The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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A few minutes before declaring war on Martina, I sat in a hospital chair, observing Daphne’s condition.

She lay in bed with a peaceful expression. Her face was smooth, devoid of any lines or imperfections. If it weren’t for her pale complexion and the bandage on her forehead, she would have appeared just like any other person asleep.

“…I’m sorry.”

The doctor said it was a mild concussion. Though debris had grazed her head, it wasn’t life-threatening. For an ordinary person, it could have been dangerous, but being an Awakened One meant that was all it came to.

The reason for her coma was different. According to the doctor’s explanation, it was as follows.

– It is shock caused by excessive use of magical power. Injuries aside, in the end, she forced herself to muster power while low on magical energy.

My heart felt tumultuous.

“Is everything taken care of?”

“…I wrapped it up. Tossed it far away. Considering her injuries, it’s going to be tough for her to return to school for a while. Small issues between Awakened Ones aren’t policed here, so there’s no worry about reporting.”

This should have been done earlier.

A lot had happened throughout the night. We retrieved all the personal belongings of the group that attacked us and sent them back to our lodging in the central area. Passwords didn’t even slow us down. All the photos were deleted. The security concerns outweighed any shame I felt. If my face got out, it would interfere with my activities.

Additionally, after several conversations enhanced by some added force, we managed to confirm the address of the Pierian siblings. They were commuting students, and it appeared they had enough money to rent an entire house. I had no idea what kind of fools they were.

Unfortunately, when we broke in at dawn, the older sister was nowhere to be found, leaving just the blonde brat younger brother.

“What the hell! You… how did you get here? Aaaah! Stop! Aaaah!!”

When I interrogated him, he maintained his shameless attitude, and in a fit of rage, we crushed him like a hamburger steak. We didn’t kill him, but he certainly didn’t look pretty.

If things had gone as originally planned, I should have turned the whole sibling duo into a pulp, but now that was impossible.

If things had gone as originally planned, I should have killed them both, but regrettably, here we are.

As I looked at the peacefully sleeping Daphne again, anger surged within me.

I had never been this furious in my life. Why? My intent to kill kept rising.

Against whom? The gang that committed such foul acts? The head of the Management Board who orchestrated this from behind? Right. I detest them so much. They must all be eradicated.

But above all, I was furious at myself.

I should have left no room for regret. From the moment I saw that Martin bastard, I should have ground him to dust or left him unable to touch anything. If I decided to attend this mess of an academy, I ought to have acknowledged some level of risk. I was foolish to think lightly of it. I didn’t expect something like this to happen? No. I simply turned a blind eye.

Alternatively, upon confirming the kidnapping, I could have acted more rationally and calmly. I should have dealt with the issue more logically, tidily.

I continued to berate and lament myself. Amidst this, I realized I had been forgetting the most crucial fact when I caught sight of the bandages amidst her silvery hair.

I don’t die.

The clones get hurt, break, and even face horrifying agony as their limbs are severed, burned, or dissolved; but they come back to life just fine. I could offload that suffering onto others. Then, after regenerating, all I need to do is smile again.

Thus, my sense of crisis faded away.

In the game, when you lose, you hit [Continue] until you win. Eventually, you will triumph.

But what about others? When they get hurt or die, that’s the end for them. They don’t get a second, third chance like I do. Not at all!

And the worst part is, at some point, those other people burrowed too deep into my life and heart, past a certain line.

To me, Kalia is a comrade and a fellow who escaped the research lab alongside me. But what about Daphne? Just a roommate?

Daphne was still sleeping soundly and comfortably. I idly took her soft hand in mine. It was warm.

If I had blocked it wrong, if my magic had been a bit stronger, she could have died. She was in a situation where her magical energy was low, getting pummeled for hours while deploying a barrier surrounded by those thugs.

“…Violet.”

Irene came in through the door. Thanks to her help last night during the chaos, Daphne was admitted to a private room. I seem to be a burden to her.

“Absolutely! You can’t just let them get away. I’ll definitely…”

“Thanks, but I’ve already thought of something. It’s a way to achieve your goal, too.”

I interrupted her as she raged and explained. I appreciated the help, but I already had some factors in mind.

“What on earth do you plan to do?”

“A duel. I’m going to challenge Martina to a duel. Since Irene is strong and has her parents’ names, they all avoid duels because they’re scared of losing, right? So, I’m going to challenge them and smash them. If a first-year student suddenly comes at them, they won’t refuse, right? I’ll set the conditions for the duel to also include the dissolution of the Management Board.”

The fact that I have multiple personalities creates a problem. On one side, there’s me, deeply grieving and raging, but on the other side, there’s a me calculating the pros, cons, and countermeasures of this incident rationally. Sometimes, it gives me chills.

Irene was horrified at my words.

“Wait, Violet? Are you out of your mind? Martina isn’t just a senior you’ve seen her age and grade! That woman…”

“Irene, I appreciate your concern. But, it’s already done.”

“What do you mean?”

It was too late to backtrack. A normal person like Irene can’t comprehend the spatial simultaneity that we Violets experience. While I conversed with her, I had long since provoked the blonde pony-tailed harlot in the Management Board room.

“…What have you done to my brother!”

“…It’s a duel, you filthy harlot.”

Let’s smash them. Let’s humiliate them.

Of course, a duel alone wouldn’t suffice. Since there was still the option to stage a scene outside of school, humiliating them with harsh conditions wasn’t enough. More, stricter measures were necessary.

Of course, I should cut off their limbs and toss them into the sewer! It’s about pulling out the roots.

An unexplained murderous intent surged from deep within my chest.

***

Martina, holding onto my glove, stared at me with a momentarily vacant expression before exhibiting a violent chemical reaction as if magnesium had just dropped into the water.

“What did you just say? A duel?”

In the blink of an eye, she grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close, growling. I faced her fierce glare but didn’t even have a thought in my mind.

“You’re a whore who’ll be torn apart by monsters. If it weren’t for school rules, you’d be cut in half by now. Do you understand?”

“Why? You trying to kill me? Too bad.”

She seemed really pissed off. I get it.

She brutally battered my brother and even set the place on fire. I felt a bit sorry for the landlord.

“I don’t know what kind of whore you think you are, but I’m going to show you what living in this hellish academy is like. How about backing out now? Your parents will certainly shed tears of blood, but…”

“Tears of blood? No worries, my mom is dead. I killed her myself!”

“…?”

“This way, I’ll send you to join our mom!”

As Martina’s spirit left her body at my words, I casually shrugged, hoping to poke her anger even more.

“I regret what happened with your brother. When we broke in, Martin was the only one there. So, I made his limbs all soft and squishy like calamari. You consider that attached to his body? Anyway, as I kept hitting him, he was screaming, ‘Sister! Help me!’ until he fainted. You should have been there with him!”

“That crazy bitch!”

She tried to swing a punch at me. As her fist lifted, Martina sensed something was off, quickly letting go of my collar and jumping back. That was the moment when the Violets who had been lying in ambush sprang forward with weapons drawn.

We planned to surround her, but her reflexes were quicker than expected.

As soon as the Violets aimed their spears and crossbows at her, she reached for the sword she had at her side.

– Ching!

“…!”

“Our weapons! We didn’t see them!”

The flickering light in the air bounced a few times before the weapons of the nearby Violets shattered in two, clattering to the ground. Startled, I deployed four more clones and retreated.

“…Clone Technique? It’s the first time I’ve seen it in person. Are you the main body?”

“No idea! What if I am? I can crush trash like you anytime!”

Though her furious demeanor remained, she took a slightly calmer stance, aiming her sword at us.

Wait a minute, that sword. I’ve seen that weapon before.

No, this isn’t the time to worry about that. Martina’s aura was fiercer than I expected.

We threatened her, pointing our weapons at her. After a few tense minutes, it was Martina who backed down first. She sheathed her sword and turned away.

“With this level of… it’s ridiculous…”

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

Her disdainful glance brushed past us. For some reason, she was smirking. It was as if she found something utterly absurd. Was she looking down on us?

“Yeah, a duel?… Fine. Follow me. You said your name was Violet, right? I’ll make you regret being born.”

That girl sure talks a lot.

***

This was my third visit to the Duel Arena. Once when I shoved the brat bugging Levi, twice when I went to watch Irene demolish the Management Board officials, and now this was the third.

Everyone knew the duel procedures, so it proceeded like lightning.

Martina’s condition was very simple. To obey everything as instructed. She was practically asking me to be her slave.

“Then I will too! I’m going to set that condition as well. That alright?”

“…I guess.”

Since it was the most reliable way to exact my revenge, I accepted that condition too. As a bonus, I added the dissolution of the Management Board.

“Are you crazy? Do you actually think that’s possible?”

“Thus, you’re proposing a duel, right? Are you backing out?”

“…Alright, fine. I’ll add that too.”

Moments ago, she had been seething with anger, but now she crossed her arms, responding arrogantly. What on earth was giving her that confidence?

As for some other trivial conditions, those were resolved too. A lot of complicated discussions went back and forth, but I’ll skip that.

When I presented my list of weapons, the student council was baffled, but since Martina didn’t object too much, it eventually got accepted. I would fight with a variety of arms—spears, swords, axes, crossbows—while she only had a single sword.

I could’ve sworn I’ve seen that sword somewhere… but I can’t remember where.

Regardless, this much should guarantee my victory.

“…The duel will be at 3 PM tomorrow. Is everyone in agreement?”

“Yeah, agreed.”

“Right!”

After finishing all the procedures and stepping out, Irene, who had rushed from the hospital, saw Martina leaving and then froze as she caught sight of me following behind.

“Violet! You’re not… have you gone crazy? Cancel it right now! I’ll do it in your place!”

“I’ve already signed it, don’t worry. I can win!”

When she saw Irene desperately clinging to me, Martina scoffed and left. That obnoxious girl. I’ll ruin her face.

Regardless of anything, I’m fine with this.

We Violets will definitely emerge victorious!