"How. How is this possible."
The creature that looked like Rimmer didn't scream despite its wrist being crushed. It kept repeating "how" while twisting its leaf-colored eyes.
Raon deeply furrowed his brow as he watched this sight.
'This thing. It's not human.'
No matter how much pain tolerance training one has undergone, when the wrist bone breaks, one can't help but flinch their elbow and shoulder.
But that thing showed no reaction, as if it had erased the sensation of pain itself.
It seemed to be either an illusion created by a barrier, or a special monster.
"How!"
The monster with Rimmer's appearance screamed and tried to pull its wrist out of my grasp.
I tried not to let go, but its wrist changed into a fluid-like substance, making it impossible to hold onto any longer.
"You, what kind of creature are you?"
Raon bit his lip as he looked at his now empty hand.
"Creature?"
The monster with Rimmer's appearance's hand transformed into a mud-like substance, then drew two swords.
"Those swords..."
They were unmistakable. Too familiar in form. They were the Heavenly Drive and the Requiem Sword.
"I am Raon Zieghart."
While I was letting out a sigh of disbelief, the creature charged at me with the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword raised.
Chiiing!
A bright red heat line rose above the blade of the Heavenly Drive held by the monster with Rimmer's appearance.
"What is this!"
Raon's eyes widened as he stepped back.
'Crimson Slash?'
A sharp heat line brushed past the space I had just dodged. The floating snowflakes instantly evaporated, scattering droplets.
I swallowed hard. It's real. The sword technique that monster just used was the Crimson Slash from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation that I often used. It didn't make sense because I was the only one learning the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation on the continent.
Thud!
The monster stepped forward with its left foot as if trying to close the distance I had retreated. That step was also familiar.
'Supreme Harmony Steps...'
It used the Supreme Harmony Steps to rush to the left and bring down the Heavenly Drive. It was the Fangs of Insanity sword strike, like a beast biting the neck of its prey.
Clang!
Raon drew the Heavenly Drive while thrusting with the Blizzard Sword Art. The ice-cold blade that cut off the flow of the sword strike distorted the balance of the Fangs of Insanity.
"Kuhehe."
The monster, still in Rimmer's form and using my swordsmanship, curled up the corners of its mouth into a long smile despite being pushed back.
"You are..."
"I am Raon Zieghart."
It sneered as it stabbed the sky with the fake Heavenly Drive.
A red-tinged flower bud slowly revealed itself above the silver blade. Thousands of flame fragments spread as if riding the wind, surrounding the snowfield.
"Fire Spirit..."
Fire Spirit following Crimson Slash, Supreme Harmony Steps, and Fangs of Insanity.
It perfectly recreated the Fire Spirit, which could be said to be the most technically difficult sword technique. Neither power nor form was lacking.
"This is crazy... Hm?"
Raon let out a hollow laugh before lowering his eyebrows. A dull gray horn resembling a shark's fin sprouted on the forehead of the creature scattering the Fire Spirit.
'A horn?'
Wait, that color...
I've never seen that horn before, but I remember seeing that dull gray color before.
'Doppelganger.'
It was exactly the same as the original skin color of the doppelganger that tried to kidnap Yua in Habun Castle.
'Seeing it mimic my swordsmanship, it's definitely a doppelganger.'
And a King at that.
Unlike regular doppelgangers that gain a person's abilities after devouring them, a Doppelganger King can mimic the abilities of people it meets from the start.
However, I heard that even Kings have limits in copying abilities, but perhaps due to the special nature of this space, it was displaying the same level of martial prowess as me.
-You just figured it out now?
Wrath snorted as if he found it pathetic.
-That copycat will keep mimicking your techniques. It's annoying, so finish it quickly.
'Hmm...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he erased the Doppelganger King's Fire Spirit with a real Fire Spirit.
'But something's off...'
Originally, doppelgangers don't appear as others, but as an exact copy of oneself for a one-on-one confrontation.
The saying that meeting your doppelganger means death came from this.
But this Doppelganger King didn't appear as me, but in Rimmer's form, and only started using my swordsmanship after ambushing me. This wasn't a normal situation.
'Then this too...'
Must be Derus Robert's manipulation.
"I am Raon Zieghart!"
The Doppelganger King screamed as it thrust the fake Heavenly Drive. The sword strike flew like an arrow, spreading like a mirage to pressure all the vital points of my body. It was the Thirty-Six Crimson Slashes.
Wooong!
Raon gritted his molars as he raised a Fire Wall with the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword.
'He used his head well this time.'
Derus manipulated a place designed for one-on-one battles with doppelgangers, creating a vicious space where doppelgangers could ambush in the form of allies.
Making us fight alongside comrades from the first to third floors to build deeper bonds, then stabbing with a comrade's face on the fourth floor - in terms of malevolence, he was unbeatable.
If the doppelganger had acted more like Rimmer, I might have been fooled too.
-Then what about this king's subordinates!
Wrath jumped as if he just remembered something.
-Ice cream girl! Beef girl! Pineapple girl! And even this king's wallet! Aren't they all in danger?!
'They shouldn't be.'
They would have acted as poorly as this one.
Doppelgangers perfectly mimic humans by devouring them.
The ones on the fourth floor would have to imitate allies using only fragments of memory, so their acting would be a bit clumsy.
The Doppelganger King worrying about the Light Wind division while in Rimmer's form was proof of that.
Even if others might have fallen for it, the Light Wind division was trained to be wary of each other since the North Grave Mountain training, so they wouldn't have been easily fooled.
"Kiaaaa!"
The doppelganger thrust forward the sword it had been holding back. A massive flame whirled from the sword strike, taking the shape of a dragon.
"Is it the Flame Dragon Strike this time?"
It was when Raon was frowning and trying to dodge.
Kugugugu!
The rotating flames entered his eyes. Strangely, the flames raging like a storm seemed slow.
It seemed that moving the flames a bit faster could enhance their power and speed.
Whoosh!
After dodging the Flame Dragon Strike with the Supreme Harmony Steps, the Doppelganger King followed to the right and slashed with Frost Snap. The blade of frost followed the real sword like a shadow, aiming for the neck.
'It's following too quickly.'
Now that I look at it, the second frost blade seemed to be following the real sword too quickly. It would be more difficult to deal with if there was a bit more delay.
'Come to think of it...'
Isn't this the first time I'm seeing my swordsmanship like this?
The doppelganger I met at Habun Castle didn't mimic my swordsmanship, it just attacked with overwhelming power, so this was the first time I was seeing my swordsmanship from an enemy's perspective. It was incredibly helpful.
'This is not bad, huh?'
Raon lightly gripped the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword with a faint smile.
'I've found a new training ground.'
-What training ground!
Wrath furrowed his brow as he looked at Raon.
-Hurry up and finish it, you angel-like bastard! (E/N: for him, angel is an insult)
* * *
"Why on earth..."
Delphros gritted his teeth as he watched Raon battling the Doppelganger King.
"Why doesn't even a surprise attack work on him!"
He cried out in incomprehension, clutching his head.
"I'm, I'm sorry."
Sabi bowed his trembling head.
"It's not for you to apologize."
Delphros bit his lip until it bled.
"Even if I had done it myself, it wouldn't have been any different."
He clenched his fist tightly as he glared at Raon inside the crystal ball.
"It's all that bastard's fault."
He could laugh off how Raon had used the first floor as a playground to train the swordsmen. He could accept that Raon had subdued the phoenix on the second floor without much difficulty.
But that bastard had revived the phoenix at will and made it his subordinate, opened the secret passage in the maze on the third floor, and at the end of it, killed the Glacial Wraith.
'Right. The Glacial Wraith...'
Even thinking about it again, it's incomprehensible.
One strike.
Raon Zieghart had only dodged while waiting for an opportunity, then pierced the Glacial Wraith's windpipe with a single sword strike.
When I saw that scene directly, I was so stunned that I couldn't say anything for a while.
'The Glacial Wraith was superior in skill.'
Although Raon was also a Grandmaster, I thought the Glacial Wraith, with overwhelming aura and experience, would naturally win.
I still couldn't believe that monster died from a single counterattack.
'And on the fourth floor too...'
The surprise attack didn't work.
The plan for the fourth floor was perfect.
A situation where one is separated from companions they've been with. When feeling uneasy due to the wide-open view, anyone would let their guard down if a trustworthy companion appeared.
But Raon noticed the Doppelganger King's surprise attack and countered beyond just defending. It was almost like a dream.
'Is he just lucky?'
No, that's definitely not it.
You could attribute one or two instances to luck, but with so many occurrences, I had to acknowledge his skill even if I didn't want to.
"In the end, we'll have to see it through to the last floor..."
"Not yet."
Sabi slowly raised his gaze.
"I know you want to rely on it, but even a Doppelganger King can't defeat a Grandmaster."
Delphros clicked his tongue briefly and shook his head.
"I've strengthened the barrier of that space."
Sabi tightly gripped the back of his hand as he peered into the crystal ball. Deep wrinkles appeared on the back of his hand as if he had suddenly aged ten years.
"What?"
"I've changed the technique so that it can use power beyond what a Doppelganger King possesses."
Intense heat burned in Sabi's eyes.
"Raon Zieghart will have to face an increasingly stronger version of himself."
* * *
The Heavenly Drive and the Heavenly Drive, both red as if scattering sunlight, clashed head-on.
Clang!
Massive flames covered the sky and ground as if a volcano had erupted. The snow that had filled the world melted, revealing the bare gray earth.
Raon advanced, crushing the snow-free ground. He extended the Heavenly Drive towards the Doppelganger King, who was using his swordsmanship in Rimmer's form.
Whoosh!
The Doppelganger King unfolded the same sword technique in the same posture as Raon, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Clash!
The flames that arose in the space between the sword strikes formed a small circle like a bead, then exploded in an instant.
It was Raon Zieghart's Sword Style Second Form, Heavy Sky Cannon.
A massive shockwave spread in all directions, causing a phenomenon as if the snow had stopped falling for a moment.
Clash!
Raon and the Doppelganger King, who had each taken a step back, used the Supreme Harmony Step to thrust their swords towards each other's hearts.
Frost Snap, Azure Rain, Blood Rain, Silver Sword Dream, and even Azure Sky Sword. Raon and the Doppelganger King aimed for each other's vitals with identical swordsmanship.
Cracks appeared in the space that had seemed indestructible, and the earth was deeply gouged.
Raon twisted his lips as he watched his own swordsmanship being displayed by the Doppelganger King.
'It's getting stronger and stronger.'
The power of the swordsmanship used by the Doppelganger King was becoming stronger and faster. By now, it felt like he was being overwhelmed in terms of strength.
'However...'
Nothing is changing.
Because I have changed so much since I learned and created those sword techniques.
The power of the swordsmanship might be stronger in the Doppelganger King, but it doesn't have the insights I've recently realized.
The one advancing further from here is not the monster with more accumulated aura, but me, who has accumulated deeper thoughts and experiences.
'Thanks to that thing, I was able to realize that more clearly.'
Watching the Doppelganger King's swordsmanship, I could see myself with improved martial arts skills, yet still swinging the sword in the same way, lacking something.
'The techniques felt lacking because they were achieved without creating mantras, relying only on the senses of that time.'
Until now, I was no different from wearing children's clothes on a grown body. I gained a small realization of what I should do and how.
'This too is a serendipitous encounter.'
No, is it inevitable?
The fourth floor seemed like a space designed to allow self-reflection using a doppelganger. Since it was a training ground created by Zieghart's ancestors, this was neither coincidence nor serendipity.
"I am. I am Raon Zieghart!"
The Doppelganger King roared as it plunged both swords into the ground. The fake Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword spewed intense light, drawing the sun and moon in the sky.
Raon swallowed hard as he looked at the sun and moon dyeing the pure white sky, and the divine and demonic swords held in the Doppelganger King's hands.
"Sword Domain...?"
Is this possible?
Even for a Doppelganger King, I couldn't imagine it using Sword Domain. For the first time since coming here, the emotion of bewilderment filled my mind.
"Kieeee!"
The doppelganger, having achieved even Sword Domain, charged with a shriek. The energy from the divine and demonic swords pierced into the Black Dragon Coat.
Even from a distance, a pain that made my skin sting arose.
Chiiing!
I imbued the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword with cold and heat energy to draw the Fire Wall and Frost Snap.
Clang!
As expected of divine and demonic swords, the impact was tremendous. It felt like my shoulder might dislocate.
"Kieeee!"
The doppelganger struck down with the divine and demonic swords in succession, as if intending to maintain its momentum.
It didn't wildly exert force, but unfolded proper sword techniques. It felt like facing a martial artist who had reached a high level.
Zzzzt!
Raon narrowed his eyes as he raised Azure Rain with the Heavenly Drive and Silver Sword Dream with the Requiem Sword.
'Did my enemies fight such monsters?'
It connected terrifying power and endlessly burning heat and cold with profound swordsmanship. Though it was my own form, it was a sight I couldn't help but be in awe of.
'However...'
The inadequacy hasn't disappeared.
Until now, I thought my Sword Domain was complete.
Unlike when I was a Master, I thought I had achieved balance upon reaching Grandmaster.
But I was wrong.
Looking with eyes that have advanced beyond Grandmaster, there were more than just one or two lacking areas.
It seemed that it would be fine to create slight differences without balancing the divine and demonic swords, and in one-on-one situations, it would be good to concentrate the range of the sword domain to maximize its power.
The more I crossed swords with the doppelganger, the clearer the path I needed to take became. I couldn't be satisfied with anything.
Kugugugugu!
The Doppelganger King took a step back. It raised the divine sword above its right shoulder and pulled back the demonic sword behind its right waist.
A brilliant light that was too dazzling to look at directly spewed from both swords, spreading in all directions.
'Invincible Azure-Red Sword!'
The linked technique of the Divine-Demonic Harmony, and currently the strongest sword technique I could use, surged from the Doppelganger King's hands.
"Kiaaaaa!"
The Doppelganger King let out its loudest roar yet.
It charged forward relentlessly as if proposing a final clash. Just its approach caused pain as if my muscles were tearing and skin melting. It was indeed my strongest sword, the Invincible Azure-Red.
The blades of limitlessly amplified flame and frost fell. It was as if a red sun and blue moon were devouring the sky.
'There's no way to block this...'
My past self would have thought that way.
I created the Divine-Demonic Harmony when I was a Master.
It had been strengthened since becoming a Grandmaster, but I could feel it was still lacking.
'To go higher, I need to break my past self, I guess.'
I'll accept it.
Raon stomped his foot heavily. He spread the impact rising from his ankle throughout his entire body.
The heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold of Glacier raced along his swollen mana circuits.
The flame and frost, stimulating each other, caused lightning to strike on the blades of the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword.
Change is frightening, but if we don't move forward, we can't achieve anything.
Raon looked at the sky behind the flame and frost.
The endlessly high, noble sky that nothing could measure.
Looking at his goal, he drew his current best.
Azure Sky Sword, Ever-Changing Sky.
Nothing can reach the endlessly changing sky.
Clang!
The wave of flames raised by the divine sword and the mountain of ice raised by the demonic sword both split apart.
What remained behind was the sky. The ever-changing yet unchanging firmament.
"You've. Changed?"
The Doppelganger King let out a strange laugh, as if realizing I was different from itself. It smiled with satisfaction before disappearing into the light of flame and frost.
Whoosh!
The falling snow stopped. The snowfield vanished and a black passage opened. It was a space leading to the next floor.
'Now I understand everything.'
Raon bit his lip as he looked at his trembling hands.
'This place is a space created by Zieghart's ancestors for their descendants.'
It wasn't a space for just one descendant, but a training ground created for all of the Ziegharts.
The first floor strengthened physical and mental power by facing monsters in darkness and avoiding traps, the second floor nurtured strategy and camaraderie with allies while facing a powerful monster, and although I passed through quickly, the third floor maze was likely a place to develop judgment, insight, and cooperation.
The fourth floor I just passed through was designed for one to compete with oneself, confirm one's own abilities, and for martial artists who had achieved Sword Domain to grow their mental imagery.
Each floor was a kind space designed to allow martial artists to reach greater heights.
But Derus turned this land, filled with the consideration of ancestors, into a hell where the touch of death reached out. His habit of trying to control people's lives remained unchanged.
'Derus Robert.'
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the hole that probably led to the final floor.
'You won't be here, will you?'
Derus Robert, more cautious than anyone, surely wouldn't be present here.
But the plan he designed remained intact in this tomb.
For the sake of the Zieghart ancestors who had given so much help, I had to shatter his plan.
Raon twisted his lips as he threw himself into the black hole.
'In the name of Zieghart, I'll negate everything you've done.'