[][][14][][]

A puddle of sweat formed underneath him as he did another round of sparring sessions against his shadow opponents. With the growth of his powers and his control over the Lust Gear improving, he was now able to summon seven allowing him to train against multiple opponents.

Ever since he unlocked the partial transformation a few days ago, he was now wearing the gauntlets every time he sparred with his shadow opponents, slowly improving his hand-to-hand skills as he continued to spar against them. The increase in skill in summoning the shadows also allowed him to use the ability three more times before becoming exhausted, a far-cry from his ability to be able to use it only once a day.

Ducking under the enemy's punch, he launched a right hook straight at his jaw, head snapping backwards as he toppled on his back down the floor. He then executed  a back roll to dodge an axe kick from another opponent, springing on his feet and with a burst of speed, struck back. smashing her to the ground with a lust-enhanced hammer fist on her solar plexus, tendrils of pink vapor trailing behind him.

He stood up and surveyed the combat area around him, the unconscious figures of seven people dressed in martial arts gear lying on the floor earning an approving hum from Luscious.

"Not bad partner. Realistically, there's no way to face up against multiple opponents that can attack together and coordinate so well that it feels like you're really fighting against a well-organized martial arts sect rather than an individual warrior. But with me around, then taking on multiple opponents is a cinch. "

"Makes sense, but I'm still not satisfied with this yet. Aside from boosting my physical abilities and able to conjure shadow enemies to spar with, do you have anything else that could help me fight at long-range too?"

"Well partner, once you've activated the armor, then you can access two rail guns that you can use for offense."

"Wait, rail guns? On my armor? Woah."

"That's right partner. It's a powerful ranged weapon that can fire powerful beams of light that can vaporize anything it hits, but it relies on both stamina and lust energy so you can't slack off having sexual intercourse with the girls."

"I still have a long way to go huh...it's fine. I first have to master the basic uses of lust energy before going to the next level."

"That's the spirit partner. You're making excellent progress compared to my other wielders before. In fact, you're growing at a faster rate compared to the others, and who knows? You might unlock my second form sooner than expected."

"Then I'll be looking forward to it then, Lu."

The unconscious figures disappeared into pink motes of light, the place empty as it wa""s before. Now that they were alone, John wanted to ask another question that's been bugging him, which he only remembered just now, after his sparring session.

"Say Lu. You have any idea what happened today? You know, when the place suddenly felt empty as if there were no people present in the first place?"

"...so you're finally asking the question, eh partner?"

"What are you talking about Lu?"

"What will all the events happening right now, you've forgotten that important question. And now I can finally share some of my knowledge."

"True. You did tell me that I can ask you questions after being unlocked right? Might as well take advantage and ask about it."

"Very well partner. You should sit because it's going to be a long explanation."

He sat on a bench inside the room, ignoring the rivulets of sweat from his forehead.

"Whenever a fight breaks out between harem members who come from different harems, a phenomenon called Mirrorage occurs. Whether intentional or not, it's always triggered by hostile actions, and these actions can be direct or indirect in nature. For example, a harem member that possesses mind control powers who uses it to brainwash a group of soldiers to kill another harem member from another harem qualifies, and has no difference with a harem member who tries to assassinate an enemy harem member."

Inside his mind, he saw a haze of gray smoke slowly unveiling clips of the events that recently transpired.

The ambush at the park and his fight against the two harem members of Karl.

The meeting with Joker at the park where the four of them were attacked by three black beings armed with daggers.

The ambush against him by a blue-haired girl knocked unconscious by Alice.

He saw them, like a memory playing back bits and pieces of the whole, a look of realization in his face as the images disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"So any action interpreted as hostile can induce this Mirrorage phenomenon anytime without warning?"

"That's right, and how it works is that an actual copy of the area where the hostilities occurred is created, overwriting the real version. In other words, combatants are transported in a parallel reality cut-off from the rest of the universe, where they can wage their battles without harming innocent lives and destroying property."

"That's a relief. At least no innocents will be harmed when harem battles occur here in the real world. How about Harem Wars? Can they also be fought in the Mirrorage instead of the real world? I mean, Joker did explain that Harem Wars are fought inside the Harem Dimension, but I'm just curious if it applies here as well."

"Not a chance partner. If done this way, the Harem Slayers will never be able to brainwash anybody associated with the harem kings that includes their parents, siblings, relatives, classmates, friends, and even exes."

"Wait, even exes?"

"Hmm. Even ex-girlfriends are fair play and will be brainwashed by the Harem Slayers if given the opportunity. That's why harem kings are chosen with no relationship history so that they'll start fresh and become less vulnerable to their actions."

"So no girlfriend, virgin since birth, and pure of heart? Sounds like bullshit."

"Hey, whatever works, right partner? The choosing of harem king candidates is a tricky affair and you won't know what you'll get when they're chosen. You either get slumbering misogynists or hardcore feminists or alpha males or whatever classification you guys use to label men depending on how they act. The important thing is they take good care of their harem, and survive of course. That's one of the ways to win the game."

"Killing the other Harem Kings until a certain percentage, right?"

"Correct partner. There exist other win conditions, but for now, I'm sure all this talking has gotten your brain to think so we'll stop here and I'll share the rest tomorrow."

He stood up and went upstairs to his room, leaving small splotches and smudges of sweat on the floor that was cleaned up by his mother. Inside his room, he took off his wet clothes, wrung them dry, hanged them on the shower curtain holder, took a bath, and wore fresh new clothes for bed, noticing an envelop on top of his mattress.

Is that another message from Joker? He grabbed the missive, broken open the seal, and unfolded the paper, where an invitation from Joker was written in neat cursive script that asked him to come to the park tomorrow together with the girls for his first taste of what a Harem War is like.

"Hmm...am I going to fight a Harem War tomorrow or am I going to watch a Harem War tomorrow?" He felt his adrenaline rise, senses on high alert, the thought of fighting against an opponent igniting a competitive fire inside him.

"Very well. I should write a reply to Joker then," he went to his study table, sat down, and wrote a response, writing in the same cursive script that Joker used, and writing down Joker's name and penning his signature, it disappeared in a flash of red flames.

He grabbed a book from his shelf and read for a couple of minutes before falling asleep in his bed, quickly entering the world of dreams.

[][][][][]

Sylvia sat alone inside the dining room illuminated by a chandelier whose radiance lightened the entire room. In front of her were two schematics for a combat armor. The first schematic displayed a design for the body featuring smooth, curved outlines paired with elegant lines, all colored in a dark silver color. A winged helmet with face guards surrounding her cheeks, a mouth guard and a visor with two almond shaped eyes topped the armor.

The other schematic featured a propulsion system with two angel-like wings attached, one on each side, and powered by a magic fusion reactor on the center, an engine shaped in two concentric circles with the outside glowing in a bright gold light and the inner circle glowing in a deep red light, and a short spike protruding from the inner circle.

Both schematics were spread side by side, her eyes slowly scanning from one sketch to another, her face in deep contemplation. 

"Must Create Combat Armor Soon. Creation Energy Still Insufficient. Must Create More Puppets. Ask His Majesty to Learn How to Fight."

She raised her hand and placed it on top of the first schematic, tracing invisible lines on the drawing, imagining the shape of the final product.

"Armor Consumption Extremely High. Must Look For a Way to Improve Efficiency. Priority is Secondary. Combat Armor Time Limit About Three Minutes. Must Focus on Creation and Not on Upgrades."

Closing her eyes, she recalled today's events, where the three of them were ambushed by a blue haired girl who wanted to kill His Majesty, only to be saved by that vulgar blonde girl whose attacks were so quick that her eyes were unable to follow her movements, a tight knot forming inside her.

"I Must Learn How to Fight. Vulgar Woman is Deadly and Fast. Doing Physical Activity is Dangerous for My Health. I Must Find a Way to Improve Physical Skills without Falling Unconscious," she grabbed a round medicine container beside her that kept the pills, open the lid, and popped a light red pill into her mouth, a necessity because of her weak body.

This made her an outcast among her peers, and turned her into a person who does not love life but does not like death.

She shifted her eyes towards Rio, her first successful living puppet, who stood on one side of the entrance to the dining room, and to a tall muscular young man with a clean-shaven head, sharp black eyes, and dark brown beard that covered his entire jaw who looked to be in his late 20's, dressed in combat fatigues standing at the other side of the dining room entrance, the second living puppet she created after coming home from school and doing adjustments and modifications deep in her white laboratory.

Jack Keller. Died of Stroke. Worked as a mercenary for a variety of military groups. No family members. Dropped out of college to join the military. She ran through his history in her mind, taking in every detail. She used the same operation she did on Rio, exhausting her reserves of creation energy.

A worthy addition to my personal army. Excels in demolition, heavy weapons operations and piloting. He will serve us well.

She reigned her focus back on the two schematics, scrutinizing them for a few minutes before she furled both drawings, tucking them under her arm and commanding Rio and Jack to stand guard outside her room while she dressed for bed and fell asleep.

In her dreams, she saw a land filled with unknown creations both big and small, arranged in unpredictable patterns that boggled the mind.

[][][][][]

Outside the shooting range, Angelica scrutinized the white elliptical object that resembled a missile in front of her, with fins at the end, a smooth flat head at the front, and a rotating ball with three lenses attached underneath the fuselage and supported by three landing wheels, one on each side near the wings, the last one at the front just underneath the head. On the sides of the fuselage near the wings are rectangular slits that allowed the object to hover and fly because of a magic engine inside that consumed Angelica's magical energy.

"Not only can I create guns but I can also create a UAV? Very strange..." she thought, crouching to take a look underneath the object.

"What do the three lenses do anyway? Wait...I'm having a headache right now..." she stood up and rubbed her temples, feeling a pressure pressing on her head, as bits and bytes of information flowed into her brain. The pain lasted a couple of seconds before it disappeared, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"That's it? Very well. Drone, search the area."

The UAV hummed to life, its engines lifting it up to the sky, higher and higher, until it reached an optimum altitude of 10,000 feet above ground and used one of its lenses, a dark green mirror that emitted several pulses of light that returned map information to her.

Inside her mind, she saw a small map of the area near her house, seeing trees, houses, cars, and even moving dots colored in blue denoting non-hostile beings.

"Woah, with this I can map the entire area and help the others navigate. Alright Drone. Next is use rangefinder." The Drone rumbled in response, switching to a dark red lens that emitted sporadic pulses of blue light.

She materialized a black and gold pistol on her hand and noticed a thin blue line connecting the pistol to the Drone up in the sky and saw that she can shoot farther, able to expand her line of sight beyond its limit.

"I can shoot my pistol from this distance but can I compensate for gravity? I can use my wind magic to ensure that it hits the target but there are no targets so I'll have to hold it off for now," she now felt a little fatigue, her Drone consuming a lot of magical energy just to make it fly and another increase in consumption in using the two lenses.

The third lens can make me invisible to the enemy but it consumes a lot of magical energy. I'll try this later because I'm getting tired. She muttered, using her mind to make the Drone disappear in particles of light. She returned to her house which was only a few walks away from her personal shooting ground and dressed for bed, plopping on the mattress and reading a magazine on guns, humming a tune that spoke of success.

"That's strange, why am I trying to remember the shapes of these guns? Am I insane or what?" She closed the magazine and fell asleep...and found herself inside a world with a bleak gray sky with several armories open, revealing countless numbers of guns of different calibers, types, and sizes. The horizon behind her rumbled as she heard the thunderous roar of artillery guns roaring towards the sky, launching devastating shells that obliterated the land beyond her sight obscured by a thick fog.

She stood still, unable to move a single muscle as she observed from a hilltop the devastation that it wrought on some unseen enemy, craters pitting the ground and the smell of gunpowder wafting through the air.

W-what is this? What does it mean? What is it trying to show me? Her eyes blinked--and she was now back in the world of dreams, a new question surfacing deep inside her heart. A question she knew would be answered soon. And she slept, the odd image of a gun flickering every now and then inside her dreams.

[][][][][]

As Angelica dreamed of guns and the sound of artillery firing, Marie was dreaming about magic, specifically the five elements that appeared to her as orbs of energy.

She found herself inside a magical world filled with flora and fauna bare-naked, and strolled among the lush vibrant green trees, shrubbery, and lively flowers swaying with nature's song.

Above her the skies shifted colors every second, from red to yellow, then green, blue, and gray, and back again, a look of awe on her face. She saw the stars and the clouds scudding across the sky's ever-changing landscape, oblivious to the unnatural phenomenon around them.

She heard the call of the elements, a rumbling, echoing, groan that shook the earth but called out to her in joy, and followed its call, creating a path in front of her for every step she took towards her destination.

She passed through winding paths that lead up to the mountains, balancing herself on the mountainsides treacherous walkways, entered a shifting forest that constantly changed its entrances and exits, dived beneath an endless ocean filled with vents generating magical energy, flew through a city of clouds that formed a variety of shapes as she crossed them, and exited a valley of fire that spouted molten rocks and lava flows pouring out of the many cracks on its surface.

At the end of her destination she saw a tall circular platform surrounded by five statues. The first was in the shape of a fairy, the second in the shape of an ifrit, the third of a wisp, the fourth a dryad, and the last a mermaid, their hand raised towards the sky in supplication.

Those are some odd statues. She thought, climbing the long staircase that lead directly to the center of the platform. All around her was the endless abyss hidden by the grey mists that constantly shifted and bubbled, obscuring the view beneath them.

The sky was a silent black witness devoid of stars, the moon, and features that any other sky should possess. Upon reaching the platform, the five statues were coated in a bright white light, their eyes glowing brightly, encasing her body in a pillar of light.

She felt lighter, more perceptive of nature, more in-tune with the elements that make up life. Her senses expanded and granted her abilities that she could not use yet because of her inexperience but felt them inside her, to be released when the right time comes. She also felt her magical energy increase, the drumming of her blood vessels and the thumping of her heart in sync with the harmonizing touch of the strange light.

The light grew brighter and brighter, covering the world in its brightness and slowly shrank, growing smaller and smaller until it winked out of existence. 

This must be my power, but what is it? Did I receive the power to manipulate the five elements? Is that it? She muttered, checking her body for signs of change--and found herself back in bed, eyes opened in surprise and closed them again, falling asleep as she dreamed of the fresh earth, of the clear blue sky, of the cool wind, of rumbling clouds that spat lightning towards the earth, and the warmth of the fire.

[][][][][]

Alice meditated alone inside the training room, dressed in shorts and sleeveless shirt that hugged her figure, the katana beside her. When she opened her eyes, she saw a world made of dull gray iron, the clinking and clunking of steel on steel, the hissing of molten lava being poured over the weapons hammered down by some unseen force, the claps of its thunderous strikes reverberating around her.

She was dressed in a shrine maiden's uniform, her hair tied in a double braid at the back and strolled around the area, the clouds reflecting a glimpse of her image like clouded mirrors. The path she traveled was littered on both sides by swords and spears growing like metal flowers from the ground nourished by liquid steel. A bed of cold steel suited for the gift of killing and bloodshed. 

Her eyes surveyed the area beyond her, each step bringing her closer to a tall mountain hidden by the clouds. Around the mountain flowed a river of molten lava, sediments of blackened steel and silver oddments littering the surface. A sturdy rusted bridge spread across her leading to the mountain's entrance, corroded by centuries of wear.

Tis' a strange place to be in. Nevertheless, I have to go on and find out the solution to this mystery. She thought, taking slow careful steps, the bridge creaking under her weight.

I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared. I'm scared. Where am I?! How do I get out of here?! She stifled her other voice which made her shudder in fear, the raw emotions affecting her mood to the point that she now felt a sense of trepidation around her.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the cavern entrance lighted by torches and entered its dank, fetid depths, scents of metal wafting from the cavernous depths. She followed the staircase leading down an infinite abyss that lost its mystery as torches lighted the way for her.

When she at last stepped down, she found herself inside a large wide dome whose light shone on a gray sword propped up by magic at the center, the walls inscribed with the images and shapes of swords and spears, some shattered in pieces and some cutting flesh.

A sword in the middle? I sense nothing from it...but is it really an ordinary blade? She made her way towards the sword, footsteps echoing inside the chamber. 

Standing in front of the sword that gyrated in a lazy manner, its appearance a mere ordinary object made of common materials but stirred something deep inside her soul, a song of steel, of blood and death, the chorus of hammers providing counterpoint to its jarring yet bleak and melodious tone.

Slowly she raised her hands, stretched it out towards the sword in front of her, and grasped its handle, a jolt of information being streamed towards her brain. She closed her eyes, unable to speak, clutching her head with her free hand and knelt on the floor, using the blade as a crutch.

The surroundings started to shatter in a million pieces, the sound of breaking glass unheard by her inner struggle. The pain reached the point where it was too much for her and she slumped on the floor, releasing her hold on the sword that now glowed a bright red color and continued to shine brighter and brighter until she woke, sweating, heart beating in fear.

I-I feel something...cold to the touch. It reminds me of war, of death. It's texture is of blood and it yearns to drink more. What exactly is this power in me? I...I'm afraid. No, I...I must rest...think things over tomorrow. Yes. I'll do that. She stood up, stretched her muscles and went back to her room, dressed in night wear, and fell asleep, dreams filled with the song and dance of steel and blood.

[][][][][]

Her sharp eyes surveyed the land beneath her, passing them by like highlights on a film, as she soared higher and higher towards the heavens. She spread her wings wide, letting the air lift her up even higher. Even as she glanced directly at the sun, she continued to soar. Up and Up. Again and again. Until she only saw the scudding clouds illuminating the earth with the sun's rays.

Screeching she descended once more towards the clouds in a dive, piercing through their thin sheets and leaving trails of cloud dust behind her, the scenery changing from a forest of clouds to a landscape of greens and blues. Then she screeched once more, exiting her dive by pointing her body up, soaring once more above the earth.

Approaching a vast plain she descended, steadying her body as she hit the ground running as a fast cheetah, powerful limbs propelling her to speeds faster than any man-made object. The world passed in a blur around her, paws leaving imprints on the soil as she sprinted alongside other cheetahs who welcomed her into their coalition.

Curiously enough, they passed-by a group of zebras which they ignored and continued their sprint across the vast plains, feeling the caress of the wind on their fur and the song of nature flowing in their veins.

As they approached the shore, she broke off from the coalition still sprinting towards an unknown destination in front of them. and splashed on the water, now a dolphin that swam in the deep blue sea where she saw countless marine life living their own private lives. They ignored her, the sharks just making curious passes around her then leaving her, killer whales stalking her until they too lost interest, and left her free to swim and frolic with a pod that accepted her as one of them.

Together they swam the oceans, emitting high-pitched screeches as they communicated with one another. Then she felt herself sinking, the ocean and scenery swirling around her like a whirlpool, sucking her inside a large vacuum underneath the seabed that suddenly appeared beneath her...

...then she abruptly stood up, heart pumping, breath ragged, as she tried to remember the dream she had that felt so real as if she was one of them.

Was...was that my power? The power to shift into different types of animals...or was it something else? Cara thought, stilling her heart and taking deep breaths, slowly lowering her head on top of the pillow, letting herself be taken away by sleep.

[][][][][]

Janice twisted and turned on her bed, a feeling of unease inside her heart. The night was already reaching its zenith, ten minutes till twelve midnight, unable to sleep.

Did something happen a while ago? Is John alright? She mumbled, trying to relax her anxious nerves. Without her noticing, her room flickered into darkness then back into light, shadows inter-playing with one another, forming various grotesque, bizarre, and formless shapes on the walls.

Underneath her bed, tendrils of shadows grew and shrank, like fingers about to enclose an enemy that wanted to harm her. Orbs of light flickered like illusions, like fireflies illuminating their environment.

Morbid thoughts started to flow inside her mind, scenes of torture, lobotomies through the ears of mysterious human-like beings using spears of light, of a thousand curses being hurled at some unknown enemy, of unknown shapes trapped in cages made of both light and darkness sucking out their life-force like hungry leeches.

No! Stop! What is this! Why?! Why am I seeing these things?! She thrashed, unable to voice out her scream as she was drowned in even more horrendous images of human suffering that overwhelmed her. Unrelenting, they reached the peak of madness and insanity that drowned her in twilight's caress, silencing her...

...and popped her eyes open, hoarse, ragged breaths racking her mouth, her body still trembling from those dark, grim images. 

Alright, calm down Janice. Take a deep breath and relax. There we go. Nice and easy. It's fine. John's alright. Everybody is alright now. She felt a sense of tranquility settle inside her, slowly closing her eyes to sleep, eager to welcome what the next day will bring. 

[][][][][]

Joker sat on the school rooftop, gazing at the sky, many thoughts swirling inside their head.

"It seems they've finally awakened their powers. It's time to put them to the test, a mock battle to test out their powers and for Sir John to give the names of those abilities. I'm sure he already knows them by heart but is unable to remember them until tomorrow."

Meanwhile, John was fast asleep, a stream of information entering his brain that went unnoticed by him but not to Luscious.

"Ho? Interesting information here. I can't read it but I sense that they have extraordinary abilities. Well partner, looks like you'll be in for a surprise tomorrow."

As John and the others slept, Karl and Hiro stayed up late making their final preparations for tomorrow's match,

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