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From the very first attempts to eventual control, the process didn't actually take Arthur that long. Bit by bit, he drew energy from the universe, manipulating the Particles to assemble components of himself, layering a thick "armor" on the outside of his "body."
Different Particles, arranged and combined in entirely different ways, formed substances of varying textures. But because there were simply too many choices, Arthur ended up spending a long time constantly experimenting.
The only diversion in this tedious process was teasing the nearby Ego.
Watching him build his towering "palace," watching him "feast his guests," then giving a little shove to topple the whole thing back to square one, leaving that tiny brain of his dumbfounded. That silly, dazed expression was so comical that Arthur couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Although… he couldn't actually make a sound.
The passing of time felt dreadfully dull.
The only consolation was this tiny bit of amusement. And yet, somehow, Arthur felt that even if this boredom stretched on endlessly, he would never develop some grand ambition of conquering the universe.
He truly couldn't understand, how did Ego go from this endless monotony to suddenly wanting to dominate the cosmos?
It made no sense!
But so be it, Arthur's own mindset was calm and steady now.
Upgrading the Disassembler could run into any number of situations. After all, from the very beginning, the Disassembler had always walked an "unusual" path.
The only thing he could do now was to master his own abilities, and through them, see what he might be capable of.
When the "outer shell" beyond his body was finally complete, Arthur began attempting to condense an external form of himself…
But this was far easier said than done.
Reproducing something akin to Ego's former state of being was even harder.
Firstly, Arthur didn't understand the exact method by which such a body was constructed. Secondly, his control over the Particles was nowhere near the level that Ego had achieved.
Still, he wasn't worried about failure, he had too much time on his hands, and the monotony gave him endless opportunities to try.
Only… he couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten something important.
Just as he was about to think deeper on it, he noticed that Ego had once again formed a new outer shell. Arthur prepared to crush it when it grew thick enough, but suddenly, a tiny figure leapt out from the little sphere, baring its teeth and claws at him:
"You despicable villain!!!"
"Eh?!"
Arthur froze in shock. This guy… had actually created a little figure, barely two centimeters tall?
So tiny?!
Arthur swept a current of cosmic energy toward him.
The little man opened his mouth: "I will definitely make you, "
Before he could finish, he was already swept away like smoke in the wind, vanishing without a trace.
"Make me… good?" Arthur blinked. "What's this? Did Ego turn over a new leaf?"
"I'll definitely make you pay!!!"
Ego popped back out again, shouting, "Just you wait! One day you'll see how powerful I am!"
That two-centimeter-tall thing stomped its feet, hollering at Arthur.
Arthur couldn't help but laugh, though no sound came out, his body trembled with amusement, stirring up the cosmic energy around him. The force not only reduced the tiny figure to ashes but also obliterated Ego's outer shell, leaving only that small brain exposed, adrift in the cold void, lonely and pitiful.
The sight even gave Arthur a twinge of guilt!
Like he'd seen a ghost!
Especially when the little brain, too frustrated to even bother rebuilding an outer shell, spat out another tiny figure. With an angry glare fixed on Arthur, it finally just plopped itself down cross-legged atop the brain, chin in hand, sulking like some two-centimeter-tall "Thinker."
This time Arthur didn't dare make any sudden moves. He cautiously wrapped his perception with cosmic energy, inching closer to Ego.
"What are you doing?!"
Ego instantly sensed Arthur's approach. But powerless to resist, he could only watch helplessly as Arthur wrapped up his tiny two-centimeter body.
Threads of energy seeped into that miniature frame.
"Damn it, are you trying to see, "
Before he could finish, the little figure collapsed.
Arthur thought for a moment, his expression contemplative.
"More or less, I think I get it…"
He intended to figure out exactly how Ego condensed that two-centimeter toy-like body.
Ever since becoming what he was now, Arthur noticed his intellect and capacity for thought had grown sharper, his insight more profound.
Just a brief glance at that tiny form before it shattered gave him a measure of understanding.
He tried to condense it himself. Moments later, a fifty-meter-tall shadow emerged.
It sprawled across the outer wall he had formed. Looking down, Arthur saw its limbs twisted, its form half-transparent, glowing faintly with Particle energy. The more he stared, the eerier it looked.
"…Doesn't this look a bit like Naruto's very first clone?"
Limp and motionless, the shadow lay there like a puddle of sludge.
"This…"
"Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHA!!"
Unrestrained laughter rang out nearby. Arthur turned to see the two-centimeter Ego pop out again.
The instant their eyes met, the giant shadow and the tiny figure, Ego tried to scurry back into hiding. But in that very moment, he lost control of his body and was once more captured by Arthur.
Arthur continued observing, studying, until the little figure disintegrated again. At last, he was satisfied to find he had gained further insight.
He dispersed his current malformed body, letting it dissolve back into pure energy. Absorbing it, he tried condensing once more…
This time, the figure that emerged was roughly the same size as Arthur himself.
The body parts looked far more normal. He opened his mouth, testing speech:
"Hello, hello… mic check… hello…"
The voice sounded strange, but at least it worked. Only, why did it feel like the sound was coming from his forehead?
He reached up and touched it. Sure enough, there was a mouth on his forehead!
And his facial features were twisted and distorted.
Looking down at his hands, they were wrong as well, one hand had nine fingers, while the other had only a single one.
"Still a bit of a mishap."
Arthur mused, "But nothing too serious. Shouldn't be hard to reorganize properly…"
"Thief! Scoundrel!"
An enraged roar came from a short distance away.
Arthur grinned.
"Perfect. Let's see again."
(End of Chapter)