Once Itami saw the illucard, he didn't have time to think or attack because a strange white beam flew toward him.
The beam moved at a blistering pace, so even with Itami's speed, he barely moved out of harm's way.
Unfortunately, the ground where he was lying wasn't as lucky.
Similar to when he shot the Ether Cannon, a crater appeared where he once was.
However, there were three major differences.
One, the size of the divot was smaller.
Two, at the bottom of the pit, was a white skeleton-like creature.
Three, other than the boom the beam made at impact, there was an eerie creaking sound.
'Don't tell me that the white beam was the illucard because if it was, I'm going to have to go all out from the get-go.'
As Itami thought more about this, he reaffirmed his previous statement and activated Swallow.
Suddenly, a swirl of white cubes surrounded Itami's figure, masking him in an ethereal glow and a tornado of dust.
Once the dust settled, Itami transformed into his phoenix-like form, disappeared from where he once was and appeared right next to the illucard.
**BOOM**
Then his cane burst like a torpedo at the illucard's pale figure.
Itami knew it wouldn't be easy, so he poured vast amounts of ether into his cane despite knowing the consequences.
However, he was met with an unexpected response.
His slowly deteriorating cane was caught by the illucard's left hand, and a weird creaking sound soon followed.
A higher-pitched version of the one he'd heard before.
Itami was appalled by the defensive skills of the beast, and wary of a counter-attack, let go of his baton and flipped away from the beast.
After this exchange, Itami pulled out his spare from his back because the real battle was about to begin.
Suddenly, the previously dimly lit cave shone brightly, and two comets soared on the battlefield.
One a brilliant flash of yellow and another a pale desolate white.
Two complete opposites with the powerful ether they exert the only thing they hold in common.
**BOOM**
**BOOM**
**BOOM**
As the comets clashed, the battlefield became unrecognizable.
Craters and holes littered the walls, but neither of them was willing to give up.
However, Itami started to get worried.
'I've had this suspicion for the longest, but it feels like I'm fighting myself.
Everything from its mannerisms to its blasts, rather than feeling foreign to me, feels like a long-lost memory, but how can this be?'
Suddenly, a thundering, wise-cracking voice appeared in the boy's head.
"So you've finally noticed. Yes, the beast is copying you."
Edward said in a know-it-all fashion.
'Huh, you knew the entire time? Why didn't you say anything?'
'Because, as I stated previously, this is your fight. You need to find your own way out of this. You need to find your answer.'
Hearing Edwards's words, Itami could only internally agree with them.
'Damn it, fine. I'll find my answer, but if I die I'll haunt you forever.'
"Silly brat, If you die I die, and spirits don't go to the afterlife."
'Kill yourself'
"Already dead"
'.......'
After the conversation with Edward, the battle raged on.
However, the battle was still at a deadlock, and Itami couldn't figure out what to do.
'This is getting annoying. How am I supposed to stop someone who copies everything I do as well as I do it…..'
'Wait I got it'
Slowly but surely, after Itami's revelation, he started making strange movements.
Seeing, this the beast copied and Itami smiled.
As the battle continued from then on every once in a while Itami would do something weird, and over time the beast started to mimic these habits.
Then, at the last second, after the beast made one of these strange movements, Itami noticed the 'technique' and attacked at full force at its weakness.
The entire time, Itami had been giving the beast prototype forms and earlier versions of the dekaeramusu style.
These forms had many flaws and with careful planning threw the beast off.
Itami was ecstatic seeing his plan worked and he'd finally defeated the beast.
Or did it.
Looking at where he stabbed the beast for the last time, Itami smiled and then tried to retrieve his cane.
However, when he wanted to, it didn't budge.
After moments of struggling to get it out, demon-like eyes appeared from the smoke created from the impact of the attack, and the supposed dead illucard kicked him in the throat.
This hit sent him flying 10s of meters, and the pole he had shattered in its hands.
Now Itami had a collapsed windpipe, a broken pole, and a crushed spirit.
'How is it possibly still alive?
The plan went off without a hitch, and I poured enough energy into it.
Why?!"
Then, once again, a weird noise started to occur.
However, unlike before, it wasn't a weird creaking noise with varying octaves.
This time it was different, but oddly much more sinister.
This time it started maniaclly laughing like a little girl.
Hearing this, Itami paused in fear.
"What the hell are you?!" he shuttered
Hearing no answer, Itami's mind started to wander.
Then Itami realized something that made him even more terrified.
' Those cracking noises it had been making.
Was he trying to laugh?
This entire time, I thought I'd been trying to play tricks on it, but it was laughing at me. How foolish am I. I'm not even smarter than a magic beast. This entire time it was playing with me, and trying to figure me out. Does that mean…'
Then suddenly, Itami was interrupted once again by Edward
" Calm down boy. Yes, it means what you think it means. It's long gained sentience, but It's not a titan."
"Then what is he?"
"He's what we call a mimicry beast. They are a special type of magic beast that can mimic those around them. Which means it can mimic human voices."
'What? How do I defeat that?'
"-------------"
'Damn it, fine. I guess I have to find my own answer again.'
Slowly, the battle started to shift again, and Itami could barely keep up.
Edward had understated the mimic beast's capabilities. They weren't just capable of mimicking others.
They could also improve upon what they knew, and Itami learned this the hard way.
Because Itami showed the earlier versions of his style, the illucard could break it down.
Unfortunately, this caused two problems for Itami.
One, it created a more advanced form of the technique, and two, it could now see through the flaws in Itami's current style.
However, this wasn't the end of its 'ability stealing'.
To a lesser extent, this also included his astral arts.
Although it couldn't copy his Swallow or Ether Cannon, he could use aetherless versions.
Since the beginning of the fight, he used ether jets and could shoot blue rays from his mouth. This slowly infuriated Itami.
'It was one thing to copy my style, but the astral arts I spent months developing was not cool.'
But what could he do?
If he wanted to stay alive, he had to keep unleashing more techniques, but when he did, the illucard would fire back better versions.
'Damn it! This isn't fair. What am I going to do? The only way I can beat it is by unleashing a technique I haven't tried.
-But I've used all of them.
What should I do?
THINK Itami. Is there a technique you haven't tried that would be powerful enough to kill that thing?
No.
OK, I guess I have to create a new one.
Let's think about this logically.
It'd be easier if I combined the techniques I have.
What do I have?
I have one rod, less than a quarter of my ether, and I can make bubbles, what can I do….
Why don't I spin a miniature bubble?
No, that won't work.
It'd be too obvious, and I'd blow off my han.....
I've got it. This is what I'll do…'
After thinking up a technique, Itami made a plan to execute it.
'I only have one chance at this.'
Itami's battle with the illucard continued.
As the battle went on, Itami's injuries got worse, and the man who was once bathed in the blood of his enemies was now bathing in his own.
Then, the tables turned.
Suddenly, Itami used maximum ether jets on his torso.
This attack blew him and the ether beast 100's of meters away from each other.
'Finally, I created space, but dang, that hurt.'
Slowly, Itami got into his daekaramusu stance, but with one cane instead of two.
Suddenly, an infinite mass of cubes swirled around Itami and condensed into 6 miniature orbs.
'Now I have to spin them.'
Slowly, the balls started to swirl at a fast pace around his pole.
While this was happening, the illucard wasn't standing still.
It noticed the threat and flew directly towards Itami.
However, it was too late.
Itami's bubbles swirled around his stone staff, and as the beast came to meet him, Itami skewered him in a bright flash, and the attack blew the illucard away.
**BOOOOOOOOM**
After a few seconds passed, Itami stood there confirming that he'd beaten it by the silence and lack of a counterattack.
Then Itami sat down on the ground.
Mind zero.
Out of breath, out of ether, and out of mind.