Apocalypse Online: I Awaken the Ultimate Bloodline

Chapter 61: Reflection and Enlightenment

Not wanting to waste another second, Lothe exploded forward, his black spear sweeping through the air in a violent purple arc.

The doppelgänger responded instantly, raising its identical spear to intercept the strike.

CLANG!

The collision echoed sharply through the circular chamber. Sparks flared as the sheer kinetic force pushed Lothe backward, his wide purple silk sleeves fluttering in the shockwave.

Before he could even plant his boots on the stone floor, his [Spatial Perception] screamed a warning.

Lothe bent his torso backward at an extreme angle.

FWOOSH!

The dark spearhead of his counterpart grazed past his throat, missing his skin by a fraction of an inch.

CLANG!

Using his momentum, Lothe brought his spear shaft up to parry a secondary thrust. Twisting mid-air, he executed a high-velocity kick straight toward his doppelgänger’s jaw.

PAK!

The doppelgänger caught his boot mid-flight, its grip like an iron vice, before yanking him violently off balance!

"Shit!"

Lothe wrenched his leg free, spinning his body in a fluid wheel while unleashing his spatial technique.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A volley of invisible Spatial Blades was parried by the clone’s rotating spear, but one stray blade bypassed its guard!

SHING!

The Spatial Blade sliced into the doppelgänger’s left side, tearing through silk and flesh.

"ARGH!"

Lothe doubled over, clutching his own left side in sudden, agonizing shock! Warm blood instantly gushed from his ribs, soaking his purple robes.

His eyes snapped toward the doppelgänger. Dark blood was pouring from the exact same coordinate on his copy’s torso.

Yet as Lothe watched, the doppelgänger’s wound began to close, fresh tissue regenerating behind the torn silk.

How is this possible?! Lothe gritted his teeth, his mind racing. When I wound him, I receive the exact same damage?!

The pain wasn’t just superficial. Inside his body, Lothe could feel tiny spatial blades tearing through his muscle tissue and meridians, the true, hidden mechanism of his own [Spatial Blades].

So that’s how my technique affects enemies... Lothe realized in grim fascination. It doesn’t just slice the skin; it injects micro-blades into the target’s internal circulation, destroying them from within.

Circulating his Void Qi at high speed, Lothe forcefully neutralized the rogue micro-blades inside his own meridians, stopping the internal destruction.

But the physical laceration remained open, dripping blood onto the stone floor.

Lothe flared his skill. "[Inspect]!"

Silence. No interface appeared.

Even Inspect is useless here... Lothe narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation with ruthless logic.

If I hurt him, I get hurt. If I inflict a lethal strike and he dies... Won’t I die too?.

Before he could formulate a new strategy, the doppelgänger launched another ferocious assault!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Every thrust was faster, more precise, and aimed directly at vital coordinates.

Lothe gave up all offensive initiative, shifting entirely into a defensive parry stance.

Two identical spears, wrapped in coiling violet Void Qi, blurred across the chamber in a breathtaking duel.

Too bad no one was there to admire it.

Lothe studied every micro-movement of his opponent. He searched for a single flaw, an asymmetry, a slight delay in reaction speed—anything he could exploit.

Yet after a dozen rapid exchanges, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Everything was identical. The footwork, the Qi control, the timing, the tactical mindset.

BOOM!

Their spears locked in an X-shaped parry, the resulting spatial shockwave tearing across the chamber floor.

Lothe stared into the pitch-black, unblinking eyes of his copy.

What are you supposed to be? Lothe thought.

Then, a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning.

Wait... why didn’t I realize this sooner?

He stared into his own eyes. For some reason, he suddenly felt no desire to attack.

What exactly was he trying to prove?

That he was stronger than himself?

That he could defeat himself?

The thought sounded absurd.

I’m not fighting a monster. I’m not fighting an enemy. I’m fighting MYSELF.

Someone who thinks like me. Someone who wields the exact same Void Qi. Someone who IS me.

So why am I trying to destroy my own reflection?

Purple Qi flared around Lothe’s right fist as he drove a punch forward. The doppelgänger executed the exact same punch!

BOOM!

The fist clash pushed Lothe backward. But as he glided across the floor, a genuine, brilliant smirk spread across his face.

A thin sheet of paper appeared between his fingers, the [Locking-Binding Talisman] he had created earlier.

With a subtle flick of his wrist, the paper streaked forward!

The doppelgänger’s eyes flickered with a rare moment of confusion. The Talisman slapped flat onto its left shoulder.

FWOOSH!

The paper flared with glowing purple runes! Interlocking Qi lines expanded across the clone’s torso, pinning its limbs and sealing its internal Qi circulation!

Lothe’s smirk widened.

The Talisman restrained the target’s body and Qi without inflicting a single point of physical damage—meaning no mirrored harm was returned to Lothe!

"Why bother fighting an unwinnable battle when I can just end it in a second?" Lothe shouted.

He flicked two more Talismans from his fingers.

FWOOSH! FWOOSH!

The extra Talismans attached to the doppelgänger’s chest and legs, locking its movements completely.

Lothe took a slow step forward.

"Instead of trying to destroy myself..."

He said, vanishing from his position and reappearing directly in front of his immobilized copy.

"...why don’t I accept who I am?"

Lothe opened his arms and embraced the doppelgänger.

Silence descended over the room.

Then—

VRMMMMMM!!

The entire chamber vibrated! Streams of brilliant purple light spiraled up from the floor, enveloping both figures in a warm, radiant cocoon of energy.

Lothe felt an ancient mental barrier inside his consciousness shatter.

He looked down at his copy. For the very first time, the doppelgänger smiled—a warm, radiant smile that softened its aloof features.

The clone raised its right hand, pressing its palm against Lothe’s chest.

SHIMMER!

The doppelgänger’s body dissolved into thousands of glowing purple particles. They didn’t scatter into the air; they flowed directly into Lothe’s chest, like returning stars merging back into the night sky.

The chamber returned to absolute quiet.

Lothe stood alone in the center of the room, his black spear resting in his grip, his purple robes fluttering gently in the lingering energy.

Deep within his soul, an unprecedented warmth expanded through his meridians.

PING!

[You have achieved a rare Self-Enlightenment!]

[+1,400 EXP Gained!]

[Congratulations! You have successfully leveled up to Level 5, Tier 2!]

[All Stats have increased!]

VRMMMMMM!

A surge of refined Void Qi washed through his body, instantly knitting his wounded flank back together and expanding his Qi reserves.

BOOM!

The stone door behind him rumbled open.

Lothe turned around and stepped back out into the Tomb chamber.

However, the chamber had changed.

The suspended black coffin and its four gargantuan beast statues remained unchanged, but in the far corner of the hall, an ancient stone table had materialized out of thin air.

Stacked neatly upon its surface were several glowing, pristine Jade Slips.

"..."​

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