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Chapter 290: You Won't Even Spare a Cat?
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
The Tomb Demon stood dumbstruck, unable to comprehend the scene before him for a long while.
First, there was this Ultraman before him. With just one move, one action... no, he wasn't even sure if it could be called a move. It seemed the other party had merely flashed with scorching heat, like a lightbulb suddenly switched on. Wherever the Light spread, every spirit on the field evaporated.
Normally, this would have been enough to shock him. However, compared to what he sensed afterward, this seemed almost trivial.
He was certain that, for an instant, he had sensed the undying rage of Asura.
But it was only for an instant. In the blink of an eye, *poof*, just like that, the rage suddenly vanished.
What did that mean?
Pretending not to see?
The Tomb Demon stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.
An idea that even he found somewhat absurd involuntarily popped into his mind.
Could it be that Asura... chickened out?
His shock lasted until the Light dissipated and Orin Vale slowly floated down before him. A bone-chilling cold washed over him, piercing him to the marrow. The almost agonizing cold dragged his thoughts back to reality, and only then did he realize that the armor protecting him was gone without a trace.
His armor had been bestowed by the power of the ghouls—the same ice crystal-like structure that covered his body. Three spirits were attached to him via that crystalline structure, appearing as three horrifying faces. But the Tomb Demon had firmly believed they were his family.
He believed this place was the border between life and death, and that he had recovered the souls of his deceased wife and children here. He attached his family's souls to his body so they would never be separated.
But now, they had all vanished.
He had lost them once again.
"No!"
The Tomb Demon fell to his knees. All his supernatural power had left him along with the armor. He had once again reverted to the state he was in before finding this temple.
Terminally ill, on the verge of death, emaciated like a mummified corpse of skin and bones, tears streamed from his sunken eye sockets.
"You took them away! Why did you take them away!?" he cried out in despair. "I'm so lonely by myself, I miss them so, so much..."
"David?"
A woman's voice came from behind him. The familiar sound made him shudder. He turned around, stiff and slow, as if afraid that the beautiful dream would shatter the moment he moved.
Then he saw his wife.
Not an ethereal spirit, not in the hideous form of a ghoul. She looked just as she had when she was alive, and sounded just like she had then, too.
When he timidly reached out his hand and their fingers intertwined, even her touch seemed to have warmth.
"Dad!"
His children ran up, calling out excitedly, and embraced him tightly.
The Tomb Demon was so choked with emotion he couldn't speak. He just opened his arms and, with all the remaining strength in his dying body, hugged them all tightly, as if he would never let go.
In truth, deep down, he had long since realized that what he found in the temple were not the souls of the deceased at all. It was just a trick by some malevolent spirits.
He just never had the courage to face reality.
That was why, even though he carried his "family" with him and talked to them every day, he could never escape the immense loneliness and emptiness, the fear of being abandoned alone in this cold world.
Until now.
For the first time since losing his family, he was no longer alone.
He felt... at peace.
But he was a man at the end of his life. He should have died from his illness along with his family. It was the supernatural power he found that had extended his life until now. And now that those mysterious powers had dissipated, he had naturally returned to his original state.
But he no longer felt fear.
In his final moments, the Tomb Demon slowly turned his head toward Orin Vale. With trembling lips, he used the last of his strength.
"...Thank you."
Orin Vale nodded slightly.
"You're welcome."
The constructs manifested by the Blue Lantern energy dissipated with the wind.
The Tomb Demon closed his eyes forever.
Problem solved. Orin Vale scanned his surroundings, confirming there were no signs of supernatural residue. Immediately, his figure abruptly accelerated into an oscillation, blurring until it vanished into thin air.
The clone's mission was complete.
As his abilities developed and his own base energy continued to grow, the burden of using a clone lessened for Orin Vale, and it became increasingly convenient. This meant he could go out and handle many other matters without delaying his own work.
This gave rise to a new concept for him, or rather, the embryonic form of an idea.
The powerhouses of DC have a habit of liking clones. Whether it was Darkseid or Trigon, big shots at the multiverse level all liked to leave clones scattered everywhere. This allowed them to be omnipresent, spread across the entire multiverse.
Of course, Orin Vale was still far from their level for now, but after some recent contemplation, he felt it was a good direction to pursue.
This type of clone was different from the temporary clone technique he currently used; it was more akin to a projection of the main body. Not only did it place almost no burden on the main body, but the clones could also perform different missions in many places simultaneously. They could develop influence and gather information across the Myriad Realms, as well as collect power, artifacts, and accumulate experience, with all the gains feeding back to the main body.
Of course, while the benefits were many and the burden was light, the price was that these clones were often far weaker than the true form. Darkseid was also the most typical example of this.
Orin Vale had seen similar clones many times and had recorded some data. He had a vague feeling that if he could learn this method, it would be quite compatible with his own abilities.
Just imagine if Senior Tiga could have a clone in every dimension across the Myriad Realms, responsible for preaching and spreading the Light. Then, when the day of a boss battle arrived, everyone in the entire multiverse would turn into a wave of light and charge in... The scene would definitely be thrilling.
Orin Vale came out of the laboratory to take a short break when he suddenly heard the sound of a heated discussion, seemingly accompanied by the high-frequency tapping of buttons.
"To the right, go right! Argh, you're so slow!"
That sounded like Kara's voice.
"Meow~" That was the voice of the Kryptonian cat, Stryker.
Orin Vale followed the sound and peeked over, only to see a person and a cat... playing a game?
"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming! You stall them first," Kara yelled. "Agh, how did you die? You're such a noob!"
"Meow."
Stryker spread his two little claws, as if to say, "There's nothing I can do about it, I'm just a cat after all."
"Playing a game?" Orin Vale appeared suddenly.
Kara jumped in fright and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Y-yeah. I already finished all my homework!"
"Stryker can play too?" Orin Vale looked at the Kryptonian cat.
"Of course, Stryker is super smart." Kara reached out to pet her cat's head, puffing out her chest with pride. "We're almost in the top 500 on the whole server in duo queue!"
"Meow!"
Stryker also held his head high, looking very proud.
Orin Vale raised an eyebrow.
Only then did he remember something he had previously overlooked. Even though Stryker was a cat, he also possessed a super-brain.
Doesn't this mean...
...that we've had a super-brain lying idle in the house all this time?
What a waste of resources!
Orin Vale propped his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, and said seriously, "You're saying, if Stryker can even play games... is it possible that we could assign it some scientific research missions too?"
Kara: "???"
Stryker: "???"
The person and the cat stared at him with wide eyes, full of disbelief.
No, seriously, are you a devil?
You won't even spare a cat?
(end of chapter)
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
The Tomb Demon stood dumbstruck, unable to comprehend the scene before him for a long while.
First, there was this Ultraman before him. With just one move, one action... no, he wasn't even sure if it could be called a move. It seemed the other party had merely flashed with scorching heat, like a lightbulb suddenly switched on. Wherever the Light spread, every spirit on the field evaporated.
Normally, this would have been enough to shock him. However, compared to what he sensed afterward, this seemed almost trivial.
He was certain that, for an instant, he had sensed the undying rage of Asura.
But it was only for an instant. In the blink of an eye, *poof*, just like that, the rage suddenly vanished.
What did that mean?
Pretending not to see?
The Tomb Demon stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.
An idea that even he found somewhat absurd involuntarily popped into his mind.
Could it be that Asura... chickened out?
His shock lasted until the Light dissipated and Orin Vale slowly floated down before him. A bone-chilling cold washed over him, piercing him to the marrow. The almost agonizing cold dragged his thoughts back to reality, and only then did he realize that the armor protecting him was gone without a trace.
His armor had been bestowed by the power of the ghouls—the same ice crystal-like structure that covered his body. Three spirits were attached to him via that crystalline structure, appearing as three horrifying faces. But the Tomb Demon had firmly believed they were his family.
He believed this place was the border between life and death, and that he had recovered the souls of his deceased wife and children here. He attached his family's souls to his body so they would never be separated.
But now, they had all vanished.
He had lost them once again.
"No!"
The Tomb Demon fell to his knees. All his supernatural power had left him along with the armor. He had once again reverted to the state he was in before finding this temple.
Terminally ill, on the verge of death, emaciated like a mummified corpse of skin and bones, tears streamed from his sunken eye sockets.
"You took them away! Why did you take them away!?" he cried out in despair. "I'm so lonely by myself, I miss them so, so much..."
"David?"
A woman's voice came from behind him. The familiar sound made him shudder. He turned around, stiff and slow, as if afraid that the beautiful dream would shatter the moment he moved.
Then he saw his wife.
Not an ethereal spirit, not in the hideous form of a ghoul. She looked just as she had when she was alive, and sounded just like she had then, too.
When he timidly reached out his hand and their fingers intertwined, even her touch seemed to have warmth.
"Dad!"
His children ran up, calling out excitedly, and embraced him tightly.
The Tomb Demon was so choked with emotion he couldn't speak. He just opened his arms and, with all the remaining strength in his dying body, hugged them all tightly, as if he would never let go.
In truth, deep down, he had long since realized that what he found in the temple were not the souls of the deceased at all. It was just a trick by some malevolent spirits.
He just never had the courage to face reality.
That was why, even though he carried his "family" with him and talked to them every day, he could never escape the immense loneliness and emptiness, the fear of being abandoned alone in this cold world.
Until now.
For the first time since losing his family, he was no longer alone.
He felt... at peace.
But he was a man at the end of his life. He should have died from his illness along with his family. It was the supernatural power he found that had extended his life until now. And now that those mysterious powers had dissipated, he had naturally returned to his original state.
But he no longer felt fear.
In his final moments, the Tomb Demon slowly turned his head toward Orin Vale. With trembling lips, he used the last of his strength.
"...Thank you."
Orin Vale nodded slightly.
"You're welcome."
The constructs manifested by the Blue Lantern energy dissipated with the wind.
The Tomb Demon closed his eyes forever.
Problem solved. Orin Vale scanned his surroundings, confirming there were no signs of supernatural residue. Immediately, his figure abruptly accelerated into an oscillation, blurring until it vanished into thin air.
The clone's mission was complete.
As his abilities developed and his own base energy continued to grow, the burden of using a clone lessened for Orin Vale, and it became increasingly convenient. This meant he could go out and handle many other matters without delaying his own work.
This gave rise to a new concept for him, or rather, the embryonic form of an idea.
The powerhouses of DC have a habit of liking clones. Whether it was Darkseid or Trigon, big shots at the multiverse level all liked to leave clones scattered everywhere. This allowed them to be omnipresent, spread across the entire multiverse.
Of course, Orin Vale was still far from their level for now, but after some recent contemplation, he felt it was a good direction to pursue.
This type of clone was different from the temporary clone technique he currently used; it was more akin to a projection of the main body. Not only did it place almost no burden on the main body, but the clones could also perform different missions in many places simultaneously. They could develop influence and gather information across the Myriad Realms, as well as collect power, artifacts, and accumulate experience, with all the gains feeding back to the main body.
Of course, while the benefits were many and the burden was light, the price was that these clones were often far weaker than the true form. Darkseid was also the most typical example of this.
Orin Vale had seen similar clones many times and had recorded some data. He had a vague feeling that if he could learn this method, it would be quite compatible with his own abilities.
Just imagine if Senior Tiga could have a clone in every dimension across the Myriad Realms, responsible for preaching and spreading the Light. Then, when the day of a boss battle arrived, everyone in the entire multiverse would turn into a wave of light and charge in... The scene would definitely be thrilling.
Orin Vale came out of the laboratory to take a short break when he suddenly heard the sound of a heated discussion, seemingly accompanied by the high-frequency tapping of buttons.
"To the right, go right! Argh, you're so slow!"
That sounded like Kara's voice.
"Meow~" That was the voice of the Kryptonian cat, Stryker.
Orin Vale followed the sound and peeked over, only to see a person and a cat... playing a game?
"Hold on, I'm coming, I'm coming! You stall them first," Kara yelled. "Agh, how did you die? You're such a noob!"
"Meow."
Stryker spread his two little claws, as if to say, "There's nothing I can do about it, I'm just a cat after all."
"Playing a game?" Orin Vale appeared suddenly.
Kara jumped in fright and gave an embarrassed laugh. "Y-yeah. I already finished all my homework!"
"Stryker can play too?" Orin Vale looked at the Kryptonian cat.
"Of course, Stryker is super smart." Kara reached out to pet her cat's head, puffing out her chest with pride. "We're almost in the top 500 on the whole server in duo queue!"
"Meow!"
Stryker also held his head high, looking very proud.
Orin Vale raised an eyebrow.
Only then did he remember something he had previously overlooked. Even though Stryker was a cat, he also possessed a super-brain.
Doesn't this mean...
...that we've had a super-brain lying idle in the house all this time?
What a waste of resources!
Orin Vale propped his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, and said seriously, "You're saying, if Stryker can even play games... is it possible that we could assign it some scientific research missions too?"
Kara: "???"
Stryker: "???"
The person and the cat stared at him with wide eyes, full of disbelief.
No, seriously, are you a devil?
You won't even spare a cat?
(end of chapter)
