Volume 11 Chapter 28 Knowing Oneself
As I jumped into the air, Gyurvi shouted, "Wade!"
"That fake is going to move on its own! Your instincts are the only thing we can rely on now!"
"If I were in this situation, I'd..."
I thought for a moment before answering.
"Gyurvi, it's going to head towards you! The fake probably thinks its main dish is a battle against me myself!"
"Hey, don't spoil the surprise! I was going to catch it off guard!"
The fake Wade suddenly jumped out from nowhere and launched a surprise attack on Gyurvi. Gyurvi avoided it quickly with the wind.
Gyurvi's clothes were cut by the fake Durandal. "Ahh...!" Gyurvi's eyes widened.
"Hahahahahaha! And what now? What will you two do, huh?"
The fake Wade flipped and solidified its stance in mid-air, holding its greatsword Durandal. This atmosphere was familiar, and I, too, held up my Durandal.
"Gyurvi, don't receive it!"
"But, can you make it in time?"
The fake Durandal was swung at high speed, and just before it hit Gyurvi, it grew enormous. This was an extremely powerful high-speed attack that even Kyrie couldn't handle.
Gyurvi dodged it, but couldn't dodge it completely. His side was cut, and he fell while clutching his wound.
But I didn't have the leeway to help him.
"You think you're safe, huh, me?"
"I don't think so, me!"
The fake Wade, still in the momentum of cutting Gyurvi, swung its Durandal towards me. I read its movement and swung my Durandal back.
The two Durandals clashed. A loud, intense sound echoed, and both our Durandals were bent by the force of the impact.
My hands were numb, and a slight opening emerged between us. We used our numb bodies to collide with each other, filling the gap.
We clashed. As we clashed, I thought.
Is this guy for real? Even when it's in a pinch, he doesn't hesitate to take advantage of his opponent's weakness and attacks with a carefree smile. This guy is crazy.
"Whoa, the real deal is here! You're enjoying yourself despite being the opponent, aren't you?"
"You're the one who's enjoying yourself, you fake! You're always looking for an opening to counterattack!"
""Repulsion!""
At the same time, we released a repulsive force, and we quickly separated. Then, we shouted "Object Point Shift!" and launched our greatswords, Durandal, at each other like arrows using gravity.
I narrowly dodged the fake Durandal and grabbed it. The fake one was so well-made that it perfectly mimicked my intentions, and it suddenly grew massive and transformed.
The two Durandals clashed. The loud, ear-piercing sound of metal scraping against metal echoed again. Both Durandals were broken, but I――we――had released our grip just in time, so neither of us was numb this time.
""Object Point Shift!""
We used gravity magic to grab each other. You think you can pin me down? I chanted '"Point Shift!"' to fix my position.
The result was a magic battle, with us pushing against each other using gravity magic.
However, there was no winner. Why? Because we're both me.
"Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"
"Oraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
We poured all our strength into our faces, using gravity magic to push against each other.
Ugh, damn it...! Why is the gap so huge...! This Domain Control of Chiero's is ridiculous...!
The difference is being brought about there.
"You guys are seriously the same, aren't you?"
Gyurvi, who should have fallen to the ground, unleashed a tornado-like sorcery at the fake Wade.
It didn't directly hit fake Wade, but it was enough to blind him. "Whoa!" The fake Wade took a stance, and I took advantage of the opening to swing at it.
"Fly away, you!"
"Uggghhh...!"
The fake Wade flew off into the distance. Immediately after, Gyurvi grabbed my hand and said, "Let's regroup for now. We can't keep going like this." We then made a quick descent to the ground.
In the alleyway, there were fewer Demons to fight, and we could easily take them down. We escaped into an empty house and sat down in chairs, letting out a deep sigh.
Then, Gyurvi suddenly spoke up.
"―――Wade! What's with that guy?! Are you really that troublesome right now?! Eh?!"
"No way, he was really troublesome...! No matter what I did, our thought patterns were the same, so we just ended up canceling each other out. It's like my mind was being read. It was getting fun."
"Save the fun for later, you idiot!"
Thwack! I got hit on the head, and I took a reflective stance. But then, I started thinking about how to take down that guy.
Gyurvi let out another sigh, as if to prompt me to think.
"Wade, listen up. That guy is like your exact opposite. So, even if you use all your strength, you'll never be able to beat him. Plus, his replication rate is too high, and he's going to grow even stronger."
"If that's the case, we're really in trouble."
I was thinking, 'Let's use this opportunity to get stronger in various ways,' but it seems like the other side is doing the same, and there's nothing we can do about it.
"Then, we have no choice but to utilize our differences. You get it?"
"Yeah, I do. And those differences are because of Gyurvi, right?"
"Exactly."
We clench our fists at each other.
"Gyurvi, what should we do? I have an idea, but the other side probably has the same thought."
"Let's hear your idea. If we share it, I'll come up with a plan that Wade wouldn't think of, and we can beat them."
"Good thinking. Then..."
I explain to Gyurvi how I would defeat myself if I were to team up with Gyurvi.
Gyurvi thinks for a moment and responds.
"Then, we can win with this method."
I'm taken aback by Gyurvi's words. That's definitely something I wouldn't have thought of, and it would definitely hit my weak spot.
I laugh.
"Let's do it. If that's the case, we can make it happen."
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. Let's go kill the fake one."
We stand up. Our plan is set. All we have to do is execute it―――
Just as we were thinking that, a gigantic Durandal appears, destroying buildings as it rises.
"You're not having a friendly strategy meeting, are you?!"
I grab Durandal's hilt and rapidly shrink it. With that momentum, the fake one flies into the room.
"―――――!"
"Here comes the real deal, Wade! I'll leave it to you as planned!"
"Roger that!"
I stop Gyurvi from getting crushed by the fake one's swift attack, covering my hand with the armored Durandal.
A chaotic battle with fists. We used Repulsion to deflect each other's low-power attacks and dodged high-power attacks that could penetrate Repulsion, counterattacking each other.
The result was a series of deadly blows, with each hit capable of being a finishing move. I knew that if I took a direct hit, I'd be done for, so I fought desperately, dodging and counterattacking.
"You're not dodging, fake!"
"This is my line, real deal!"
But it didn't end there. Mid-battle, we grabbed each other, determined to land a solid hit.
Neither of us could gain the upper hand, and we kept falling, throwing punches, and rolling around on the ground, constantly switching between mount positions.
In the end, I landed a powerful kick and sent the fake flying. The fake, being a fake, quickly retreated and created some distance, almost unscathed.
I quickly got back up and glared at the fake. It was a guy with a face identical to mine.
Then, I said.
""Gyurvi! This is getting ridiculous! Help me out, will you!?""
My words and the fake's overlapped perfectly, giving me the creeps. I glared at the fake, saying.
""Hey! What's with the Gyurvi? You're the fake, after all!""
This was also identical. We shouted at each other, word for word.
"U, uooh... I seriously can't tell who's who... You're not different from me at all..."
Gyurvi was also confused, looking flustered.
I couldn't believe our movements were so synchronized, and my eyes widened in shock. I felt an unprecedented sense of unease, my whole body trembling.
And I thought to myself: Yeah, the fake must have been targeting Gyurvi all along.
We can't win or lose if we keep fighting like this. That's because we're too similar. As it stands, we can't win unless we use Gyurvi.
And if we think about it that way, if Gyurvi clearly takes someone's side, the other person will be at a disadvantage.
If that's the case, I'll do it. I'll mix things up and make it hard to tell what's real and what's fake.
""Gyurvi! Help me out already! If this keeps up―――.""
At the same time, the fake one suddenly drew 3 crystal swords and launched them at Gyurvi.
It was an accuracy attack using gravity magic. The crystal swords would break the body from the inside out if they hit. Since there's no defense that can block the crystal swords, it's almost a guaranteed kill.
I tried to protect Gyurvi right away. The fake one aimed a punch at me, thinking it could land a hit on my undefended flank and win―――
―――that's what the fake one thought.
"You think I'm stupid?!"
I pretended to protect Gyurvi, then countered with a punch to the fake one's torso.
A repulsive blow that pierced through the fake one's body, and I followed up by summoning the greatsword Durandal and slashing it in half.
"Gaah!?"
The fake one's eyes widened, looking at Gyurvi. Gyurvi had predicted the attack and caught the crystal sword with his hand, defending against it with a "you think I'd fall for that?" expression.
So. Up until now, everything has gone according to the plan. I knew how the fake would move. I was going to create an opening by pretending to fight with the fake, and then counterattack.
That's why I was giving a secret signal from behind. That's why Gyurvi was able to pretend to be confused and keep the fake on guard. And that's why I was able to launch a counterattack.
That's why I think...
The real battle is just beginning.
"―――right?! I've been reading ahead all along!"
The fake, whose upper body alone was left, fell to the ground, spitting out blood as it raised its finger.
"So I was reading ahead too, yeah!"
Suddenly, the ceiling creaked loudly. Immediately after, a massive chunk of debris crushed the building, causing it to collapse.
"Ugh, it's come to this!"
"Let's escape, Wade!"
Gyurvi and I barely managed to jump out the window. The house was crushed beyond recognition, and from the wreckage, the fake emerged, fully recovered and unscathed.
"Ha... good thing I had a countermeasure in place. If not, I would've lost here. Honestly, fighting myself is way too predictable and troublesome."
The fake laughed, saying "I guess we're even." Then, it tilted its head, looking puzzled.
"...Gyurvi, where did the real one go?"
"Huh? Did it escape?"
"...What the...?!"
The fake's eyes widened in shock, and it looked around frantically, but couldn't find the real one. It glared at Gyurvi instead.
"Gyurvi... you're behind this, aren't you?"
"How should I know? Well, whatever. The battle between the real one and the fake is on hold for now."
Gyurvi beckoned the fake with a sly grin, taunting it.
"Why don't we have a one-on-one battle between me and fake Wade here?"
"......!"
The fake glared at Gyurvi. However, Gyurvi had a cool face.
After being flustered for a bit, the fake took a stance.
"That's right. Let's have some fun with that too."
The fake laughed fiercely, just like the real Wade.
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