Chapter 78
Inside the Treasure Gate.
Seong-jun Lee's footsteps across the desolate plain were full of ease.
Occasionally, monster waves would sweep in and halt his progress, but they were annihilated in a mere 5 minutes or so.
From the start, monsters with sheer numbers alone had no chance of stopping Seong-jun Lee, who wielded the Blood Flower Sky Opening and Soul Devouring Blood techniques.
The conquest proceeded smoothly, and thanks to that, just one hour after starting the Treasure Gate conquest, he encountered a temple with thick stone pillars soaring into the sky.
"...What's this?"
Seong-jun Lee's eyes narrowed, his usual composure wavering.
Typically, boss monsters had the characteristic of residing in the most special space within a gate.
However, no sign of a boss monster could be felt inside the temple now.
'Is there somewhere even more special than the temple?'
Questions arose in his mind, but there was no need to rack his brains pondering.
He just had to check for himself.
With gleaming eyes, Seong-jun Lee immediately stepped forward to enter the temple.
Gurgle-!
The black liquid pooled on the temple floor shimmered like a mirage as it took on human form.
Finally, as the outline of the liquid mass took shape, Seong-jun Lee's eyes narrowed.
An all too familiar face, his own face, was there.
"...A doppelganger."
Though it was his first time actually encountering one, doppelgangers had occasionally appeared and caused a stir since the Great Cataclysm, so their existence wasn't too shocking.
However, he couldn't just calmly accept the situation.
Not just one, but three doppelgangers were taking on his exact form and readying their stances.
"This is unexpected."
Seong-jun Lee let out a dry laugh as he faced the doppelgangers before him.
Though the doppelgangers couldn't speak, their cold eyes, sharper than winter wind, were identical to Seong-jun Lee's, who could be called the original.
No, it wasn't just the eyes.
Their expressions, postures, even breathing - it felt like looking in a mirror.
Naturally, curiosity arose.
'I wonder... how much have they replicated?'
As a smile curved Seong-jun Lee's lips, golden energy surged up from his entire body.
Ding-!
[User 'Seong-jun Lee' activates Star's Favor, Earth's Blessing, Wind's Protection, Strength, Stamina, and Agility Enhancement.]
[Due to the Amplification effect of active skills, the effects of enhancement skills increase by 50% each...]
As Seong-jun Lee felt the immense power surging within him, the doppelgangers' bodies were also enveloped in golden light, and their emanating aura explosively increased.
Boom-!
The four Seong-jun Lees simultaneously stomped down hard and stepped forward.
Their next movements were identical as well.
They concentrated power in their fists, then thrust them straight ahead.
'Vajra Iron External Energy Technique, Crushing Dragon Strike.'
Kuguung-!
As the outer techniques hailed as supreme in the world collided in midair, a thunderous roar erupted.
The flat temple floor violently erupted, crumbled, and flew away.
The same happened to Seong-jun Lee and the doppelgangers, who were the source of the power.
Unable to withstand the recoil from the intense shockwave, their bodies were lifted into the air and pushed back.
At a glance, it seemed like an evenly matched power struggle, but in reality, there were clear winners and losers in this clash.
"Kuhk..."
Red blood trickled from the corner of Seong-jun Lee's mouth.
From the start, there was no way he could have withstood a 3-on-1 power struggle.
Of course, Seong-jun Lee, having gone through countless battles, couldn't have been unaware of this fact.
Nevertheless, there was a reason he engaged in such a crude exchange of blows.
'...They've copied more than just the physical body.'
Skills, martial arts, even thoughts and habits - they had replicated everything about the human known as 'Seong-jun Lee'.
This meant there was no need to gauge the opponent's strength.
"This will be interesting."
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Seong-jun Lee readied his stance and took a deep breath.
"Heuup."
His eyes turned an alluring red, and blood energy surging from beneath his feet enveloped his entire body.
At the same time, a deep smile curved Seong-jun Lee's lips.
Since returning to Earth, he had only engaged in boring fights, but now he had finally met a worthy opponent.
How strong am I now?
And how enjoyable a fight can I have?
As he was thinking this, the three doppelgangers with red-tinted eyes vanished from sight as they moved.
Seong-jun Lee didn't panic and opened his energy sense wide.
The blood energy he spread out sensed the surrounding space. Though he wasn't facing them with his eyes, Seong-jun Lee read every movement of the doppelgangers.
One on the left, one on the right, and lastly one above his head - they skillfully aimed for his blind spots while cutting off his escape routes.
Seeing the doppelgangers thinking exactly like himself, Seong-jun Lee quickly raised both arms and inwardly chanted.
'Star's Protection.'
As he hurriedly surrounded himself with an invisible barrier of energy membrane, the blood energy concentrated in the doppelgangers' hands exploded, shattering Seong-jun Lee's Star's Protection.
Kwagwang-!
The doppelgangers' fists, which had somehow closed in to point-blank range, filled his vision.
Seong-jun Lee frantically moved his arms to block and deflect the incoming attacks.
But there was no way he could block all three attackers' strikes alone.
Pababak-!
Under the continuous barrage, Seong-jun Lee's body staggered greatly and was pushed back.
Though his stance didn't completely crumble, preventing further hits, he had taken considerable impact.
How long had it been since he experienced such consecutive defeats, not just once but twice?
Unable to even remember, laughter burst from Seong-jun Lee's lips.
"Haha!"
Since returning to Earth, he had only engaged in boring fights.
He hadn't fought a battle requiring his full strength.
If pressed, it would be when he took down the SS-rank villain called the Rookie Slaughterer, Jo Se-hyuk, but that wasn't really necessary.
He just wanted to deliver a death without a shred of hope to Jo Se-hyuk's despicable form.
But the doppelgangers before him now were different.
'I truly need to use my full strength.'
He had finally met worthy opponents after a long time.
"This is really fun."
Revealing white teeth in a smile, Seong-jun Lee stopped defending and raised both hands.
Of course, he wasn't giving up the fight.
Rather, his mind was racing with thoughts more frantically than ever.
Naturally, countless memories of battles fought as a Blood Demon and Demon God came to mind, but Seong-jun Lee shook his head vigorously.
The memories up to now wouldn't be of much help.
After all, he had never fought a battle like this before, so how could he find answers in his memories?
With gleaming eyes, Seong-jun Lee leapt forward.
First, focusing on the doppelganger directly in front of him, Seong-jun Lee deflected the oncoming attack and threw a punch.
Naturally, fist met fist in collision.
In that brief moment, a relentless exchange of blows occurred. At first, they were perfectly matched.
But on the fifth, eighth, and finally the tenth exchange:
Kwajik-!
Seong-jun Lee's fist struck the doppelganger's face.
'What the doppelgangers copied is only my current self.'
In other words, they couldn't take the experience and memories accumulated as a Blood Demon and Demon God.
'Then...!'
Just as he came up with a way to seize victory based on the information gained so far:
In an instant, the two doppelgangers that had closed the distance unleashed the Vajra Iron External Energy Technique's ultimate move, the Indestructible Golden Dragon Piercing Wave.
Normally, blocking one side would inevitably lead to the other side breaking through.
However, a relaxed smile played on Seong-jun Lee's lips.
'Right hand: Indestructible Golden Dragon Piercing Wave, left hand: Blood Extreme Circulating Return.'
In a split second, Seong-jun Lee drew on outer energy in his right hand and inner energy in his left, swiftly moving both arms.
Kuguung-!
Once again, a violent boom erupted along with a shockwave, and his body was about to be lifted into the air.
But he had already anticipated this situation.
'Thousand-jin Weight.'
Seong-jun Lee's form, which seemed about to fly into the sky, suddenly dropped downward.
Quickly landing on the ground with nimble movements, Seong-jun Lee stretched both arms forward and unleashed the Bursting Blood Rain.
Kwagwang-!
The doppelgangers, unable to regain their balance, were struck in the abdomen and smashed into the temple pillars.
He had won the first exchange of blows.
However, he hadn't inflicted any fatal wounds.
The doppelgangers quickly got up, dusted themselves off, and readied their stances. Moreover, their eyes burned with fiercer fighting spirit than ever before.
But they didn't rashly attack like before.
Though they lacked the experience and memories as a Demon God, they instinctively sensed that continuing to exchange blows would be disadvantageous.
Perhaps because of this?
Rather than continuing the exchange, the doppelgangers prepared for one final strike.
"Huu..."
Taking a deep breath, blood energy erupted from the doppelgangers' bodies as if about to explode, and the red light, the power of Asura, gathered at one point to form a sphere.
A smile curved Seong-jun Lee's lips as he watched the Blood Demon martial art, the Blood Sky Lotus Mist Strong Bow, taking shape in the doppelgangers' hands.
'Just what I wanted.'
He operates the Blood Ghost Asura Divine Technique at its current limit, the extreme state.
Inner energy surging from his dantian made his heart feel like it would burst, and he felt his body heating up intensely. Seong-jun Lee spread his right arm wide and thrust it forward.
"Myriad Blood Demon Sea, First Form, Blood Sky Lotus Mist Strong Bow."
A clash of power against power, four red spheres collided in midair.
Having confirmed through the previous battle, the outcome was already decided, so to speak.
Nevertheless, Seong-jun Lee chose this power struggle.
The reason was simple.
'...This is the only way forward.'
There were three doppelgangers. If he continued exchanging blows, he could gradually widen the gap, but given the limits of stamina, there was no hope in a war of attrition.
Of course, engaging in a power struggle like this also offered slim chances of victory.
Kuguguung-!
In reality, even after pouring out all his inner energy, Seong-jun Lee's Blood Sky Lotus Mist Strong Bow was gradually being pushed back.
However, Seong-jun Lee's expression showed not a hint of wavering.
After all, how could he hope for victory using the same technique, something they already knew?
His initial use of the Blood Sky Lotus Mist Strong Bow was merely to tie down the doppelgangers so they couldn't withdraw.
'With this, the stage is set.'
He replenishes his inner energy by recovering the blood shed through the Endless Grand Blood Demon Return technique and using the blood remaining in his body.
Feeling his inner energy sharply rise, Seong-jun Lee raised both arms without hesitation.