Chapter 71: A Fake Fake Imitation

Chapter 71: A Fake Fake Imitation

I stared the "thing" in front of me down. It was a splitting image of me in Apolepstic mode turned demonic. And seeing it from an outsider's perspective is just... wow.

This thing could probably make even the most veteran of veterans shit enough bricks to build a castle. Sharp jagged metallic teeth that stretched nearly 280 degrees around his head. Empty black eyes with a dangerous purple pupil. Jagged jet-black armor that resembled a beast outlined its musclebound bestial figure. Razor-sharp claws.

Flame like purple plume that floated without any wind whatsoever. Its aura was crushingly dominating as if condemning you for being in its very presence, like a perfectly honed weapon, its killing intent was strong enough to collapse the common man. It held a giant pitch-black blade with burning purple cracks that formed a tree-like pattern from the guard up. It held its blade in a relaxed but ready form.

Its gaze nonchalant yet dissecting everything in front of it, finding out the best way to eliminate the threat. Like a machine, a perfect tool for murder. A being so used to death that it had become the very embodiment of it. The very presence of the being in front of me felt like the sickle of death pressed against my throat.

The T H I N G in front was like death itself, inescapable, no matter how hard you tried it would eventually reach you. Even if you kill the reaper a million times, it will still collect your soul.

Instinctively I knew what I had to do. I held out my hand and summoned the dead man's blade, a replica of what was in his hands, just smaller and without the purple cracks making it jumbo-sized.

Crouching down I shot out toward the figure but just as I arrived in front of it, I saw a sleek black edge enter my view, bisecting my head. And the moment my life slipped away from my hands I appeared where I first stood once more. the thing's position was reset too. As always, death was nothing more than an illusion.

Now I get it. I need to kill him to inherit the dark soul fully. I don't know why I had to kill a mirror image of myself but weirder things have happened to me. So I took position once again and used deadman style to move at extreme speeds and moved to its side. But as I did so something sent a chill up my spine.

Its eyes followed my movements. With extreme ease too, as if a grown man watching a toddler run.

I can move almost as fast as Ornstein. My speed is my strongest asset and that thing's just calmly tracked my movements with its eyes. Regaining my composure as fast as I lost it I held my hand forward and channeled an inferno but before I could let it out the shadows under my feet shifted, throwing me off balance. Before a giant blade emerged from the same shadows and turned me into a kebab.

I didn't even get to feel pain before everything faded to black.

After I respawned once more this time I channeled my speed to the max to appear 10 meters in front of it near instantly, and before it did anything I threw my blade at its face to throw it off, as I did that I also channeled 5 fire missies and locked them on the figure and released them.

Yet again the figure calmly responded by smacking the blade away and then crushing the flame missiles with its hands and feet, effectively parrying them. But this time instead of preparing another attack I went on the defensive and activated total concentration. From the cloud of smoke, the figure dashed out and arrived in front of my face slightly faster than me so all I could do was raise my arms in a cross to defend myself.

'Heavy!'

It felt like I was hit by a school bus instead of a fist, my arms creaked and broke as I was launched away by the blow, My feet dug into the ground and dragged as I put myself to a stop, but the moment I did stop, the figure had blurred above me and brought its foot down in an axe kick, crushing my skull underfoot.

...

It seemed like the figure did not attack me unless I attacked first. I also made another observation. I could not access the system here, no status, no level-ups, no inventory. I could summon my weapons but that was it.

And the figure was me, or at least a version of me. But there was one problem with that. It wasn't a perfect copy.

It was a fucking improved copy.

Whatever I did it responded by either parrying, countering, avoiding, neutralizing, or straight-up tanking it. It constantly had soul release and full potential on while I could barely maintain both for a minute. By the time it took me to cast one spell, it could cast two.

Its composure never broke. And there was a problem.

It wasn't inherently stronger than me.

Our skills and their levels are the same from what I observed after several hundred deaths. Our physiques are similar other than our usage of transformation. Then what was the problem?

He could use my body perfectly. Rapidly gauging the situation and acting accordingly, using umbra and armageddon blade like they were his limbs. It was like a machine, cold, calculating, and efficient.

I tried everything, every strategy I knew. I tried armageddon blade, I tried umbra, I tried lightning, I tried using force, I tried pushing myself beyond anything it could achieve.

It surpassed even then.

The more and more this dragged on the more I felt another option.

Giving up.

What can you do against a perfected copy of yourself? This wasn't like Ornstein who was more skilled and experienced than me. This thing was better at everything that made me ME.

I have succeeded as a hero and as the chosen undead.

I have reached the ending.

...

I...

I...

I give up.

The black world faded out as memories perished.

And he woke up on his bed. In a familiar apartment, rays of sunlight entered through the window and touched his eyes. Slowly he got out of his bed. Slowly he sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes.

'Am I... finally free...?'

But then.

'Why do I feel sad?'

Why do I feel such sadness about this?

W h y ?

.

.

.

The first 5 chapters of Fate/beyond are out on my p*treon.

The volume 1 of this story is completed on my p*treon.

Trade offer

I receive:

Your Financial Support.

You receive:

Advanced Chapters.

If you like my work and want to support me (and receive some additional benefits like advanced chapters) then please check out my p*treon at: /BronzDeck.

I will also be holding polls there for potential harem members and future worlds. There are currently 10 advanced chapters

.

Replace the * with an a.