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 expressions, pausing on every face as though he aimed to sear their likenesses deep into his very essence. Elina. Anna. Jack. Albert. Erina. These were the countenances he'd etched into the innermost depths of his being ages before he ever grasped the principles of creation.

His chest constricted.

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

He hadn't experienced this hurt since the instant he rose above mortal limits, perhaps shortly after witnessing Rose's 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 deep in his irises, even the faint quiver in his hands hanging by his sides. He revealed it all.

He was beholding his entire universe.

His purpose.

All that he had constructed, demolished, or reshaped had been dedicated to these souls.

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

The relatives gazed back at him without a word.

His features meant nothing to them, yet every one struggled to avert their eyes.

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

They scanned his traits for clues.

But their thoughts remained void.

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

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

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."

Those words bore a subdued sorrow that sliced past the banquet's clamor.

The ensuing grin was soft, reflective, and achingly genuine.

It stabbed directly into Rose’s core.

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

Her breathing hitched.

In that fleeting instant, she nearly extended her hand.

She longed to assure him he needn't stand alone. That room existed among them. That he could join their gathering, partake in their joy, and find his place.

The strength of that impulse shocked her.

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

Why was she reacting like this?

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

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

Zara’s lively tone shattered the thick quiet.

She advanced a step, her gaze sparkling with honest 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 true, shining smile bloomed on his lips, so inviting it appeared to illuminate the surrounding area.

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

Then his attention wandered elsewhere.

He spotted the glowing 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 tension broke abruptly.

Melida stiffened.

A surge of mortification swept over her as awareness dawned. She'd been basking in her success at shielding 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 apprentice and their kin with care. With wit. With affection.

This wasn't the icy fiend they'd encountered in the spire.

This was a figure who cherished bonds between people.

She resolved right then to enhance the opulence of their accommodations without delay.

Remaining in Ethan's favor had risen to utmost importance.

Nearby, the feast had halted entirely.

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

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

And now, there he stood.

Engaging in light conversation with a cluster of minor human folk.

Their beliefs crumbled in hushed fragments.

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 honor.

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

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

Her cheeks flushed as Ethan's eyes settled on her.

Ethan chuckled.

It rang out rich, authentic, and free.

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

He hesitated, then continued 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 second his eyes met theirs, his poise faltered.

Tears welled in his vision.

He blinked fast, fighting to steady himself.

"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 included. "We would love to cook for you."

Quiet descended.

Both ladies stiffened.

Their gazes bulged in dread as comprehension struck.

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

"Umm! We are so sorry, sir!" Anna faltered, dipping into a profound bow. "We did not mean to be disrespectful. Please forgive us!"

Ethan's tone grew even softer.

"Please, don’t be," he murmured. "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 radiance intensified, then shifted to 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 momentous revelation unfolded in a distant place.

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

It resembled heavenly 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 strength.

He'd consistently lacked a single component.

Now clarity dawned.

Emotional Anchoring.

To forge an Omega level clone, he'd need to yield a sliver of his spirit. Bind a particular feeling and a certain lineage into a fresh form.

The price was total.

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

Until their reunion.

He watched the gathering via the duplicate's sight.

The mirth.

The comfort.

The kin.

"I choose Happiness," Ethan resolved.

He'd generate seven duplicates.

Each would represent one vital feeling.

This initial duplicate, the Clone of Happiness, would stay with the kin, as the tower overseer 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.

Detached.

Impartial.

Unfettered.

To ascend as a genuine deity capable of forging a law, he'd forfeit those feelings.

Only upon attaining the height of being would he retrieve his offerings.

Only then would Ethan reunite as one.