POV: Zane
[Master, I'm going to die.]
When I heard Tatsumaki's voice, I took control of her eyes and saw Ottar's face. He was holding her by the neck. Without thinking, I took over Tatsumaki's body and grabbed his hand.
Ottar noticed the change and eased his grip.
If Tatsumaki hadn't evolved, she would've been killed.
That's how it works.
When a clone hasn't undergone any evolution, even if their endurance is greater than a regular human's, they can still be easily destroyed.
"It's you," he said.
"Yeah, it's me, you son of a bitch. Can you cut the crap?" I tried to dig Tatsumaki's sharp nails into his arm, but I couldn't pierce his skin. Then, finally, he let go.
"I figured you'd show up if I attacked her. You seem more attached to the prettier ones."
"I don't care what they look like. I just don't want them to die." Because if they die, they'll be reset.
"Of course."
"So? What do you want this time? You haven't shown up in a while."
"Don't worry. Even if I don't show up, I'm still keeping an eye on all of you."
"What are you? Our mother? Watching over us to make sure we don't get hurt?" I mocked.
"The Goddess wants to talk to you."
"Hm? What? Did I hear that right?"
"Yes. She wants to talk to you. She really shouldn't be doing this, but I don't want to go against her wishes. You said before you wanted to talk to her, didn't you?"
"Oh, right. I did say something like that. Fine, I don't mind. Is she coming here?"
"Are you kidding? Come on, I'll take you to her."
"You want me to go using this body?"
"Is that a problem? You're a cute girl."
"Shut up, idiot."
I returned to Clone 16's body and told Tatsumaki not to do anything reckless. Then I decided to run a little test.
I have an ability that lets me switch places with any clone using my original body.
But what if I try to switch places with a clone while I'm inside another clone's body? I've never tried that.
So, using Clone 16's body, I activated the "swap" ability.
To my surprise, it worked.
I switched places with Tatsumaki and appeared in front of Ottar.
Since Tatsumaki is strong enough, she'll be fine on the 17th floor.
"What kind of messed up appearance is that? Another kid?"
"Is it that bad?"
"Yes, it's awful."
"I don't care. Let's just go."
I started walking, and Ottar stood still.
I looked back and nodded at him.
"Are you just going to stand there?"
I asked.
I don't trust him, and he doesn't trust me.
But for some reason, the atmosphere feels... calm.
####
I walked outside with Ottar, ignoring the stares around us. Once outside, he turned to me and said, "Let's go."
"Yeah, yeah, no need to say it twice."
I shoved my hands in my pockets and followed, watching his back.
After a while, we arrived at the Freya Familia's home.
It looked like a massive castle. Should I buy something like this for my own Familia? I thought as we entered. The place was full of Freya Familia members acting as guards.
Whenever they saw Ottar, they showed him respect.
Unlike the way they looked at me. They didn't know who I was, but the disdain in their eyes was obvious.
"This place is pretty big and fancy, huh?"
"..." Ottar ignored me and kept walking.
We went up several floors and arrived at a large meeting room.
There was a huge table in the center.
"Sit. The Goddess will be here shortly."
I shrugged and sat on the table.
Ottar glared at me, and I smiled at him. "What? I can't sit here?"
"Do whatever you want."
Ottar left the room and closed the door.
I walked to the window. "The view from up here is amazing." I could see most of the city—and had a perfect view of the tower. It was incredible.
After a few minutes staring out the window, the door opened.
I turned around.
And there she was—Goddess Freya.
The moment my eyes landed on her, my body froze for a second.
Her silver hair fell in gentle waves over her shoulders, gleaming under the soft light of the room. Her pale skin looked like flawless porcelain. And her eyes... silver, like mist on a full moon night, stared at me like I was prey.
"You seem nervous." Her voice was soft and velvety, with a tone that almost made me shiver.
"I..." I tried to speak, but my mouth was dry.
She approached, slow and graceful. When she stopped in front of me—so close I could smell the sweet perfume surrounding her—I realized there was no escaping falling for this woman.
It's insane.
'Control yourself, Zane. Control yourself.'
"Hm…" Freya stepped back and walked to the table. She sat on it, right where I had been sitting. "You seem pretty normal. I was expecting something different," she said with a sensual smile.
"What were you expecting? A two-headed monster?"
"Haha, of course not."
"So, you wanted to talk, right? About what?"
"No need to be so nervous," Freya said. "You're very tense. Sit down. We can talk calmly."
"Fine, fine." I sat in one of the chairs, and Freya turned and looked into my eyes.
"I was just curious about you. Are you really the 'original'?"
She noticed this body has a soul.
"Yes, I am. I'd rather not say much more than that."
"I already knew you could take over other bodies. But this is surprising. Did you create this body yourself?" she asked, pointing at me.
"What's the matter? Did you fall for me?"
"Maybe…" Freya replied with a sensual tone.
What is this? Everything she says has a seductive undertone.
It's going to be hard not to "attack" this woman.
But I'd better not try anything.
"So you brought me here just out of curiosity?"
"Of course. How could I not be interested in someone like you?"
"I'm flattered, but I'm nothing special. I don't think there's much for us to talk about."
"You seemed to have plenty to say before. Didn't you tell Ottar you wanted to speak with me? And didn't you say you wanted to start your own Familia?"
"What? Don't like the idea? I think it's a pretty interesting one." I smiled at her.
Freya's lips curved into a smile, and she said, "I don't think it's a bad idea. In fact, it might be... fun."
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Next chapters: Chapter 57 - You will soon become a target. / Chapter 58 - Buy me the skill 'Telekinesis / Chapter 59 - War? / Chapter 60 - Apollo Familia.