OLD-WORLD EXTRA

Chapter 246: A Simple Trick

Chapter 246: A Simple Trick

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'You seek the truth within shadows...'

Emir now stood at the precipice of the abyss, staring into the depths of the chasm.

It was a foreboding sight—a darkness that seemed to swallow existence itself.

This place was where the Tyrant had awaited their arrival.

'Yet within shadows lies only darkness.'

It existed down there, within the very core of the abyss.

He had to take a leap of faith to reach it.

'So tired... can't go on...'

But before that, to move forward, he needed to pass the penultimate phase.

The 'Abyss Of Reflection.'

'Almost there...'

Emir continued to inch closer to the edge, and after each step, the 'surface' of the abyss rippled like water.

Then, when he could no longer move forward, the abyss began to fully transform.

What once appeared as a chasm of darkness turned into flowing liquid that condensed into a singular point right in front of him.

'It's dark... closing in...'

All the darkness in his immediate surroundings dissipated, causing it to turn blindingly white.

'Your reality is but a fragment of what is concealed...'

The liquid, which seemingly had absorbed enough of the darkness around him, settled mid- air, pulsating like a beating heart.

Flash!

Like an exploding star, a bright light was emitted, blinding him completely.

But Emir didn't show any reaction, as he simply closed his eyes and calmly stepped back.

When he opened them back up, what met his gaze was the same darkness as before.

It had returned to suffocate him.

'Why... won't it stop...'

Yet that didn't register in his mind, as his eyes were focused on what appeared before him. His own reflection.

It was a grotesque, nightmarish version-warped, corrupted, and brimming with malevolence.

'All beneath the veil of perception.'

Its eyes were mismatched, its face twisted, its arms bent, and the rest of its body was hidden by shadows.

However, even through all that, Emir could still see himself in it.

'Why did the Tyrant make me so ugly?'

After letting out a sigh, he raised his right hand.

The reflection followed.

'Good.'

Emir softly punched himself in the face.

The reflection did the same.

'Intensity.'

He then punched himself harder, throwing himself off balance.

'So dark... can't see...'

The reflection returned to its original stance, now not following his actions.

'Same as the novel...'

Emir knew the truth behind this illusion, and now he had officially confirmed it.

His reflection would follow his every move unless they reached a level of harm that would affect it.

In Born in Ruins, Morgiana killed the illusion after hours of battle.

'Everything's black...'

At first, her fight was repetitive, as both combatants had the same level of skill and power.

Yet as time passed, she began to show an edge over her opponent.

'Darkness... closing in...'

But it wasn't because of her becoming physically stronger or a random power-up.

Rather, she learned about what made her unique-something that couldn't be copied. Her own will, tenacity, and focus.

'Kill me.'

Which in turn, affected her skill level, hammering the idea of her true strength.

Emir could've gone with that route and killed his reflection, especially since he had the TP ability while the reflection didn't.

However, he didn't want to waste time on something he could easily clear.

'Lost... in the dark...'

He had planned for this phase since the beginning, forfeiting the use of a certain ability.

It was an ace up his sleeve, a power unknown to the Tyrant, giving him a clear advantage in this test.

"Let's begin."

With a raised hand, he gestured for his opponent to move forward.

But it only copied his actions.

"Heh..."

Then Emir disappeared, materializing right before his reflection.

Just as his left foot landed on the ground, he pivoted his weight on it and kicked out with his right, aiming for his opponent's head.

Bang!

His foot met his reflection's own, and they locked each other up in a battle of strength. With the speed he was going at, the power behind his attack should've done the reflection in.

'No light... just dark...'

But of course, instead of reflecting the Flash Step ability, it copied the power generated after its execution.

Emir understood that, so his plan didn't involve overpowering it.

He twisted his body and lowered both their feet down, making sure to keep his reflection in

place as it followed.

"Gates of Eternity!"

Then, in a single moment, everything changed.

There on the dark roof, a massive, dull sword construct appeared and immediately fell on his

reflection.

His opponent was crushed like a squishy ball, as the sword couldn't cut through it.

And just as the construct dissipated, the reflection bounced back up.

'Darkness.... taking me...'

But by then, it was cut into several pieces, as hundreds of small wires appeared above it.

It continued to piece itself together, but he never gave it a chance.

His distorted reflection soon began to contort and fracture the darkness around it under Emir's never-ending barrage of constructs.

Eventually, at the most opportune moment, Emir showed his right palm, and an Aether construct of a cube appeared, encasing his reflection.

"Die."

Just as he said that...

'You filth.'

He clutched his hand.

A moment passed, and the cube shrank, crushing it.

Flash!

Like before, his eyes saw nothing but light for a moment, and he knew then that it was his

win.

The reflection was dispelled entirely.

'Already?...How?'

Emir chuckled at the Tyrant's surprise.

"Heh... Poor you." Unlike the UEF, who had access to his mind, or at least thought that they did, this monster was

limited to only what it could see and feel.

So it couldn't perceive his Celestia's Hand Aspect, as he didn't use it after arriving in this

place.

Not even once.

And with that in mind, it was obvious why the monster was startled.

Someone with powers unknown to it had arrived, and judging by his actions, the man planned

for its death.

'Who are you?'

The Tyrant, who appeared to have brought up its guard, began to probe him.

"Shut up."

But Emir allowed none of it.

'Sure.'

His surroundings soon quivered, and the abyss itself seemed to tremble as the darkness fully

returned.

He walked forward and stopped just before the drop.

Now, he could dive in with no worries, as he had reached the finish line.

'Can't find... way out...'

Emir only needed to take the final step, and he would be in the clear.

Normally, if a candidate reached this point, they would already be qualified to become a

professor at the academy.

But he didn't care about that.

What mattered to him was what would happen after that step.

Even with his never-before-seen Seraphim prowess, defeating the Tyrant by himself was an

impossible feat.

'I keep walking, but...'

Killing the Tyrant wasn't expected; of course, the supervisors only wanted to see the

candidates' strengths.

But for his plans to work, he needed the kill.

So he opted to wait for his brother and the others to come through.

'Are you waiting for your friends?'

"Yeah, but not up here, though..."

Emir walked forward, his feet reaching the edge, and fell into the chasm.

His fall halted for a moment as he went through what felt like a high-viscosity liquid.

Then his body began to align itself with the ground, and his hands were the first to reach a

solid surface.

'It's loud, so loud!'

He pushed himself up while stabilizing himself, not used to the almost inconsistent gravity

of the place he found himself in.

After a moment or two, he looked around and saw what appeared to be the inside of a castle.

'There's no end...'

It was dark like those rooms of before, yet it had different shades of black on its surfaces.

The hallway he found himself in was large, with the left and right walls separated by many hundreds of meters.

The space in between wasn't entirely empty, as there was a single carpet of gray leading up

further inside.

'I want it to end.'

As he stood poised, his gaze fixed on the massive gate in front, his mind went through the

scenarios he cooked up for his fight against the Tyrant.

'Come...'

It was an attempt to take his mind off the whispers and the after-effects of the Infinite

Labyrinth.

'Closer.'

He didn't want to even think about it, as it would greatly affect his focus.

Something that he'd definitely rather avoid.

'Closer.'

Any disadvantage, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could easily end in him losing the

fight.

Emir, a record-breaker, had braved the test to his limits, so he wouldn't dare allow himself to

stumble at the end.

'Come, come closer.'

His unwavering calm fueled his steps as he crossed the threshold into the heart of the abyss.

'Come here.'

The atmosphere around him shifted, the air growing denser and more charged with Aether.

'Closer, closer, closer, closer, closer, closer...'

After a few seconds, he reached the throne room.

Stairs led up to the epicenter, where instead of a throne, a swirling vortex of darkness

awaited.

'Come, here, yes, come here.'

It was the focal point where the Tyrant, though concealed, emanated an ominous presence.

'Walk up the steps.'

Emir didn't care for the Tyrant's words as he knew that when a candidate reached out to it,

only then would the Tyrant show itself.

'Let's talk up here.'

The whispers in the rooms continued to plague him, their fervor ever increasing.

'Join me.'

He steadied his breath and anchored his focus on the unseen adversary ahead.

'COME!'