Master of Time

That is all to bring maximum terror or bewilderment or both. People are naturally more fearful of what they do not understand or comprehend.

Obviously, the ability to fly by manipulating gravity isn\'t as speedy as using actual engines to produce necessary lifts and thrusts like an airplane would, but it is a lot more convenience due to lack of moving parts.

The speed isn\'t exactly slow per se. With enough power being pumped directly into the internal gravity manipulator engine, Legion can theoretically exceed hypersonic speed. It is the same speed that those missiles had taken out the plane.

That is about Mach 10 to 25.

Or 3500 meters per seconds to 8500 meters per seconds, give or take a little.

March 1 is the speed of sound on Earth. On other planets, the speed of sound is actually different due to different atmospheric conditions as well as temperatures. It is the same principle why sounds travel much faster in water, reaching and exceeding 1500 meters per second.

That is 5400 km per hour.

Note that I am using metric terms since metric will dominate the future. Honestly, the imperial system of measurement fucking sucks, and the only reason that the United States didn\'t convert to the metric system is mostly due to the people.

This is one instant that the will of the people wins out, but the people can really be stupid sometimes, and they are really against changes unless everyone adopts it simultaneously or in a short amount of time.

Anyway, while that speed does sound superfast compare to any vehicle on Earth, it is actually super slow for any sort of space travel. Sub-light speed is required to reach anywhere within the solar system in a reasonable amount of time.

For interstellar travel, hyperspace speed is compulsory.

That term means the distance that light is able to travel within a whole year expressed in velocity. Just for comprehension, light travels approximately 300,000 kilometer per second.

Therefore, in a year, light can travel 9.5 trillion kilometers.

That is the same distance that a primitive hyperspace engine can cover within a second.

In other word, hyperspace speed is lightyear speed.

Even so, it would still take about 4.24 years to reach the closest solar system to ours, Proxima Centauri, so that is why I need to advance the hyperspace engine if I ever want to colonize another galaxy.

Without faster hyperspace engines, reaching the next spiral galaxy is but a dream, let alone exploring the vastness that is the universe.

The universe might actually be infinite or so big that it might as well be called infinite. Infinity is not a real number. It is just a word for a number so large that it is pointless to cite.

Andromeda Galaxy is the closest spiral galaxy to the Milk Way Galaxy, where Earth resides. It is about 2 million light years away.

With my current hyperspace technology, it would still take me about a million years to reach there, so there is no point of sending any ships to another galaxy even during my time as a Galactic Emperor.

I didn\'t even finish colonizing the entire galaxy back then.

For one, it is fucking huge. For two, it is fucking huge.

Did I mention the galaxy is fucking huge? With billions of habitable planets and stars.

Oh. People didn\'t breed fast enough to make every colony possible. Also, a galactic wide rebellion just because people love to destroy the peace.

Same reason why the rebellion in Star Wars didn\'t make a buttload of sense. It isn\'t like the people in a galaxy far, far away didn\'t have freedom. 99% of the people anyway.

So, what if there is an evil guy at the helm? As long as he provides security and safety against external forces, it should be fine, but nope, what the minority wants is more important than what the majority wants.

But then again, it did give me an awesome childhood, so that is all what matters in the end anyway.

The sheer scope of the universe is mindboggling, but since I do have infinite time at my hand, assuming that I didn\'t get killed again, I will explore the universe one day and find a lot of interesting things.

Antigravity will allow me to spend time on universal starship in comfort.

I wouldn\'t want to float around in a spaceship for years. And using centrifuge force to create artificial gravity like Shield Headquarter in orbit pales in comparison to actual gravity.

Walking on water and flying around aren\'t the only thing that antigravity allows me to fake. I can also fake seemingly supernatural abilities. Abilities that drive absolute terror into Xi Shi, for she is forcibly being lifted into the air from the ocean by an invisible force.

The same invisible force that pulls her limbs apart, preventing her from doing anything but speak.

Xi Shi is also naked due to get burned in the explosion. I didn\'t really pay much attention to that since it isn\'t like I haven\'t seen a superhot and naked woman before.

Beauty isn\'t something I am interested in at the moment. Absolute terror is.

For effect, I did a few hand seals as well. There are twelve hand seals in total from Naruto, a manga to which I am basing my ninja knowledge on.

They are Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Snake, Ox, Dog, Horse, Tiger, Boar, Ram and Hare.

It isn\'t stealing when it is already stolen in the first place.

These animals are from the Chinese Zodiac, which is kind of ironic, considering that Naruto originates from Japan and based on Japanese Culture. If it was originating from China, it would be a manga series about cultivation and face-slapping privileged young masters.

Well, I am sort of face-slapping one right now.

Whether I am going to kill Xi Shi or not really depends on how subservient as well as useful she will be to me. It is probably easier to just kill her and replace her with a mind-controlled puppet.

Or I could just mind control her, but that would be going against my principle of freewill. My principles are the only thing I will not compromise on. I just don\'t want to cross that line.

"By the way, I remember you were saying that you aren\'t actually Xi Shi. I am a bit curious about that since I did have a good chat with Mo Shu right before I kill him and turn him into ash. Shall I kill you as well? Maybe by drowning. Can you breathe underwater?"

I speak up since Xi Shi is unable to find words to put into her mouth. In her mind, she is utterly terrified as it is not possible to make her float in midair completely unaided, at least not without actual psychic power.

More specifically, telekinesis.

The Chinese is actually aware of the possibility of having psychic power, and like most countries in the world, they are actively seeking out those who have latent psychic power. Of course, it is quite fruitless since psionic potential individuals are emerging only recently thanks to me basically fathering a bunch of superbabies.

Hydra is already working on it for many years, and they have a lot more resources than even the United States, not to mention they do not need to resort to kidnapping their own citizens, something that the Party in China actually doing way more blatantly.

It is a good thing that I had released the cloning technology to Hydra. The ability to clone people allows Hydra and the scientists to have an endless supply of specimens. It also makes them more of a monster than they already are, but let\'s not talk about that anymore.

Cannot really stop progress nor I would want to.

"Y-you manage to kill an infector?"

Xi Shi questions, knowing full well that infectors are notoriously difficult to kill. This is thanks to their insane regeneration speed. The only real way to kill them is probably just nuke them.

That is not really a viable option, considering the fallout. Political shitstorm afterwards too.

"Yes."

I answer before stabbing her shoulder with my glowing blade, causing her to scream on reflex. She did try not to scream afterwards, but the laser edge of my katana makes it incredible hard for her wound to heal due to the cauterization effect.

And while the blade is stuck inside her body, it continues to burn her. Being burn alive is actually really painful.

I should know. I have been burned hundreds of time before.

"Now, Xi Shi. Answer my question and only my question or I will try to make you sing a really crappy song that neither of us really want to hear. Who are you and why are you claiming to be Xi Shi?"

I add before stabbing her a few times just because. It is also due to the fact that I cannot really cut her up since she isn\'t able to regenerate her limbs like Mo Shu.

While I could use my power to undo any kind of injuries I inflicted on others, I rather not reveal all my cards. There is also no real reason to against someone like her.

"I can\'t tell you that. She. No. They will kill me. They will kill me!"

Xi Shi begs tearfully. The person that she refers to is probably the real Xi Shi. As for who they are, she is referring to the people in charge of the Party as well as China due to their control of the Communist Party.

"Yes. They probably will, but do you think that I wouldn\'t? Tell me what I want to know and live a few more days or die now. And I can promise you, I can make you linger between life and death for a very, very long time."

I response, putting great emphasis on the threat. I can actually do that without resorting to my power thanks to all the micromachines inside her body.

They will keep her alive for as long as possible.

Those micromachines are also in her brain, allowing me to read her surface thought. It did take a while since the micromachines have to get use to her physiology thus becoming capable of hiding from her immune system.

As strong as Xi Shi is as a Chimera, she cannot control her body at the cellular level like Mo Shu can. It is probably not possible for any Chimera to do so as the Aces themselves were created with a far more morality questionable method.

"They will kill my family. Please. They will."

Xi Shi continues to beg.

"You don\'t really have a family, Xi Shi. You are the only child, and your parents are dead in a suspicious accident, leaving you the sole beneficiary of their entire estate when you were only nine. Your relatives try to control you, but they too meet with a suspicious accident."

I reveal my knowledge before stabbing her right through the throat, piercing her vocal cord. It is simply to stop her from talking or screaming. I just hate it when people lie blatantly to my face, thinking that I don\'t know shit when I probably know more than they do.

Oh. Using their family in order to save their own skin too, especially their children. I despite those who does that.

And speaking of skin, I am going to flay her a bit for lying to me. It is for enjoyment as well. I am pretty evil. I have to be to do what I must.

The end justifies the mean.

My hand retrieves the handle, leaving the glowing blade right through her neck, continuing to prevent her from speaking. The laser edge of the katana is facing up, stopping itself from actually slicing down right through her body.

It would go right through the middle of chest to her stomach and then exit out between her legs. That would be quite gruesome, but probably not more gruesome than skinning her alive.

Putting the handle away, I take out a knife.

I also produce a hand-size grindstone to sharpen the knife just for effect.

From all my time of torturing people to death, people are way more frightened when they know what will happen to them instead of it happening. That is because when it does happen, they are too busy screaming in pain instead of being utterly terrify.

Of course, the torturing part will happen to make sure they understand that I mean it.

Xi Shi tries to bullshit some more, but I don\'t really want to hear whatever she is going to say, at least not before I prove to her that is very unwise to lie to my face.

Maybe I should warn her that she shouldn\'t lie to me before I ask her any question. Must have slipped my mind. Oops.

"It has been a while since I had skinned someone alive, so I can promise you that it is going to hurt me a lot less than it is going to hurt you. Did I get that saying wrong? Anyway, I\'m going to enjoy this quite a bit. You can regenerate superficial wounds with your power, right? Ah I forget, you are not allowed to talk right now, so I guess I will find out myself."

I speak while sharpening my knife, slowly and loudly.

The grinding sounds that I am making overshadow the natural sounds of the sea, piercing through her hovering body, making her completely dreadful.

As a Chimera, Xi Shi should be able to regenerate any wounds internally and externally, but only when they aren\'t extremely severe. Severe as severed limbs for example.

If she keeps up her bullshit, I will severe her limbs and turn her into a human punching bag. I did turn someone into that once. A long, long time ago.

Xi Shi shakes her head, trying to say something, but it comes out as gurgles. She also tries to reach for the weapon with both hands, but the antigravity fields around her arms and legs repel the one around her torso and neck.

It is behaving like super strong magnet.

Of course, Xi Shi also tries to use her special ability, manifesting extremely spider web in order to slice through the blade or somehow remove it. But like every material that come into direct contact with the laser edge, those strings of her are destroyed.

They actually get set alight, making me chuckle.

"Ah. There is no need to be impatient, Xi Shi. It is almost done, just a bit more."

I comment and have a good look at the edge of the knife. It is extremely sharp, as sharp as possible by machining. Just like the katana that I had left behind in the Triad building, the knife is a very fine piece of work.

There is only one group that is capable to crafting such a fine blade such as this by hands, and they are situated in Japan. They actually crafts weapons for the Japanese Hybrids, who shares the same notion as S.W.O.R.D. members.

That is, getting close and personal.

I would like to get close and personal with them too just to see their swordsmanship. While I do prefer to use a spear, it is good to learn all sort of weapons just in case. I also have learned all sort of martial arts, but they aren\'t that useful in comparison to pure strength and speed.

Besides, if I want to fight through hand techniques and all of that mumble jumbles, I will just resort to Selene. As a virtual intelligence, she will not have any waste movements.

Xi Shi continues to shake her head as that is the only thing she can do. She is unable to move her limbs, and even if she could, where could she run off to? This is the middle of the ocean.

As for me, I crouch down to wash the sharpened knife with sea water. I am not too worry about getting it rusted since the starship-grade alloys it is made from doesn\'t rust.

"Alrighty. Sorry for the delay, but I have been stabbing so many people with this knife that it does get kind of dull. So, I am going to spice thing up by flaying a beauty."

I speak up and grab her hand, taking her wrist into mine.

The gravitation field around that hand is dropped in the process, allowing her to move more freely. Or as freely as allow within my steel grip. I am aware of how much strength she can exert, and since she is floating in midair, that amount diminishes greatly.

Her skin is quite white. Pearly even, but it is hard to tell in utter darkness. While I could see in the dark, it isn\'t exactly the same as seeing things in bright day light.

Her arm immediately dyed with red as the knife went under the skin, going right between her skin and the upper layer of her muscle. Her regenerative power kicks in quickly, making me frown.

I should find ways to disable it. It would give me a mean of fighting against regenerators.

But in this case, it is actually quite easy to do with the micromachines floating around inside her brain, waiting for my command. Part of her brain becomes highly active when she needs to heal herself. This is a feedback response, and if I interfere with it, her body would assume that it is not injured.

The feedback response is necessary to prevent her cells from replicating out of control, thus becoming something like a giant tumor.

"Hmmm-mmm!?"

Xi Shi utters painfully. Her body tenses up, and warm liquids run down between her legs, dripping into the sea. Speaking of liquids, the seawater on open wound is a bitch, but I didn\'t really pay any attention to that.

Seeing the blood makes me frown, as I am trying to flay someone alive without drawling a single drop of blood. It is actually possible, but it requires extreme precision.

It didn\'t help that Xi Shi is thrashing her hand violently, trying to get it away from me and the dreadful knife. Her mind is screaming for mercy, but despite that, I will continue what I am intended.

"Oh. I should tell you that this is what happen to people who thinks they are smarter than me."

I tell her and continue to flay her, all admist the rather stormy sea.

Good thing that I disable her vocal cord. Listening to her scream for the next hour or so probably kind of torturous.