Akarn's royal battle ship, below deck. The ship had just been hit with another attack and shook for while before it became stable again. In the process a rune expert manning one cannon was knocked back towards some of the supplies in the ship. His crash did not lead to harm instead he was surprised at what he had landed on.

  "A painting, what's it doing here?"

  He wondered while getting back up, the painting was magnificent to say the least, world class in fact. He did not recognise it but this was no surprise, any expert could casually produce such a painting not to mention a rune master.

  "Did someone bring it with them or is there someone who draws when they're anxious."

  He made guesses as he moved to pick it up and place it upright. As his hand came close to it the unexpected happened, the painting rippled then someone started to emerge from it. The rune expert was so alerted he retreated a few steps while brandishing his weapon, while his runes were mostly activated long before going through the portal. A breath passed and the person from the painting had mostly emerged, unlike the painting he recognised this person, prince heir of Akarn, Aleus.

  He heaved a sigh of relief but quickly dismissed his relaxation as he thought.

  (Wait. I heard he was forbidden to come. I must report this.)

  The rune expert rushed out not waiting for Aleus to give any justification or explanation to clear any misunderstandings.

  "Your majesty, we have a stowaway!"

  He said coming up onto the deck, surprisingly where the ships finders were. For the life of them, none could think of who would stowaway on this ship to come here of all places. And who was this expert evading their surveillance so thoroughly. But one person had a feeling and he did not like it, praying he was wrong.

  (Aleus, let it not be you, son.)

  "Speak, who dares to do such thing. Someone bring him here"

  He commanded and before anyone could take any action, they heard from below the deck and coming up.

  "It was me."

  Said Aleus, his head coming to view as he stepped onto the deck. Some murmurs could be heard among them, but quickly quieted when the Rune King's gaze swept the place. He held the bridge of his nose just below his eye brows before he spoke in slow and reprimanding tone.

  "What will I do with you. Send you back, not possible the portal's destroyed and making a way back will take time. Sigh, you'll just have to join the other finders."

  He continued to berate and after a while the final conclusion was, no one would baby sit him, he would help out but stay on the ship or within its range of activity. The ship did not have as much attack power as masters but it was several times more durable than any one of them, this was the reason.

  "Damn it son, you are making my blood boil. If that dragon doesn't kill you, I'll do my self."

  Those were the last words the Rune King said before jumping off ship with his squad of masters, going to fight off a clone body that had its life force vein severed.

  (As expected of father his rationality makes him yield to circumstances.)

  He thought regretfully. He understood his father thus he did not even bother with an explanation or trying to hide any further. They had entered the battlefield, leaving was possible but it would require effort that they could not spare.

  Secondly he was already here, what more harm could there be when he acted within the bounds of the ship than when he remained still. And the answer was, the danger was the same, in fact the latter was better because he would increase the overall effort of rune finders thus improving the situation for himself and everyone. All these points and minor points made it a logical conclusion that at this time he would not remain a spectator and he would not be subject to any punishment, at least for now.

  (The situation here is better than I thought. Except for finders, everyone is put into groups with well rounded efficiency. Having an average of three per group. And with a few rune masters remaining within the battle ships, the chain of command remains stable and they can react to most unexpected occurrences without falling into desperate situations.)

  Aleus assessed as he finally joined the other rune finders.

  The Rune King's side of the battlefield. The king, Vazpin, Oldomus and two other masters made up the king's squad. It was originally supposed to be just four but with the emergence of Aleus, a master rune finder, Oldomus who was a helper first and finder second, could leave while the overall situation of rune finders remained an improvement.

  As for Jura, as much as they wanted him to be a part of their squad he was too much of a asset in battle needing to command a squad of his own. If not their squad would be strong while others an imbalance lacking in power, even with this line up they were hoarding experts in the warrior path.

  (Perhaps we bit of more than we can chew, two dragons with just the five of us)

  Thought Oldomus while evading a stomp from a dragon leg. Following behind him was Vazpin, Oldomus looked at him slightly nodding as he threw a rune tablet. The rune hit the leg, partially turning it into red state from the effects of the rune. Vazpin wielding a long sword slashed at this reddened surface. The blade sliced through like a hot knife through butter, cleanly severing the leg. Oldomus took Vazpin's place as the latter retreated, although he was wearing a robe that covered his arms and legs to the rest and ankle, gold light could be seen shining through across his body while he threw several punches.

  Bam bam bam!

  The severed part of the leg was punched away, leaving the clone body with a clear stump of a leg. Unlike the one Hiro had fought this one had its rear leg missing thus the towering body lost its balance. It came crashing down, in its direction the second dragon that they were fighting. The two collided, and from the resulting impact large rocks and shrapnel was shot out in every direction. The king and two others were already on the move, they raced on the clone bodies going towards the heads. The king was on one, the other two on the second.

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  "Damn humans, crawling on me like the ants you are, die!"

  It roared, following it's declaration numerous spikes suddenly shot out from its clone bodies, they moved like missiles homing on the three on its clone bodies while as protrusions on its surface to serve as obstructions. There was barely any room to dodge all those spikes in time, the only way to escape them would be by moving up. Of course rune masters though versatile could not fly, they could jump but after the jump they would still return onto its body so they chose to charge through. The Rune King wielded his sword with a slight smirk forming across his face.

  (Runes of the earth are as common and basic as breathing to masters.)

  He thought passing by a spike he just slashed now a pile of sand enabling him to evade the downpour of earth spikes. Any spike he cut would turn to sand thanks to the runes on the sword. The fragment was astonished, before with its true body it did not experience this.

  (No matter, this is merely a collection of minerals.)

  It thought before turning a layer of its body into a molten form. The change was so sudden and without warning that the Rune King with his relentless charge sunk in nearly up to his knees.

  "So it can do more than spit it."

  He noted quickly using another rune taking control of the lava, the molten surface rose turning into a wave and pushing the king forward. He was very much thankful for this, the spikes that still remained ahead were smelted before he even arrived increasing the size of the lava wave. The king rode on with the increasing speed he would reach the head sooner than planned. The fragment was furious it's clone body was being used as a weapon against itself.

  (This towering body, it is a weakness now. As I continue to fall both bodies are in each other's way from regaining footing and counter attacking.)

  It assessed, with how many bodies there were its view on every single one of them was in third person view. Though Hiro and the rest decided to go with clone it was actually closer to puppet than the former. The fragment had to control all these clone bodies with a single mind, reacting to every situation well was quite hard even for the present fragment. As one individual with limited methods it could not match the subjugation army with great flexibility.

  (As a world what do I have that they cannot bend to their will.)

  Following its thought it gave up on its wings choosing to turn them into pillars to support itself. On the ground Oldomus and Vazpin had become preoccupied with destroying pillars erupting from the group, the fragments first effort to stop the clone bodies' fall. All the while boulders kept falling from the two bodies grinding against each other as they fell, and it was also this that was slowing the fall while causing it damage.

  "Vazpin above you."

  Warned Oldomus seeing pillars descending from above, and Vazpin who was hacking at those raising from the ground was directly below them. The pillars though fast were still very high up, Vazpin had more than enough time to move out of the way, more so when he wasn't the target.

  "How do you propose we stop them?"

  Asked Vazpin looking up, beside him was Oldomus also looking up. With these two pillars and more coming down their ground assault came to a stop.

  "We don't have to waste time on them, I'll assist his majesty you head to the other clone body."

  He said already activating runes to assist with the up hill sprint. Vazpin had no argument agreeing to it on the spot. A moment later the two split up running towards their respective target clone body. Although falling the dragon bodies were still a steep incline but better than when the initial three climbed onto them. Old as he was Oldomus had vitality, he ran up like a steady wheel down a slope. While running up there was violent shaking, much greater than when the two clone bodies kept hitting one another.

  (Not good, it has already stabilised itself.)

  He thought looking at the side, the pillars were already firmly planted into the ground and it was no longer falling.

  (There is still a ways to go before I reach the top what about those ahead?)

  Oldomus wondered looking up, from here he could not see much and even the life wasn't well felt with how much life force fluctuated from the continuous stream of attacks from both sides. But he could guess they were close to the head. But even with this thought his speed did not diminish, in fact it was increasing going passed his limit trying to reach the top like defeating this clone was something he had to shoulder.

  While the two other masters in the squad had actually come to a stop, one kept on interfering with clone bodies when they tried to use their wings and arms to stop the fall while the second protected the first. Their coordination was flawless not interfering with one another instead amplifying each other's work. If not for them it would have long since stopped the fall with a flap of its wings or by pushing against itself.

  "Let's hope his majesty makes it in time."

  Said the defender cutting down several spikes that were still erupting and shooting at them.

  "Look at his majesty, he is practically there already."

  Said the disruptor, momentarily looking across at the other clone body. He could see the king was already passed the wings and was more than half way through the neck, he would reach the head soon.

  "And from our side I can see, sir Vazpin steadily climbing. Even this one will be taken care of when he catches up to us."

  He continued before nuking a rune tablet that shot out as a bolt of lightning, a wing was struck by this lightning and parts of it broke off. Even if it was not completely broken off by the lightning gravity would do the rest so it doesn't get restored quickly, pulling at it straight down and acting against the healing. Then came the shaking.

  "You missed one"

  Said the defender looking at several pillars that had now reached the ground, effectively stopping the slow fall.

  "Can you blame me, those wings are all the way across, there's only so much I can do. We've delayed it for as much as we could, let's resume our ascension."

  He said looking up after only sparing a glance to the pillars made from the other clone's wings.

  On that clone body the Rune King was steadily climbing up, his goal was within sight. He was on the back of its neck jumping from one protruding scale to the next, the lava wave had been discarded after reaching half way through the neck.

  "Almost there, when I reach the head I can use the rune of life force expulsion."

  Not long after the clone bodies stopped their fall he had reached the head and like with all the previous obstacles he dealt with them with with little effort. He ran along its head going towards the forehead just above the brows. While the clone body after stopping the fall began moving its head erratically, trying to shake him off, but he was firmly planted into the ground only his upper body swayed from the motion.

  (Shake all you want dragon but you can't stop me now. And if you think you are free from harm, I really hope you enjoy the coming pain.)

  He thought while moving his hands very quickly, making a rune that wasn't safe to even keep as a tablet. The rune any golem maker was familiar with, life expulsion rune. The rune grew from palm size to larger than a person, unlike normal runes it had a sort of light devouring look to it despite the light it gave off. A light that was dark, that was it. Upon completion it fell between the dragon head's brows and the head's violent shaking came to an abrupt stop. To a normal person it would look like it just stopped moving, but to any who could sense or see life force. They would know the life force left the body and it became inanimate once more, becoming nothing more than a colossal dragon statue. With this the life force dissipated into nothing not returning to the moon, while this clone body could no longer be infused with life force.

  (The pain you inflicted on the world feel it for yourself.)

  He thought now looking at the other body. At the time the rune was used on it, all the bodies felt it. A great loss, the clones could be destroyed and it wouldn't matter but not life force, without that its very existence was in jeopardy. Whether it hid on this moon or some other world, the loss of life force be it from a clone body greatly affected the core itself.

  It roared from the immense pain it felt. But with the pain came a strange clarity of the mind and an answer came to it, as the life extinguished clone body fell.

  (I see it now, the world pulls and bodies fall. Something so natural how come it escaped my notice, worlds have the power to draw things to them, I am the world I can control that power.)

  That was the last time a clone body fell to the ground.