Not for Himself

In a sealed chamber somewhere, a dark hole like a wormhole had opened in the wall, and two men were fiddling with something.

"Found it!"

Kunlo checked the signal among the objects they had sent into multiple dimensions—one of them had been opened in a particular world.

Because he was forcing open dimensions with power that was not his own, and because the number of dimensions was nearly infinite, Jincheon had been unable to isolate a single world with perfect precision. He had been forced to select several places that shared a similar wavelength.

Then, using Kaisent's biometric data as the sole key, he had wrapped each box in his own energy so the Bio-Devices would survive dimensional transit, and cast them into those worlds.

"Good. Dimension lock complete. Send the Ultimate Dragon Gear."

"Yes, sir."

While Jincheon held the dimensional space fixed, Kunlo fired the boosters on the three-meter colossus of a dragon-form machine they had prepared in advance and hurled it with everything he had.

As his power and influence had grown, so had the number of enemies who targeted his family. Guarding every one of them alone had become impossible, and so Jincheon had set about forging a new weapon.

All-environment adaptation modules for the deep sea, outer space, magma, and desert. Reinforced assistive skeletal frames strong enough to lift a tank with finger strength alone. Purification systems that let the pilot relieve themselves without leaving the cockpit, and reabsorption units that could take in nutrients. A high-performance learning AI that automatically struck enemies if the user fell asleep or lost consciousness. A Cryptor bioweapon factory that synchronized with the pilot's brainwaves and forged living weapons when inner energy was poured in. A nanobot factory that likewise produced multipurpose nanobots from inner energy. Built-in plasma guns and energy generators capable of projecting omnidirectional defensive barriers. Heavy armor thick enough to withstand planet-class bombardment, yet flexible enough to move exactly as the pilot intended.

Every last component had been forged from Larium, the highest-grade alloy by galactic standards. The unit of cost to build a single one was measured in planets.

And even if it fell into enemy hands, only a blood relative who possessed the family's heart method could operate it—Jincheon had designed it that way from the first line of the blueprint to the last.

With this one machine, even Kaisent—a coward and nothing more—would have the power to stand against an entire world.

"With this, I've done my duty as a parent, more or less—hup!"

Just as he was thinking he could finally enjoy this galaxy in peace, the Ultimate Dragon Gear he had shoved into the dimensional space came flying back and charged straight at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wall.

Jincheon caught the Dragon Gear—still streaking toward its power source—with one hand and remotely shut down its systems.

"What the hell? Why did it come back?"

"Strange. Perhaps forcing a dimensional breach to send something is forbidden… no, but the device we just sent—"

The device sent moments earlier had reached Kaisent without issue. The Ultimate Dragon Gear they had just thrown in had come back.

"What condition does it need? Volume? Weight?"

While Kunlo turned the problem over in his head, Jincheon stepped closer to the dimensional space.

"Will."

"Sir?"

"I can feel a will."

Closing his eyes and opening his senses, Jincheon fed the Ultimate Dragon Gear into the dimensional space once more.

A moment later, the gear came back again.

"Vigilance. Anxiety. Rage. Fear."

The second attempt let him feel the will beyond the dimension even more clearly, and he understood why the gear had been rejected.

"Someone—or someones—are managing that place. This thing was simply too powerful and too alien for their dimension to accept."

The Ultimate Dragon Gear had been sent back because it was too strong.

Its specs were so absurd that even if every powerhouse in the world they governed were mustered together, victory would still be in doubt. For the sake of the world's balance, they had blocked it.

"Dimensional administrators, then. What should we do?"

"Temperament-wise, I'd love to just thrash the lot of them."

"If you did, the rest of us—myself and the madams—would all have to leave. And the former madam who reincarnated in this galaxy… you might never find her past life at all."

"Ugh."

"And if we pick a fight with those dimensional administrators, there's no telling how long it would take. The evil gods of this side alone are headache enough as it is."

If he moved as his nature demanded, he would put the former wife reborn in this galaxy at risk. If he simply gave up, he would feel like a father who had abandoned his child. Neither sat well.

"Haa… We'll just have to build a new one."

"Until the administrators on that side allow it through?"

"You got a better answer that keeps both sides happy?"

Kunlo had no choice but to agree. Even by his own reckoning, it was the best solution available.

"What about a downgrade?"

"Stripping functions off the Ultimate Dragon Gear is pointless. The base specs are already that good."

"Then we'll have to build something from scratch. Or what if we break it into separate parts and send them one by one?"

"They're not ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠idiots over there. Even if a part or two slips through, the whole thing is useless until every piece ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arrives—and if they block even one shipment mid-way, we've just wasted time."

In the end, the two of them settled on building a protective device of moderate performance—neither too strong nor too weak.

"Hm? The wives are calling. They're all pent-up, aren't they?"

"Then there's nothing for it. I'll handle the research from here. Master, please go keep the madams from getting suspicious."

"Appreciate it."

Jincheon rose at the plaintive summons coming through the Bio-Device.

"One more thing, though."

"Hm?"

"If Young Master Kaisent is already fighting someone, won't the item we just sent be too little to keep him safe?"

"Kaisent? That coward? Pwahahaha!"

Honestly, even a parent does not know everything about their child—but with Kaisent, the answer was practically fixed.

"That kid runs first the moment anything looks dangerous. He said himself he doesn't want to fight, and I checked more than once just to be sure."

Wondering whether a crisis might wake some sleeping nature in him, Jincheon had put him through trial after trial. Each time, Kaisent had broken—and grown more terrified of fighting than before.

"But if he ever does fight someone," Jincheon said with quiet certainty, "it won't be for himself. It'll be for someone else—for a woman. He's the one who inherited my blood the thickest. Until now people around him have always helped. This time he's alone, so the chance isn't zero."

I can't abandon Volf—he helped me!

Glove on, Kaisent charged Kenneth with desperate courage.

"Hwahahahaha!"

Kenneth, nearly stripped of reason, still erupted in wild laughter at the sight of the boy running straight at him, and swung with the sheathed sword.

Crackling!

"!?"

The scabbard struck a circular shield-shaped barrier—and bounced off. It could not pierce the defensive field the glove had generated.

"Uwaaaaah!"

Spotting an opening at Kenneth's chest, Kaisent poured every ounce of strength into a crushing blow.

Thud! Boom! Rumble—!

Struck by a monstrous force no one would believe belonged to a boy, Kenneth slammed into the ground, then skidded as he recovered his stance, carving a long scar through the earth.

"Volf! Are you all right!?"

"I-I'm fine… But that thing—"

"Focus on recovering for now!"

In the same breath Kaisent secured Volf's safety and began checking the glove's operating instructions through the Bio-Device.

Augmented reality visible only to Kaisent responded to his pupils and brainwaves, flooding data across his vision.

There!

As expected, the Bio-Device that had been injected carried recorded data on how to use the glove.

Linked to the device, the glove could switch modes for multipurpose use: shield, sword, and wall.

Shield and sword were exactly what they sounded like. Wall installed a barrier in the shape of a wall and held it for as long as inner energy was poured in. Stop the flow—or move more than a certain distance from the glove—and it would dissolve.

Shield and sword had been included for versatility. Wall had been included for Kaisent the coward. The Bio-Device data devoted by far the most explanation to the wall function.

"Kroooooooar!"

In that fleeting interval, Kenneth—who had taken Kaisent's blow—righted himself, roared out his fury, and charged.

This time he abandoned the gentle notion of knocking the boy out with a scabbard and swung live steel.

Even so, the killing intent remained thin: he meant to cut off an arm or a leg and subdue him.

Kaisent ignored the wall function his father had packed in for him. He switched to sword mode ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and settled into a stance.

A hilt formed first, molding perfectly to the user's hand, then completed itself into the shape of a one-handed arming sword.

That stance—?

From behind, Lillian saw Kaisent's posture and could not help but startle.

It was identical—perfectly identical—to the swordsmanship Kenneth had used against her.

I can't run. Don't run. I must not run! If I run now, Volf is finished!

Every scrap of reason screamed at him to flee. His blood boiled and ordered him to protect his benefactor.

"Uwaaaaah!!"

Kaisent bellowed a battle cry to scatter the fear and hurled himself at Kenneth.

The moment they entered striking range, the two of them cut with perfectly matching forms—and their blades crashed together.

Clang! Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!

They attacked in identical postures, as if they had rehearsed the exchange. The only difference was that the smaller Kaisent adjusted each stance to fit his own frame as he fought.

They're completely the same… How…?

Lillian stared blankly at Kaisent as he unfolded the same sword art as Kenneth.

Had he been taught the same style?

But Kenneth's swordsmanship had a foundational form—and then a practical, battle-altered feel on top of it. Matching the forms was one thing. Matching the practical modifications as well should have been impossible.

Don't tell me… from watching us fight…?

Had he learned the sword by watching her duel Kenneth?

Even to herself it sounded like nonsense. But nothing else could explain what she was seeing.

If I'm right, Kaisent is at a disadvantage! Copying what you see has limits!

Even if you mirrored an opponent's movements perfectly, imitation was still only imitation. Those who used a sword art as their own kept several counters ready for the moment an attack was blocked.

Whoosh—!

Just as her dread predicted, every line of attack sealed, Kenneth shifted his sword path and cut in on a trajectory unlike any before.

Meeting it the old way would open a fatal gap.

Now!

But that was the best-case variable Kaisent had already anticipated.

He switched the glove to shield mode, deflected Kenneth's blade on a diagonal, and drove inward, concentrating inner energy into his left palm.

The Back Mountain Palm Technique—failed earlier because of the armor—came out once more.

Kenneth tried again to strike with his knee. Kaisent had expected that too. He rocked his upper body back and smashed a heavy kick into the single leg still holding Kenneth upright.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

As the leg buckled and the abdomen became a mass of openings, Kaisent poured his full power into a palm strike and drove it home.

BOOM—!

"Puhurk!"

The whites of Kenneth's eyes flushed red. He spat blood and went flying.

It had been a full-power strike carrying clear killing intent. The Back Mountain Palm Technique, using the penetrating principle of a qi-wave, churned Kenneth's organs into pulp.

"Ghk… ghk… ha… just… once… please… let me… touch… fwaaa—"

To the very end Kenneth bared his lust for Kaisent. Then the air left his lungs in a long, emptying sound, and he went slack.

Kaisent had killed Kenneth successfully—but

"Haa… haa… uugh… uuk…!"

the shock of ending a living being in close combat, not at range, crashed over him as violent revulsion.

"Uwek! Weeeehk! Hhk… Noona… Noonaaa…"

Unable to master the disgust, Kaisent retched, then called for Dang Seol-yeong and his other sisters in a broken, yearning voice as the tears came.