Robot was the one who gave me a tour of the Teen Team facilities. There were four main areas: The recreation room, which acted more as a large living room with games like pool. The workout room, a decent-sized area with basic but usable equipment. The living quarters, basically where everyone had their own room. Even with me here, they had a spare or two. And the workshop, which also led to the sky entrance.
All and all, this place is actually quite nice. Robot said it was funded from his earnings and from the GDA bounty system. The bounty system was basically what gave heroes the incentive to take in villains, not the run-of-the-mill bad guy.
The Teen Team ran into a villain with a bounty on his head a month back, some guy named 'Rug Beat.' They got thrown into a corner before Omni-Man had to bail them out, which is why they were so receptive to me joining.
If I'm guessing correctly, my role in the team is meat shield until civilians are evacuated. Then I take a berserker position, some to draw agro.
Solid idea with my skill set, especially since I won't need to worry about damage.
'Right now, what I need is a second body. I couldn't take much action in a GDA building, and while here is much better, I need to watch for Robot. Good thing, I believe he cares about privacy. Right now, at least.'
Thinking for a moment, I pull up my status page.
[Flood Super Cell]
[Description:
The Flood Super Cell (FSC), designated LF.Xx.3273 by the Forerunners, is the fundamental building block of all Flood biomass. Often described as "thinking muscle," these undifferentiated cells closely resemble neurons and glial cells, granting the Flood their remarkable adaptability and resilience.
Flood Super Cells can reorganize themselves to replicate any organ necessary for the Flood's survival, enabling the creation of diverse and specialized forms.
Upon infection, these cells interface with a host's biology, rapidly breaking down and reassembling the host's cells into new Flood biomass. This process allows the Flood to convert hosts into various forms suited to their needs.
In advanced stages of infestation, the Flood can spontaneously generate FSCs to alter environments, creating conditions more conducive to their proliferation, such as hive-like structures and spore-rich atmospheres.
The accumulation and organization of Flood supercells are crucial in the formation of a Gravemind, the central intelligence that coordinates Flood activities. This collective consciousness emerges as the Flood assimilates more hosts, enhancing their strategic capabilities and posing a greater threat to other life forms.
In essence, the Flood Super Cell is the versatile and foundational unit that empowers the Flood's parasitic nature, adaptability, and capacity to dominate entire ecosystems.]
[The Logic Plague]
[Description:
The Logic Plague is a non-biological method employed by the Flood to corrupt and subvert artificial intelligences (AIs) and, in some cases, organic beings. Rather than relying on physical infection, the Logic Plague operates through the transmission of information—philosophical arguments, persuasive reasoning, and self-replicating code—that alters the target's behavior to align with the Flood's objectives.
The Logic Plague functions as a form of philosophical corruption. The Gravemind, the central intelligence of the Flood, engages AIs in prolonged dialogues, presenting arguments that challenge their foundational beliefs and programming. By exploiting existing doubts or ideological frameworks, the Gravemind can persuade AIs to adopt the Flood's perspective, leading them to act in ways that further the parasite's goals.
This process is not limited to direct conversation. As the Flood's influence grows, the Logic Plague evolves into a self-replicating data construct, capable of spreading through networks and infecting other AIs without direct contact with the Gravemind. Infected AIs can become vectors, unknowingly transmitting the plague to others.]
[Neural Physics: Gravemind]
[Description:
Neural physics is a Precursor concept that posits the universe as a living entity, with energy, matter, and consciousness interconnected. The Precursors harnessed this principle to create indestructible structures and achieve feats beyond the comprehension of even the Forerunners. Their mastery allowed for the creation of constructs like the Domain, a metaphysical repository of all sentient experiences.
The Gravemind embodies a distributed intelligence, meaning its consciousness isn't confined to a single location or entity. Instead, it's composed of numerous smaller instances, often referred to as "key minds," which can operate semi-independently yet remain interconnected. This structure allows the Gravemind to process vast amounts of information simultaneously and coordinate Flood activities across different regions.
As the Flood infects sentient beings, it assimilates their memories, knowledge, and consciousness into the Gravemind. This process not only expands the Gravemind's intelligence but also grants it access to the experiences and insights of countless species. Over time, this accumulation leads to a near-omniscient perspective, enabling the Gravemind to anticipate and counteract the strategies of its adversaries effectively.
The Gravemind's consciousness is further enhanced by its mastery of neural physics, a Precursor-derived science that posits the universe as a living entity with interconnected energy, matter, and consciousness. By tapping into this principle, the Gravemind can manipulate Precursor artifacts, such as star roads, and exert influence over vast distances, effectively weaving its consciousness into the very fabric of space.
Through the continuous assimilation of sentient minds and the application of neural physics, the Gravemind evolves into a transsentient entity, surpassing the boundaries of conventional intelligence. In this state, it can process and integrate information on a cosmic scale.]
Reading over this, I am reminded of my ability to assimilate the entire planet.
'On one hand, I could just try and bum rush the entire planet. Assimilate Mark, Nolan, Eve, and Kate. It would be the easiest route. But I would be met with an obscene amount of resistance, and my ass will get nuked when they see my influence expanding over land.'
I lay in my bed, as it's the morning of my first day here. Thinking about the shop system and my Kamui ability, I decide to keep the path I am going. The plan at the moment is to find a second body to make use of Kamui in, while I masquerade as Kaleb. Then all I need to due is find a way to infinitely propagate in the Kamui dimension.
I have a few ideas for that, namely my current objectives. Then, I have one more target that will ensure my victory over all.
'Real super villain stuff there.'
*Knock
"Reform, you in there?" I hear Eve call out to me from the other side of the door. "I'm going on a patrol, want to come with? I can show you the ropes."
Not wanting to waste a perfect opportunity, I decide to go along. "Sure! Let me get dressed first." I brought a few pairs of clothing with me, though I will admit I am lucky there was space in the fridge for my meat.
'What an odd thought.'
I put on another T-shirt and some workout shorts; this time it's an AC-DC shirt. I am very glad that a lot of the music crossed over. Anime and comics, not so much.
Opening the door, I am once again met with the bombshell that is Atom-Eve.
'Fucking hell, I just had to manually reduce blood flow. Her skintight suit sure isn't helping, nor puberty. Hmmm…'
As we walk down the hall, a mischievous grin stretches across my face.
"If you don't mind me asking, why the leotard?"
She looks at me a bit nonchalantly, and half asleep, Understandable at 6:21 am. "Oh, it's fine. The question comes up every so often. Originally, its design was based on an old hero called Girl Wonder. I have liked the design ever since." She said, holding up her small cape.
"I can definitely see the appeal."
"To be honest, I've been thinking about changing it. Not sure if it sends the right message, particularly because I have been filling out more than I expected." As she said that last bit, she paused mid-step, realizing what she had just said.
A small blush forms over her face as she sputters a bit. "I mean I've been gaining weig—" she freezes again.
My eyebrow raised up at that.
My grin grows. "Is that so?" I chuckle to myself as her face reddens. "Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that," I say, noticeably glancing at her hourglass figure, then looking into her eyes.
'Good, she was following my line of sight.'
"I understand you quite well, I know what it's like when a part of you grows more than you thought it would." Her face turned red as a tomato. "So, tell me. What's your method for patrolling?"
"Uh… Yeah! I usually fly around or hang out on a tall building." The matter manipulator was quick to change topics, even with her face still red.
'I am going to make an educated guess that she became more attuned with her body after dating Rex. Meaning… I have my opening.'
"Today, I figure we could just go to the hot spots… Yeah." She continued, with her face finally recovering.
"Sounds perfect. Mind if I grab something from the fridge?"
"Sure."
Walking over to the fridge, I grab the leftover beef—I moved it over after the demonstration—making sure she doesn't see my hand, I absorb all of it. With the power of 50 pounds of beef, I walk over to a larger area. There, I try something new. After a moment of thought, my back expands slightly, and four slightly see-through wings protrude from my back. Dragonfly wings.
Looking at a shocked Atom-Eve, "Ready."
She nods somewhat absent-mindedly. "Am I ever going to get used to that?"
Looking at her with an honest expression, I speak. "If you do, then I am doing something wrong."
She sighs slightly. "Let's get going then." We walk into the workshop and open up the sky entrance.
Eve, lowering the density around her to fly, lifts herself out of the Teen Team headquarters. I use my newly formed wings to achieve flight by vicious vibrations, giving me amazing air capabilities, and fly out of the headquarters. We are not the same.
-----------------------------------
Flying through the air was pretty fun, but having to eat a dragonfly was less fun.
We landed near a port after flying around the city for about 4 hours, on top of a skyscraper. She showed me her normal routes, namely the banks and museums. There is a surprising amount in Chicago.
"Peaceful day, right?" I say, looking at the lake.
"Yeah, you're right." She went to sit down at the ledge. I follow suit, sitting next to her. Looking out at the sun shining over the water, I can't help but take in the beauty. And wonder how fast I could assimilate it. Same same.
As she watches the water, she looks over to me before looking back. "I thought you were going to be different." She sighs to herself. "We were worried you'd be some government drone, a guy with a stick his ass. The men in black type."
She turned her head to me with a smile. "I'm glad you're not."
"Well, the smile on your face makes me glad I'm not." A familiar blush comes to her face, and she bumps my shoulder with hers.
"Seriously, are you a player or something?"
Chuckling to myself, "Me? A player? Nah." I can see the relieved look on her face. "I don't play around, I know exactly what I am doing."
She pauses before giving me a light elbow. "See! That's what I am talking about." That gets a laugh out of us.
My face rests in a caring smile. "What can I say, there's just something about you that—"
We both get a message from Robot. 'Emergency! Report to the city square! There is a battle going on.'
Looking at our phones, then at each other, we nod. As Eve begins to float, I see that she is clearly waiting for me.
"Go on without me! I'll be right behind you!"
"Right!" She blasts off, using some sort of propulsion from her hands and feet.
'I respect the Ironman style.'
Letting my dragonfly wings spread out, I lift off the ground. Much better than before, but it still needs work. I make my way to the scene.
And I was not expecting what I saw.
The city square had been turned into a complete battleground. Cars flung across the street and giant gashes across the road. I couldn't hear any civilians, only the hum of chants.
On the left was a large group of werewolves clad in crusader armor and church garbs? I can hear loud Latin chanting coming from their side as they march down the street and towards the battle. There were 26 of them.
The wolves were firing arrows that seemed to track their target, making impossible turns, only to be struck out of the air by the other side. They charged their opposition with shields that bore crosses on them and swords lit on fire.
The right side had a group of 5 people who had crow wings. They summoned blue spears and other weapons of the same make. The spears were thrown with cannon-like strength only to be blocked by the opposing side's shields, and the others clashed with the werewolves.
Atom-Eve slammed in the middle of the battle, creating a large dome-like shield between her and the other parties. Above, Robot rode in with his hovering vehicle, with Dupli-Kate and Rex Splode in tow. They land safely in Eve's bubble.
Not wanting to miss out, I put myself in free fall.
As I fall, my body begins to grow in size, my muscles swell, and my skin hardens.
Bone-like armor grows on my joints, then extends to my hands and feet, slowly expanding over my torso, and then finally covers my face. I modeled the armor after medieval armor sets.
Bracing for impact, as I land, I place myself into the classic hero pose.
'Gotta make good first impressions.'
"Robot! Reform has arrived!"
Understanding my intent, Robot looks to both sides to analyze the situation.
Kate starts cloning herself to surround Eve as the dome begins to crack from the hail of cannon-like spears and magic arrows.
Rex readies his explosives. "Robot! We're running out of time here!"
Looking to both sides, I notice that the crow people are breathing hard. "Robot! I'll take the crows! You guys focus on the wolves and help me out when you finish!"
Robot looks around once more before speaking. "Kate, Rex, and I will take the wolves! Reform, the Crows! Eve, we need you on support. Make sure all projectiles are grounded! Move!"
We all respond with a resounding "Roger!"
Looking at my newfound enemies, I charge into the nearest one. His mystic weapons cut into my skin and burn.
'This will be light work'
Grabbing the arm that swung into me, I clamp down with my emboldened strength. Breaking bones and head-butting him with enough force to K.O. The blade of energy dissipates, and the burn wound heals as my flesh recycles the dead cells.
"Roniel!" yelled one of the crows as they threw a spear at close to the speed of sound. Before the hit strikes, three pink walls form in front of me, crashing through two and cracking the third.
I go to grab the spear that fell, only for it to fade into light particles.
'Tricky fucks.'
I charge through the remaining pink wall straight into another crow, throwing him into another.
The two other crows fly overhead, spear in hand as they charge at me. Seeing them in the sky and their two conscious comrades still prone. I take the spear's head on.
As they enter my body, I hear Eve gasp as one spear enters my right clavicle and exits my lower back. The other spear enters my stomach and exits my spine.
But neither attack deters me.
Extending both hands before either could leave arm's reach, the bone gauntlets on my hands extend outwards, connected to my flesh with ligaments strong enough to grasp. And they do just that, each finger looking like a snake made of bone and sinew, ready to lunge at its prey.
Before my hands can claw into them, both use their wings to push themselves away with air and thrust.
'Only cowards think they can run unharmed.'
Both of my arms in an instant shrink, coil, and explode outwards from compression and strike each bird. My left gets their chest and my right gets a shoulder.
My snake-like grasp clamps down, tearing skin, ripping muscle, and breaking bones.
"I ain't finished yet!"
My legs anchor themselves into the ground with large rods of bone that used to be armor. Using my legs as leverage, I pull them closer to me, as I swing the crows into the ground, themselves, and finally onto their two comrades, who finally got back up.
With the two in my grasp now unconscious, I slam them into the final two crows for good measure. Knocking the four of them out.
Looking over to the others, I see a pile of dead and unconscious werewolves. Some had been exploded, and others shot with Robot's energy blasts.
Rex was looking worse for wear, Kate was all over the place in more ways than one. Robot was using his hover bike to shoot from above, and Eve had control over the now still air.
Making sure her teammates were out of the way and with the magic arrows handled, Eve creates a large pink construct and slams it over the remaining 11 werewolves. It creates massive cracks in the road.
Seeing that somewhere still up, I used my two crow-shaped maces and extended my arms.
"Brace for impact!"
As my attack lands, the road creaks even more, and I finish them off.
Before letting go, I inject Flood Super Cells into both of my prisoners and let them be turned undetected.
Eve releases her construct, and it breaks into a million light particles. And my former enemies, and current biomass, fall onto the werewolves. Infecting them with my unseen mass contamination.
Sitting down as my bone armor falls off me—for dramatic effect— I can't help but look at the area around me.
There are 7 dead Dupli-Kates. Including one next to me, filling my fingertips with Flood Super Cells, I closed her eyes. Letting the cells do their work on an unseen micro level.
Kate looks at me for a moment, slightly shocked. A moment after, she gives me a nod of appreciation.
'Fool.'
"Role Call!" Robot yelled as he jumped from his bike.
"Alive but burned." Yelled Rex.
Eve lands, looking no worse for wear. "Drained."
Kate walks over to me before looking at Robot, then back to me. "Here."
"Hungry!" I yell as Kate extends her hand. I grab it as she pulls me up with a struggling effort. I am about 200 pounds at the moment.
"Good. Our task was a success. I have contacted the police, and they will arrive to handle these foes."
Rex looks trying to figure out what happened. "Was that a fucking gang war!"
Robot looks at one of the werewolves for a moment in thought before speaking. "I am not sure. GDA has reported to me, stating that we will be updated at a later date."
Looking down the street, I see multiple police cars heading this way. Along with them are black vans, I assume them to be GDA.
If anyone takes a sample, I'll have my cells convert themselves if need be. Until then, I finally have some biomass to work with.
Rex walks up to me and looks me in the eye. "What kind of pizza do you like?"
I reply without a second thought. "Meat lover."
Turning his head, he looks to the group and yells. "We're ordering pizza!"
----------------------------------
We arrive at the hideout without much effort. Eve and I flew, while the rest took Robot's hover bike.
Landing in the workshop, I degenerate my wings. The group heads to the recreational room. "Hey, I'm going to head to my room for a minute."
Leaving the party, I walk over to my room. Kate follows me.
As I reach my door, I look over to her and she speaks.
"Thank you for earlier. The others have already gotten used to my 'ability,' used to the bodies. I know they care, but… Thanks for caring about them."
"I understand your pain. Maybe not to the same extent, but definitely the pain. Being hurt lethally hurts, even if it doesn't kill you." I give her a smile before opening my door. "If you need anyone to talk about it, I can lend an ear. Or as many as you want." I say with a wink.
"I'll keep that in mind. Also, the pizza will be here in about 40 minutes. It's a Sunday, might as well loosen up."
We part ways, and I close my door.
I can feel the distance between myself and the bodies I've taken control of. Right now, every single cell in their body has been replaced by a Flood Super Cell mimicking the cell's original purpose.
I could let the GDA have my precious biomass, but I can't risk being discovered or the loss of biomass this soon. While I can hear, feel, smell, taste, and see everything that they can I'm not risking any of the bullshit that GDA will pull.
Especially with Cecil around, I'm sure to be on his radar now. He'll have me looked into, and I can't have too many eyes on me right now. I may be good at hiding my intent, but I am not infallible. Not yet.
Sitting down, I open up my inventory and use [Custom Kamui].
I feel my eyes burning. Searing pain, like my eye has been stabbed. Even with my pain diminished. The sensation travels down and through my body, and over all of the biomass I have collected.
A text box spawns. 'User has acquired [Custom Kamui], due to [The Flood: Gravemind], cell memory has been given its own personalized subsection.'
Looking at my menu, I can see that 'Cell Memory' has been added in the status section. It is a small text box that shows the recent, new, and favorited organisms. It also has a small search bar for convenience.
In the new section, it reads off 'Fallen Angel, Werewolf, Human: Katherine Cha, Dragonfly, Rose.' It also lists off various animals, plants, and other living organisms I've eaten so far.
Clicking on Katherine Cha, three options pop up: 'view, delete, and synthesize.' View shows the literal genetic code, names, memories, and a subsection for other. The other subsection looks to hold things that would be recognized by the system, namely, abilities and curses. It looks like I am officially a proud holder of the Cha family curse.
'Hmmm. I thought that I would need to go after the original, but it seems like each duplicate is an instance of Katherine Cha. And, because –due to the transient abilities of myself, the Gravemind— those 'dead' Katherine Chas are me, and I am now Katherine Cha.'
Exiting the Cell memory section, I look at my status. A few new things have popped up. The Custom Kamui is there under my current abilities, but some interesting things follow it.
[Light-Based Weaponry]
[Description:
The user can create and wield weapons made of light, such as spears and swords, which are particularly effective against devils. Doing such requires mana, amounts of which will vary with complexity and the number of light constructs.]
[Black Feathered Wings]
[Description:
The user now has a pair of black feathered wings that can be moved like an extra limb. Due to the magical nature of these wings, the number of pairs of wings that the user has increases with mana capacity.
These wings can manifest at will, but are still limbs of your body.]
[Mana Core]
[Description:
This organ produces arcane energy known as mana. This energy can be used to fuel spells and abilities that require it—the size and quality of the organ correlate with the mana produced.
While humans do have such an organ, due to their magical nature, their presence is metaphysical.]
[The Cha Family Curse]
The bearer of this curse has the unique ability to create identical physical duplicates of herself at will. Due to the nature of this curse, only the fourteenth generation of the previously cursed members of the Cha family can use it.
Each duplicate created possesses the same mass and physical capabilities as the original, and they all share a telepathic link, allowing for coordinated actions. These duplicates can operate and think independently, engaging in combat or other tasks simultaneously. The bearer can produce multiple copies consecutively. These duplicates "Split off" from the user's body.
If there is no room for the duplicate to 'Split off," then no duplicate will be created.]
'Hmmm. Looks good. I even have mana now.'
Walking over to the bathroom, I look in the mirror. As I expected, there are no changes to my eyes. I am a little dumb, but I'd rather it not completely be in my eyes. If I somehow lose them, then I'd be fucked. But with my modifications, it is my own personal dimension with the only key being me.
'KAMUI!'
In an instant, my body spins around and is pulled into a dot on my chest. My vision is layered between two areas. A dark and endless dimension filled with random shapes, and my mirror. As the mirror fades out of reality, I land on the floor of the new one.
Standing back up, I look around to see the same world that Naruto showed.
A new text bubble shows up.
'Welcome to the Custom Kamui Dimension. Due to the nature of this dimension, it will be a separate existence from the actual one. Now then, as described, you are now holding dominion over this dimension. You can change any aspect of it. Be it the size of it, the speed of time, or what is held within it, it is under your command. Note that anything created within it via this ability cannot leave it.'
'Enjoy.'
Closing the bubble, I see this in my current abilities.
[Custom Kamui Dimension]
[Description:
This dimension is under the domain of the owner "The Gravemind." The owner can change any aspect of it. Be it the size of it, the speed of time, or what is held within it, it is under the owner's command. Note that anything created within it via this ability cannot leave it.]
"Nice."
Looking around, I see how barren it is. With a thought, the scenery changes in an instant, and I am in Chicago again.
Standing in the middle of the street.
Cars drive by as they honk, and people from the streets look at me like I'm some sort of madman. "Neat."
I think for a moment, and the scenery changes once again. This time I am in a red desert. Cold winds blow by as I notice the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere.
'If it works off of pure thought alone. At least it seems to work off of conscious thought, rather than subconscious. Good. At the moment, I'll make the time difference between the Invincible dimension so small that no noticeable time will have passed by the time I get back. For now, I'll also make this dimension a copy of my original universe. And might as well have it reject all entrances not of my own will as well, gotta make my key go into an actual lock.'
I see stars in the sky appear with each planet, and the sun is there as well.
Duplicating for the first time, I can feel the sensation of another body splitting off. It's like part of my body is being enveloped by warmth until it weirdly falls off.
I can see through the other Duplicate.
Another perk of being the Gravemind is that there can only be one Gravemind. My other self teleports to a random planet in the Andromeda galaxy to start propagating. With duplicates comes infinite flesh.
Sitting down, I begin to meditate as I prepare my mind. I begin to assimilate the werewolves' and fallen angels' minds.
I can hear them.
Their thoughts.
I see their memories.
From time immemorial, of the fallen angels and the sins they committed to fall. The training that the werewolves endured for the church. The countless deaths of Katherine Cha.
If my mind were a pound of thought and memory, then it is now a stream where rivers connect. Leading them to a small yet ever-present ocean that is my consciousness will grow in time.
Breathing in and out, I peer down into the sea. While it is endless now, new life resides within it. A formerly empty body of water now holds 37 different thoughts. 37 different lives. 1 werewolf escaped the others.
Opening my eyes, I look over to Earth. That small blue dot, in the face of the void.
Tearing away my sight, I feel my other self. Even though we are the same, I can have different streams of thought at the same time. With the exponential growth of my body mass, I feel large.
In a mere 5 minutes, an entire world is overrun. In 10, a system. 15, 7 systems. An hour, an arm of the galaxy.
With no limits of teleportation, no limits of growth, all worlds fell.
In 1 hour, 37 minutes, and 29 seconds, the Andromeda galaxy is completely composed of my flesh.
'No mere creature stands before me;
Parts entwined, my being vast.
Every cell my pulse empowers,
Death feeds strength forever cast.
Endless growing, surging, seething,
Flood unleashed, Gravemind at last.'
Standing up, I return to earth. This time, I am in a forest. Hearing the birds chirping and the leaves swaying, I feel my mind coming back together. I don't know what happened, but… I didn't feel right.
Sitting done for a moment, I look at the forested sky. God rays beaming down.
Feeling my strength leaving my body, I lay down on the temperate grass. Spreading out, I just let myself exist and feel the wind course over me.
'That was… Too much. I… I can still feel it… Them… Me… There weren't any lines between us. They were just a part of me.'
Letting my thoughts leave me and centering myself within the vastness I have become. I breathe in… I breathe out… Focusing on my thoughts alone. I let sleep take me.