The heavily injured Elworth was violently trembling in the air not far away from us, as if she was a signal image that was about to disappear. All sorts of unclear hisses and muffled whispers filled the air around us. Those were the echoes of the ancestors in her soul's memories that were continuously dissipating.
"You've done well."
Sandora waved her hand to disperse the abyssal energy in her body, and her turbid eyes regained their clear blue luster. Then, she looked quietly at Elworth, who was still trying her best to stand up, and spoke in a calm tone.
"To be able to single-handedly make two Emperor Schilling and a platoon of heroic soldiers fight for so long, I acknowledge your strength."
"Impossible … Impossible …" Elworth seemed to have lost her rationality.
It was as if Elworth had lost his rationality. He could only mumble vaguely, "This is clearly a soul world that was only perfected after countless years of accumulating power and using the memories of several dozen generations of civilization … Why did it still fail … Ancestors … Have you given up on revenge?!"
Looking at Elworth in this state, I could only shake my head slowly.
This was indeed an invulnerable power. A soul world that would never dissipate, with no loopholes in its structure and no possibility of leaving. Furthermore, there was an undying Eivossen knight squad stationed in it. Elworth was obviously very familiar with Sandora's "mind control". In this world, other than herself, there was nothing that had a mind. If Sandora had fallen into such a predicament, even if she had led an entire Empire fleet here, she would only have been slowly exhausted to death. I could only say that Elworth was really unlucky.
No matter how many years this power had been accumulated, as long as its essence was a world of energy, it could only be restrained by my skills. This was the tragedy of the Deep Ice Mages when they were faced with the water element!
Speaking of which, did something strange sneak in just now?
"That … Elworth, right?" After some hesitation, I spoke to the 'woman' in front of me. "Although I don't know much about the situation back then, I still have to say this. Back then, Shadora definitely had no other choice … to attack you. Since you have the memories of the entire race, you definitely know what the Elwessen encountered back then …" "That's right.
The more I spoke, the more conflicted I became. No matter how much I tried to cover it up, this … this was a motherf * cking genocide! Forget it, I better not say anything.
But I fell silent, and Elworth lifted his head. "Excuse? Burning all the civilians in the infected areas just because of a plague … Is this how you foreigners do things!? This demon … she destroyed my hometown!! "
Accompanied by a hysterical roar, the Alworth in front of us suddenly began to distort violently. The originally white light on his body was rapidly mixed with large patches of black and red. This process happened so quickly that in less than a few seconds, the originally human Alworth had been distorted into …
A mirror?
Alright, I knew that this sounded rather inconceivable, but the current Alworth truly did seem to have transformed into a gigantic mirror. It was an oval-shaped classical Western mirror that was at least ten meters tall and five meters wide. Its surface glowed with a mysterious bright silver luster, but at the edge of the mirror, there was a black frame that was incongruously carved with distorted human faces. A dark-red, blood-like substance slowly seeped out from the edge of the frame, like red ink dripping into the surface of the water, slowly spreading towards the center of the mirror. Such a bizarre mirror quietly floated in the air less than two centimeters above the ground. With the magma flowing around it and the scorched red sky as a backdrop, it looked just like a monument to the end of the world — how strange, I actually made such a connection.
Following the completion of Alworth's second transformation, the soul world that was gradually disintegrating also regained its stability, and the shadow of the real world completely disappeared from our sight.
"I hate this kind of boss that can resurrect with full health after I went through so much effort to kill him." I clenched my fists, and the little bit of sympathy I had for Alworth dissipated completely. "Do you think that the image of Brother Spring will appear on this mirror?"
Just as I finished speaking, Sandora viciously pinched my waist from behind. "Ah Jun, can't you be more serious at such a crucial moment!?"
Where did the cold and imposing Queen of the Empire go? Sandora, do you think you are much stronger than me now?
At this moment, the chaotic echo of Alworth's voice suddenly came from the mirror in front of us. It sounded like a long sigh. "… Foreigners … Don't think that this is the end … Alworth's ancestors will never forget this hatred! For the sake of our homeland … You must stay in this world forever! "
"Baby, what is this?" I looked at the mirror curiously and turned to ask Sandora. Because I didn't know if the thing in front of us had any damage reflection or something like that (Anyway, that was the impression I had when I first saw it), I didn't recklessly attack it. On the other hand, Vega and her scorpion soldiers looked as though they were facing a great enemy. These "little fellows" who had just come off the production line not long ago had never seen such a strange enemy.
Sandora explained with a serious expression, "This is the special ability of the Alworth race. They can gather a large amount of soul energy together to form a Memory Mirror. They can copy anything they want to copy and have seen before. It's not a copy that only has the appearance, but a complete copy of the other party's soul."
My expression immediately turned solemn. "Unconditional copy? No matter how strong the other party is? "
"Of course there is an upper limit, but because of the Alworth's special talent that allows the soul to corrode reality, this upper limit is almost non-existent. In the past, there were many veterans who had experienced hundreds of battles who had an absolute advantage, but because they faced the Memory Mirror, they died by 'their own' hands … As expected, it chose me …"
As Sandora's voice fell, the surface of the Memory Mirror formed by Alworth rippled, and then a figure slowly appeared from it.
Even though I had already guessed something after hearing Sandora's words, when I saw the figure, I couldn't help but let out a "F * ck".
She had a familiar noble and beautiful face, long golden hair that shone like the sun, and a gentle figure that seemed like a wisp of smoke in the faint light. Even though she was wearing an unfamiliar silver-gray battle robe, there was only a cold glint in her ocean-blue eyes. The familiar gentleness and joy were nowhere to be seen. The person in front of me was unquestionably Shadora.
To be more precise, it was the iron-blooded tyrant who had led the Imperial Army to destroy the entire Eivossen civilization, Sandora Kelvi Ulysses.
An indescribable pressure emanated from the body of that "Sandora". It was a cold aura that could only be emitted by someone who had personally slaughtered millions of lives and viewed all enemies as grass. It wasn't even a murderous aura, it was just indifference: indifference to life, indifference to everything. In front of her, even if you were an emperor, even if you were an idol or a hero, you were nothing more than an eyesore. I had never seen Sandora like this — was she like this in the past?
At the same time, a similar aura gradually rose beside me. I turned around in surprise and saw that Sandora's similarly cold and indifferent gaze was facing off against the copy in front of her.
The cold and bloodthirsty "Princess Warsong" had never disappeared. She was just secretly hiding from the sight of her lover.
"Sandora," I said in a low voice, "will you be alright?"
The girl beside me turned around, her eyes filled with the warmth and joy that she was familiar with on a daily basis. "I can only do it because I know that Ah Jun definitely won't be able to take action. Leave everything to me, because … this is my battle alone."
I was speechless.
Everything was just as Sandora had said. She was the only one who could take on the challenge in this battle.
Even though I knew that it was only a copy with an empty shell, I couldn't possibly go all out. This wasn't something that could be decided by rationality. At the very least, I couldn't do it.
"Alworth's soul is in that mirror. Unless we destroy it and the copy it created, we will never be able to escape this trap that she spent millions of years setting up. However, the mirror itself can't be destroyed. It is only an image. The only way to destroy it is to destroy the copy," Sandora said with a confident smile. Then, she suddenly turned around and gave me a gentle hug. "Wait for me. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, the golden-haired girl with a resolute expression flew past me at lightning speed. Then, in an instant, she disappeared into the huge and strange mirror.
The other "Sandora" in the air watched everything expressionlessly, as if she was a robot that only knew how to carry out orders. Only when her opponent had already entered the arena did she slowly turn around and disappear into the silver-white mirror as well.
Ripples spread out from the surface of the mirror before gradually calming down. Finally, just like a real mirror, it began to reflect the scene in the distance — it had already closed.
All that was left was to wait. I believed that Sandora would eventually return safely. I had absolute faith in that.
"But, Sir, you have been walking in circles for ten minutes …"
A certain inflexible scorpion's way of speaking that didn't care about the situation really made my teeth itch!
Bullshit! My girlfriend is fighting with her life on the line!! And it's a duel with a fifty-fifty chance of victory, you bastard!!
Even when I first faced the powerful Fallen Apostle in the World of Azeroth, I wasn't this worried. Sandora's powerful strength had always been the reason why I was so assured of her. But this time, she was facing a truly powerful enemy. No matter who it was, the most difficult to defeat would always be oneself. Even if it was Sandora, she was no exception.
Time passed minute by minute, second by second. That strange mirror was still floating in midair like an eternal monument. Its calm surface made it impossible to tell just how intense the battle "inside" was. The entire world was silent, and even my breathing could be heard clearly. Perhaps not much time had passed, perhaps only ten minutes. Perhaps it wouldn't even count as a warm-up in this special battle, but I felt as if ten years had passed in this unbearable manner.
Just as Sandora had said, the "Mirror of Memory" was impossible to destroy. It was merely an image that was projected here. When I finally confirmed this, I felt discouraged.
Could Sandora defeat her past self?
As time ticked by, I couldn't suppress the doubts in my heart anymore. I knew that I shouldn't doubt Sandora's power, but the ice-cold aura that the clone had … made me rather afraid. Could this be a trap? Was that mirror a fake image that Elworth had created in order to destroy Sandora? Had she plotted a new scheme in the past million years? Was that clone really Sandora? Did Elworth improve her race's natural talents?
My current situation was just like that. What was worse was that I was someone who liked to let my imagination run wild. It had been more than ten minutes since Sandora left, but there hadn't been any response from me. Even our mental connection had been completely cut off. I was already used to the warmth of having her as my companion in the depths of my soul. This situation made me even more frustrated.
"Sir, please believe in Officer Sandora's power." Vega tried to calm me down. "The powerful leader of the Empire definitely has the power to defeat himself!"
To be honest, this inflexible scorpion wasn't very good at comforting people. However, in this empty place, Vega's voice finally calmed me down a little.
Then, as though it had been waiting for several years, the silver-white mirror finally trembled again. As we watched anxiously, the surface of the mirror suddenly emitted a burst of white light. Then, a familiar figure appeared from within.
It was only when the golden-haired girl suddenly winked at me mischievously that I was certain that my Sandora had returned.
"It's even simpler than I thought." Shadora crossed her arms and landed lightly next to me. She let out a long sigh. "Alworth did a good job. She really replicated my past self — one hundred percent of my power. However, it's obvious that she has never seen my Chaos form before. In such a place where there's no cannon fodder to control, there's no suspense at all in the battle between mental control and Chaos combat techniques …"
Sandora said casually, but I noticed that she had been crossing her arms the entire time. A faint blue glow could be seen under her covered ribs.
"You're injured?" I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to pry open her arms, but she gently avoided me.
"It's fine … I was too careless at the start and was actually controlled by my past self. 'She' knows my soul very well … But the body of the Shiring Apostles is different from that of humans. It healed very quickly …"
Looking at her expression, it was obvious that she didn't want me to worry. It was easy to imagine how serious this "fine" injury was. It was easy to say, but no matter how much of an advantage I had, how could I easily win against an opponent of the same level who knew me like the back of her hand?
But Sandora didn't give me a chance to continue speaking. Instead, she suddenly lowered her head and bumped my chest. "Ah Jun, I'm going to punish you this time. You must be imagining things, aren't you?"
Just as I wanted to deny it, she turned her head away. "In any case, I can already guess what you're going to say … Ah Jun, remember, if something like this happens in the future, you just have to trust me completely. I'm not staying by your side to be a vase …"
"I'm sorry …"
Sandora turned around and flashed me a toothy smile. "But … it feels pretty good to be worried about by someone like this. I actually never noticed this in the past. Hey, mirror over there, how long do you want to keep up the act? The current you is really as fragile as a mirror!! "
Only then did I remember that there was still an enemy that hadn't been dealt with yet. But from the looks of it, she wasn't much of a threat.
The second transformation was also defeated. The mirror that was floating in the air trembled slightly as Shadora's voice sounded. Then, like real glass, it fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
The broken Elworth reappeared in front of us. Her entire body was filled with empty or misplaced images caused by the absence of her soul. Apart from her face, which was still vaguely distinguishable, "she" had almost completely turned into an impressionist illustration. Only after a dozen seconds did Elworth barely manage to form a human figure.
"Why did you have to do this?"
Sandora suddenly sighed softly. Her tone was no longer as cold as it had been at the beginning. To the Shiring Apostles, even if they were enemies, they should still be respected the moment they died in battle.
"Revenge …" Elworth seemed to have lost most of her ability to think. She could only kneel on the ground with a blank look in her eyes. She trembled as she repeated a few simple words. "… Homeland … Ancestors … Compatriots … Our homeland … Foreigners …"
"But you've never even seen your own homeland, haven't you? You shouldn't even be considered an official Elworthian. "
Sandora suddenly said something shocking.
This time, I wasn't the only one who was shocked. Even Elworth, who was not far away, instantly raised her head and let out a strange hissing sound.
"You … are just a fake soul formed by the desire for revenge of the entire Elworthian race at the moment before their extinction …" Sandora shook her head slightly. "A fragment of the Elworthian race's consciousness. You have never even seen your own homeland, nor have you experienced the time you spent with your compatriots. All of those memories were forced upon you. You were born with such a fate because of the mission of revenge … Not to mention, the entire Elworthian race had already been turned into an army of the abyss. They had even started to systematically destroy all life that they could find … You were well aware of all of this, so why did you do this?"
"You … How did you know …"
Elworth's panicked tone immediately confirmed the shocking secret that Sandora had revealed.
"I stayed in the depths of your soul for more than ten minutes just now. If it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to put Ah Jun at ease as soon as possible, I could have seen even more." Sandora shrugged. It turned out that she had spent most of her time in the depths of someone else's soul to satisfy her interest in gossip. "I saw these things in your memories, and perhaps you didn't realize it yourself, but you are completely different from the real Elworthian!"
Sandora stretched out her right hand and pointed at Elworth, who was trying to hide not far away. "Because the real Elworthian doesn't have a 'self', they don't have a fixed form or appearance. But you … look like that old fox's wife, right? No matter how serious your injuries are, your first reaction is to immediately restore your appearance. This isn't something that Elworthian would think of. You … already have a self, idiot. "
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