The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Unexpectedly, instead of creating a copy of Oscar as he was now, the realm of thoughts delved deep into his mind and pulled out his unconscious being, the demon state that overwhelmed Orden. This monstrous version of Oscar, Demon Oscar, stared at the original with a cold gaze and summoned a blue deer anima.

The realm of thoughts replicated everything, from weapons to anima. Demon Oscar fastened the red Invicus Bulwark on his forearm and held a boxing stance with two fists clenched.

"What the hell are you?" Oscar summoned his deer anima in response. He paled and breathed unevenly, raspy like an old man in his last days. His fear of Demon Oscar was beyond anything, even the fear of death he had experienced so many times.

Death was not what Demon Oscar wished for upon its enemies. It felt utterly nothing toward them, gazing at Oscar and regarding him as an insect–a truly indifferent state without concerns about life or death, only the desire to destroy and tear apart.

Demon Oscar moved; a clear knock echoed through the white realm of thoughts. Then it vanished from sight.

'Fast!' Oscar widened his eyes in shock and brought his bulwark to the direction Demon Oscar ran toward. His Prinstyct caught a whiff of its direction before it vanished, but it was enough. He faced Demon Oscar, agape at the sheer speed it displayed.

'I've never been this fast. How is it possible he's doing it? I thought it was supposed to be a mirror of me.' He raised his bulwark to defend, wanting to observe for the time being, and sent forth his deer anima to entangle with the other. But he coughed out in pain. Demon Oscar's deer anima kicked and tossed the other, sending painful rebounds.

Then Demon Oscar came before Oscar and kicked from the side. Oscar saw these motions through his Prinstyct and moved to block. Suddenly, the intent changed, and the kick swerved around his bulwark.

'Silver Sheen'

With his silver armor active, Oscar used 'Edureisclad' as the last line of defense. Demon Oscar stabbed the tip of its foot into Oscar. The sound of metal breaking apart made Oscar shake.

Oscar felt a crushing pain in his stomach as the kick blew him away to the side. The kick completely overwhelmed all of Oscar's defenses.

'This is impossible. How is his kick so fluid and powerful to break apart my defenses?' Oscar vomited out blood due to Demon Oscar's kick shattering his stomach. Though he was in the realm of thoughts, the pain was real, which was why it bore the risk of breaking people's minds. Oscar stood on shaky legs. His core stung as his deer anima tumbled over to his side.

Cracks spread all over its body, and one of its antlers was crushed. Oscar stared at its broken body and then at Demon Oscar. It did not mince words as it charged out at Oscar in a great dash, lifting its arm and forming a 'Silver Lance.'

"A killing blow? Bring it on!" Oscar poured all his Ein and Reis into his 'Silver Lance' and it forth against his demon. The two lances met at the tip, and a grating sound of a high-pitched wail echoed from the clash of their 'Shattering Waves'. The Ein burned away from the collision as a deafening shockwave boomed.

One crack formed on Oscar's lance, and he clenched his teeth. Another crack formed, then another, and more and more until finally, his lance broke apart, and Demon Oscar's lance pierced through his chest, letting out a downpour of blood onto the clean white floor.

Demon Oscar remained indifferent and took out its lance instantly. Oscar plopped to the floor but still managed to say on his knees. He breathed in gasps and wheezes and stared at Demon Oscar with a final defiant gaze.

'Silver Star'

Without warning, Oscar shot his spell. Demon Oscar had seen through it with its own Prinstyct and had already shot out its own 'Silver Star'. Oscar watched helplessly as his final attempt turned into dust, and his head splurted out a mix of brain and skull.

Oscar's last sight was Demon Oscar staring at him coldly.

"Wow!" Oscar shouted. His rolled-over eyes returned to normal, showing his obsidian pupils and his hand raised, no longer connected to the needle. He clutched his chest with a pale, sweat-ridden face and tasted the familiar touch of death on his tongue.

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"Are you alright? Did you defeat yourself? You've only been in there for less than a minute, and you've won?" Gol-4 thumped its head up and down.

No, that was incorrect. Oscar spat on the floor and took out a bottle of water. The refreshing cool drink diminished the foul taste of death.

"Gol-4, is it truly a copy of myself?" Oscar felt numbness in his fingertips.

"That's what this trial is meant for. You have to surpass your current self."

"That can't be right. This whole trial is broken."

"No. Nothing is wrong. As far as I can tell, it's functioning properly." Gol-4 was curious about what unnerved Oscar so much. "What did you see?"

Oscar drew in all the air into his lungs and exhaled slowly.

Everything about Demon Oscar was impossible. He had never done of the feats it displayed against him and was certainly not a mirror copy. Oscar told all this to Gol-4, who listened in silence.

"Interesting. The realm of thoughts should have delved into your mind and created you with all your abilities and fighting style. If you faced such an opponent, perhaps, that is your true capabilities manifested."

"I've never been that fast, nor did my anima ever move in such a way." Oscar still did not believe. He failed to understand that this Demon Oscar was his hidden potential, locked away by his subconscious. Only thanks to the realm of thoughts were it able to come face to face against Oscar.

"Then face it again. Look over at that." Gol-4 levitated over to another arrow. The arrow looked still, but it was rotating around to complete one full revolution like the other.

Gol-4 said, "That is twelve hours. You have twelve hours to complete this part of the test. Go back in and face it again. Not everyone has the chance to fight themselves."

"Again…." Oscar stared at his bloodied hand. He nodded and stamped his hand on the needle again to face Demon Oscar. His mind drifted away into the white realm of thoughts.

In there, Demon Oscar formed again and summoned its deer anima. It stepped forward, ready to strike, and sped into a wild charge.

'Silver Burst'

Oscar poured his Ein into his spell; his speed increased but was still no match against Demon Oscar's. Undeterred by this, Oscar rammed into Demon Oscar with his red bulwark like a battering ram. Demon Oscar had done the same, and the clear sound of their bulwarks clashing reverberated like a bell signaling the start of their battle.

Their eyes gleamed with Prinstyct and thus began their fierce melee. Oscar had his deer anima play defensively against the strange movements of Demon Oscar's deer anima, as both were grade-four animas and could not easily overwhelm the other's defense.

Oscar tightened his guard with 'Edureisclad' and observed Demon Oscar. Each of his attacks faced several counters from Demon Oscar. He could see the movements with the Prinstyct, but the fluid movements and unexpected angles forced him back, and he suffered several blows.

'His attacks are too powerful. Our Prinstycts, Adamasreis, and Ein are the same, yet he's overwhelming me.' Oscar swung from the right, but Demon Oscar swerved its hand on Oscar's wrist and tossed him upside down.

Oscar slammed bareback onto the floor. His lungs squeezed empty in a gasp. Despite the damage, Oscar did not stop observing his other self, feeling admiration for how it moved so freely.

'It's not wielding the bulwark as I do. It uses both hands and fights masterfully. I didn't think I would be thrown so easily either.' Oscar snapped to reality and rolled around before Demon Oscar's foot stamped hard on the ground. He got to his feet, but a numbness permeated over where Demon Oscar had hit him.

Suddenly, his core trembled. Oscar's deer anima could no longer hold on against the wildness of the other and suffered a heavy blow. Oscar wiped the blood flowing from his mouth and charged at Demon Oscar.

'Edureisclad'

Oscar slugged Demon Oscar's arm.

This time, Demon Oscar paused slightly, and Oscar smiled. What a fool he was for neglecting the versatility of the Reis techniques. He had done it before with Omnireis, so nothing held him back from using Edureisclad to attack.

'My thinking is too rigid. Just because techniques are preset into different types and categories doesn't mean I should only use them for such. That's why your attacks can be deadly even without using Shattering Wave.' Oscar infused his 'Edureisclad' in all his attacks.

Demon Oscar, ever expressionless, approached. Its attacks were so wild yet sublime in their technique Oscar suffered several blows. With a desperate shout, Oscar kicked, and Demon Oscar kicked back.

Equal Ein, equal Reis, same use of 'Edureisclad.' Oscar thought he could match Demon Oscar, but his leg gave away and cracked. Then another silver lance pierced his chest, and the feeling of death enveloped him.

'We used the same kick with everything, and I still lost. There's something odd.'

Oscar awoke in the real world and laid back on the cool stone ground to rest his mind. He knew there was something else to Demon Oscar's attacks, something that he needed to grasp. The source of this power, a mystery to Oscar, was the true fusion of Reis and Ein, which elevated Demon Oscar's attacks and spells to greater heights.

'There's nothing else I can do.' Oscar ignored Gol-4's questions in the background and placed his hand on the needle once more.

Demon Oscar manifested again with its cold, dark expression.

Oscar chuckled. He moved his bulwark at the same time as Demon Oscar, tying it over his forearm, and took the same stance with two fists.

"Still got a bit less than twelve hours. In that time, I'll copy everything you do."

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