More correctly, it was a fight between an individual and an army.
It was an unusual sight, completely unlike anything in the real world. On the real 29th floor, there was a river flowing through a forest—but that was nowhere to be found. Only dry earth and lifeless mountains and streams remained.
In the midst of overflowing demonic power, a person stood in what was no different than the land of the dead. That person, no, the kid looked to be in his teens but was, in reality, older.
“Jerath! You fucker!” Ash spat. His coarse words were at odds with his outward appearance.
Ash looked terrible. There were multiple wounds on his body, and his shredded clothes proved that he went through something horrible. Most notably, one of his two long, prominent ears, which was noticeably even from a distance, was broken and hanging at an odd angle.
“An elf—?” Iceline murmured uncomprehendingly as she stepped across the threshold.
Elves—a woodland people whose presence in the open world was becoming increasingly rare.
That wasn't all, surprisingly.
“Look further ahead,” Theta warned her.
“Hmm?”
Iceline's eyes became tinged with bewilderment as she refocused her eyes. Past Ash, who had his back turned to them, was a group of things, all veiled in darkness.
They were unnatural beings that should never exist in the world. The whole continent’s enemy: an army of undead.
“Th-There. Are those death knights?”
“I think so.”
“And... is that a lich? Aren’t they only a myth?” Iceline wondered to herself, casting a brief glance in Theta’s direction. “Is this also by the Tower?”
“....”
“You said you already came here before, so why aren’t you answering?”
Iceline impatiently pressed him, but Theta continued to be silent.
“How dare you do this to me!” Ash cried out.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” A person emerged from the horde of the undead at Ash’s shout. It looked like a human being in a black cloak.
“Answer me, Jerath!”
“You don’t have to shout. Maybe it’s because we’re in the Tower, but your voice is deafening.” Jerath picked at his ear with his little finger.
Ash stared at Jerath with his jaw clenched.
“I will kill you with my own hands!” Ash cried out in rage and extended his hand.
Very quickly, the mana floating nearby started condensing on the tips of his fingers.
“Should we help out?” Iceline asked.
“Why?”
Iceline gave him a bewildered look.
“What do you mean why? It’s only natural to help, right?”
“So... you want to help when you don’t know the situation or even who the enemy is?”
“Are you really this dense? Anyone can see who the real enemy is!”Rêạd new chapters at novel35.com
“You can’t just discriminate against someone because of their looks.”
“You’re telling me that—”
“Furthermore, interfering in other people’s lives when it’s none of your business is a surefire way to shorten your lifespan.”
“You. I misjudged you. I didn’t think you’d be like this!”
Iceline had been throwing a fit, but now, she closed her eyes.
“Just forget it. I’ll help him.”
“Before that—”
“What are you going to say now?”
“Look over there.” Theta, trying desperately to not pay attention to Iceline’s snarl, raised a finger to one side of her.
To be more precise, he pointed above their heads to the ceiling of the 29th floor.
Joshua’s opponent’s voice, a barely audible muttering, interrupted Joshua’s thoughts.
“Lightning Flash!”
Joshua saw the spear coming at him and took a deep breath. It was happening at such a high speed.
He jerked his head to the side, and the spear's sharp tip scraped his flesh. Joshua's expression turned grave as he felt blood flow down his cheeks. He didn't even notice that his opponent had retreated ten steps.
“How shocking...!”
Joshua broke the silence with a brief exclamation.
The voice of Lugia echoed in his mind:
[Kingdom isn't its nickname for nothing. Was it two thousand years ago? That lizard lunged at it, claiming he would subjugate it, and was crushed.]
“Lizard? The dragon?”
[That's why Kingdom is so terrifying: not only does it have nearly endless raw power, but it can also mimic its opponent's exact movements as soon as it lays eyes on them.]
“Wait a sec—”
[You'll be rewarded handsomely for your efforts once you've brought him under control, but —]
Lugia was midway through its sentence when Joshua cut the demon off.
“You’re saying that it copies the exact conditions, at that very moment, of a person?”
[What about it?]
“When the hell did it copy my abilities?”Joshua murmured under his breath, squinting at his foe as it advanced toward him.
[Maybe ever since you set foot on this level? I suggest we stop talking now, hmm?]
His opponent interrupted its swift movement by lightly kicking off the ground—but its figure quickly reappeared elsewhere, as if using a mage’s blink spell.
Soon...
“Impermanence’s Spear,” the doppelganger shouted and readied its spear.
It seemed like it was beginning to have fun. Or maybe its goal was to upset Joshua’s mental and emotional state?
Then a remarkable thing happened: a mysterious sound rang, and at the same time, a wave of pure white electricity radiated outward from the tip of the opponent's spear.
Joshua's eyebrow twitched. Now he knew.
That rain and the lightning made Joshua angry.
“Bronto!”
In that split second when Joshua finally mumbled that name, the spotless white room, sealed off from the rest of the world, reverberated with the booming noise.
“Sugahak's Fury.”
The attack was like a bolt from the blue.
The bright crimson spear absorbed light from all directions. The entire room—perhaps the entire world—felt the strength of the effect.
It was the power to completely wipe out the enemy.
Deadly lightning had finally been unleashed.
Then, that tremendous might came crashing down like lightning.
Joshua slowly, gently lifted his head and gazed upwards. Even in slow motion, a shaft of lightning was coming at him fast.
It was impossible for him to block it head-on... nor could he avoid it. If that was the case, there was only one thing he could do.
Joshua kicked the ground as hard as he could. His opponent's face rapidly filled his field of vision, allowing Joshua to see its startled expression.
Perhaps it thought Joshua was committing suicide. But what Joshua was planning to tell his opponent was...
“Nothing can ever compare to the genuine thing.”
Joshua gripped Lugia, and with a smile, he conjured a bolt of lightning. He locked eyes with the doppelganger, whose expression had already warped into a maniacal, murderous grin.
“I am the real deal.”
Joshua’s deep voice heralded a tremendous roar that tore the earth and sky apart.