Chapter 42
‘3518, the first rebellion.’
It was a year buried in the distant past, more than 200 years ago. To me, who hadn’t even lived a full century, it felt like something from an unfathomable time.
Kinuan had said that there was a rebellion in the Empire in 3518.
“I’ve never heard of it before. Is it a part of history the Empire is hiding?”
“They don’t hide it, but they don’t teach it either. If you’re not interested, you’ll never know.”
I hesitated, wondering if I should ask more. Kinuan must have sensed my dilemma because he waited in silence.
“…So, an Akies Victima user is highly likely to be connected to the rebels—or rather, terrorists—one way or another. It’s all about their roots, after all.”
After some deliberation, I spoke.
“That’s why the Empire keeps track of Akies Victima users and compiles a list. But even Investigator Jillian Campbell probably only knows that Akies Victima has ties to the rebels. He has no idea that it was Noel Mullizcane who created the technique.”
The connection between Noel Mullizcane and Akies Victima was classified information. I turned the thought over in my mind.
“Is the fact that Noel was the founder of Akies Victima really that important?”
“To be precise, the Empire wants to conceal the fact that Noel was a groundbreaking combat theorist. Being the leader of the rebels is a brand of disgrace the Empire would never accept. But the combat theories Noel established—including Akies Victima—continue to influence the Imperial military today. He’s both a contributor to the Empire and its worst criminal.”
As soon as I heard Kinuan’s words, countless questions surfaced in my mind at once.
“Akies Victima isn’t an Imperial standard combat technique. Its philosophy is completely different.”
“As I said earlier, Akies Victima is just one of the combat techniques Noel created. It was his final work, too.”
I found myself growing more curious about Noel Mullizcane.
‘Just how many combat techniques did he create if something like Akies Victima was only one of them?’
It was almost impossible to believe. No wonder Kinuan had called him a genius.
“If he hadn’t been a traitor, the Empire would have revered him as a great figure.”
Kinuan didn’t deny it—he simply smiled. It was a seditious thought, even though I was the one who had voiced it. A traitor and a great figure at the same time.
Kinuan seemed to be deciding where to begin the story. Finally, he slowly parted his lips and spoke.
“From the day our human ancestors crushed a rival’s skull with a stone in the African wilderness… to the moment we ventured beyond the solar system to explore the galaxy, we humans have always fought with the blood and flesh we were born with. Thousands of years passed, and at last, the era of superhumans arrived—thanks to advances in biotechnology and machinery.”
We had transcended our natural biological limits. But no one grandly called it "superhuman" anymore, not when such enhancements were now considered part of the ‘general human category.’
But the humans of the past must have seen it differently. Back when everyone was purely organic, someone who strengthened their neural system and replaced their limbs with machines would have looked like a superhuman—or a monster.
“Just as the rise of firearms turned cold weapon combat techniques into mere relics… in the era of superhumans, the battle techniques of organic humans became obsolete. Cybernetic technology didn’t wait for humanity to catch up—it advanced at an unrelenting pace. With each leap in progress, combat methods evolved repeatedly, and before long, humans could even dodge bullets.”
“So, new combat methods and theories were necessary.”
“There was a transition period spanning hundreds of years—starting from partial prosthetics to the era of full-body cybernetics. Countless combat techniques and theories emerged and faded away in that time. And then, as if to consolidate all of that knowledge, a single genius appeared. A genius called forth by the times.”
That was Noel Mullizcane. The inevitable figure who marked the end of the transitional period and ushered in an era of stability. Such figures existed in every field—when the right combination of time, luck, and talent aligned perfectly, a great person emerged.
“The Ballistic Trajectory System taught in the Imperial Guard? That was also created by Noel Mullizcane. Before that, dodging and deflecting bullets was a skill only legendary soldiers and mercenaries could achieve—those who had survived countless battlefields and honed their instincts and intuition to the extreme. But Noel systematized and theorized it, making it accessible even to ‘elite soldiers.’”
That was astonishing. To think that the Ballistic Trajectory System had already been established two hundred years ago.
Kinuan listed a few of Noel Mullizcane’s achievements. It wasn’t even a comprehensive list—just a fraction of them—yet I recognized many of the combat techniques and theories he mentioned. Even the golden ratio for optimizing agility based on the power output, volume, and weight of cybernetic prosthetics was a direct result of Noel’s formulas.
“For reasons and circumstances unknown, Noel Mullizcane—who had once been a non-permanent advisor to the Imperial Army—turned against the Empire. But an all-out war was impossible. The Imperial Army was already too powerful.
So, Noel developed an entirely new combat technique, one fundamentally different in direction—designed for guerrilla warfare. That was Akies Victima.”
At last, I fully grasped the uniqueness of Akies Victima. If it was designed for guerrilla warfare, then all the flaws I had previously seen in it weren’t flaws at all.
“So, brain dysfunction wasn’t a concern. No one expected to live long anyway, and they fought with that in mind. And since they were an irregular force, they wouldn’t have a standardized system or formal training regimen. They needed a highly adaptable combat style that could adjust to individual circumstances and environments. Establishing training camps to improve unit cohesion would have been difficult, so they must have focused on training an elite few…”
I trailed off, realizing Kinuan wasn’t finished speaking yet.
“Noel only took those suited for Akies Victima as his close aides and officers. That elite few became the backbone—the brain—of the rebel forces.
The rest were just disposable limbs, meant to be cut off at any time. That was how Noel’s rebels resisted the Empire. Even when the Empire launched large-scale eradication operations, it only seemed like the rebellion had been wiped out. In reality, the select few who had mastered Akies Victima managed to survive and scatter across the Empire, carrying out local skirmishes and guerrilla operations.
And since there were always people dissatisfied with the Empire, they could easily recruit expendable soldiers.”
No matter how many times the rebellion was crushed, it sprouted again like weeds. Akies Victima users, by their very nature, would always find a way to survive. And since they could fight without relying on high-performance prosthetics, they could easily blend into society as ordinary citizens.
Let’s think about this for a moment.
Would anyone suspect that someone with a non-combat cybernetic implant was actually a key figure in the rebellion? Even if they were stopped in a random security check and confronted by four or five soldiers with military-grade combat prosthetics, an Akies Victima user would still be able to escape with ease.
A vivid image formed in my mind.
Akies Victima users scattering across the Empire, launching precise strikes against critical Imperial facilities. And when one of them was cornered, they would simply throw local recruits to the wolves as decoys before slipping away to another region. Since they could fight effectively without high-end cybernetics, tracking them down would have been nearly impossible.
Then how did the Empire manage to eradicate the rebellion at its roots?
…At that moment, a terrifying thought crossed my mind.
I wanted to know if my suspicions were correct.
"How did the Empire suppress Noel's rebellion at the time?"
"They couldn't tell friend from foe, so they killed anyone suspicious. Back then, if you didn't have someone to vouch for your identity, you were as good as dead. The Empire took an extreme hardline approach, and even Akies Victima users were hunted down one by one. Civilians would report any outsiders on sight, fearing that their entire region might be razed in a mass purge."
I didn't ask how many innocent people had died. The scale of it was beyond my imagination.
"And Noel? Is that how he died as well?"
"A secret execution."
Noel Mullizcane, once a key contributor to the Empire, had turned traitor. The Empire had carried out mass killings in response to his rebellion…
And considering how the Empire had suffered at the hands of guerrilla warfare, it was only natural that they would continue to monitor Akies Victima users.
This was not something that should ever be made public. Especially since Noel Mullizcane's legacy still influenced the Imperial military today.
I narrowed my eyes slightly. Then, straightening my back, I lifted my head and looked directly at Kinuan.
"The reason the Commander of the Imperial Guard sent me here… is it because he suspects you of having ties to the terrorists?"
Kinuan clapped his hands twice.
"Correct, Luka. If you find proof that I'm colluding with Nemesis, or if you can expose anything incriminating, you'll rise straight to the center of the Imperial Guard."
That was ridiculous. How could an Imperial Guard officer—a decorated instructor, no less—be colluding with terrorists? And if the Commander truly suspected Kinuan, why was he still allowing him to roam free?
I stared at Kinuan, searching for answers. But his depths were unfathomable. In contrast, he seemed to know everything about me.
"I don't believe you're involved with the terrorists."
"You might not, but the Commander of the Imperial Guard does. Since we're on the topic, let me give you a little tip for your career. Look into the traces of my past from when I was in the lower districts."
Kinuan’s words felt like a provocation. I frowned.
"I will report everything I heard today to the Commander of the Imperial Guard."
"See you next time, Luka."
Kinuan stood up and personally opened the door to see me out.
Once I stepped outside the main building of the training facility, I came to a halt. Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my emotions.
…To put it bluntly, these bastards all thought they could toy with me. Both the Commander of the Imperial Guard and Kinuan were using me to gauge each other’s intentions.
This was dangerous. If things went sideways, I had a high chance of being "expendable."
But I wasn’t going to let that happen. I hadn’t clawed my way up to this point just to be discarded like that.
* * *
The next day, I accessed the network to investigate Noel Mullizcane and the first rebellion.
I knew that my browsing history would be visible to my superiors, but it didn’t matter. They were already aware that I had stepped deep enough into this to start digging.
As expected, there was almost no information.
All I found was a basic record stating that a major rebellion occurred in 3518 and that the Empire had successfully suppressed it. That was the extent of what I could access at my clearance level.
In particular, it was clear that any detailed records on Noel Mullizcane had been deliberately erased. He was only mentioned as the leader of the rebellion, nothing more. There was no indication that he had been a combat theorist or had contributed to the military. Not even a single photograph remained.
Two hundred years of erasure had done its job—there was barely a trace left.
The same applied to Akies Victima. It was dismissed as nothing more than a third-rate combat technique with an unknown origin.
It was obvious—there was no way to get what I needed through official channels.
If I wanted to uncover Kinuan’s past, I would have to go to the lower districts.
I submitted a request for an audience with the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and in less than twenty minutes, it was approved.
For any other cadet, it would have taken at least a day or two.