Chapter 13: Paradiso

In front of Ash was a little kid with silver hair. "So, you're Narcissa?" Ash patted her head and rubbed her cat ears, making the kid purr. (pic)

"Un." She tilted her head and was really similar to Liz. So he checked the kid's whole body and in a way. Her condition is much worse than Liz.

He controlled his expression and smiled at her. "Do you like cookies?" He gave her one and she nodded. "Thank you." She started nibbling on it and Ash led her to a room so the girl could relax after her trip.

"Her brain stem is turned into an arts unit. And her organs are infused with originium. Whoever sick bastard did this is a menace to society. I might need to purge Colombia in the future." He squinted his eyes.

"You're going to be the emperor of Leithanien, you'll be declaring war if you get involved." SilverAsh calmed him down.

"Yeah, I'll take care of them well... Later." Ash remembered his stock of serum.

After a few hours, Narcissa woke up and she saw Ash who was beside her, typing something in his laptop. Making plans about Kazimierz's 23rd major and piercing Colombia through Rhine labs.

She just stared at him and Ash patted her head. "Sleep well?" He smiled at her and she nodded.

"Un, I did." He stood up and he gave her a hand. "Come on, let's go outside."

They went to the cold and rocky desolate areas of Kjerag. Because they'll be testing her powers. And out of control telekinesis is a disaster waiting to happen.

"Are you cold?" He patted her head and increased the temperature around her. "No, I'm fine." She shook her head.

"Do you remember anything?" He checked her memories for any trauma. She shook her head and he thought that it must be her defense mechanism.

He then felt that she was getting upset because she couldn't remember anything. "It's fine, but you will need to remember. Or you will never live again." Ash patted her head and she just stared at him in confusion.

"Do you know how to use your powers? You think you can pick up that rock for me without moving?" He pointed at a rock and she nodded.

Ash then felt the psychokinetic energy activate from her arts and it was in the shape of a large invisible hand.

Narcissa used her arts to pick up the rock, but it turned into dust as the hand squeezed too hard.

She then felt bad because she failed. "Do it again, softer this time. We've got all the time in the world." He instructed her and did it how he wanted to as a visualization.

He used his telekinesis on another rock and it went besides them. Narcissa nodded at him, looking a bit more motivated.

Narcissa made the spectral hand of hers smaller and he noticed that the smallest she could make it was a couple of meters.

She managed to carry it and put it besides them just like how he did it. "Good girl." He reinforced positive traits like doing better.

"Whenever you do something good, you get a cookie." Ash gave her a dessert and Rosmontis started nibbling on it.

Ash decided to test her capabilities with it and found out that her spectral arms always came from her. It wasn't really telekinesis, it's more of kinetic energy projection.

She could control four arms in total and it can increase its size dozens of kilometers which is terrifying.

"Sorry about this Narcissa, but I have to test something." He has a suitcase on it and showed her a scalpel.

Narcissa's' eyes dilated and she screamed. Quickly, Ash cancelled the kinetic energy of her arts that would hit him and her powers went out of control.

Everything around them except on his side got flattened by the destructive arms and earthquakes were felt in Kjerag.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." He hugged her and calmed her down with his arts. Narcissa started to breathe slowly and he concluded that her forgetfulness is definitely a case of severe repression.

And with the conclusion of the tests, he also knew now what is her maximum range. It was approximately the size of a city.

Meaning that in her peak rampage, she could flatten an entire mobile city in a couple of seconds.

"Let's go back?" He gave her his hand and she held it. "Un..." Narcissa nodded and they went back to their base.

He led her to her room again and the others immediately went to him because of the earthquakes from earlier.

"Is all that from the girl earlier?" Degenbrecher furrowed her brows. "Yes, I tested her with medical instruments and she freaked. She has a deep seated trauma of course. Her arts can flatten cities in a matter of moments." Ash frowned.

She was the only one that most likely has a chance on beating him one on one. That's how strong her arts are. And she's just a child.

"Her arts are limitless, how much more she'll improve. Only time can tell." But he knows that Narcissa will be the strongest arts user in existence with his guidance, bar himself.

Everyone went quiet. They harbored a time bomb with them after all. And all of them had different levels of anxiety about Narcissa.

"Don't worry about her, I'll take care of her. I'm always checking her mental status with my arts." He looked towards Narcissa's room.

"So you need to monitor her 24/7 for now?" Margaret raised a brow and he nodded. "I need to train her in controlling it. Or she'll always live in constant fear of destroying everything."

Everyone trusted that he'd keep her in control and they just left it to him. Ash continued his work besides Narcissa and made her sleep really well.

"Well, a work in progress is going to be hard as expected." Ash shrugged and patted the little cat girl's head.

And in the days ahead, he found out more about her. Like there's another consciousness inside of Narcissa's head.

Making him sure that Colombia has to go down later. Because he was pretty sure that the consciousness inside of her mind is her brother after learning that the lab that bought Narcissa is a 2 in 1 deal. Her brother was also there.

Narcissa's spectral hands are also connected to her own hands. Because whenever she uses it on something that's very cold or hot, it appears on her hands.

"So that's why the hands she could use are four... The other two are her brother's." Ash frowned as he compiled her data.

The girl's trauma is also much deeper than he thought. Her repression is so sever that she's like a patient with Alzheimer's.

She would forget a lot of things, but she managed to remember him and the others with him. She calls them all her friends.

So he tries to stimulate her brain and repair her neural network that was damaged because of the arts unit brainstem that was transplanted onto her.

He was also doing it with Liz and put them in group therapy so they could progress at the same time.

The problem with Liz was she has memories that isn't hers to begin with. And it fried her brain because of the memories. Apparently, it's the reason why she has extensive knowledge in anatomy and healing arts.

Ash already had a pretty good idea on what was did to her, but Shining is still tight lipped about it.

Narcissa and Liz were doing good, though the former was doing much better.

Liz's condition is something more complex than Narcissa's. Her brain is in a far worse condition. But the girl faced far more horrors in the lab she was in she's just a child that lost her parents in an accident.

And because of the siblings' originium adaptability, they were sold because of the corruption of Colombia.

"Hah, not like I'm much older than her..." Ash sighed and thought he must be the busiest fifteen year old. Narcissa is 12, so they're not that much apart.

"Damn, they really murdered her brother and stuffed him inside of her head." He furrowed his brows and would raid the country in the near future.

He's going to be the emperor of Leithanien goddamnit, he'll wage war left and right later in due time anyways.

Liz and Narcissa played together with blank faces, but at least the latter was more expressive now. He psychoanalyzes her and conduct one on one therapy regularly, the faster she can accept her trauma, the better.

And there's no fear of her rampaging as he could turn off her arts unit like a switch. But he is the only one who could do it. Because he replaces her brainstem with his arts while does it.

And Narcissa is making a steady recovery that is quite quick. Liz on the other hand, would need a lot more time due to the extensive damages she received.

"Ash nii-chan, can I have some cookies? I want to share with Liz nee-chan." Narcissa had a small smile on her face.

"Sure thing, come on here." Ash gave her a pack of cookies and went to Liz, Shining, and Margaret that were all good friends.

Shining and Liz warmed up to Margaret because she would welcome infected herself and give them stims and AOS without any orders, admiring her stellar attitude.

"Ash, Paradiso only needs a last routine check. It's ready for launch." SilverAsh informed him and he smiled.

"Is that so? Them it's time for us to start our operations, starting with Leithanien." Ash nodded at her and would recruit tons of infected into their city.

They would also recruit anyone willing to be inducted to their private military.

"Narcissa, be a good girl and listen to the big sisters okay?" He patted her head and she nodded with a small smile.

Ash quickly checked the facilities of the city. After a few hours of quality checks, the aptly named Paradiso city is ready to go online.

"Start her up." Ash ordered the engineers and they began to boot it up.

With the city now up and running, he ordered a couple of tests while it's active. So there will be no problems later.

Returning back to their previous base, he called for a meeting and the executives all gathered.

"Hello everyone, as you know. Our mobile city is now operational. We'll be starting to build up our numbers by getting all the infected we can. The stock of our AOS and suppressants are numerous." Ash informed them, making everyone quite excited. Except Gnosis of course, who is only interested in research.

"Now, the next thing would be this." He took out another stim that Shining, Margaret, and Liz knew.

They all waited for him to explain. "This, will be our greatest advantage against the numbers of other nations. This... Will increase your bone density by 300%, muscle strength and connective tissue by 500%, stamina by 400%, and processing power by 200%."

Everyone stared at it with wide eyes. Gnosis was looking at it like it was the ring and SilverAsh grinned when she heard him.

"You're insane Ash..." She snorted at the absurdity of his creation and surely, nations would go to war for that insane invention of his.

"So you're saying... That this will enhance anyone to absurd degrees?" Degenbrecher picked it up and looked at it with interest.

"Yes, no matter your physiology. Why? Because that thing's made from my own stem cells." He grinned and improved it to be universal.

If it doesn't work on someone, he would like to meet them and research about their undoubtedly insane physiology.

Degenbrecher quickly stabbed it on her thigh and it hissed out pressurized air. She shook her head and sighed.

"Hah, I guess you can be the first one to use it." He shrugged. "Is that the thing you used on Liz?" Shining was curious and he nodded.

"In her case, it was programmed to repair her body than to increase her specs. But her brain's damage is too severe from what happened to her. So I'm treating her really carefully with my arts." Ash explained.

He noticed some influence of arts on her brain and Ash carefully removes it with surgical precision while healing the area.

Shining nodded at him with a smile and they waited for Degenbrecher's changes.

"Fuuu, I feel really good. Like real good." Degenbrecher was opening and closing her hands. And her strength was changing in real time.

He tossed her a piece of black steel and Degenbrecher gripped it hard. The piece of metal started to give like it was putty and they all were in awe.

"The full transformation will be done by tomorrow. Her bones and the brain is the longest one to change, you'll notice that everything is slower." Ash had a smug look on his face.

"This is groundbreaking... Our basic infantry will be much stronger than even Sarkaz goliaths with that." SilveAsh's mind was racing for the possibilities.

"We'll only use it on select few. My elites you can say, loyal and won't defect." He squinted his eyes.

He tossed one to Margaret, SilverAsh, and Gnosis. They quickly jabbed it in them. "Listen, this goes out. Then we investigate anyone here instantly. Proven guilty, instant execution, got it?"

Everyone nodded seriously. With his treatments with Liz and Narcissa. He could probe someone's memories now. And whoever leaks would be caught instantly.

"I'll contact Soleil and Luna, we gather the second wave of citizens in Leithanien. SilverAsh, let the infected in Kjerag enter the city after live testing." Ash ordered and the meeting was adjourned.

When everybody left, Ash hugged Margaret and he kissed her neck. "Next would be our trip to Kazimierz." He smirked and would conduct his first international incident.

"Thank you Ash, those greedy corporations that turn the knights into gladiators... They'll regret that they corrupted my country." She leaned into him and prepared to meet her sister and family once again.

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"Are you excited about our new home Narcissa?" Ash patted the feline's head and rubbed her ears.

"Un, home..." She looked at the mobile city and looked at the massive skyscrapers.

"Ash, is she the my new sister?" Adele looked at Narcissa and Adele scared her, the feline hiding behind him.

"Yeah, I'm taking care of her for... Reasons." He didn't elaborate further.

"How are we going to take care of the population once we can't house them anymore though?" SilverAsh asked.

"There's already another city that's being made back in Kjerag. And with their experience, it's going to be much easier. I also left the necessary materials for at least two more." Ash already knew there were more infected than expected.

Paradiso city will be able to house one million people comfortably. With the extremely durable frame of the mobile city, they were able to build massive sky scrapers that have black steel foundations.

It made them able to erect towers that were at least a hundred floors.

And they're used as housing for the people that they'll take in. A mall in the middle of the city that will be the center where you can get anything you need is also built.

It was a small city, but every single space is used efficiently because it was made from the ground up.

There weren't that many infected in Kjerag, there's a few thousand of them that wanted to board the city.

And they're put to work for now to be the maintenance workers.

"Onwards to Leithanien, the empresses are already expecting us there." Ash smiled and they drove the mobile city to Leithanien.

"Narcissa, don't be afraid of Adele. She's going to be your big sister." Ash introduced Adele formally to Narcissa.

"Hello, I'm Adele. Don't worry, I'm very nice unlike this guy you know?" Adele smiled and dissed him.

"No, Ash is my friend. He's nice and gives me cookies." Narcissa refuted her. "Yes, Ash is very nice." Liz also supported him.

He then smirked at Adele with a smug look on his face. "Yeah, that's right Adele. I'm a kind and honorable man." He teased her and Adele couldn't retort.

"Kuu, he's tricking you. He's luring you in with his evil desserts." Adele tried to pull them to her side, but it was for naught.

"Seriously Adele, don't try that with Narcissa. I promise you, that's a very bad idea. She's just joking." Ash patted the feline and she tilted her head.

"Joking? Un, you're forgiven... Ash says it's fine." Narcissa gave her a look and Adele sweated, thinking that there must be a good reason for his warning.

"Thank you, call me big sis Adele alright? I'll play with you lots." Adele smiled at her and Narcissa's ears twitched at that.

"Can I?" Narcissa looked at Ash for permission and he patted her head. "You can, you know what. You can do anything you want unless you don't understand. Ask us anything if you're unsure."

He wanted to instill independence to her. Adele reached out for her hand. "Let's go roam the city Narcissa."

"You too Liz, let's go and see the city." Adele took her hand and she nodded with her blank expression.

But Ash knew she was looking forward to it due to her eyes squinting a bit. "Here, you girls enjoy Paradiso." He gave them a wad of cash.

Adele deadpanned at him, but he just waved them goodbye. "That's your pocket money, spend it all okay?" He smiled at them.

"Liz was excited huh?" Shining walked up to his side without making a sound and he nodded.

"Yeah, they're recovering well. Don't you think so?" He looked at the trio get pulled by Adele.

"Thank you very much for this Ash." Shining bowed at him and he waved her off. "Therapy does a lot." He chuckled.

"Therapy huh, I don't know what you talk about with Liz and Narcissa. But they look much more relaxed right after their sessions with you." Shining wasn't sure what sorcery he was using.

"I just psychoanalyze them and ask questions that they're ready to answer. Make them face their emotions and deep seated traumas." He explained and Shining shook her head.

She couldn't quite do that after all, Shining thought they looked like dead vegetables when they arrived at his front door.

"Speaking of therapy, how's Talulah and my boy Patriot doing." He texted them because they weren't contacting them. PL says that they're still giving food, supplies, and medicine.

"Patriot? Buldrokkas'tee?" Shining blinked dumbly. "Yeah, my buddy Patriot and Talulah. They're freedom fighters for infected."

He texted them and Shining was gaping. "That's the last pure blooded wendigo of Kazdel..." Shining was shocked.

"Yeah, had a mean punch on him too. He hits pretty hard, good times." He reminisced their spars that people would call a deathmatch.

"A mean punch? That's it?" Shining knew that Patriot would turn her into a smear into the ground if she tries to block his punch.

"Yeah, he buried me into the ground a couple of times. And he can grab me on the waist, pretty crazy right?" He described their battles a bit.

"You're pretty strong huh?" Shining was more impressed by him now. Buldrokkas'tee is so strong, he just defected Kazdel after telling it to the Sarkaz king's face.

"Well, it's not enough still. I've been pretty busy with politics and rehab lately. So I wasn't able to train." He thought of sparring with the others again, now that they're stronger.

Shining had a strained smile on her face and he noticed it. "It's not their fault mind you, I'm also planning on sending Narcissa to operations once she's fine."

He would use her as a tactical class operator for total annihilation missions that need extreme firepower.

"No offense Ash... But how can you decide to send her to battle?" Shining bit her lip, her grip on her sword tightening. Her hands trembling as she remembered her past.

"Why huh? Good question... Because Narcissa would be extremely useful, that's it." Ash looked at her in the eye and she was shocked.

She thought that he would've been extremely apprehensive of it. Especially because he wanted to raid Colombia when he learned of how Narcissa turned that way.

"B-but why?" Shining couldn't understand his thought process. He was aiming for peace, so why would he send a child to battle.

"I'm pragmatic Shining. There is absolutely a place in the future where Narcissa causing absolute destruction on some place is useful. You don't need to agree with me on that." He shrugged and she frowned.

"But you're strong right? Everyone around you is strong!" Shining furrowed her brows.

"Well, I'm only one guy Shining. You've got to look at it this way. My ambitions will be opposed by the whole world. It's reasonable to say that it's me against everyone." He looked at his city and it was just the start.

"My goals are far, far harder than just trying to give infected a good life. It's to try and stabilize everything so everyone will have a good one. You see the difference?"

Shining thought it would be extremely hard. Impossible even. "I can just build an extra large mobile city and migrate every infected there. But that isn't the end goal." He pointed at the direction of Leithanien.

"How many people do you think die everyday of infection in Leithanien. How many of them are starved, beaten, ostracized, or just killed off?" He squinted his eyes.

Shining thought it was better in Leithanien than in Ursus, so she started to calculate it in her mind.

"Your answer is already wrong. Because the answer is it's always one too many." Her eyes widened at that.

"The clock is running, people are dying. And that's unacceptable, Adele doesn't want that. In turn, I don't want that. You get me?" Ash explained to her and she nodded.

"Even if I have to use Narcissa's powers to kill people. Devastate cities in order to make them obey my will. It shall be done, for a world that is worth living for." He smiled and Shining thought he was either insane or a visionary.

"A place where children like Narcissa can live without fear, infected aren't treated like the plague. There will still be danger and people who will disagree. But don't you think it should be at the absolute minimum?"

The Sarkaz agreed and the world will always be cruel. But it shouldn't be needlessly so. Just like what happened to Liz and Narcissa.

"Then kill them all, spill their blood on your hands. Those who try and oppose your ideals to make this world a better place. One body at a time, they've gotta run out eventually." He chuckled.

"But wouldn't that create chaos and anarchy? Most of those people are at the top of the country." Shining furrowed her brows and thought it won't be viable.

"Silly Shining, you're only thinking about the short term. You have to be prepared for both. I'm going to be the emperor of Leithanien. People absolutely love me there." He smirked and Shining's eyes trembled.

'What a terrifying man... He's going to control them through economy, politics, and might.' Shining understood his ways.

"Finally get it? The cunts you speak about can only do horrendous crap because they have power. Might makes right, how can you protect others. If you're weak? Let alone yourself."

The Sarkaz gained a new perspective and she nodded. "You can wait all you want for a miracle. But how can you make great change without fighting for it?"

He left and went to the hospitals to check if all is in order.

"He's right... I'm a coward. How can I ever hope for horrible things to not happen if I don't draw my blade and make a change?" She gritted her teeth and remembered her family.

"Might makes right. Peace through blood, one body at a time until no sinner is left except yourself." She gripped her sword tightly and went to the training facility that was in Paradiso.

After a few days, they arrived at Leithanien and as promised by the twin empresses. They have rallied the infected.

The empresses and Kurfürsten were also fully on board with the plan. Because they spread propaganda that the new duke. The husband to be of the empresses will give free healthcare.

And healthcare for oripathy is no joke. Even Blacksteel's pretty high severance pay isn't enough for the expenses of one with oripathy. Especially the terminal ones that are just buried or thrown away.

So majority of them of course came. It was an imperial mandate of the empresses.

"A wonderful city indeed you have made Ash." Soleil nodded at Paradiso city that was docked next to the capital city.

"Umu, your influence is definitely not normal. To be able to create one. Even at that size needs astronomical amounts of funds." Luna was in awe at Ash's economic might.

"You ready for your speech?" He chuckled, because they'll be gaining tons of approval from the infected today.

They should be on their a game for propaganda and political speeches.

"We're the Kaiserins of Leithanien for twenty years now Ash. Do you think we are not competent for this job?" Soleil snorted.

"Do not fret, Ash. We faced the witch king, what of this simple event?" Luna sipped on her tea and they haughtily reminded him that they've been the empresses for two decades.

"Okay, okay, just asking." He shrugged and offered his arm to them. "My, what a gentleman." Soleil chuckled and pushed her boobs on his arm.

'Damn... I mean, no!' He shook his head and Luna chastely let herself be guided by him. While the white empress' dress got a gap above and showed her pink cherries.

"You're doing this on purpose." He gave her the stink eye and the white empress closed the fan on her hand and hid her chest with it.

"What do you mean?" She smirked and Luna rolled her eyes. "Let's get on with it shall we? After this event, we will be busy Soleil."

They continued to the balcony of the spire and the infected cheered upon seeing them.

"Dear citizens of Leithanien. Today is a glorious day, our dear husband to be. Asmodeus Naumann, will be aiding the empire with a sad problem that plagues a lot of its citizens." Soleil acted melancholic and he thought they could win an Oscar.

"Rejoice, for this plague that is oripathy will not hinder you no longer. Glory to Leithanien!" Luna chanted and the people's fervor were out of this world.

"I, Asmodeus Naumann. As a citizen of Leithanien, not a noble, not a businessman. But just a plain human being. Will be offering free healthcare for those who are afflicted of oripathy just like my sister, Adele Naumann." He started his speech and everybody went quiet.

"A terrible disease that does not have a cure. But, we can help those who suffer from it. Paradiso city will be here for one week. We will treat all those who seek medical care." Ash ended his speech and the crowd was touched, crying at his noble cause.

"Heh, so it begins." He whispered and the empresses smacked him a bit because he might be heard by someone. Though he did hide his mouth.

"Light, heal those who are afflicted!" Margaret used her arts for effects while Ash siphoned the magic from the people in the plaza.

"M-my symptoms... The pain is gone! It's gone! It's real!" A woman cried and hugged her daughter who is infected as well.

"Mommy it doesn't hurt anymore." The girl stated with a smile and they roared in cheers.

"Hook, line, and sinker." Ash had a warm smile on his face as the plants in the crowd increased the fervor.

"Such a devilish man." Luna shook her head at his immoral tactics. "They sure love you." Soleil smiled and waved at them.

"Well, it's not like I'm lying." He smirked and people were being put in lines for the stim shots.

There were at least 50 booths that will inject it to them and the more severe ones are going to another room while Ash personally disposes of their accumulated originium energy, with a free AOS to boot.

And when those severely ill spreads their stories, he'll be a hero who even uses his arts to cure the ones that thought they'll die soon.

It was simply a landslide of clout that would paint him as a hero for the infected.

Thousands upon thousands of people were given suppressants and they immediately felt better. The effects weren't exaggerations anyway.

They delivered, and so much more. Boosting the empresses popularity to the infected and non infected alike.

Because the majority of them were being taken by Paradiso city. And due to Ash being the sponsor, the people can't attack the twin empresses for being unfair and wasting tax money.

Asmodeus enterprise is an NGO, Ash doesn't give a shit what they say. People would even beat the shit out of someone if they dare try to talk crap about him.

Shining could see the hope and happiness of the infected, it cemented her new belief and admiration for him. Seeing him do so much for the public.

"See Shining, look at the hope in their faces. Would you be able to do that by just healing the rural infected? No, you have to do something drastic." Ash smiled at her.

"Change as large as this is only possible if you bring results. And those who do not want this, those who want conflict, want to harm these innocents. They're out there, roaming." He squinted his eyes.

"My eyes have been opened Ash... Do not worry, the scum of this world... Will feel the bite of my blade. And it is yours to command." She looked at him seriously.

"Good to have you in Deliverance, Shining." He gave her a stim and she was surprised. "Are you sure?" She thought she isn't worthy for it.

"You'll prove yourself to the cause even if I don't give you an upgrade. Better do it now and crank your efficiency to the maximum, don't you think?" He patted her on the back and she nodded with a smile.

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Thank you for reading everyone, ciao.