The Black Snake's Plane Crash; Talulah: Loyalty! / Arriving in the Duchy; Taking Over the Third Army...

"Wait, what are you trying to do?"

The Crashed Black Serpent, Talulah: Lo! Yal! Ty!

"Relax. We're just helping you deal with a little problem parasitizing your body."

Bound by the Golden Chains, Talulah felt her consciousness grow heavy. In her daze, she saw the red-haired woman walk up to her and gently stroke her cheek.

"Idle Transfiguration."

Makima murmured as she unleashed the most unique ability she had obtained in the Jujutsu World after subjugating the Four Disaster Cursed Spirits.

Idle Transfiguration allowed its user to directly touch and alter souls.

After using this ability, Makima's perspective revealed that she had touched Talulah, as well as another soul clinging to Talulah's own like a bone-eating maggot, radiating a black aura.

Clearly, this was the other consciousness that had possessed Talulah's body after she killed it in the original storyline—the immortal Black Serpent of Ursus, Koschei.

"This power... how is this possible?!"

Seemingly sensing the approaching danger, that soul began to writhe restlessly. Unfortunately, suppressed by the Chains of Restraint, Koschei could not even escape Talulah's body before Makima seized his soul with Idle Transfiguration.

In an instant, the black-aura soul was forcibly torn away from Talulah's soul. Though it struggled desperately, under the power of Idle Transfiguration, which could touch and alter souls, Koschei's soul ultimately twisted in Makima's hand and became a Black Ring engraved with serpentine patterns.

"There. It's dealt with."

The Golden Chains faded away. After kneeling on the ground and catching her breath for a moment, Talulah barely managed to support herself as she looked at the Black Ring in Makima's hand.

"Was that Koschei's consciousness just now? Did you seal it inside that ring?"

In truth, Talulah had always suspected that Koschei had not died. After all, how could an immortal Black Serpent have been so easily slain by her?

She simply had not expected that, when facing Mobius and the others, Koschei would be defeated so effortlessly. Even his consciousness had been pulled from her body.

Under these circumstances, no matter how sinister and cunning Koschei was, he probably had no moves left, did he?

"It isn't a seal. More precisely, I transformed its soul into this ring. This ring is the soul and consciousness of the immortal Black Serpent, Koschei."

Makima explained, while using the Dominator Devil's authority to completely subjugate Koschei's consciousness, now transformed into a ring in her hand.

Thus, the legendary Grand Duke of Ursus, the immortal Black Serpent Koschei who had lurked upon this land for untold ages, finally came to an end. Makima also acquired the same ability as Koschei—the ability to lodge her consciousness within another person's body, seize it, and assimilate it.

"Now then, it's time for your answer, dear little mouse."

"Will you continue sinking into that unrealistic ideal of yours, or will you build an entirely new nation with our help—one willing to stop oppressing the Infected?"

After dealing with the immortal Black Serpent parasitizing Talulah, Mobius accepted the ring Makima handed over while continuing to ask Talulah for her final choice.

"If I build a new nation for you, will you truly stop oppressing the Infected?"

To be honest, rebellion and nation-building had originally been two concepts very distant from Talulah.

Even while leading members of the Reunion through the snowfields every day to wage guerrilla warfare against Ursus's Infected Patrol, Talulah had never truly entertained the utterly rebellious idea of overthrowing Ursus and building a new country.

But now, after hearing Mobius's analysis of the Reunion's prospects and how difficult it would be to achieve her ideals alone, then witnessing how easily the other side subdued Koschei, enhanced the strength of herself, Patriot, FrostNova, and the others severalfold, and controlled them at will, Talulah admitted that she was tempted.

Even if she might merely be making a wedding dress for these people by building a new country in the future, as long as that country no longer oppressed the Infected and allowed both the Infected and ordinary civilians to live peacefully on this land, she was willing to serve as their vanguard. Even if she ultimately had to hand everything over, she would have no regrets!

After all, without their help, she did not possess that capability to begin with, did she?

"We have no interest in the inefficient act of oppressing the Infected. As long as you obediently listen and willingly cooperate with us, the future you desire will certainly come."

Faced with the grand promise Mobius had laid out, Talulah took a deep breath and made up her mind.

"In that case, I have only one answer..."

"I am willing to obey all your commands and devote myself to a country where the Infected and ordinary citizens no longer hate one another!"

Although there was nothing nearby for her to break and demonstrate her resolve, the three people present could easily hear Talulah's determination in her voice.

"Very good. Then have the Reunion members outside pack up. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning."

"I understand. Where are we going after we leave?"

Hearing Mobius's words, Talulah nodded before asking.

"Of course, to the territory of that Grand Duke of Ursus—Koschei's Domain."

"After all, wouldn't it be a waste not to make proper use of something this convenient?"

Tossing the ring made from Koschei's soul in her hand, Mobius spoke with a smile.

"One more thing. Though you said you would obey all our commands, remember this: from beginning to end, there is only one person you truly need to obey. That is our master."

"Master?"

Turning her head in surprise, Talulah followed Mobius's gaze and saw An Xiu, who had been sitting to one side without uttering a single word from beginning to end.

"Him?"

Before this, the person who had primarily communicated with Talulah had always been Mobius. Combined with Mobius's overwhelmingly forceful performance and her easy defeat of both Talulah and Patriot, the Reunion's two strongest fighters, Talulah had instinctively assumed Mobius was the leader among them.

She had not expected that the man who had remained silent, seemingly leaving everything to Mobius, actually held the highest status among these people.

What sort of person could earn the loyalty of someone as dangerous as Mobius at a glance, as well as that red-haired woman with terrifying methods who had effortlessly dealt with Koschei—and make both of them call him master?

Talulah did not know, nor could she imagine it. With her current understanding, this was clearly beyond her comprehension.

"All of us are extensions of our master's consciousness. So regardless of what happens in the future, even if our master's commands conflict with our decisions, you must prioritize obeying our master."

Mobius solemnly explained this shared understanding of all clones to Talulah. Though Talulah was not a clone, as the core piece in the game that would allow An Xiu to freely beat up Terra's natives, she needed to understand this first.

Arriving at the Duke's Territory, Taking Over the Third Army Group

Early the next morning, the Reunion members who had received orders to pack their belongings the night before gathered outside the village.

They called it packing, but as an organization composed almost entirely of Infected, most Reunion members were penniless paupers. Aside from the clothes on their backs and the weapons they had picked up, their entire possessions could probably be packed in under ten seconds.

The only ones who seemed to have truly packed were the logistics members carefully carrying the remaining thirty jin of food from the Reunion's stores. Though it was not much food and could barely fill a single backpack, it was indeed the last rations of more than a hundred Reunion members.

"Prepare to depart."

At this moment, the one issuing the order within the group was An Xiu himself.

As for Mobius and Makima, they had each returned to the One Punch World and the Jujutsu World the previous night. Mobius said she was going back to make preparations and would return once the Reunion reached Koschei's Domain.

Makima, meanwhile, was meeting with leaders from various countries in the Jujutsu World as a representative of the Jujutsu World's upper echelon and could not be away for too long.

"Move out!"

Talulah gave the order as well. At the very front of the formation, Patriot—so enormous that even the heavily armored Shield Guards looked short beside him—immediately led the members around him forward.

The Reunion set off in grand procession toward Koschei's Domain.

"Traveling so openly through Ursus territory... won't that draw an attack from the Infected Patrol?"

Along the way, Talulah muttered uneasily.

"Don't worry. Mobius arranged everything before she left last night. We won't encounter any threats from the Ursus government along the way. We only need to watch out for other dangers."

An Xiu, who had somehow come to Talulah's side, spoke.

"Mr. An Xiu..."

When Talulah saw An Xiu approaching, she instinctively wanted to step aside, but she seemed to recall something and stopped herself. She merely nodded at An Xiu.

It was not that Talulah wanted to turn hostile now that Mobius and Makima had left. Rather, An Xiu had specifically asked her not to act overly respectful toward him in public.

Private matters were private matters, while being outside was another matter entirely. According to the plan, Talulah would need to appear in public frequently for a long time to come. If too many people learned that the future Empress of Terra had a master behind her and it became common knowledge, it would not be fun if her image collapsed too early.

The same applied to An Xiu's other clones. Unless they were dealing with someone half-inside the circle like Talulah, An Xiu did not want outsiders to learn the true relationship between him and his clones too soon. The later it was revealed, the more it could satisfy his vanity.

In other words, this was also part of the play.

"Don't be too nervous. Although Mobius said everything should prioritize my will, under normal circumstances, I usually won't offer my own opinions—especially when Mobius and the others are around."

"After all, Mobius and the others are much smarter than I am. Anything I can think of, they can think of too. Even if there is something I want to do, they can consider it in advance for me. So most of the time, you can just pretend I'm not there."

Listening to An Xiu, Talulah nodded with a somewhat unnatural expression.

Though it was somewhat disrespectful, An Xiu's description involuntarily brought to mind the image of an incompetent noble and his loyal, capable subordinates.

Such situations were rare in Ursus and even throughout Terra, but they were not unheard of. Great Yan next door even had many storybooks with similar plots and settings. If that incompetent noble, lord, or emperor was also jealous of talent and persecuted his loyal subordinates in return, it would be even more fitting.

Oh, no. Considering the looks of Mobius and Miss Makima, whom she had met last night, perhaps he could also be added a setting of being licentious and unrestrained. He accepted his subordinates' service while forcibly claiming the bodies of his female subordinates because of their beauty. The loyal female subordinates could only submit to his demands while diligently repelling every enemy that came their way...

No, no, no. That was far too outrageous. This was no longer the sort of plot or setting that could appear in reality or even storybooks. This was clearly the kind of storyline that would only appear in indescribable books secretly circulated in Lungmen's underground, books that the Lungmen Police would crack down on the moment they appeared.

Besides, between the two of them, one could casually give her something that multiplied her strength, FrostNova's strength, and Patriot's strength several times over, while the other possessed methods so terrifying that she could pull out even Koschei's soul and knead it however she pleased. What incompetent noble had subordinates this powerful?

Reality was not like the storybooks in Great Yan. How could someone without ability earn the loyalty of people like Mobius and Miss Makima, let alone be called their master?

After all, both Mobius and Makima gave Talulah an extremely dangerous feeling. Such people were not merely capable; their personalities did not seem like those of people who would peacefully follow the rules either.

Therefore, if An Xiu could keep those two in check, then Mr. An Xiu definitely could not be as she had imagined. The reason he had left everything to Mobius in the village must have been because there was some deeper meaning behind it.

Completely unaware of what had been going through the white-haired dragon girl's mind, after several days of travel, every member of the Reunion with An Xiu finally arrived at Koschei's Domain.

Normally, a duke's territory as unreachable as this—especially the Duke's Castle at its center—was off-limits not only to the Reunion's Infected, but even to ordinary citizens of Ursus.

Yet now, the Reunion's Infected not only entered openly, but an honor guard had been transferred in advance to welcome them in formation before the Duke's Castle. The nearby troops assigned to maintain order also stood ramrod straight, turning a blind eye to the Reunion's Infected passing by them from time to time.

There was no other reason. According to the orders these people had received, everyone arriving in the duke's territory—including the Infected—were distinguished guests.

In the end, An Xiu, Talulah, FrostNova, Patriot, and a few others were respectfully invited into the Duke's Castle, while the remaining Reunion members were properly settled in a specially designated area within the territory to rest and recuperate.

"Now that we have safely arrived in the duke's territory, we can proceed with the next phase of the plan."

Within the Duke's Castle, in a council chamber, Mobius—who had returned to An Xiu's side from the One Punch World—addressed everyone in the hall.

"Next, we will remain in Koschei's Domain for a while. During that time, we will take over the Third Army Group, and then... declare war on the Emperor of Ursus."

The Wendigo Clone Project: Some Wars Were Over Before They Began

Taking over the Third Army Group and declaring war on the Emperor of Ursus.

If words like these got out, they would undoubtedly throw the entire situation in Ursus into chaos and make the emperor in Holy Steed Castle let out a piercing shriek.

After all, this was Ursus's Third Army Group, one of the strongest armies in all of Ursus. It was an absolute elite force, capable of ravaging countless small nations across Terra by itself, and it was the private army controlled by Grand Duke Bagration, a Duke of Ursus.

Why was Mobius confident that she could take over such an army, one controlled by someone else?

Naturally, it was because she possessed Koschei—the consciousness and soul of the immortal Black Serpent of Ursus.

Makima's power of domination was quite effective. When she had dealt with Talulah's problem earlier and subjugated the Black Serpent's consciousness, all the Black Serpent's other consciousnesses scattered across various places had died along with it.

After all, those consciousnesses were not independent from one another. The Black Serpent had always possessed only one true will. Once Makima subjugated the main consciousness of the Black Serpent inside Talulah, the other fragments of consciousness were naturally subjugated along with it.

In other words, whatever Mobius wanted the Black Serpent to do now, the Black Serpent would help her do it. The forces once controlled by the Black Serpent had naturally become Mobius's strength as well.

And Grand Duke Bagration, who controlled the Third Army Group, happened to be one of the Black Serpent's pawns. As long as Mobius wished it, the Third Army Group could be handed over to her at any time.

"With the strength of the Third Army Group, we would indeed be qualified to contend with Holy Steed Castle. But if we rely only on the Third Army Group, considering the existence of the other Grand Dukes and Group Armies, becoming the final victor... will be difficult."

Patriot spoke in his deep, muffled voice, his throat now fully recovered. A man who had always been sparing with words felt rather unaccustomed to saying such a long passage in one breath.

At this point, he and FrostNova already knew that Talulah intended to join forces with Mobius and An Xiu, who had suddenly entered the Reunion before, to overthrow the Emperor of Ursus and establish a new nation.

Though shocked by Talulah's thoughts, they trusted her character and decided to help her achieve this goal with all their strength.

As for how they would take over the Third Army Group, given the methods Mobius had displayed before and her current confident appearance, she had probably prepared for it long ago. They did not need to worry about it.

"There is no need to worry about military strength. While we intend to take over the Third Army Group, they will not be the main force participating in the war when we declare war on the Emperor of Ursus."

Mobius showed no concern whatsoever over the predicament Patriot described or the existence of the other Group Armies. However, her words left everyone present somewhat confused.

The Third Army Group was already Ursus's most elite army. If even such an army was not the main force in the coming war, what kind of army could serve as the main force?

And judging by Mobius's meaning, could she bring in another army comparable to the Third Army Group—or even stronger?

Even An Xiu was curious about this.

He was not curious whether Mobius's words were true. After all, he understood Mobius's capabilities better than anyone. Right now, he was simply curious what grand undertaking Mobius had come up with this time to be able to say something like that.

Thus, the rebel group led by Talulah and Mobius quickly concluded their first meeting before the rebellion. After everyone departed, Mobius returned to An Xiu's side and suggested that they go back to the One Punch World together.

Clearly, Mobius had already seen through An Xiu's thoughts during the previous meeting and intended to show him the fruits of her research and preparations from the past few days in advance.

Inside Mobius's research base in the One Punch World.

Rather than lingering among the various research equipment above ground, Mobius opened a passage leading underground beneath the research base. An even more vast space appeared before An Xiu's eyes.