"HAAGH... JUST DIE ALREADY!!!"

The demon roared loudly, raising his hand slighly.

Fwip, fwip!

Dozens of blood-red spikes shot toward Gray, each one whistling like arrows.

Gray reacted instantly, his threads snapping out, pulling him sideways toward a tree. He swung hard, barely dodging as the spikes smashed into the trunk.

CRAAASH!

The tree exploded into splinters, torn clean through.

"Tsk," Gray clicked his tongue.

Even if he could predict the demon's move, that didn't mean he had enough speed to react to them.

So, he finally decided to put his first skill to the test...

.

.

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[Skill: Madman's Mirror]

Level: 1

Type: Reflection / Madness

Effect: Creates a distorted phantom of the user — a "mirror self" born from the user's mana and emotions. This reflection copies Gray's fighting style and abilities but acts on its own instincts.

Additional Traits:

— The Mirror's strength grows with the user's madness and emotional instability.

— Each activation consumes sanity and life force, leaving the user mentally weaker after use.

— If overused, the Mirror may act independently or resist control.

"Your greatest ally… or your cruelest reflection."

——+——+——+——

.

.

.

Swish...

A strange mist leaked out of Gray's body, transforming into an exact copy of his own, with the same cold expression as he had.

"Ugh… damn it…" Gray clutched his head, wincing as pain stabbed through his skull.

He forced his breathing steady, raising his hand.

"Go."

The Mirror tilted its head, smiled faintly, and launched forward, extending its hands in an 'X' before swinging them, causing a lot of strings to snap towards multiple objects around.

"Huff..."

Gray took a deep breath, sweat dripping down his jaw as he glanced around.

Most of the students were deeply injured, and from the looks of it, maybe except Cassandra, no one else could fight.

"Fucking hell..."

He sheathed his rapier, looking at his phantom fighting against the demon.

"YOU FILTHY PESTS!!!" the demon roared, swinging his claws madly.

But the Mirror didn't even flinch.

It moved fast, faster than Gray ever could, twisting and leaping through the air, using strings to propel itself from one broken tree to another, a blur of motion and black mist.

Each time the demon attacked, the Mirror's body twisted unnaturally, dodging just by inches, as if it knew what was coming before it happened.

"He also inherited my skills... this is a little overpowered," Gray smiled lightly.

But remembering the side effects of using, he quickly shook his head. This was a skill that could only be used in dire situations.

"Huff..."

Gray's body moved before his thoughts could even catch up.

His threads snapped forward, pulling him through the air, and he landed right beside his Mirror, both of them crouched low, eyes locked on the towering demon.

For a single second, they were completely in sync.

The same grin.

The same stance.

The same killing intent.

"Let's dance," Gray muttered, and the Mirror seemed to nod at his words.

CRASH!

They both shot forward.

The Mirror lashed out with its strings, sharp, invisible lines that sliced through the demon's wrist, spraying black blood.

Gray followed in a blink, twisting his body and stabbing straight at the creature's ribs with his rapier.

Clang!

Sparks burst out as the blade met bone.

The demon roared, slamming its massive arm down, crushing the ground into dust.

Gray jumped back, and the Mirror mirrored him perfectly, both flipping midair and landing together, threads shooting out to anchor themselves before pulling forward again.

For a moment, they looked like one being, two sides of the same madness, striking from every direction.

But even that wasn't enough.

Each hit barely scratched the monster's hide.

Every time they cut him, the wounds closed almost instantly.

The demon laughed, its voice like grinding metal.

"IS THAT ALL, LITTLE BUGS?! YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?!"

It slammed its fist into the ground.

The shockwave threw Gray backward, blood spurting from his lips as his back hit a broken stone pillar.

"Kh… damn it!"

The Mirror landed beside him, its expression cold, but Gray could feel it faltering too, their link trembling as his mana drained faster and faster.

Then, a loud, fiery voice cut through the chaos.

"MOVE!"

BOOOOOM!

A blazing red shockwave burst across the battlefield as Cassandra jumped in, her golden scythe gleaming in both hands.

Divine light wrapped around her body, her eyes glowing with a holy crimson hue.

Her voice echoed, layered with another, not entirely human.

"—『Divika's Blessing: War's Wrath!』"

A divine circle appeared under her feet, burning bright. Flames shaped like ancient runes wrapped around her arms, and the ground itself trembled under the sheer pressure.

She dashed forward, faster than the eye could follow, her scythe cutting through the air.

SLAAASH!

The blade carved across the demon's shoulder, cutting through black skin and leaving a deep, glowing wound that hissed like molten rock.

The creature screamed, staggering back.

Gray's eyes widened in surprise.

"Don't just stand there, idiot!" Cassandra yelled, her teeth clenched, mana flaring wildly.

"Move!"

Gray grinned, pulling himself up despite his bleeding shoulder.

"Fine, fine… I'm coming."

He raised his hand, snapping his fingers.

His Mirror burst forward beside Cassandra, threads weaving through her attacks, redirecting the demon's counterblows away from her.

But even with that, the wounds they made closed almost instantly. The black flesh twisted, sealing back together as if nothing had happened.

"This thing heals too damn fast," Gray clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Cassandra didn't answer his words.

She swung her scythe down hard, cutting through the demon's chest. Blood splashed out, thick, dark, and steaming, but before she could pull back, the wound closed again.

The demon smiled, its sharp teeth dripping with that same black liquid.

"You insects… can't kill what's already beyond death."

"Shut it, bitch." Gray hissed.

He jumped forward, threads shooting from his gloves.

Fwip!

They wrapped around the demon's leg, pulling tight, trying to hold it still. But the creature just kicked, breaking them with one move.

The ground cracked under its weight.

Gray barely managed to dodge, rolling on the dirt before jumping again. His Mirror followed him, attacking from the side, its rapier stabbing toward the demon's throat.

The demon blocked it with one arm, and the blade bent, screeching against its skin.

Cassandra came again from behind, spinning her scythe in both hands, slashing the back of its knees.

The cut was deep, blood sprayed across the field, but the demon's leg healed before she could even step back.

"Damn it!" she shouted, breathing hard.

"It's like fighting a wall!"

"No, it's worse… at least a wall stays broken," Gray gritted his teeth, landing beside her.

The demon swung its arm sideways.

Gray pulled Cassandra down just in time as the strike missed them by a few inches, tearing apart the trees behind them like paper.

The wind pressure alone made Gray's ears ring.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… barely." Cassandra got up again, panting, her armor cracked.

They both looked up, and their eyes widened as the demon loomed above, its body steaming, its grin widening as if enjoying their struggle.

Then, it moved.

So fast that neither of them saw it coming.

BAM!

The Mirror was smashed into the ground, its body cracking like glass before fading into smoke.

Gray staggered back, his head pounding, the link between them broke suddenly, and pain shot through his chest like knives.

"Ghh!" he gasped, clutching his heart.

The demon laughed, voice echoing across the field.

"Your toy broke. What now, little clown?"

Gray looked up at him, breathing heavily, but then his lips slyly curved into a devilish grin. And that unfocused, yet empty gaze, made the demon shiver...

Actually shiver...

"Keke~"

That laugh came from Gray, causing both the Demon and Cassandra to look at him with surprise.

And then...

Splurt!

He threw his hand forward, and threads burst from his gloves again, piercing the demon's stomach.

"ARGHH!"

The Demon roared in pain, and suddenly, the black string turned completely blood-red as Gray's face gradually started to pale.

At the same time, the Demon's body also started to soften, as if weakened by something that was inside that string.

However...

That was none other than Gray's hidden skill...

"Final Masquerade~"

He muttered, laughing like a clown would.

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.

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[Hidden Skill: Final Masquerade]

Level: —

Type: Restricted / Sacrifice

Effect: Allows Gray to connect his life force to the target through a shared thread, forcing both to suffer the same damage and exhaustion.

Additional Traits:

— The link drains both bodies rapidly.

— When the link breaks, all pain and damage rebound on the user.

— Activation condition: Witness one's reflection perish.

"If I fall… then you'll fall with me."

——+——+——+——

.

.

.

"U-ugh... w-why can I move?!" The Demon groaned, trying to rip the string off, but he couldn't. Shit, he couldn't even take a step forward.

Slowly, with a weak smile, Gray turned to Cassandra.

"Finish him...."

"W-what?" Cassandra looked at him in shock.

"I cannot do that, he will heal in a matter of seconds!"

"No," Gray shook his head.

"This he won't, so just finish him in a single blow... a blow that could cut this whole terrain into two pieces."

Seeing his calm gaze, Cassandra gritted her teeth and decided to trust this Gray.

THRUM!

Flames rose from her body, enveloping both her and her scythe, causing the ground around them to shake furiously.

"Huff..."

She breathed out, as she closed her eyes...

And after a simple two seconds, she reopened them, but her eyes were now glowing with a strange intensity that caused the Demon to actually feel that death was coming.

"W-wait! D-don't kill me! If you do, your little friend will also die! I can feel that these damn string connects both of our lives!"

The Demon stammered, however, Gray simply nodded slighly, indicating that he probably had a plan in mind.

And with full confidence, Cassandra raised her scythe, and the shadow of a red reaper appeared behind her as she shot forward and swung her scythe deadly.

Fwip!

The air practically trembled as she swung it, even causing the space to tremble a bit.

Splurt!

Blood spluttered into the air, falling into Cassandra's face as she appeared behind the demon, her whole body sweating.

"Ugh..."

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