Serum

When Cecilia heard Pandora, she suddenly felt a shiver go down her spine. 

A few hundred thousand guns? That was more than enough to equip an army. She truly couldn't imagine the devastation they could cause with that kind of armament. They would be unstoppable unless the opposing army utilized Rank 5's and 6's. 

Suddenly, she was getting a glimpse at how dangerous Pandora was. She had the knowledge of their former world, a world filled with weapons and tools just like this gun. If she brought that here and equipped her empire with it, how powerful would they become? She already proved it was possible. It was just a matter of acting on it, something she could also do with her influence. 

'...Extremely dangerous...'

Cecilia narrowed her eyes, her evaluation of Pandora changing by the second. Then, she looked at Dirk.

Surprisingly, he didn't react to her statement at all, as if it wasn't worth mentioning. Dirk returned his mother's gaze and shrugged. 

"On our world, there were more guns than people. They were everywhere, equipped by every army. In fact, the weapons those nations utilized were far more powerful than this gun, many capable of wiping out thousands instantaneously. This thing is a child's toy compared to what I used."

"A child's toy..."

Cecilia couldn't help a wry chuckle from escaping her mouth. That gun was a child's toy? More guns than people? Wiping out thousands in an instant? Cecilia only knew of the highest level magics that could compare with such feats of strength. 

But it was true. Dirk usually used railguns on his raids. He could call in airstrikes if necessary. He himself was the product of billions in investment. Earth was on another level compared to this place. And everything was mass-producible. 

Of course, it would take at least decades to bring that level of industry to this world, so Pandora couldn't do it immediately. But she could do so on smaller scales. Wasn't she already laying down railways? She even had these prototype guns. She had an entire arsenal sitting in a basement. That meant they could be made, and none of it was difficult to produce. It didn't take powerful magical ores, only some steel forging and chemistry. Dirk didn't doubt that given enough time, she could produce millions of guns. 

Granted, such an arsenal would be enough to instantly shift the world's power balance, but that was beside the point. 

Seeing Cecilia's concern, Pandora just chuckled. 

"Let's not worry about that for now. Come, we have many more hideouts to raid. I want these asuras out of my city by nightfall. And I've got them all lined up on a chopping block."

With a sinister smile, Pandora led the two away. Like that, Dirk relished in the familiar bloodshed, recalling his memories in a more pleasant light than usual. 

..............

For the rest of that day, Pandora led Dirk and his mother around the city. They bounced from building to building, raiding them just like the first. 

Of course, all of the raids fell on Dirk's hands. But he was more than fine with this. Each time he swept through floors, sailing bullets through skulls, often right by the heads of hostages... It was exhilarating. 

Upon coming to this world, half of Dirk's combat power came in a form that he wasn't used to using. He actually had to learn magic, and he often relied on his body anyway. If it weren't for body refining, he would have a much harder time fighting the people of this world despite his magical talent. 

But this? This is exactly what he was good at. It was like he was scratching an itch that he didn't know was there. His body seemed to remember everything from his past life despite never having done any of this. It was so ingrained into his soul that it came naturally. It was why after firing a single shot, Dirk never missed again. 

In fact, he was actually advantaged without his eyes. His mana sense was effectively 360 degree vision, so he could queue his actions further ahead of time by capturing everything around him at once. And his mana pulses allowed him to get reliable glimpses at enemy positions before entering buildings. These things compensated for his lack of technology and gadgets. 

Compared to before, Dirk's ruthless skill was finally showing to its fullest. Something within him really did click. Everything that he used to be on Earth came rushing back to him. He had rejected the person he used to be before. He never wanted to return to the time when he was used like a dog before being disposed of. So he pushed all that away.

But he was seeing it differently now. He was accepting the person he used to be. He was naive back then, but he was better now. All his flaws back then were mental, and being a supersoldier wasn't synonymous with being a dog. Now, he could accept that person, because he knew that he wouldn't allow himself to repeat those mistakes. 

He accepted the supersoldier within him in all its glory. It was odd though, how shooting a gun could break down one of his barriers. Truly, they were magical tools. 

By the time the sun set, Dirk had finished the last building. He walked out as guards rushed in, locking gazes with Pandora. His mana vision was even sharper than it was a day ago, and now, he truly could see things with black and white vision. He could even see into the distance, able to take in the image of the floating city and all its magnificence. While he missed the colors of the world, this was better than nothing. 

"I think today was a good day."

Pandora smiled as she looked at Dirk. When he went to raid buildings, he flipped a switch, and she had flashbacks to the supersoldier she knew and loved. Well, not loved, but hated. But that was different now. 

Pandora sensed Dirk's changes, but more than that, she sensed how he really had changed from back then. The supersoldier in him only knew how to kill with apathy. Now, this new man knew how to smile and have fun. She could sense his glee, and over time, she was understanding the drastic changes to his psyche. It wasn't that he became more normal, just more open to others. She only knew a single person he could do that with before, and that was Gray, his sergeant. To all others, he was cold and callous, capable of unflinchingly killing them at any time no matter who they were. Truly, there wasn't anybody he had even the thought of caring for back then. 

And that was so different now. She almost couldn't recognize him. Then again, she couldn't even recognize herself. He wasn't the only one who had changed. 

Cecilia ruffled Dirk's hair when he approached. In fact, those raids hadn't all gone super smoothly. There were a few times when Dirk encountered an enemy he couldn't immediately shoot to death. One of them was a Rank 7, and Cecilia had to step in and kill them.

And she did so with ease, shocking even Pandora. A Rank 7 enemy was someone who could devastate an entire city. That person was probably the one who was running all the operations within the capital, or at least right near the top. 

But Cecilia had shown a glimpse of who she was after she managed to kill them without so much as a sound. The only thing Dirk had felt was an abyssal surge of darkness before it faded back to normal, revealing a severed head and his mother who carried it by the hair. 

Well, if it were against anybody other than the most powerful in this world, Dirk was sure his mother would never lose. 

And Cecilia was more than happy to go through the trouble. These were the asuras she so hated. The less there were, the happier she was. 

Of course, the ones they killed were also only in the capital city. There was no doubt that these asuras were strewn throughout the Dark Kingdom. But at the very least, they suffered a significant blow in this single day. Pandora's intelligence gathering skills were fantastic. 

With that, they returned to the floating city. Before separating, Pandora turned to Dirk.

"I've got many things to take care of, but we won't be staying here forever. The world really has been thrown into chaos with the dungeon outbreaks. Over the last two weeks, three of our cities have been obliterated, and at least 2 million have died. This is just in our empire. Anyway, my trains are running constantly, and we're constantly laying down more railroads. Now more than ever we need to implement this technology, and although I plan to wait, those guns will eventually equip our armies. 

"Anyway, I'm giving myself another two weeks. After that, we're leaving. Our destination will be the Dwarven Haven, so prepare yourself for a long trip. Until then, sharpen your magic, read some runes, and do some forging. I already know we've got a long road ahead of us."

Pandora was a bit solemn as she gazed at him. After he nodded, they finally separated. 

Dirk returned to his room after talking with his mother a bit. Come night, he did his destruction cycle for the day. He began doing them before bed so as to minimize the time he was weak. Doing it before sleeping worked well, even boosted recovery a bit. 

Before Dirk could go to sleep though, his door suddenly opened. He looked over, his pistol appearing in his hand by reflex. When Pandora appeared, she smirked at him. 

"You really like to wave that around. Do you ever feel safe?"

"When I have my gun, yes."

"Hm."

She hummed before closing the door behind her, making her way over to his bed and getting comfortable next to him. Just as he was about to scoot away, she opened her mouth. 

"I talked to Miss Record. We have a mission."

Dirk froze a bit, no longer scooting away. She spoke softly.

"...This War Cataclysma... You could say it's a war over the elements, between the dragons and gods. Battling for the Source Mana of the elements is the key to this war, and now, neither side will stop until the other is eradicated. On the plus side, we're now being roped into the center of this conflict."

"How is that a plus?"

Dirk looked at her stupidly, to which she rolled her eyes.

"Because with chaos and conflict comes opportunity, you dork. War makes people rich and powerful. And as those in the center of it all, we're going to be the richest and most powerful."

"So long as we don't die first..."

"Anyway, I've received our first mission. Miss Record says that there are 6 items that are crucial to the outcome of this war. They're called the Sources, and you could say that they are the keys to the elements. If you control the Source, you effectively control the entire element. Naturally, something like that would make you a god, so it's beyond us right now. 

"But what isn't beyond us are things called Key Artifacts. These are apparently the keys to the Sources, necessary to wield their power. We need to find each of the Keys and take them. Unfortunately, this just got extremely difficult due to the fact that all the dungeons have exploded with monsters. And, the Keys are located near the Ancient Lairs. At the very least, we'll need to travel to all corners of the world just to get our chances at finding them."

"Travel?"

Dirk asked with a raised brow.

"Where are these Ancient Lairs?"

"Each of the major empires holds control over them. We have the Ancient Lair of Darkness, Horizon has the Ancient Lair of Fire, Dwarven Haven has the Lair of Earth, Unity has the Lair of Water, World Tree has the Lair of Air. As for the Lair of Light, nobody knows. It's speculated that the fairies control it."

"...Not that I know who the fairies are, but okay. Well, we're already on top of the first Lair. Where is the Key?"

"I don't know. Miss Record?"

Pandora suddenly took out her Book of Life. 

<I'm here.>

"Where's the Key Artifact of Darkness?"

<There is no Key Artifact of Darkness.>

"Why not?"

<Because unlike the four main elemental Sources, the Source of Dark and Light remain in the control of the gods. A Key has never been created for that which was never in our control.>

"Interesting..."

Pandora nodded with a thoughtful face. Turns out that the dragons created the Key Artifacts, and they had control over the four main elemental Sources at some point. 

<By the same point...>

The Record suddenly spoke again.

<...A Key must be created for the Sources of Dark and Light in order to wield them. Primordial Darkness has created his own Artifact, but it is incomplete. I have also created one.>

"And where are these incomplete Artifacts?"

<The Book of Life in your hands is mine.>

The Record spoke as a matter of factly, surprising Pandora a bit.

<As for Primordial Darkness' Artifact, I am not sure. You will need to gain his approval in order to wield such a thing. Unlike my Artifact, that built of Chaos cannot be wielded by the weak, nor can the other four elements. You do not meet the necessary standard, Dirk Strider.>

"But then how are we supposed to take the other Key Artifacts if we can't wield them?"

Pandora questioned. If these Artifacts were too powerful to wield, then what was the point in grabbing them now?

<The Key Artifacts of the four main elements are indeed too powerful for you to fully wield, which is why there are seals built into them. You will understand when you attain the first one.>

"Then I guess we can only trust you."

Pandora let out a light breath, moving her body to lay down comfortably in Dirk's bed. 

She thought for a few seconds, rapidly formulating plans in her mind. 

"...Our schedule is unchanged then. We're going to move straight to the Dwarven Haven."

"Why there? Why not Horizon?"

"Two reasons."

Pandora put up two fingers, poking Dirk's chest with them. 

"First, I have business in the Haven. The Dwarves want a supply line between us. It was the original purpose of the war that never happened, and now that we've negotiated with Horizon, we are green to begin building. Once I get there, of course. 

"Second, there's no way we're getting near the Ancient Lair of Fire. This is especially so since Horizon still doesn't trust us, me especially. I'm not taking all that time just to walk into a fiery wasteland and get kicked out by the Emperor. We need more power first. So, that leaves the Haven as our first stop."

Pandora explained simply. To this, Dirk could only nod. It wasn't like he had his own direction, so he could only follow along. 

"So!"

Pandora suddenly clapped, jumping off of Dirk's bed. 

"2 weeks until we leave. I'm settling logistics before then and making sure we have a way out of this city. You get to sit tight and get used to your magic until then. As for your mother, explain to her that she can't come with us on our expedition."

"...Why not?"

Dirk asked hesitantly. He trusted his mother more than anyone at this point, and her power was a great reassurance. 

Pandora chuckled a bit. 

"Are you really that much of a mommy's boy? Your mother is powerful, but she can't be there to solve all of your problems. Besides, I know she'll be needed in Horizon. That place is in definite chaos. Plus, your mother wants to hunt Asura. She can't do that when she's constantly looking out for you. Both of you need to let go of each other for a bit. I don't care how you need to say it, you need to tell her to go elsewhere."

"..."

Dirk was silent for a bit, a small embarrassed frown on his face. At some point, he just sighed. 

"Fine."

"Good. Plus... this is our war to fight, Dirk. These Key Artifacts will be ours. Miss Record might still be hesitant to place all her bets, but as soon as she gave me the information she did, she no longer held control over the outcome of this war. She signed over everything to us. We're not just little pawns in this grand scheme. As far as I'm concerned, our future is going to dictate the rise or fall of the dragons and gods. I refuse to allow anything otherwise."

"..."

Dirk looked over, seeing Pandora's wide, red eyes. They glimmered with the madness deep within her, the madness that sought an odd type of control. 

Unlike Dirk who controlled through patterns and force, she controlled through chaos. Through the chaos of war and uncertainty, she led others like a puppetmaster. Dirk knew what she was willing to do to get what she wanted. This woman had no inhibitions, and the fact that she could now guide her madness made her all the more terrifying. 

Unconsciously, Dirk found himself straightening up. His muscles entered a state of being taut yet relaxed. His mind sharpened as he made himself resolute. 

Dirk didn't know exactly why he was going to fight this war with her. He didn't have some lofty goal like saving the world. He still thought it impossible, unlike the endlessly ambitious Pandora. But he did know two things. 

One, he wouldn't allow himself to be weak. Ever since he forged himself through Asura's hell, he abhorred the very idea of weakness. He would reject anything that made him weak, and he would do all he could to become stronger. He wasn't gaining strength for the sake of something or someone else, not for his mother or Ava.

No, he was gaining strength to reject all notions of weakness. If he wasn't the absolute strongest he could be, then he would stop at nothing to reach the pinnacle of what he could become. Only then would he finally have the control he wanted. And if the pinnacle wasn't enough... he'd fight until he died. He could rest then. 

On the other hand... Dirk was uneasy when he thought about Pandora running around the world doing whatever she wanted. Perhaps for the sake of the world, he had to do the only ethical thing he could and keep an eye on her. Otherwise, this mad woman could very well bring about the end of this world that was already descending into an apocalypse. He was pretty sure only he could act as some sort of leash. 

With that, Dirk's mind was resolute. 

That night, one mad woman and one soldier made their vows to the world. It wasn't long before they would enter the storms of this War Cataclysma.