The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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**Omega Protocol Declaration 15 Minutes Before.**

The agent slowly approached Enrique, as if walking on thin ice. The target for this sealing and containment was a highly threatening Awakened One. According to the remaining records from Sellafield Laboratory, this child possessed the potential to cause significant incidents regardless of which clan or corporation she fell into in the future.

While there were many superhumans in this world, Awakened Ones with the power to discuss the destruction of strategic units single-handedly were rare. The small girl before my eyes had the strength to annihilate an entire city if she were to grow with adequate support and training.

Any anomalous being that could upset the balance of the scales must be managed. Be it technology or humans.

I lightly snapped my fingers. A small ripple spread through the ether suspended in the air, like waves on a calm lake.

Ongoing subtle mental interference. The start of a continuous light suggestion.

“Enrique. We are dispatched from the Rumyx Foundation’s Intellectual Property Containment Division. The reason we’ve come to find you is simple. To manage you.”

“Like Sellafield Laboratory?”

“Quick to understand.”

The girl, sipping hot chocolate, gazed at the agent with suspicion and fear in her amber eyes.

“Your powers can hurt those around you. We’re here to manage that for you. You understand what I mean.”

Even in her fading vision, Enrique stammered a response.

“Management is fine. I decided to go to the academy. I plan to study how to control my powers there. Then there won’t be any issues.”

The agent steadily lowered her head in front of Enrique. Overwhelmed by an incomprehensible pressure, Enrique anxiously looked up at the agent.

“Do you remember your childhood, Enrique?”

“What about it?”

“Your first awakening occurred when you were 6 years and 4 months old. The location was a kindergarten. Considering that typical Awakened Ones awaken irregularly in their late teens or adulthood, this was an extremely rare case. At that time, you could not control your power, resulting in a moderate-scale radiation exposure incident. There were no fatalities, but 17 people at the kindergarten were affected, of which 2 are still suffering from chronic radiation exposure effects. It seems the treatment wasn’t very clean.”

“…”

“After that, your family moved urgently. Exactly 18 days later, the second incident occurred. It stemmed from your unstable mental state and immature magical control abilities. As a result, three nearby houses were completely destroyed, with 2 seriously injured and 11 with minor injuries. The total damages amounted to 7.543 million credits, an amount your family could not bear at that time.”

Suddenly overwhelmed by the pressure, Enrique let out a short whimper.

“There were numerous reports of both major and minor incidents afterward. The 121st Street incident, the Bender’s Street commotion, the Raven Dome collapse… do you remember?”

It’s hard. It’s hard to breathe. Hearing the reasons for her transport to the laboratory spilling from someone else’s mouth is too painful. She wants to cover her ears.

“It seems you remember. Naturally, you must. These incidents involved you. Such accidents could happen again at any time, Enrique.”

As her uncomfortable past was brought up, Enrique shut her mouth, unsure of how to respond. The agent smiled inwardly and continued the pressure.

“Yes, we’re back to square one. Then let me first explain why we’re doing this…”

**Omega Protocol Declaration 10 Minutes Before.**

Violet jolted awake to the overwhelming stimuli. When the strong signals from the network roused her, she found herself surrounded by people in protective suits.

“Who are you?!”

Though she asked the question, Violet quickly realized the identities of the figures before her. Agents from the Intellectual Property Containment Division. The hunting dogs of Rumyx.

“Quiet.”

The sudden wave of dizziness caused Violet to freeze; it was as if her mouth was locked shut. Why was she feeling so dizzy? Could it be because of the restraining device on her wrist? Her magical power was not activating.

There might be another cause. Blinking her red eyes repeatedly, Violet accelerated her network.

“Huh? There’s a spider web in my head. I’ll clear it out!”

“Clean! Clean!”

Her scrambled thoughts became as tidy as a freshly cleaned room. As the dizziness subsided, Violet realized she had been caught in some kind of mind manipulation. Now that she could move her mouth, she decided not to complain about the anti-democratic act in her head. After all, it was clear that the fingers of the containment agents were resting over threatening weapons.

The agent before her seemed not to notice that the suggestion had lifted.

“That’s what we want to ask. Who are you?”

The subtle pressure had vanished. Now she could speak.

“I’m me! But where’s my friend? Who are you? Give me an answer—”

Suddenly, Violet feels a severe headache. A piercing pain as if someone is hacking into her network. Though puzzled, she suppressed her curiosity and waited. After all, there was nothing she could do, tied up with the restraining device.

“What’s this? Is she an Apostle? Unit 2501? Is she your friend?”

“No. She looks human.”

As Violet still had access to her inventory, there were no issues. She resolved to self-destruct if necessary and pretended to be powerless.

“Ugh… no…”

“Stay still.”

The interrogator from the containment division touched Violet’s head. Her unique ability activated. In the brief moment that their minds connected,

For the first time as an interrogator, she felt embarrassment.

‘Why can’t I read her?’

**Omega Protocol Declaration 5 Minutes Before.**

Kalia navigated through a dull maze made of large pipes and concrete. This bizarre place disoriented her sense of time and felt utterly disconnected from reality, yet it somehow evoked a peculiar sense of familiarity.

The dissonance between familiarity and strangeness unsettled her.

‘How does a place like this exist?’

The corridor Kalia walked—if it could be called a corridor—radiated an atmosphere both familiar and alien. It felt like a deserted shopping mall, an underground parking lot in the dead of night, and an empty train station all mixed into a never-ending expanse.

The fact that there were no monsters in sight was a relief, but for Kalia, who had to be on alert with every room and corridor she turned, it was not exactly comforting. Concentration was a resource, and once it was used up, it was bound to run dry like a drought-stricken well.

“Uuh?”

“Squawk! Caw!”

From the annoyance, an animal’s cry was heard. With a sense of hope, Kalia turned the third corner and was met with an unexpectedly pleasing sight. In the middle of the corridor stood a monkey with a bag. The monkey was making a ruckus, arguing loudly with two crows in front of it.

“Uhh! Uhh!”

“The chief’s scent is over there! Why are we wandering around?!”

“Caw! Caw!”

“No! This way!”

To Kalia’s eyes, it sure looked like the animals were having an argument. She recalled that Violet’s new animal subordinates were connected through the network.

While she couldn’t understand what they were saying, the way they hopped in place, flapped their wings, and swung their arms resembled humans in a heated debate.

“Huh? You guys are Violet’s pets, right?”

“Uuh?”

The monkey, seeing a familiar face in this strange place, ran over, looking happy. It was great to escape from the suspicious humans, but it had been lost for a while, not knowing where its owner or her friends had gone.

Kalia felt relieved to see it but couldn’t help but ponder the limitations of species. She knew they understood words, but how should she communicate?

“Uh… yeah, monkey. Your name was Cocoa, right?”

The monkey nodded.

“You guys are looking for Violet too, right? Have you found anything out?”

Cocoa scratched its head in confusion. It was clear that simply nodding or shaking its head wouldn’t convey the situation accurately. Suddenly an idea struck. Cocoa hastily rummaged through its bag.

As Kalia watched in perplexity, her gaze soon landed on Cocoa’s hand. In its palm lay a smartphone. Cocoa tapped the phone and held up the screen to Kalia.

[Couldn’t find her. The mice are searching right now! The crows have no results.]

“Ah, you can write? …Is that right?”

[Strange! This place is too unfamiliar and odd… I can’t even smell anything…]

The discomfort of the animals was palpable at a glance. Kalia could guess that these animal subordinates had entered this dungeon-like space for the first time.

‘But at least I found some companions, right? I should think positively…’

After looping through the maze-like corridor a few more times with her unexpected companions, they encountered a second visitor.

[Found something strange. Over at the third passage, Blueberry sensed something. What could it be?]

“Blueberry? Ah… One of your mice? What did it find?”

[It’s a person! Not the chief. It’s tied up! They say there are armed people nearby.]

“What?!”

In an instant, a small flame ignited within Kalia. Instinctually, she took off running through the corridor of this otherworldly space. Something was definitely amiss. Was there a new victim?

She wasn’t especially worried about Violet.

‘That girl is invincible. But if there are suddenly people kidnapping others in a passageway…’

It could be Enrique, and perhaps there might be other victims besides the two of them.

Knowing this, she couldn’t just pass by.

– Kuuung!

Charging fiercely into the corridor, Kalia faced an unexpected sight. Businessmen in formal suits, tightly bound, and grim figures pressing syringes against their necks suddenly turned to look at her. The scene before her appeared gradually blurred like a shattered mirror.

In her astonishment, she felt a sense of déjà vu. The visual effects that occurred when Violet conducted operations bore a resemblance to the armed figures now before her.

‘Is it recognition interference equipment?’

The members of the Navy joint operations team also looked just as bewildered. This space was accessible only through Circliff; how did this girl manage to get here?

The soldiers exchanged brief glances.

‘A mercenary?’

‘Doesn’t matter. Let’s deal with her.’

The atmosphere laden with confusion quickly turned tense. Three seconds later, both sides aimed their firearms at each other.

– Ratatata!

The sudden gunfire rang out within the formerly quiet space.

**Omega Protocol Declaration 3 Minutes Before.**

Heavy-hearted, Enrique was addressed by the agent.

“Have you heard of the Corpus Infection Disease?”

“What is that? I feel like I’ve heard it before, but I don’t really know.”

The containment division agent clicked his fingers in the air. Instantly, a hologram appeared, intricately blending images designed to undermine the subject’s self-assurance among them. The agent confirmed that Enrique’s pupils were trembling once again.

“Corpus Infection Disease was an epidemic that spread long before you were born, over a decade ago. While it merely worsened conditions for Awakened Ones, it was deadly for Non-Awakened. It propagates through the air and has an irregular incubation period before manifesting. Initially, it presents cold symptoms, but in later stages, the skin turns black and hardens. Patients eventually suffer from seizures and die.”

The hologram blinked repeatedly as the agent continued.

“Until the Laplacian developed a cure, there were no medicines, healing magic, or even unique abilities or relics that could treat it.”

“That sounds terrifying… But why are you telling me this? Are you suggesting my powers are as bad as that infectious disease?”

The agent shook his head.

“Actually, people have forgotten, but there is a hidden truth behind this epidemic. The virus that caused the Corpus Infection was created by a corporation. It was an artificial ether virus using nanotechnology and magic engineering. Do you know why they did it?”

“I don’t know. Were they trying to do something evil?”

“No. They really created this virus with good intentions. The scientists at that company wanted to make a biological weapon effective against monsters. They wanted to end this tedious battle using their weapons. But when the virus leaked due to management errors, it acted entirely different from what they originally intended. Countless casualties occurred, and most of them were Non-Awakened, who are far removed from ether. The very people we ought to protect.”

As blue lights flashed before Enrique’s amber eyes.

“Enrique, this world is incredibly fragile. In front of superhumans and Awakened Ones who can manipulate ether, this world is as fragile as a paper house. If one irresponsibly swings their hands, everything can collapse too easily. Yet foolish ones only seek to abuse the power they’ve been given. Nowadays, it’s so easy for individuals or organizations to acquire advanced technology or dangerous relics capable of burning down cities or sinking continents. If wicked individuals nurture even a sliver of malice, the world can come tumbling down in an instant. Do you want to see this world fall apart?”

Shadows of the friends she had flashed before Enrique. The two friends she met at the laboratory, who still hadn’t woken up from the hospital. The new friend, Violet, whom she met outside for the first time. And the broader world she had yet to explore: dungeons, adventures…

Enrique shook her head fiercely.

“No!”

“Exactly. You agree. Someone must restrain this fragile world from breaking. We must prevent bad people from getting their hands on uncontrollable weapons more dangerous than nuclear bombs and from easily acquiring the power to curse others. That’s our job: to ensure that your world and friends do not get hurt.”

A soft yet dark sticky voice snaked into Enrique’s ears.

“Enrique Meitner. Can you help protect this world from crumbling?”

Enrique stared into the empty void vacantly as if entranced and answered.

“Yes, I don’t want the world to fall apart.”

She did not want to see things go awry. There was so much she wanted to do.

Thus…

In an instant, the voice of her newly made friend thundered through her mind.

-Freedom! Democracy!

-We must live freely!

So she must overcome this constitution with her own strength. She wouldn’t run away, nor hide, but stand tall.

At last, Enrique recalled her wish.

She wanted to live freely.

As the chaotic threads of Enrique’s thoughts began to unravel one by one.

**Omega Protocol Declaration 1 Minute Before.**

“It’s too delayed. Is there a problem…”

As an agent approached, the interrogator raised her hand, signaling that everything was fine.

“No, it seems to be a constitutional issue. Her mental strength is stronger than expected. It took time to access her memories…”

With that, the interrogator muttered and dove into the depths of her consciousness. As she passed through the tar-like depth, she felt the scene before her shift as expected, making her inwardly smile. The hazy figure of a library rose above the surface.

Those equipped with unique mental abilities or skilled in mind manipulation magic view human consciousness and thought from their perspective. Just like how the same magic formula can look different based on shapes and appearances. To her, humans were libraries. Countless memories and thoughts were lined on the shelves in the form of books, and the interrogator needed only to pull out one they desired and modify or tear it as they pleased.

‘So, what does your library look like?’

Lifting a book from the shelves, the interrogator laughed with curiosity. Mixing private emotions and interests into her duties was strictly forbidden by the foundation, but sometimes indulging in such small deviations wouldn’t be too bad.

The moment she turned the first page of the book, she empathized with the emotions of a dyslexic patient.

She couldn’t read.

‘Why?’

As the demand for clarification in this bizarre situation entered her mind, it delivered an even more alarming landscape. The library, which should have gradually revealed itself, was continuously and infinitely expanding. What she had seen so far was merely a fraction, mocking her as the space continued to stretch.

‘Is human memory this vast?’

Caught off guard by the incomprehensible memories, the interrogator tried to return the book to its shelf. However, just before she faced the flickering red eyes peering through the gaps between the books,

“Here it is!”

The girl with yellow hair shouted, sticking her head out between the shelves. The panic-stricken interrogator recoiled, only to face a rush of girls coming at her from all directions.

Red eyes, yellow hair—those eyes! No matter where she looked, there they were!

“Doesn’t seem like she’s an Apostle? What’s going on? Unit 2501, you’re not one of the previous employees, right?”

“I’m human! It might just be a unique ability or magic!”

“I see then!”

The interrogator attempted to escape. The swift effort to float out of consciousness was abruptly halted.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The girls playfully growled.

“Either way, so you’re human, huh?”

One of the violets murmured.

“If you’re here, that means absorption is possible, right? Should we try to absorb her too?”

“Sounds good!”

At the mention of “absorb,” the interrogator ran with all her might.

“Whoa! Let’s go!”

Against all reason and experience, she miraculously eluded capture. Soon, she burst through the nearest window of the library.

– Crash!

The shards of accident impaled her body, but she didn’t care. She needed to survive. If she could escape here—

– Kuuung!

The cold and solid sensation of grey pavement made the interrogator stumble as she rose. Hesitant at the bizarre feeling, she looked up and faced an indescribable despair.

A vast plaza lined with two statues in a row.

“T-the city…”

It was then that the agent from the Intellectual Property Containment Division realized the truth. What she had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.

It was impossible for a human to construct such a vast internal imagery.

If that was the case, what could this be? Engaging the syllogism.

Humans cannot build a domain this colossal.

The girl she connected with had constructed a massive territory.

Therefore, the entity before her was…

“A human… is not…!”

As numerous girls approached with their weapons drawn, reality’s interrogator struggled to speak, her final signal drawn from the training and will of a distinguished agent.

“Hahaha…”

In terror, she collapsed to the ground. Unit 2501 charged with a steel pipe in the lead.

“Initiating democracy!”

Sensing the anomaly, the enforcement agents from the containment division glanced at each other and drew their weapons.

“Ugghhh!”

“Emergency! Emergency! Code Black! Code Black! Omega Protocol!”

The screams from the interrogator resonated as magical energy began to swirl around her body. The agents moved mechanically, promptly striking down those who opposed.

Tatata!

Amidst the ensuing gunfire, the interrogator’s head flew off. Violet quickly sprang back into action, even as the limbs of the girl faltered.

“Ughhh!”

Violet’s head buried into the ground. As magical energy shimmered above the barely alive girl, a stream of confirmation shots rained down toward her.

One agent, perhaps not satisfied with the current arsenal, pulled out a large weapon and charged it with energy. Plasma as hot as the sun scorched the area where the interrogator and the two girls had been just a moment before.

The situation was concluded. The three elite agents wheezed as they gawked at the scene before them.

“…Reporting to the scene. Support will arrive. Damn it, what was that monster?!”

“I don’t know…”

“Damn, what’s going on…”

Before an agent could catch his breath, the ground exploded as if being detonated.

From the churning ground surged forth soldiers in black combat uniforms.

“Wahhh!”

The resisting agents were swallowed in the tide of soldiers.