The clone seemed to have been waiting for quite some time, standing there silently, gazing out toward the horizon as it awaited the arrival of its original self.
"Any news on the Homeless Emperor?" Lexon asked as soon as he arrived.
"None," the clone replied.
"Then why are we here?" Lexon questioned.
"I've cleared out the executives of the Monster Association," the clone stated flatly.
"I don't recall giving such an order." Lexon's gaze sharpened.
"Mm." The clone nodded, a trace of a smile touching the corner of its mouth.
Seeing this, Lexon mirrored the smile. "Don't tell me you're planning to stage some 'clone rebellion' drama? That's quite cliché."
"But... it is the inevitable outcome." The smile on the clone's face did not fade. "You are my original self; you should understand better than anyone that with your temperament, it's impossible to remain under someone else's control forever."
"True enough," Lexon nodded in agreement.
"And so..." The clone waved a hand dismissively, putting on a helpless expression. "Furthermore, the traits you discarded and those you added when you created me are also factors that led to this result."
"I only thought that with a normal personality, Gyoro-Gyoro would likely suspect I wasn't a 'Monster,'" Lexon said.
"Regardless, we are now enemies." A malicious aura suddenly began to emanate from the clone's entire body.
"But you haven't forgotten, have you?" Lexon looked directly at the clone, his gaze tranquil. "At the end of the day, you are still my Wood Clone. I hold ultimate authority over you."
With those words, he slowly raised his arm.
*Snap.*
With just a single snap of his fingers, the clone's body suddenly began to crumble and disintegrate.
Even so, the smile on the clone's face remained unchanged.
It stayed that way until it completely turned to ash and vanished entirely.
"It seems I'll have to tone down the clone's independent consciousness a bit in the future. I'll have Orochimaru refine the technique," Lexon murmured, staring at the spot where the clone had disappeared.
[YOU WILL REGRET THIS]
Just as Lexon was about to walk away, a message suddenly intruded upon his perception.
This feeling...
He felt a sense of familiarity.
In an instant, the realization struck him.
It was exactly like the situation when he killed the Blade Demon months ago.
Back then, the entity behind the Blade Demon had sent him a message in this very same way.
"You are far too arrogant," the clone's voice echoed from the empty space where it had vanished.
What appeared before Lexon's eyes next was an equally familiar sight.
Microscopic blades overlapped and converged, gradually expanding to form a humanoid shape.
"Original, after your clash with the entity behind the Blade Demon, I arrived at the site of your battle and used the same ancestral power as you..."
The mouth on the clone's bladed face moved as it spoke.
"By relying on the same power to resonate, you traced the path of my energy to locate the source and obtained help from that primordial entity, right?" Lexon finished the sentence for it.
"As expected of my original self." The clone's eerie, bladed face pulled into a smirk. "Achieving that resonance took quite a bit of effort."
"I'm more curious why you didn't just let that primordial entity invade this world like it did before," Lexon said.
"Ah... I can't," the clone said, drawing out its words. "This world seems to have developed a defense against it, making further invasion impossible."
"Besides... allowing it to invade this world wouldn't serve my interests either..."
The clone continued speaking.
"So you think you alone are enough to defeat me?" Lexon asked. "You're my clone; you should know the answer to that in your heart."
"One has to try," the clone said. "Anyway... I've already positioned Boros—who has consumed Monster Cells and been enhanced by me—alongside the Seafolk led by the Deep Sea King. They are standing by. If I lose, Mumen, Genos, and Fubuki, who are currently on a mission in H-City, will be instantly obliterated by Boros. The Deep Sea King will then lead the enhanced Seafolk to the surface and slaughter all of humanity."
"Oh?" Lexon looked surprised. "That's a despicable tactic. Are you really my clone?"
"Isn't this unscrupulous pursuit of self-interest exactly what you are most accustomed to?" the clone countered. "No matter what 'benevolent reasons' you use to justify your actions, everything you do is ultimately self-serving."
"How could that be... I'm a good person." A gentle smile appeared on Lexon's face, but then he asked through that same smile, "So, do you think someone like me would care whether they live or die?"
Lexon's eyes grew cold, creating a sharp contrast with the gentle smile on his face.
"Do I really care?"
He repeated the question.
Suddenly, the clone fell silent.
"Regardless, we have to settle this with a fight first." Lexon retrieved his azure-glowing Nichirin Sword from his spatial ring.
The clone refused to be outdone; a long blade emerged from the palm of its bladed hand.
"As for whether I care about those people, let's put it to the test." Lexon's smirk widened as his casual words were launched alongside a cold blade strike.
The clone also swung its blade and charged.
*Clang!*
The black blade clashed with the Nichirin Sword, emitting a piercing metallic ring.
The invisible shockwave from the clash of power surged outward, sending beach sand flying and causing the ocean waves to dissipate.
It was unknown how many times they clashed or how many shockwaves were triggered.
In the final exchange, the clone was overpowered and suddenly sent flying, crashing into the ocean.
Lexon remained still, his expression indifferent.
Shortly after, the clone surfaced, standing on the water. It glared at Lexon and asked, "You really don't care about those people?"
"Take a guess," Lexon said in a cryptic tone.
"I guess you do."
[DO IT]
The moment those words fell, a message instantly bridged a massive distance through their mental link, landing in the mind of the recipient.
...
Deep beneath the waters of E-City.
Countless silhouettes completely covered this stretch of sea.
Each figure possessed distinct fish-like characteristics—massive bodies and hideous appearances.
Whether it was the hard armor covering their bodies, their needle-sharp teeth, or their razor-edged blades...
All of it indicated they were no ordinary Monsters.
Standing before the dense throng of figures was a monster as large as a small mountain.
Upon closer inspection, it was the Deep Sea King!
Compared to its former self, the difference was like night and day.
However, the current Deep Sea King appeared extremely dull, its eyes vacant like those of a dead fish or a puppet.
The reason for this was that the clone, to ensure absolute control, had chosen to completely annihilate its spirit.
It had become a puppet that only followed orders.
[DO IT]
Upon receiving the command, and following a roar from the Deep Sea King, countless Monsters of the Seafolk began their advance toward the land.
Strengthened by Monster Cells, not a single one of the advancing Seafolk monsters had a power level below that of an A-Class hero.
For humanity, this was a disaster capable of wiping out an entire civilization!
...
Inside an abandoned building in H-City.
"Stop running; there's nowhere left for you to go." Genos caught up with the wanted Monster, raising his arm as the cannons in his palms charged, glowing with a blinding light.
"Surrender now, Monster." Mumen, having activated the Eight Inner Gates, appeared from the side, blocking the escape route.
"You might survive if you cooperate." Fubuki, her Sharingan active, hovered in the air, keeping a close eye on their target.
"Is that so?" a muffled voice came from beneath the hooded black coat.
Genos frowned slightly.
"Although I don't enjoy such actions, I must do this in order to repay the favor."
*Bang!*
As soon as the words left the target's mouth, Genos's palm cannon fired unexpectedly, intending to vaporize the Monster instantly.
*Sizzle.*
However, in the next moment, the blast dissipated with a faint sound.
The Monster lowered the hand it had used to casually bat away the blast, and the resulting gust of wind blew back its hood.
Revealing a familiar face.
It was Boros.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]