Bernice

## Physical Information

Bernice is a fighter, participating in the Ministry Succession Tournament.

## Appearance

Bernice is a tall, muscular man with a dark skin complexion and black hair tied back in dreadlocks. He almost never wears a shirt, and his typical attire consists of military pants, boots, and sunglasses that obscure his bright red eyes.

## Personality

A serious, stoic man with a love for war and bloodshed. However, those who have known Bernice for a long time can tell that there's something he's hiding under his usual scowl, but no one is quite sure what.

## History

For as long as he could remember, Bernice was a child soldier for American interests as part of a government program which tried to create "perfect soldiers". Many subjects ended up dead, and at first, Bernice himself showed signs of defects. Highly increased aggressiveness, bipolar disorder and sociopathy to mention a few. Having heard that he was about to be tossed away, Bernice went on his own and decided to slaughter one of the next targets. Whole Village was razed, and rumor was that no one survived, there he forcefully awakened his powers but the defects of the project didn’t disappear as his mind was destroyed beyond repair, So he approached various battlefields, seeing that wasn’t enough he caused wars on his own. Relishing in his own creation, he felt thrill like never before. Battlefield was his home, there was no way he would be part of society as he was a monster. Many women tried to woo him but he refused all advances sticking to his code of conduct.

## Abilities

**Steel Muscles:** An effect of the military experiments Bernice was subjected to; his muscles are literally made of steel. Giving him immense strength and durability. They are also the reason why he weighs so much. Additionally, due to the organic fiber nature of the steel having been bonded to his body, Bernice's muscles are actually stronger than conventional steel. In certain aspects he's surpassed Shen in terms of durability and could be hailed as most durable man in Ministry.

**Energy Absorption and Redirection:** Another effect of military experimentation, Bernice is able to absorb energy and reflect it with his own attack to a certain degree. He can absorb a variety of energy, including kinetic, thermal, electric, nuclear, and even divine power. However, there is a limit to how much energy he can absorb, and the reflection isn't typically 1:1. Also, the absorption doesn't nullify damage from an oncoming attack.

**Underhanded Combat:** As a soldier, there was no mention of honor, kicking nuts, poking out eyes, rupturing eardrums or throwing sand in eyes were common parts of his combat, fighting unarmed opponents with firearms is also a common thing for him.

**Unreal Strength:** He honed his strength on battlefield fighting against hordes of soldiers and monsters, while part of it can be attributed to his modified body most of it was gained through conscious effort.  Bernice is 3rd strongest member only falling marginally behind Gary the gap between them isn't as big as between Gary and Shen.

**Above-average speed:** While one might think that he's slow due to being imbued with steel, he's still fast thanks to his physical strength that said he can easily tire out if he goes for a while at top speed and his build doesn't allow to reach speeds of the fastest members.

**Tactical Genius:** Despite his appearances, Bernice is able to think and plan ahead. Giving the enemy the wrong impression and then killing them once they let their guard down.

**Sun Flow Fist:** A technique which he gained by absorbing divine attack. By breathing in a certain way he’s able to concentrate yellow aura and give his strikes more power.

## Equipment

* **Military knife** - Standard blade, high quality.
* **C4** - A powerful remote explosive.
* **RPG -** A powerful shoulder-fired missile weapon.
* **Stereo -** A small stereo Bernice carries with him anytime he enters into battle. It plays songs from a certain game from the times before the Apocalypse.