Ch.180Chapter 180 – Shadow (1)

The battle with the shadow warrior began.

My halberd collided with the shadow’s halberd.

My sword entangled with the shadow’s sword.

My spear and the shadow’s spear pierced each other.

“Tch!”

I clicked my tongue unconsciously as I deflected the shadow’s mace with my own.

‘I thought things were going too well.’

I had been pleased that Christina found the path so efficiently, shortening what I expected to be a days-long journey through the labyrinth.

I never imagined there would be a trap like this.

‘I need to finish this quickly.’

If there were more of these creatures, my companions would be in danger.

I needed to defeat it and find the others.

Steadying my throbbing arm, I aimed my halberd at the enemy.

And now the enemy was aiming an arrow at me.

‘Clearly targeting my abdomen.’

I assessed the target by watching the arrow’s tip.

Compared to the head, the abdomen offered a better chance of avoiding a fatal wound, but its larger area made it relatively harder to dodge.

Reading the enemy’s movements, I charged forward quickly.

As if reading my thoughts, the enemy’s arrow flew toward my abdomen.

“As if I’d let you hit me!”

Having already read its trajectory, deflecting it wasn’t difficult.

I knocked the arrow away with my halberd.

-Clang!!

Despite being just an arrow, the impact made my arm tremble.

After neutralizing the enemy’s attack, I immediately spun my body and threw my halberd.

The halberd cut through the air with a heavy sound and flew toward the enemy, who rolled sideways to dodge.

And I was already charging forward as I threw the halberd.

“Take this!”

I kneed the part that corresponded to the enemy’s head.

With a dull sound, the enemy’s head wobbled, and without missing the opportunity, I brought down the sword that had appeared in my hand.

But the enemy, as if anticipating this, blocked my attack with its halberd.

Once again, the sound of metal against metal rang out, and I quickly pulled back my sword to deflect the enemy’s follow-up attack.

Then I blocked the enemy’s attack with its weapon changed to a mace using my spear, and switched to a halberd again to swing at it.

‘This bastard…’

Once more our attacks blocked each other, and our weapons danced again.

Although I had landed that knee strike earlier, the enemy was wearing a helmet, so it didn’t seem to have taken much damage.

Actually, I wasn’t even sure if this was the kind of opponent that would fall from a knee to the head.

As I was thinking this, the enemy’s spear grazed the side of my helmet.

‘If I lose focus, I’ll die.’

In terms of weapon handling, the enemy and I were almost equal in skill.

However, I could tell that I was slightly better.

If we continued fighting, I would eventually win.

I attacked with my halberd and then pulled back significantly.

As I lifted one leg to prepare for a powerful downward strike, the enemy, thinking it was a chance, changed its weapon to a sword.

‘I knew you’d do that.’

I had anticipated that if I showed an opening in my body, it would try to thrust its sword.

I quickly changed my halberd to a staff and let it slide through my hands.

The staff flowed down between my fingers, and I rotated my entire body by swinging the leg I was standing on.

Simultaneously, I gripped the staff firmly and swung it hard toward the lower part.

“Fall!”

The shadow, which had been fully prepared to plunge its sword into my chest, tripped over the staff and fell.

Facing an almost equal opponent, falling meant essentially deciding the outcome.

I changed my weapon back to a halberd and prepared to swing it wide.

“This is the end!!”

A single slash delivered with a battle cry.

And then.

-Crackle!!

-Clang!!

With a sudden spark sound, my halberd stopped in mid-air.

‘What…’

The enemy, having also changed its weapon to a halberd, pushed mine away forcefully.

Immediately sensing danger, I released my weapon and rolled backward as the enemy’s halberd sent mine flying far away.

‘That was close.’

If I had kept holding onto my weapon, I would have been thrown into the air.

That would have left me vulnerable to the next attack.

And allowing an attack in that state would have led to death.

Quickly calming my startled mind, I used my arm strength to jump high and create distance.

And then I felt my halberd return to my hand as I faced the enemy.

‘Black lightning.’

Sparks flew from the enemy’s body.

It reminded me of someone.

‘Come to think of it, its techniques are similar to mine.’

The weapon techniques I use are those of the holy knights of the Emiris Order.

Plus some techniques I learned and developed while training with Rudger.

The former might be possible for the Red Knights who underwent the same experiments as me, but the latter are clearly my own techniques.

And of course, I have no disciples.

So the identity of the enemy was clear.

‘Myself.’

That was my shadow.

“What a damn trap this is, shadow.”

As I muttered with displeasure, the shadow seemed to nod once, for some reason.

‘It responds?’

Since it had been responding well to my attacks and even taking the initiative, it wasn’t particularly strange that it would react to my words.

Still, I was surprised by the shadow’s response, perhaps because I didn’t expect it to react so casually.

‘Whatever.’

For now, it’s just an enemy I need to defeat.

I can investigate its true nature in detail later.

And the next moment, the corner of the shadow’s mouth seemed to tear slightly.

[…name.]

A bizarre echoing voice pierced my ears.

[What is, your name.]

The eerie voice questioned me.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Before I knew it, I answered its question, and it continued asking.

[What is, your name.]

The same question.

I could have ignored it and continued attacking, but my mouth moved first.

“Kay.”

[No.]

The shadow answered.

[That is, not your name.]

“Then what is my name?”

I asked the shadow again.

The shadow immediately continued its answer.

[I cannot know your name.]

[I cannot see your memories.]

[Who are you?]

[What can you call yourself?]

The voice, which was initially singular, soon split into several.

The shadow, which was originally one, divided into four.

And suddenly I saw shadows surrounding me.

I turned my gaze to each one, and soon one of the shadows began to reveal itself as if black paint was being washed away.

And I saw a helmet identical to the one I’m currently wearing.

“…These, perhaps.”

As a sudden thought occurred to me, I quietly observed them, and soon the other shadows gradually revealed themselves.

A man wearing a helmet like one I used to wear, a man in robes with half his face burned.

And.

“……”

For some reason, a man with only half a face, his body stained black in various places.

‘…Is that me before coming to this world?’

Is the half-faced body with parts missing like that because I have almost no memories?

While I was blankly looking at each one, the version of me from when I escaped the laboratory stepped forward.

[This is the entrance to the sacred ground. Only those who are truthful to themselves may enter.]

[But you do not even know who you are.]

Soon, a mace appeared in the hand of the ‘me’ in robes—the same one I had once stolen from a holy knight of the Emiris Order.

The me wearing the broken helmet from before held a greatsword made from a centipede’s fang.

The one dressed exactly like me was holding a halberd, just like me.

[I ask you.]

The one with only half a face left, who was the only one not holding a weapon, addressed me.

[Who are you?]

“…Damn it.”

As I muttered this, the other three ‘me’s began charging toward me.

+

After being separated from the group, Christina was cautiously moving forward, slightly afraid of her surroundings.

‘I need to keep moving anyway.’

In this place where nothing could be seen without special light, she couldn’t afford to stay still.

She had to move quickly.

Christina thought this as she moved her feet rapidly.

‘If I shine a light, they’ll surely see it from a distance.’

Christina walked forward, illuminating holy light like a torch.

In such a dark place, even the smallest light would be visible.

If they saw this light, everyone would surely move toward it.

Thinking this, Christina advanced carefully.

‘Which way should I go…’

After briefly considering her direction, Christina turned right as if entranced.

There was no reason.

She just turned unconsciously.

After walking for a while longer.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

[Who are you?]

“W-what?”

Christina startled and raised her stone staff, seeing a shadow like a young girl looking at her.

And as the shadow approached.

“Holy Light!”

Christina attacked without a moment’s hesitation.

The holy light shone on the shadow.

And it had no effect.

“…So it’s not a ghost, then…”

Christina was about to follow up with another attack.

But she stopped, feeling something was strange.

[Who are you?]

The shadow questioned her again.

‘Who am I…’

It seemed odd.

Does this shadow want to know my name?

“…Christina.”

After answering cautiously, the shadow paused for a moment.

And soon spoke again.

[What does your name refer to?]

“Well, I…”

About to answer immediately, Christina felt something strange about the question.

‘What it refers to…’

It didn’t seem like a question about who her name referred to.

It felt like a question about how she defined herself.

“…To be honest, it’s hard to give you a precise answer.”

Gripping her stone staff tightly in case of emergency, Christina quietly answered.

“But, but… if I answer with what comes to mind…”

Starting with what came to mind first, she answered.

“…I think I’m a girl who wants to be a strength for the people I care about.”

[Is that all?]

“I’m a weak and young nun who served the great Evgenia and prayed for her, and who prays for the well-being of those dear to me.”

“…I’m someone who cherishes close friends and wants to help them.”

“…I’m someone who admires a wealthy, dignified, and beautiful guild master.”

“…I’m someone who envies a cool and pretty but sometimes shameless and pathetic magician.”

After a while, the shadow asked again.

[Is that all?]

‘What else should I say…’

She had said everything that came to mind.

Mostly it was about how she thought of others rather than herself.

But she found it too difficult to look at herself objectively.

“…I’m someone who wants to fulfill a request from a friend I met a long time ago.”

For a while after that, Christina continued to talk about herself in relation to others.

[And?]

She had nothing more to offer.

As her throat began to feel sore, a thought flashed through her mind.

『Be more honest with your own feelings.』

‘Kara…’

The feelings she had deliberately hidden until now.

“…I’m a girl who likes and admires the person who saved me, but I’m always worried because I have nothing to offer.”

She faces her true feelings.

“And I’m someone who wants to gain strength to protect the person I admire.”

The words she had hidden in her heart until the very end, and the honest feelings that derived from them.

[…Finally being honest, I see.]

As the shadow began to dissipate, Christina’s eyes widened slightly.

“…My, self?”

Another Christina spoke quietly.

[I am the one who judges worthiness to enter the sacred ground.]

[The shadow that reflects your heart.]

[One who does not forgive lies and denial.]

‘Christina’ began to quietly disappear.

[Go.]

[For those who truly face themselves, there are no further trials.]

[And you were the fastest.]

Watching ‘Christina’ gradually disappear, Christina quietly bowed her head.

“Thank you.”

Feeling somehow relieved in a corner of her heart, Christina moved forward.

[But it’s not safe, so be careful.]

At these final words, Christina’s senses went on alert.

‘What?’

She felt strangely uneasy.

Immediately, Christina walked back in the direction she had come from.

And then…

“Shut up.”

Her eyes widened.

“Shut up shut up shut up!!!!!!”

“Lady Beatrice?!”

It was Beatrice, wildly swinging iron chains.

She was shouting incessantly and clutching her head as if in pain.

“I am, Beatrice…”

“Lady Beatrice?”

As Christina took a step closer, sensing something was wrong, Beatrice turned her gaze toward her.

“I am Beatrice!!!!!!”

“Lady Beatrice?!”

The mad dog lunged at Christina.