Chapter 52: Master of Hellscape Island (6)
I had never fought myself.
It sounded so obvious, perhaps even foolish.
No one in the entire world would ever fight their own self.
Yet, in my past life, the soldiers under Mikhail Reverk’s command had faced such a battle.
Not literally themselves, but someone remarkably similar.
That person was none other than Weapon Master Mikhail Reverk, who could wield any weapon with unmatched skill.
However, none of his soldiers could ever mimic him.
Mikhail was not a man limited to a single weapon.
His mastery over any one weapon was so profound that it was untouchable.
And now, here stood someone who looked exactly like me.
I couldn’t contain my excitement.
“You’re copying me?”
“…….”
It was as if a mirror stood between us—same attire, same face.
Even the weapon he held was identical, but this was merely a soulless puppet, a perfect replica of me.
‘Is this cloning magic?’
As if to answer my question, the puppet, the other Evan, charged at me.
It moved along the exact path I would have taken had I attacked first.
‘No way. It can’t be sharing my thoughts, can it?’
I was astonished but didn’t dodge. Instead, I met it head-on.
―Clang!
As our blades clashed, I was struck with another wave of surprise.
The puppet was pushing back with the exact same strength as mine.
‘Strength is one thing it could surpass me in. Does it really need to mimic this too?’
I thought, but I was in a bind.
If there had been a gap in strength, I could have used its force against it to launch an attack.
Cloning magic typically only copied the opponent’s appearance, with the strength determined by the caster’s will.
But since it attacked with the same strength as me, breaking that balance was no easy feat.
Moreover,—
‘It’s acting just like me, so if I break the balance, it’ll definitely exploit the opening.’
I formed a plausible hypothesis and decided to test it.
―Tad!
As I stepped back, the puppet immediately closed in, aiming for the top of my foot.
‘As expected!’
That was the exact spot I would have targeted if the opponent had retreated first.
I twisted my foot, narrowly dodging the attack, and engaged again.
―Clang clang clang!!!
The two daggers danced furiously, relentlessly targeting each other’s vital points.
A single mistake could be fatal in this ferocious exchange.
‘I’d heard of cloning magic, but never that it could be this precise.’
The cloning magic I knew was mere trickery.
A lingering afterimage, incapable of action on its own.
But what I was witnessing now was far beyond that.
At this point, I grew curious.
How could it mimic me so perfectly?
‘Is it copying the moves I showed in the previous trials?’
The battle with the sand soldiers had been particularly prolonged.
While subduing over a hundred of them, I had displayed a variety of dagger techniques.
‘If it learned from that fight, it makes sense it’s performing like this.’
If so, how would it handle something I hadn’t shown?
I used my foot, an attack I hadn’t employed in the earlier trials.
‘Let’s see if it reacts to this.’
The kick aimed for the puppet’s solar plexus.
At the same moment, the puppet launched a kick toward mine.
―Thud!
―Thud!
Our attacks landed simultaneously.
Both of us, struck precisely in the solar plexus, were sent flying.
“Ugh!”
I had hoped, but it really happened.
The puppet had replicated every move I’d shown in the previous trials and was now analyzing my actions in real-time, layering new information atop its knowledge.
‘I get it now. That thing is mimicking my movements with its eyes. With astonishing visual acuity.’
Facing an opponent so akin to myself was both infuriating and intriguing.
‘If I’d known, I would’ve brought a ton of other weapons besides the dagger.’
No one knew better than I how rare an opportunity it was to fight oneself.
This moment was a precious experience in itself.
Of course, assuming I survived.
‘I can’t give it any openings. I’m the type to ruthlessly exploit any gap.’
Thus, I gave my all to survive against myself.
―Clang!
Amid the flurry of daggers, neither of us sustained a single scratch.
―Clang clang clang!
As the fight intensified, I used my free hand to weave in martial arts techniques.
I struck with fists, sometimes with the edge of my hand, but the puppet mirrored me perfectly.
It flawlessly executed the dual attacks from both hands.
The stalemate persisted until our exchanges surpassed a hundred blows, when the tide began to shift.
“Hoo…”
One was a puppet, unbound by emotions or even physical limits.
In contrast, I was drained from the previous trials.
“Hahaha!”
Yet, I didn’t waver.
Despite my waning stamina, it was the puppet that was being pushed back.
“Such a shame. Is this your limit? Let me show you my best as a parting gift.”
In my past life, I had a cursed body.
Yet, with that body, I rose to the pinnacle of the continent.
Now, reborn in an ordinary body,—
If someone who reached the top with the worst body now had a normal one?
There was nothing to hinder my greatest talent from shining.
“Consider it an honor. You’re the first in this life to witness my original dagger technique.”
I lightly hopped in place before charging forward.
―Clang!
Nothing seemed particularly different.
But the speed of my dagger strikes gradually increased.
―Clang clang clang!!
Afterimages trailed where my dagger passed.
Each afterimage was a real attack.
My strikes accelerated without limit.
Not only fast, they persistently targeted vital points.
“…….”
The puppet’s eyes darted ceaselessly, reacting to the frenzied onslaught.
It responded in real-time, but its speed noticeably lagged.
Eventually, it failed to follow a single move.
And at my level, that was a fatal opening.
“It’s over.”
My dagger sliced through the puppet’s neck, severing the carotid artery.
―Spurt!
The puppet collapsed forward, blood gushing.
Soon, its form blurred and disintegrated completely.
‘Ernst, that guy was no joke. To create a clone of this caliber.’
As if on cue, the barrier surrounding the hall dissipated.
The trial was over.
At the same time, the stele with the inscription split in half.
―Rumble!
As the debris fell away, a sword embedded in the ground was revealed, like something out of legend.
I pulled the sword free.
‘What kind of sword looks like this?’
The blade had a long, narrow groove running down its center, resembling an elongated needle’s eye.
‘I’ve seen plenty of strange weapons, but this?’
I flicked the blade with my finger.
―Ting!
The black iron blade, though thin, was remarkably sturdy.
Yet, there seemed no reason to hollow out the center.
‘Hmm… It doesn’t seem decorative.’
As I pondered the purpose of the groove, lightning suddenly struck from the ceiling.
―Crackle!
It was too close and too sudden to dodge completely.
Instinctively, I raised the sword to block the lightning.
“Ugh!”
But the lightning was absorbed into the sword.
More precisely, it was sucked into the groove in the blade.
―Zzt.
I cautiously picked up the sword from the ground.
‘What? Did it trap the lightning?’
The lightning was flowing within the groove.
Curious, I swung the sword.
―Whoosh!
Nothing happened.
‘If I’m right, it should work like this.’
I enveloped the sword with aura and swung again.
―Crackle!
A bolt of lightning-like sword aura shot out.
‘No way—this is really a magic-engineered weapon?’
As I began to grasp the sword’s nature, fireballs and ice spikes shot out from both walls.
Their power was lethal if not dodged or blocked.
I calmly rushed toward the fireball and swung the sword.
The sword absorbed the fireball, and the blade burst into flames.
With the flaming sword, I released aura toward the ice spikes.
―Fwoosh!
A fiery sword path erupted, engulfing the ice.
‘This sword is a vessel for magical power.’
A weapon imbued with magic, the pinnacle of magical engineering.
Such weapons were rare, wielded only by a select few in the Empire.
Only the Emperor’s personal guard, elite officers from high nobility, or those under imperial protection could possess magic-engineered weapons.
In my past life, despite my skill, my low birth barred me from even touching them.
Yet now, I held such a precious weapon.
A sword that could contain elemental powers in a way I’d never seen.
‘Tch, did he set traps just to test this sword? Couldn’t he just leave a manual?’
I clicked my tongue at Ernst’s cunning design.
As I scanned for more traps, something caught my eye near the stele.
Clearing the debris revealed a bronze plaque with an inscription.
[Congratulations. Seeing this means you’ve passed my final trial and obtained the sword. And, of course, survived my little surprise.]
‘This guy.’
[The sword’s name is Venus. As you’ve likely guessed, it’s named after this island. It signifies becoming the master of both the sword and the island.]
‘Master of the island…’
[This island has a long history. I don’t know how it’ll be remembered in the future, but centuries ago, it belonged to the Red Count. Now, it’s been claimed by a nine-headed beast to counter any potential return of the Red Count. But that beast is far too dangerous to be left unchecked forever.]
The inscription continued with a command or plea.
[I couldn’t bring this to an end. So, bearer of this sword, I ask you to bring peace to this island.]
The plaque bore a desperate request, as if from a fairy tale hero tasked with slaying a demon king, to finish off the Hydra or any lingering vampire.
‘Couldn’t he have finished it himself? With all the effort he put into this, he could’ve taken care of it. A Great Mage, really?’
But that was a fairy tale, and I was a practical man who picked up a sword instead of books in childhood.
‘What’s the point of being the master of a deserted island? Well, I’ll make good use of the sword.’
I activated the return scroll.
―Hum.
***
In an instant, my vision flashed.
When I opened my eyes, I was back at the entrance of the iron door.
“Evan! You rascal!”
Nell stood before the door, shouting the moment he saw me.
“You just can’t stay put, can you? Do you know how many people were looking for you? I figured you went through this door.”
“I did, but sorry…”
“No time for this. Let’s go. We need to leave the island now.”
“Huh? Why?”
Nell looked unusually urgent.
What had happened?
“I’ll explain on the way. The barrier is breaking.”
“What?!”
I looked up at the sky.
Indeed, cracks were forming in the barrier.
“Is that because of me?”
Had I caused this by opening the door and taking the trials?
“What kind of nonsense is that? The barrier—”
Thankfully, it wasn’t my fault.
The cause was something else.
―Boom!!!
A deafening roar drowned out our voices.
“The Hydra is going berserk. It’s strong enough to shatter that sturdy barrier!”
“Why’s the Hydra doing that?”
“I don’t know!”
At that moment, the barrier shattered.
―Crack!!!
Exchanging a glance, Nell and I immediately climbed upward.