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It was a fight between two powers.
More correctly, it was a fight between an individual and an army.
It was an unusual sight, completely unlike anything in the real world. On the real 29th floor, there was a river flowing through a forest—but that was nowhere to be found. Only dry earth and lifeless mountains and streams remained.
In the midst of overflowing demonic power, a person stood in what was no different than the land of the dead. That person, no, the kid looked to be in his teens but was, in reality, older.
“Jerath! You fucker!” Ash spat. His coarse words were at odds with his outward appearance.
Ash looked terrible. There were multiple wounds on his body, and his shredded clothes proved that he went through something horrible. Most notably, one of his two long, prominent ears, which was noticeably even from a distance, was broken and hanging at an odd angle.
“An elf—?” Iceline murmured uncomprehendingly as she stepped across the threshold.
Elves—a woodland people whose presence in the open world was becoming increasingly rare.
That wasn't all, surprisingly.
“Look further ahead,” Theta warned her.
“Hmm?”
Iceline's eyes became tinged with bewilderment as she refocused her eyes. Past Ash, who had his back turned to them, was a group of things, all veiled in darkness.
They were unnatural beings that should never exist in the world. The whole continent’s enemy: an army of undead.
“Th-There. Are those death knights?”
“I think so.”
“And… is that a lich? Aren’t they only a myth?” Iceline wondered to herself, casting a brief glance in Theta’s direction. “Is this also by the Tower?”
“....”
“You said you already came here before, so why aren’t you answering?”
Iceline impatiently pressed him, but Theta continued to be silent.
“How dare you do this to me!” Ash cried out.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” A person emerged from the horde of the undead at Ash’s shout. It looked like a human being in a black cloak.
“Answer me, Jerath!”
“You don’t have to shout. Maybe it’s because we’re in the Tower, but your voice is deafening.” Jerath picked at his ear with his little finger.
Ash stared at Jerath with his jaw clenched.
“I will kill you with my own hands!” Ash cried out in rage and extended his hand.
Very quickly, the mana floating nearby started condensing on the tips of his fingers.
“Should we help out?” Iceline asked.
“Why?”
Iceline gave him a bewildered look.
“What do you mean why? It’s only natural to help, right?”
“So… you want to help when you don’t know the situation or even who the enemy is?”
“Are you really this dense? Anyone can see who the real enemy is!”
“You can’t just discriminate against someone because of their looks.”
“You’re telling me that—”
“Furthermore, interfering in other people’s lives when it’s none of your business is a surefire way to shorten your lifespan.”
“You. I misjudged you. I didn’t think you’d be like this!”
Iceline had been throwing a fit, but now, she closed her eyes.
“Just forget it. I’ll help him.”
“Before that—”
“What are you going to say now?”
“Look over there.” Theta, trying desperately to not pay attention to Iceline’s snarl, raised a finger to one side of her.
To be more precise, he pointed above their heads to the ceiling of the 29th floor.
Krrrrrrr.
A growl penetrated their ears as though it had been waiting for them.
Iceline was frightened and shivered in response to the eerie sound. Afraid, she slowly looked at whereTheta’s finger was pointing.
“Oh my god…”
She saw two big, monstrous eyes glowing in the darkness.
“Wait.” Iceline had a sudden epiphany. “I remembered something.”
“What?”
“Joshua once told me that a black mage was connected to Avalon’s Imperial family.”
“What the—! Then—?”
“Isn’t this the best place to conceal a horde of monsters if no one was managing the Tower?”
Iceline’s eyes flickered, but she kept staring rigidly at the ceiling.
“That is one insane Emperor.”
***
Someone once said that fighting one’s internal demons is the continual struggle of life. The emptiness of abandoned purpose is filled by indolence. Motivation can dissipate in mere moments.
Joshua has surmounted all the great obstacles in his life. However, he, too, was completely unprepared for this. He never expected that one day, he would have to fight himself—his other self.
[It’s a doppelganger.]
“Doppelganger?”
[I'm guessing you're familiar with it. The most lifelike copy God could make. I never thought I would see a species that went extinct thousands of years ago in an environment like this…]
“....”
[On top of that, a monster of this caliber should, logically, only emerge from at least the 40th floor.]
Joshua ignored Lugia's words and stared ahead of him.
“It's exactly the same,” Joshua groaned through gritted teeth.
It was an exact mirror image. Everything about it was a dead ringer for him, even down to the huge spear in “his” hand.
Even Joshua has heard something of doppelgangers. The name was synonymous with a clone; in essence, they mimic their prey in every way, both the form and the mind and even ability. That was one of the reasons that the older than ancient doppelgangers were more commonly called a “legend” than a “monster” in modern times.
[Is it the only one in the world now? Probably. But looking at the level of that thing… it might be Kingdom?]
“Kingdom?”
[I’m talking about the king of the doppelganger. That one’s different from the rest. It’s not on par with the other things that the Tower can infinitely recreate. As you can see, that’s as real as it gets. So… be careful.]
Joshua let Lugia's parting advice sink in, but before Lugia could even finish saying “careful,” the thing in front of them started moving.
There was an air of eager expectancy as it clutched its brilliant crimson spear.
One couldn't discount how fast it was moving.
That initial impact sent Joshua’s body reeling back when he blocked the incoming spear.
“This—?”
An incredulous look briefly crossed Joshua's face.
Not only does it have the devastating potential of a long weapon, but it was also fast and accurate. Everything was completely the same. It really was like fighting against himself.
Once more, the doppelganger swung the spear and was blocked. The doppelganger did not try to control the force of his ricocheting spear but just went with the flow. It rotated into an outward thrust and stabbed Joshua in his armpits from an odd angle.
It was a move that was very familiar to Joshua. Joshua matched the attack with an identical one.
The collision of their spear points produced a deafening roar. Everything in their immediate vicinity shook as if it were ready to disintegrate at any second. This was the result of Joshua’s spear meeting the doppelganger’s speartip that had been aiming for his armpit.
The tips of their spears were still locked in a contest of strength as they fiercely attempted to push each other back. The clashing auras of their two spears threw everything into chaos.
The doppelganger bared its teeth menacingly at its opponent, clearly eager to feast on the power it was about to experience.
At that very instant…
“First form: Flash stab.”
Joshua’s eyes widened at the low voice that slipped through his opponent’s teeth.
“No way—?”
The doppelganger’s hand clutched the burning, powerful spear.
‘What if what I’m thinking actually happens?’
If the Magic Spear Arts actually worked—
Joshua’s opponent’s voice, a barely audible muttering, interrupted Joshua’s thoughts.
“Lightning Flash!”
Joshua saw the spear coming at him and took a deep breath. It was happening at such a high speed.
He jerked his head to the side, and the spear's sharp tip scraped his flesh. Joshua's expression turned grave as he felt blood flow down his cheeks. He didn't even notice that his opponent had retreated ten steps.
“How shocking…!”
Joshua broke the silence with a brief exclamation.
The voice of Lugia echoed in his mind:
[Kingdom isn't its nickname for nothing. Was it two thousand years ago? That lizard lunged at it, claiming he would subjugate it, and was crushed.]
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“Lizard? The dragon?”
[That's why Kingdom is so terrifying: not only does it have nearly endless raw power, but it can also mimic its opponent's exact movements as soon as it lays eyes on them.]
“Wait a sec—”
[You'll be rewarded handsomely for your efforts once you've brought him under control, but —]
Lugia was midway through its sentence when Joshua cut the demon off.
“You’re saying that it copies the exact conditions, at that very moment, of a person?”
[What about it?]
“When the hell did it copy my abilities?” Joshua murmured under his breath, squinting at his foe as it advanced toward him.
[Maybe ever since you set foot on this level? I suggest we stop talking now, hmm?]
His opponent interrupted its swift movement by lightly kicking off the ground—but its figure quickly reappeared elsewhere, as if using a mage’s blink spell.
Soon…
“Impermanence’s Spear,” the doppelganger shouted and readied its spear.
It seemed like it was beginning to have fun. Or maybe its goal was to upset Joshua’s mental and emotional state?
Then a remarkable thing happened: a mysterious sound rang, and at the same time, a wave of pure white electricity radiated outward from the tip of the opponent's spear.
Joshua's eyebrow twitched. Now he knew.
That rain and the lightning made Joshua angry.
“Bronto!”
In that split second when Joshua finally mumbled that name, the spotless white room, sealed off from the rest of the world, reverberated with the booming noise.
“Sugahak's Fury.”
The attack was like a bolt from the blue.
The bright crimson spear absorbed light from all directions. The entire room—perhaps the entire world—felt the strength of the effect.
It was the power to completely wipe out the enemy.
Deadly lightning had finally been unleashed.
Then, that tremendous might came crashing down like lightning.
Joshua slowly, gently lifted his head and gazed upwards. Even in slow motion, a shaft of lightning was coming at him fast.
It was impossible for him to block it head-on… nor could he avoid it. If that was the case, there was only one thing he could do.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something here, but…”
Joshua kicked the ground as hard as he could. His opponent's face rapidly filled his field of vision, allowing Joshua to see its startled expression.
Perhaps it thought Joshua was committing suicide. But what Joshua was planning to tell his opponent was…
“Nothing can ever compare to the genuine thing.”
Joshua gripped Lugia, and with a smile, he conjured a bolt of lightning. He locked eyes with the doppelganger, whose expression had already warped into a maniacal, murderous grin.
“I am the real deal.”
Joshua’s deep voice heralded a tremendous roar that tore the earth and sky apart.