Episode 223 – Doppelganger
Although her consciousness was repeatedly interrupted and returned, Scarlett was not even aware of it.
Is it just a slightly realistic dream? And she just tilted her head.
“Are you so excited that you and Siune are going to challenge the Tower of Babel?”
Now I even have dreams like this.
She was wiggling her hands, thinking such foolish thoughts, and suddenly she saw something in her hands.
“… Ax?”
Also, there were two short axes that seemed to be perfect for throwing due to their short reach.
But why am I holding this?
When it comes to dreams, don’t you usually dream of things that are at least slightly related to yourself?
Dreaming of having fun with real friends, or dreaming of going on a date with your favorite child.
Or you may have a dream of having an item you have always wanted, or a ghost you saw in a horror movie you saw last night appears.
Dreams are the realm of the unconscious, but the unconscious is also an extension of consciousness, so phenomena that go beyond one’s awareness cannot appear in dreams.
“Why do I have an axe?”
Scarlett tries to get her senses by swinging the ax around for no reason.
She has never held an ax in her life, so how can it feel so real?
From Noble mtl dot com
For some reason, I felt like this would be the feeling even if I held an ax after waking up from a dream.
“Uhm… ?”
As I was walking like that, I saw someone walking from across the street.
A sturdy body with broad shoulders, a sword pulled from its sheath and dragging on the floor. Jet-black hair and blue eyes burning like cold flames.
Han Si-woo, this generation’s Holy Knight and the first friend he made after entering the academy.
He was stumbling towards me, covered in wounds.
“Siwoo… ?”
*
There is a monster called a doppelganger.
A monster that changes into the exact same form as another person.
According to oral tradition, there is also a theory that anyone who encounters their doppelgänger will die… It’s a little different in this world.
They are similar in that they imitate other people’s appearances, but they do not die if they encounter their doppelgänger.
However, this doppelganger is able to spy on other people’s hearts and identify their weaknesses.
For example, a friend appears to be seriously injured or turns into a scared person, causing the victim to let down their guard.
They attack and try to kill you in an instant.
That is the truth of the rumor floating around in this labyrinth that one must be careful of the illusions of one’s companions.
In fact, if you look at it this way, it may be considered a low-level monster that you don’t have to worry about….
The annoying thing about this doppelganger is that it follows the strength and skills of the person it imitates to some extent.
It cannot be followed exactly the same way. At least a portion of that?
However, depending on what kind of being the doppelganger is imitating, even ‘a portion’ of that power can be a disaster for someone.
“… Ruined.”
What Scarlett faced was none other than a doppelganger who imitated me.
I hate to say this to myself, but this is my doppelganger who can be said to be the strongest at the moment.
If it had been a handsome man or my own doppelganger, I would have easily won, but if it was my doppelganger, it would be different.
There is no way that a doppelganger who merely imitated me would be able to summon or accept Durandal….
Actually, there is a clear difference in skill between Scarlett and me.
A normal Scarlett might be able to fight on equal footing with someone who is not tolerated. No, maybe he’s a little stronger than me.
But now?
What she held in her hands were not her main weapon, the Zweihender, but two unfamiliar single axes.
In addition, although the power and magical power have become stronger due to the berserk, it is closer to a runaway and is never a good phenomenon.
This means that you will fight randomly, relying solely on your instincts, without any rational thought.
When I combine all these circumstances, I can’t think of a future where Scarlett beats my doppelgänger.
“Please….”
While praying with my legs shaking, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
What if Scarlett dies?
I was the one who brought Scarlett here. Doesn’t that mean I killed her?
Thinking like that, I felt like my stomach would turn and I would feel nauseous at any moment.
“Please.”
I hope she is safe.
*
“Siwoo… “Are you hurt?”
“Scarlett….”
Siwoo approaches, bleeding.
Scarlett slowly approached him, looking at him with concern.
Boom!
I swung the ax with all my might.
It wasn’t something I did after thinking about it.
At first, I tried to reach out because I was really worried about Han Si-woo, but my senses and instincts, which had become more sensitive than the limit due to [Berserk], Shouted that the person in front of me was not Han Si-woo.
I got goosebumps thinking that this being that looked exactly like Han Si-woo right in front of me was actually a monster that was just imitating him.
Kaang!
“Hmph.”
However, the ax, which was swung as if it was going to crush the guy’s bones at any moment, was blocked in vain.
Because of the sword he was dragging.
“Ugh… ?”
Scarlett was taken aback for a moment, but Han Si-woo twisted his sword and struck away the ax that Scarlett swung.
Nettlefish!
Just like that, he burrows into Scarlett’s arms and stabs his sword.
He tried to dodge by twisting his body, but his speed was so fast that he was unable to dodge completely and gave up his side.
Along with the burning pain, blood flows down from the side where the blade grazed.
“Issingda….”
Wasn’t Siwoo a little weaker than me until yesterday?
Definitely. Didn’t you take a skills test to commemorate your entrance to the academy earlier?
‘Obviously, I was 11 minutes and 28 seconds, and Siwoo was 11 minutes and 04 seconds. ‘I should have lasted a little longer, right?’
But why is Siwoo so fast?
‘Ah, I remembered.’
It was said that the sword Siwoo holds is definitely enchanted. Did he say it was an acceleration spell?
It was definitely an attack with that.
‘Huh? But when did Siwoo tell me that?
Wasn’t it Siwoo who was in front of you?
My mind, clouded by the effects of photobombing, is a mess.
Scarlett racked her brain trying to somehow understand the situation, but soon gave up.
“Ah. I don’t know.”
I don’t know. I don’t know everything.
I don’t know why Si-woo suddenly attacks me, I don’t know when Si-woo got so strong, I don’t even know where this is, why I’m here, why I have an ax in my hand, why is it so dark here? Also, I don’t know if that’s Si-woo.
It’s full of unknowns.
So Scarlett decided.
“Naa… Because I’m stupid. “I can only do this.”
First, let’s destroy whatever it is.
As soon as she finished speaking, Scarlett threw the ax in her left hand towards Han Si-woo’s head.
Cheaeng!
And while Han Si-wu was swinging his sword and striking it away, he quickly entered the blind spot of his vision and was about to swing his axe.
“Ugh… ?”
He blinked once, and one of his hands was in a rag, and Hansi was just far away, looking unscathed.
Meanwhile, I lost consciousness again.
“It hurts….”
Well, well.
I shake his hands a few times to shake off the dripping blood.
However, blood continued to flow from the wound, and there was no way all the blood would come out even if I cut it.
When did this hand get injured again? Also, did Si-Woo move at an invisible speed and cut him?
‘Ugh. That’s not it….’
That’s because the position he was standing in was different from just now.
Then when did you get cut?
Could something like this happen unless I fell asleep for a moment?
“… Aha.”
I slept for a while!
For some reason, I felt very sleepy. This was all because I was still half asleep. This explains why my body feels sore.
That’s right. That was it.
I had been falling asleep and waking up repeatedly since before. What? But this is a dream, so did you sleep in a dream again?
Anyway, if I wake up properly, I might be able to beat Siwoo.
Because I’m so sleepy and distracted, Si-woo keeps looking fast and sometimes falls asleep for a while.
I look down at the one remaining axe. It was an ax soaked in his own blood and stained red.
But where did I put my sword? I think I cleaned it well yesterday and left it standing next to the bed.
I have to wake up quickly.
At that moment, Han Si-woo seemed to be unfamiliar with his posture and preparing for a certain technique.
As if… A strange posture, as if trying to stab the opponent from a distance.
Blue magical energy flickers in his sword. It seemed like purple magical power could be seen here and there, but it quickly faded away, as if it was impossible to do this.
“Hmm… “On this street?”
The distance seems to be 20m at best. But is he going to stab me without even closing the distance?
Even as I think about that, cold sweat flows down my back. It seemed like a warning to prepare for something dangerous.
The moment I had that intuition, I immediately raised my ax and took a defensive stance.
The very next moment, a blue flash burst out from Han Si-woo’s sword, coloring his vision blue.
When my vision returned to normal, the first thing I noticed was.
“… Uh.”
There was a neat hole on the side of the axe, and his own chest was pierced in the same shape.