Chapter 36:

YV - II

Seven Heroes

That's weird...

— Is your power at least related to what you just did?

— No... not at all. I can make clones of myself, that's my power.

— Have you ever overdosed on 7-Up?

— Maybe... but I've never done anything like this before.

Is she perhaps like me? Her compability is insane, if this really has nothing to do with her power.

— You're discovering your true potential, YV. I understand you. It took me a while to realize I was special.

Shentong smiled at her. She was bleeding real bad, struggling to stay standing. But he was mesmerized, not concerned.

— You're like me! You're blessed with compatibility!

— Compatibility?

— If your power didn't do this, your 7-Up did. But training is not enough to reach this level. You're extremely compatible with it.

Really? Is that why I managed to kill tens of thousands of my clones? Is that why I was the only one who remained?

— That may be true, but I need some rest...

YV fell down, almost dead. Shentong approached her, still smiling in a menacing way.

— Rest well, YV. I'll take you to a safe place.

He placed her arms on his shoulders, like a cape. He then jumped high enough to view the association's building. Suddenly, two concrete walls crushed him and broke upon impact. He instantly protected YV with his body. They fell on the ground unscathered.

— You're still alive, Quincy...

— You left me to die there, mr. Shentong. What if the media knows you're a subjective hero?

— They won't know anything if the last witness disappears.

He laid YV's body down on the asphalt. He then jumped towards the old man, who quickly summoned a glass wall. He broke it easily, but another wall came from the top. Well, it was actually a ceiling, but made of titanium. It smashed his body against the ground. In reality, the ceiling was smashed, because it bent to the shape of his body.

— You're underestimating me, old man.

Shentong destroyed the ceiling and stood up so quickly that Quincy had no time to react. He punched the old man multiple times, while moving so fast that no naked eye coud see or predict where he would be.

Quincy summoned a omnidirectional cylindrical wall and expanded it to hit Shentong. He also made another cylindrical external wall and began to attract it towards the other. He tried to punch it, but the impact was distributed in the form of waves. Their material was a super elastic pink rubber.

Really? Rubber? I would just stand here and wait for the soft squeeze, but he can probably change the material.

The ground and ceiling were also made of rubber, trapping him. He bit the wall close to the old man and pulled it, destroying it. He kicked Quincy in the stomach. His body went flying towards the rubber wall behind him, throwing him back. Shentong punched him multiple times, like he was a punching bag.

Finally, the rubber was gone, just like the old man. He was not dead yet, but Shentong pondered if he should finish him or not.

Well, Ria told me to keep an eye on them. If he tells that brat that I beat the shit out of him, she can cause me a little trouble. It's for the greater of good.

He grabbed the old man's neck and lifted him up, ready to snap it. Suddenly, a shot could be heard. Shentong's ear slipped out of his head.

— I told you to escort her, not this.

He dropped Quincy's body and turned around. Ria was aiming her revolver at his head.

— Well, I'm sorry, Ria-sama. But she's special, I need to know more about her.

— You're in no right to defy my orders, hero. You're a level 7, you know better than this.

— Y-You're right... You'll investigate everything about her, right? Can you tell me about her 7-Up compatibility?

— You already know everything about that. Everything you have is thanks to your 7-Up.

— But she's different, like me. I want to know if she's the same kind of different.

— If she's really that compatible, it's nothing to worry about. You're not the only one with that quirk.

Ria grabbed YV's head and lifted her up. She pointed the revolver at the back of her head and fired. Her body was sent towards the association's rooftop. It was so fast that it looked like she disappeared.

— One more thing, Shentong. Thank you for your collaboration. I'll punish both the kid and her butler. But if you step out of line, the next will be you.

Ria shot herself in the head, disappearing.

— They traded a dictator for another dictator...

Ria shot YV's body with a regeneration bullet. She then carried her over to her office. She sat her down on a chair. Then, she sat down on her translucent chair. Behind her, the wall was made of glass, showing a beautiful view of the city at night. She put her elbows on the table, like she owned the place. Well, she kind of did. YV woke up.

— We have a lot to discuss, YV.

— Who are you...?

— I'm Ria, the one who rescued you.

— You're lying... you sent people to rescue me.

— Indirect deeds are still deeds. I wanted to test you and the heroes there.

— You almost got me killed... A lot of passengers died because of you.

— Are you feeling guilty? I thought you killed people like it was drinking water.

— They were not people... I had no other choice besides killing them. You had, but you refused to spare them.

— They're only a drop in the ocean of blood. You, however, killed cities worth of clones.

— Small cities... You killed large ones.

— Typical behavior of someone who feels guilty. Keep putting your blame on me, I don't care. I have seen it all.

YV stood up angrily. She placed her hands on the desk, staring into Ria's empty eyes.

— You're so hypocritical... how can people like you run a country?

— Wow, you know what a country is. Do you prefer the Boss? He would let you complete the experiment and then use you.

— Bad people always get replaced by bad people... You may not be worse than him, but you're not better either.

— Bad leaders exist because of bad followers.

— You threaten even your allies to keep controlling them... you're disgusting... The only thing you fight for is yourself.

— Are you the one to make the sacrifice play? You sacrificed clones your entire life, now you're trying to lecture a professional hero.

— I had no other choice... You have plenty, specially now that you run the association. You know, you may not be a threat, but you should stop pretending to be a hero.

— A hero? What is a hero to you?

— Shentong is a hero... He saved a lot of people I would have killed by accident.

— I wouldn't call that an accident. He could have stopped you. But heroes make sacrifices everytime. You can't save everyone, not everyone should be saved.

YV jumped over the table, furious. Her head and body ricocheted back.

— What is that, a barrier?

— I don't have the weakness most leaders do. Snipers are useless against me.

— A coward power for a coward hero... Take that off, what are you?

— Assassin, hero, leader, billionaire, philanthropist, dead shot-

— Alright, shut your fucking mouth! What do you want from me?

— I want you to live a normal life.

— Wait, what?

— Starting tomorrow, you'll be a student. Make friends, you'll need them. Also, take this.

Ria threw a phone for her to catch. It fell down, because she was not quick enough.

— Did you really expect me to catch it like it was a scripted event?

— Do you know what a script is? Also, I thought killing thousands would sharpen your aim.

— I'm not like you, idiot. And I know some movies, because of my base memories...

— You're one of the clones whose memories they decided to keep. I don't know at which age Yuto got his genes stolen, but I think that doesn't really matter. They tried every single option, until they found you. A perfect clone, a perfect assassin.

— Yeah, and I'm tired of seeing his older sister. He loved her, not only as family.

— I thought he didn't reciprocate the feeling... I guess he hid it because it was a taboo.

YV picked up the phone. There was a list of things to do, plus lots of useful information.

— Call me when you need me, YV. Also, what do you think of getting a real name?

— A real name? Isn't mine enough?

— Maybe it is to you, a killer machine. But normal humans will suspect you.

— Uh... I don't know. Do I really need to blend in?

— Of course. You have wanted a peaceful life since you were born. Now is your chance.

The door behind YV opened. A huge silhouette entered.

— Does anyone need a name here?

Ria smiled.

— You heard everything. Typical of you, Unizard.

She was now wearing a white shirt. It was so short that it didn't cover her belly. Her bra was visible, since the shirt didn't cover her shoulders either. The jean shorts she had were pretty seducing, because her large and long legs could be seen at their full glory. YV was looking up at her, terrified.

— What's the matter, kid?

— What did you drink when you were younger...?

— Water.

— You gotta be shitting me. Yuto's memories are making me flustered. Why did he have to like big girls?

— Oh, you have his old memories, alright. I can transfer the new ones if you want. Maybe he changed his preferences.

— No way... his sister left a scar.

— Anyway, how about "Yuna"?

— What?

— Your name. Half "Yuto" and half... I don't know. It just sounds nice.

— It does sound nice, I'll give that to you.

Ria nodded to Unizard, approving her suggestion.

— Are you sure about that? I'll fill in your name on your documentation.