Looking at all the demons, I realized that most of them were humans, but their scent was weak.
'What a disappointment!'
As the creation of a Fearless, I imagined it would be a bit more poignant, but they were nothing but weaklings.
"Weak. You are very weak!"
I released my murderous intent, making them scream and run towards me.
"Aren't you afraid? I will show you Fear. Speed Iz!"
I passed through them like a wind, cutting down all in my field of vision.
"37 cuts!"
With a deft movement, I put away my swords, watching as the demons, one by one, began to crumble.
"So weak, so weak. So weak!!!"
I was furious with all of this. These demons could hardly react to my attacks. If the level of the zero floor was like this, then the next ones wouldn't be much different.
I waited for a minute in the hope that more demons would appear, but to no avail.
'I'm disappointed.'
"Izumi is amazing!"
"Izumi. You have to be more careful, or we'll die in vain."
"I don't give a damn."
"You never change, but don't forget Ui is here. Do you want her to get hurt? What if she dies?"
This Max thought that I cared about her and was trying to use that to control me, but he was wrong. I really didn't care about what happened to all of you. To me, you were just tools to achieve my goal, and when I finally won, all of you would be discarded.
"Answer me, Izumi."
"Screw you!"
"Got it. Keep doing what you want."
"Don't make me do what I'm already doing."
"This will be the end of your journeys. Humans!"
"Who said that?" I asked as I looked at the others.
"It wasn't me."
"Nor me."
"Izumi, it wasn't me."
"What the hell is this?"
The mysterious echoes of that voice resonated throughout the floor, but the source cleverly hid, eluding my identification.
"Izumi. What is this?" Ui said.
The defeated demons began to melt and then transformed into something resembling a viscous substance. However, it wasn't white; this yellow goo began to gather at a point and meld together.
"Be careful, guys. Don't touch that," Max said.
"Yes."
"Okay."
"Lhiahahahahahahahaha!"
I began with a laugh, ironically enjoying the situation. My disillusionment disappeared instantly when I faced the demonic figure in front of me. The intense level of demonic energy flowing from its body made it clear that annihilating this abomination would be real fun.
"Who is this human? Has he lost his mind?"
"Speed Iz. First form."
"Disappeared?"
Kotxi Swivel!
"You weren't much after all."
Once again, I triumphed easily. Disgust for these weak and repulsive beings tormented my mind. Absorbing this unbelievable reality became an almost unbearable burden.
"Incredible, Izumi. You killed the demon in an instant."
"Easy."
It seemed that Ui would praise me for every demon I killed. It wasn't bad, but it was unnecessary.
"Guys, don't let your guard down. I have a strange feeling."
"You got it, you miserable!!!"
"What?!"
The demon launched an attempt to devour me, but with agility, I drew my weapon and retaliated quickly. However, my attack didn't have the expected effect. Everything around me began to plunge into darkness. I repeated the blow, but strangely, it felt like I was cutting through emptiness because nothing happened.
Gradually, everything became complete darkness. The smell of Max and the others became a distant echo, and I couldn't perceive any scent in that place. It was as if I had entered the very void itself. The wind, the sounds, and any element that gave meaning to the world were absent.
"Where am I?"
"This will be your tomb. Human."
"Show yourself, demon!"
"Demon? Are you talking about yourself?"
"What?"
A body of some entity was slowly taking shape, and I could barely believe what my eyes witnessed.
"How do you have my appearance?"
"I am you."
A smile spread across my lips as I quickly drew my swords.
"You may have my appearance, but you will never have my abilities. You will die like an insect in the sewer."
I rushed towards my own image and struck directly, but it dissolved in the air, disappearing.
"What? How did you do that?"
"Stupid and insolent human. You will die for your arrogance. Speed Iz!"
Before I could react in time, even using my Speed Iz ability, I was injured.
"Argh!"
"Don't be mistaken, human. In this dimension, I am superior to you."
"Shut up. Cure Iz!"
With my regenerative ability, I knew I could heal these wounds, but it would take a few minutes. However, it was clear that the demon was not willing to wait.
"Foolish human. Do you really think I will wait for this to finish?"
"My copy would wait."
"You insolent!"
I gave up on the idea of healing myself and continued to fight the demon despite the disadvantage. Curiously, he mimicked each of my movements as if he were dueling with a reflection of myself. This similarity brought me a mixed feeling of satisfaction and discomfort.
"What's wrong, human? Is this all you can do?"
"I'm just getting started."
I persisted in the fight, despite the apparent disadvantage, and the demon seemed aware of it. However, the fact that we knew he was a replica of me and thus shared thoughts and strategies eventually became my downfall.
"Arrrgghhh!"
I was struck again, and the blow hit the wound he had caused earlier, making the bleeding in my chest even worse.
"You're nothing, human."
Believing that, as a copy of myself, the fight could prolong, yet this damned demon proved to be distinct from me, possibly due to the presence of two minds behind that brain.
"What's the matter, human? Is this all you can do? You're nothing. Hahaha! You'll die at the hands of your own copy. What a humiliation," He spat words at me while continuing to attack incessantly.
"Enjoy the moment, demon. I'll kill you one day!"
"Oh, really? Speed Iz!"
"Argh!"
"Even while defending, your body received damage. This body is a blessing."
I should have switched to 'Brute Force Iz' and not fallen into the trap when he launched that attack, but unfortunately, it was already too late. It was impossible to predict when he would switch.
"Brute Force Iz!"
'What will it be this time? Brute Force or Speed.'
"Argh!"
I made another mistake and ended up taking a kick, clearly showing that he was manipulating me, which filled me with frustration and anger.
"What's coming this time? Guess, will you?"
"Enjoy it while you have time. Argh!"
"Wrong. It was Speed Iz."
He continued to mock, convinced of his imminent victory, but made a crucial mistake. During the confrontation, I noticed a critical detail that had gone unnoticed before. The shades of glow from my 'Iz' abilities were, in fact, distinct.
I had always believed they were identical, but that assumption was wrong. The dark glow of my 'Speed Iz' was more concentrated near my skin, while the 'Brute Force Iz' expanded more openly, radiating outward.
"What's that smile for, human?"
"Are you really my copy?"
"What?"
"I'm neither human nor demon. I am that which approaches perfection. I am Mira!"