Chapter 525: An Orchestra For You, Part 7
Author's Preface
The ultimate choice of which to eradicate from this world: hay fever or cockroaches (Currently, hay fever is winning).
『…………』
"Uwaaaaah!?"
The two golden swords clash, scattering sparks, but are ultimately repelled in the form of me losing the power struggle.
My body flinches ever so slightly, and not missing that opening, "Me" snaps his left wrist to spin his sword, accurately aiming for my neck with the golden blade held in a reverse grip.
"Ghk."
Evaded—but a faint damage effect registers on the scruff of my neck. Did I fail to dodge it completely? No, that's wrong, it's more accurate to say he didn't let me escape.
I aim a rising slash from below as a counterattack, but it gets swatted away with laughable ease. But that was just a bluff. Sparing a side glance as my loosely-gripped Aspiring Blades of the Hero gets sent flying, I use my now-freed left hand to shove against the pommel of the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the Hero, driving in a two-handed thrust with all my might.
However,
".........You've gotta be kidding me."
The golden swords had vanished from the hands of "Me," and those empty hands were now clapping together as if in prayer, completely catching the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the Hero and halting my thrust dead in its tracks. A bare-handed blade catch...!?
『………』
"Gah!?"
A roundhouse kick digs into my flank, a strike perfectly timed to pierce the momentary blank in my thoughts, easily shaving off thirty percent of my HP. It knocks the wind out of me, but I don't have time to worry about that—I roll with the impact to gain distance and grip Areadbhair Rebuild.
In contrast, "Me" has equipped giant iron fists that completely swallow his arms up to the elbows......... Ah, so you've fully copied my loadout too, is that how it is?
"This is bad... exceptionally bad."
I figured it out immediately after exchanging a few blows—the reproduced "Me's" stats are almost certainly higher than mine. I'm losing in speed, losing in power, and on top of that, he's accurately forcing unfavorable type matchups onto me.
He's strong, and those habits visible in every little movement... no way, seriously?
"Since when? How?"
I know the ShanFro system is phenomenal, but I'm just a single player, you know? Is something like that really possible?
"A Trace AI of Me...?"
Trace AIs, the most recent one that left an impression on me was the AI tracing Kyogoku's grandfather, Ryuguin Fugaku. It's not some Realist nonsense like transcribing the original's soul, but a technology that analyzes the methods the original would take in a given situation to enable movements as close to the real thing as possible.
I highly doubt it, but even so, the "Me" over there knows my moves way too well. A strict upgrade in battle style is one thing, but completely reading my every move is just straight-up absurd.
"And to top it off, even the weapons are a perfect reproduction...!"
Areadbhair Rebuild has a garbage matchup against giant iron fists. And they aren't just simple blunt weapons either; the really... really shitty part is that even their specs are perfectly copied. Also, on a side note, I'd really appreciate it if he stopped activating skills in total silence. It just makes him a straight upgrade—if I miss the startup frames, I'm going to end up with a crystal pillar shoved right up my ass, you know?!
『…………』
"There's the startup frame!!"
Here's my chance. I stow the disadvantageous Areadbhair Rebuild and whip out the Mirror Shield of the Nether-King and the Treasure Sword of Boundary Light in its place. Going by the time, the current blade is the Night-Glowing Blade; relying on ranged options is perfect for probing him.
I'll use the crystal pillar that just smashed right through the red carpet as a shield to fix my posture and get some distance back—wait, screw that, he just teleported to my left, GUARD!!!!
"Are you kidding me, he even perfectly copied the magic recorded in my accessories...!?"
That was definitely 【Instant Teleport】 just now, a teleportation spell that instantly moves the user within a certain range in their line of sight... and that's a spell I haven't personally learned; the one that remembers it is the Star Cloak of Lapistella.
Hey, hey, this isn't just beyond my imagination, it's being mimicked on a level that defies all logic. But how far? Just how far does the mimicry go? I have to test that—against this strictly superior "Me"?
"This is..."
The words popping into my mind are pure and simple.
───Isn't this straight-up impossible?
"No, don't lose, don't let your thoughts get painted in the colors of defeat, me."
I'm not soft-locked yet. If he's a perfect copy of me, paradoxically, that means I know exactly what's in his hand. It's a literal mirror match—who'd have thought I'd actually be living out the "my greatest enemy who knows me best is myself" trope.
"What do i do... what do i do...?"
A short decisive battle? I don't have a strategy to overturn the gap in our base stats.
A battle of attrition? Even if I formulate a plan, I'll get ground to dust by the gap in our base stats.
So what the hell am I supposed to do...? Dammit, I feel like I've branched into a dead-end route. Go right, Bad End. Go left, Bad End... Where's my last save data? Unfortunately, in real-time progression, the save data gets constantly overwritten right along with the clock.
"Dammit, if this fight isn't repeatable, I'm gonna spam your inbox, Amachi Ritsu...!!"
Wait for an opening and settle it in one hit; that's my only option.
I don't care if it's a trade or a preemptive strike, sinking him in a single blow is my only way out...!!
"It's a quick-draw, you Superior Upgrade—with any luck, you'll end up a stain on the wall...!!"
Levin Trigger: Hazard activated! And running in parallel, Quantum Gaze activated!
But my eyes, never straying from "Me," recognize that he just executed the exact same sequence. As expected, I can't win in pure speed, but judging by "Me's" reaction, I can take the initiative!!
"Tch!!"
Forward. I stash my shield, scoop up the Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the Hero resting on the floor, and close the distance.
The light flickers—no, the opponent's movements are so fast that the attack prediction is only flashing for a split second! Bring it on; either way, if I get stuck playing defensively, I can't win, so I'm pushing forward non-stop!!
We both wield a golden sword, and we both obscure one hand from the other's view as we clash. The Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the Hero and his mimicked Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the Hero collide, scattering sparks. Because we're both throwing strikes aiming for a critical hit, the metallic ringing echoing out could honestly be described as a pleasant melody.
Neither of us scores a clean hit; I can't take distance, so I keep pressing the offensive.
We both swing with only one arm, clashing blades. We both continue to fight while keeping one hand completely hidden. And then, ten seconds pass───
"...!!"
『…………』
At the exact same moment, the other hand we had been hiding behind our own bodies... the Firearm with a finger resting on the trigger, is thrust toward the enemy by both the real and the fake.
And with absolutely zero hesitation, both triggers are pulled, and the fired magic bullets fly forward, targeting the faces of both me and "Me."
"Ghk."
『………』
Dammit, I chickened out!!
I physically shifted my body to dodge, but my opponent swatted the bullet down with his reproduced Final Blade of Aspiration's End With the Hero. He has the frame advantage!!
"Don't fuck... with meee!!"
If he perfectly reproduces my items and accessories, then presumably my jobs... the Arcanum included... is the same. In that case, we should both have our HP set to 1 from the "Fool's" demerit. Meaning, both me and "Me" will die if we take a single hit; we both have our backs against the wall.
Bullets fly back and forth. Since any hit is lethal, the aim snaps to an arm, then a leg, then the forehead... the moment either of us lets our guard down, we're dead.
Keeping constantly on the move while maintaining a mid-range distance, only the bullets reach the opponent, zipping past.
"Out of ammo...!!"
What now? I'll swap the whole gun!!
But here, the actions of "Me" and myself diverged.
"What...?"
The "Me" over there despawned his gun at the same time I did, but he didn't pull out a replacement gun. He pulled out a reproduced crimson crystal blade... the Treasure Sword of Boundary Light?
But I don't have the luxury of getting confused. If his AI made a blunder, I'm finishing this right here.
The sound of gunfire echoes through the theater, and the four lethal bullets fly straight toward "Me"......... and pass right through him.
"───Huh?"
Original mechanics showing up now? No, they didn't pass through him, he dodged them? How? Did his body blur left and right? An effect? No way, don't tell me...!!
"He spammed repetitive side-steps at Critical Speed...?"
Don't be ridiculous, that's like doing a handstand in a fighter jet. Wait, four shots, four times......... ah.
『…………………』
Strictly speaking, it might have just been my brain filling in the visual gaps. But I definitely saw him take an Iai stance before stepping into his fifth stride. The fastest possible dash combining Levin Trigger: Hazard and Critical Speed, and the unsheathed blade was the wind of the Seiten Style.
Seiten Style "Roaring Wind".
A sensation mixing coldness and numbness blooms in my flank, that shudder-inducing feeling passing straight through to my back... I'm not dead, I endur—
The last thing I heard was the sound of gunfire, and then my vision blacked out.
Author's Afterword
Creator-san's custom-built enhanced Trace AI doesn't just stop at performing the exact same moves!
To put it in incredibly simple terms, it thoroughly meta-games the opponent to win at rock-paper-scissors with a 100% success rate! How on earth is he going to beat it!?
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