True Power (Pt 2)

YEAR: UNKNOWN

LOCATION: UNKNOWN

"REPLICATE FORCE"

Michael spoke, smiling as he raised his right hand while pointing his index finger at the Grandmaster who looked at him in shock and pain

A red glow appeared, hovering above his finger, and then in the same manner as the Grandmaster's crimson beam, Michael his own attack.

The devastating red blast, now twice as large as what had been seen before, surged toward the beast falling from the ceiling. The blast pierced the hardened roof and opened it up, exposing the colorless sky which shone brightly due to the crimson current.

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!<

Wind currents flowed across the room, cracking the ground and other hard surfaces that existed around.

The explosion subsided, dissipating into thin air as a hissing sound that replaced the deafening roar of Michael's attack.

The Grandmaster then fell from its height, its skin charred as a result of the extreme heat it endured. Its fried and entirely bruised body collapsed to the ground, generating a loud reverb.

>CRASH!!!<

It landed on the already damaged ground back facing the floor. Its entire body was paralyzed and smoke emanated from its darkened skin. The creature struggled to move its body but Michael suddenly appeared, heavily landing on its chest which resulted in a huge scream from the beast.

"GUARGGHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Michael ignored its cry, only to smile sadistically as it watched the large, powerless creature writhe in agony.

"H...HOW?... Y...YOU... I DEFINITELY HIT YOU WITH MY BEAM..." The Grandmaster muttered tiredly as it struggled in pain.

"Indeed you did, however, that was my clone. I used the ability, MITOTIC SYNTHESIS, which allows me to duplicate my entire cells and memory as well as all my genetic information. The 'me' you destroyed was not the 'me' you see now."

It took a moment for Michael's words to entirely register in the Grandmaster's mind.

"B...BUT... WHEN? HOW?" It was totally dumbfounded as it asked.

"It was when you initially hit me and turned away. I split, hiding my original body and allowing my duplicate to fight you." Michael revealed, watching the Grandmaster painfully recollect the events leading to the present.

"B...BUT...? The Grandmaster attempted to speak but was interrupted.

"But why couldn't you sense me?" Michael completed the Grandmaster's struggling words.

The look on the Monster's face affirmed that Michael had hit the mark.

"I have a fair understanding of your abilities. Your top crimson eye allows you to shoot those annoying red beams, your azure eye allows you to see through any ruse and obstacles and then your amber eyes allow you to measure the energy levels of an individual as well as the amount of threat they pose to you. Am I wrong?" Michael smiled.

The Grandmaster was in utter shock as to how he had known all this. It had only revealed the energy blast from its crimson eye, how did he know about the rest?

"My ability, COMPLETE INVESTIGATION, allows me to collect any information I want about anyone as long as I maintain a conversation with them. It's not a direct fighting ability, but it has its uses in combat" Michael answered.

"SO... THAT'S WHY YOU WERE TALKING TO ME. YOU WERE PROBING AT MY SECRETS... YOU INFIDEL!" The Grandmaster painfully growled.

"Silence!" Michael said as he stomped on the lying monster, causing it to bellow in pain.

"Why else would I converse with drivel such as yourself. You were even weaker than I gave you credit for. If anyone is to blame for your loss, it would be yourself. I would have had a much harder time if you had taken me seriously instead of underestimating my abilities. Indeed my energy levels can not be compared to yours at the moment, and so you thought I could never win. You should know that certain abilities require almost no energy to use. The reason I used MITOTIC SYNTHESIS in my fight with you was that it generally duplicates every aspect of myself. Anything less and you would have discovered it was a fake. As for why you could not sense me... I simply moved to a separate space in which your eye could not reach."

The Grandmaster looked in amazement. He never had a chance of winning from the start. "I GUESS THIS MUCH SHOULD BE EXPECTED FROM THE STRONGEST OF YOUR RACE." It spoke in defeat.

A smile formed on Michael's face. This monster knew nothing!

"Wrong again. You see... I am not the strongest of my race. If he were here, he would have done away with you within a second!"

What? This was not even the champion of his world? That would mean its hope of conquest was all a pipe dream from the very start. The Gate being blocked was a miracle that allowed It and its army to live a few more moments before certain death.

Realizing this, the Grandmaster laughed at its own ignorance.

"SO, IN THE END... I WAS THE WEAK ONE..." It chuckled as it groaned from the pain.

Michael coldly gazed upon the Grandmaster. He felt pity for it. The monster, like himself and soon earth, was also a victim of the masterminds behind everything, and the true threat he had to eventually eliminate.

"You're an eyesore. I'll release you from your suffering" Michael finally spoke.

"LITTLE ONE... YOU MUST KNOW THEN, OF THE REAPERS AND THEIR GRAND CONQUEST. YOU AND I ARE MERELY GRAINS OF CROPS BEFORE THEM, YET YOU INTEND TO RISE ABOVE THEM... DO YOU NOT?" The Grandmaster suddenly asked.

"Speak for yourself. It is not merely an intention on my part. I will bring it into reality." Michael replied, furrowing his eyebrows in a slight glare.

"THE FIRE IN YOUR HEART IS GREAT. I COMMEND YOU FOR REACHING THIS FAR. I HOWEVER CAUTION YOU... THE REAPERS WILL SURELY NOT ALLOW YOU TO RISE HIGHER THAN THEIR CONTROL. NO MATTER HOW POWERFUL YOU BECOME, AS LONG AS 'THE SEED' DWELLS WITHIN YOU, YOU ARE STILL AT THEIR MERCY..." The Grandmaster struggled to speak.

"Showing concern for the enemy are we?" Michael spoke smiling softly. "Isn't that weak?"

The Grandmaster chuckled as it said, "WELL, I BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN RIGHTLY ESTABLISHED THAT I AM! NOW FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED YOUNG ONE... AND RISE ABOVE THEM. I PRAY FOR YOUR SUCCESS..."

The Grandmaster spoke finally, closing its eyes as Michael finished it off.

>SPLURGEEEEEE<

The Monster's blood freely flowed from its body as it finally drew its last breath and died.

"Well, this is a first. You're the first one... the first Grandmaster I didn't despise at their final moments."

Memories of his time in the ruined world flooded Michael's head as he looked at the massive corpse before him. An idea suddenly sparked in his head as he decided to try it out.

"I wonder..." Michael mumbled, standing atop the corpse of the dead Grandmaster.

"DEADMAN MONOPOLY" He uttered as darkness suddenly began to emanate from beneath him.

Dark purple aura, mixed in with pitch-black shadows, appeared and covered the Grandmaster.

Michael ignored the system panel that popped in front of him and stood still while the darkness caused everything else to fade away.

TO BE CONTINUED...