Chapter 1052

“Her again? Wait... two?” My eyes turned to pinpricks as the next challenge was placed before me.

It was another Alysia doppelganger. No, it was two doppelgangers. I thought we had gotten past this trial. Don’t tell me every trial was just an increasingly large number of Alysia doppelgangers! Furthermore, now that I knew that she felt the pain, forcing her to kill herself over and over again seemed cruel. Alysia could see through my eyes with our bond, so she was aware of what was going on as well.

“Deek, it’s okay. Kill them.”

“Alysia, this...”

“This is the path I’ve chosen to walk. If I need to destroy myself piece by piece to become a sword, then I will do it.”

Alysia seemed to read my mind and was busy reassuring me. I felt like the situation should be the opposite. However, while she couldn’t feel my emotions, I could feel hers, and they were steady and determined. She was prepared to do this, whatever the cost.

The supposed guide wasn’t going to be much help either. She disappeared as soon as the doppelgangers appeared. I had a feeling she wouldn’t get involved again until this match was over. With a sigh, I used my experience wielding Alysia and attacked her clones. I was surprised to find them fighting in tandem. They used each other to defend and block. It wasn’t just twice as hard fighting them, but they seemed to have some level of tactics.

“Ahhh!” Alysia cried out as I cut one of their arms.

I hesitated as a result and ended up getting stabbed even worse. I leaped back to give myself some room. I immediately swapped my jobs and healed myself with White Mage while keeping a distance. Thankfully, they moved slowly rather than rushing me, or this would have been difficult.

“I-I’m sorry... that was my fault. I got you hurt.”

“Heh... I hurt you too.”

“No... you hurt them. I just... I’m still not used to it. In the past, when I felt pain, I could control it. I decided when I felt it and when I didn’t. This feels far more helpless.”

“They’re coming!”n0Velusb.c0m

“Y-yes!”

The two clones began to attack me once again. I had managed to heal my wound, and now I was fighting them again. Once again, they weren’t at the level of the true Alysia, however, if I had to fight, again and again, I feared she would grow more and more capable. What would I do when I needed to fight four or five of her? Nevermind protecting Alysia, it would be enough to protect myself.

“I’m going to make this as quick as I can. I’m going all out.”

“Okay!”

I launched several of my skills simultaneously. The first lost her head, and then I stabbed the second clone in the heart. The pair of doppelgangers collapsed to the ground dead. It was a very clean kill, and I didn’t even need to take any damage on my own. Alysia remained silent too, but I could feel the panic and distraught emotions tumbling through the bond.

“Both of them?”

“Y-yes... they both felt just as bad.”

“It’s over now. We can-” My words caught in my mouth as the two clones rose again.

The clone whose head was severed had the head fly back up and reconnect. As for the other, the blood sucked back into it and the wound disappeared like it had never been hurt. On that note, I hadn’t paid attention before, but the arm wound I had caused before had also disappeared.

“Alysia... I don’t think this trial is exactly like the last one.”

“Me neither...”