Chapter 269: 269

The witchers stood under the moonlight, facing each other. Nine feet of space separated them. Roy curled up and put his weight on his feet. He circled the enemy in an anticlockwise direction. He kept Aerondight pointed at the silhouette before him.

The enemy this time was no dummy. He didn't pounce at Roy the moment he saw him. Instead he mimicked Roy and circled him. The way he held his blade, his pose, and his steps, were remarkably similar to the real Roy. They were like two peas of a pod, just that one of them was a reflection. Roy stared at his reflection, thinking that this was a bit surreal. This is the big gift Gaunter had for me? He wondered how much of his power his reflection had. Does he copy everything like the doppler?

His forehead and palms were sweating. Roy held the hilt of his blade tightly with his right hand and made an orange triangle in the air. A stream of flames shot across the air, licking the reflection's body. The silhouette cast Igni at almost the same time and shot it back at Roy. The flames hit their targets, and Quen shattered into pieces. Roy took a step to the side and flung his singed hair aside and crashed into the silhouette.

Roy had the advantage. The silhouette was that bit slower than the young witcher due to its slightly lacking intelligence. Roy swung Aerondight up and aimed for its chest. Sparks flew in the air as the silhouette blocked Roy's sword. Roy could see that the silhouette equaled him in strength.

Roy changed his attack. He flicked his wrist, and Aerondight slid up the back of the silhouette's blade, cutting off its right ear. The ear disappeared into the air, turning into a puff of black smoke.

Most people would be distracted by the pain, but not the silhouette. It cast Aard without missing a beat, pushing Roy back. And then it leapt ahead and thrusted its blade at Roy's throat.

Roy put his weight into his left leg and pirouetted like a top. He smacked the black blade away with Aerondight and thrusted it into the enemy's chest. The silhouette blocked it with his sword, putting the fighters in a momentary stalemate.

They spun clockwise, sparks flew between their blades. They were like a grindstone working on a piece of metal, but eventually, they broke contact, yet they quickly jumped back into the fray, swinging their blades, blocking incoming attacks, dodging the enemy's blows.

There were no feints in this fight. Every attack was deadly. The fighters aimed for their enemy's vitals. Metals clashed and clanged against each other. Even the air buzzed with excitement with every attack they made.

Roy spun, dodging yet another attack. He let out a guttural growl and thrusted his blade at the silhouette's neck, but the silhouette swung its sword and swatted Roy's blade away. It tried to attack Roy's belly, and Roy jumped backward.

He was huffing and puffing. Sweat glistened on his face, chin, and neck. His hair was glued to his forehead, and there was almost a layer of steam coming from his body. It had only been a minute since the battle started, but Roy had exhausted more stamina than he expected.

The reflection Gaunter made not only possessed his physical capabilities, and it also had the same combat senses, movements, and reaction. Thanks to that, the silhouette could easily figure out what Roy was trying to do. Of course, that also meant Roy could see through his enemy's every attack as well.

They were like old enemies getting into a fight. The battle was heated up, but none could defeat the other. This was a true stalemate and the worst case scenario for Roy. There wasn't much time left. He had to finish this quickly.

Roy made a bold decision. He gave up on all defense and charged straight at the silhouette, thrusting his blade downward. The silhouette failed to dodge this, and its belly was pierced, but it didn't fall back either. It pressed onward and stabbed its blade into Roy's thigh. Blood spurted from his wound, and none of the fighters were pulling their weapons out.

They were inches from each other, and Roy made one last, final bet. His golden eyes turned crimson once more. Bloody tentacles wrapped the silhouette, freezing it in place. The silhouette's eyes did not turn red in response to Roy's Fear though. It might have copied most of Roy's capabilities, but not the skills his character sheet had optimized for him.

The battle is over. Roy pulled his blade out and sliced the silhouette's head off. The head flew up high into the air, disappearing as a puff of smoke.

'Roy (fake) killed. EXP +180.'

"I win. A fake can never triumph over the real deal." Roy's face was contorted with pain, but he managed to smile. He was in a bad situation. The Manticore armor had a few dents in it. He didn't even need to take it off, and he knew there were bruises on him. Just touching them sent pain searing up his head. It made him shiver.

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Roy howled in pain and spat out blood. There were chunks of flesh in it. Even his organs were hurt. But I can't stop. The end is right in front of me. Only ten minutes left. "Activate!" A cool sensation washed over his body, and most of his minor wounds were gone.

He managed to push himself up, though he was wobbling. Roy tore part of his shirt off and tied it around the wound on his thigh. He used Aerondight as a crutch and dragged himself toward the mansion's door, wobbling like a drunk.

The insides of the mansion were a lot less impressive than its walls. The first floor's lobby was like a generic inn, filled with a few tables, cutlery, and cabinets. Every table had a candle on it, and they shone on a flight of stairs in the center that led downward.

The witcher trudged downward, eventually finding himself in a dark, claustrophobic passage. At the end of the passage stood a bronze, diamond-shaped mirror with decorated edges.

Roy recited, "Fondle me and ogle me til you're insane, but no blow can harm me, cause me pain. Children delight in me, elders take fright. Fair maids rejoice and spin. Cry and I weep, yawn and I sleep. Smile, and I too shall grin." Roy went down the passage and stared into the mirror. "It reflects my actions and shows me my face. The answer… is a reflection. Is this where you're hiding, Gaunter?"

Gaunter's maniacal laugh filled the air of the passage, and Roy felt the ground beneath him give way. It caved and broke apart, then Roy fell down into an underground chamber. The mirror at the end of the passage was no longer in sight.

"You look like shit, mate, but it's not gonna end just like that."

Roy gritted his teeth and pushed himself up from the debris. He still looked calm, as if he were unfazed by losing that mirror. He knew this would happen. Roy trudged along the corridor and came to a clearing. It was a plaza behind the mansion.

What greeted him were nothing but ruins. The tiles were chipped away, scratched, and covered in dust. The floor in the middle looked like it was destroyed by a powerful earthquake. A great crack leading to an abyss slept there. Three spiral staircases each led up to a looming tower. Roy could vaguely see the mirrors in the tower. There were more than a few too.

He dragged himself and went for the nearest one, but the mirror shattered into pieces before he could touch it.

Gaunter, who was hiding somewhere, had played another trick. He mocked smugly, "Another point for me."

Roy changed his direction quietly and came to the fountain in the middle of the plaza. It was all dried up, but there was a red mirror in the middle. He tried to touch it, but just like the last mirror, it shattered into a pile of glass sand before he could touch it.

"Do your eyelids feel heavier now, witcher? Ready to give in to despair? Give up. Release yourself from your misery."

Roy shouted into the air, "You can break glass, but there's a mirror you can never break!"

"Well, then search for it, witcher. You might just find it."

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