Dibip's Spatial Betrayal
The space between me and Dibip split open. This was the spatial ability once used by Emperor Eugene long ago and more recently by Imothep, whom I'd just met. But right there in the rift between me and Dibip was my very first clone, Clone #1. It took a direct hit, cleaved clean in half, and vanished. It was the first time one of my clones had been destroyed. The shock wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. But the real question was whether Dibip had targeted it on purpose.
"How was that, my lord?"
I couldn't read Dibip's expression. I summoned another clone from nearby.
"Impressive. But how did you figure out how to use it?"
I'd been watching him the whole time, but Dibip had never used this ability even once.
"It just... suddenly felt like I could do it."
Really? Just before Clone #1 vanished, I'd seen Dibip's soul darken in an instant. Of course, a black soul doesn't automatically mean an evil person. Even Jizak, the mercenary captain who's no longer any kind of villain, still has a black soul. By now, my two approaching clones had circled behind Dibip on either side. His eyes flicked to follow them for a split second.
"You can see them, huh?"
That explained how he'd learned the technique without entering my clones' field of vision.
"Busted?"
Dibip grinned slyly. It was a powerful ability, but for someone who'd just awakened it, he was far too relaxed.
"Everyone knows what abilities you have, my lord."
So what? Had I ever wronged Dibip? Why was he acting so hostile toward me?
"Someone told me. About the power I'd gained. And you knew, but you never said a word."
That much was true. I'd thought that as long as he was happy not knowing his own ability, it didn't matter.
"Who was this 'someone'?"
To slip past my attention and have a long chat with Dibip, it couldn't have been an ordinary being.
"You've made a name for yourself across the world with all those powers. Why not give me a chance too?"
Instead of answering, Dibip just kept saying what he wanted.
"I didn't give you a chance?"
"I've always wanted to live like you, my lord. Of course, you probably figured a hunchback like me would be content with some lowly clerical job you tossed my way out of charity."
This guy wasn't right in the head. Maybe he'd fallen victim to some mental attack. As I moved to direct the two clones behind him, space split again, and both clones vanished.
"Pointless. I told you, I know all your abilities."
Dibip twisted his face into a grotesque smile. Getting close was too risky. If he really had Emperor Eugene-level power, I'd be sliced into hundreds of pieces the moment I approached. Truth be told, I was already in his range. I could attack with magic from afar, but his smug confidence meant he had a way to block it.
"So what do you want?"
"Everything. All that you have becomes mine."
"You think that's possible?"
"It is. The world lets the strong take it all. You're proof of that, aren't you, my lord?"
He wasn't entirely wrong, but I couldn't agree. Dibip just didn't seem that strong. Even if some mysterious entity had taught him how to use the power, wielding it effectively was another matter entirely. I knew that better than anyone. My head was filled with hundreds of sword techniques, but executing them was a whole different story. And he knew all my abilities? No way. I hadn't even used all of mine myself.
"So just die already."
The moment power gathered in Dibip's gaze, I teleported. I didn't even check what happened to the space I'd just left. I reappeared about thirty meters above his head and immediately whipped up a vortex of wind in my hand. It was a new ability I'd gained from absorbing Jin recently—one I'd never used before. Of course, I didn't expect it to do much damage to Dibip. Without waiting to see, I teleported again. Back to my original spot, I watched Dibip's spatial cuts lash wildly through the vortex.
"You think these petty tricks will work?!"
I answered his scream.
"Yeah, seems like they are."
As expected, Dibip wasn't adept at using his power yet. The dust kicked up by the vortex began obscuring his vision. With my response, I unleashed another blast of wind and teleported once more. Stop for even a moment, and I'd be dead. The spot I'd just vacated split into several rifts.
"This wasn't part of the deal!"
Dibip seemed a bit rattled by the unexpected assault. We repeated this dance several times until the dust cloud completely blocked all sight. Then Dibip used spatial teleportation himself—and the instant he emerged high above the dust-free air, he saw me waiting.
"You know all my abilities?"
Then I'll just erase them. Before he could respond, a brilliant light erupted from my fingertips. Dibip lost consciousness and plummeted toward the ground. I didn't bother catching him. No matter what entity had manipulated him, I felt sorry for Dibip, but I couldn't let him live. Crunch! That was the end of him.
Truth be told, this had been a close call. Right before my first teleport, in that split-second, a life-flashing-before-my-eyes vision had played out. It was the precognition ability from Melania, whom I'd absorbed recently. She'd apparently used visions like this for her prophecies. I'd absorbed witch and druid souls before, but I'd never gained their abilities. Witch and druid powers are acquired through training, like magic—not innate talents. Yet suddenly being able to use Melania's precognition at will was something worth investigating. Regardless, in that fleeting vision, I'd seen myself fighting Dibip. And the end was exactly this: Dibip falling to his death. The precognition had come true perfectly. Even without it, I'd never doubted I'd win—it just might've taken longer.
I absorbed Dibip's soul. His spatial ability was laughably inferior to Emperor Eugene's, despite being the same power. Lower grade, perhaps. If Dibip had been on Eugene's level, I'd be dead today. As I pondered the absorbed spatial power from every angle, I sensed Jayke and Joseph approaching from afar. They could've arrived much sooner, but I'd kept them away. If they'd come, it'd have been a pointless death. No matter how basic the spatial ability, you can't block spatial cuts with a sword. To keep Jayke and Joseph at bay, I'd used another new power from absorbing Jin: temporary materialization. My ethereal clones briefly became material projections, visible even to normal eyes. Due to my limited proficiency, I couldn't make them look like real cats like Bastet does—just somewhat cute droplet shapes with eyes, nose, and mouth instead of their former boxy forms. Remarkably, Jayke and Joseph understood the gesturing ghost-like projections that suddenly appeared before them. In the territory, anything weird that happened was assumed to be my doing. It irked me a little, but since no one was hurt, I let it slide.
Before they arrived, I'd disposed of Dibip's body. The demolished training ground was another story.
"Are you alright?"
Joseph's voice held zero concern, but I nodded.
"No big deal."
"I see. Then I'll be off."
Joseph turned without a backward glance. He'd completely forgotten his role as escort. Still, it was good to see the former heretic inquisitor shedding his old skin and getting along with the locals.
"What happened?"
Once Joseph left, Jayke asked. Jayke was a true loyalist. I explained the incident with Dibip in the most sanitized way possible. Mention dying nearly would've earned me an earful. I summoned Wider to handle the aftermath. The man was gone, but the traces weren't. Dibip was officially recorded as having resigned and left for distant parts. As an orphan with no family, it was simple. I built Dibip's grave in the New Continent. I didn't think Dibip was bad. The meddling entity was the problem. Even a frail human mind can't easily withstand a determined assault from some colossal being.
As I built the grave and poured a bottle of liquor over it, my shoulder suddenly felt heavy. My materialized clones never gained weight, so how did Bastet replicate mass too?
[It reeks of Imothep on that poor thing.]
As expected, it was her. So this petty revenge after I said I'd get even?
[Foolish one, you're drifting further from divinity.]
Bastet left those words and hopped off my shoulder, vanishing. Did these antics relate to ascending from demigod to full god? Depending on how you looked at it, she'd dropped a profoundly enigmatic parting shot. Absorbing Dibip's soul gave me spatial abilities—though not on Emperor Eugene's level. Trying it out revealed all sorts of limitations. Impressive that a total newbie like Dibip, even with Imothep's help, had wielded it that well. But now I had a handy new skill for catching Full Fish. Getting a powerhouse like spatial cleave just for fishing felt anticlimactic, but it wasn't your average fish.
In an uninhabited spot on the New Continent, I diligently practiced my new power until the day of reckoning arrived. I'd arrived early at the central Great Forest lake where we'd spotted the Full Fish last time, lying in wait. Bastet tagged along too. If she'd just catch it herself, wouldn't that be surer? Maybe there was some restriction. "Hey, Bastet."
I called out to her as she perched on a nearby tree stump, grooming her fur.
"If I catch it, can I have a little taste?"
This was crucial. If she refused, all my effort would be for naught, and I'd miss out on that legendary flavor. Meow! She said it was fine. What a relief. Bastet usually ate tuna raw, though—did Full Fish need to be raw too?
"How should I cook it for you?"
[Steamed is delicious.]
Even giving a straight answer meant Full Fish cuisine was a big deal for her too. Fine, today I was the Full Fish steaming chef. Time passed until the full moon hung at its zenith, my twenty implanted clones vigilantly guarding the lake without a single gap. Finally, the Full Fish appeared. A hole like the Phase Dimension rift Setas had once opened tore through the water, and out swam the Full Fish with its iridescent, rainbow-scaled beauty, gliding proudly through the depths. I didn't rush like some amateur angler. This was a one-shot battle. Miss the chance, and it'd be another month—or maybe it wouldn't return at all if it sensed danger. I waited for it to come close to the surface. After hunting prey underwater and filling its belly, the Full Fish slowly ascended toward the top.