I woke to sunlight stabbing through my eyelids. My head throbbed, punishment for the all-night research session.
『Good afternoon, User Amon Beleth. Current time is 14:07.』
"Afternoon?" I groaned, rolling over. "What happened to noon?"
『Maria attempted to wake you as requested. You told her, and I quote, 'Five more minutes or I'll curse your bloodline for seven generations.' She deemed it prudent to let you rest.』
"Shit." I dragged myself to the bathroom, stripping off yesterday's clothes. "Did I really say that?"
『No. You merely grunted and pulled the covers over your head. I added dramatic flair for entertainment value.』
I paused halfway to the shower. "Was that... a joke?"
『Analyzing humor patterns from your memories has been enlightening.』
"Right." I stepped under the hot water, letting it wash away the mental fog. "At least someone's learning something useful. Any messages while I was out?"
『Three servants inquired about breakfast. Your brother Cyrus asked if you were 'still wallowing in shame' over your gambling losses. And your father's secretary confirmed your allowance has been reduced as discussed.』
The water couldn't wash away that particular reality. I'd known about the gambling debts from the original Amon's memories, but seeing the actual numbers had been... sobering.
"Speaking of training..." I reached for the soap. "Does this place have any private practice areas? Somewhere away from prying eyes?"
『There is an underground training facility in the east wing, constructed during the civil war. It has fallen into disuse over the past century.』
"No one trains?"
『Most devils of the 72 Pillars consider physical training beneath their station once they reach maturity. They rely primarily on innate demonic power and family techniques.』
I thought about that as I dried off. "Demonic power... it's based on imagination, right? The stronger you can visualize something, the more real it becomes?"
『Correct. Demonic power manifests through focused will and mental imagery. The more detailed the conception, the more potent the result.』
A smile crept across my face as I pulled on fresh clothes. "So theoretically, if someone had very specific images in their mind - say, from watching a lot of animated shows about people with supernatural abilities..."
『Processing... You are suggesting using fictional power systems as templates for demonic energy manipulation? Interesting. No recorded instances of similar attempts, but the theoretical framework is sound.』
"The original Amon never tried because he lacked the reference material." I straightened my collar. "But Vincent? Vincent spent years consuming stories about people wielding extraordinary powers. Every technique, every application, burned into his memory in vivid detail."
『Caution advised. Untested applications of demonic power can be volatile.』
"That's why we need that training ground." I grabbed a fresh notebook from the desk. "How do we access it?"
『East wing, third floor. Portrait of General Beleth conceals the entrance. Blood activation required.』
I headed for the door, then paused. "Any chance of running into family members on the way?"
『Negative. Damian is attending business meetings in the city. Cyrus was last seen heading to his usual tavern. Younger siblings are with their tutors.』
"Perfect." I slipped into the hallway, nodding to the servants I passed. The east wing was older, its corridors lined with portraits of stern-faced ancestors. General Beleth's painting dominated an alcove near the end - a white-haired man in ancient military regalia, golden eyes sharp even in oils and canvas.
I pricked my finger with a small knife and pressed it to the frame. The wall shimmered, revealing a narrow staircase descending into darkness.
『Warning: Air quality may be poor due to lack of circulation. Structural integrity is sound but aesthetic maintenance has been neglected.』
"Noted." I started down the stairs, conjuring a small light in my palm. The original Amon had barely managed that spell, but it came easily to me now. "How big is this place?"
『Main chamber is approximately 200 square meters. Additional rooms for equipment storage and magical containment. Original purpose was emergency shelter and training facility for house forces.』
The stairs opened into a vast underground space. Dust covered everything, but I could see the bones of a serious training facility - reinforced walls, weapon racks, practice circles inscribed with faded runes.
"This is perfect." I walked the perimeter, plans already forming. "We can test theories here without anyone watching. No one to report back to Cyrus or father."
『Recommendation: Begin with basic power manipulation before attempting advanced techniques. Original consciousness struggled with fundamental control.』
"Agreed." I moved to the center of the largest practice circle. "But first, let's see what this body can really do. Pull up everything you have on demonic power manifestation."
『Accessing archives. Basic demonic power typically manifests as raw energy projection or elemental manipulation. House Beleth specializes in mental and shadow-based applications. Would you like a full breakdown of recorded techniques?』
"Not yet." I closed my eyes, remembering hours spent watching heroes and villains unleash impossible powers on my down time. "Let's start with something simple. Something every shonen protagonist learns first."
『Query: You are referring to...?』
I opened my eyes and grinned. "Energy reinforcement. Basic physical enhancement. The foundation of a hundred different power systems."
『Calculating risk factors... Minimal danger with proper control. Proceed.』
I took a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of power humming beneath my skin. The original Amon had ignored it, treated it like an inconvenient responsibility. But I could feel its potential, waiting to be shaped.
『Recording session for future analysis. Initial power output baseline established. You may begin when ready.』
I nodded, closed my eyes, and reached for memories of glowing auras and superhuman feats. The underground chamber filled with soft golden light as I began my first real experiment with power.
『Warning: Unexpected energy signature detected. This is... unprecedented.』
"Good." I opened my eyes, watching the light dance across my skin. "That's exactly what I was hoping to hear."
The real training was about to begin. And if I was right about how demonic power worked...
Well. The 72 Pillars were about to learn that imagination could be a dangerous thing.
『User Amon Beleth, your vital signs indicate elevated...』
"Save the warnings." I flexed my fingers, feeling strength flow through them. "We're just getting started."
The dust-covered chamber suddenly felt less like an abandoned relic and more like a laboratory. A place to rebuild myself, one impossible technique at a time.
『Session log initiated. Time stamp: 14:42. Subject: Experimental power manipulation using fictional templates. May I suggest starting with...』
"Nope." I grinned, remembering a certain spiky-haired ninja's favorite technique. "I know exactly where to begin."
The shadows in the corners seemed to lean forward, as if even they were curious about what would happen next.
I formed the cross seal with my fingers, channeling demonic power through the familiar gesture. My heart pounded as I spoke the words that had echoed through countless episodes of my past life.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The power surged, but something felt... different. Instead of the explosive smoke clouds I'd expected, darkness pooled at my feet like spilled ink. It crawled up my body, peeling away from me in ribbons of shadow that coalesced into humanoid shapes.
『Warning: Unusual power manifestation detected. Energy signature suggests...』
"Holy shit," I whispered as three perfect copies of myself solidified from the darkness. They blinked at me with identical golden eyes.
『Analysis complete. These constructs appear to be semi-autonomous thought-forms rather than traditional physical duplicates. Fascinating.』
"Can you hear the System?" I asked the clones.
They shook their heads in unison. One of them - I mentally labeled him Clone 1 - spoke up. "We can see your lips moving but there's no sound."
"Interesting." I circled the trio, studying their formation. "What do you know?"
"Everything you know," Clone 2 said. "Up until the moment you created us."
Clone 3 rolled his shoulders. "We're not exactly shadow clones though, are we? This feels more like..."
"Thought splitting," I finished. "The Beleth specialty is mental manipulation. We didn't copy the body - we copied the mind."
『Correct. You have essentially created temporary vessels for fractured aspects of your consciousness. Each construct appears to be drawing on your demonic power to maintain cohesion.』
I reached out to touch Clone 1's arm. My hand passed through like smoke, but I felt a strange echo of sensation. "Not physical at all. Pure thought given form."
"Better than regular shadow clones in some ways," Clone 2 mused. "Can't be dispelled by a punch."
"Worse in others," Clone 3 countered. "Can't interact with the physical world directly."
I nodded. "But perfect for what we need right now. Spread out - let's test the range and limitations."
The clones moved to different corners of the chamber. I closed my eyes, trying to sort through the strange sensation of having four parallel awareness streams.
"I can see through all your eyes," I said. "But it's not overwhelming. More like... background processing?"
『Neural activity suggests your brain is automatically partitioning the input streams. Similar to how the original consciousness handled multitasking.』
Clone 1 raised his hand. "Try giving us different tasks. See how well we can operate independently."
"Right." I pointed to each clone in turn. "You - work on analyzing the training room's layout. You - start cataloging everything we know about demonic power theory. And you - review our memories of useful techniques we might adapt."
The clones nodded and got to work. I could feel them thinking, their processes running parallel to my own consciousness but distinct. Like having multiple browser tabs open in my mind.
『Remarkable efficiency. Each construct appears capable of fully independent cognitive function while maintaining perfect synchronization with the primary consciousness.』
"Better than the original jutsu," Clone 2 muttered as he paced the room. "No memory backlash when we're all still connected."
Clone 3 had settled into a cross-legged floating position, eyes closed. "Found something interesting in the memories. That time you watched that movie about the guy who could project his consciousness..."
"Focus on the task at hand," I said. "How's the power drain feeling?"
"Steady but manageable," Clone 1 reported. "Though I can feel us slowly losing cohesion. Ten minutes maybe? Fifteen tops."
『Energy consumption is approximately 17% of total reserves per construct. Sustainable for short duration but multiple resummons would be inadvisable.』
I filed that information away. "Alright, let's try something else. Can you interact with each other?"
The clones converged in the center of the room. Their hands passed through each other like smoke meeting smoke.
"No physical interaction," Clone 2 said. "But..."
Clone 1 suddenly jerked back. "Hey! I felt that!"
"Mental contact works," Clone 3 grinned. "We can affect each other's thought patterns directly."
『Caution advised. Recursive mental interaction between consciousness fragments could potentially...』
"Create feedback loops," I finished. "No psychic sparring between clones. Noted."
Clone 1 rubbed his incorporeal head. "Agreed. That felt weird."
"Speaking of weird," Clone 2 said, "anyone else notice we're all slightly different?"
I studied them more carefully. He was right - subtle variations in posture and expression that I hadn't caught before.
"Makes sense," Clone 3 said. "We're different aspects of the same mind. I feel more analytical, for instance."
Clone 1 nodded. "I'm picking up more on tactical considerations."
"And I'm focusing on long-term implications," Clone 2 added.
『Personality fragmentation detected. Each construct appears to be emphasizing different cognitive traits from the primary consciousness.』
"Not fragmentation," I corrected. "Specialization. We're still one mind, just... distributed processing."
The clones shared a look that mirrored my own growing excitement. The possibilities were starting to unfold.
"Research and development," Clone 1 said.
"Surveillance and intelligence gathering," Clone 2 added.
"Strategic planning and analysis," Clone 3 finished.
"All while maintaining perfect operational security," I said. "Because who would suspect shadow spies that can't even touch anything?"
『Time remaining until construct dissolution: Seven minutes, forty-three seconds.』
"Right." I clapped my incorporeal hands together. "Quick test before you fade. Each of you take a different approach to analyzing the basic demonic power enhancement we were about to try. Let's see what insights we can generate in parallel."
The clones spread out again, each one glowing slightly differently as they manipulated their share of my power. I could feel their thoughts racing along different paths, exploring variations and possibilities I might have taken hours to consider on my own.
Clone 1 focused on precise power circulation patterns. Clone 2 explored theoretical energy conversion ratios. Clone 3 dug through memories of relevant fictional techniques we could adapt.
『Warning: Power instability detected in Construct 2. Dissolution imminent.』
"It's fine," Clone 2 said, already starting to fade around the edges. "Got what we needed. Check the calculations on..."
He dissipated into wisps of shadow that flowed back into me. The knowledge he'd generated settled into my mind like pieces clicking into place.
"That's... efficient," Clone 3 said, looking slightly more transparent himself. "No information loss at all."
Clone 1 was barely more than an outline now. "Next time we should try..."
His form collapsed, knowledge streaming back into my consciousness. Clone 3 managed a quick salute before following suit.
I stood alone in the chamber, processing the experience. Four parallel thought streams converged back into one, bringing with them insights and perspectives I'd never have reached so quickly on my own.
『Session results exceed all predicted parameters. However, extended use of consciousness division could potentially...』
"Save the warnings for later." I was already moving through the hand seals again, mind racing with new possibilities. "We've got work to do."
The shadows rose once more, eager to take form. And this time, I had some very specific tasks in mind for my thought-clone spy network.
『User Amon Beleth, I feel compelled to point out...』
"That this is probably a terrible idea that could backfire spectacularly?" I grinned as the darkness began to peel away from me again. "Oh, I'm counting on it."
The empty chamber filled with silent laughter as my thoughts split and multiplied, each new clone a piece of my consciousness ready to be aimed at the unsuspecting world above.