176 - Killing the Doppelganger
World of Arceria's opening match featured a matchup against The Blory team. The six-team full-league single-elimination format was being broadcast live on the Letterbox official channel. Viewers who had diligently followed the scrims might have gauged each team's strength to some extent, but that didn't apply to most. The opener alone drew a peak of 200,000 simultaneous viewers, and the excitement surged even higher when Yggdrasil appeared on the map as fans cheered for their favorites.
And what really cranked up the heat were the casters, ever true to their professional spirit.
"The Mankai Castle team must be regretting it down to their bones right now. 'What did we do so wrong...! What did we do wrong?!'"
"Yes! But they must have done something wrong to end up like this!"
"Exactly. To earn that one coin to counter NoName, they scraped together everything from early-game setups to loans. They went all-in and couldn't cash out? Now they're paying the price."
"Aaaah, why is one coin so expensive!"
The first match, expected to be a nail-biter, kept flowing one-sidedly. The 1,000 gold and level 2 experience dumped into NoName. Even if you tried to dismiss the healer as irrelevant, this was blatant overgrowth. And in games, overleveled characters always sweep the battlefield.
WoA's NPCs always made rational choices. They simulated battlefield judgments to pick the option with the highest win rate, and following most NPCs meant you at least wouldn't take losses. This was designed so low-tier players could focus on fights over macro. So when a knight faced a lone priestess, fleeing was a judgment hard for humans or AI alike.
"You can see NoName baited her into a brawl back in that duel. Keeps showing openings at the head, but when Isabella tries to smash with that heavy flamberge, she slyly blocks. Just then."
"Even a human, not NPC, would've bitten on the taunt?"
"I'd have closed for melee out of anger!"
"For those who don't know, priests lack combat correction skills except daggers. In simple terms, every move NoName makes—extending arms, tripping legs—is manually commanded! All of it!"
"Truly amazing! And right now, Kariri charges! Kariri's running! NoName covering from behind!"
For a game tilted from the start, Mankai Castle held firm on sticky teamwork. In mana-scarce WoA with few heals, healers were top-priority in teamfights—but this one was slippery, dodging big clashes cleverly. So NoName ran. With Kariri. To Yggdrasil.
Fans of scrims would've known their play. Early backdoor. Before 20 minutes, lure enemy lines deep into your territory, then swing opposite to torch Yggdrasil. VTube treated it as meme build, but they had coach approval—legit strat.
Priest's nimble mobility plus tank-yet-assassin Kariri made her blisteringly fast. Yggdrasil's guards: ten NPCs. Enemy team: one player. Eyes met, backdoor busted—Kariri closed fast, claws flashing.
Enemy swung a partisan spear-form to zone, but no need to dodge. Kariri's HP plummeted, red aura signaling heal target blooming around her skin. Her signature suicide assassin. SoloQ only—team game with NoName heals made her unkillable freak.
Damage fluctuated wildly by HP, hard to calc. Spearman gritted teeth, stabbing desperately, but she never backed off. Girl soared, slamming weight-loaded fist. Krunch! Blade on knuckle pierced solid armor. Rending nonstop till shredded, foe's full HP bottomed out.
Cheers erupted then. Damage rivaled Meteor at illegal-mage level 25. Tank output? Not berserker—low defense. Assassin? Not that tanky. Tank? Couldn't run that fast.
Hexagons got flak when unbalanced—useless small ones. But packed hexagons? No counter. Kariri's power shone, gorged on resources ignored for NoName checks. Top damage dealt. Top damage taken. Top occupy time. Finally, late returners tried blocking backdoor—Kariri solo-stalled with tiny frame as NoName stabbed the world tree.
Coaches analyzing The Blory clutched throbbing heads. NoName covers? Unpredictable variables from overwhelming skill. Kariri covers well? Game over. Match seemed decided.
"So close! Few more hits and game over!"
Kariri respawned with Nami, voicing regret. But no biggie. Spirit golems guarding Yggdrasil smashed—victory in pocket. Chess: snagged their queen. LoL: twin towers gone.
"Third objective ours now. If they yolo-push, backdoor angle. Or force teamfight—they can't respawn fast, we're favored."
Nami had precisely calced respawn post-failed early backdoor. 14s enemy turf fight. 32s respawn wait. 21s to objective. Timed perfectly for third spawn. Once coincidence, twice thrice? No. Foes barely clutched NoName, but paid huge after. Nami's calls led to streak—Isabella's voice faded.
"Just one NPC guarding enemy Yggdrasil!"
"Forcing teamfight? They're desperate—push fast!"
Mercs arrayed for finale. Isabella scanned battlefield quick.
"Now I could solo it... sure."
Mages weak 1v1 vs swordsmen. But battle stats, gear, mana backed firepower—over 50% winrate. Isabella mounted prepped horse, gripped reins. No pursuit—they'd win 5v5 sans her. But Nami eyed her vanishing into narrow woods suspiciously.
"Nami?"
"5v6 teamfight fine without me. Chasing Isabella."
"Backdoor duo again?"
"Right call now."
Isabella Entbider's Easter egg. Can't kill her doppelganger. Precisely, if next hit would finish, she aborts and exits combat instantly. More babysitting than most NPCs in 1v1 or fights.
Hooves thundering closer, then stopped. Bursting dense woods to gilded temple. Nami dodged crumbled pillars, gouged floor from prior clash, pressed on. As expected: two near-dead Isabellas in weird standoff.
'No one knows this far.'
Nami recalled WareSoft's pervy lore. Multi crammed story mode tales. Sometimes beggar boy's nation-founding epic, gladiator's revenge on parents' killer. Now, two women fighting for elixir curing incurable disease. 108 NPCs spawned 500+ stories. Pros memorized, normies didn't.
Shing—Skia Bona hissed from sheath, vicious. Mud clung to Nami's western boots—Isabella must've water magicked midfight.
One hit each from death. Poke with sword tip would drop 'em. Nami strode to enemy doppel, blade to throat.
"No, wait!"
Ally Isabella halted her.
"Don't kill sis now... please..."
Nami smirked, sheathed, headed Yggdrasil. Killing NPC not required to end. Goal: topple tree.
"Teamfight win, NoName! Smash it!"
"Waaaaa we won first game! Won!"
Victory cheers from objective side. Defeated doppel soon dead.
"Start war, loser's head pays in death. Sparing you 'cause terminal."
Clang! Sword on Yggdrasil rang merry—steel-hard bark.
"You two aren't doppels really."
"..."
Nami knew lore text-only, not played. Details fuzzy, but Isabella Entbider was...
"Twins, right?"
Isabellas flinched. Not doppels—identical twins sharing one name. Mana curse swapped Aura Hearts at 10, one doomed. But clasped hands, clawed to 30s. Curse became blessing: one swordmaster, one mage, famed. Aliases though.
Parallel till forced to kill one. Crack! Yggdrasil fissured thunderously. Sisters' breaths tensed. Death-shadowed Isabella couldn't hide anxiety.
"Sis, last words?"
Pre-fall, ally asked. NPC who'd dueled from lvl1 eyed Nami, sis, smiled resigned.
"Miss Alphonse so much today. If you meet later... ask if he became fine knight?"
"Yeah. Promise."
"Thanks."
Sword-loving Isabella, magic-loving Isabella. Entbider house forced single name fate. Childhood friend Alphonse Schipot picked sword over magic every timeline, imperial knight captain. But only one reunites.
Yggdrasil has been destroyed.
Pure fireflies burst from Yggdrasil roots, blanketing world. Lush greens faded colorless, crumbling to dust. Surrendered to familiar player-teleport feel, pondered.
[No reason stay capital—homeward. Where I belong.]
Nami recalled Alphonse's words: head home, meet Isabella.
[Childhood friend Bella chattered self-taught library magic in canary voice.][But Bella liked sword-swinging armored men. So idiot me honed blade for knighthood.]
Which Bella did that timeline's Alphonse meet?
"Hate open endings."