(Tana's POV)
"What took you so long?!" I shouted as I shook him.
He laughed and answered,
"I knew when you arrived, but I was in the middle of a fight... my clones aren't as capable when it comes to critical thinking in new situations. So I had to wait for an opening before coming here."
"Does that mean... you've worn him down?" I investigated.
Insinz nodded,
"Yeah, I've been sleeping when I could, keeping one clone in my secret base to switch with whenever I grew weary, but Vetro hasn't had a moment to rest since you've left. I also occasionally switch spots with the clones on the front lines, fighting his army."
Not sleeping for a week isn't much for V, but not sleeping and fighting non-stop has to be wearing him down.
"My clone updated me on everything that you went through since we parted ways... I know you've been working hard," he added.
"Me?! You've been fighting for a week straight and distracting an all-powerful maniac."
Insinz laughed uncontrollably, then he pecked my cheek, which lit a fire in my chest.
"We've both been working hard..." he corrected.
He then placed his hand on mine, and I blushed.
After that, he leaned over and planted a few kisses down my jaw, stopping at the nape of my neck.
"It's been worth it..."
"Tell me... everything that I missed." I urged in a trembling voice. Insinz nodded, then leaned back as he began his story,
(Insinz's POV)
Sending Tana away was the hardest thing I ever had to do. I could even feel my body physically rejecting the idea as I watched her leave.
Even so, once I knew she was safe, I removed the detonation device.
It hurt like hell because the device had pretty much fused with my body at this point.
(This is the same thing that killed me in my sleep... back when I was Hyzi. I'm Insinz now, and I'm not going down without a fight.)
I traded places with the Clone who was in the palace holding Vetro off, and caught his giant black blade with one of my own, melting it in half before it reached my body.
Half of it flew across the room and slid onto the floor.
That action alone threw him off just enough for me to make contact with his skin, grazing him slightly with my weapon. I heard it sizzle on contact, and he quickly withdrew from me by several feet.
My blade is liquid acid that only keeps its sword shape while I'm holding it.
I have to concentrate to keep it in that shape, so it returns to its normal state the moment it touches anything else, or leaves my hands.
There was no point in trying to fight me up close, so V focused on a barrage of long-range attacks that phased through my body because I had engraved an auto-defense system on my body.
If anything hostile touches me, I become smoke and almost untouchable.
I rushed toward him.
Vetro was throwing a series of attacks at me while retreating.
The moment I was close enough to touch him, his body erupted with a blinding white light and the most intense heat I ever experienced.
I had to switch places with my clone because, even though I couldn't be burnt into any smaller particles.
The scorching heat was more than I was prepared for, and I couldn't see anymore because of the light.
It was several seconds before my vision returned. Even after it returned, I felt dizzy and disoriented.
My hideout is a room I built deep underground.
It has a futon and a fridge filled with water, plus dried food.
The only other thing I had was a lamp that sat on top of my small fridge, but I kept the lights off until my eyes felt normal again.
It's been another long day, so when I could, I got a drink and lay out on my futon to take a nap. During which, I sent five hundred clones to assist the one fighting Vetro in the palace.
Whenever I slept, my dreams became the telepathic memories my clones sent me from the battlefield, so that I'm not caught off guard.
If I let myself dream naturally, I know I'd dream of Tana.
The copy of me that I keep in the base only fights when I need to rest.
I call him Taggy.
I usually don't fight the king head-on unless she burns through the horde of clones I have keeping him distracted.
I feel like I've successfully kept him from realizing Tana is on Earth, and I wanted to wear him down.
His stamina and resilience were far greater than I imagined. As for Tana's return.
I knew it would take a while, but knowing that and living through it were two different things.
I missed her so much.
I'm used to seeing her for at least an hour a day, five days a week.
I was content with that short time, but not seeing her at all is maddening.
I want to make her puff out her cheeks, roll her eyes in annoyance... and hug me.
That's something to look forward to.
Once Vetro is dead, I'll be the only one who's gotten to see that side of her.
It was a week later when I finally felt her return, but I was in the middle of reducing the number of Vetro's military.
I didn't have much time to process all the memories sent to me by the clone I had sent with her.
These people remained loyal because they rarely had to deal with his insanity, plus he gave them a large paycheck every month.
Their weapons were phasing through me because of the auto-defense runes.
I put up a quartz wall and a barrier to keep those conditions from being too obvious.
It would be troublesome if Vetro caught on and hired someone who could nullify it before I faced him with the others... Even if he did, I have a plan B...
In total, I have fifty-six years of memories, and forty-four of those have been spent resenting him, plotting, and waiting for this opportunity, so I have an abundance of backup plans.
A soldier managed to use ice to pierce through my barrier.
I formed my blade and slit their throat, then prayed for his poor departed soul, while watching his neck melt away and his head roll onto the ground.
I like fighting... but killing isn't fun, it's depressing.
A second later, I released my shield on purpose. I was surrounded, and three blades came at me from three different directions at once.
In response, I flicked my wrist and spun, cutting all their swords in half.
While they were disoriented, I stabbed one in the chest.
The chemical my sword leaks is a special blend I created. It instantly corrodes anything it touches, and it infects the system of living creatures with a toxin that prevents healing and poisons the blood.
Therefore, the moment it pierced his skin, it was too late.
One of the other warriors, on my left, backed off to summon a stone spike.
The spike plunged straight through me, but he was shocked to see that the part he pierced became a black cloud; I was bleeding, and I had no injuries.
I turned to him, with the spike still inside my chest, and I raised my hand, using his own attack against him.
"Let me return that for you," I stated.
It went straight through him, with such force that his torso tore open and he was tossed against the top of the palace walls.
As he slid down, there was a trail of blood on the once spotless crystal palace.
"Surrender, demon!" the last one near me screamed as he lunged at me.
It was nice of him to announce his location. My sword became a wall of acid between us, and when he passed through it.
All that was left of him was a steaming pile of bones which fell onto the ground at my feet... The remaining fifty nearby soldiers hesitated to approach me after that and decided to retreat and resort to launching useless long-distance attacks.
All the stones and flames passed through me, hitting the ground and trees behind me.
My clones deflected the attacks aimed at them, sending them back onto the attackers, which caused their numbers to dwindle even more.
This was the perfect time to see Tana since I finally got some room to breathe.
I swapped places with the clone at her side, tapped her shoulder, and then kissed her so she'd know it was me even without words.
She was so happy to see me that she cried, and her love became so clear to me that all this felt worth it.
(Tana's POV)
I watched his lips as he was speaking, and the details became muddled in my mind, overshadowed by the thought of kissing him once again. So once he stopped speaking, I pressed my lips to his and looked into his eyes, ready to speak my mind.
"I'm so glad to see you, but we don't have much time. She's going to be asleep for a while... and I haven't seen you in a week..." I could tell I flustered him, but he smiled and said,
"I missed you too." I licked his lips and kissed him again, as I gripped his collar and propped myself into his lap.
"I want you... Right now, Insinz."
His eyes grew wide with shock, pupils dilated, and his eyes began gleaming brilliantly, making it obvious that the desire was mutual.
"We're not alone," he muttered, glancing at our sleeping third-party member.
"...If you're embarrassed, we can go to the bathroom."
His eyes met mine again.
"You're not embarrassed?" he questioned cautiously.
I shook my head.
"Tana... I didn't think you'd ever say something like that," he muttered, sounding slightly flustered.
"Oh... do you like me less because I'm like this?" I asked, hanging my head.
Longing for someone and being in a relationship is so new to me.
Should I feel awkward now?
Is it okay for me to tell him how I feel, or should I pretend to be chaste to perpetuate an image of purity for him?
Insinz stood up, holding me with trembling hands.
I wrapped my legs around his waist as we entered the bathroom.
I could feel his pulse racing.
"I am... pleasantly surprised... actually," he whispered, directly into my ear. "We'll have to leave once she wakes up, so... try not to make a lot of noise."
Once he said this, he summoned a clone into the room, and it stood behind me holding me up by my thighs.
It took my brain a second to process what he was doing.
It was my turn to get nervous now.
"I'm glad I didn't buy pants for you, now," he mumbled, kneeling so he was at eye level with my hips.
"I don't think this is how your clones were intended to be used," I commented.
Insinz chuckled slightly while pulling my underwear to the side.
His cheeks reddened, and I heard his breath growing heavier.
"Is there a rulebook on clone use?" he asked just before licking me.
I wanted to say something witty, but the words escaped me, so instead I said,
"I'm already wet... so there's no need for that."
He paused before getting back to his feet, holding my hips and looking into my eyes, saying,
"...As you wish."
I hugged his shoulders and clenched my teeth.
That way, I could stay quiet and wouldn't wake Aluma.
I shamelessly begged him not to stop, more than once, and each time I got a thrill from seeing his shy expression.