Endless Replicas and the Pulsing Heart
Replicas kept pouring out nonstop along the replica corridor. Each time, I swung my sword to cut them down. When their numbers swelled and they bunched up on one side, I unleashed Azure Annihilation Gaze to clear a path. There was no end to them, seriously. Amid the waves of monsters crashing like tides, I never stopped moving.
After walking for a good while, the corridor turned red. Ignoring it, I pressed on, only for the walls to twist into grotesque beast innards. The whole hotel felt like a living organism. The corridor writhed with mucus and pulsing veins, and even the floor felt sticky underfoot. I focused on the sensation at my toes and kept going. Finally, I reached the end of the hall.
Thump. A massive heart was embedded there, piercing through ceiling and wall like a taxidermied beast. Crunch. Squish. Hundreds of eyes attached to its body trembled, glaring at me, while a gigantic mirror was lodged in its core. The moment it spotted me, it shuddered as if it had been waiting.
"It's you."
As the heart throbbed, the red doors lining both sides of the corridor creaked open─reeeak─and the ambushing replicas burst out all at once. Instead of retreating, I stepped forward.
─Ilcham.
My sword traced an arc, bisecting the leaping replicas. Slash. Slash. Slash. Three crow-headed ones soared into the air before three bodies dropped lifeless in an instant. As I advanced toward the heart, a fresh pack blocked my path.
Regen here's fast. Not just the speed─the rate seemed high too. Up till now, each room had spawned just one replica, but here there were no such limits. They poured endlessly from every door.
"What, are they mass-produced on an assembly line or something...?"
I furrowed my brow and swung my sword. Swoosh-swoosh. My Ilcham cleaved the newcomers in half, blood spraying in arcs. I stepped toward the heart again, only for yet another wave to bar my way.
They come at me to die fast. Like suicide squads, they threw away their lives without hesitation. No fear even watching their comrades fall.
I halted my advance and focused on the surging replicas first. Thump. That's when the giant heart began wrenching itself free from the wall. Thick veins sprouted from its body like limbs, propping it up. Soon, it stood tall on two legs.
"Fuck."
I grimaced at its appearance.
"Looks-wise, you're number one among all the monsters I've seen so far."
Its veins ballooned into massive arms and legs, making it look like a headless man. As if understanding my words, it swung a huge arm─a red, vein-like limb.
─Ilcham.
I used Ilcham to sever the red arm, but another vein shot out like a tentacle from its torso. I adjusted and fell back.
Boom! The red arm smashed the floor as the tentacle aimed for my head. I swung my sword, slicing it clean. Slash. Blood spurted, and the tentacle fell severed. The thing flinched hard.
Screeech!
Aside from its limbs, countless veins protruded from its body like hair. I figured cutting a tentacle vein wouldn't hurt much. But contrary to expectation, it seemed those were proper body parts. It shuddered violently in real pain.
─Ilcham.
I flowed straight into another swing, targeting the arm pounding the floor. Suddenly, my nape prickled. Instinctively ducking my head, a sharp tentacle grazed my cheek.
Where the hell'd that come from?
Glancing at the direction, it matched the tentacle I'd just cut.
Did it fire two tentacles?
I slashed the passing tentacle and backpedaled. The replicas seized the gap, swarming me. As I created distance and fought them off, the severed tentacle writhed, mending its wound. It soon regenerated its full length.
Self-repair, huh.
A chilling thought hit me.
"No way."
I spun my sword in a wide arc, tracing a trajectory. Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh. The surrounding replicas dropped dead in one go.
Did it copy my abilities?
I activated Insight and peered at the giant heart. If it copied me, it'd have my weaknesses too. Spot on. Behind the mirror in its core lurked a fragment just like my Fragment of Immortality.
Fuck. Copied for real.
Made sense on second thought. Regular replicas copied my powers from the mirrors, so their boss would too.
Actually, works in my favor.
I instantly devised a plan. If it copied me, just smash the immortality fragment. Simpler strategy.
I acted at once, paralyzing the replica waves with Azure Annihilation Gaze and kicking off the ground.
Whoosh.
Surging toward the giant heart with sword thrust, its myriad eyes quivered, glaring. ─Death.
Instantly, my mind froze cold. Fear gripped me; I halted, body stiffening. Senses dulled as my sword hand trembled faintly.
It's using Azure Annihilation Gaze too?
With so many eyes, its version hit harder than mine. Shaking off the terror, I tried to move─and replicas swarmed.
Crunch.
That split-second hesitation proved fatal. The replica tsunami engulfed me. No hesitation─I invoked Proclamation.
...Seek what crumbles, grow heavy.
─Proclamation.
"...Flesh, expand."
My body ballooned, growing gigantic. Crack-crrunch. The replicas enveloping me flew off, smashing into walls; some flattened against my skin. With my colossal form, I pummeled and stomped the rest.
In the chaos, I dropped my Fissure Blade.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Swinging massive fists cleared them fast. The suffocating corridor emptied in seconds. Plus, Proclamation banished the lingering dread, sharpening my mind.
Gigantification nullified the fear.
Fear gone, I charged the heart again. Wider strides closed distance effortlessly─one leap put me in its face.
Whoosh.
I hammered its core mirror with a giant fist. Splat! It screeched "Kieeeek!" and toppled. I followed with soccer kicks. Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Hoping to shatter the mirror, but it held. Cracks mended instantly─immortality fragment working fine.
Need the sword to smash the core.
Gigantification drained energy hard. I reverted and retreated. Shrinking back brought ravenous hunger. I gulped bread from my subspace pouch while hunting my Fissure Blade.
The lost sword lay under a flattened replica corpse. Got it.
Sword reclaimed, I rushed the heart again. It, catching breath, quivered its eyes at my smaller form.
Azure Annihilation Gaze again.
Avoiding its gaze, I stared at the floor and charged. Kicking off toward the mirror─a replica's lower body appeared, shielding it.
Real boss move, using minions as meat shields.
No stopping─chained Ilchams. Slash! Slash! Sword arced left, then right. Several meat-shield replicas crumpled black and lifeless at my feet.
Ignoring them, I thrust again. Whoosh. Whoosh. Now tentacle-veins assaulted. Sensing their paths by sound and feel alone, I dodged like an acrobat, ducking low. Some I blocked with Basilion Shell.
Soon, its massive vein-leg loomed.
Now.
I kicked off and swung. ─Ilcham.
My sword and powers synced in one breath, forging a single trajectory. Whoosh. The arc lanced the mirror─metal screamed. Craaaack!
Suddenly, my hand lightened. Looking down, lightning-like fissures spiderwebbed the entire blade. Crrunch! Kra-krunch! Palm numb, the Fissure Blade's edge shattered to pieces.
Fuck.
Eyes wide, I watched fragments rain. Warmth trickled from bloodied palm. My slash weapon, the Fissure Blade... broken at the worst time.
Of all moments...!
Shifting gaze, I checked the heart beast. Good─Ilcham landed true. Its torso mirror lay cracked like shards.
Before self-repair, I drew my rapier from subspace and lunged. ─Ilsom.
The blade shot forward, wedging the mirror's crack. Whoosh. Tip pierced the core. Kra-krunch! It punched straight through, emerging the other side. Stab.
The colossal body collapsed like a puppet with cut strings. Thud!
I recalled the sword and backed off.
"...It's over."
With the heart dead, replicas stilled. No new spawns. Tension easing, I panted─then black sand poured from the heart's corpse. Shhh.
The sand didn't scatter; it surged straight at me, infiltrating my nostrils before I could react. Next instant, my heart twisted with alien throbs.
Thump... thump-thump.
Pulse quickening, the darkness underfoot quaked. My shadow swelled unnaturally. Moments later, it split─and a black hand burst from the rift.