Time passed extraordinarily quickly for Replicus. Before he knew it, he had outsmarted the Grand Flame Bringer and his Fire Breeders, and had made a deal with them. In exchange for being spared, he would help them navigate the world outside their Cluster.

Thankfully, the mighty Cluster General had been anxious enough to belief Replicus, otherwise he would have been done for. Thus, he had spent two days as a captive, awaiting the day when the Cluster was supposed to finally allow the Cluster beasts to leave, spilling them into Aigas.

In that time though, he found several things strange.

Camilla.

She seemed… off.

He could tell it was her, but she also seemed like a template of someone else. Someone he knew very well.

Strange.

Did he really have a sister, while looking like this?

A part of him heavily rebuked him whenever he doubted the fact. Of course he had a sister, and her name was Camilla!

How could he doubt that?

But…

Had she really been with him all this time? If so, how come she felt both extremely familiar when she talked, but extremely vague he tried to process her face?

Well, that didn’t matter now, the majority of the Fire Breeders were gathered around the cracks in the Cluster now, ready to leave. Their skinny frames with white horns, numbering in the thousands seemed eager, especially with their Cluster General among them.

They were wary, but Replicus was ready.

Now was the time.

Replicus had formed an elaborate plan to give himself and Camilla a chance to survive before they left the Cluster.

That plan required Camilla to use his sword, Demion’s Dance, in order to kill as many of the Fire Breeders as possible. Of course, he had faith in her to use it properly – if he could do anything other than penetrative attacks, he would have done this himself, but oh well.

Camilla was just as good of a candidate. She had a Hidden Class that made her immortal. She wasn’t afraid of death, much like Replicus who had shed that fear a long time ago in the Temple of Unlusted Tears. If she could resonate with the green-bladed sword, much like him, she should be able to use it properly!

Quickly, Replicus passed Demion’s Dance to Camilla who was at first disheartened. Then he gave her words of encouragement to inspire her spirit.

“Hey, Camilla. It’s alright. Just as you’ve had the strength to forgive me for what I did back then, I’m confident that you can use that sword as well as me. Better even! Come on! Just swing it!”

Camilla looked invigorated.

She looked at the Fire Breeders who shouted and rushed at her after seeing her wield a sword from out of nowhere, and she gritted her teeth and swung the sword as hard as she could!

SHIIIIII—

But then…

“Wait,” Replicus suddenly said. His sockets blazing furiously. “This is all wrong.”

Indeed. This was all wrong.

It really was all wrong.

This is not how it happened!

So many details were missing!

This had happened before!

[High level concept detected. ‘Lambent Phosphor’. To learn the lesser essentials, an investment of 45,180 is required]

Replicus looked at this notification and something deep within him clicked.

Right!

This was what he had been stalling for before, right?!

Subconsciously, he commanded enough Null Life Essence to be drawn, like before, and invested into the proposal [Epiphany] presented!

Immediately, his affinity with Lambent Phosphor rose to B!

…!

Like clockwork, everything around Replicus instantly began to break apart or turn illusory.

That’s right! That’s right!

His mind caught on after he had taken action!

He was fighting Nedalia when she used her Secondary assault function!

Replicus’ thoughts exploded into action and he quickly judged the situation according to what he had seen!

Of course, the light which surged around the Territory had come from the large arrowhead which had been playing inaudible scenes from Replicus’ life!

‘The Secondary assault function, Rage of Truths must be an attack that uses all that knowledge to construct a realistic world that traps the target!’ Replicus thought.

That was terrifying!

To think Nedalia knew enough about him to conjure…

Replicus’ sockets blazed fiercely.

Camilla.

So that’s what Nedalia had meant when she said she knew his weaknesses.

The Penetrator scoffed.

Weakness was a stretch. He barely knew Camilla. The last he had seen of her, was when the ascended Somanda had shown him her likeness trapped in that hall which housed all of the Lich’s imprisoned souls.

Even then he hadn’t felt to strongly towards her!

‘Looks like she didn’t know much after all.’

Indeed, Nedalia didn’t. She pieced together what limited information she had to construct a convincing world around the weakness she thought Replicus to have, and it failed in the end!

Be that as it may, Replicus realised that he was likely in trouble right now. Perhaps two days hadn’t passed, like in the Imaginary world just yet, but Nedalia must have had ample time to inflict serious damage while he was stunned!

As the world around him shattered, he saw the brilliant glow all around, which was rendered less effective by his higher affinity with Lambent Phosphor, but not entirely.

He could still feel a suffocating pressure around his body, his armour and the robe.

He could still even see the floating illusion of Camilla.

Ignoring it, Replicus’ sight shot towards the figures close to him.

He was perplexed with what he saw.

The massive half-man, half-serpent creature had had its torso blown off, and was drifting slowly beside Nedalia who looked to have had a decent chunk of her left side shaved off by something perfectly circular!

She had an agitated look on her face, which turned ugly when she saw Replicus’ glowing sight directed towards her!

…!!!

“How—” she began in horror when an enormous, dark something, decked in a solid white hue of Nitros sped towards her, narrowly missing her figure which likely dove through a mirror shard that Replicus and the others couldn’t see because of the bright highlights!

‘I see,’ Replicus thought, elated.

Looking into the distance, he saw one of the ethereal cannons on his ship facing in this direction. Pherdanta had a determined look as she faced the Penetrator.

Replicus was pleasantly surprised, though it had been his hope.

Baddan’s Nitros weathered through even the Secondary assault of Cryptic Axiom Chasm!

Replicus could see the Sky Watcher straining under the conditions. He imagined Baddan’s situation was even worse than it looked, considering that he was also supplying Nitros to attacks launched from the cannons, after all, without it, they would be cancelled out by the Territory!

‘What a well-timed intervention…’ Replicus thought with a silent chuckle.

His crew had proven more useful that he thought even in these unfavourable conditions.

They deserved some manner of reward after this.

Replicus felt his armour start to return to normal. It had been turning into shards of mirrors though resisting the effect little by little the more his affinity to Lambent Phosphor grew.

Now, he had acquired enough of an affinity to not only resist the no doubt more advanced application of Lambent Phosphor in Rage of Truths – though just barely – but to also heal his armour, as like Granted Armament, it restored itself with Null Life Essence.

As surprising as it may be to discover, Replicus’ armour had a unique quality added in order to accommodate his skill [Epiphany]’s abilities.

With the name Hollow Dusk’s Prison, the armour, at Replicus’ command, could become project him onto itself. In order to successfully expose him to concepts, it would bear the attacks while transferring their effects and the pattern of their constitution to Replicus. This was the reason why attacking the armour was the same as attacking Replicus… but without harming him.

Replicus quickly searched for Nedalia’s figure. She emerged elsewhere, her face turned feral once more at the spectacular failure she hadn’t foreseen.

She whipped her finger across the air, and the largest erect and slanted column of Lambent Phosphor yet, smashed into Replicus.

However, this time, there was barely an effect to his armour.

Nedalia gritted her teeth.

“What is going on…?” she murmured fiercely.

She began to mobilise the souls she had reserved, perhaps to give herself another ample boost.

Replicus wouldn’t allow it.

He was done stalling.

With Lambent Phosphor now less effective against him, courtesy of [Epiphany] and [Nullmancer’s Royal Raiment of Acclimation], he could now apply the final set piece to end his opponent, who was laughably basic, after all was said and done.

Without warning, a very long object appeared in his hand, crackling with a light, pristine, royal blue hue.

Its shape was crooked, like a bolt of lightning – excessively so – a single edged pointed tip at its end.

Its nine metre length that was silent and pulsing with unnatural brightness at intervals, caught the attention of everything in the Territory.

Like the [Nullmancer’s Royal Raiment of Acclimation], this weapon, was in fact, a skill.

One that worked hand-in-hand with the other two Nullmancer exclusive skills.

[The Nullmancer’s Unforgiving Lancet]!