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Update initiated!

!ERROR! REPAIR NEEDED. LV2 DEVICE REQUIRED.

Skill List:

Kanji (lv1): Aspect of Energy: Electricity, Thermal, Sound, Elastic.

{Skill points: !ERROR!}

[Full destructive power limit: Several Villages]

Skills: [1. Infuse/Absorb] [2. Energy travel] [3. Energy trail] [4. Energy bolt] [5. Energy wave] [6. Energy blade] [7. Energy shield] [8. Energy dual conduit] [9. Energy healing] [10. Umbral Cape]

[Vortex battery (Storage)]

Inventory: Geographic sphere, Mechanical soap, Spyware device, Tungsten-infused nanotech silver chain, Tech tablet (Portal) (Hide, Input, Output, Convert, Compress), Night-vision goggles, Blue headphones, Premium coffee machine.

Claire (lv1): Aspect of Creation

Skills: [1. Create (Slots: 10)] [2. Absorb (Only created and non-broken items)]

[Vortex battery: The Ninth Prince’s Order]

Inventory: Black cloak, Crossbow, Crossbow bolt (modified with rotatenium), Ammo pouch, Fanfics, Mechanical soap, A spyglass, Night-vision goggles, Medicine belt (sling bag and pockets for syringes), UV flashlight, A safari hat, An air fryer, A dumbbell, 9 Flesh syringes, 7 Healing Bandages.

David (lv1): Aspect of Form

{Skill points: !ERROR!}

[Range limit: Room]

[Vortex battery (Control)]

Skills: [1. Expand (x2)] [2. Spikefacation] [3. Delay (1-10s)] [4. Shieldfacation] [5. Trigger] [6. Transform pattern Wave] [7. Net Transform] [8. Whip transform] [9. Blend around] [10. Uno]

Inventory: Tungsten bat, AK -47, Mechanical soap, Night-vision goggles.

Amelia (lv1): Aspect of Reality

{Skill points: !ERROR!}

[Attack type: Strong illusion] [Attack range: x3 field of view]

Skills: [1. Third-person vision] [2. Blurring Mirage] [3. Double] [4. Connect] [5. Vision Swap] [6. Disguise] [7. Flash Mirage] [8. False movement] [9. False Touch] [Mentaltomisis]

[Vortex Battery (Charge)]

Inventory: Frying Pan, knife, mechanical soap.

Sarah (lv0): Aspect of Fiction

[Skill access: 1 skill for each item] [Conjured item 1]

Inventory: Mechanical soap, Nezha’s leopard bag (Nezha’s ring).

Noah (lv1): Aspect of Emotion

Skills: [Emotion infusion] (Emotional requirement: Medium)

[Vortex Battery (Fall Resistant)]

Inventory: Mechanical soap, sharpening stone, Anger stone, Tungsten ax.

Diana (lv0): Aspect of Law

{Laws unlocked: Law of Friction} {Limit: Only manipulate small values}

Inventory: Mechanical soap, A pickaxe, Night-vision goggles.

Adrian (lv0): Aspect of Knowledge.

{Connected Minds} {Info Extraction} [Limit: half of basic info}]

Inventory: Mechanical soap, Rope, Handbook (recorded events).

Azan (lv1): Aspect of Change.

[Vortex Battery: Greater Flight]

{Limitation: 1. Follow under the concept “change” only. 2. Changes under other aspects require hand holding.}

Change slot: 2

Inventory: Metal suitcase, Mechanical soap, Miniature fan, Blue boxing gloves.

Mina (lv0): Aspect of Time

{Limitations: 4 skills (Currently)}

Skills (!ERROR!) (Auto Input Activated): |1. Aging| |2. Time Exchange|

Inventory: A machete, Mechanical soap, Yellow boxing gloves.

Gwen (lv0): Aspect of Destruction

{Limitation: Gas only}

Inventory: Mechanical soap, Izzybot, P.T.A, Codex Seraphinianus, Spherical terrarium (containing a black widow).

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?? "You can't be FUCKING SERIOUS! Right?! This blue-haired bastard! What is he up to?! SLEEPING AT A TIME LIKE THIS! IS HE MOCKING ME?! No... it has to be a trap. Yes, for a moment there... I almost fell for your deception! STUPID HUMAN! YOU CAN'T OUTSMART ME, THE GREAT GENERAL-

He hears two loud thumps behind him and falls off his chair. Two familiar faces are staring down at him. The General grits his teeth and stands back up.

?? "You fuckers! Why did you enter through the vents?! This better be important! Otherwise! I'll have both of you punished!"

M115 "Um-Er-I... I-I'm sincerely sorry for the sudden intrusion my lord but some "things" have happened. Some are good and some are... let's just say inconvenient. Please forgive us!"

Karnat climbs back to his seat and spins the chair to face them. Signals of irritation and worry can be seen on his face. He looks to his subordinates before spinning back to his adversaries. He exhales...

KARNAT '"Fine... just tell me the bad news. Tell me every last detail."

M124 "Yes, my lord. Remember the opposing cultists that ambushed our group... Well, they've gone even further than that. They... exposed us... to the governments and authorities all over the world. Her majesty was NOT happy and she ordered the 13 other cultists to return to Earth in an effort to suppress the amount of info being leaked to the public. So far, it is slowly working."

KARNAT "Wait, that means that tall bastard can't hoard them all! HAHAHAHA! Serves him right! Okay, give me the good news!"

M124 "Yes, her majesty assumed that one of our targets is possibly the leader of these cultists. So she decided that my lord can choose one out of 13 majors to help with killing the wielders."

KARNAT "So... I can choose anyone I want. Right? Then, I choose this guy!"

Karnat turns around and presses his watch. It projects a hologram... they can see a profile. M124 scratches her head. She takes a closer look at the picture. Something clicks in the back of her mind...

M124 "Wait... this is M113. I remember him from that one time we raided Area 51 for stocks of plutonium. He was... a bit of an oddball. His power on the other hand was very interesting. However, my lord, why him? I thought you were going to pick majors that can counter those bastards."

KARNAT "Yeah about that... I have no clue in countering that shit! I mean you saw what they did yesterday! Those bastards can fly and shit now! I bet they have even more shit! Just thinking about countering them hurts my fucking head! So there will be a change of plan. We will come up with a dangerous combination of powers to give them one hell of a ride!"

M115 "Aw, brilliant my lord. You researched the power we Majors possess beforehand and came up with an ingenious plan of attack. I say your wisdom knows no bound!"

KARNAT "Er... yeah- Yeah something like that! I want you two to bring him to me. Oh... also bring that yellow guy. Those two will very important for this operation."

They salute him and leave the room. Karnat's mind dissolves into a slurry of hopeful thoughts, and visions of victory play on repeat. So much so that he forgets that he is drooling. Then there is a single drop of disruption... a strange zapping noise? Karnat turns around and sees that his targets are gone.

KARNAT "What?! WHERE DID THEY GO?!"

He slams his fists a bit too hard. The controls are crushed beneath his mighty hands and bits of the machine's buttons drop to the floor. His view is cut off.

KARNAT "MOTHER FUCKINSHITFUCK!!!..."

He went on and break open the entirety of his deck, leaving behind a tangled mess of circuits, wires, and metal scraps. The general makes his way down the spiral staircase of the control deck and approaches one of the smaller decks that the soldiers used to operate on. A few days ago, they all left their posts and were ordered to work in a different area of the ship due to the general's need for peace. Karnat sits down- The doors open.

M114 "Hello, me lord. I brought the guy you were- Oh sweet mother of god! What happened here?!"

KARNAT "Silence! You little brat! But, I am glad you're both here. Hmmm... this is surprising. Do you wear that suit everywhere you go, M113? Let me guess... it's a drawback of using your powers."

M113 "My lord. You know about... my powers. I... wear this... because I am used to it. Also because of... the things I used with powers."

KARNAT "That makes sense! Thanks for answering. Now, for this plan to work, I want you to cooperate with this guy. Can you do that?"

M113 "He seems... alright. I'll try... my best. What must I... do?"

KARNAT "Well, you just do what you usually do. The important part goes to him."

M114 "Wait, me! Ummm... Okay... what do I need to do?"

KARNAT "Just answer these questions. How much control do you have over those cockroaches? Can they attack people? And I'm still confused about how your regeneration works. Are there downsides to your power?"

M114 "The cockroaches... before, they worked on simple commands like come here, go there, or throw this at that. They used to not listen half of the time. That is until I got this wound on me eye, I can give them more specific orders now. Sadly, they still can't attack. Sorry, me lord. As for me regeneration, it works like a threshold using me overall strength as a value. I can be reborn from any of me cockroaches but the new body must determine a percentage of me strength like ten percent. Depending on how high it is, there will be downsides that are applied to me cockroaches. 50 percent or higher will cost them to move as fast as snails. 80 percent or higher they would just stop in place."

KARNAT "So that's why you were easily sliced yesterday. Very clever use of your skill. Is that all to your side effects?"

M114 "No, here is the worst part. Before 24 hours after splitting, I have to gather the cockroaches back into me body otherwise they will just die off. The cells that constructed them will disappear as well. For instance, if I can't get the cockroaches that were made of me heart cells, I would die."

M113 "Wait... doesn't that apply to... when you destroy those cockroaches."

M114 "No, actually killing them would be good for me since it doesn't affect me cells. When I gather the cockroaches back up, other least important cells replace those destroyed cells, especially if they are for vital organs."

M113 "Gonna say... your power is impressive."

KARNAT "I agree. A part of me is boiling with jealousy. But you are my underling, so it doesn't matter. HAHAHA! Now, listen carefully. Here is the plan....."

________________________________________________________

Kanji opens his eyes and surveys the mess around him. The turntable is littered with bits of brown frosty and confetti. There are pieces of a cake splattered on the wall above the karaoke set and the turntables. He stands up and strolls around. There appear to be wrappings all over the floor. Confusion builds within his head. He approaches Dave and Amelia lying on the bed across the room. A savory aroma enters his nostril. Kanji checks under Dave's bed and sees hundreds of pizza boxes.

Kanji "God dammit, Dave. Do I really need to clean this up for you?"

Kanji grabs them and tosses them out of the window. He points both of his palms forwards and fires two blasts of raging heat. The boxes incinerate into ashes. Kanji looks at Dave and tries to wake him up but his hand goes through him.

Kanji "What?... Oh. I remember now! This was a cautionary plan I made. I'm guessing the real Dave and the others are inside the subspace. Since I'm awake now, these projections are no longer needed... Wait, how do I turn it off? Did Amelia do this?"

Kanji takes out his device tablet and conjures up a portal. He enters inside to find everyone out cold with the exception of one British girl.

Amelia "Kanji! You're awake! Gosh, I was so worried! I thought someone might attack you at any moment and there was no way to help you!"

Kanji "Wait, can't you just like exit this space at any time? Do you know how?"

Amelia "No, sadly. And since you're here. I presume that you want to remove the bloody illusions."

Kanji "Yes, and by the way. You can leave just by saying "Exit" really loud. Also, have you been keeping the illusions up all night long?"

Amelia "No, just about one hour earlier in real-time when everyone was knocked out by alcohol from a drinking contest. I won of course but man... I didn't know how tough of a lad Noah was. He was the real bloody MVP."

Kanji "Oh yeah. I remember now. Thanks for keeping us safe. What about you take some rest? It will be four more hours in here before you guys will be ejected."

She nods and lies close to Dave. Kanji exits his subspace and looks at two objects near the entrance. One of them is a deluxe premium coffee maker capable of producing about 800 types of coffee in under one sec. Each blend refills itself through Amazon teleporting technology. The other object is a simple air fryer.

Kanji "I think Claire wanted me to put this in her room. Might as well do it since I got some time to spare."

Kanji absorbs the two pieces of equipment into his inventory. He sees an outlet powering Dave's PC. He unplugs it and touches the grid. His body deforms into a mass of electricity, leaping and sifting through the RV's complex cable network. He reaches Claire's room and places down her air fryer. Kanji step down to his room and puts the coffee machine on the floor next to her kitchen desk.

Kanji "Ummm, maybe a bit of coffee wouldn't hurt. Espresso will do."

The machine makes in total 11 cups of coffee. Kanji puts them into his inventory and travels back to Dave's floor. He then lays the cups in front of each seat on the round table. He takes a sip and waits... an hour passes. His portal opens and spits out his comrades. They wake up and take a seat.

Dave "Wazzup! Last night was a sick-ass party, dudes! Wait... is that espresso? Nice. I love that shit!"

Dave takes a seat and puts both his feet on the table. He begins slurping the beverage. Diana walks to him and throws a punch. Dave slides his head to the left, dodging it. He then looks at her face.

Dave "MUAHAHAHA! Holy shit, dudes! Look! It's a clown!"

Diana "Shut the fuck up! You drew this! Didn't you?! I'll break your neck! You son of a-

Kanji "I suggest everyone take a seat. It's early to be fighting among ourselves. Diana... use the soap and clean yourself."

Her hands shake in anger but the sensation was short-winded. Diana crosses her arm and leans against the wall. She shakes her mechanical soap.

Gwen "Was it just me or did you show a sign of unequal treatment? I say I thought you would be more supportive to Diana."

Kanji "That's not it. Dave has done his shenanigans to all of us. But unlike us, Diana can't tolerate him even after these years. I'm hoping that she would learn to endure it if I keep her from attacking Dave."

Muffled ramblings are heard from within the floating bubble. Alas, the group ignores it and enjoys a moment of bliss, filled with sounds of sipping. Kanji sees Claire and Gwen switching places to get closer to him but he doesn't stop them. Sarah is showing Noah some videos on her phone. Mina and Azan leave their seats... they approach Diana and hand her some chocolates. Diana denies them but appreciates the gesture. Dave discusses ideas with Amelia for new designs of shades. Interested, she uses her power to conjure up a preview of his designs on the table.

Dave "Ah sick! That one right there! The zebra and tiger stripes are the fucking shit, man! They gonna sell for millions! No, billions!"

Amelia "Are you going to make this? Or are you just bloody playing with me, Dave?"

Dave "Nah, bro. I'm just gonna take a picture and show this on Twitter. Some production bro will yoink this shit up and make it faster than MNM's next album. Then I'll copyright them and yoink 99 percent of their fucking share."

Dave takes a picture with his phone and begins typing away. His fingers pause and Amelia sees his face grows sour.

Amelia "Ummm... is there something wrong, love? Did it work? Wait, does my illusion not work through the net?"

Dave "No, that's not it. Amber. My ass just got instantly kicked to planet Ban Wagon by the mentally ill cancellation rocket! Dem fuckers still be jealous because of my rich drip! Also, where Adbro?"

Amelia "I didn't understand any of that but yeah... where is Adrian?"

The door of the floor flings open. Adrian is drenched with sweat and his pupils are cloudy. His entire body is shaking with absolute terror as if he has escaped from the palm of death itself.

Adrian "Guys! Run! They are here! Watch out for the clouds!"

Kanji "Woah, calm down. Tell us... what happened? Are we being attacked by more cultists?"

Kanji sees a movement on the side of Adrian's neck. His body lights up with a thin layer of electrical energy and his chain circles around his body like a snake before lashing out, grazing Adrian's neck.

Noah "Woah... that was awesome! Is that your new technique?!"

Kanji "Yeah, I got the idea from that time I was controlling my cape. I thought the same principle would apply if I coat my entire body and my chain with energy since energy itself like to stick to each other. Now then..."

Kanji approaches the scorched creature. Among its darkened mass, he sees a glint of a yellow carapace. A very familiar yellow.

Kanji "Shit! That cockroach bastard is back! It seems he has an ally. Adrian tells us more."

Adrian "Okay. Whatever you do, don't go closer to any kind of floating clouds."

Dave "Floating clouds. Yo, bro. That's looooow-key terrifying."

Adrian "I'm serious!-

Adrian stares at the window and his friends do the same. It looks like a ball of cockroaches... they disperse and reveal a small dark grey cloud highlighted with a layer of dark blue light. It squeezes through the gaps in the window.

Azan "Adrian! What does your power tell us about it?! How do we stop it?!"

Adrian "It just says that someone is controlling it and it rains objects! I have no idea how to stop it!"

Kanji "That's good! Now we know that someone nearby is manipulating them. Everyone let's leave the RV-

Cloud flies above his head. Kanji's chain swings at it, diving it in two. It reforms and drops bottles filled with purple gas.

Kanji "Shit. This smell! It's hydrogen cyanide! Thank god, we're immune to it!"

Kanji pulls out a tile from the floor and hits the entire cloud. It dissolves into the air. They make their way down the stairs. Meanwhile from behind a massive oak tree...

________________________________________________________

M114 "Wow! That confirms that they are immune to gas and poison. Should we test if they are immune to toxins?

M113 "Yes... we should. Here are some clouds... they contain needles... laced with... puffer fish toxin."

M114 "You know you and I make a perfect team! The fact that we can be so far yet deal with a lot of trouble is astonishing!"

M113 "Just focus on the mission... we'll talk later."

M114 "Okay. Sure."

________________________________________________________

Gwen "So what's the plan, Kanji? Should we split up and search for this cowardly rodent?"

Kanji "Yes, but I need to make sure that each one of us has a way to counter this new guy's ability. Looks like the clouds act similar to normal clouds. As you saw, blowing the entire thing made it dispersed. So weapons or skills with a wide surface of attack can work for them. Or something that can blow away the clouds can also work. Does everyone have their own way?"

They give him a thumbs up, but he still feels a bit worried. Kanji walks to each of them and tabs their feet with his feet.

Kanji "Just in case. Trust me. Now let's go! Find this guy as soon as possible!"

The wielders scatter off in different directions. Those with wings travel far and fast. M114 becomes nervous. He looks at his teammate.

M113 "Don't worry... they won't find us. Now let's test our theory."

Claire notices a cloud accelerating toward her as she flies along the plain. It whizzes by the herd of sheep. It's right above her. Ceases her flight, and she turns one of her badges into a massive mechanical fan. She points it at the cloud and a stream of air annihilates its structure. She pushes her right hand up in celebration before continuing her search.

Adrian crosses over the fence, hoping the assailant is beyond the sheep pen. However, he is met with a twin of clouds. Adrian hesitates as his pacifistic nature takes in. A certain realization kicks in, they are objects, not people. So a spark of bravery burns within him, it forces his broad hands to swing at one of them. Success, one has disappeared. The other one manages to get above him, raining down mustard-colored spikes.

Adrian "Huh... are these puffer fish spikes? Nice try, but I'm immune! I know you're out there! God, I just hope there won't be anymore. Dealing with two clouds is already dangerous enough. Wait a minute, two clouds... Hold on! I got an idea! Amelia!..."

The two cultists stay vigilant from his intimidation. Instead, their faces are riddled with smiles, a new valuable info was obtained. M113 takes out a large fuel tank which is tightly sealed and a large water jug.

M114 "Ummm, what's happening? What are you doing?"

M113 "We can safely confirm that... all their immunities are known. Time to take... things more seriously. Prepare your... cockroaches."

M114 watches in amazement as M113 swipes his hand at the air. In the cuff of his hand lay a newly born cloud. He goes on to produce several more before fusing them into one massive cloud. M113 exhales and holds the sealed tank, slowing opening the lid. Immediately, he stuffs half of the tank's content into the cloud before closing it shut. His hands are shaking.

M114 "Jesus, you look nervous! What the hell is in that tank?!"

M113 "You don't... want to know. Just get your cockroaches... ready. Here comes... wave number two."

M114 karate chops the massive cloud into a total of ten pieces. M113's cockroaches pick them up and begin marching across the field of grass. Three of the clouds approach Sarah... But there are three of her.

M114 "What the fuck?! Shit! They can do that!"

M113 "Do... what?"

M114 "They can make illusions! I don't know which one I should shoot the clouds at."

M113 "Just shoot... them all! Don't worry about it. Because these clouds are a bit more special... than the last batch."

M114 nods and commands the troops of cockroaches to launch their clouds. The three Sarah takes out their rings and begins swinging aimlessly at the air in front of them, creating waves of wind. The clouds dodge them all and position themselves on top of the Sarahs. They rain down a clear colorless liquid... all of it goes through and melts the grass beneath the illusions.

M114 "What?!... They were all illusions!... Impossible!"

M114 encourages his cockroaches to accelerate, ordering them to run and pass the remaining clouds from group to group. He manages to find seven of the wielders all on their own with no signs of illusion.

M114 "Whew! For a minute there, I thought that they could make more illusions. I was worried for nothing. Now, throw!"

Each group of cockroaches tosses the cloud at the wielders. But instead of attacking the clouds. the wielders speed up. It was pointless, the clouds are already above each of them. They rain down once more. But these targets are fake too!

M114 "NO! WHAT THE HELL?! SHIT! WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?!"

M114 puts his hands together and focuses his thoughts. He begins switching between the trillions of perspectives of his cockroaches. Until he found it... but it is looking at himself. M114 looks to his right.

Adrian "Aha! You just got outsmarted by this bookworm. Guys!! They are over here!!!"

From far, Amelia disables the illusion of a small hill. She and the others begin sprinting to his location. M113 turns to Adrian and takes off the headpiece of his hazmat suit. Adrian is horrified to see an exposed skull with a large section of its left side still containing flesh and a functioning eye. M113's neck has covered by a collar made out of the clouds, but without the highlights and it has a darker tone.

M113 "Haha... HAHAHAHAHA...AHHAHAHHAHAHA! How bold.... of you?! YOU JUST CAME HERE... TO DIE!!!"

Adrian "Ummm... why do you talk like that?... Never mind, bring it on. I'm not afraid." "I'm totally afraid! Guys! Hurry! Get here, please!"

Kanji "Hang in there! We are on our way! Dammit, dirt isn't a very good conductor and he traveled too far! I can't transform there! Guys, we need a new plan!"

(To be continued)