My attributes are increasing infinitely Chapter 421: Omega Clone idea

Ethan gazed upon the figures positioned right in front of him.

His gaze drifted gradually over their features, pausing on each as though he sought to etch their appearances deep within his spirit. Elina. Anna. Jack. Albert. Erina. These were the countenances he had imprinted into the core of his being long ago, well before he ever grasped the principles of creation.

His chest constricted.

It wasn't just a figurative twinge. The sensation was real. Piercing and weighty. Like some long-slumbering force within him had abruptly stirred and demanded attention.

He hadn't experienced this hurt since ascending past his mortal limits, perhaps a touch later when he witnessed Rose suffering.

Ethan chose not to hold it back.

For the first time, he permitted it to emerge.

The tenderness in his eyes, the yearning hidden in his depths, even the faint quiver in his hands hanging by his sides. He revealed it all.

He was beholding his entire world.

His purpose.

All that he had constructed, demolished, or reshaped had served these very souls.

They remained mere steps distant, near enough to reach, but divided from him by a barrier of pilfered recollections and locked destiny.

The relatives gazed back at him without a word.

His features were unfamiliar to them, yet they couldn't tear their eyes away.

A peculiar tug stirred in their chests, a subtle force pulling them toward this cloaked figure in shadow. It seemed personal and recognizable, akin to lingering at the threshold of a boyhood dwelling erased from every chart.

They scanned his traits for clues.

Yet their thoughts drew nothing but emptiness.

Whatever force had wiped him from their minds had executed its task flawlessly. No fissures. No remnants. Just a void where a treasured presence ought to reside.

"This must be your family, Lady Rose?" Ethan remarked.

His tone stayed steady, yet laden with feelings he couldn't entirely mask.

"What a lovely family," he went on in a gentle murmur. "I... I wish I had a family like this."

The phrase held a subdued sorrow that sliced past the banquet's clamor.

The ensuing smile was soft, yearning, and achingly true.

It stabbed directly into Rose’s core.

A keen sting flared in her heart, abrupt and without cause. That expression ignited an innate response in her, like an impulse predating reason.

Her breathing hitched.

For an instant, she nearly extended her hand.

She longed to assure him of his welcome, to point out the empty spot among them, to invite him to join their circle, partake in their joy, and find his place.

The strength of that impulse shocked her.

Rose clamped her teeth on her tongue, bewilderment washing over her face.

Why was she reacting like this?

Why did this stranger, whose identity she scarcely grasped, stir such pain in her?

"Sir, you are always welcome to visit us!"

Zara’s lively tone shattered the thick quiet.

She advanced a step, her gaze sparkling with genuine warmth and eagerness.

"We would be very happy to have you!"

Ethan’s demeanor shifted in a flash.

The melancholy dissolved like fog in the dawn.

A real, glowing grin bloomed on his features, so inviting it appeared to illuminate the surrounding area.

"Thank you, Lady Zara," he replied with affection. "I will surely remember that invitation. I might just hold you to it."

Then his attention wandered away.

He spotted the gleaming azure barrier enclosing the group.

A light, entertained laugh slipped from him.

"By the way," he tossed in casually, "why are you all wrapped in a bubble? Are you planning on floating away?"

The mood fractured.

Melida stiffened.

A surge of mortification swept over her as the truth dawned. She had swelled with pride over safeguarding them, but having it noted so offhand rendered the shield absurd.

The relatives glanced at the see-through enclosure.

Then toward one another.

All at once, it seemed less like a safeguard and more like an exhibit in a massive aquarium.

Even Lady Melida sensed heat rising in her face.

Still, under the chagrin, her spirit quietly fizzed with delight.

Ethan addressed her pupil and her kin with kindness. With wit. With cordiality.

This wasn't the icy fiend from that spire.

This was a figure who cherished bonds between people.

She resolved right then to enhance their accommodations' splendor without delay.

Earning Ethan's favor had risen to utmost importance.

Nearby, the feast had halted entirely.

Dozens of dragon aristocrats, seniors, and rulers stood motionless like statues.

They had conspired, maneuvered, and lingered for ages merely to glimpse the Tower's Demon.

And now, there he stood.

Engaging in easy talk with a cluster of lesser humans.

Their beliefs crumbled in hushed tones.

Ethan faced Zara once more.

"Would you introduce your family to me, Lady Zara?"

"Of course!" Zara responded with cheer.

She named them sequentially, her words brimming with admiration.

When she got to Erina, she dwelled a bit more, stressing her compassion and diligence. The suggestion was anything but veiled.

Erina, much more reserved than Zara, ducked her head.

Her cheeks flushed as Ethan's look settled upon her.

Ethan chuckled.

It rang out rich, true, and free.

"It is an honor to meet all of you," he stated earnestly. "I would love to visit more often."

He hesitated, then tacked on with a teasing lilt, "To be honest, I am getting a bit tired of restaurant food. I really like homemade meals."

His focus moved.

It fixed on Elina and Anna.

The instant his eyes met theirs, his steadiness faltered.

Moisture gathered in his gaze.

He blinked swiftly, fighting to hold steady.

"Son," Elina uttered abruptly.

The term escaped prior to any restraint from her mind.

Anna inclined her head without thinking beside her.

"You can come see us anytime you want," she continued. "We would love to cook for you."

Quiet descended.

Both ladies went rigid.

Their stares bulged in dismay as comprehension struck.

They had addressed one of the city's most powerful figures as "Son."

"Umm! We are so sorry, sir!" Anna faltered, inclining low. "We did not mean to be disrespectful. Please forgive us!"

Ethan’s words turned tender.

"Please, don’t be," he murmured softly. "I like the way you talk."

He gulped.

"It... it makes me feel at home."

He clicked his fingers.

Within Zara’s bag, the Supreme Card vibrated fiercely.

Its golden shine intensified, then morphed into a throbbing purple.

"I have upgraded Lady Zara’s personal card into a Family Card," Ethan declared.

"From now on, any member of this family may use its benefits at my company, with Zara’s permission."

"Consider it a gift," he appended kindly, "for the invitation."

As he soaked in the glow of their grins, a deep realization unfolded in the distance.

Far inside the Space Cube, where Ethan’s actual form dwelled, a fierce insight crashed down.

It resembled celestial thunder ripping across his awareness.

"Finally," the primary form breathed. "Finally, I have it."

All along, Ethan had strived to craft a duplicate surpassing his own might.

He had consistently lacked a single component.

Now clarity dawned.

Emotional Anchoring.

To forge an Omega level clone, he must yield a sliver of his essence. Bind a particular feeling and a certain lineage to a fresh vessel.

The price was total.

Once bound, that sentiment would depart his core form forever.

Until their reunion.

He watched the gathering via the duplicate’s vision.

The mirth.

The coziness.

The kin.

"I choose Happiness," Ethan resolved.

He would generate seven duplicates.

Each to represent a vital sentiment.

This initial one, the Clone of Happiness, would stay with the kin, posing as the tower's Ethan.

It would savor their dishes.

Listen to their tales.

Guard them with a grin.

His core form would evolve into a entity of sheer reason and invention thereafter.

Chill.

Impartial.

Unfettered.

To ascend as a genuine deity capable of birthing a law, he needed to relinquish those sentiments.

Merely upon attaining the height of being would he recover his offerings.

Only then would Ethan reunite as one.