Super Gene

“Han Sen, I have heard your name before, but I certainly did not expect to see you here.” The three-headed, six-armed statue stepped in front of the Bai Sema. The bird head in its center peered directly at Han Sen. It looked how a demon might, when staring at a defenseless baby in an abandoned stroller.

To Han Sen and the others, the strength of the metal statues was awe-inspiring. They were completely surrounded. And of course, the dragonfly-like xenogeneics were still flying about. There were too many of the insects to count, which made the situation of Han Sen’s team completely depressing.

“Who are you?” Han Sen asked, looking up at the giant three-headed, six-armed statue.

“My name is Klinsmann of the Destroyed,” the statue replied. As it spoke, the other statues stopped trying to attack. They merely stood where they were.

“I did not expect the Destroyed to be part of the Breakskies,” Han Sen said coldly.

Klinsmann laughed and said, “You are incorrect. The Destroyed are not a part of the Breakspies, as you suggest; we are the royalty of the Breakskies. Those stupid giants were just slaves with a few drops of our blood in their systems. We are the real Breakskies.”

“So, this is the home of a deified Breaksky?” Han Sen asked curiously.

Klinsmann laughed. “I know you are merely stalling for time, but that is fine. The Destroyed control everything here. You cannot hope to run.”

After a brief pause, Klinsmann continued on to say, “This is the house of a deified Breaksky, and yes, it has been abandoned. The deified elite it once belonged to has long been missing. But the Breaksky dolls he left behind are enough for us to claim the entire Metal World for ourselves. Those who are above the rank of Marquise are not permitted entry, so our grip as rulers of this place is not challenged. This place will become the primary xenogeneic space of the Destroyed. And as for your place here…”

Klinsmann turned his metal bird head to stare at each of them. “If you people are willing to concede, the Destroyed will welcome you as members of Metal World’s society.”

“Klinsmann, I’m afraid I don’t quite share your optimism,” Han Sen said thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?” The woman’s face, the face to the right of the bird head, turned toward him.

Han Sen looked around and said, “I have heard that before you came to this city, this place was already the site of a battle.”

“So what? Of course there was once a fight. Otherwise, why would it be a ruin?” the woman said.

Han Sen laughed and said, “Metal World’s power is strong enough that outsiders cannot break through, and only Marquises can be sent in to do research. That means the powers from the outside are unable to affect this place. But if that is so, why was there a fight dangerous enough to force a deified elite to abandon this place?”

Klinsmann frowned. The man’s face of the statue then spoke instead. “Perhaps the attacker broke through the power of Metal World and forced himself in?”

“The same power that prohibited five of our elites from breaking through? If that deified elite did force his way through, do you really think the Breakskies could have escaped a being like that? And even if they ran, why would that elite take over Metal World and not lay a lasting claim on the place?” Han Sen went on to say.

“What do you mean?” the woman asked again.

“If my assumptions are correct, the Breakskies didn’t abandon this place because of enemies from beyond. Their greatest threat must have come from the planet itself.”

“What are you trying to say?” The statue next to Klinsmann looked annoyed.

Han Sen laughed and said, “The power that threatened the Breakskies, if it came from the planet, focused only on you. I doubt that it threatened anyone other than the Breakskies. If I were you, I wouldn’t be so cocky. I might be thinking about running as far away as possible, actually. There is a high chance that you’ll be killed well before us.”

“Nonsense! If there was a power like that, it would be long gone. If it exists, then why hasn’t it shown up? Han Sen, I admire your intelligence. I do not want to kill you. I am throwing you one last lifeline here. Concede, and I will stay my cruelty.” The bird head smiled grimly.

Han Sen did not speak again. He merely focused on how he might get out of the situation they were in. The things he was telling Klinsmann weren’t all a bluff. If the power that wiped out of the Breakskies truly did come from the planet, it wouldn’t be extinguished so easily. After all the years that had passed, that power might still exist somewhere.

“If you truly seek death, then I will grant your wish.” Klinsmann commanded a dozen Breaksky statues to attack the Bai Serna.

The Breaksky dolls launched a variety of terrifying powers which converged on the demon bug Bai Sema. The blue Bai Sema trembled, and it looked ready to buckle and break.

Han Sen thought things were pretty dire. Each Breaksky doll had King class power. If Han Sen shrank the demon bug Bai Sema to shield just himself, its strength would be concentrated enough to withstand the force of his aggressors. Even if ten Kings attacked him, they’d be unable to penetrate its defense. But now, Han Sen had his demon bug Bai Sema stretched to shield one hundred Sky Palace students, and the Demon, Buddha, and Dragon as well. The defense was stretched thin, and thus, it was weakened. It couldn’t protect them from a constant stream of attacks from a dozen dolls.

Seeing the Bai Sema quiver, they all knew it was going to break soon. And Han Sen also knew they’d have to run. They couldn’t stay where they were. Even if he kicked out the Demon, Buddha, and Dragon, the demon bug Bai Sema likely wouldn’t be enough to keep the hundred Marquises safe, either.

“Han Sen, let us out! Perhaps some can survive that way,” Dragon Eight shouted, knowing that the Bai Sema was about to break.

“Amitabha! We have to fight,” a Buddha Marquise said.

Kahn frowned. His face kept flickering through a cycle of different emotions. He knew their situation was dire.

Han Sen wished to say something, but just as he was about to speak, the earth began to shake like a huge earthquake was underway. And then, an enormous sinkhole opened in the city. The metal surface caved in, falling into the seemingly bottomless hole. The sound of explosions echoed up out of the hole, signaling that something big was coming.

All of the Breaksky dolls stopped attacking Han Sen and turned their attention to the bottomless pit.

The dragonfly xenogeneics all buzzed away. They flew straight out of the city, jostling each other in their panic. If there was a power that was able to force the deified Breaksky to abandon the planet, it would probably kill anything in its path.

“No way! I was right?” Han Sen smiled wrily.

The Breaksky dolls that were commanded by Klinsmann all took a step back. They peered at the giant hole.