Chapter 8: Techniques (8)
'I'm honestly surprised I can keep up'
I watched my clones dance around the Time Chamber with a deep sense of humility. Concealing our energy signatures was much easier with God Ki, sensing them like spotting a chameleon using camouflage from long distance.
But my cognitive faculties adapted.
When following the conventional rules, weaker fighters shouldn't even be able to see the movements of stronger fighters but my Android mind was sharp enough and fast enough to make the difference.
'They're making an insane amount of progress'
Techniques like Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego, when manifesting in the form of a transformation, were supposed to massively deplete Ki and stamina over time but our bodies had totally adapted to each technique, our stamina and Ki reserves growing to the level where they could be sustained permanently.
The power spike that came with mastery was more than all the training we had done so far, put together.
'And they're even creating new techniques as well'
"STOP RUNNING!!!"
"Just admit you're too slow"
My Ego Clone gnashed his teeth, his expression hardening while my Instinct Clone smirked.
"Let's see how you handle this!!!"
My Ego Clone stretched both his hands, attempting to execute a Big Bang-style Kamehameha.
In his Legendary Ego state, his Ki was unbelievably volatile that specific characteristic of the Legendary transformation exaggerated by Ultra Ego, the fluctuations even more massive than before.
It was very faint but I could constantly sense a variety of small scale explosions wracking through him, his mind unable to perfectly micro-manage his Ki. His regeneration suppressed it but small cracks continuously broke out across the surface of his skin, displaying the great instability.
All this was relevant because the second he channeled his Ki, condensing into an orb, a variety of shockwaves pulsed through the air, the force of each comparable to the impact between two clashing fists.
The expression of my Instinct Clone change as he watched ripples form in fractured fabric of space, my Ego Clone closing his eyes for a second and he poured more concentration into the attack.
The purple glow of the energy orb darkened, the weight of his focus stabilizing his energy for a split-second.
"Destruction Kamehameha!!!"
A thick dense purple beam of energy erupted from the palms of my Ego Clone, accelerating forward at blinding speed.
ZZZZZZZZZZUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!
'It doesn't make sense to be surprised any more'
The deep silver aura surrounding my Instinct Clone momentarily expanded, thin cracks lining the fabric of space-time. Not a moment later, the energy beam collided with his afterimage, a series of different afterimages filling the air as he raced towards my Ego Clone.
"T-Time Skip!? HOW-"
A soft sound echoed through the air as my Instinct Clone embedded his fist into the bare chest of my Ego Clone, his hair immediately turning black as a vast quantity of Ki was sucked out of his body.
"Whaaa!?"
"Preservation Strike"
In less than half a millisecond, my Instinct Clone charged his other fist with all the energy he had absorbed. The density of the ethereal silver Ki, radiating from his fist was unlike anything I had ever sensed before, like seeing a star close-up.
He threw a simple punch.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
The fabric of space-time shattered under the weight of his blow, streaks of bright purple energy filling the air until reality gave way.
The sterile white expanse of the Time Chamber was instantly replaced with the vibrant, energetic swirls of the dimension between dimensions. My muscles tingled as gravity wavered sporadically, varying from light to heavy in each moment.
I felt a soft tug on my Ki reserves, the sensation like being a cube of ice in a cup of boiling water, my surroundings vigorously gnawing at my energy.
'Fortunately my reserves are deep enough'
Upon contact, my Ego Clone had completely exploded, the energy in the attack spreading uniformly through him and detonating his unstable Ki from the inside, fueling the dimension shattering explosion.
But a tiny fragment of him survived.
My Ego Clone slowly phased back into reality, bright purple cubes materializing out of thin air as his body reformed.
"Oh!!!? You actually survived!? That's great! I was a little worried that-"
"Shut up"
My Ego Clone's eyes were closed, his face tightly squeezed as he sulked.
His Ki flared and his hair immediately turned purple, the density of his aura massively eclipsing his previous state.
"Shut the fuck up"
He opened his eyes, genuine visceral hatred painted across his face. His aura retracted and he turned to face me, pointing at my clone.
"You're going to have to learn Ultra Instinct from scratch, he won't survive this battle"
I was speechless, gravity weighing down on my body tenfold as his deep purple eyes lingered on of me, both of them like portals to an infinite void of destruction.
The most frightening part was that for the first time since we had unlocked Ultra Ego, his Ki stabilized, somehow as still as my Instinct Clone's Ki.
He then smirked, looking at his opponent.
"This is how you do it, right?" he asked, his aura expanding.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!
The sound was like a gunshot, a single afterimage hanging in air as my Ego Clone used Time Skip, pushing the boundaries of the technique.
He accelerated forward, leaned back and delivered a mighty kick to the jaw of my Instinct Clone, his head eviscerated on contact.
"Hurry up and regenerate, I want to look into your eyes as I tear you to pieces"
My jaw dropped and my eyes widened, the figure in my line of sight completely unrecognizable to me.
My Instinct Clone eventually regenerated, completely distraught as my Ego Clone smirked at him.
"Don't look so defeated, I haven't done anything yet"
SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!
As my he spoke, he projected a Ki Blade, exerting his will over it and transforming it into a Dimension Sword, just like the one Janemba used.
He infused it with his Destruction Energy, a wicked purple flame burning from the tip to the hilt, the sword naturally massive as it filled his grasp.
I trembled slightly as fear flashed on the face of my Instinct Clone. For a split second, he lost his will to fight, his hair turning black as he resolve wavered, but his expression quickly tightened and his silver aura returned.
My Ego Clone chuckled, clearly relishing the moment, giving my Instinct Clone enough time to create a portal and Time Skip through it, creating a massive amount of distance.
He exhaled softly, closing his eyes.
"That's cute but the power gap is way too large"
'I guess we can just spam it now!?'
My Ego Clone used Time Skip again, his aura flaring and reality de-stabilizing further due to the sheer pressure, his body accelerating rapidly towards my clone.
His cocky expression softened slightly as he moved out of the way, a Kiai or Gravity Blow flying through his afterimage.
"Gravity Rush"
My Ego Clone appeared and disappeared frequently in my line of vision as he used Time Skip to evade a series of rapid Gravity Blows unleashed by my Instinct Clone, each perfectly piercing his afterimage.
Eventually my Ego Clone appeared in front of my Instinct Clone, his Destruction Sword overflowing with energy as he swung it viciously.
'That doesn't make any sense'
Whether by calculation or miracle, my Instinct Clone successfully evade the first three strikes.
My Ego Clone narrowed his eyes in confusion, not understanding why my Instinct Clone could still keep up.
His expression worsened as he missed swing after swing, loud grumblings echoing out as he lost the remnants of his composure.
"JUST DIE! YOU FUCKING COCKROACH!!!"
The more he missed the angrier he became and the angrier he became, the less precise he swung. His Ki became volatile again as he gave into his inner rage, loud explosions blowing off his arms legs, creating powerful shockwaves, his regeneration forced to keep up.
He pushed the limits of Time Skip again, his sheer speed nearly indistinguishable from Instant Transmission, swinging venomously at my Instinct Clone's head.
WHUFFF! WHUFFF WHUFFF! WHUFFF!
'He's stealing his energy!'
It felt like an exclamation mark blared over my head as I put it together.
As an Android we had natural Ki draining abilities but that was only possible on contact.
What my Instinct Clone was doing, was stealing his energy through extremely advanced Ki Control, absorbing the excess aura that was blazing around his body, using it to empower each movement, allowing him to keep up with my clone that was continuously getting stronger.
My Instinct Clone used telepathy to read my mind, unable to stop himself from breaking into laughter. He confidently opened his eyes, his own look portals to a dimension of tranquil streams and cool breezes, glistening with power.
"What's wrong!!!?? Are you-"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! KAAAAAIOKEEEEEEEEN!!!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
I resisted the urge to run for my dear life.
My Ego Clone used the Kaioken technique to detonate his Ki, like an explosive, an extremely powerful reality warping blast shredding through the air.
Because of the lack of contact between my clones, for a short while, the fabric of space had slowly been recovering, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber nearly restored but a portal to the Dimension between Dimensions was forcefully blown open.
My Instinct Clone placed two fingers on his forehead, creating a barrier to contain some of the blast, absorbing what he could to reduce the scale of the impact.
My Ego Clone regenerated in a second, the pressure of his Ki breaking the barrier instantly.
He charged a Destruction Kamehameha with both hands, heaving towards my Instinct Clone in a literal second.
"Distorted Barrier"
My Instinct Clone improvised, creating an omni-directional barrier that was also a portal, the Destruction Kamehameha passing through the front and being spat out behind him, missing him entirely.
My Ego Clone literally ripped his hair our, foaming at the mouth as he stared angrily at my Ego Clone.
"I think we'll have to wrap this up, insanity doesn't look good on us"
"DIE!"
After pushing Time Skip even further, his body became into a continuous stream of afterimages, blurring as he approached my clone.
'It doesn't matter anymore, he's leaking way too much Ki'
A bright silver aura flared around my Instinct Clone as he absorbed all the lingering energy he could, saturating his body with all the energy he had inside of me.
"Preservation Armour"
An anticlimactic, soft sound echoed as the fist of my Ego Clone collided with the jaw of my Instinct Clone, the force of the blow masterfully re-distributed across several portals in the Time Chamber, below the reality warping threshold.
"You're done"
My Instinct Clone laid his hand on my Ego Clone's shoulder.
My Ego Clone's body destabilized, a frightened expression flashing as he became pure Ki, compressing into a small purple orb.
My Instinct Clone opened his mouth and ate it.
"Scrumptious," he taunted, a deep purple aura flaring around him as he processed the energy.
I was speechless, not even daring to have a thought.
My Instinct Clone used Time Skip to move towards me, the hanging afterimage the only reason why I knew it wasn't Instant Transmission.
"Well that was scary, wasn't it?" he asked with a deep sigh, de-transforming.
I nodded, honestly in shock by everything I had seen.
The situation was constantly developing so rapidly that my adrenaline, or whatever the Majin equivalent was, had been constantly pumping.
Now that things were calm again I felt like I hit a brick wall.
"I think we've trained for enough, it's probably time to get out of here," I suggested.
The fabric of reality healed again.
"Give me, like, 10 minutes, I think I can create a new form, one that permanently fuses Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct"