puzzled.
First, how was it possible that so many people from his Kingdom were coming into touch with Empire Spirits?
If it were just Faxul, Daneel could ignore it as a coincidence, but now that Elanev had also been added to the list, he felt that he could no longer ignore it.
Second, what kind of relations.h.i.+p did Elanev have with this old man?
So far, he had seen two extremes: one was Drakos, who had been willing to put himself at risk to enter Daneel"s mind.
The other was the Black Raven Empire Spirit, whose only aim had been to fully take control of Faxul"s body.
And third, if he was an Empire Spirit, how the h.e.l.l had he come to Lanthanor to establish the Fists of Justice Training Hall? Daneel knew for a fact that the Training Hall had been set up in the past few hundred years, instead of existing for thousands of years.
What was going on here?
He had many questions, and he realized that he would have to talk to the old man if he wanted them answered.
Slowly, Daneel realized that he was starting to hate questions.
The Emperor had already left him with one: the man, or, the giant of a man had congratulated him for something, but he hadn"t told him what it was for.
Daneel had considered asking Drakos, but the priority then had been to have the dragon go into meditation as soon as possible to avert disaster.
In the end, Daneel had had no option but to put it to the side along with the others, which included the major question about how that regal and sad man had turned into the crazy figure that had carried out that ma.s.sacre.
Right now, he could only tell himself that each question would be answered with time.
After all, if he spent all day dwelling on all the mysteries that were still hidden from him, he wouldn"t have time to do anything else.
Now, looking at Elanev who was sadly shaking his head due to his "regrets", Daneel wondered whether to speak freely.
Thankfully, the old man resolved this dilemma.
"All right, that"s enough."
As he raised one hand, Elanev plopped to the ground, which made Daneel frown.
So the old man could forcefully control Elanev?
This was definitely something to worry about.
It looked like he had made Elanev faint, but when Daneel looked at his Elder Brother"s face, he saw that he was smiling wide, while drooling from one side.
Also…why was there a-
"Don"t worry, I just put him to sleep. And I think you can imagine what he"s dreaming about."
Eyeing his elder brother again, Daneel sheepishly nodded before turning around to see that the old man had appeared in front of him.
"He can"t be awake during this discussion. He has enough distractions as it is: I don"t want to add another by having him listen about things which currently don"t concern him. I see that you have some questions. You can voice them first, before I speak."
Folding his hands, the old man said this with a pensive expression after meeting Daneel"s gaze.
Oh? That was quite generous of him.
For once, Daneel felt happy that he had an opportunity to have things answered directly.
"What are you? Are you an Empire Spirit like Drakos? If so, in what way are you inhabiting my elder brother"s mind? And if you are an Empire Spirit, how were you able to travel to Lanthanor to set up the Fists of Justice Training hall?"
"Most pertinent questions first, I see. So you know about Drakos? I was one of the few who supported that guy in his decision to not kill the cute little thing. Anyway, do you recognize …this?"
In an instant, the old man changed into a middle-aged giant, with a top-knot and bulging muscles.
Wait…Daneel had seen him before!
In that vision, he had been one of those who had been addressed by the Emperor!
Seeing Daneel"s eyes widen, the old man turned back into the same form as before and said, "So Drakos did show you that vision. To answer your question: yes, I was an Empire Spirit. To be more specific: I was one of those who were placed in a Major Sect at the time, which was subsequently wiped out later. You see, each and every one who became Empire Spirits chose different ways to remain sane. For Drakos, it had already been chosen: it was his innocence, which allowed him to stay in a meditative state for longer. For that snake, it was to pa.s.s time by training a.s.sa.s.sins. And for me: it was to do everything I could to foster power and lost techniques in the world. As I am a pure Fighter, my consciousness is different: my criteria are much lower, and I have the ability to clone a part of my consciousness and enter someone"s mind without harming them. It was one in one of those forms that I entered Lanthanor and set up the training hall. With time, I learned a few tricks, which is how I was able to put that boy to sleep. Now, let"s put all that to the side. What are your plans for the race?"
Daneel had been listening intently, but this last question threw him off.
What was the guy talking about?
"Race? What race?", he asked, and as the old man answered him, Daneel"s jaw couldn"t help but drop for the second time today.
"Why, the race to become the successor of the Emperor, of course, and to gain possession of the source of his incredible power. The prerequisite is to gain the approval of an Empire Spirit, and the goal is simple: a.s.semble all the parts scattered around the Central Continent by the Emperor. If that guy were here, he would be congratulating you on being able to enter, but you look like you haven"t even heard about it?"