Chapter: 427
After breaking through the 99th floor and reaching the 100th, Arthur found himself staring at a doppelgänger waiting just beyond the boss room. He couldn’t help but resent his past self for all the hard work put in during the break.
Just like he had changed completely from who he was before vacation, the doppelgänger blocking his path was a whole different beast.
“Do I even have time to think about other things?”
“Damn it!”
What frustrated him even more was that these doppelgängers seemed to completely know his weaknesses.
For instance, Arthur lost his ability to command when pressed hard enough; he couldn’t focus on strategy with so much pressure on him.
Juggling magic and swordplay was tough enough without having to worry about his surroundings.
Knowing this, the doppelgänger imitating Frey aimed to keep Arthur busy, effectively silencing him.
Frey, on the other hand, had her own tough spot.
Her swordsmanship was undeniably powerful. She could probably take down more foes than she couldn’t.
However, if unable to showcase her sword’s might, Frey’s strength wouldn’t shine through.
The doppelgängers were just relentless about this.
Thanks to Joy’s magic, they kept dodging any situation where she could land a hit.
Still, Frey fought valiantly to break through their arrangements, but every time, Phoebe’s holy magic stood in her way.
The divinity that had previously offered them such support was now their strongest barrier.
Joy was just as troubled.
Though she had grown used to close combat through training with the Alrn Knights, that was merely to buy time for casting her larger-than-life spells.
Arthur, with enough skill to handle Frey, made it hard for her to unleash her magic against him.
Amidst a situation where everyone was barely holding up against adversity, the line was maintained thanks to Phoebe.
While all the doppelgängers were performing at least at their level or possibly higher, Phoebe’s doppelgänger couldn’t mimic her exactly.
Although it seemed to wield holy magic comparably, the outcome was worlds apart.
Understanding this, Phoebe put everything she had into turning the tide, but as time passed, the shadows of defeat loomed larger.
What weighed heavily was the realization that their opponents had prepared a perfect strategy for their downfall while they had none.
The mere existence of any strategy felt utterly absurd.
Who in their right mind devises a way to defeat their own self?
As the exhausting battle dragged on, Arthur and his party were eventually overwhelmed.
Yet, the mood among them wasn’t overly bleak. They had lost only due to an unexpected situation.
Now that they knew what awaited them on the 100th floor, things were different.
Realizing that they were up against themselves meant they just needed to formulate a fitting strategy.
Above all, what gave them hope was that for some reason, Phoebe had overwhelmed her doppelgänger.
If even one person existed as a perfect alternative to their doppelgängers, they could strategize a path to victory, and Arthur was sure he could defeat the doppelgängers when they fought again.
“But if we’re facing ourselves on the 100th floor, does that mean the Young Lady Alrn will have to fight against herself?”
Just before re-entering the dungeon, Joy’s words made the group halt.
“Seems that way.”
“The sight of the Young Lady fighting her own self would be quite a spectacle.”
“I don’t know, but it sounds like it’d be fun.”
Arthur wholeheartedly agreed with Frey’s notion of it being fun.
Seeing Lucy throw insults at her doppelgänger while tossing sarcastic looks would definitely be a sight to behold.
That darn Little Miss ought to get a taste of what it feels like to be dealt with someone similar to her. Then she might understand how much everyone around her cared about her.
“…Oh.”
As the group shared similar thoughts, Phoebe’s eyes widened suddenly.
“What’s going on, Saintess?”
“…If my guess is correct, the Young Lady’s doppelgänger is much weaker than her. I can’t explain exactly, but it’s clear.”
“So that means…”
“It means that the Young Lady should be able to effortlessly defeat her doppelgänger.”
Knowing that Phoebe wouldn’t make baseless claims, Arthur immediately urged the party to dive back into the dungeon.
With Lucy Alrn now visible on the 100th floor, they had no time to relax.
*
“Are you sure you’re okay? If you keep frowning like that, you might become a hag faster than expected!”
Looking at my doppelgänger who chuckled while suggesting I can blame someone else, I sighed deeply.
Charging in to smash that brat is really not a tough task.
That one who failed to imitate the Divine’s grace can never beat me.
But you know…
If I charge in right now, it’ll feel like I’m in defeat!
I can’t let myself fall for such provocation and rush in like a fool!
I absolutely refuse to lose a verbal battle to such an arrogant brat!
“Puhuhu♡ What’s the problem with that?♡ Even if I become a hag, I’d still be prettier than a fake like you!♡”
“Ah, so you prefer old hags over young people? Hehe, your taste is quite unique!”
“Did your brain get too hard to understand what I’m saying?♡ Since you have no thoughts, I’ll explain it specially for you♡ It means you, born from the hands of some pathetic garbage, can’t win against me!♡”
Though the doppelgänger tried to mimic me well, it wasn’t a perfect match.
There were several shortcomings in the doppelgänger.
Aesthetic senses like mine can clearly spot those flaws.
“Your eyes are coarse♡ Your nose is flat♡ Your fingers are rough♡ And I can’t even listen to your voice!♡ How can you not feel these differences?♡ The creator of you is clearly lacking in taste, just like you!♡”
With a smirk, I dodged to the side, causing the doppelgänger to gnash its teeth as it glared at me.
Hmph. You really think a brat like you can beat me in a war of words while you can’t even nail down that mesugaki skill?
Just accept your loss and cry like a baby, brat.
“Hmph. I see the cute older sister has quite the good taste!”
“Did you finally get the message?♡ You need to know your place, you know?♡ An ugly one should at least have good manners!♡”
“Of course, you must know the difference between me and you! Why aren’t you mentioning it? Ignoring it won’t change reality.”
Other difference? What could possibly be different? This sounds like mere babbling…
Oh.
Ohhhh!
“What? You just figured it out now? Puhaha! The cute older sister is too tiny to look up!”
The decisive difference between the doppelgänger and me was, of course, height.
The doppelgänger, Lucy, was about half a head taller than me, and her limbs were just a tad longer!
I had countless insults ready in my head. No matter how I looked at her, she was full of vulnerabilities.
Yet, my lips wouldn’t move.
…Honestly, I’ll admit it.
I’m jealous!
I’m so freaking envious!
It’s not like the doppelgänger is massively taller than me! It’s just a few centimeters!
But it’s beyond irritating! That slight difference feels all too real!
Aaaah! If I were just that tall, I could look down at Frey!
I’m frustrated! Why does a doppelgänger have something I don’t possess!
“I’m envious? Do you want to be as tall as me?”
Damn.
“Maybe I’m not as pretty as you because I’m breathing air from a higher altitude~ If I were down with you, I’d be as gorgeous as you!”
Damn it.
“I’ll share my height with you if you want! I want to live lower like you too~ Why don’t you take it? Oh, can’t take it? Guess you’ll have to spend your life looking up at other people~”
Damn it!
“Dual. F—— G!”
Losing it, I stormed forward, throwing my frustration at the doppelgänger’s derisive laughter.
“Little Miss has a little heart too? Just because I teased you a bit, you’re this upset~”
The doppelgänger raised its shield in a mockingly taunting manner, but it was a mundane object, unlike the ones I wield, and the holy power supporting it was no different from what your average clergy would use.
So, when I thought I could easily smash the shield, a surge of magic enveloped it.
Ting!
The impact sent the doppelgänger stumbling back, clutching its hands frantically while forcing a smile.
“Really~ Being this small at heart makes you not grow tall! Little Miss!”
“Oopsie~♡ Watching a brat poorly imitate me has managed to tick me off so much!♡ How can anyone look more pathetic every time they see you, huh?♡ What an impressive feat in a way!♡”
Responding to the provocation with provocation, I kept an eye on the doppelgänger.
The person who created my doppelgänger clearly knew it couldn’t perfectly imitate me.
So they made it rely on magic.
The fact that they made it a bit taller than me screams that they know my sensitivity about my height.
In other words, someone familiar with me helped create this doppelgänger.
While I recalled suspects, I continued exchanging blows with the doppelgänger.
Sure, I could easily overwhelm it if I wanted, but I didn’t feel the urge.
I figured I could narrow down the range of suspects by observing how the doppelgänger moves.
And my thought was spot on.
The way the doppelgänger swung its weapon resembled my pre-training phase with Grandfather—so similar in fact!
It even mirrored my array of bad habits.
At this rate, there’s only one suspect.
“Pathetic little…♡”
The only one who knows me this well must be him.
In the past, he sparred with me countless times but has been too busy with his own affairs to join me lately— the damn son of a…
Karl.
Pathetic little—a wait till I get out of this dungeon.
I’m going to shred your knight’s honor to bits!
Gritting my teeth and taking a deep breath, I triggered my holy power throughout my body.
It was time to smash that doppelgänger into pieces!
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
