The newly created doppelgänger wasted no time.
The moment it emerged from the shattered mirror, it kicked off the ground and charged straight toward Damien.
Its speed was astonishing.
There swordsmanship looked similar to Damien.
"Dammit!"
Damien immediately raised his sword to block.
Clang!!
The two identical blades collided violently. A shockwave swept through the chamber.
For a brief moment, even Damien couldn’t tell whether he was fighting a copy or himself.
The doppelgänger pressed forward relentlessly, forcing Damien backward with a flurry of powerful strikes.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Each collision echoed throughout the mirror hall.
Noah narrowed his eyes.
’I can’t let another one join the fight.’
Mana surged through his body.
He thrust his left hand toward the charging doppelgänger. He could only hope that it’s not another reflection.
Ice Creation kicked in.
The stone floor beneath the creature suddenly trembled.
Crack!
Jagged pillars of ice burst upward from below. The doppelgänger sensed the danger and attempted to leap away.
But it was too late.
More spikes erupted from every direction.
Within a heartbeat, enormous pillars of crystal-blue ice surrounded it, trapping its body inside a frozen cage.
The doppelgänger struggled violently.
’Yes!’ Noah thought.
Cracks spread across the ice as it attempted to break free.
Noah didn’t give it the opportunity. With another thought a long spear forged entirely from compressed ice materialized behind him.
Cold mist flowed around its razor-sharp tip. Noah grabbed it without hesitation. His feet dug into the stone floor.
Then he threw it with every ounce of strength he possessed.
Whoosh!
The spear tore through the air like a bolt of frozen lightning.
The trapped doppelgänger barely managed to turn its head.
Schhk!
The icy spear pierced cleanly through its neck. The force carried it backward, pinning the creature against the frozen prison.
At the exact same moment Damien seized the opening.
Golden mana erupted around his blade.
He dashed forward.
Slash!
A brilliant arc of light flashed across the chamber. The sword sliced straight through the doppelgänger’s chest.
The copy froze for an instant. Then its body began cracking apart.
Black fractures spread across its pale skin before it shattered into countless fragments of black crystal that dissolved into smoke.
Silence returned.
Damien lowered his sword and let out a slow breath.
"...Finally. This time I actually hit the enemy."
He glanced around the chamber.
"...Instead of another mirror."
Noah couldn’t help smiling.
"I was starting to think you’d destroy this entire floor before killing a single monster."
"Tch."
Damien sheathed his sword.
"That wasn’t my fault."
Noah walked over to him.
"Damien. Stay exactly where you are. I’ll come to you."
Damien simply nodded.
"Got it."
Noah carefully advanced through the maze. Instead of rushing, he moved slowly while placing one hand against the mirrors beside him.
Crystalline frost spread wherever his fingers touched.
A continuous trail of ice marked every path he had already crossed.
It wasn’t a perfect solution... But at least it prevented them from wandering in circles.
Several minutes later, Noah finally reached Damien.
He exhaled quietly.
"Let’s move slowly. And this time... Let’s be much more careful."
Damien nodded seriously.
"Yeah. I don’t want any more copies of myself."
The two resumed their journey. Every step echoed endlessly through the labyrinth.
The deeper they walked. The stranger the mirrors became.
Sometimes their reflections behaved normally. Other times the reflections seemed just a fraction of a second slower.
As though something inside the mirrors was observing them rather than merely reflecting them.
A chill ran down Noah’s spine.
"...Noah."
Damien called his name.
Noah instinctively turned toward the voice on his left.
The Damien standing inside the mirror smiled warmly at him.
"Noah."
"Over here."
His voice sounded perfectly natural.
Before Noah could react—
The real Damien spoke from his right.
"I’m on your right. Don’t listen to them."
Noah immediately turned.
There stood the real Damien.
He sighed in relief.
"I know. They’re copying our voices now."
Damien frowned.
"This place keeps getting creepier. The lighting doesn’t help either."
The pale blue glow from the mana lamps made every reflection appear ghostly.
Noah nodded.
"It honestly feels like we’re trapped inside a haunted house."
"Hehehe~ Noah~"
A soft laugh echoed through the mirrors.
"Hehehe~ Damien~"
Both young men froze.
Dozens of reflections were smiling. Each one called their names in an eerily sweet voice.
Noah shuddered.
"...Hearing your voice call my name like that...in such sweet tone...is unbelievably creepy and disgusting."
Damien grimaced.
"I know that. Even I hate hearing myself sound like that."
The two exchanged an uneasy look before continuing deeper into the endless maze.
---
While Noah and Damien struggled through the mysterious labyrinth...
Far away from them, in an unknown corner of the empire...
Cold winds swept through a vast emerald forest.
Towering ancient trees rose toward the sky, their thick canopies blocking out most of the moonlight. Only a few pale rays filtered through the countless leaves, casting shifting patterns across the forest floor.
The woodland was unnaturally quiet.
Only the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant cries of birds disturbed the silence.
A lone figure sprinted through the dense forest at astonishing speed.
Branches whipped past him as his boots barely touched the ground before launching him forward again.
Despite maintaining such a relentless pace, his breathing remained perfectly steady.
The man appeared to be in his early forties.
He possessed short brown hair, sharp black eyes, and a rugged face that bore the marks of countless battles.
It was none other than...
Cassian Nightfall. Uncle of Kaelan Nightfall.
He continued running deeper into the forest. After several more minutes.
His pace suddenly slowed. Then he came to an abrupt stop.
His sharp eyes narrowed as he look at the place in front of him.
"...Did someone come here before me?"
His gaze settled upon an ancient structure hidden among the trees.
Standing before him was a weathered shrine. Time had left countless scars upon it.
The wooden pillars had faded with age, while patches of moss and creeping vines had claimed much of its exterior.
Despite its condition, the architecture remained magnificent.
Its sweeping roofs, elegant wooden beams, and towering entrance gate resembled the ancient shrines once found in old Japanese architecture.
It looked as though the place had stood there for centuries...
Forgotten by civilization.
Cassian silently approached.
The enormous shrine gate stood wide open.
Someone had entered recently.
Why he came to that conclusion? because he could see the building even from afar.
His expression grew colder. Without hesitation, he walked through the gate and headed toward the main building.
The front entrance had been left open.
He stepped inside.
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