Chapter 11

My Heart and My Feeling (2)

    "The best way to analyze," both the doppelganger and the real Esther said simultaneously, "is to punch myself in the face."

    The laughter of two entities blending together sounded peculiar to the ears, one being an extension consciousness, and the other the true consciousness. The two shared a similar mentality. Their motivation for fighting wasn't deep, just something they'd wanted to do for a long time.

    The blood in his veins boiled not with anger but with an excitement that knew no bounds. It was an indescribable feeling of thrill.

    After that, the two Esthers charged at each other.

    Two crazed demons got into the brawl, one armed, one barehanded.

    It was clear to both… which was superior.

    They lunged at each other swiftly, not caring about the method of attack. Adrenaline surged, the surroundings seemed to slow down except for the opponent right in front of them, the annoying obstacle inviting them to cross over had never been so clear.

    It had to be worth it!!!

    "Hestia!!!"

    The sword in doppelganger's hands aimed at Esther, who charged directly at him, easily dodging before his eyes widened as the weapon in the opponent's hand glowed golden. In a flash, the doppelganger switched the sword's direction towards Esther, shooting a ray just past his face and into the forest.

    Dodged it... Esther sighed in relief as he ducked.

    "Why dodge, myself?" the doppelganger wielding the sword shifted the ground beneath them, creating cracks.

    "And you'd let yourself get sliced instead, myself?" Esther retorted before launching a kick at the doppelganger's neck. As the doppelganger raised the sword to block, Esther drew back his leg, shifting his weight to stomp, and then, with his right hand, struck the doppelganger's chin, sending him flying.

    The sound of bones clashing echoed to their core. The punch must have reached the brain, but the doppelganger still stood, using the sword as a crutch, his eyes gleaming like a fierce tiger. They knew well... that for themselves, barehanded was best.

    No cries, no pleas.

    What needed to be done was to retaliate.

    The doppelganger lifted the sword, flinging dirt at Esther’s face before raising it high and slashing down with full force, marking the ground as if tilling a field. Esther rolled away from the sword ray of the Hestia sword, looking for anything usable nearby. Though he found nothing, his refusal to give up could change the tide.

    Esther charged at the doppelganger again, delivering a powerful punch. Naturally, the doppelganger blocked it instinctively, but what followed was a knee strike to the lower abdomen, unprotected due to the Claymore's mid-range limitation, making close combat unavoidable.

    Thump!

    All-out, holding nothing back, Esther weaved his right punch under the guard before hooking his left at the opponent's face from the opposite direction of the sword. Even though he risked getting his arm severed, he thought grappling was better than being sliced in two. The punch to the face left the doppelganger dazed for a moment before it could command its weapon for defense

    …A gratification, another condition of power that Tartarus predicted, pushing Esther to intensify his attack.

    "Tartarus, hold that one down.”

    As soon as he finished speaking, the doppelganger launched chains like a venomous snake hunting its prey. They burrowed into the ground and burst out as dozens of lines, binding Esther in place.

    Esther tried to think of any tool at his disposal; Tartarus had already provided him with some of the tools she could use. The things etched from the pain in his heart were painful enough that he wished to forget, but now, Esther had to summon all sorts of torture tools to survive.

    "Finger Cutter," Esther shouted for Tartarus's torture tool, now not with him. He wasn't sure if it would work here, but he was willing to bet on it. If it did work, it meant hundreds of other tools would follow.

    Ching!

    A sharp sound followed by the appearance of a tiny guillotine locking onto the chain.

    Hundreds of miniature guillotines lined up along the simulated chains called Tartarus. The moment they were severed, Esther immediately knew their strength couldn't compare to the real thing, even if they could pull out his persona and memories. It seemed their efficiency was a different world.

    Bang!!!

    A bullet grazed Esther's face, making him stare dumbfounded at his opponent. Loki, the devil pistol, shimmering brilliantly as if it were a fine piece of jewelry, was now in the hands of the doppelganger Esther, turned into an execution tool for him.

    'Not engaging in close combat even though we excel in hand-to-hand... Why?’

    ‘Creating distance?'

    Though curious, it wasn't the time for hesitations. Throwing away what had been discarded and trying new things was what Esther decided to do now; otherwise, surviving the onslaught of enemy spears and swords would be difficult. But what the other did next left him utterly shocked.

    "O the bound,"

    As soon as these words of doom were heard, black chains sprouted, locking his ankles and him once again. Esther screamed uncontrollably, realizing the opponent used ranged weapons for this reason.

    "Damn it!!!"

    "Condemn your fate for seeing me," the voice from the chains showcased the doppelganger Tartarus's capability. Even if not as durable as the original, the calamity it could unleash was undoubtedly genuine.

    "It's not just about resentment, damn it! Don't do this," Esther yelled back at the doppelganger, who simply shrugged as if hearing the song of a crow.

    "Hate your destiny for meeting me.”

    At this moment, Esther wasn't just looking for defensive postures; his mind was frantically searching for the best torture tool for defense. Otherwise, a thousand bullets and a massive spell would shred his well-proportioned body into bits.

    "Drown in utter darkness for daring to go against the bearer of me."

    Books filled the sky, each revealing their contents as weapons and profound spells began their countdown. Esther called for the Finger Cutter to sever the chains immediately... but they didn't break as easily as before. It seemed an upgrade had just happened.

    "Eternally bear in mind, you wither in hands of me,"

    "It's not over yet, Ion Maiden!!!!" Esther countered with his final spell,

    "CRYING DESTINY."

    Esther was engulfed in his most beloved and hated torture device, never imagining it would be part of his collection.

    Loved, for its charm.

    Hated, for its function.

    The young man’s body was well-protected without being attacked by the grand magic, but in exchange for being stabbed by thousands of sharp iron pins. Even though the door did not close well due to the chains around his ankles, the mincing ritual was not complete, for the bullet rain did not approach.

    Swoosh!!

    He swallowed the saliva when a sword pierced in from between the gap – next to his neck.

    After the attack ended, fresh blood covered the floor. Esther slammed the door open with six bullet holes in his arm. Tartarus’ final magic was meant to kill. Yet, he tilted his body to meet the thorns while the door had not closed well. So, the bullet hit him only in the right side. His tall body swayed before the iron maiden before falling down.

    It was the torture tool he swore that he would never get in unless necessary.

    “He He He”

    This is the death he would not accept.

    The last pre-requisite for his power.

    “Kill him,” the only word uttered from his mouth.

    The moment the word was spoken, his magical power flooded as if the flash flood. The opponent who sensed the never-before-present pressure evaded, creating the distance. The psychic power in the person on the ground detonated, forming a bloody aura around him.

    “Ah…yes, there’s something different but acceptable,” The fake Esther revealed his smile seeing the prisoner of the cursed building pushing his blood-soaked body up. “Remember this feeling. It’s the door to your real power.”

    Esther’s feet stomped with his full power, dashing toward his opponent in a split second.

    The two hands grabbed his head and chin, ready for a full power twist.

    It was blocked by the sword stabbed through his arm. Esther gave him a headbutt at the back of his head before dashing backward.

    Power…depended on the mentality.

    The only magic he knew was uttered from him immediately because this power was nothing when he was younger. Therefore, he did not think to study magic, yet now he learned this one spell from the back door… And this was the only spell he was confident enough to turn the table.

    “O the bound,” Esther spatted a mouthful of blood. “Condemn your fate for seeing me,”

    Seeing that, the doppelgänger dashed forward with his weapon. In the blink of an eye, Esther dodged while swaying back and forth. His right hand, with bullets embedded inside, grabbed the doppelgänger’s head, chanting magic.

    “Hate your destiny for meeting me,”

    He slashed his sword a long slit toward Ether’s abdomen. Despite being shallow, the pain made him collapse, yet the chanting still continuously went on.

“Drown in utter darkness for daring to go against me,”

The fake one raised his sword, intending to end this game.

    “Eternally bear in mind, you wither in hands of me,” Esther stared at his opponent, raising his hand to ward the slashing sword off until it stabbed the ground. “CRYING DESTINY”

    Silence immediately covered the area. Though the chanting ended, the fake Esther’s face was filled with either crying or laughing look – he pulled his sword up. His face was overwhelmed with happiness seeing the opponent revealing himself completely without hiding anything.

    “Ha Ha Ha… You’re wrong. You don’t have anything in your armory, so can’t use this spell” The doppelgänger shouted to his face with content. “You must have the armory with you to chant that spell. You who don’t have anything could not compete with me who have Tartarus as the armory.”

    “Then… I’m not using it,” Esther revealed a cruel smile. “Didn’t you see that I previously summoned the iron maiden.”

    The fake Esther sighed softly, “Bullshit.”

    At that moment, the Erebus Cross, out of nowhere, appeared to stab him in the back. The inferno chain performed its duty by dragging him to the crucifix before turning itself upside down. It floated up and down rapidly as if shaking a bottle of water. A breath time later, it disappeared in the air, making the bound fall down by gravity. Underneath was the iron maiden receiving him, sending blood splashed as soon as the door closed.

    The moment the doppelgänger was released, the Finger Cutter fulfilled its purpose perfectly. Every finger on both hands and feet was chopped off without hesitation. Various traps appeared relentlessly, from animal pits to lightning rods, and there was healing before death ensued, ensuring every torture device performed its task. The wails gradually ceased before the final hell was encountered.

    The beginning of the next hell.

    A single orb floated in front of the doppelgänger, then it started glowing, enveloping the battered form until it returned to normal.

    “Novel Stars, the orb of resurrections of death.”

     There actually is this kind of thing. Esther looked at it with difficulty as he cast his spell.

    Novel Stars was considered the most forbidden device of the forbidden. It resurrected the target while maintaining the pain of death coursing through their mind and body, intensifying with each death up to nine times – each death more painful than the last until it multiplies ninefold.

    Wounds appeared as if no one had touched the doppelgänger’s body, but in reality, it was being tortured in reverse rapidly, like a video replaying. What followed was the insane shrieking of the counterpart, forcing Esther to cover his face in pity.

    It was still himself... beating oneself up was acceptable at times, but the scene in front of him was hard to bear.

    “Argh!!!”

    His last scream before the final death echoed dryly as the separated soul soared into the air and disappeared into the sky. Esther watched the other side of the sky turn into a mirror, reflecting his unconscious image.

    Then, Esther faced another auditory torture, as the soul re-entered the book, causing the black book to scream insanely as if being tortured. The sound echoed back to where he was, making his hair stand on end, resolving not to use Novel Stars again unless absolutely necessary.

'The book that took back the information, still writhes under such torture, huh.'