"As a responsible scientist, I always take full precautions with my test subjects. Did you truly believe you could escape my grasp?"
Vegapunk regarded her impassively.
"I'd hoped Ōtsutsuki Kaguya would make the wise choice—yet it seems you have other ideas."
Kaguya trembled, her already pale face now deathly white. "W-wait, I—I…"
Vegapunk had lost interest. He activated his Devil-Fruit power, tweaking electromagnetic waves.
"Gyaaaaah—!"
With a shriek, Kaguya collapsed, writhing in agony—yet moments later she could neither move nor scream, her voice fading to silence.
To anyone watching from outside, it looked as though Ōtsutsuki Kaguya had suddenly collapsed. After two sharp screams she fell silent, her body trembling, sweat pouring off her, tears and saliva streaming down her face, her pale Byakugan eyes filled with agony.
"The bodies of the Ōtsutsuki Clan appear human, but they're actually energy constructs made of Chakra—closer to an advanced form of Tailed Beast. Because of that, you lot barely feel pain in the usual sense…"
"That only applies to injuries against your physical shells. With no true flesh to get in the way, harming your souls is actually easier. Feel it? This is pain that bores straight into the soul!"
Vegapunk eased his control slightly. The anguish receded, and Kaguya found she could move her limbs and speak again. Sobbing, she crawled to his feet. "Lord… spare this lowly one. I'll never dare again!"
"Dare or not makes no difference," Vegapunk said cheerfully, stroking her white hair as if petting a docile dog.
"If there is a next time, I'll wipe your memories and consciousness clean. I'm sure you'll be very well-behaved then."
Kaguya shuddered, terror on her face. "No, I'll never betray you again!"
To have every memory and thought erased—what difference would there be from death?
As for whether Vegapunk could do such a thing, Kaguya never entertained the slightest doubt. The man she had once dismissed as a puny native had proven his power through inventions and research; otherwise she would not fear him so.
"In that case, let's proceed to the next experiment. Hancock, bring out Black Zetsu."
Hancock produced a black Truth-Seeking Orb seal. With a gesture it dissolved, releasing a sludge-like substance.
This was Black Zetsu, though Vegapunk had long since erased his ego. Now he functioned like a compressed Ōtsutsuki soul, instinctively converting his host into a vessel for Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's revival.
An ordinary Ninja transformed in this way would die quickly, unable to bear Kaguya's soul. That was why, originally, Black Zetsu sought Uchiha Madara as the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki.
The present test subject, however, was even stronger than this world's Kaguya; containment was not an issue.
The only question was which consciousness would dominate—one Kaguya, the other, or a fusion of both?
Like an ooze, Black Zetsu crept onto her. She trembled; she could easily have flung him off or killed him, but after Vegapunk's lesson she offered no resistance.
Possession meant battling this world's Kaguya for the body, with a fifty-fifty chance of keeping her own mind. Defying the experiment guaranteed total erasure. The choice was obvious.
The sludge covered her entirely, releasing a unique Chakra. Kaguya's eyes changed; her body swelled, rising into the air and forming a black sphere.
Unlike the mere seconds it had taken to usurp Madara, the sphere hung suspended for over ten minutes before hairline cracks finally appeared.
At the same instant a brutal torrent of Chakra burst out, a shock-wave powerful enough to alert every Ninja across the Ninja World.
"Immense—at least triple the Chakra of Kaguya at her peak. No, the quantity hasn't tripled; the quality has…"
Data flickered across Vegapunk's eyes as his Quantum chip raced, calculating the new Kaguya's specs.
Theoretically, even a perfect fusion should only double Chakra. One Kaguya had been drained of most of hers, so the resulting entity should possess at most 1.2 times the usual amount.
Evidently, fusing Parallel World counterparts upgraded the very nature of Chakra, tripling energy density for the same volume.
What principle lay behind it? Did merging doubles add some fundamental essence?
From the start Vegapunk had trusted his scientist's intuition that the fusion would delight him, though he lacked solid theory.
Now his intuition proved correct: the experiment was already a success. Whose consciousness—either, both, or a blend—resided within the new Kaguya remained to be seen.
At last the sphere shattered, revealing Kaguya with closed eyes. After a moment they opened, clouded by bewilderment.
Hancock had stepped protectively in front of Vegapunk. This upgraded Kaguya posed a real threat; she would not take chances.
She knew Vegapunk had planted countless safeguards, yet her concern for his safety remained.
"This… is me? This Chakra—I'm this strong now!"
Joy lit her face; the Chakra within felt reborn, the fusion worth devouring four or five divine tree fruits.
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