Seed of Betrayal

Erda walked with hurried steps, leaving the laboratory quickly with the Custodes following close behind.

Though somewhat surprised by the sharpness of Malcador, Erda did not take the mere two Custodes to heart; she had to return to her residence quickly to execute the next step of her plan.

"You may stand down; I am safe now."

Stopping before the courtyard gate, Erda dismissed the Custodes, making a final effort despite knowing it was likely impossible.

The Custodes stood there as if they had not heard the order, motionless, with no intention of leaving.

Out of respect for a friend of Emperor, one of them explained, his voice clear and passionate beneath his helmet, "My Lady, we are under instructions from Malcador to ensure your personal safety."

"Then I shall trouble you." Erda shook her head and walked into the courtyard.

The two Custodes stood straight at the courtyard entrance, facing inward, showing no sign of protection.

What was called protection was, in reality, surveillance.

Without dwelling on the excessive persistence of the Custodes, Erda returned to her room and dismissed her maids, then lay quietly on her bed.

Opening a hidden compartment at the head of the bed, she took out a silver dagger, gripped it with both hands, and slowly thrust it into her chest.

With the plan set, Erda had to restore her energy in the fastest way possible; there was not much time left for her.

As the blood flowed, the dark red silk and the gold-embroidered bedding grew deeper in color. Erda's breathing gradually steadied, and she died peacefully on the magnificent bed like a sleeping beauty.

She was accustomed to death, and her consciousness plunged completely into darkness, but it would only take one day for her Perpetual physiology to fully regenerate, healing all physical damage.

The Custodes stood guard at the courtyard entrance like statues. Their charge had not appeared in their line of sight for a long time, and no threats had approached. The Custodes of Emperor enjoyed standing guard; they only needed to stand.

Although the Custodes possessed extraordinary combat power, combat was not their essence.

Every Custode was a unique talent; whether in specialized fields or general skills, they had reached the pinnacle of human capability.

Perhaps the two standing guard with their Power Halberds were, for all one knew, one a top-tier chef among men and the other a master cobbler.

Combat and the like were merely byproducts of the extraordinary bodies of the Custodes.

A fair arm pushed open a window. The Custodes noticed it was the arm of their charge. A breeze swept by, and the superhuman senses granted by their transhuman physiology detected an anomaly.

The nostrils of the Custodes flared, keenly catching the faint scent of blood carried by the breeze passing the window.

No words were needed, nor any superfluous movements.

The two Custodes guards rushed into the courtyard instantly, their figures moving like lightning. The marble path was shattered by their armored boots, and the maids screamed, covering their heads as they scrambled to avoid the towering figures of the Custodes.

"Stand back!" The Custodes guard's voice was like thunder. He gripped his Power Halberd with both hands, aiming it at the bedroom door. The Bolter mounted beneath the halberd was pointed directly at the entrance, and his right index finger was already resting on the trigger of the halberd.

With a light squeeze of the trigger, the large-caliber explosive rounds of the Bolter would shred the mahogany door in an instant.

The two maids guarding Erda's bedroom door were stunned, not daring to make a single move, frozen pale and stiff after being startled by the roar of the Custodes.

The Custodes had no time to care about the maids. Their armor rose and fell with their breathing, emitting a faint friction sound. Their hearts beat powerfully, accelerating the flow of blood and allowing the Custodes to enter a combat state instantly.

They were somewhat nervous. On the territory of Emperor, at the foot of the Himalayas, what means could an assassin have used to sneak in behind the door, evade the eyes of the Custodes, and complete an assassination without a sound?

The fact that Erda was a Perpetual was not a great secret among the Custodes, but for security reasons, it was not known to everyone.

Techno-warlords? Techno-barbarians? Who exactly was it?

Footsteps approached slowly from behind the door, steady and even, without the slightest panic, as if prepared to come out and face the Custodes directly.

The two Custodes retreated slightly in tacit understanding; close quarters were not suitable for swinging halberds. They waited solemnly for the person behind the door to appear.

"Custodes, you need not be nervous." Erda's voice came from behind the door. She gently pushed it open and pulled up the maid who had collapsed, elegant and composed, completely devoid of the brokenness she had shown a day ago.

She had returned from rebirth, and her state was better than ever before.

Seeing Erda safe and sound, the Custodes let out a long breath. They tactfully bypassed the question of where the bloody smell in the room came from and instead asked with some surprise, "My Lady, are you preparing to go out?"

Erda was not wearing her usual silk court robes but had changed into military attire.

A black, thin, tight-fitting combat suit clung to Erda, perfectly outlining her figure.

The insignias marking her status and rank on her shoulders and upper arms had long been erased. A tactical belt hung at her waist, holding a dagger and a strange pistol of a model never seen before.

The Custodes did not dare to underestimate this seemingly simple tactical gear.

It was clear that this tactical equipment came from the most glorious Golden Age of humanity, an era now referred to by humans as: the Dark Age of Technology.

That great and brilliant era, buried beneath the heavy dust of history, held too many secrets—dark and mysterious.

"Yes, I am going out for a trip and require your company for protection." Erda smiled slightly, directly stating her travel plans and inviting the Custodes to join her.

Erda knew very well that she could not shake off the Custodes, so she played along, using them to achieve her own goals while gaining an extra layer of security.

"It is our great honor to accompany you. I imagine the journey will be quite long. Please, My Lady, call me Achilles; this is my colleague, Claudius Ptolemy."

The Custodes reported their names, which were the same as those of the great heroes and scholars of ancient Terra.

Custodes candidates were selected from infancy; their original names had long been discarded or forgotten. Emperor would give them new names, usually those of the great heroes of ancient Terra.

Hearing the names of heroes, Erda felt even more disgust for the twisted sense of humor of Emperor. She quickened her pace to leave the courtyard, wanting to get away from there as soon as possible.

Achilles followed closely behind Erda, while Ptolemy went to prepare three Hoverbikes.

The three of them rode their anti-gravity Hoverbikes away from the Himalayas, continuing forward until they had left the territory under the control of Emperor.

"My Lady, could you tell me the destination of this journey?" Two Custodes leaned over their hovering bikes, flanking Erda as they rode. Seeing that they had traveled a great distance from Emperor without reaching their destination, Achilles asked for their objective through his comms-helmet.

"A secret base."

"Understood, My Lady."

The three traveled in silence, and after a long trek, they finally arrived at their destination.

The ecosystem of Terra had been completely annihilated; during the wars between warlords, nuclear missiles were exchanged, leveling mountain ranges and leaving behind nothing but yellow sand and barren wastes.

Only those creatures with tenacious vitality and lethal danger survived in the harsh environment, lurking within the endless desert.

Erda led the Custodes through the shifting sea of sand, finally arriving at her destination: her private base.

Entering an underground facility and passing smoothly through the still-active security systems, the three arrived in the depths of the secret base, where the item Erda required was kept.

"My Lady, please allow me to handle this." Though it sounded like he was asking for permission, Achilles took a step forward, snatching up a box before Erda could reach it and cradling it in his arms, showing no intention of handing it over.