Doppleganger (4): The Masochist's Proof

Originally, clone doppelgangers didn't truly die upon defeat. Instead, they were reabsorbed by the boss doppelganger through the labyrinth, handing over all the information they'd gathered on the intruders. Moreover, since the clones were literally fragments split off from the boss itself, each one absorbed only made the boss doppelganger stronger.

If you couldn't distinguish your real comrades from the fakes, you'd get stabbed in the back by the clones revealing their true colors in the boss room. Even if you managed to identify every genuine ally, eliminate all the clones, and reach the boss, you'd still have to face a boss doppelganger that had absorbed those clones, accumulating combat experience and raw power in the process. It was a vicious setup.

That was how it was supposed to work, anyway...

"Graaah!! A mere slime devouring my clones? What kind of bullshit is this?!"

The clones that should have been absorbed by the boss doppelganger, granting it experience and strength, had been gobbled up by Slami instead. This resulted in a permanent loss of power for the boss doppelganger.

"Kuh...!! A lowly subspecies devouring a superior one—a slime, no less...!!"

Now, it only had one chance left. The intruders, having found their remaining comrade, would head straight for the labyrinth's core where it waited. It had to drain their strength as much as possible before then.

Fortunately for the boss doppelganger, the one who hadn't joined the group yet appeared to be the strongest-looking member of the party.

"Unlike that freakish slime, this one's fighting by the book."

The boss doppelganger watched the knightess smashing its dispatched clone doppelgangers with her mace and shield, feeding it combat data. Through repeated contact with the clones, it had read a substantial portion of Jeanne's memories. This time, it decided to step in personally.

The knightess named Jeanne harbored ill feelings toward the party's apparent leader, Yeoul. This was the perfect opportunity to sow ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠discord among them. Its plan was to possess one of the clones with its consciousness alone, purely to fracture the group.

"You've managed to tell clones apart so far, but this time... it'll be different...!"

On the path to find the last remaining onahole, Jeanne—who was sensed near the labyrinth's core—the party was heading straight for the center.

Once they found Jeanne, they planned to immediately take out the boss doppelganger waiting there.

"So, we just need to find Jeanne now?"

"I was surprised when we got forcibly teleported at the start, but aside from that, this isn't as tough as I thought."

"These guys are weeeak~ Total pushovers~"

The onaholes were saying the dungeon was easier than expected, but Yeoul wasn't letting his guard down. Dungeons always lulled you into complacency before striking from behind.

When they arrived at the spot where Jeanne was presumed to be, they heard footsteps approaching from the opposite direction.

Clank—

"Yeoul?"

"Must be Jeanne this time."

With the metallic clang of greaves hitting the stone floor, Jeanne emerged from the passage. She immediately went on guard upon spotting the party.

"Three of you this time. Changed your strategy?"

Jeanne had apparently already encountered doppelgangers. Seeing Yeoul, Brina, and Slami together, she raised her shield and mace into a combat stance.

In this situation where neither side could be sure who was real, violence could erupt at any moment. If it was the real Jeanne, Yeoul's Onahole Absolute Dominion would ensure he took no damage. But if it was a doppelganger—even a degraded one—it would have copied the physical prowess of their strongest onahole, making for a serious fight.

Yeoul adopted a battle stance as well, but then another set of footsteps echoed from the passage behind where Jeanne had appeared.

Clank—

"Another doppelganger? What kind this ti—hm?"

The new presence was another Jeanne, identical to the first.

"You fake...! How dare you show your face mimicking me right in front of me?!"

"Ha? Who's calling who a fake? You doppelganger scum...!"

Just like the urban legend where identical people meeting means one must die, the two Jeannes immediately snarled at each other.

Yeoul stepped in to mediate between them.

"Hold up, why are you two fighting? I'll verify you both, so lower your weapons for now."

"Why should I trust you?!"

"You could be fake too—why follow your word?"

Seeing the two Jeannes rebel against his words, Yeoul spoke up.

"I command you. Both of you, lower your weapons."

At the command backed by Onahole Absolute Dominion, both Jeannes released their weapons simultaneously. Had one refused, it would have been obvious, but someone who had read their memories could mimic obedience to this extent—which was why Yeoul hadn't used commands to verify the others until now.

On the flip side, the Jeannes witnessing his authority confirmed Yeoul was real.

"That coercive force... Guess you really are Yeoul."

"I get that you're the real Yeoul, but how do you plan to tell the real me apart?"

The simplest way to distinguish real from fake was to have them use their unique abilities. Brina lacked one, so verification(?) came via dick. Slami had blatantly devoured the clone doppelgangers with hers right away. Nothing more reliable.

But Jeanne's unique ability, Second Knight's Oath, was trickier.

Damage Transfer risked harming the real Jeanne if both were fakes. Position Swap had a 12-hour cooldown, too valuable to waste before the boss. Vengeful Spirit wasn't useful for verification anyway.

To conserve strength, they needed another way. Only one method came to Yeoul's mind.

"Can't we just use them both once?"

Simply insert into onahole form: resistance meant fake, smooth meant real. That's how they'd found Brina, and without unique abilities, no better option surfaced.

But Brina, found that way, vehemently opposed.

"No way! Doppelgangers have already learned that method—Master's dick could be in danger!"

The two Jeannes agreed.

"Is your head full of nothing but semen? You want to do that here?"

"Maybe after the boss, but not in a dungeon with threats lurking."

With everyone but the excitedly watching Slami opposed, Yeoul withdrew his hand from his pants.

"If not that... Ah! Right, that exists."

What Yeoul recalled was Jeanne's onahole trait: Masochism.

As a trait created by his authority, no doppelganger could replicate it. The Jeanne who felt pleasure from pain would be the real one.

Yeoul voiced this idea, and both Jeannes recoiled in horror.

"Kuh...! True, that's my trait, but...! Does it have to be that way?"

"Rather use the unique ability...! Can't we do it somewhere just the three of us?"

One Jeanne suggested verifying alone without Brina and Slami, but Yeoul had no intention.

"If you're both fakes, I'd be in danger. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Why should I?"

"Kuh...!!"

Brina, listening in, asked.

"Come to think of it, I don't know Jeanne's trait. What's got you hating it so much?"

"Trait~? The thing that makes ya feel goooood~?"

"Exactly, Slami. A blessing from Master to make us onaholes feel even better."

One Jeanne shouted at Brina's words.

"Blessing my ass!"

"Ah, shut it. You'll see what it is. Command: Disarm completely."

At Yeoul's order, both Jeannes shed their full plate armor, left in black inner armor.

"Oh... This inner armor's pretty slutty up close."

The skin-tight inner armor revealed every curve, so thin that even in this tension, their aroused nipples and areolae showed clearly through. Like a latex bodysuit from porn.

As Yeoul admired the Jeannes in such outfits, one yelled.

"Stop staring and get on with the verification!"

The yelling Jeanne—no, the doppelganger mimicking her—was confident.

The intruder leader Yeoul thought it couldn't copy the original's traits, choosing this method.

'Had to tap the boss's power a bit, but this clone's transformation rivals the original. Traits, unique abilities—all copied.'

Having expended most remaining clones to perfectly mimic Jeanne in every way, it was sure no verification would expose it. Unique ability test was unexpected, but trait-based was fine.

'Not bad. More contact means more data on him.'

The doppelganger's ultimate goal: copy the enigmatic-powered Yeoul. It had targeted the strongest-looking Yeoul from the start, but his unknown power always foiled it.

It sensed a vast gap in rank. The target's essence was too superior for transformation.

'Thought some monster had invaded back then... My mistake.'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Sensing the rank disparity, it had trembled in fear of an apostle-level exterminator. But Yeoul's aura didn't match the gap, and clone intel revealed his combat skills. It concluded Yeoul was a half-baked apostle who lucked into a provisional divine contract.

The clincher: Yeoul mentioning "authority" himself.

'Definitely 'authority.' At best, a fake apostle's power—but still divine. If I copy that...!!'

With hope of escaping the dungeon's bonds, it focused harder on mimicking Jeanne.

"Hurry up already!"

"Mm... Yeah. Let's start light—with a gut punch."

"Eh?!"