Chapter 142: New Disciples
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Heba reproduced a message that had been sent online to the entire local population of the country of Egypt.
[To all inferiors that live in this deserted wasteland, I, the Empress of the Empire of the Sun, Neferteri Akasia, come to inform you of your prompt purge, unless you help me retrieve my son, who has fallen into the claws of your brethren. I shall only wait 48 hours before I and my fleets begin to vaporize every city we see. Give me back my son, Anubis, and Ra. Or else, prepare yourself for a prompt release from your mortal husks.]
Neferteri Akasia was her name; Akhenaten’s mother, and apparently the Empress of the Empire of the Sun, ended up getting stranded all the way here. She was perhaps Merneith’s stepmother, who married her father, the current Emperor.
Apparently, she and Akhenaten ended up stranded here, each with their own giant pyramid to move through the skies. However, there’s three more pyramids she’s controlling, which might or might not have other family members with their own Mechanical Gods.
Everyone glanced at Merneith once they heard the message.
“That is… indeed my stepmother,” she sighed, drinking some wine. “I never imagined she would also end up in this world too... But if Akhenaten came with her, then it makes sense… that she might have ended here. That means that when I escaped, she and Akhenaten, along with three more pyramids, were sent to find me and take Ra back, probably while also making sure to execute me.”
Merneith’s expression quickly transformed from her prideful smile to the face of a woman who had been abandoned by her family and persecuted as a criminal. Her eyes lost their light, and even her jackal ears, pointy and cute, lowered.
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault; I brought them here; it’s my responsibility, not yours,” she sighed, gripping her fists tightly. “I’ll go back with the Empress and bring Akhenaten and Anubis with us. If that’s all she wants, then I’m sure she’ll leave, and... nobody will be hurt.”
Everyone fell silent. I was going to say something, but Mohamed ended up speaking first.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” said Mohamed, nodding. “We could indeed just give you back to your stepmother and finally solve all our problems. I guess... that’s the right thing to do.”
“Mohamed!” Heba gasped. “How could you say that?! I am not giving up, Merneith! This little brat has helped us a lot!”
“Tch, but she’s not wrong! She brought all those problems here,” said Ahmed, groaning angrily as he finished eating his food. “Why do we have to sacrifice ourselves, put ourselves at risk, and more, just to save someone nobody invited?”
“I-I could never do such a thing; Merneith is a friend! To sell a friend is… a terrible thing! I would never give her up!” said Sara. “Didn’t Imam Ali say, “The weakest person is one who cannot make anyone his friend and brother"? We mustn’t abandon Merneith! She is a friend! God would never forgive us if we did… She’s trying to be a martyr, but that’s wrong. A friend… is someone we must protect in the name of God.”
“Don’t come to lecture me about your religion, Sara,” Ahmed said. “I don’t care what the Quran or whatever says. Also, isn’t your religion all about treating women less than a person?”
“A-Ahmed! Don’t be so disrespectful!” sighed Sara. “The Quran says men and women are equal; the patriarchy thing is, uh, something from Arabic countries; it’s not quite literally part of the religion, but of traditions made by men. I-It’s different! Anyways… There must be something else we can do, right, Heba?”
“Yes,” said Heba. “There must be a way, perhaps if we… could attack her, maybe if we defeat her and then force her to bring the other pyramids or… Ah, no, this is hopeless either way. It’s on a whole other scale. Giant floating spaceship that can blast whole cities in seconds. Even if we tried taking one down, the other three would quickly learn what we did and would swiftly blast the cities…”
“E-Eh? But…” Sara muttered. “There must be some way…”
“There’s no other way than doing this,” said Merneith. “I…”
“Ahem!”
I quickly decided to make a bit of noise here; it seemed they were all in their own little world, and actually, the very task of stopping all pyramids at once shouldn’t be a big issue.
“Ah, Bing Xue?” wondered Mohamed. “Do you have an idea?”
“Of course I have!” I nodded. “Heba’s not wrong; if we attack one pyramid, the other three will quickly learn and likely destroy the cities as a punishment for our insolence. Therefore, we must quickly “kick” all pyramids away into the deserts, where they can’t harm anyone. Then we can freely engage in a fight against them all. How about it?”
“Huh?” Ahmed didn’t know what I was talking about.
“What… do you mean with “kick”?” Mohamed asked me with a worried expression.
“Hahah… I mean, she’s strong, but… no way, right?” Heba asked.
“You have yet to see how powerful she truly is.” Mursha spoke, her eyes menacingly glaring at Heba. “Those floating chunks of metal… There should be no concern for her.”
“She has slain over a dozen gods by now,” said Urbosa. “I doubt those pyramids would be much of a problem…”
“R-Really? Gods?” wondered Sara. “I-I… You mean the false deities from the tower? Those beings that seek to sponsor people and turn them into avatars?”
“Yes, those,” I nodded. “They are from different worlds, so I doubt they are related to any of our religions… There might be some resemblances here and there, maybe with the ancient Greek, Norse, and Egyptian myths, but I don’t really think they’re related to anything. They’re completely alien.”
“Phew…” Sara sighed in relief.
Did she think I fought her religion’s god or something?
Well, she’s a child, so I guess she could end up thinking such things.
But no, these gods are tangible and not based solely on belief, so they’re different.
In a way, even the Egyptian gods aren’t really them, but machines shaped after their image.
“Yes, what they say is true.” I nodded. “However, simply kicking them away wouldn’t be enough... They’re wrapped around a powerful protective forcefield. Also, they’re very tough on their own, so... I would need everyone’s help with this one. I plan to divide our force into four groups. Each one shall be sent to a certain city. Where is the pyramid where Neferteri is located?”
“The port city of Alejandria is perhaps one of the prettiest cities in our country,” said Heba. “It is also a touristic center and is enormous, with a lot of people. Practically, she’s holding them all hostage.”
“Alright…” I nodded. “I’ll go there with Merneith and Akhenaten; the rest shall be divided into four groups... Fear not; I am not the only one capable of slaying gods anymore. Urbosa, Merkite, Mursha, Peperina, and perhaps Fiery Hair here all have the potential. They will ensure your victory.”
“Wait, what? We’re really doing this?” asked Ahmed. “B-But what if you fuck it up and everyone dies?!”
“I promise you that such a thing will not happen.” I said.
I stood up as I glanced at everyone here.
“Egypt is part of humanity; therefore, I will give it my all to protect its cities and its people.” I said. “You’ve seen what I can do, and you’ve seen what my disciples can do. Now, I am only asking you a single question, hunters of Egypt.”
I glanced at their eyes; they were all different people from all paths of life. Some were thugs that lived harsh childhoods, some were normal people until the awakening happened, and a few were born into rich families.
Yet they all desired one thing: to protect their people.
“I’m asking you to trust me,” I said. “That is all... Would you trust me?”
I glanced into their eyes, awaiting their response.
The first one to respond was Sara.
“Of course, Auntie Bing Xue!” she nodded. “I’ll help as much as I can!”
“Good girl.”
Then Heba.
“Very well, no matter how hard I try to be skeptical, you’re someone who has defied logic time and time again,” she smiled. “I want to trust you, dear. So let me assist you as much as I can. After all, I was the one that called you here.”
“Thank you, Heba,” I nodded.
Heba smiled beautifully, winking at me.
Ah, she’s a beautiful woman.
Ahmed followed with his response.
“Hmph, tch, whatever!” Ahmed groaned. “But if we all end up dead at the end, I’ll curse you in hell! Did you hear me?!”
“There will be no need for that,” I smiled.
And then, the last member of the core group of hunters of El Cairo, the strongest of all Egypt, and the chairman of this city’s hunter association, smiled, glancing at me after being in a meditative state for a while.
“Alright,” Mohamed said. “I will put my trust in you, Bing Xue. Not because of the feats you’ve done, but because of the respect and manners you’ve shown to my people. Not many foreigners treat us like this. I’ve dealt with American and European hunters before, and let me tell you, they’re very disrespectful towards other cultures. I’m impressed with how well you’ve educated yours.”
“Oh…” I felt a bit surprised by such words. “No, thanks to you, Mohamed. My disciples here were indeed a rowdy bunch before, but through meditation and cultivation, they have grown to be more unified as a family while also gaining some more inner peace.”
“I see…” Mohamed nodded. “Very well then, Bing Xue. Tell us. What’s your plan?”
I smiled, quickly glancing through the window.
“Just as I said before, it’ll be quite simple, Mohamed,” I said. “First of all, I wanted to ask another question. Would you become my disciples?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“HAH?!”
“Disciples?”
Mohamed, Heba, Ahmed, and Sara were notably surprised, but it was time to ask them this question. If I wanted them to get stronger as well, they first needed to become my disciples and learn the arts of Ki Cultivation and Physique Refining.
“As you can see, the strength of my disciples has increased so much thanks to cultivation, a secret art I teach to my disciples,” I explained. “If you join my Heavenly Court and become members of this family, swearing your loyalty to me, then I can let you have this power, which will help you grow strong enough to protect everyone you love.”
“Such a power…” Mohamed muttered. “But I… I just can’t, sorry. To swear loyalty to someone we’ve just met, it would not sit right with us at the moment.”
“It’s a loyalty that only means you will never betray me or go against me,” I said. “But it wouldn’t restrict you in any way. You can come and go as well, and there’s no responsibilities binding you, but the gratefulness you’ll feel towards me once you become even stronger than ever before.”
“Hm… Is that really true?” wondered Mohamed. “Something with so many benefits and no downsides… I… I’ll need to ask other people first; as chairman, I am bound to many responsibilities anyway.”
“It’s fine,” I nodded. “I suppose you can take your time to decide... Hm?”
“I’ll become your disciple, Bing Xue. Gladly.”
Suddenly, Heba raised her hand and quickly accepted my offer without hesitation.
“Heba?!” Mohamed gasped. “Wait, you can’t just...”
“I can’t what, Mohamed?” the black-skinned beauty wondered. “What you said was only for yourself, all of us are free to make our own decisions. And I’ve decided to trust Bing Xue. I’ve also learned… how weak I am, despite how strong I thought I was. I need power; I need her help. And I can trust her; I can tell she’s a really amazing person. If anything, I’ve been looking for someone to guide me. My life has been a mess since I was a kid, after all. So, I’ve learned to not waste opportunities and always take them when they appear. I don’t hesitate like you.”
“Hmm…” Mohamed sighed, crossing his arms and looking elsewhere.
“Thank you, Heba; your words are inspiring to hear.” I smiled, nodding. “Sara? Ahmed? Do you want to join, or do you want to wait?”
“Like hell, I would join your shady cult…” Ahmed groaned angrily. “I know you helped us save El Cairo and saved Merneith and all… and I’m grateful for that! However, I need to see more of your sincerity before I make my decision.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “Sara?”
“Um…”
Sara glanced at my stepdaughter, Hekita.
“Is Hekita your disciple too, auntie?” she asked.
“She’s my adoptive daughter, but yes! She is also my disciple.” I nodded. “She has learned a lot and became much stronger!”
“I have! You should join, Sara! Mama will give you amazing powers!” my cute, fluffy daughter said.
“Hm…” Sara nodded. “Okay! I shall!”
That was really quick; I guess she wants to go wherever her friend goes.
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