The Greatest Secret of Apocalypse Alliance and Samurai Jack's advice

Cloudbreak Spire, Apocalypse Alliance HQ

Island X

Just as Kai disappeared from the Island to the Samurai's Hut, something extraordinary was happening at the dark, but enchanting spire.

Or, it was better to say, in the grounds beneath it.

Few, even among the upper echelons of the four armies, knew that there was a well-built series of chambers some 1000 meters below the Cloudbreak Spire. And even less knew the purpose of such secrecy.

At this time, two figures were going down in the elevator, their faces cold and ruthless.

These two figures were General Severus Snape and a stunningly beautiful lady in red. Around the lady's slim neck, there was a necklace with a red jewel, which seemed to burn like fire as she breathed.

Commander Melisandre was one of the top researchers of the Alliance, and she reported to none but the Supreme General of the Eternal Snow Army.

Today, there was a usual victorious smile on her face, making her cold appearance even more irresistible.

"Whose plan was it?" Melisandre asked, gazing at Snape from the corner of her eyes.

Snape didn't answer, but his lips arched up in a disgusted sneer.

Melisandre's right hand reached into the long sleeves of her left, and she took out a vial. In this vial, there was a drop of blood, looking no more extraordinary than any other blood. But it was this very blood that made her breathing quicken.

"So many soldiers… So many sacrifices…" Melisandre mumbled, her eyes beaming as she looked at the drop of blood. "All for one drop."

"Don't tell me…" Snape said, his lips barely opening up, "… that you pity the dead, now."

Melisandre giggled. "Oh, no!" she spat, putting the vial back into her sleeve. "If I pity someone, then it's the living… and you."

General Snape faced the Commander. "What do you mean?"

Melisandre's giggle had become a suppressed laugh. "Love… a fickle thing, isn't it?"

"Guard your tongue!" Snape hissed. "I am…"

"We are here!" Melisandre cut in.

Beep! Shuuuu!!!

Melisandre's red hair fluttered as she marched out of the elevator. Snape, grounding his teeth, followed her.

The soldiers posted outside the elevator's door saluted, "General [Commander]."

It was a majestic corridor, branching off to innumerable labs. White marbled-floor, white walls, thick glasses, and pristine environment marked the characteristics of this underground secret.

Suddenly, Melisandre and Snape took a right turn, many masked wizards, Yautjas, and Pokemon bowing toward them as they passed by.

A metal door slid up when they entered and then snapped shut.

If one were to call this a potions room, then it wouldn't be wrong. But this potions room shouted of the most advanced technologies one could muster at a place.

This chamber… was the greatest secret of the Apocalypse Alliance. Even Generals didn't know of its existence. Not all of them, at least.

Tall, slim, and robust Yautjas were bustling around, wearing white lab coats and blue masks. Many Grass and Bug-type Pokemon were assisting them. A team of wizards and witches was also there, surrounding an enormous cauldron, bubbles boiling at its top.

And a person was standing right in front of Snape and Melisandre, eying them with his brutal, serpent-like eyes.

This wizard was bald, his skin as white as frozen bones, and had a reptilian appearance. He was wearing a black cloak, much similar to Snape's, but even longer.

The skeleton-like wizard cracked his neck as if a serpent was rearing its hood. "You are late."

Snape paused. "Voldemort," he coldly said, "I am here to see the Dark Lord, not you."

Melisandre smiled as she stepped in. "General Voldemort," she bowed, showing the lining between her lascivious breasts. "We have obtained It."

"Give it to me," Voldemort's voice came out like a hiss.

Snape's eyes spewed with anger. "I said…"

With a splash, the bubbles boiling out of the enormous cauldron suddenly intensified. Voldemort, Snape, and Melisandre all took a step back, along with the rest of the researchers in the chamber.

Splash!!

A hand broke out of the potion and grabbed the rim of the cauldron.

And then the entire figure followed the hand, parting the scorching yellow-green liquid.

A naked figure climbed out of the cauldron and landed on the floor. But before the figure's feet could touch the floor, white fog materialized out of thin air and covered it, becoming a chalk-white robe.

The figure stood up, and all knees bent, even those of Voldemort's and Snape's.

"Supreme General!" the wizards, Yautjas, and Pokemon cried simultaneously.

"Supreme General!!" Melisandre saluted, her words booming despite her delicate voice.

"Supreme General!!!" Snape and Voldemort cried, both taking a knee side by side.

It was then the white-robed wizard opened his eyes. His pupils were a brilliant, soul-piercing shade of blue, and twinkled with amusement. He was tall, thin, and had a headful of auburn hair. Despite the crooked nose, his face boasted of vigor, making others believe he was not a day older than 30.

And his very presence felt like a personification of cold fury, a burning, magical aura roiling around him like lava.

He was the Supreme General of the Death Eaters Army. And he was also the Lead Researcher of Apocalypse Alliance.

Albus Dumbledore!

"Severus." The Supreme General drawled, his arched lips showing his white teeth. "Well done."

Snape's dark eyes sparked.

Melisandre took out the vial, and it floated toward Dumbledore with a gesture of his hand. "Ah!" he exclaimed, smelling the blood after taking off the stopper. "The blood of a False One."

Melisandre and others stood up, taking those words as a signal. "He has shown powers similar to a Dementor and Golduck till now," the Commander reported. "I think we can drive similar powers based on it."

The Supreme General eyed the vial, his Mana rippling around him. "And what do you think," he drawled, "Severus?"

Snape gave a piercing glare to Voldemort and neared Albus. "I have seen the recordings, my lord," he said, gazing at the drop of blood. "It is not mere borrowing the powers of creatures, I think. It is…"

"… more than that." Albus Dumbledore finished the words, and a deathly smile appeared on his face, shaking all hearts.

*

*

What?!

Kai took another step back. His mind, though incredibly superior, still couldn't process the absurdness of what he had heard.

Did this man truly say the words, Glitch? What…? How…?

Yet, there was no running away from the truth. The Samurai, Supreme General of the False Ones, Kai's only superior, had indeed not only uttered his true name but also the fact that he knew of Glitches.

And, if Kai were to infer the words said by the bearded man, then he knew more of Glitches than Kai himself.

How could Blood Demon believe such a thing?

But he must, he knew. There was no other way.

"Oh!" Jack exclaimed as he saw the fire of doubts and anxieties within Kai's eyes dying. "Worst you may be when it concerns body and Glitch, but your willpower is indeed something. The Black Mass has truly sent someone acceptable this time, it seems."

What's he on about? Kai thought, frowning. What's the Black Mass? Have the Systems implanted him with false memories?

"Real and False," Samurai Jack said, closing the Tablet, "is just a matter of perspective, young man."

Kai's eyes shone. "You can read my thoughts?" he asked, seeing no point in keeping his thoughts to himself.

"No." The Samurai shook his head. "Every time the Black Mass sends a Trooper to serve in the False Ones under my leadership, I get a Tablet, containing all data over him. Your data… is quite marvelous, but full of discrepancies. Foolish decisions, yes, that's the right words to put it."

The feeling of something odd going on intensified in Kai's heart. "There were others before me?" he asked, his hazel pupils trembling inadvertently. "Others… with Glitches?"

Samurai jack answered with a single nod.

Kai drew a sharp breath. It must be noted that he already knew Chaos' Valley hadn't seen a Glitched Contestant in millions of years. So, the others were probably from the Order's Peak, and that too from tens of thousands of years ago, for Tournament of Worth's Theme was known to have the same 3rd Stage.

With no info about Debugging, Kai instantly began to think of plausible possibilities. But he didn't know that the more he would think, the further he would go away from the truth.

As his mind raced, Kai couldn't help but feel that everything was getting jumbled up; that something was missing from his calculations. Yet, no matter what, he just couldn't put his finger on what exactly.

"Sit."

Kai followed the Samurai's words and sat down opposite him.

"You have 180000 Points remaining," Jack said, his gaze falling hard on Kai. "What are you planning to unlock?"

Kai had already thought of it. "Murasame will cost me 100000 Points," he reported to the Supreme General. "It will leave me 80000 Points. I will unlock Novice Collector for 30000, as it increases my Luck, Intelligence, and Breath by 3 Points. One Beast Ball, and the Dementor within it, will cost me 40000. So, with the remaining 10000, I will buy HP capsules."

Silence.

What Kai most wanted to unlock was Selene, the Ghost Basilisk. But her cost was 1 Million. Kai didn't know on what basis the Systems had assigned so many Points to her.

Nonetheless, it wasn't in his hands.

Both Samurai and Kai looked at each other.

"What about Life Halt Capsule?" Jack asked after some time, stroking his long, black beard. "All Life Half Capsules cost as much as teleportation fees to this place, i.e. 1 Life Halt Capsule's current price is 100000 Points. You will not have time to buy it after failing the task, Kai."

A smile crept up on Kai's lips. "How can I fail at something which I have yet to attempt?" he jested, sneering. "Anyway, unless you were to raise me to Captain Rank, the teleportation would remain the same. It took me less than a week to collect so many Points. I think I can manage to postpone the Life Halt Capsule until next time."

Samurai Jack observed Kai for long, his back straight. "I see," he nodded to himself. "I will just give you one piece of advice, Kai. It's the same I have given to all of your predecessors."

Kai listened, his mind alert.

"Island X is not as simple as it will seem at a glance," Samurai Jack told him. "You can consider it as a single living organism (-Kai frowned-). This organism's true nature does not lie in its reaction to a bug (-Jack pointed at Kai-), but it lies in its power of adaptation."

"Adaptation?"

"Yes," Samurai Jack said, his voice gaining heaviness. "Just like humans adapt to diseases after suffering from them the first time, Island X does the same. It even goes beyond that, however. It will fight you, it will use you, it will learn from you, and it will grow strong. So strong, in fact, that there will come a time when you will have nothing remaining for it to gain from. It was then… it will kill you."

It was then… it will kill you.

… it will kill you.

A stupendous sense of foreboding raged inside Kai's heart as he listened to those words.

"It's your first time here," the Supreme General said, standing up. "So I will let you know the meaning of my words through experience. The next time you return to this place, then I will have more to teach and say."

His thoughts tumultuous, Kai pushed himself to his feet. Though, he did focus on the word "teach" more than he wanted to.

"Unlock whatever you want," Samurai Jack said, walking toward a door that led to another room. "Then, use the Tablet to find what your task is. It has some tutorial videos as well. I will wait for you inside the room. Remember, in these 24 hours of your stay, you can attempt the task only once."

The door opened, the insides out of Kai's vision, and the Samurai disappeared behind it.

Kai kept standing where he was for a long time, thinking hard about Jack's words. Then he thought more. One thing that separated Kai from others was his absolute shamelessness. And, yes, his intelligence. That, too.

In only a minute, he changed his plans, deciding to buy the Life Half Capsule first, instead of Murasame. Anything else seemed foolish to him.

Sigh! Kai sighed and then picked up the Tablet. Let's see what this Task is, anyway.

The moment Kai held the Tablet in his hands, the Smartwatch on his wrist and the Tablet shone together.

When words appeared on the screen, it was already showing him what his Task was.

"This… This…" Kai mumbled, his brows raised, his mouth open, his lips quivering. "What the…?!"