The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

The jetbike squad flew between the buildings.

Vittorio Arcade’s altitude was at least several hundred meters, and the device, designed for low-altitude infiltration operations between city blocks, smoothly arrived at the target area.

Below on the street, a woman with an elegant demeanor was visible in front of a group of young students. Judging by the pulsating flow of magical energy, it was definitely her.

The woman was conversing with a new group that had appeared in the alley.

"Should we deal with them too?"

"Of course."

Four people riding on the backseat of the bike jumped into the air first. They landed with a thud, and people’s gazes turned toward them.

The ones following quietly landed on the rooftop of a nearby building and began preparing for sniping.

"...Who are you..."

"Get back!"

A flash of light erupted.

---

The situation was a mess. Right after the team members met Adela and the students, the Magna Nabis suddenly ambushed us!

"AAAH! Hurry up! We’re all going to die at this rate!"

The situation was too confusing to grasp. What the hell was going on? The students were fleeing, and we were fighting. Attacks were coming from all directions.

"Lucian’s down!"

Ugh, I remembered. He was the first among us to try and block their magic. After several attacks aimed at him, he collapsed after taking a hit that broke through his shield.

As I hurriedly dragged him back, attacks kept flying from all sides.

"It’s dangerous!"

"Kiyaah!"

A lightning whip flew toward us. The light green shield deployed, but it was instantly shattered. The moment the shield broke, a barrage of magical blasts rained down on us.

"AAAH!"

"Ugh! Daphne! Are you alright?"

To my horror, their firepower was beyond imagination. They had broken through our shield. I hurriedly checked my friend’s condition.

The old nightmare came rushing back.

"I’m fine! Thanks to the artifact Violet gave me. But the others..."

Thankfully, Daphne seemed unharmed, possibly due to the locket I gave her earlier.

However, the rest of the team was not so lucky. Several had already been knocked out from the barrage.

Except for Irene, no one else was standing properly. While Daphne quickly tended to the wounded, I charged at those wizards.

"Buy some time! We’ll be there soon!"

"Ugh!"

The Violet squad, firing crossbows, charged forward. They were retreating while buying time, but it seemed like the speed at which they were killing us was faster than the pace at which we were retreating.

Fortunately, our main force soon arrived.

"Guys! There are people over there! Head that way! Irene too!"

The team members quickly pulled back.

"You too, hurry up!"

I urged Irene. There was no solution in this situation. We were taking fire from the streets and were in a very disadvantageous position.

"Do you think we’ll be okay?"

"You know! We’re immortal. Now go retreat!"

After sending the team members back, I surveyed the area. Adela was also pulling the students and professors back. They had some minor scratches, probably from the earlier barrage.

"This is bad! The young ones have to survive!"

"No, Professor! You’re injured, aren’t you? Whatever those people are, they definitely came for this. I’ll buy some time."

Saying that, Adela prepared to fight, retreating with her group.

"Adela, it’s me, Violet."

"Violet? How are you here... how..."

"It’s a long story. For now, get back!"

I grabbed the student council president and pushed her back. While Adela hesitated, we charged straight ahead.

First, I had to buy some time.

One company of Violet clones marched into the barrage.

"Who are you?"

"We are the Ariel Group!"

We charged with swords drawn.

---

To cut to the chase, we were melting away.

The Magna Nabis wizards were monsters.

Is that even human? No, calling them tanks would be more accurate.

"Ugh!"

None of our attacks worked on them. Not even a scratch!

"Violet No. 45 is dead! Violet No. 124 is going to die too! I’m dying! Ugh!"

The Violet network filled with cries of pain. With every motion from the Vanguard enemies, our squads evaporated and our units disintegrated.

A few shots from a magic rifle or a thermal beam, and an entire platoon would collapse.

"First squad disbanded! Second squad evaporating! Third squad collapsed!"

"Ah! I can’t see! My eyes! My eyes! Aaaah!"

Every time an electric whip was swung, Violets shattered and burned. Our already battered platoon was on the verge of collapse.

Dozens were dying at once, spreading out the pain, but the numbers were still too great.

"Ugh! Don’t use shields! You won’t be able to block it anyway!"

"Fire! Fire!"

Crossbow volleys and magical attacks crossed paths.

What was worse was that more than half of our attacks were intercepted mid-flight. What kind of principle is that?

The Violets froze, burned, and were torn apart again.

"Dammit, are they using cloning abilities?"

It was so urgent that I instantly created clones on the spot, and I could hear murmuring from the enemy.

We couldn’t retreat.

Daphne almost died. That was a targeted shot. The firepower was enough to break through even our shields, so if it hadn’t been for the artifact I gave her, it would have been a real danger.

And Adela was also injured. She became covered in wounds while fighting to protect the people.

Our team also sustained several injuries. If we’re pursued in this situation, it’s truly dangerous.

We may come back to life, but our team members will die.

"Company disband! Aaaah!"

In the blink of an eye, our forces were collapsing again. The team members were evacuated somehow, but there was no solution.

We were retreating slowly, shooting crossbows, but they kept chasing us, maintaining their distance.

"What the hell did we do wrong to deserve this?!"

"Aaaahhh!"

I quickly summoned clones again, pouring magic into them. I could feel the enemies hesitate for a moment.

"...Damn it, no matter how many times we kill them, they just keep popping up. What the hell are you people?"

A mechanical voice, as if filled with contempt, echoed. At least there was a moment’s respite as they pulled back.

"They’re not retreating! They’re coming closer!"

In the distance beyond the darkness, a group of vehicles was approaching. The jetbikes that seemed to be retreating were coming back. It looked like new people were riding them.

Could that be their main force?

I thought. This felt too forced.

If it were the generals or strategists from ancient hero stories, they would have come up with a brilliant solution even in this situation.

They would have found a way through.

But Violet is no legendary general. At this rate, we’re going to lose!

What should I do? Think. I need to think.

My head throbbed, and my chest felt tight. Was there no good solution?

As I agonized over the bleak reality, I saw unfamiliar figures emerging from beyond the blurry fog in the network.

"Come here!"

I was startled and looked up. Several people were approaching through the mist.

"What’s this? Who are you?"

Violets with strange cosplay appeared from beyond the fog. Their appearances were varied.

First, there was a Violet riding an elephant and a nomadic Violet on horseback. Behind them, a Violet holding a feathered fan, dressed like a prime minister, strolled leisurely.

"We are Violet!"

After them, Violets dressed in a variety of outfits from all over time and place appeared. Their attire ranged from ancient armor to modern military uniforms. Their appearances were equally diverse.

Seeing this, I slowly realized.

These people are Violet, but they’re not Violet.

"Yeah! I don’t know why, but I really wanted to cosplay!"

"If we act like this, we might be able to borrow some wisdom!"

These Violets were the result of unconscious knowledge from our mixed experiences combining with my own, emerging as a new form.

To put it plainly, they were just Violets performing method acting.

Even so, I asked. I had a feeling I could find an answer.

"What should we do?"

The nomadic Violet said decisively.

"Crush them all! Don’t leave a single one smaller than a truck tire!"

A general Violet with a helmet pointed their baton at the outside world.

"There’s no such thing as impossible in Violet’s dictionary!"

The Violet riding the elephant shouted.

"Find the enemy’s weakness. Let’s cross the mountain like we did before!"

The general Violet solemnly declared.

"We still have 800 Violets left! So let’s not be afraid. We’ll kill those who want to die, and those who want to live will be killed too!"

Right after hearing the general’s declaration, I woke up from the network.

"Violet?"

Daphne and Irene were looking at me with worried eyes. Kalia was there. The team members searching for me were there.

And there were Violets left in the command center, still at the base. We weren’t alone.

Regaining my confidence, I made a resolution.

Maybe we can win. If we give it everything we’ve got!

After solidifying my decision, the Violets at home rushed out one after another.

"Open the warehouse! It’s a full-scale battle!"

They ran to the basements and warehouses in various places and opened the doors.

The Violets waiting at the weapon manufacturing plant on the deserted island dug the ground.

On the shelves, there were tightly packed bodies in vinyl wrap, and in boxes, there were Violets asleep, neatly stacked.

The packages, meeting the outside air for the first time in a long time, rustled with joy.

Seeing this, I became even more certain. There was hope.

The words of the great general Violet were right. Even if a hundred or two hundred die, there’s no need to worry. We still have 800 Violets left!

The problem was how to get them to the dungeon. The answer was clear.

"Convert everything into magic!"

The stacked bodies underwent reverse generation and were each converted into magic. Based on that magic, more Violets began to be produced inside the dungeon.

A Violet from the command center cautiously spoke.

"The problem is the information. We need a more vivid map! The enemy’s location and movements. We need to track everything!"

We have more numbers than them, but if we fight like we did before, we’ll all melt away. We need to use the advantage of the terrain. That means we need more battlefield information.

"I have a good idea!"

I thought of the Violet simulation. I remembered the mock training we did before. We implemented a virtual map and enemies vividly and enjoyed it.

What if we could implement the dungeon’s interior scene in our minds?

"Let’s try it first!"

Number 2 shouted impatiently.

"The command center is passing this on! 2nd company, sorry, but you’re going to have to die! We need deployment time!"

Reorganizing the forces required time and magic.

We also needed to implement a new idea. The Violets we summoned hastily earlier would probably die again just like before.

This was the second time I’d experienced such large-scale casualties after the duel.

Knowing for sure that we were going to die, yet having to charge forward, I accepted it. If it had been anyone else, they would have run away by now.

However, now that I was certain, sacrifices weren’t meaningless.

If we can buy time to devise strategies and plans, then we can win!

Once again, a company of troops gathered. The leader of the 2nd company Violet shouted.

"Let’s go! To die!"

"We die beautifully!"

The Violets rushed back into the battle with the Magna Nabis sorcerers. 101 Violets deployed a barrier and rushed into the enemy’s barrage from all directions.

"Ugh!" T29DcGYzYXUxTnhEQU5OTnFneTJ6bUIwWmJiNFJzNUQ2MktKRTlYLzY3QVo0eCtHNjhnK0Zma3h3YmVPb1l4UA

Right after, the 2nd company leader Violet was torn apart and sprawled on the ground.

While the 2nd company died, buying time, several search parties scattered in all directions. Instead of continuing the fight, the Violets scattered and climbed onto building rooftops.

"From now on, we’re cameras!"

The camera Violets concentrated their magic on their eyes and ears, observing the surroundings. All the amplified senses converged into the Violet network.

Eventually, a shape began to emerge within the Violet network.

Buildings rose, and roads and obstacles formed. The scenery inside the Vittorio Arcade was implemented through collective intelligence.

"We need to clear the fog of the battlefield! Move quickly!"

While delaying as much as possible, it took about five minutes. After a while, a massive strategic map was formed.

"...We did it!"

The command center was in awe as they looked at the 3D map before them.

On the map inside the network, the movements of both the enemy and us were vividly displayed between the roads and buildings. It was the power of collective intelligence.

"Alright, now let’s devise a strategy! Let’s figure out a plan while we have time to reinforce our forces!"

It was time to prepare for a counterattack. Violet is a thinking creature, after all!