Ch.105Angel Tip 9

Aksa stared indifferently at 02, who looked exactly like her.

Height, shape, even behavior—all identical.

If there was one difference, it would be their attitude.

Unlike Aksa, who was in a desperate hurry to find Siho, 02 gazed at her with complete composure.

Meeting those feminine eyes, Aksa smirked.

“Is this what it feels like to see myself?”

“…”

“Well, it’s not bad. Similar to when I was an active model.”

02 finally spoke in response to Aksa’s attitude.

With a voice that had somehow become identical to hers, 02 spoke flatly.

“I’m merely imitating you perfectly, but our essence isn’t the same.”

“What nonsense is that?”

“I only mirror your actions like a reflection.”

Aksa’s eyebrow twitched as 02 openly revealed his weakness.

He seemed arrogantly confident, as if knowing this wouldn’t affect his victory.

Faced with 02’s relaxed demeanor, Aksa narrowed her crimson eyes menacingly.

“Let’s make a contract before we fight.”

“A contract?”

“People like us from the underworld always bet something when we fight.”

“Quite boastful for a mere thug.”

02 sarcastically dismissed Aksa’s words.

“If I win, tell me Siho’s location.”

“Ah, that girl.”

“So you do know. You clearly know where she is.”

Caught by her leading question, 02 was momentarily speechless.

The skilled loan shark raised the corner of her mouth in a smirk.

“Now, tell me your condition.”

“If I win, I’ll take your body.”

Aksa’s lips parted at the ominous statement.

But she quickly looked 02 up and down with satisfaction.

“I suppose it’s worth coveting.”

Soon she stopped nodding.

Then she murmured softly.

“Then the contract is sealed.”

After those words, only silence hung over the abandoned city.

Aksa was the first to break that silence.

She quickly reached into her jacket’s inner pocket.

In just two seconds.

Drawing her pistol, she unhesitatingly pulled the trigger, aiming at 02’s head.

But.

The bullet never reached 02.

Having copied her exact movements, 02 had fired a gun at the same moment.

The two bullets met at the same point and ricocheted away together.

“Unbelievable…”

Aksa said, as steam rose from her gun.

02 mockingly blew away the rising smoke from his own gun.

“Any attack you make against me will automatically be mirrored.”

“Is that so?”

Exasperated, Aksa refocused her concentration.

Her red eyes flashed intensely.

“Let’s see if abilities work too.”

She concentrated all her power into her palm.

Then she slammed it forcefully onto the ground.

“—.”

An old wall crumbled, revealing a massive dummy.

A tank dummy made from a fusion of various human muscles.

It charged toward 02 with clenched fists.

But at that moment.

02 also summoned a shadow dummy by mimicking Aksa’s exact actions.

The dummy was identical to Aksa’s, only black in color.

The two massive fists collided.

A loud resonating sound echoed throughout the city.

Eventually, the two fists began to crumble like tofu.

After the fists, the arms; after the arms, the shoulders.

Their entire bodies crumbled into pieces, flesh raining down to the ground.

Immediately, Aksa summoned another dummy from the ground.

<Nameless Swordsman>

Ranking: Former 12th

Occupation: Wandering swordsman

Information: Enjoys fighting opponents stronger than himself. Eventually died at the hands of Lee Dae-eun, who was stronger.

The dummy wearing a conical hat twisted grotesquely.

Upon spotting his target, the swordsman twisted his wrist and gripped his longsword.

Then he leaped into the shower of falling flesh.

The swordsman aimed for 02 through the obstructed view.

But soon he faced a doppelganger identical to himself.

When he attacked with his left hand, the other countered with the right.

When he responded with his right, the other countered with the left.

After countless sword clashes, they locked blades in a power struggle.

The two blades growled as they slid against each other.

Red sparks flew, landing on the fallen flesh.

The smell of cooking meat filled the battlefield.

As they clashed swords again, both swordsmen simultaneously spun to target each other’s calves.

Identical wounds appeared on their legs.

The swordsmen staggered back, creating distance between them.

In this brief moment, Aksa carefully observed the legs of both puppets.

Her swordsman had a wound on his left leg.

02’s swordsman had a wound on his right leg.

So they mirrored each other like reflections.

After deep contemplation, she issued another command.

Aksa tapped her own shoulder.

Responding to this, her nameless swordsman aimed for the opponent’s shoulder.

02 also tapped his shoulder.

But.

Aksa pretended to tap her shoulder while actually drawing her hand across her neck.

A clever fake signal.

The nameless swordsman, worthy of his 12th rank, understood her command.

Feigning an attack to the shoulder, he drove his sword deeper to target the neck.

“—!”

In that split second.

The two blades crossed, creating a sharp flash of light.

Eventually, all the falling flesh was split in half.

And so were the heads of both swordsmen.

The swordsman who enjoyed fighting strong opponents.

He collapsed peacefully to the ground, seemingly satisfied with his opponent.

But Aksa’s expression was far from pleased.

She had lost two dummies in an instant.

If 02 continued to mirror her dummies like this, she couldn’t win.

And the drain on her stamina was severe…

She needed to find a method other than attrition.

Most objects are symmetrical.

So she needed to find “something” that wasn’t symmetrical.

Aksa now turned to magical power.

She traced a flame pattern on the ground with her finger.

From the ground rose a red-haired man.

His broad back, marked with the traces of age, came into view.

Her most treasured dummy.

<Han Gyeok-ho>

Ranking: Former 32nd

Occupation: Chairman of Joseon Chemical

Information: An ability user who could manipulate two elements simultaneously. Died of illness. His funeral was handled by Ilshim Funeral Services.

As expected.

02 also summoned an identical Han Gyeok-ho dummy.

But that was anticipated.

Aksa was aiming for precise control to win.

Normally, physical dummy battles have few variables as they fight with programmed movements.

But with an elemental ability user?

The variables are endless depending on how they fight.

That’s why this dummy was her most treasured.

Aksa stared intently at 02’s doppelganger.

Soon, Han Gyeok-ho stomped the ground forcefully.

Flames erupted from beneath 02’s doppelganger.

02’s Han Gyeok-ho also stomped the ground.

And at that moment.

02’s brow twitched.

It was the first time.

The first time he showed surprise at Aksa’s attack.

02’s doppelganger was critically injured by the flames, but Aksa’s dummy remained unharmed.

The reason was quite simple.

There was an oil pipeline beneath where 02’s doppelganger stood.

But there was nothing beneath where Aksa’s dummy stood.

Taking advantage of the staggering doppelganger, Gyeok-ho charged at 02.

As he ran, his fists erupted with flames.

The staggering doppelganger also ran, spewing flames.

The two flames intertwined and canceled each other out.

But currently, 02’s doppelganger was injured.

She immediately pointed at the doppelganger’s thigh.

Gyeok-ho pulled up stones with his palm, targeting the doppelganger’s right thigh.

The doppelganger did the same, targeting his left thigh.

As their legs twisted.

Both dummies fell, simultaneously grabbing each other’s faces.

They spewed flames at maximum output.

Clearly, Aksa’s dummy had stronger firepower.

But fundamentally, both had flame abilities.

The two dummies exploded together.

And both melted into lava.

“Damn it…”

Aksa looked at the scene with disappointment.

She had created such an advantage.

Despite the many variables, she hadn’t expected them to apply to her as well.

Exhausted, she began to stagger.

How long had it been since she’d controlled so many dummies at once?

02, experiencing the same emotions as her, smiled leisurely.

“Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“No, not at all.”

Aksa tried not to show it, instead snorting derisively.

But her legs were already trembling.

“This is why Shin-ae called me. For people like you who rely solely on abilities, I’m the perfect natural enemy.”

02 clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely looked down at the lava.

He almost burned himself when he tried to touch the bubbling lava with his finger.

Aksa mocked him for this.

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“Then refute me. What do you have left without your abilities?”

02 tilted his head, asking Aksa.

His long hair flowed softly, caressing his shoulder.

“What’s left without abilities?”

Aksa crossed her arms and answered his question.

Pride flowed from her red eyes.

“Corporate executive. 5 billion won embezzled from there. And a decent figure?”

“…”

After Aksa’s words, a momentary silence fell over the chaotic abandoned city.

Debris trickled down from the broken wall pillars.

“Joking in a situation like this…”

He dismissed Aksa’s words with a snort.

Then he approached her leisurely.

“Fine, I’ll give you credit for your guts.”

02’s body twitched exactly halfway.

Half returned to being a shadow person, he raised a dagger.

“Let’s end this now. After all, you’re just an ordinary woman without your dummies, right?”

A dark shadow loomed over Aksa.

With her knees half-buckled, she stared up at him.

“You think you’ve completely copied my ability?”

She smiled arrogantly while catching her breath.

02’s brow furrowed at the question.

“Of course. That’s how it’s been so far.”

“To use this ability, you need to know the exact location of all organs.”

“Even so, I just need to copy your actions exactly.”

02 raised his dagger, seemingly tired of the wordplay.

Aksa then pulled out an identical dagger from her jacket pocket.

As if imitating 02.

“What are you planning?”

02’s half-body raised a dagger just like Aksa.

She smiled enigmatically while catching her breath.

“I told you. You haven’t properly copied my ability.”

Aksa raised her dagger.

Toward herself.

“You can’t be…”

02’s previously calm eyes wavered.

But it was too late.

He too raised his dagger toward himself, just like Aksa.

Then Aksa forcefully stabbed the dagger.

Into her right chest.

Crimson blood flowed from her red lips.

“—!”

Blood also poured from 02’s mouth.

Much more than Aksa’s.

Unlike Aksa, he had stabbed his left chest.

The dagger had penetrated his cardiac apex, precisely the left tip of his heart.

“The heart is slightly to the left rather than the center…”

Aksa smiled faintly with blood pooling in her mouth.

02 looked at her face with shock.

“The only asymmetry.”

His body soon reverted to shadow form.

The black figure tilted and then collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Aksa barely managed to stand with the dagger still in her chest.

Then she hurriedly approached 02.

The embedded blade ached with every step.

But she didn’t care about such pain.

She only wanted to know Siho’s location quickly.

“You got me good.”

The shadow person looked up at Aksa weakly.

“I told you. This isn’t an ability just anyone can use.”

“I admit it.”

“Now tell me. Where is Siho?”

The shadow person hesitated briefly.

Then he stared directly into Aksa’s red eyes.

“In a villa at Hangyeryeong.”

“Hangyeryeong? In Gangwon Province?”

“Yes, it’s occupied by wolf monsters. Ordinary people can’t even enter.”

“That doesn’t matter. Mere wolves.”

Aksa firmly shook her head.

02 nodded in understanding.

“With your skills, I suppose it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Having learned the location, Aksa turned away.

Enduring the bitter pain, she headed toward Hangyeryeong.

The shadow person’s body began to liquefy.

Knowing his death was imminent, 02 stared blankly at Aksa for a moment.

Despite her injury, she moved steadfastly forward to rescue her kidnapped comrade.

“I envy you.”

His body melted away.

His lips distorted, making even his pronunciation slur.

“If Shin-ae had comrades like that…”

Eventually, his body turned into black liquid.

The helpless droplets scattered across the ground.

“How wonderful it would have been…”