Chapter 19: Royal Blue Prince

The clone finished his uproarious laughter. He cocked his head to the side and said, “With all of your stunned expressions, I suppose I’ll take this opportunity to elaborate on how I stand before you.”

He patted his chest and continued, “You see, before I was struck by that lightning-infused claw, in only just a second, I released a singular spore. After I was pierced through and my body turned to ash, that spore safely blew away with the remains. As fate would have it, the spore landed in the ruins of Central City. Count your lucky stars, with how little life was on that island, my rebirth was hindered for quite some time. For your sake, I do hope you enjoyed those ten years.”

Despite their ashen faces, the group grit their teeth and cursed in frustration.

“T-this isn’t fair!” Cello hissed.

“Did Papa and Ms. Leona really die for nothing?!” Laura added.

The clone let out another laugh and said, “Ha ha ha ha! I wouldn’t say their deaths were for naught.” His face darkened with a sneer. “They managed to really piss me off.”

Everyone’s brains racked. There was no point in fighting; he would simply brush off any injuries and heal any damage. Not to mention, the clone had quite an arsenal at his disposal. Furthermore, even if they managed to take him down, he would simply spew out another spore. They were truly backed into a small corner!

Berus clenched his fists; he took deep, seething breaths. The young prince walked forward, the clone’s eyebrows raising. Berus slammed his right foot down and stared daggers with a sneer.

“Berus!” Laura called out. “What are you doing?”

Berus turned his head and said, “You guys stay back and come up with a plan. I’ll keep him distracted."

“What?! What are you talking about? Get back here!”

“Prince Berus, please!” Cello pleaded. “It’s my duty to protect you. I’ll distract him!”

Berus’s expression remained stoic and serious. “You’re not strong enough.” He looked back at the clone, whose surprise turned into a smirk. Berus continued, “I’ll be fine, trust me.”

The clone bellowed with laughter. “My, my! Aren’t you the confident one!” He jeered. “Tell me, child, what could you possibly do on your own?”

Berus removed his cloak, revealing his attire. Under the black, tattered cloak was a dark red skintight tank top, black pants, and a long teal belt. Two-hundred-pound weights were wrapped around both his wrists, ankles, and waist. Laura, Cello, and even the clone were shocked by the fact that he had the weights on. The soldiers and Anthony took a glance at one of the weights, and when they saw it was two-hundred pounds, their jaws dropped to the ground in disbelief.

The clone snickered and said, “So, that’s what I felt when I grabbed your wrist, eh? But why hinder yourself with weights?”

Berus started removing the weights from his wrists. “I will one day be Emperor of the Amber Empire,” he said. “I must train both my mind and body.” He stuck out his arms, letting the weights slide off his wrists and slam into the ground.

He bent down to remove the ones on his ankles. Berus continued, “You attacked my home, nearly killed my mother, and murdered my father.” The weights slid off his ankles and hit the ground.

Berus straightened his back, touching the weight around his waist. He continued, “Then you have the nerve to come back and wreak havoc?” The weight was unlatched and slid off his waist, hitting the ground with a thud.

The young prince raised his fist and raised his voice. “You are an unforgivable bastard!” Berus shouted.

The clone didn’t falter at the young man’s words and motioned with his hand to come. “Show me your fighting spirit, boy.” He said with a huge grin.

Berus crossed his arms over his face, then threw them down as he let out a loud roar. The sound was so loud and powerful that many of the windows around them shattered in unison. The sound startled everyone. Laura and Cello’s eyes widened, and their jaws dropped when they saw what Berus had done.

His hair had grown longer, reaching down to the middle of his back. The fur on his arms, once only to his elbow, now ran up the entire arm. Berus’s blueish-black fur and hair were replaced by an obsidian black. The tips of his fur and hair had a royal blue finish, and his once crimson eyes now swirled with azure. The red and blue mixed to create a swirl around his black pupils. It looked at those; the colors were being sucked in by the pupil.

“Th-that’s…” Laura tried to speak, but was at a complete loss for words.

Cello finished her sentence and said, “Super Full Power.”

The clone’s eyes and grin widened with overwhelming joy, and he, too, transformed. Blood red fur covered his arms and legs. His boots busted to pieces. A long, armored whip-like tail with small black spikes at the end sprouted from his tailbone, and wolf ears grew from the top of his head. His canines grew longer as well, and his claws were an obsidian black. He had six black, bird-like wings on his back. The clone grabbed his lower jaw and ripped it in half, letting out a spine-chilling shriek, revealing his rows of sharp teeth and whip-like tongue.

Berus, unfazed by the clone’s transformation, got into a fighting stance. He raised his arms, his fingers pointed to the sky. The clone squatted down, ready to pounce. Berus took a step, then burst forward. The clone went for a strike, but his attack seemed to have phased through the boy. He was gone. The clone didn’t get much time to process what happened when he was struck in the back of the head by Berus’s foot. How did he get there so fast?! The clone whipped his tail back, and once again Berus was gone. The clone looked back, then his face contorted with pain after getting uppercutted in the stomach. He slid back, holding his stomach.

The clone looked up to see Berus standing where he was before. In an instant, he vanished. The clone quickly blocked a strike coming at him from the left, Berus punching his forearm. The prince vanished again, and he appeared again in front of the clone, cocking back his fist. The clone swiftly slashed his claws at the boy, but he was gone once more, appearing to the right and kicking the demon across the jaw. He was sent flying to the side, flapping his wings to stop himself. He placed his feet on the ground and stared down at Berus, spitting out blood.

The clone snorted, keeping a smiling composure. “What an interesting fighting style. What is it?”

Berus, keeping a stoic face, said, “Figure it out.”

The sides of the clone’s lips twitched. “Arrogant little cur,” He hissed.

The two charged at each other, continuing their fight. All the while, the rest of the group watched, awestruck. Everyone was speechless. The soldiers had never seen two experiments fighting at this caliber; this was the first time Antony had ever seen them fight. The ones who were truly at a loss for words were Laura and Cello. They had never seen the young prince show this kind of power, or this fighting style. He was gone one moment and reappeared the next. It was almost as if he were teleporting. Or perhaps the more logical explanation was that he was simply moving far too fast for even their eyes to catch.

“How did he achieve Super Full Power?” Cello asked, dumbstruck.

Laura shook her head and said, “I don’t know. He’s never told me he could do it.”

Anthony walked next to Laura and said, “If you don’t mind me asking, what is this ‘Super Full Power?’ It sounds important for experiments.”

Cello scoffed, turning her head, she replied, “Super Full Power is a high evolution that experiments achieve after years of intense training and dedication. It’s not something we can just do.”

“Even so, we have to awaken first before even considering Super Full Power,” Laura added. “And that doesn’t happen until you’re in your late teens, but we haven’t even gotten it yet.”

The clone and Berus continued their back-and-forth. The clone landed two solid blows across Berus’s face, sending him falling to the ground. He flew over, grabbed him by the collar, and they went into the air. Once they got high enough, the clone was going to drop the young prince, but Berus grabbed his wrists and bashed his forehead into his face. The clone let go early, Berus started falling, but he quickly grabbed his tail, and the two went down together. Spines shot out from the tail, impaling Berus’s hands. But the young prince didn’t let go, slamming the clone and himself through the roof of a collapsed building. They landed in a mound rumble, rolling down the mound and away from each other. Berus got up, looking at his hands, he ripped out the spines and spat them out on the ground. The clone burst through the rubble mound, thrusting a red spear at Berus. He dodged out of the way, then ducked when a flurry of spines came flying through the dust. He lunged forward, upcutting the clone in the stomach while he was in the air.

“If I may,” Armin said, stepping closer to the three, “give a theory as to why your brother has gained such strength so fast?”

Laura and Cello nodded. “What do you think, uncle?” Laura said.

“I am not too familiar with how experiment biology truly works, but I do know that your evolutions are tied to your DNA. When you transform, or evolve, your DNA is simply mutating. Now, Berus is the child of two individuals who know this Super Full Power. So it is entirely possible that when he was conceived, they were in this state, and Ferral’s sperm was genetically altered, much like the rest of his body. Thus, making it far easier for the young prince to achieve the form.”

He paused for a moment to let the information sink in. Then, Armin continued, “He very much could have already had a leg up and been in the awakened state since birth.”

While everyone was quiet, Fischer commented, “He must’ve been one strong sperm.”

They all looked at him, giving an array of looks. The soldier looked offended and said, “What? I’m just joking.”

Laura and Cello turned back around, hearing the sounds of the distant fight. Laura lowered her eyes, thinking about Armin’s explanation. Is that why her brother was so gifted? If so, what did that mean for her? She slid her hand back into her robe and touched the photo. Were Ferral and Nia even her real parents? She shook the thoughts away and turned to Cello.

“Alright,” She said, “that’s enough distraction, let’s get to thinking up a plan.”

Cello nodded and said, “Right!”

Laura turned and looked at the rest of the group. “I’ve got an idea, but it’s going to require all of your help.”

Berus socked the clone's lower jaw clean off. He rapidly fired multiple punches in his gut, landing a final blow that rammed straight through his chest. The clone’s jaw reformed, and he grit his teeth. He grabbed Berus’s arm and went for a knee to the stomach. Berus blocked it, and the clone used his arm to sock him across the face. Berus was sent flying back, rolling across the ground. He sprang back up and vanished. The clone whipped his tail back, and while still looking back, he blocked a punch that was in front of him. He turned his head, grinning from ear to ear. Berus cursed, pulling back his arm and jumping a few steps back.

“You’re becoming predictable, boy.” The clone commented. “That fighting style of yours is quite threatening, but to someone who’s constantly evolving, it means nothing.”

Berus panted heavily, sweat dripped down his face and off the ends of his hair. He scoffed and said, “You say that as if you haven’t been falling for it.”

The clone raised an eyebrow and bobbed his head in agreement. “True,” he said. “I’m simply surprised you’re even able to pull off that little vanishing trick so many times. You tighten and compress every muscle and fiber in your body, and unleash it as a huge burst of speed. Such a great toll that must be put on the body, risking tearing the tissue beyond repair. It shouldn’t even be possible to do it without an interval, but you seem to do it in such fast succession.

“Furthermore, you aren’t much affected by my poison. That toxin gave your father quite a problem when he was faced with it, but here you are, still swinging away. How?”

Berus cracked his neck and spat out a wad of blood. “I’ve spent the last ten years training,” he said with venom in his voice. “Training to take on you. I heard stories of what you were capable of, and I made myself immune to whatever poison you try to use. I created this style just to counter you. I poured years of blood and sweat under the illusion that I would one day fight you myself.

“You will die by my hands!” Berus roared to the sky.

The clone lowered his head, chuckling quietly. It grew louder and louder until he threw his head back, and the laughs became practically screams. Tears ran down the sides of his eyes from the laughter. The clone dropped his face, his teeth all showing from his grin.

“You pathetic little shit!” The clone said, his rageful voice not matching his joyous face. “You were really obsessed with revenge for that long?! Ha! Perhaps we’re not so different, you and I. Yet, all this effort, and you still won’t live to see tomorrow.”

“Shut up and fight!” Berus yelled before bolting at the clone.

The clone squatted before dashing forward. The two cocked back their arms and slammed their fists together. They went back-and-forth, exchanging blows. They each grabbed the other’s punch and bashed one of their knees together. The two were locked in a stalemate, moving their heads back and smashing their foreheads together. The clone’s expression was a psychotic smile while Berus had a murderous sneer.

They broke apart their lock, Berus vanished, and the clone’s eyes darted around the area. But Berus wasn’t going for an attack; instead, he ran in circles around the clone. Faster, faster, and faster! Dust from around the area began to pick up and swirl with Berus. He kept running, gritting through the pain as his legs felt as though they were on the verge of snapping. The clone couldn’t even see where he would attack from anymore. Then Berus shot out from the dust swirl, kicking his foot straight through the clone’s body. Half his body was blown apart, the clone’s eyes bulging out with shock and fury.

“Berus!” Laura yelled in the distance.

Berus looked back and saw the group fast approaching. The soldiers raised their rifles.

“Light ‘im up, lads!” Gordon shouted.

They all fired at the clone, the bullets tearing through the tendrils that were still regrowing his missing side and the rest of his body. Laura tossed her sword at Berus. He got the handle of the spinning blade and spun back around to face the clone. As the assault of bullets finished, the clone’s body was riddled with holes. Berus dashed toward him while he regenerated; tendrils shot up from the ground in an attempt to pierce the charging prince. He side-stepped out of the way, then lunged and slashed the clone in half by the waist.

“Cello,” Laura said, “are they ready?”

Cello nodded and said, “Yeah!”

She handed Laura a few throwing knives that had thin, shiny metal wires tied to them. Laura threw them all just after Berus sliced the clone in two. The knives flew through the gap between the severed halves and impaled them into the ground. The clone reattached the two halves, not knowing that the wires were not inside his body. Laura, still holding the lines of wires with her left hand, reached into her left sleeve and pulled out multiple flame tags. She stuck them all to the lines, then took out the igniter and struck the paper strips. She quickly let go of the wires, and black and pink flames ran toward the clone.

He was about to rip the wires out of him, but Berus spun around, spinning the sword in reverse and throwing it like a javelin. The blade pierced right between his eyes, stunning him for a second. In a second, the flames reached their target and set the clone’s body ablaze. He cried in agony, cutting the wires and trying to fly off, but the fire burned his wings, and he couldn’t regenerate fast enough. The clone’s body kept falling to the ground with each attempt, and eventually, he tried to quickly crawl to the ocean. He had just nearly made it when Berus smashed a large stone across his face. The stone broke into pieces, and the clone fell back, finally succumbing to the flames. In his final moments, he raised his arm, looking at Berus, then turned his head to face Laura. Only gargling groans came out of the clone’s mouth, but his eyes were red with ire. His hand fell to the ground, and his body burned until it was but ash. Seeing that the clone’s body was nothing more than ash, they all let out a collective sigh.

Back at the Forbidden City, the clones’ spawn and beast-creating tree lounged around. Suddenly, the spawn felt a spike of pain. He sat up, holding his head in agony. The breast-creating tree let out a confused groan, watching as his ally’s body shook violently. It began to contort and morph into something new. Not something…someone. The clone let out a shaky breath, his face genuinely ashen with fear. He looked around, examining his surroundings. Once he realized where he was, his eyes brimmed red with rage. He let out a furious scream and burst into the air.

“I’ll get you for this!” He roared, high above the clouds. “You won’t escape...my wrath!”

In his fit of blind rage, the clone began clawing at his body. Grabbing his jaw and ripping it off, tearing off one of his arms, and digging into his flesh. All the while letting out horrific shrieks. His body regenerated all of the damage, but that did not stop him from continuing. After he was finished, he let out heavy breaths. That’s when he got an idea. An awful idea. He snickered, growing into uproarious laughter.

“I know just what to do!” He said with malicious glee. The clone turned southeast and flew off, laughing like a lunatic the entire way.