74 Mana-Infused Soldiers – Part 2 (1/2)

The next soldier entered the lab, and the experiment started again. This time, Ed made it so that the soldier had 80 percent human flesh and 20 percent mutant flesh, making the man much weaker than the 1st experiment. Then he locked the soldier in a prison cell for observation. For now, the man seemed completely fine.

The soldiers continued filing in. Ed continued adjusting the ratio. Whenever he went over 50 percent mutant flesh, the soldier would develop some emotional issues but still retain their sanity. If he went under 50 percent, then the soldiers experienced no changes to their emotional state or sanity. However, anything over 80 percent would result in extreme emotional issues, temporary losses of sanity, and even the eyes transforming to look like the eyes of a crocodile.

Several days passed. Ed created a total of 200 mutant soldiers, which was identical to the number of superhumans he had created previously. 'Let's see...' He stared at the soldiers while thinking. 'What to name them? Superhumans is reserved for those with the mana-battery limbs I created. Maybe I should call them lizards? Ha, I bet they wouldn't like that. Let's just call them chimeras.'

”Listen up chimeras!” He yelled while clapping his hands toward the cages. ”As of now, all of you have obtained great increases in strength. Additionally, you're all currently sane. We now need to test your combat capabilities and see if fighting awakens any other problems. Follow me.” He melted the cages around them and led them to a corner of the lab. He then started melting the wall. It only took a few minutes for him to form a large underground training field for the 200 soldiers to fight on.

”FIGHT!” A short red-haired soldier in the front of the group yelled as he ran towards the training field. He was the first soldier experiment and had the highest amount of mutant flesh, 95 percent. His eyes turned vertical and red as he waited. Reddish scales appeared on the corners of his eyes. Tiny flames sprouted atop those scales, giving him a menacing look.

Another soldier stepped forward. This man was tall with a muscular physique, making him look like a bodybuilder. His bald head shone brightly under the ceiling lights. He was one of the soldiers with close to 90 percent mutant flesh. He pummeled his fist into his hand and grinned. ”I'll beat the hell out of you, puny shorty!” His eyes also turned vertical, but they were yellow in color. Yellowish scales appeared around his eyes.

'Mm. Interesting.' Ed nodded as he watched. 'Their elemental affinities are appearing with the scales on their bodies. They won't be able to launch long-range attacks, but they should be similar to real mutants. The capabilities of using their elemental affinities on their bodies will be a huge advantage if they ever manage to spread it to the rest of their bodies. To think I would accomplish what other espers have been researching for decades. My powers are really just too perfect for these kinds of things.'

The short soldier charged forward and threw a punch towards the tall soldier's stomach. The tall soldier caught the fist in his hands but took several steps back as a result. A difference of 5 percent mutant flesh sounded small, but it was actually quite large.

”Not bad.” The tall man grinned. ”What's your name, shorty?”

”Humph!” The short soldier snorted. ”Shouldn't you introduce yourself first before asking for my name? Did your mother teach you no manners?”

”I'm Ochre.” The tall man responded. ”So, what's your name?”

”Ash.” He replied. ”Can we get back to fighting now?”

”Sure.” Ochre smiled and lowered his body in preparation to charge forward.

'Is this a drama or something?' Ed wondered as he watched. He hadn't expected the soldiers to waste time conversing while he tried collecting valuable combat data.

Ochre charged forward. Just when he looked like he was about to tackle Ash, he suddenly fell to the floor. However, he kept charging forward. It made for a comical appearance seeing a large man hug the floor as he ran.

Ash looked confused, as if he didn't know how to fight someone with such an odd combat style. He jumped backwards to keep his distance, but Ochre stuck to him like glue.

”I've got you!” Ochre yelled as he grabbed hold of Ash's leg, causing him to topple over.

”Let go!” Ash squirmed, trying to escape the large man's grip.

”Haha!” He laughed as he tightened his hold. He moved his body so that Ash was pressed against the floor. ”You must have been a street brawler before. No professional experience! That's why you're going to lose!”

”I. SAID. GET. OFF!” Ash roared as he got angrier. Red scales started appearing on the rest of his body. Flames flicked atop the scales.

”Agh! Fuck!” Ochre let go in panic and backed away. The flames had burned parts of his body.

”GRR!” Ash crouched down, staring at Ochre like a predator eyeing its prey. He looked like a reddish blur as he leapt forward, his fist held out in a claw shape.

”AHH!” Ochre screamed as he knelt to the floor. Five bloody gashes appeared on his stomach. Ash's attack had been too fast to dodge.

Ed's eyes went wide as he watched the fight. 'First scales and now claws? This... has gone far beyond what I expected.'

Ash's hands and feet had turned into sharp claws. His sanity continued fading away as he fought. He charged forward again, preparing to release a strong kick.

”Damnit!” Ochre crossed his arms defensively just in the nick of time. He was knocked flying through the air and slammed into the wall. ”Ugh!” He groaned as blood dripped down his laps. Fortunately, the underground training field wall was made only of compressed dirt. Otherwise, it would have done a lot more damage.

Ed rose his hand, preparing to stop the fight. But then he noticed something and stopped. He watched silently as the fight continued.

The yellow scales around Ochre's eyes spread to the rest of his body. They lacked the intimidating effects that Ash's scales had. However, they were scales of the earth element, meaning that his defense improved drastically.

Ash charged forward and leaped into the air, his two claw-like feet aimed in a downwards stomp. Ochre moved faster than before and caught the attack. Then he twisted his body and slammed Ash into the wall so hard that it partially crumbled.

”GRR!” Ash roared as he struggled to break free once again.

Ochre growled back while pressing Ash to the floor. It appeared that his fighting style stayed the same despite his slowly deteriorating mental state.