When Kjartan woke up again in a different world a day after having activated his sole single use life-saving item, he was met with an utterly deserted wilderness. It was outright desolate, with no trees in sight. Only a few shrubs and bushes dotted the mostly dry and cracked earth.
Contrary to Theodore, nobody had waylaid him, not even an animal. But judging by the few insect remains scattered about, it appeared that a few of them had attempted to approach him yet could not endure the minuscule backlash incurred by doing so.
Feeling the connections to his Fly Slaves get cut off one by one at a rapid pace, a helpless, self-deprecating smile spread across his lips. The slaughter over in the Qinglong World was still ongoing, and it likely wouldn't end anytime soon. As long as his Parasitic Flies' hosts were under the influence of the Illusion Array, he was only fed absolute nonsense when he tried to make use of their senses.
Fortunately, he had left some handsful of them behind in remote locations, so he could occasionally utilize them to keep an eye on the situation over there. When it came to controlling and sharing perception with his Fly Slaves, there was absolutely no distance limitation, which was just one more reason as to why he thought so highly of his greatest Talent. After all, eventually, he would be able to spread his troops across countless worlds, with no supply line or command delay issues bogging him down!
Alas, that would have to wait until the later rounds. If one didn't make use of Teleportation Arrays, then one could forget about going to any other world but the one in which one appeared in. While Kjartan's Array Formation Proficiency was at a rather decent high Intermediate-level, creating a Teleportation Array himself would still prove to be quite the challenge. Therefore, should he manage to get to other worlds within these 100 years, it wouldn't be many.
Over the next six days, he carefully explored his surroundings, soon finding a few human settlements of various sizes. This time, there were no Imperial Han Family members around, even when he got to the bigger cities–evidently, this world hadn't been plagued by them yet. This could also be seen from the fact that although discrimination and different social classes still existed, he didn't come across many horrendous tragedies.
Fearing that he might meet with an undefeatable opponent again this time, Kjartan did his utmost to 'recruit' all somewhat powerful people he could find into the ranks of his Fly Slaves. He used them to then further expand his area of influence and knowledge about this world, never daring to let down his guard. His safety net was gone, so from here on out, he had to take every step carefully.
Naturally, the regular inhabitants of the first round's event venue's worlds couldn't pose a threat to him–he was solely looking out for other Heaven's Chosen. To his surprise, even after his troops had spread out throughout a sizable portion of this world, he never came across anyone who he suspected to be his peer. But perhaps, they simply hid relatively well.
From what he had gathered so far, this place didn't have a name. The indigenous people simply referred to it as 'the world', utterly oblivious to the fact that there was more to reality than their tiny little portion of it. Yet, just like back in the Qinglong World, strange ruins could be found all throughout it, which only some of the more powerful empires and countries constantly warring against each other were aware of.
'It's a bit of a shame that I won't be able to make use of pre-existing Teleportation Arrays to expand my reach, but this world isn't bad. As long as nothing goes horribly wrong, it should prove to be a decent place to properly start my rise to power.'
Having settled into one as-of-yet undiscovered ruin with a sufficiently high Energy concentration for him to advance to the peak of the Initial Ascension Stage, Kjartan evaluated his current status with a smile. This time, it appeared that his luck had brought him to a completely average result–in other words, all was comparatively well.
Right as he was about to begin another cultivation session, one of the very few Initial Ascension Stage Fly Slaves back in the Qinglong World was suddenly able to properly perceive its surroundings again, causing him to halt in surprise. When he saw the white haired, blue-eyed man standing right in front of it, though, he almost self-destructed his minion out of fright.
'What's he doing now? Is he planning to rub salt into my wounds, or trying to find out where I've been brought to, so that he can finish the job someday?!'
Noticing the confusion and panic in the Fly Slave's eyes, a slightly amused, yet polite smirk stole itself on Theodore's lips. Nodding his head in greeting, he spoke up before Kjartan could get the wrong idea.
"It's nice to finally speak to you, 'Insect Lord'. I owe you an apology for my rash actions, which eventually put us on opposite sides."
The accompanying sigh gave his words a touch more credibility, causing Kjartan to raise an eyebrow in wonder. Never once had he considered that he would be approached in such a manner, yet naturally, he wasn't naïve enough to completely believe what he had just heard. Still, there was no harm in conversing for a bit, as long as he was careful.
"I, too, regret what has happened. After all, there was originally no enmity between us. So how come I'm suddenly being treated differently?"
Bitterness suffused his statement, and he didn't make any attempt to hide his scepticism in regard to the current situation. In response, Theodore merely shrugged, the smile on his lips as calm as ever.
"I will be open and honest with you. At first, I simply had a negative impression of you because I very much dislike insects. However, I have recently found out that your flies are of significant use to a Talent of mine. In light of that, my personal distaste for them can be set aside, don't you think?"
Furrowing his brows, Kjartan carefully digested this claim, eventually judging that it was very likely to be true. Yet, there was still something that puzzled him.
"But if that is the case, then why didn't you notice it earlier? After all, you did get rid of a few of them before you ever put up your advertisement."
His smile turning a tad sheepish, Theodore explained himself.
"At that time, I was killing too many of the Hans. As you likely have already guessed, my Talent lets me benefit from taking lives, so I was getting drowned in notifications. Consequently, the way in which your flies can avail me was simply not apparent at the time."
A look of understanding flashed across Kjartan's eyes, then he nodded. Up until this point, everything made sense. But there were still a few matters which necessitated clarification.
"Alright, that's understandable. However, what is your purpose for reaching out to me like this? I don't believe it's simply to say sorry."
Locking eyes with the Fly Slave in front of him, it felt as if Theodore was staring directly at him, despite the two being separated by an inconceivably vast distance.
"You're right, there is another matter. I would like to invite you to work for me–to become my Follower."
Although he had already theorized that this might occur, Kjartan's eyes still widened when it actually happened. In all honesty, he would have loved to work with him back before they had clashed with each other. But now that he had practically lost a life to him, it would be a lie to say that he didn't feel the slightest bit sour about it. Therefore, instead of jumping at the opportunity without a care in the world, he chose to further inquire about it.
"And why should I accept your offer? What's in it for me?"
Waving his hand a little, Theodore caused a notification window to pop up in front of the Fly Slave's face–it contained the Status Panel's description of his Coattail Ascension Talent.
"First of all, there's this. But aside from it, you should know that I treat my Subordinates very well. I will not allow them to come to excessive harm or use them as expendables. I can confidently say that I can see myself becoming the Heavenly Emperor–so you should understand what that would mean for all of the ones following me, as well as their families."
With shock evident on his face, Kjartan thoroughly read through Coattail Ascension's effects a few times, then a helpless sigh escaped his mouth. He knew that although he might be pretty strong amongst Named Family members, he wasn't anything worth mentioning in front of those like Theodore. Ten percent of his Standard Attributes would basically double his own! Even if only that one single aspect of it all was taken into account, it was already an irresistible offer.
Although Theodore hadn't outright stated it, but his last sentence could also be interpreted as a threat. After all, would he really allow the families of those who had gone against him to get away scot-free once he had won the Heavenly Succession? He might not know who he was now, but that would definitely change in the future as soon as he became powerful enough.
"... I get it. I would love to say that I cannot be bought over this easily, but that would be a lie. I accept."
A few moments after he had said this, another notification appeared, but this time in front of his true body. He felt a little reluctant at giving up his Heaven's Chosen Level, but he knew that one day, he would have to do so anyway. If he lived long enough, then he would inevitably run across a monster like Theodore, and only joining them could ensure his survival.
In principle, the sole restriction to making someone one's Subordinate was that the invitation had to be sent while one was personally interacting with the being one intended to send it to. Therefore, nothing stood in the way of Kjartan becoming Theodore's Follower.
On the other hand, it would be impossible to simply think of a person and then send an invitation to them. This was done in the effort to bring some 'fairness' to the competition. Else, despite Subordinates from before the Heavenly Succession having already been 'locked' until its conclusion, the participants could have still easily met up beforehand and made alliances. Then, they would have all joined together immediately after it began, giving their Leader countless Heaven's Chosen Levels for practically free!
Currently, one still required to meet up with each other–or at least to find some way to interact–for those pre-created bonds to influence the competition. Naturally, all rules had loopholes, yet the ability to exploit these was also a result of personal capability.
Seeing the Insect Lord accept his invitation, Theodore's smile brightened. Then, he finally asked a question that had been on his mind for some time now.
"By the way, what's your name?"
Having only just adjusted to his significant improvement in strength, Kjartan was also in a delightful mood. Seeing no reason to lie about his identity now that they were both on the same boat, he gave an honest answer.
"It's Kjartan. Kjartan Skordýr."
Committing it to memory, Theodore nodded, then his eyes began to sparkle with a hint of excitement. Ever since he had come to understand what kind of exploit the Parasitic Flies represented, an idea had formed in his mind–yet it could solely be realized with their controller on his team. Now, it was finally time to share it.
"Then, Kjartan. Can your Fly Slaves breed with each other? If so, then would it be possible to parasitize all Hans in another one of their worlds? If they're raised and slaughtered carefully, then they could form a sustainable source of powerful prey for me!"
Despite having always been under the impression that he could be considered quite ruthless himself, Kjartan couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. As the two of them discussed the details, he became increasingly certain that he had made the right choice.
'If he would go to such extreme lengths for power, then there is no way he would have allowed me to get away and survive for too long.'
Thinking of the 'Beast Lord', a derisive sneer couldn't help but steal itself on his lips. That musclehead's days were numbered.