The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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The airship that splashed onto the sea shattered into pieces in an instant.

The term “dismantling” was by no means an exaggeration.

The Violets hanging from the drifting airship literally disassembled the equipment piece by piece.

“Take it all apart! Weapons can be recycled, and scrap metal can be sold!”

“Can’t we just fix it and use it?”

“The engine’s gone, and it’s soaked in seawater! The salt has ruined it. Buying a new one will be faster.”

Whispering through the Network, the Violets stripped every usable piece of equipment away.

From consoles to control devices, even what looked like a black box.

Since none of them knew mechanical engineering, they couldn’t put it back together after taking it apart, but what they truly desired was something else.

“Their base location!”

While the prisoners floating helplessly above the water watched, the Violets quickly wrapped up their work.

At the moment they were preparing to withdraw, everyone’s gaze turned upward.

As reported, something massive was approaching from beyond.

“It’s coming! The Scholarship Officer!”

A gigantic, heavily armed airship that was incomparably larger than the one they had just shot down was descending with black smoke billowing from it.

Before long, a massive shadow reminiscent of a whale covered the surface of the water. Soon after, the gigantic airship touched down on the sea.

– Splash!

A colossal wave surged in every direction. Soaked Violets watched as a figure burst through the smoke from the bridge of the massive airship.

It was Seijis, a muscular and agile man clad in pitch-black clothing, similar to those from the Ariel Group.

“Our boss has arrived!”

“It’s the boss! Yay!”

The Violets cheered, raising their hands in excitement.

**

Currently, the role of the male Scholarship Officer was the evil leader of the Ariel Group.

He had made appearances before, such as during the execution of Lihan, but with ultra-powerful hunters with extraordinary martial arts skills now appearing, it was also meant as a warning to them.

And, of course, he would also play a role in disrupting them a bit.

“Did you find them?”

“For now, I’ve pulled out the storage device. The Rescue Team will be here soon, so finish it up before they arrive.”

“Got it!”

The Violets charged once more toward the giant airship floating on the surface. Resistance was now meaningless.

“Ahhh! It’s the Ariel everywhere!”

A little while later, flames shot up above the surface.

**

During the week to two weeks of localized skirmishes with them, a piece of good news arrived.

“Look, I passed!”

“Wow! Good job!”

Finally, it was the news that Enrique had passed.

She proudly held up her acceptance certificate with a big smile.

“When I start in September, I won’t be able to see the Violets often, but I’ll keep in touch until then!”

“Yeah! Do that! No, how about you just assign me one more?”

“…That could be a possibility.”

Since it’s a magic academy, sneaking in to follow Enrique to her dormitory wouldn’t be a bad idea just to take a look.

If worse comes to worst, it would be good to have myself placed there too. Enrique wouldn’t be bored either.

“Thanks to the data we brought from the last research laboratory, it seems like my friends will wake up soon too. If all goes well, I might help them prepare for the academy entrance as well.”

“That’s great too!”

As Enrique continued with her chat, her expression suddenly darkened.

“But, the Foundation is still out there. The academy hasn’t said much, but I heard briefly from the admissions office that a clan under the Foundation has been looking.”

Ah, so that was what she was worried about.

This whole affair began when those bad guys’ Enforcement Department snatched Enrique away.

“Those Foundation guys! How can they even have time to worry about Enrique while picking a fight with us?”

But there was no need to be too afraid.

After the midnight raid, they had taken a major hit.

“Don’t worry! The Foundation folks will soon be made fools. Then they won’t know a thing about you and won’t chase after you either!”

“True. Thanks for that, Violet! But…”

As if made up her mind, Enrique stood up with her magic staff in hand.

“I’ve been told to stay in the back all this time, but I can’t just keep receiving help. Everyone’s fighting against the Foundation, right? My friends, and the other adults too.”

“Gasp, you mean…”

“I’ve been in the back long enough, but I want to fight against the Foundation with my own strength!”

This unexpected declaration plunged the Network into contemplation.

Helping was good, but Enrique’s firepower was excessive.

Moreover, she had just graduated. It might not be good for her to get involved in such matters.

“What about the academy entrance?”

Enrique firmly rebutted.

“It’s okay. I can wear a mask too! Just like Violet! With a Recognition Interference Device attached!”

“But…”

The next moment, she responded.

“And the Foundation guys probably have plenty of money. I’ll teach them a lesson and use the funds for tuition.”

“Oh ho.”

Our Violets couldn’t help but admire her capitalistic creativity.

“Alright! But you have to follow our instructions thoroughly, just like the last time!”

“Got it!”

**

The puppy’s first memory was of darkness and warmth, and then harsh lighting.

“Woof!”

I missed my mom. But I wasn’t lonely. Because I had friends!

There were many friends here.

Most of them had yellow fur like mine, but there were also friends with black and white fur.

“Growl!”

“Yip!”

The puppies played around and had fun.

While they were merrily playing, the puppy noticed that people in white lab coats were frequently observing them.

One day, the puppy was transferred to a special room.

“The intelligence levels of Group 3 show significant results. Their magical affinity is also oddly high. Genetic analysis reveals a distinct difference in the C-G-123F interval that determines the total amount of magical power compared to ordinary specimens.”

“They might be suitable candidates for the Devil Project of Evolution. Let’s also verify the biochip substitution and select them as subjects for cognitive enhancement procedures.”

Ever since the puppy woke up from the operating room, everything had changed.

It felt as if the fog inside its head had cleared, and the surrounding sounds and smells became more vivid.

It could understand what people were saying a bit better too. Getting snacks had become easier as a bonus.

“Remarkable. The prefrontal cortex’s activity has increased dramatically.”

“The formation of the magical circuit is stable. The ether absorption rate is increasing by 0.8% per hour.”

Every day brought new experiments.

Recognizing itself in the mirror, running through the difficult course at the Training Ground once a day. Other puppy friends experienced similar changes. They became much faster and stronger.

That was on a day when they were training.

“That’s right! Good job!”

“Heh heh heh!”

“That’s enough. We can move on to the next stage…”

Waiting for a reward with a wagging tail, the alarm rang. The laboratory shook. An explosion sounded from a distance.

“It’s an attack from the Ariel Group! Evacuate the subjects immediately! What about the data?”

“Everything is encrypted and being sent to the backup server!”

The puppies were hurriedly placed into transport cages.

Once the chaos subsided, the animals had to wait a long time in the dark room, where the only faint emergency lights flickered.

“Yip! Yip!”

I’m not scared. Because I have friends.

“Ugh…”

How long had passed? The puppies were moved to a new laboratory.

“Why did you choose these specimens? Are ordinary specimens not enough?”

“They are specially designed subjects for the project. After genetic modification and magical adaptation training, they have become very similar to the magical characteristics of humans. They should perfectly mimic the magical pattern of the Ariel Group.”

“What about the human experimentation phase…”

“If the current stage goes as expected, we will proceed immediately. We need to verify the defensive mechanisms against the new strain of the Korbus virus.”

From then on, everything was chaotic.

At first, a red light swirled around the puppy’s cage. Then, after receiving a small injection, the puppy felt dizzy.

That was when black smoke began to spread.

“Yip! Yip!”

The yellow puppy twisted its body and began to scratch the floor.

Slowly, its paws turned black and crumpled into ash. It was its closest sister.

The white puppy next to it let out a pained whimper before suddenly shutting its mouth. It was a friend who loved jerky.

“Yip… Yip…”

The puppy watched as its tail crumbled away, realizing too late.

“Yip!”

As the panicked puppy flailed, one by one, its friends collapsed around it.

One by one, their whole bodies quickly turned black and shattered.

Pain came. The puppy was scared. Even with its young mind, it understood.

Death was approaching.

How long did it cry and tremble in pain? Its body was in shambles, but gradually the pain subsided.

“…Fascinating results. Subject 3 has survived. Could it be… an immune response?”

“Goodness, could it be the magic that caused it?”

“We need to observe further. We almost missed identifying a potential mutation.”

After a while, the puppy returned to its pen after receiving emergency treatment. Tears welled in the eyes of the lone puppy.

“Yip…”

The ground was cold, like the remains of its friends, blackened and crumbled.

The screams of its friends echoed in its ears.

‘No friends…’

The realization that it was alone made the puppy even weaker.

‘Where is everyone…’

In pain, fear, and indignation, the puppy cried out in loneliness.

And thus, it was left all alone.

It knew it would be like this.

The strange sound began to ring in the puppy’s head amidst the despair it was groaning in.

A powerful overture, shaking its head like thunder.

-The unwavering unity of free animals!
-The great Violet has achieved this forever!

“…?”

In front of the puppy, looking around, an incredible sight unfolded. Countless animals singing proudly in a red glow.

The melody ringing in its head grew clearer and clearer.

-Praise! The free friendship of animals!
-The friendship of animals is a solid fortress!

“!”

The vision soon vanished, but the song remained, swirling in its head.

The puppy sniffled again. No more sorrow in the tears that flowed.

“Growl…”

The eyes of the puppy, looking into the air, began to shine red.