Starting to Eat Clone Soft Rice from Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 34

"Wait, what are you doing?"

Chapter 70: The Black Serpent's Crash, Talulah: Loyalty!

"Relax, just helping you solve a little parasitic problem."

Bound by golden chains, Talulah felt her consciousness grow hazy. In a daze, she saw the red-haired woman walk up to her and reach out to stroke her cheek.

"Idle Transfiguration."

Makima murmured, activating the most unique ability she had acquired from the world of sorcery after dominating the four disaster curses—the power to directly touch and reshape the soul.

With this ability activated, from Makima's perspective, she successfully touched Talulah—and another soul clinging to Talulah's like a bone-deep parasite, radiating a black serpentine aura.

Clearly, this was the other consciousness that, in the original timeline, had possessed Talulah after being killed by her: Ursus's undying Black Serpent, Koschei.

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

Sensing the approaching danger, the soul stirred uneasily. But suppressed by the Chains of Restraint, Koschei couldn't even flee Talulah's body before Makima seized his soul with Idle Transfiguration.

In an instant, the black-auraed soul was torn away from Talulah's. Despite its desperate struggle, under the power of Idle Transfiguration, which could touch and reshape souls, Koschei's soul twisted and condensed in Makima's hand into a black ring carved with serpentine patterns.

"There, it's done."

The golden chains dissipated. Talulah knelt on the ground, gasping for a moment before forcing herself upright and looking at the black ring in Makima's hand.

"Was that Koschei's consciousness just now? You sealed it in that ring?"

In truth, Talulah had always suspected Koschei wasn't truly dead—after all, how could the undying Black Serpent be so easily killed by her?

But she hadn't expected that, facing Mobius and the others, Koschei would be defeated so effortlessly, his very consciousness ripped from her body.

In this state, no matter how cunning or treacherous Koschei was, he must be out of options, right?

"It's not a seal. To be precise, I turned his soul into this ring. This ring is the soul and consciousness of the undying Black Serpent, Koschei itself."

Makima explained, simultaneously using the Dominator Devil's authority to fully dominate the consciousness of Koschei, now transformed into the ring.

Thus, the legendary Ursus duke, the undying Black Serpent who had coiled across this land for countless ages, met his final end. And Makima gained the same ability as Koschei—to lodge her consciousness in another's body, possess, and assimilate it.

"Now, it's time for your answer, dear Little Mouse."

"Will you continue to sink into your unrealistic ideals, or will you build a new nation under our help—one that no longer oppresses the Infected?"

Having dealt with the undying Black Serpent parasitizing Talulah, Mobius took the ring handed over by Makima and continued pressing 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 were concepts far removed from Talulah.

Even leading the Reunion's members in guerrilla warfare against the Ursus Infected Patrol across the snowy plains, she had never harbored the treasonous thought of overthrowing Ursus to establish a new country.

But now, after hearing Mobius's analysis of the Reunion's prospects and the difficulty of achieving her ideals alone, and witnessing her effortlessly subdue Koschei while casually boosting and controlling the strength of herself, Patriot, and FrostNova, Talulah admitted she was tempted.

Even if the new nation she built would ultimately serve as a stepping stone for these people, as long as it no longer oppressed the Infected and allowed both them and ordinary civilians to live peacefully on this land, she was willing to be their vanguard—even if she had to give everything in the end without regret!

After all, without their help, she wouldn't have had the ability to begin with, would she?

"We have no interest in the inefficient act of oppressing the Infected. As long as you obey obediently and cooperate willingly, the future you hope for will surely come."

Faced with Mobius's grand promise, Talulah took a deep breath and made up her mind.

"In that case, my answer is only one..."

"I am willing to follow all your orders and devote myself to a nation where the Infected and ordinary people no longer hate each other!"

Though there was nothing nearby to break and demonstrate her resolve, the determination in Talulah's voice was unmistakable to the three present.

"Good. Then have the Reunion members outside pack up. We'll be ready to leave tomorrow morning."

"Understood. Where are we going after we leave?"

Hearing Mobius's words, Talulah nodded and asked.

"To that Ursus duke's domain, of course—Koschei's Domain."

"After all, with such a useful tool in hand, it would be a waste not to use it well, wouldn't it?"

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

"Also, while you're to obey all our commands, remember this: the one you truly need to obey, from start to finish, is only one person—our master."

"Master?"

Somewhat stunned, Talulah turned her gaze following Mobius's to An Xiu, who had sat silently in the corner the entire time without speaking a word.

"Him?"

Until now, Mobius had been the one primarily communicating with Talulah. Coupled with Mobius's forceful demeanor and her effortless defeat of both Talulah and Patriot—the Reunion's strongest combatants—Talulah had instinctively assumed she was the leader among them.

She never expected that the one with the highest status among these people was this man who had remained silent, leaving everything to Mobius.

What kind of person could earn the loyalty of someone as dangerous as Mobius at first glance, and the red-haired woman with her terrifying methods who had casually disposed of Koschei—and have them both call him master?

Talulah didn't know, and couldn't even imagine. With her current understanding, this situation was clearly beyond her grasp.

"All of us are extensions of our master's will. So no matter what happens in the future, even if our master's commands conflict with our decisions, you must prioritize obeying our master."

Mobius solemnly explained to Talulah the consensus shared by all her clones. Although the latter was not a clone, as the core of the game that would allow An Xiu to freely beat down Terra's natives in the future, Talulah had to first develop this understanding.

Chapter 71: Arriving at the Duke's Domain, Taking Over the Third Army Group

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

"Pack up" was a generous term. As an organization made up almost entirely of infected, most members were destitute. Their total belongings—aside from the clothes on their backs and scavenged weapons—could be gathered in under ten seconds.

The only ones who looked like they had actually packed were the logistics members carefully carrying the remaining thirty jin of grain from the Reunion's warehouse. Though the amount was small, barely filling a single backpack, it was all the food left for over a hundred people.

"Time to set out."

The one giving the order now was An Xiu himself.

As for Mobius and Makima, they had already returned to the One-Punch Man world and the Jujutsu World the night before. Mobius said she needed to prepare and would return once the Reunion arrived at Koschei's Domain.

Makima, on the other hand, was currently in the Jujutsu World meeting with leaders of various nations as a representative of the Jujutsu World's high-ranking officials and couldn't leave for long.

"Move out!"

Talulah also issued the command at that moment. At the front of the formation, Patriot—whose towering frame made even the bulky Shield Guards look short—immediately led the members forward.

The Reunion's procession marched in full force toward Koschei's Domain.

"Traveling so openly through Ursus like this—won't we attract attacks from the Infected Patrol?"

On the road, Talulah muttered uneasily to herself.

"Relax. Mobius arranged everything before she left last night. We won't face any threats from the Ursus government along this route. We just need to watch out for other dangers."

An Xiu, who had somehow appeared beside Talulah, spoke up.

"An Xiu... sir."

Seeing him approach, Talulah instinctively moved to make way, but then stopped herself as if remembering something, merely nodding at him.

It wasn't that Talulah wanted to turn her back on him now that Mobius and Makima were gone. An Xiu had specifically asked her not to act too deferential toward him in public.

Private was private; public was another matter. According to the plan, Talulah would need to be in the public eye frequently for a long time to come. If too many people learned that the future Empress of Terra had a master behind her, and word spread everywhere, having her image shattered too early would ruin the fun.

The same applied to An Xiu's other clones. Unless it was someone half-trusted like Talulah, An Xiu didn't want outsiders to know the true relationship between him and his clones too soon. Such things were always better revealed later to satisfy his vanity.

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

"Don't be too nervous. Though Mobius said everything should follow my will, under normal circumstances, I usually don't voice my opinions—especially when Mobius and the others are around."

"After all, Mobius and the others are far smarter than me. Anything I can think of, they've already thought of. Even if I want to do something, they've already planned it out for me. So most of the time, you can just pretend I'm not there."

Hearing An Xiu's words, Talulah nodded stiffly.

Though it was a bit rude, his description involuntarily made her think of a scene with an incompetent noble and loyal, capable subordinates.

Such situations were rare in Ursus and even across Terra, but they did exist. Over in Great Yan, there were plenty of storybooks with similar plots and settings. If the incompetent noble, lord, or emperor were also jealous and spiteful, persecuting the loyal subordinates, it would fit the trope even better.

Oh wait—given the looks of Mobius and the Miss Makima she had seen last night, maybe she could add a debauched and licentious setting too. Accepting the subordinates' service while forcibly taking the female ones for their beauty, the loyal female subordinates enduring the demands while diligently repelling every invading enemy...

No, no, that was too absurd. This wasn't a plot or setting that could appear in reality or even in storybooks. This was clearly the kind of plot found only in underground books circulating in Lungmen—the kind that would be immediately cracked down on by the Lungmen Police Department as unspeakable material.

Besides, Mobius and Makima—one casually gave items that multiplied her, FrostNova, and Patriot's strength several times over, and the other had such terrifying methods that she could drag out Koschei's soul and knead it like clay. What incompetent noble could have subordinates this powerful?

Reality wasn't like those storybooks from Great Yan. Someone without ability could never earn the loyalty of people like Mobius and Miss Makima, let alone be called their master.

After all, both Mobius and Makima gave Talulah a very dangerous feeling. Such people weren't just capable—their very natures didn't seem like the type to stay in line.

So, to be able to keep these two in check, An Xiu must not be what she had imagined. His decision to leave everything to Mobius back in the village must have had some deeper meaning.

Completely unaware of what the white-haired dragon girl beside him was thinking, after several days of travel, the entire Reunion under An Xiu finally arrived at Koschei's Domain.

Normally, an unapproachable duke's domain like this—especially the Duke's Castle at its center—was off-limits not just to the Reunion's infected but even to ordinary Ursus citizens.

Now, not only did the Reunion's infected walk in openly, but a ceremonial guard had been dispatched ahead of time to line the path before the Duke's Castle in welcome. The nearby troops assigned to maintain order stood ramrod straight, ignoring the infected of the Reunion passing by.

Why? Because in the orders these people had received, everyone arriving at the duke's domain—including the infected—were honored 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 designated area within the domain to rest.

"Now that we've safely arrived at the duke's domain, we can proceed with the next step."

Inside the Duke's Castle, in a meeting hall, Mobius—who had returned from the One-Punch Man world to An Xiu's side—spoke to everyone present.

"Next, we'll stay in Koschei's Domain for a while. During this time, we'll take over the Third Army Group. Then... we declare war on the Emperor of Ursus."

Chapter 72: The Wendigo Clone Project, Some Wars Are Already Over Before They Begin

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

If such words got out, they would undoubtedly shake the entire Ursus situation in an instant and make a certain emperor in Holy Steed Castle let out a sharp shriek.

After all, this was the Ursus Third Army Group—one of the most powerful armies in all of Ursus, absolute elite forces capable of trampling many small nations across Terra on their own. It was the private army held by Grand Duke Bagration of Ursus.

Why was Mobius confident she could take over an army controlled by someone else?

Naturally, because she had Koschei—the consciousness and soul of the Ursus Undying Black Serpent—in her hands.

Makima's Domination ability was still quite effective. When she had dealt with Talulah's problem earlier, she dominated the Black Serpent's consciousness, and the other consciousnesses scattered across various places followed suit and died along with it.

After all, these consciousnesses weren't independent of each other. The Black Serpent's true will had always been singular. When Makima dominated the main consciousness of the Black Serpent on Talulah, the other fragments of consciousness were naturally dominated along with it.

In other words, whatever Mobius wanted the Black Serpent to do now, the Black Serpent would do for her. The forces that had once been in the Black Serpent's grasp had now logically become power in Mobius's hands.

And the Grand Duke Bagration, who commanded the Third Army Group, happened to be a pawn of the Black Serpent—so long as Mobius wished it, the Third Army Group could be placed in her hands at any time.

"With the strength of the Third Army Group, we do indeed have the qualifications to contend with Holy Steed Castle. But if we rely solely on the Third Army Group, considering the existence of the other Grand Dukes and their army groups, becoming the final victor... will be difficult."

Patriot, whose throat had already returned to normal, spoke in a rumbling voice. Accustomed to being sparing with his words, he found it somewhat uncomfortable to utter such a long stretch of speech all at once.

By now, both he and FrostNova had learned that Talulah intended to join forces with Mobius and An Xiu—who had suddenly barged into The Reunion earlier—to overthrow the rule of the Emperor of Ursus and establish a new nation.

Though shocked by Talulah's ambition, they trusted her character and resolved to give their full support in helping her achieve this goal.

As for how to take over the Third Army Group, given the various methods Mobius had displayed before and her current confident demeanor, she likely had preparations already in place—no need for them to worry.

"There's no need to worry about military strength. Although I plan to take over the Third Army Group, when the time comes to declare war on the Emperor of Ursus, the main force participating in the conflict will not be them."

Faced with the difficulties Patriot described and the existence of the other army groups, Mobius showed not a trace of concern. But the words she spoke left everyone present somewhat puzzled.

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

And according to Mobius's implication, could she really find another army of equal or even greater strength than the Third Army Group?

Even An Xiu was curious about this.

Not curious about whether what Mobius said was true—after all, he understood her abilities all too well. He was merely curious about what grand scheme Mobius had cooked up this time to speak such words.

And so, the first meeting of the rebellion faction led by Talulah and Mobius, held before the uprising itself, quickly came to an end. After everyone departed, Mobius returned to An Xiu's side and proposed that the two of them return to the One-Punch Man world together.

Clearly, during the earlier meeting, Mobius had already seen through An Xiu's thoughts. She was preparing to give him an early glimpse of the results of her research and preparations over the past few days.

Inside Mobius's research base in the One-Punch Man world.

Without lingering by the various research equipment on the ground level, Mobius opened a passage leading to the underground section of the base, revealing a far more expansive space before An Xiu's eyes.