The color drained from Sora's face, leaving her paler than the bedsheets she lay on. Takero's casual words were like a sharp dagger, striking the most vulnerable part of her heart with perfect accuracy.
Her children.
Ichiji, Niji, Yonji, Reiju... even if they were Judge's emotionless "masterpieces," they were still her children, the flesh and blood she had carried for ten months. And then there was Sanji, the only child who still had a "heart," the one she cherished most of all. Any thought of resistance she might have had vanished in an instant.
"I... I understand," Sora whispered, closing her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled as she spoke, her voice filled with a bitter sense of powerlessness.
"Good." Takero nodded, satisfied. He preferred dealing with smart people; it saved so much time and unnecessary trouble. He turned to the four other children and waved a hand dismissively. "Starting today, your mother belongs to me. This country belongs to me, too," he announced, his tone completely flat.
Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji exchanged glances. Their modified brains, which had been engineered by Judge, struggled to process such complex information. Their father was dead. Their country had a new ruler. Their mother... had been claimed. The only logic they truly understood was to obey the strong and despise the weak. Since their father had been killed, it meant he was weak. This young man was clearly stronger. Therefore, obeying the strong was the correct and logical choice.
Only Reiju looked from Takero to her resigned mother on the bed, her expression unreadable. In the end, she chose to remain silent.
"Excellent. It seems no one has any objections," Takero said, pleased with their reaction. "Then it's settled." He glanced around the wrecked room and then at Sanji. "Hey, blond kid. Go find some servants who are still conscious and have them clean this place up. And drag your father's corpse out of here. It's an eyesore."
Sanji was stunned by the casual command, but when he saw the deep sadness in his mother's eyes, he gave a small, timid "Oh," wiped his tears, and ran out of the room.
Thanks to the ruthlessly efficient system of the Germa Kingdom, the news of the king's death spread through the steel city with incredible speed. There was no period of mourning and no chaos. There was only a strange, mechanical calm, as if a machine had simply been rebooted. In the face of absolute power, the transfer of leadership was a simple and brutal affair.
Takero wasted no time in occupying Judge's luxurious office on the top floor of the castle. He sat on the massive throne made of rare metals, propped his feet up on the desk, and sipped on the finest black tea a maid had brought him. He then issued his first command to a group of trembling Germa scientists.
"Listen up. Effective immediately, all ships are to turn around and proceed at full speed. Your new destination is Ambri Island."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the lead scientist at the front of the group bowed without hesitation. To pure researchers like them, it didn't really matter who was king. All that mattered was whether the new king would continue to fund their work.
"Good." Takero was pleased with their practical attitude. "Now, show me all the interesting technology you have here. I especially want to see Vinsmoke Judge's main laboratory."
"Of course!"
Led by the scientists, Takero ventured deep into the heart of the Germa Kingdom, into Judge's private laboratory. It was less of a lab and more of a futuristic factory for creating life. Countless massive glass vats filled with green nutrient solution were arranged in neat rows, stretching out like a strange, technological forest. Inside each container floated a "human," their eyes closed, identical to one another.
"These... are the 'clone soldiers' that Judge was so proud of," the lead scientist explained respectfully. "By extracting the Lineage Factors from the most elite soldiers, we can mass-produce perfect copies in a very short amount of time. They are the perfect soldiers—they feel no fear, have physical abilities that far surpass normal humans, and follow every order without question."
"Lineage Factors?" Takero latched onto the term.
"Yes, Your Majesty," the scientist explained. "It is the blueprint of life itself, a mysterious element containing all of the genetic information of a living being. The former king, Judge, dedicated his life to researching and modifying this factor in an attempt to create the ultimate superhuman soldiers. For example, Prince Ichiji and his siblings had their Lineage Factors modified while they were still embryos. That's how they gained bodies that surpassed human limits and the 'advantage' of having no emotions."
Takero looked at the clones, which were treated like products on an assembly line, without any real interest. To him, this was crude and primitive. However, the concept of the "Lineage Factor" sparked a powerful idea in his mind.
"How advanced is your technology?" he asked. "What if... what if you used me as the blueprint? If you extracted my Lineage Factor, could you... clone another 'me'?"
The question sent a shockwave through the assembled scientists. They looked at each other, their faces a mixture of shock and an uncontrollable, fanatical excitement. To use this new king as a blueprint? A monster who could crush special alloys with his bare hands and unleash destructive waves of energy? If they could successfully replicate such an existence, they wouldn't be creating mere "soldiers." They would be creating "Gods."
"Theoretically... yes, Your Majesty! It is possible!" the lead scientist's voice trembled with excitement. "Your life force is on a level far beyond any template we have ever worked with! If we could obtain a sample of your Lineage Factor... we are confident we could create the strongest life form this world has ever seen!"
Hearing that confirmation, a slow, wide grin spread across Takero's face, which soon erupted into a wild, unbridled laugh filled with limitless ambition.
"Haha... Hahahahahahaha—!!!"
A crazy idea exploded in his mind like a supernova. Clones? No. What he wanted were Saiyan clones. If he could use his pure Saiyan lineage as the blueprint and use Germa's technology to create an entire army of clone soldiers who shared his blood... an army that would be absolutely loyal to him... what a terrifying force that would be!
An army that would grow stronger after every battle. An army that would get more powerful every time they recovered from near-death. An army with limitless potential that felt no fear. He would no longer be a lone Saiyan stranded in a strange world. He would have his own people, his own "kinsmen" who were bound to him. He, Takero, would become the master of this invincible legion. He would become the true King of the Saiyans.
"Frieza... Broly..." Names that had once represented the pinnacle of power flashed through his mind. With an army like this, conquering the universe would be within his grasp.
"Excellent! This is perfect!" The light in Takero's eyes burned as brightly as an exploding star. He looked at the scientists, who were now caught up in his frenzied vision.
"From this day forward, all other research projects are suspended!" he announced, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You have only one mission." He pointed a finger at his own chest.
"...Create the most perfect... Saiyan army for me. And do it as fast as you can!"
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