Absolute Command

At the exit, Cryo was already waiting for X, his impatience barely concealed. "How did it go? Did the..." He hesitated, struggling to find the right title. Finally, he settled for, "Did he agree to let me have one of the vault biocores?"

X, lost in thought as he approached, suddenly snapped back to the moment. His demeanor shifted sharply. "First of all," he said coldly, "he is the young master. And these are his things. He gets to do what he wants with them. If you wanted something from the master, you should have changed your attitude long ago. I was blind to ever entertain your idea."

Cryo's frustration bubbled over. "So, the bastard refused? Does he not understand his position? Without our support, he's doomed!" His tone dripped with arrogance.

"You think too highly of yourself," X retorted, his voice sharp. "You are where you are today because of the Glev family's nurturing. That 'little bit of talent' you boast of means nothing without the backing of a name far greater than yours."

Cryo sneered. "Little bit of talent? I'm an S-grade cryomancer, a three-star Artillery-class mecha pilot! In this generation, only direct descendants of monarchs could hope to match me. I dare say I'm the strongest of my generation across the entire fiefdom!"

"Then fight for your own biocores like everyone else," X spat venomously. "Stop salivating over things that don't belong to you." Without another word, he turned on his heel and stormed off.

Undeterred, Cryo flung the study doors open with a dramatic sweep and strode inside. His voice rang out confidently, though the tension in his frame betrayed his uncertainty. "You! Let's make a deal. I will be your squire, but I want one of the biocores from the vault. You must understand my value—I'm the strongest of the new generation. I'll be an invaluable asset to you—"

"Fuck off," Nioh said flatly, not even bothering to lift his gaze from the book in his hands.

Cryo froze, the blood rushing to his face. "What did you just say?" His voice was laced with disbelief. A chill began to permeate the room as frost spread from his feet, snaking across the floor toward Nioh in a clear threat.

"I said," Nioh repeated, his tone still unnervingly calm, "fuck off."

Cryo's composure snapped. The room's temperature plummeted as ice spikes materialized around him, all aimed directly at Nioh. "What's stopping me from killing you right now, bastard?" he snarled.

For the first time, Nioh looked up, his gaze sharp and golden. The temperature in the room seemed to shift—not warmer, but something entirely different, something oppressive. He stood abruptly, the air around him vibrating with unseen power.

"I've tolerated you long enough," he said, his voice a low, resonant command. "Just... die."

The word carried an unfathomable weight. Cryo's ice spikes wavered, then turned on him as if obeying a higher will. His eyes widened in horror as the deadly shards hurtled toward him. He couldn't move. Couldn't breathe.

Just before the ice could pierce him, a wall of fire erupted, melting the spikes in an instant.

"Young master, have mercy!" X exclaimed, stepping between Nioh and Cryo, shielding the latter with his body. But Nioh seemed lost in a trance, the golden glow in his eyes intensifying. The entire library began to wither, shelves and books turning to dust as an invisible force radiated from him.

Cryo and X could only watch in stunned silence as the room disintegrated.

"There will not be a second time," Nioh said coldly, his voice echoing with finality as he walked out of the room.

The moment he was gone, X backhanded Cryo with such force that the younger man stumbled. "Have you lost your mind?" X barked.

"I just tried to scare him," Cryo stammered, his arrogance now replaced with trembling fear. "I didn't know he would—"

"You've forgotten your place," X cut him off sharply. "You think your talent makes you untouchable? It's time you learned otherwise." His voice dropped, carrying the weight of a final decision. "Starting today, you'll join Makari. You'd better hope the young master is willing to take you back someday. If not, you'll spend the rest of your life there. You leave immediately."

Cryo opened his mouth to protest but stopped. He had never seen his brother this angry—or this afraid.

--

After the incident, neither Cryo nor X were seen for several days. The clash was quietly swept under the rug, and no one dared to bring it up again. Nioh, meanwhile, continued to receive instructions from Marsai. The young master absorbed lessons on etiquette, history, geography, and the customs of the fiefdom with an air of detachment, but his mind remained focused on his own plans.

One afternoon, as the sun dipped low, X reappeared at last, standing at Nioh's door with a heavy metal case in hand.

"These are the biocores you selected," X said as he set the case down carefully. "I personally went to the vault to bring them back safely."

Nioh gave him a brief nod. "Thank you. You've worked hard."

X hesitated. "I would like to apologize again for the—"

"It's all good," Nioh interrupted casually, waving a hand. "You can leave now."

"Please don't hastily fuse with the cores," X persisted, his voice tinged with worry. "They need to be—"

"Why are you so naggy?" Nioh cut him off, his tone exasperated. "I'll be busy for the next few days. Don't disrupt me. I'll come out when I come out." Without waiting for a response, he ushered X out of the room and closed the door firmly behind him.

Contrary to X's concerns, Nioh had already spent weeks planning his path of fusion development. His meticulous strategy had been in motion long before Ekoh's awakening from slumber. Ekoh's ability to manipulate harmonic wave frequencies and amplitudes was powerful, but it lacked the ability to create or transpose them. To address this limitation, Nioh had selected three specific fusion enhancements: attraction, repulsion, and amplification. This combination answered his principal hurdle.

"This new father of mine is really generous," Nioh mused aloud, his gaze fixed on the three uncolored gems nestled within the case. Their neutral glow seemed to pulse faintly with potential.

'Those are neutral S-class biocores,' Ekoh remarked, practically salivating at the sight.

"What's the best approach to fuse with them?" Nioh asked.

'Swallow them,' Ekoh replied, his tone matter-of-fact. 'I'll handle the rest.'

"Just swallow? Wouldn't there be a corruption in energy?" Nioh frowned.

'You've been a core binder since birth,' Ekoh explained patiently. 'Your synchronization rate with me is infinite. I can contain the energy and let you fuse with it slowly overtime'

Nioh stared at the biocores for a moment, weighing the words. Then, with a deep breath, he said, "Okay," and swallowed the three gems in quick succession without hesitation.

As soon as the last core went down, Ekoh added, 'Oh, I forgot to mention—it's going to hurt.'

"You demon spawn," Nioh muttered with a wry smile, but his words faltered as the pain hit. His veins bulged grotesquely, turning an ominous shade of purple. Agonizing waves of energy rippled through his body, each surge like molten fire coursing through his blood.

Through the haze of pain, Nioh chuckled grimly. "So this is how it starts…"