Rise of the Cosmic_Emperor

Bradley's eyes widened as following the change in Hal's eye color, he grew stronger and began to push him back.

Not to mention the Bloodcurdling feeling Hal was now exuding.

As the two continued their test of strength, Bradley had a sudden idea, and making a daring move of taking one hand off his sword, he charged a cosmic attack with that hand and struck it into Hal's midsection but Hal simply smiled at his naivete.

Before the attack could actually hit him, he vanished from the Mayor's sight and the attack went unimpeded towards the array dome only to be ricocheted towards him.

Bradley planned to evade it but there was only so much he could do when Hal landed a kick on his back and sent him rocketing right into the cosmic attack, 

*Bang!*

Of course, being that it was an attack he had charged himself and its effects had been lessened upon contact with the Dome, Bradley was pleased that it only caused a little numbness on his chest.

Nothing he could not shrug off.

However, he had failed to see that the array dome's ricocheting factor was never actually meant to ricochet his own attacks but to ricochet Hal's, 

*Bang!*

Case in point, Hal charged a Cosmic attack towards the Dome and it ricocheted off it towards Bradley who canceled it out with an attack of his own.

Then Hal struck multiple attacks at the boundary and watched as they all ricocheted and targeted Bradley who found himself smack dab in the middle of it all.

However, the Mayor was far from worried. In fact, he smiled and charged an attack of his own but did not strike at any of the multiple attacks in particular but struck right at the ground beneath his feet.

As the Array was protecting the ground, Bradley's cosmic attack ricocheted in an Area of effect pattern that canceled most of the attacks Hal had sent towards him.

As for the ones that were not canceled out, he could evade.

It was a testament to how Bradley was not underestimating Hal that he did not let any of the attacks make contact with his body as long as he could avoid them.

The last thing he needed was more surprises from someone whose change in eye color could suddenly grant a powerful presence and the strength to contend with an expert two cultivation stages above him.

*Clang*

Once again, their blades met in a ringing sound after which they both separated only to strike once again at each other. 

Both weapons became shrouded in cosmic phenomenons with Bradley's being clearly deeper and stronger than Hal's and with it came the upper hand once they detonated those phenomenons when their weapons connected.

But soon, he had to be on the lookout for something else in Hal's arsenal; Fiendish fogs.

The red fogs exuding demonic might were incredibly versatile and capable of changing shapes in seconds. Their preferred shape was usually to he tapered at the end and strike at the Mayor.

They were successful more than a few times and had already caused more than a few nicks and cuts on Bradley's body and at some point when he attempted to avoid them, it resulted in a brief lapse in concentration that Hal was quick to take advantage of by sinking a knee into the Mayor's midsection. 

*Bam!*

And then follow up with a strike to his jaw that sent the Mayor crashing into the Array Dome.

"Ack" Bradley groaned as his back made contact with the Dome boundary but the groan was all he allowed as he stretched his hand forward, 

"Fourth grade Skill: Knight's Guard" 

He summoned a four circle ring out of which emerged a normal-looking bronze shield which the four circled ring continued to rotate around.

With that pointed in front of him and his sword held tight in his hand, Bradley ignored all the pain he was feeling and charged towards Hal who eyed the shield with a light smile.

With a flex of his mind, he controlled the fogs to stretch even farther away from him, and strike at Bradley who still dashed towards him with the shield held before him.

The fogs avoided direct contact with the shield and targeted his exposed sides, 

However, as though sensing the attack, the shield expanded to surround him and deflect all for attacks. 

Bradley grinned as his defense was successful and then he yelled and released the full might of his cultivation base which blasted everything in the surroundings of him and Hal.

The bed, the rune lamps, chairs, desk... Everything that was inside the array dome was blasted back to clear an open space for his attack on Hal.

But then he noticed Hal's expression had not changed following that unsuccessful fog attack. 

Hal's eyes went completely Dark as he was now making use of his shadow demonic bloodline and then he blurred away from Bradley's sights right before the Mayor could strike him.

When Hal next appeared, it was on his right side... Or was it in his left?

Bradley blinked and he came to a stop when he saw not just one Hal but two.

They both looked completely identical and stared at him with the same expressions.

Then the one on his right spoke,

"Surprised? Freaked out? I don't blame you" he said before the Hal on the left charged a Cosmic attack and sent it to the Mayor who turned his shield to defend himself but the attack passed through him as though it did not exist. 

Then the one that had spoken before and was behind him, closed the distance in a matter of seconds to slam his palm against Bradley's back, which was suddenly protected again by the Knight guard skill, and hit him point-blank with a Cosmic attack...

This one was real...

*BANG!*

The Shield blocked most of the attack's impact but it had caused a considerable strain on it as it cracked and showed signs of rapidly deteriorating integrity.

However, Bradley did not pay attention to this as he felt he had discovered the trick and slashed his sword at the Hal who had struck him and grinned as it made contact... Only to pass through as though he was intangible.

"Impossible!" He said.

The one he had just struck put his hands behind his back and smiled, 

"Is it?" He asked just as the Hal who had sent a cosmic attack before landed a kick on Bradley's back and pushed him forward.

*Bam*

*Crack*

There were now additional cracks on the shield as the kick had been placed right on the crack that had been caused by the point-blank cosmic attack.

"Arrghhh" Bradley groaned and jabbed at the Hal, who had kicked him and was now in front of him, with his sword but it went clean through just before the Intangible Hal took a step back.

Then the other one came dashing at him with a charged cosmic attack but when Bradley held up his shield for protection, the attack simply went through him and the one behind him who he had stabbed, struck him with a Cosmic attack on the same spot the Shield was weakening at.

"Confused?" One of the Hals asked and the other one continued, 

"Let me explain. This is my mirage..." 

"... We are both real..."

"... And we are both fake..."

".... When one is real, the other is fake and ..."

"... Only I decide..."

"... Which will be fake..."

"... And which will be real..."

"... So don't bother attempting to know which will strike you for real..."

"... because you can't figure it out"

This was a Shadow Demon bloodline ability known as Shadow mirage. It involved the creation of an illusion that could perform the skills and abilities of the original except that it was an illusion that would not actually have an effect.

However, the impressive part of the ability was not in the creation of the mirage but in the fact that the original could switch between him or herself and the mirage.

In which case the one that had been considered real would become a mirage and the one that had been considered a mirage would become real.

"Who cares which is real, I'll just strike you both!" Bradley yelled and summoned actual cosmic phenomenons and let them loose on the surrounding. Blasting everything back.

It no longer mattered which Hal was real and which was a mirage, the result was the same...

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