Under the pressure of the giant hammer, cracks quickly spread across the Light Shield that the fake Ka Sheng had hastily raised.
Normally, a Holy Shield that could block a full-power blow from a B-rank Boss was now on the verge of shattering under this single strike!
For the first time, confusion and panic flickered across the Gray Girl’s face.
Logically, her attributes and skills should have been completely identical to her opponent’s.
So why didn’t she know how to wield that hammer, which was larger than a person?
What she found even more incomprehensible was that the giant hammer, seemingly made of Holy Light, was not channeling a sacred, pure Light Element.
Instead, it exuded a pure, overbearing power to its absolute extreme.
It was as if the pure Holy Light surrounding it was just a disguise, while what it contained within was a terrifying brute force capable of crushing boulders!
With a crisp sound of shattering, the Holy Shield completely disintegrated, scattering into countless golden specks of light floating in the air.
And the giant hammer, its momentum undiminished, whistled through the air as it tore through it, slamming heavily into the gun-sword that the Gray Girl had crossed in front of her chest in a hasty block.
CLANG!
A deafening clang of metal echoed throughout the space.
The fake Ka Sheng felt an irresistible, monstrous force surge from the blade.
Her arms went numb instantly as her tiger’s mouth split open.
Like a ragdoll hit head-on by a battering ram, she was uncontrollably sent flying backward, tumbling over a dozen times before she stopped, disheveled and pitiful.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. So this is the ugly expression you make after taking one of this Seat’s hammers?”
Ka Sheng held the door-plate-sized giant hammer over her shoulder with one hand, taking leisurely steps as she walked toward the replica lying on the ground.
A confident, condescending smile now hung on the girl’s face.
Her blue eyes no longer held their usual gentleness and innocence, leaving only the coldness and brutality belonging to a Calamity Pillar.
Since Gray was busy fighting his own copy right now, and any Mana released would be understood by that guy as coming from the Square Water Mirror, why not show a bit of the Demon Race’s true face?
“Copying only my fighting style as a Priest, but unable to truly replicate a Calamity Pillar… and you’re scared of something like this? That guy Gray is really just a small fry at his core, huh.”
The girl muttered to herself, her voice sweet and seductive.
The Square Water Mirror could only copy one identity.
The vast majority of Human Braves who encountered this type of Magic Monster were fanatics completely devoted to exploration.
Naturally, they wouldn’t have a completely opposite second identity to use against the Square Water Mirror.
But deep within the soul of the girl named Ka Sheng was Noctiluca, once the nightmare of adventurers.
If you put Ka Sheng and Zhuoketiluka in a ring together to fight, the former truly had zero chance of winning.
On the other battlefield, Gray and his mirror image were locked in a fierce struggle.
Electric lights clashed, sparks flew from colliding blades, and thunderous explosions rang out endlessly.
The battle was at a stalemate.
“Ah, forget it. I might as well go help that small fry out, so he doesn’t think this Captain doesn’t care about the lives of her team members.”
The girl sighed, no longer intending to give the replica, which was struggling to get up, any chance.
She gently curled the corners of her mouth, and the momentum of her light hammer descended from the sky once again, aimed directly at the Gray Copy’s head.
“Let me use this to smash your head in, knockoff!”
The projected Light Hammer of Nocturne fell without a shred of pity.
In the Gray Girl’s eyes, which were identical to Ka Sheng’s, the rapidly enlarging shadow of the hammer was reflected, along with the delicate face behind it, which bore a cruel smile.
It gave up resisting.
Or rather, in the face of that absolute power, any resistance seemed pale and powerless.
No sound of bones breaking.
No horrific sight of blood and flesh flying.
As the light faded, only a huge, spiderweb-like crater remained on the ground.
The imposter was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a few gray specks of light floating in the air that were about to fade away.
“Easy. I don’t take disciples.”
Ka Sheng pouted, and the giant hammer on the blade also dissolved into specks of light.
Just as she was about to turn around to check on Gray’s situation, a faint murmur, as if carrying endless sadness and reluctance, drifted softly into her ears.
“Gray… Mr.”
The voice came from the last few strands of gray light that were about to completely dissolve.
Before fading away, the fake Ka Sheng used her last ounce of strength to call out that name.
Sorry…
Ka Sheng’s steps came to a sudden halt.
The smug smile on her face instantly froze, and she stared blankly as those gray specks of light completely merged into the void.
“Could it be… not because of him?”
It was just a copy of her, a false phantom created by a low-level Magic Monster.
Yet before it vanished, it could reveal such a genuine feeling that resonated with her?
That attachment to Gray… was it even stronger than her own…
No!
Impossible!
This Seat’s feelings for that guy are just for fun!
It’s not real love!
How could it create this kind of dependence that you still recall even on the verge of death?!
A chaotic mess of thoughts surged into her mind.
It must be Mammon’s perverse sense of humor!
It’s a psychological trap set by that damned greedy horse head!
How could I possibly develop that kind of feeling for a mere human…
“Ka Sheng!!”
Just then, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly erupted from the other battlefield.
That voice did not belong to Gray, but to his mirror image.
The Gray Warrior, who had been fighting Gray to a standstill and was evenly matched in technique, abruptly changed his entire aura the moment he sensed the disappearance of the fake Ka Sheng.
In his gray eyes, a mad flame ignited.
Reason and skill were replaced by endless fury and despair.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
He let out an inhuman roar.
The violent Thunder Light on his Katana became tinged with an ominous, dark purple.
He abandoned all defense.
With a life-for-life posture, he launched a mad attack at the real Gray.
Gray suddenly felt unprecedented pressure.
The enemy’s attacks were completely unorthodox, yet they all boiled down to brute force.
Attacking without defending, not caring about his own body being pierced with small holes by electric arcs, he was forced to retreat repeatedly, barely managing to block.
The clashing sounds of blades were as dense as rain, sparks flying everywhere.
The youth only felt his tiger’s mouth go numb.
What was transmitted through the blade wasn’t just violent magic power, but also a thick, unbreakable sadness and anger.
Why the grief?
Why the rage?
Why would a false projection possess such real emotions?
Yet that sorrow was so genuine that even Gray, his opponent, could empathize with it, his heart inexplicably tightening.
However, even a moment’s distraction on the battlefield could be fatal.
“Die!”
The Gray Copy seized his momentary weakness and delivered a powerful downward slash.
Purple lightning tore through the air, letting out a piercing shriek.
Gray’s pupils constricted sharply.
Years of battle instinct overcame the confusion in his heart.
He twisted his waist sharply, dodging the fatal blow by a hair’s breadth.
The blade almost grazed the tip of his nose as it fell, carving a deep, blackened trench into the ground.
A cold shiver ran down his spine, instantly waking him up.
No matter what it was.
No matter what feelings it had.
What stood before him now was an enemy that had to be slain!
Gray’s gaze hardened.
There was no more hesitation.
He took a deep breath.
The Lightning Element within him surged out without reservation.
Pale blue electric arcs crackled around his body, making him look like a descending Thunder God.
“This ends here!”
The opposing Gray Copy seemed to sense his opponent’s resolute aura.
Roaring, he raised the Thunder Blade in his hand, also pouring all his power into this final strike.
The next second, both figures turned into electric lights, colliding violently in the center of the space.
There was no earth-shattering roar.
Only a moment of silence.
The blue and dark gray Thunder Lights intertwined and devoured each other frantically, forming a blinding ball of light too intense to look at directly.
The sphere of light lasted less than a second before shrinking abruptly.
Then it burst open violently.
A powerful shockwave swept outward, scraping a layer off the ground.
When the dust settled, Gray was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily.
His Katana was stuck diagonally into the ground, supporting his body.
In front of him, a deep, bone-deep gash had appeared on the chest of the gray figure.
Pale blue lightning was constantly leaking from the wound.
The blade in its hand snapped and shattered, turning into specks of light.
The figure lifted its head, its blood-red eyes taking a last look in the direction where “Ka Sheng” had been.
The mad hatred gradually faded, leaving only endless sadness and reluctance.
“At least… let me… die… with her…”
Before it could finish speaking, its body could no longer maintain its form.
Like a sandcastle, it completely collapsed, turning into a flurry of gray specks of light that dissipated into the air.
Gray sheathed his sword, looking at those gradually fading specks of light.
A complex feeling stirred in his heart.
Should I call this worthy of the Square Water Mirror?
It can even imitate human emotions so accurately.
Still, if Miss Ka Sheng were to really die in front of him, his reaction would probably be a hundred times crazier than this copy’s.
He shook his head, forcing the terrible possibility he never wanted to happen out of his mind.
He turned to look deeper into the labyrinth.
Since Ka Sheng had just taken care of her copy as well, according to the rules of the Square Water Mirror, it should now reveal its true form due to the disappearance of the copies.
But… where was the true form?
Shouldn’t that crystal reappear in the center of the field by now?
Even though he had defeated the copy, Gray felt he couldn’t settle down at all.
Sure, most Brave Teams would schedule a rest time after defeating the Boss, but first of all, they were in the notoriously dangerous Third Labyrinth.
Who knew if that Demon, who might be named Mammon, would set up an ambush just like that bastard Noktiluka?
And secondly…
He had this nagging feeling that he had just sensed an aura belonging to Noktiluka?
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