"Your domain is powerful, but that's not how you should use it. You have much to learn. Domain of Delusions! FAKE AND REAL! TRUE AND FALSE!" the being declared, and instantly, the dark domain I had created shattered like glass. The shock from such destruction echoed deep into my soul, forcing me to bleed through my nose and vomit a gush of blood from my mouth.
The space turned completely white, and I was now trapped within his version of my domain.
I gasped for breath, my vision blurring as my body fought against the suffocating weight of his realm. Raising my right arm caused my left arm to jerk down awkwardly. Everything was inverted, twisted. I had to think backwards, but I had prepared for this. I had practiced in case I was trapped in my own domain.
I staggered to my feet, each movement deliberate, cautious. I waited for him to come closer. He smiled, realizing I was not fully affected by his domain either.
"In this domain, you should be completely unparalleled, unlike those who seek to grow a domain befitting their own understanding of the outer world—where they create a domain of flames or ice, a domain of darkness or light and gravitational prowess. Their domains are all derived from the laws and rules of the world the heavens have created.
To use it against the heavens is foolish, thus why many have died trying. You, on the other hand, your domain is in your mind. You do not take from the heavens to apply onto others but delude your own mind with laws that the heavens never created. And in your delusion, you apply it onto others in a land that is your own.
We applaud your insight of the mind, yet we warn you, to think that you may command and rule as the heavens is blasphemy against us!"
"That's why..." I coughed, blood splattering from my lips, "I never declared myself as a god. That's why I only use my domain in case of emergency."
"We see," the being said as he raised his hand slightly, and a sword manifested within it. A familiar sword. Creeping Demise.
The blade didn't come from an inventory, nor a holding bag. No, I could see the very fabric of the domain warping and bending, creating an exact replica of my sword. I even felt the bond it had with me forcibly severed and contained, its loyalty redirected to its new master.
"You applied Delusions not only onto your opponent," I said, gasping through ragged breaths, "but even yourself... You deluded yourself into thinking that the sword is in your hand, so it became in your hand," I added, my eyes narrowing.
"Quite the fast thinker," he replied, his voice like a cold whisper against my ear. "Then, what about this?" he said as he sliced through his own arm.
Yet no blood spilled. Instead, a searing pain erupted from my shoulder, and I looked down to see my own arm lying on the ground, severed cleanly.
The pain was indescribable. My mind reeled, struggling to comprehend the agony. My focus blurred as I felt the pain from the first blows he landed, amplified tenfold. The enforcer rushed me as I desperately tried to dodge, the inverted perception of space making each move a nightmare. I could barely react, taking three hits for every hit I blocked or dodged.
And when I tried to retreat to safety, he would stab his own legs, causing mine to buckle and send me sprawling to the ground.
I attempted to release a Poison Breath, but he immediately dragged his blade, Creeping Demise, across his own throat. A hot gush of blood erupted from my own neck, and I could feel my life force draining away with every heartbeat.
"Madness has consumed you..." the enforcer sighed, as if mourning a soul lost to the void.
"Madness? No!" I barked, my voice raw and defiant as I dragged myself up, leaning on my one good arm. "I figured it out!"
A flicker of surprise crossed the enforcer's face. I grit my teeth, ignoring the stabbing pain, and closed my eyes. I let out a breath, slow and controlled, and when I opened my eyes again, I broke the connection between myself and his domain. This was my true power, the core of my Domain of Delusions. It was a simple, profound realization: I don't exist in a domain. My mind refused it DENIED IT.
Even before I had developed my domain, I had been using it unconsciously. A small, compact realm within my mind that was more resilient than any divine law or heavenly decree.
"I am not in a domain! I am Free!"
The very fabric of his domain trembled and shuddered. His golden glow dimmed slightly, and I saw his form stagger, if only for a moment.
"What blasphemous skill you possess," the enforcer said, his voice tight with what I could only guess was irritation. He reeled back slightly. He did not bleed, nor did he crumble, but I could see a subtle shift—the faintest flicker of uncertainty. He weakened even if ever so slightly.
My severed arm still lay on the ground, twitching slightly. I reached down, grabbed it, and pressed it back to the open wound.
"Book of Body, Forceful Rejuvenation."
My cells exploded into overdrive, knitting flesh, bone, and sinew back together with rapid precision. My arm flexed back to life, the skin knitting seamlessly, while the remaining injuries on my body healed with a speed that was both grotesque and wondrous. My neck, previously slashed, sealed itself, and I took a deep, clear breath for the first time since the battle began.
"You could have left the domain whenever you wanted. Why endure such a beating first?" the enforcer asked, his voice laced with both curiosity and a grudging respect.
"Because I wanted to see what else you could do inside that domain," I replied, rolling my newly regenerated shoulder. "Now, let's go for a second round!"
I slammed my hands together in a praying motion, the energy of my mind roaring out like a beast uncaged. "Domain of Delusions! Fake and Real! True and False!" The space around us began to warp and twist as if reality itself was trembling at the force of my will.
This was a perfect replica, of not my, but His Domain of Delusions. However, there was a twist.
And then, with a final breath, I whispered a single word that sent ripples through the air, causing the entire hall to quake:
"MONOCHROME!"