Alice's doppelganger brewed a gust on her palm and beamed it on Alice. The swirl of wind haunted her. Luckily, Lanert pulled her out just in time before the gust hit her hard.
Alice's back glided on Lanert, and she gasped. "What the—an Anemo? How!"
Both doppelgangers smirked. They enjoyed the scene. Alice's doppelganger showed a mocking gesture with a middle finger, just like Alice would do to entice her opponent.
"How dare she!" Alice almost charged out, but Lanert tugged her arm.
"Don't rush it, Alice. It's dangerous to charge directly."
It was Lanert worst nightmare. Not even those doppelgangers had the same weapon as them, but they also mastered elements. It was a suicide battle against them head-on.
Lanert's doppelganger threw a fireball toward them. Alice and Lanert dashed at the right and left, evading it.
"Alice, you face that Anemo user. I will take care of my doppelganger!"
"As your wish!"
Lanert stood on a Bloody Flower stance, tall like a flower strand. He kissed Acerose. His doppelganger mimicked his movement, put the same stance, even kissed Acerose, then giggled. He mocked Lanert.
Stay calm, stay calm. The Bloody Flower stance was a parrying pose. It was useless for charging. Even if Lanert charged, his doppelganger would easily dodge and counter his move with the Bloody Flower stance.
The clang of the sword echoed. Alice fought her doppelganger with heart content.
Alice swung her sword upward. Alice's doppelganger perfectly ripostes by shifting her pace and countering with a strong gust, hurling Alice back.
Alice slid, trusting her sword on the ground, creating a trail of destruction on the floor. It helped Alice halt her body. "Tch, she's good."
Lanert stuck on the Bloody Flower stance. He waited. He waits and waits. For every second that passed, his heartbeat raced. It Looks like his doppelganger knew about Bloody Flower's weakness, and he waited. It became a game of patience. Those who charged lost.
Think, Lanert, think. How to rule that damnation?
Lanert smirked. "Hey dummy, why not attack me? Oh, I know, you're just a shadow. You can't make any move without copying me, right?"
Lanert knew his doppelganger was never answered.
Suddenly, his doppelganger cast a fireball at him—the roaring round blaze sprinted on the space, haunting Lanert down.
Lanert leaped to the right. Another fireball was coming. He leaped to the left. "Tch, alright, you ask for it!" Dashing, he thrust Acerose against his doppelganger.
It would be a bad choice charged against the Bloody Flower stance.
But what choice did he have?
Lanert's doppelganger deflected Lanert's attack by moving his sword into the path of attack at the last moment before contact was made and pushing Lanert back.
Lanert anticipated his doppelganger counterattack by dodging, moving forward onto his doppelganger.
Acerose is unable to land a hit except with its edge. Lanert used it as an advantage and punched his doppelganger's face.
His fist burnt as it scored a hit on Doppelganger.
Doppelganger stumbled and almost fell. Lanert pushed the attack and prepared to lunge at it. Lanert slid, turned, then ran as his doppelganger breathed fire from his palm.
When he was at a safe distance, Lanert turned and charged with his Acerose, ready to stab his opponent.
Doppelgangers release many fireballs. Lanert leaped to the right, then left, dodging every fireball that tried to hurl him.
Lanert reached his opponent and stabbed him in the right chest, but it didn't even scratch him. Doppelganger evaded and hurled him with a fireball. Lanert was pushback.
If Lanert had an element, everything would be different.
Another fireball pierced the wind. Lanert failed to reach and got another hit on his chest. He flew and landed out of the circle.
"Tch." His chest felt like being rammed by bison. He seated and gasped. "Huh? It gone?"
He scanned the surroundings. His doppelganger was gone without a trace. It looked like if he moved out from the circle, his doppelganger would be gone.
Inside the circle, Alice Dough unbalanced the fight against her doppelganger. In swordsmanship, they matched until her doppelganger used Anemo.
No matter how hard she tried, Alice couldn't beat her doppelganger.
Not in a conventional way.
Lanert entered the circle. Then his doppelganger showed up. "Oh, No." He pulled back, and his doppelganger disappeared without a trace.
"Wait a minute…." Lanert yelled. "Alice, get out of the circle, now!"
"Huh? Why?"
"Just do it!"
Alice dashed toward the circle line, approaching Lanert. But his doppelganger, using Anemo, suctioned her.
Sucking up by a whirlwind, Alice planted her sword on the ground and held on. If she let it go, she would be sucked and stabbed by his doppelganger.
"Goddamid, I hate element users! Lanert, help!"
Lanert looking around. He needed something to help Alice without entering the circle. But what? The old shield lay on the floor, the sword, the rumble, the skull, the skeleton, and the armor.
"Argh, I can't hold it any longer!"
Stay calm. Stay calm.
Lanert grabbed the shield and flung it to Alice's doppelganger hand. She lost control, and the Anemo whirl brust. She brewed Alice out of the circle.
As soon as she landed outside the line, her doppelganger was gone, like snow in summer.
"Alice!" Lanert hugged her tight. "Are you alright?"
"I—I'm fine. Lanert… blood? Your chest!"
Lanert's shirt was ripped, showing his thick broad chest. It blooded, it slightly burnt. It hurt, but he was at his worst before.
"Nah, just a little burnt. It didn't kill me. I am fine."
"But—"
"We must pass the test, somehow. Could you help me find the way—"
"Hear me, Lanert. You are wounded! I will not allow you to do anything until you have been fetched up!"
It should work. He needed time to think about how to pass the test while Alice fetched him up.
"Come, Lanert." Alice seated Lanert against the wall, undressed him, and poured clean water from filtering mushrooms for washing Lanert burnt.
Meanwhile, in the wall, the seven-element emblem faded altogether. Then the seven-element emblem started glowing as if the fight had never happened.
If Lanert and Alice failed, the test would be reset.
As the water flows from the chest to the abdomen, Lanert wounds on the breast sting.
"Well, I have no bandage. I'll use your shirt as a bandage. Is it okay?"
Lanert nodded. "I feel confident with my body. It is different from back then."
"What do you mean?" Alice tore up Lanert's cloth, prepared to fetch his wound.
It was all about a stable boy. Alice looked at him because he had a hunky body. Because of that, Lanert worked hard to shape his body. But how could he tell the truth?
It wasn't pleasant.
"Nothing. Well, let us think about how to beat this stupid test, shall we?"