Chapter 94-96

War didn’t just happen; it always took a spark to set off events. Someone wanting something that another person had was normally the case, and that was why every single faction wanted to make a deal/steal from, and destroy or absorb the RV faction. They already had a feeling something was about to kick off soon, and it finally did after one of their generals died mysteriously after meeting with one of the factions.

It started slowly, a few missing scouts sent to gather food from any of the nearby grocery stores that still might have had some. By the time they realized anything was wrong, it was already too late, and they were surrounded on all sides. The only way they could break the enclosure would be to fight back in a single spot or beg for help.

I could only sit back and watch as I waited for the call, but they didn’t. Of course, the strong women wanted to prove they didn’t need no man, so they were going to try fighting their way out first, which was a colossal mistake. The truth was, small factions could only compete with large factions if their leader had an OP power, and whatever powers they had weren’t up to snuff.

Most of the mid-ranked soldiers in every large group were as powerful as they were, and once they tried to fight their way out, they let them know just how outclassed they were. I moved my forces closer, thankfully putting spies in their group who told me what they were attempting had worked out. They had chosen the all-female group to break through, which in almost every circumstance meant that their survival was guaranteed, just not the survival of their male members.

It might have also been the worst choice, because the power the female leader had was to empower females she wished to. We were one of the strongest bases because we could make our ground troops stronger, and the all-female group had the same ability. I hadn’t remembered much about her, just that she was wiped out far earlier in the other timeline. I knew more about her now with the spies I had in her group than the foreknowledge I gained from the previous life.

One, not only did her power strengthen her, but it also worked to pull whoever it was used on into her own faction. Very rarely did we have spies in for long, because they’d often convert to her side after whatever she did with her power. I didn’t believe it was mind control, but it was as close to mind control as you could get without it actually being mind control.

It was why the group they attacked was simultaneously the best and worst group, as the group wasn’t very strong, but the RV group's strongest combatants were female, and if given enough time, could be converted to the other side. I had to play this far closer than I would have with any other group, as they’d have to spend their time trying to convince them, while this group could just convert them passively over time.

Casualties began to pop up on both sides, as the RV side would rather die than give in, especially since they could use their vehicles to escape, as the girls' group couldn’t destroy the vehicles, as it would defeat the purpose. All that was left was for things to get worse, then I could intervene and have them feel indebted to me.

…

Leela’s Point of View

I blocked another wave of gunfire with my hair as Shelby waited until they were done firing to come out from cover and fire her bow again. Hearing another woman cry out in pain, I knew she struck true again. One poked her head out, but switching to her crossbow was faster than firing another arrow, so instead of a defenseless redheaded girl, she was greeted with an arrow of her own.

The group of women all charged at us as I prepared to defend again. Their weapons were the easiest part of defending, as my hair control power let me grow and strengthen my hair enough to easily absorb almost any amount of gunfire. Shelby had her impossible accuracy, but that wasn’t her power. Her power just made her… Better in every way. It wasn’t just a small amount either, possibly even five times stronger, five times faster, even five times more intelligent.

We had never really fully tested how much the improvement was, but she could fight on par with or even above the strength of all these people we were fighting. They were enhanced beyond normal humans as well, but not to the insane degree Shelby was. The other problem, though, was how ridiculously they outnumbered us. Only Shelby and I could fight on par with a large group like this, so most of our people on the frontlines, trying to break through, were being overwhelmed.

She fired a hand crossbow at the next closest person. The blow was enough to kill a normal human, but the woman just tanked it, breaking the shaft off right from her chest before ignoring it. We fought; I blocked what I could, holding back as many as I could so they didn’t overwhelm Shelby as she fought ferociously. Her axe came out as she finally began aiming for killing blows. They came at us like minions, completely unafraid for their lives as they swarmed in, trying to keep us pinned down before their other groups took out the weak points of ours.

One further back yelled out. “FOR SISTERHOOD!” Before she ran forward, my eyes widened once I saw what she held in both her hands. She was trying to wipe us out by blowing herself up with two grenades. Even a human enhanced five times would be hurt, if not killed from two explosions. Before I could even think, a white object appeared in her chest, bringing her to a stop instantly.

One moment, I was worried about dying from a grenade; the next, she was flying backwards through the air before she exploded dozens of feet further back and above us. I watched the explosion happen, and it turns out that the blast creates shrapnel. I was far enough away that the debris didn’t kill me, but some still flew into my eyes.

I reeled back in pain as the fighting kept on around me. I could hear the sounds of the fighting change from the grunting of women to their terrified screams as it all went silent abruptly. Wiping my face, trying to get the bits stuck in my eye, I heard a familiar voice. The same voice I had in my wet dreams. “Here you are. Some water to flush your eyes out.”

While I wasn’t as enhanced as Shelby was, I was still beyond a normal person as well. Maybe between 1.5 and 2 times what I was before I gained my power, but it was still enough for me to quickly recover after the shrapnel was taken out of my eyes. I looked on, shocked at the devastation of the group as the man I expected was standing in front of me. I could see Shelby behind him, openly staring at his ass as he asked.

“So, you need some help with these girls?” 

Chapter 95

Just because I saved the leaders didn’t mean the fighting was suddenly over. They were trying to push through a blockade, and what I did was save them while ensuring whatever the leader did to turn women to her side, without me being around to see. This didn’t happen the way it did in my previous life, but I did remember one thing in particular about the story. When the leader died before, whatever effect they put on the women ended, including the strength boost.

We formed like the tip of a spear as we pushed through the enemies and took over a highway for the RVs to pass through; thankfully, they were already headed in the direction of our territory. Still miles away, miles that the female team could assault our group, but I also had my men waiting about ten miles from here, so once they made it that far, the females would either have to quit their pursuit or fight us, which would end extremely badly for them.

The female group kept up their assault; only after I wiped out several groups rapidly did their swarm tactics start to slow down. I had to stop their constant attempts to sabotage the road. Some of the women were even willing to sacrifice their lives in a kamikaze attack as they hit the pillars holding the highway up at one point. Another attempt was to block the road off by demolishing a nearby building. Another attempt, as several of them launched rockets at another overpass, trying to bring it down; I had to block with my bone manipulation powers.

I formed a concave shield and blocked the fired rockets before they struck. We arrived late, and a barrage was already sent, but the bridge was made from concrete, so it was much harder to destroy than you’d think it would be. Most people imagine a rocket being able to destroy practically anything, but it barely left a few-foot hole in the concrete, only reaching the steel lattice before their attack came to an end.

If they launched another few waves, they might have made headway, but there was no support pillar to bring down. Even if they brought it down, it would have only meant a short detour before getting back on the highway a few miles forward. I was getting frustrated, but only because they were still trying to win, still trying to fight us even after someone much stronger showed up.

That was how valuable the RVs were; most mobile homes still had functioning power, and as the gas ran out and would soon expire, any vehicle with an electronic engine connected to a solar panel would be an insanely valuable resource to any group. We had our own biodiesel factory pumping out synthetically manufactured gas to use, but we were far ahead of the curve compared to the rest of the factions.

Finally, the leader showed up, perhaps not realizing a different leader from a faction was here; she left herself wide open to assassination. It was a clear sign of her inexperience, both tactically and strategically, a bad choice. She shouldn’t have shown herself; she’s far too valuable to her own faction, and if she dies, her group falls apart.

What she should have done was cut her losses, but it was a clear sign of how badly they needed these RVs if they were willing to sacrifice so many just to get them. If I didn’t want to see how her power worked and didn’t want to see if I could get her on my side, I’d have just killed her. If it were any other leader, they’d be dead already(well, except Negan as well, because I want to torture him).

I floated Leela, Shelby, and myself up with bone as I travelled toward them. Gunfire rang out that would have struck them if I hadn’t covered them in bone armor right before they were struck. Seriously, bone manipulation was brokenly powerful, and I still couldn’t believe my luck with gaining it. It was powerful enough to be its own power, but it was only the beginning part of a more powerful power.

Their leader waved them off from attacking as she was curious about why the enemy would approach her. As I got closer, I couldn’t help but start to get more and more mad. The cute leader did look like a girl, but with a high perception, I could tell… She was actually a crossdressing man. My face hardened once again as I could smell it as we got close.

Once again, it was almost imperceptible; only my high stats allowed me to detect it in the air as I finally clocked his power. Pheromones. His power made the women in the group work like ants, with him being the queen leading them and making them stronger. I was only getting pissed off, but I watched the difference it made in Leela and Shelby.

For Leela, it was almost instant the moment we got in range of the pheromones. She looked dumber, not just a little, either, like a thirty or forty IQ point drop. The pheromones also made her horny, and while almost all the focus would normally be on the only man around(the crossdressing leader), it was instead focused on the most compatible mate, me.

Shelby’s high stats seemed to be able to shrug off most of the effects, but they were an innate thing. She was being affected, but possibly only half, maybe even a quarter of the actual effect. I was shocked by her lack of information; she(or rather, he) should have recognized me the moment I began launching bone projectiles, but somehow they didn’t know.

That was a problem with the mental reducing power to influence other people; they weren’t functioning at nearly the same capacity as other groups were. I was pissed. If she were actually a she, I might have even brought her into my group, but… Alas, everything doesn’t always work out the way you want. The two guards beside her were classless, but they were buffed up beyond normal.

It also had to do with the pheromones; just by the sight of them, I thought she could buff women up to warriors, and then perhaps another level above that to the ones protecting her. It would also explain their sacrificial nature; just like ants, some would sacrifice themselves for the sake of the colony. Only the stupidest ones would be like that, but there were enough that it was a problem if he had more time to grow.

He was my antithesis; all the women I strengthened could be turned against me if he grew powerful enough, and that’s why I needed to deal with him right now. He moved to speak, putting on a fake, overly girly voice as he did so. “So, I assume you're the leaders… You’ve given us more than enough trouble already. Are you here to surrender or… Maybe join us? If you kill that man right there, I’ll bring you into my harem, especially since you’re powered as well.”

And with that, he was done. I wouldn’t let anyone live who tried to take from me, and these two women were already mine in my head. It was just a matter of time now, and as the man smirked, thinking they’d betray me and stab me in the back, his head was already falling from his body. That overpowered power he had wasn’t omnipotent; he had many flaws, and only after pushing a force of equal or greater than his would he ever find out what that was. It was unfortunate for him that it was me instead of someone less experienced who might have let him live.

Just with his death, I could see the fog fade from their eyes, Shelby going back to normal almost immediately, as Leela took a while longer; even the queen's guards began to shake their heads as the confusion started to fade. Their army would be done by the end of the day, most likely absorbed into other factions as the other factions moved to claim her(his) land. Many of these women are coming to my own territory, especially since it would now have the RVs we were all fighting over.

Chapter 96

Enemy Leader’s Point of View

We drove after the retreating RVs. It was clear that the main female force was dealt with. Many of them were freaking out; most of their overwhelming strength was now gone for some reason, and I could only assume it was because their leader had died. We captured many of them, but since almost none of them had powers, they were just more mouths to feed.

All of the vehicles we were after escaped the encirclement, breaking through and going toward the worst possible direction they could, right into the territory of the strongest faction in the US right now. So strong that all the other factions put together might not be able to beat them, all because of how powerful their leader was. Only the frontal force, our strongest non-powered troops, chased after them.

Those who were either physically capable or had extremely good aim. I was the only powered in the group, specifically because my power made it harder for me to die. Regeneration wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Wolverine and Deadpool made it look amazing, but normal people had to deal with the pain. I could still feel the phantom pain of being shot and stabbed, and my regeneration wasn’t nearly as insane as theirs.

Being the top general of Negan, someone with an insanely sadistic side, even to those who couldn’t heal from the damage… I wasn’t even sure I could regrow a limb if I lost one, and thankfully, I was too valuable for Negan to risk crippling me. There were some upsides to this power, though. I normally feel no pain; my bad knees are no longer bad, and even my lazy eye and scars are gone.

As we travelled, a man stood solely by himself on the road, stopping us from pursuing. I’m half tempted to tell them to just floor it and run him over, but something, some lizard brain part in the back of my head, yells out. “Slow down, what’s this guy in front of us up to?...” We came to a dead stop as the man started walking toward us. Once again, we should just run him over or drive past him, but now everyone else seems creeped out by him as well.

As he gets closer, a boom box appears out of nowhere, and knowledge of the main faction's leader floods my mind immediately. As Shakira’s ‘Hips Don’t Lie" began to play, I yelled out. “RETREAT! IT’S DANNY STORM!” Screaming loudly enough, I threw out my voice.

…

“She make a man want to speak Spanish. Cómo se llama, sí. Bonita, sí. Mi casa. Shakira Shakira!” Bone spikes flew out, killing all but a single one of the drivers at the front, one managing to get his hand up just in time so it absorbed it instead of striking his head. It also turned out to be the only powered vehicle in this entire assaulting army.

I danced as I made my way toward them. Some of the few still alive at the front, and those further back, began to fire at me. At this point, my skill with bone manipulation meant I could predict and block bullets with it. Negan sent me hundreds of his best men to kill to weaken his own army. What a thoughtful gift from him. I’d have to thank him later after I get the mobile home group settled in my territory.

Finally, after killing around 25 of the men in the front vehicles, they finally got turned around and tried to escape, the keyword there being tried. The thing with my powers is… I was fucking superhuman and could run faster than most vehicles. I didn’t need to form a bone throne or pull a vehicle out of my storage to chase them. I could keep up with their vehicles on foot, and that was possibly even more terrifying than using my powers.

I ran at the same speed as the fleeing powered while still launching bone spikes at the tires and drivers of the other vehicles. “You know my hips don’t lie. And I’m starting to feel it's right. All the attraction, the tension.” I knocked on his door before asking. “Housekeeping, you want me to kick your ass?” 

The man only looked at me, terrified as he kept driving. He made no attempt to run me over because he must have known it was pointless. I hit him with three spikes so far, but the tough fucker was still standing. I watched as the bone spikes slowly worked their way out of his body, and I couldn’t help but say. “Oh, regeneration, not a bad power. Except for all the pain you feel, right? You’re not Wolverine or Deadpool, who make it look amazing; there's way more pain and flinching involved than they show, right?”

For a brief moment, he stopped screaming to say. “Wow, I was just thinking that myself, I mean, AHHH!” I tossed another few spikes at the vehicles in front as they veered to the side and almost pushed other cars off the road. “You know, I’ve found that people who have the regeneration power tend to be cowards. What the heck are you doing leading Negan’s troops?”

“Negan is pretty persuasive when he wants to be. It’s either I lead this group, or he’d kill me. Well, I’m going to die anyway, I guess, unless?” “Yeah, he got any family under his control, or is it just you, because he’ll kill them if you don’t go back?” “No, it’s just me.” “Great, that simplifies things… Here, let me take out these other…” Another large wave of bonespikes flies out and kills the rest of the drivers of the vehicles as their vehicles start to swerve or begin to roll from the lack of drivers.

Some of the passengers might be alive, but I wasn’t going to go through and kill every single one of them at a time. My time was too valuable, and unless Negan took their families hostage, a large portion of the survivors would most likely defect to my territory. The song was coming to an end as the trumpets began to play the rest of the song.

“So, you need to go back to your home in the territory and get your valuables, or can you follow me back to my territory right now?” “Got nothing of any significant value; the few keepsakes I had, Negan destroyed just because I valued them.” “Heh, that sounds like Negan, alright. Guy is sabotaging himself, and he won’t even realize it until it’s too late.”

I pulled out a two-way communicator as I asked. “Did any other factions try to stop the RVs?” The communicator crackled and hissed with static before Vicky spoke. “No, it was just Negan’s group. He shot himself in the foot, losing all those good fighters.” I could hear the happiness in her voice as I told her. “Got a powered coming back with me; he was the only powered in the group, got regeneration.”

“Alright, I’ll tell everyone to keep their guard up until we get further in our own territory, but it looks like we secured the mobile homes.” We didn’t need them; the moving vehicles were barely enough for the group that joined us, but it was taking a resource off the board for our enemies while wiping out a group and dealing a significant blow to the morale of another… 

Plus, I was in it for a completely different reason, and those two girls I rescued were more than willing to reward me for my help. I asked the regenerator a question. “So… What’s your name?” “Dale.” I couldn’t help but furrow my brow at the name. “Whoa, what’s that look? You’re not thinking of killing me still, right?” “Ahh… It’s not your fault; your name just reminds me of someone I still have to get payback on.”