-Freddy Siegfried's point of view.
A double.
Usually it's a monster, but it can also be an illusion.
Freddy looked at the doppelganger in front of him: the same appearance and the same mana.
Although a double can copy everything about a person, it doesn't always manage to replicate powers. However, the doppelganger before Freddy possessed the same amount of mana as he did.
Someone with the power of a first circle at its peak.
But fighting against yourself is impossible.
You can't win in a fight against your own self.
Simply put, it is impossible to defeat a doppelganger. He possesses the same abilities and powers.
The double copied Freddy, and Freddy can't win.
A disadvantage, but also an advantage.
No matter how hard he tries, Freddy can't beat his doppelganger.
"He even thinks alike."
An exact copy of him.
Fighting a doppelganger means that his thoughts and actions will be the same as yours, making it impossible to beat him.
Doubles.
In most cases, the only way to defeat them is to have someone else fight in your place.
Because that's the only way to kill the doppelganger.
Freddy has no one around to take on his copy, making it impossible to beat him.
And even if someone were to come along...
"He'll be copied too."
He knew this as soon as the doppelganger appeared as he entered that area of the forest, after escaping the infinite loop.
They both stared at each other, as Freddy thought nervously:
"It's impossible to beat him."
It was inevitable.
Whatever action Freddy attempted, the doppelganger would immediately foresee it.
Because the double thinks just like Freddy. It's a perfect copy, the same Freddy against Freddy.
So...
How to get out of this situation?
"Haa..."
He sighed nervously, looking at the doppelganger with a grim face.
His hands were shaking and his chest was rising and falling frantically.
He had before him a double, an exact copy of himself. To get out of this situation was impossible: if you think of anything, the double will know it; if you use all your power, he will match it.
How to get out of it?
"I need help."
Help that is not human.
If it were human, it too would be copied.
"A mana beast..."
But mana beasts were in the labyrinth, and so far he hadn't seen any.
Unless a miracle happened and that help appeared out of nowhere.
"Damn."
Freddy frowned.
He was frustrated that he had a double. That prevented him from searching for the Dungeon boss.
The only option was to fight.
But victory was not possible against an unaided doppelganger.
Suddenly...
Swoosh.
A wave of ice hit the doppelganger.
Freddy stared in surprise at the approaching figure.
"Luna."
"What the hell was that, yourself, Freddy?"
Luna frowned, but the situation was only getting worse.
Because Luna would be copied as well.
Then, a new wave of ice came from the place where the doppelganger was.
"Shit."
Luna had been copied.
A double identical to Luna emerged from the shadows of the fog.
Freddy's double also reappeared, as if Luna's attack had done him no harm.
Both doubles looked at each other as did Freddy and Luna.
Freddy quickly explained:
"They are doppelgangers. They can copy everything about you."
"So, this is a problem... and a big one."
They soon realized that the battle was unwinnable. They were both in cold sweats, staring at their respective doppelgangers.
Luna looked nervously at her copy and said:
"It's annoying, but... If we trade?"
"You won't be able to beat my double."
"I know, but just beat mine as fast as possible and then help me."
"It's not possible."
"Why not?"
"You know why. It would take me too long to defeat your double; our strengths are almost equal."
"..."
Freddy, who knew quite a bit about this, was aware that defeating Luna's double in a short time was impossible.
"It would take me at least 20 minutes."
Because their strengths were practically identical.
And by the time Freddy defeated Luna's double, she would be exhausted and unable to help, returning everything to the way it was before.
Nothing would change.
Getting out of that situation was impossible.
Freddy could only wait for someone else.
Not a human.
"At least for a monster to interfere or some miracle to happen."
"So what do we do?" asked Luna.
"If we wait for Asher and the others..."
"You're crazy, what if an Asher double shows up?"
"..."
"He won't come anyway."
"Why won't he come?"
"Didn't you feel it before? The fog causes mental attacks, and Asher is too weak to go through it."
It was true. Freddy remembered Asher's score on the mental assessment, and knew he couldn't get through the fog. If he tried, something really bad would happen.
Something really bad.
However, the others could make it. The problem...
"I don't know when the others will get here."
They were taking too long, and it was possible they were still stuck in the maze, wandering around with no idea of Freddy's current situation.
So what were they to do in a situation like this, Freddy questioned.
"We need help from something other than a human."
"A monster?" Luna stared at him.
"Exactly."
They only needed one variable to alter the situation with the doppelgangers, and they could escape. The only option was to run from them, because if they tried to fight, they would die or fail to get out.
Of course, there was also the possibility that the monster would attack them instead of the doppelgangers.
However, they had nothing to lose.
The problem was that there were no monsters nearby. Freddy, who could sense mana at great distances, did not sense the presence of any monsters in the fog.
They were all in the maze.
Maybe he was wrong, but from the number of wraiths in the maze, that seemed to be the correct answer.
"Luna."
"Yes."
They both nodded just as the doppelgangers lunged toward them, conjuring various spells.
Freddy and Luna prepared for an unwinnable battle.
***
-Scene change.
-Julian Reinhard's point of view.
Bursting.
Crackle.
Blue sparks flew through the air as Julian slammed into the wraith opponent.
The creature flung one of its arms toward Julian, a swift, violent movement that he barely managed to dodge.
"He's fast!"
Julian thought as he felt the biting wind pass close to his face. He barely had time to recover when another arm came from his side, striking him in the shoulder and sending him reeling.
The impact threw him into one of the nearby rocks. Julian let out a groan of pain, but quickly raised his hand, summoning a bolt of lightning that sizzled through the air before crashing into the Wraith.
The monster recoiled slightly, but not enough. Electricity coursed through its body, its arms jolted by momentary spasms, but the creature showed no signs of real damage.
Instead of retreating, it advanced faster, throwing several arms at the same time.
Each blow was like a storm of fists, and though Julian tried to dodge and block with barriers of basic magic, one of the arms reached him, catching him by the ankle and lifting him off the ground.
The Wraith threw him against a rock with brutal force, and Julian barely had time to conjure an electric shock to free himself.
He fell to the ground, stunned, feeling the coldness of the ground beneath his hands. The creature was approaching rapidly, its gaping mouth opening in a grotesque gesture, as if it were tasting the air before devouring him.
The Wraith let out a guttural roar and began to use the environment to its advantage. It lifted huge stones with its remaining arms and hurled them towards Julian.
And Julian barely had time to react, conjuring small lightning barriers that deflected some of the rocks, but one of them hit him in the side, sending him crashing to the ground.
Stinging pain coursed through him, but he knew that giving up was not an option. With bated breath, he stood up once more, knowing he had to bet everything on his next move.
The creature was about to pounce on him, its arms reaching out to catch him. Julian raised both hands to the sky, summoning as much mana as he could in a short period of time.
"Damn it!"
He scowled, and then a bolt of lightning struck the wraith, causing electricity to flutter through the air as the wraith burned and convulsed, falling to the ground already dead.
"Haa... Haa... Haa..."
A grade 8 wraith was harder to deal with than a grade 9. Julian, who had given it his all, didn't think it would be that complicated, as the wraith he fought was stronger than the others.
Still, it was difficult.
Suddenly...
Outburst.
Grey, who had just finished killing another grade 8 specter, also fell down exhausted.
"You still wanted to fight the wraith king," Grey raised his fist and then stuck out his middle finger, showing it to Julian in a mocking gesture.
However, they soon put the banter aside.
Starburst.
An explosion echoed in the distance, and they both watched as the wraith king was devoured by a mana beast. Behind the beast, they could see a figure.
Julian recognized it instantly and cried out in startlement.
"Emilia!"
She looked at them, but one of the grade 8 wraiths appeared behind her, launching several attacks towards their direction.
Julian and Grey tried to stop it.
But...
Grrrrrrrraaaarghh-KKRRRRRRAAAA!
The mana beast, which was eating the already dead wraith king, roared and suddenly disappeared.
Crack.
In an instant, the wraith was torn apart, leaving only half of its body.
Although relieved, Julian was still nervous.
They were facing a mana beast that had just killed the wraith king, a semi grade 7 monster, and a grade 8 wraith in a matter of seconds.
However, Emilia's voice echoed loudly, drawing Grey and Julian's attention.
"Don't worry about the mana beast."
"What the hell...?" Grey voiced his doubts.
Julian understood the situation.
If a mana beast helps you, that means the person next to it has managed to tame it, and that's why it didn't attack them.
But that was impossible.
Emilia was not a tamer, nor did she have any knowledge on how to tame mana beasts, let alone with that ease. Taming a mana beast takes a long time, even for veteran mages in that area.
It didn't make sense to see a mana beast helping Emilia and protecting her from the specter.
Still, they kept calm and observed the situation.
"There is no danger," Emilia said as she arrived before them. The two looked around them.
Wraith corpses lay everywhere. The moment the wraith king died, all the others fell seconds later.
Because, if you kill the king, his subjects die too.
The king had created them from his own mana and flesh.
They were as one.
"By the way, why did you two decide to attack the wraith king if you knew you had no chance?"
Whistling.
Julian looked away, avoiding Emilia's angry face as she scolded them.
Grey then proceeded to explain himself.
"We had a chance, but I didn't think there would be that many wraiths, and the ones protecting the king were quite strong."
"You don't think that's normal?"
"..."
"Okay, let's leave it at that," Grey gave up, and Emilia stared at Julian with a frown.
"Why did you follow him?"
"..."
"Hehe, would you believe me if I told you I did it out of trust?"
"You two..."
She left him there, sighing.
However, both Grey and Julian were still curious about something.
"Hey, Emilia, why did that mana beast help you and not attack us?" asked Grey. However, Emilia's answer was unexpected.
"Hehe, I'm not sure either."