Chapter 358
In his murmurs, he admitted that technically, what Aldraya had said could be considered sarcasm—a dark joke.
However, what made him shudder was the way it had been delivered.
Because Aldraya's tone carried not the slightest trace of emotion; there was no mockery, no cynical smile, not even a shift in intonation.
It was spoken with perfect monotony, as if she were reporting the weather or reading a grocery list.
Precisely because of that absence of emotion, the statement felt more honest, more rooted, and far more terrifying.
"Time is limited. It would be better if we begin the disguise ritual now—before Erietta wakes from her sleep and everything becomes more complicated."
Faced with Aldraya's unreadable coldness, Theo chose not to be trapped by the creeping dread.
Instead, the corner of his lips curved upward, forming a faint smile that did not fully reach his eyes.
It was the smile of a strategist who disregards personal threats in order to focus on a greater mission.
With that smile, he effectively brushed aside the strange tension that had just formed.
Then, in a voice once again measured and purposeful, he responded—or rather, redirected the conversation.
He did not directly address Aldraya's disturbing statement, neither denying nor confirming it.
Instead, he steered their attention back to the urgent task at hand.
Theo stated that it would be better—even crucial—for them to begin the disguise ritual immediately.
Time was the determining factor.
He reminded her, albeit implicitly, that Erietta would soon awaken from her sleep.
When that happened, the entire mechanism for the forced retrieval of the Bathee family would move with full momentum.
If they failed to assume the identities of the chairman and his deputy before that moment, then their entire surveillance plan would become far more difficult—if not impossible.
'Act without unnecessary words.'
Aldraya nodded, a small motion that signified her unconditional agreement with Theo's proposal.
Without further speech, she closed her eyes, entering a deep state of concentration.
Before fully immersing herself, she carried out a practical handover.
The hand holding the chairman's head and the shotgun shifted, passing both objects to Theo to hold temporarily.
The process was smooth—a silent transaction between two allies who understood the rhythm of their cooperation.
Along with that physical transfer, a subtler exchange of data took place.
Through the RWIA network they shared—or more precisely, through the resonance between Theo's RWIA and the version within Aldraya—a packet of information flowed.
Complete data regarding the deputy chairman's identity, which had been gathered and archived by Theo's RWIA during observation and existential erasure, was now accessed by Aldraya.
Knowledge of his appearance, habits, probable thought patterns, and minor details now became hers as well, providing the necessary foundation for a flawless disguise.
Once those preparations were complete, the transformation began.
Around Aldraya's body, the air began to tremble subtly.
A sacred aura—pure and radiant—emerged from within her.
Its color was not singular, but a soft circulating spectrum: pure white at its core, surrounded by golden yellow radiance, pale sky blue, and fresh light green.
The aura rotated slowly, forming a vortex of light—beautiful yet filled with authority—isolating her from the surrounding world.
'There is no time to wait. I must begin my own process as well.'
Fhuuh!
"Awaken!!"
Fhooooh!!
"The task is not finished. I need a thorough analysis. Take a DNA sample from the head I'm carrying—from whatever part remains.
Strip it completely. Search for every biological blueprint, every attached magical pattern, every cellular memory that can be extracted.
Make it the map for my disguise."
Realizing that time continued to move, Theo immediately followed Aldraya's steps.
He closed his eyes, drawing his awareness inward, leaving behind the dangerous external world.
Within his inner space, he approached the four entities that had become the core of his power.
Resolve, Will, Intention, and Ambition—abbreviated as RWIA.
The four of them, having just been used to erase the deputy chairman, had returned beneath Theo's consciousness in an almost dormant state, resting from intense conceptual activity.
However, Theo did not allow them to rest.
He approached them with a new instruction—clear and urgent.
His intention was not to awaken them harshly, but to direct their remaining energy toward a critical analytical task.
He ordered RWIA to immediately analyze the fragment of DNA still attached to the chairman's head—the physical evidence left after Aldraya had killed him.
Fhuuuuh!!
'My command had just been spoken, and…'
"Analysis complete, Master. We have mapped the target's existential blueprint.
Not only the DNA from the remaining tissue on this head, but the entire anatomy, the pattern of Lu Core energy, the resonance of the soul, even his psychic scars.
Complete data on the target 'Chairman Bathee' is ready for integration."
'As swift and thorough as expected.'
"Integrate that data into my body—into every cell, every flow of energy, every corner of the Eshura Birtash form I inhabit.
Make me his perfect mirror. Starting now."
Within Theo's space of consciousness, where the concept of linear time held no meaning at all, every process occurred in a compressed eternity.
Even an estimate of zero seconds became irrelevant, because all actions and discussions between Theo and his RWIA unfolded in a moment faster than the smallest conceivable unit of time.
There, absolute efficiency prevailed.
RWIA, as an extension of Theo's creativity, responded to their master's command with immeasurable speed.
They did not merely analyze the fragment of DNA from the chairman's head; using that sample as a key, they immediately conducted a comprehensive scan and reconstruction.
Their report quickly reached Theo's primary awareness.
They conveyed that the analysis was complete, meaning they had successfully mapped not only the DNA around the head, but the chairman's entire bodily anatomy—from the tips of his hair to the deepest cellular structure, including muscle patterns, skeletal framework, nervous system, and every physiological uniqueness the target possessed.
Upon receiving the report, Theo wasted no time—even within a realm without time.
The soul inhabiting the body of Eshura Birtash immediately issued a return command.
He ordered RWIA not merely to store the data as an archive.
He wanted the chairman's identity data to be absorbed, integrated, and directly implemented into his current body.
This was a transformation far deeper than an ordinary disguise.
Theo wanted the body of Eshura Birtash to biologically and conceptually adapt—changing to imitate the chairman from within and without—creating a flawless and irrefutable façade.
"Transformation initiated."
'I can feel it. A change that is not merely skin-deep. From within to without.'
Only moments after RWIA declared their readiness—or perhaps in less than a concept of time—the extraordinary transformation process was complete.
The change occurred not in an explosion of light or sound, but in a subtle and certain shift, like air altering its density.
Theo, who had previously been a disheveled-looking samurai with long unkempt hair and thick, simple clothing to ward off the night's cold, was now gone.
Standing in his place was a man with an entirely different aura.
To be continued…