'Well… one mystery is solved, at least.'
Sunny became painfully aware of how the devil of the Reckoning was able to slaughter so many Awakened, and why no Nightmare Creature could survive on its island.
If the bastard was able to turn into a copy of any enemy while remaining as powerful as a Fallen Devil, then very few things could ever hope to escape from it alive.
And those Awakened who had escaped despite everything mistakenly believed that their companions fell to a creature that could mess with people's sight… what else would they think after watching a human being killed by what looked like their exact copy?
Well… why had no one thought that it was an actual copy and not a trick on the eye, damn it?!
If there was one thing that landed Sunny in this dire situation, it was that people in the Sanctuary severely lacked imagination!
…All these thoughts flashed through his mind as he used Shadow Step to disappear and fall awkwardly to the ground a dozen meters behind the devil, completely out of the way of the flying blade.
'Great… but now what?'
Just a few moments before, Sunny had been contemplating abandoning the fight and simply running away. Unlike some humans he had met in the past, he wasn't burdened by useless things like pride or vanity. If the situation called for a cowardly escape, he was ready and willing to do just that.
However, after activating the Preservation… he became much more unwilling to retreat. As arrogance flowed through him, he tried to figure out a way to defeat the bastard.
'Think, think…'
There was no time to think, though.
The reflection of Saint swiftly spun and lunged toward him. As Sunny teleported further away, the creature suddenly pivoted and crashed into the trunk of a tall, ancient tree.
A moment later, Sunny emerged from the shadows and saw, with annoyance, a giant mass of heavy wood plummeting on him from above.
Burning through his Essence, Sunny coolly raised his hands as he caught the falling tree. Using the Path of Qlipoth, his body had become exceptionally stalwart and unmoving.
It was at this moment that a stone sword flashed towards his heart…
Only to collide with another, identical blade as it was battered aside.
'Try and embarrass me in front of my lady again, loser.'
Sunny breathed out smoke as flames flickered around his hands, seeping into the bark of the massive tree. Augmenting himself with all three shadows and expending floods of Essence, Sunny threw the tree with a powerful push.
A flaming tree, actually.
It suddenly exploded into flames mid-flight, barreling towards the abomination as like a burning arrow fit for a giant.
How was the bastard going to escape this?
The creature indifferently lowered its shoulder, then simply disappeared into the shadows and appeared on the other side of the flying trunk. Then, it met attacking Saint with a devastating shoulder bash.
The onyx armor of the taciturn demon did not shatter as she contested it on even grounds. The apparition only had a single Core of strength over her, so it's advantage was not great.
That advantage was turned into a disadvantage as the Happy shadow augmented Saint.
Pushing it's identical sword to the side, Saint sent a terrible blow to it's left shoulder, causing the creature's armor to blast open as alabaster skin was revealed. It staggered, flailing back as the abomination's balance was lost. Saint raised her sword for a follow-up attack, prepared to finish off the strange foe.
…Suddenly, the ground crumbled.
Sunny's eyes flickered around as he felt small tremors below him. Saint — who was disrupted by the event — was struck by the devil's shield, her armor beginning to break down.
There were strange, golden patterns on the apparition, seeming like wounds that oozed gold. Seeing this sudden change, along with the damage that had been dealt to Saint, Sunny desperately dismissed her back to his Soul Sea.
The apparition turned to him and mockingly tilted its head. The tremors began to recede as the being — who was in the form of Saint, but tainted with golden cracks — seemed to taunt him.
Something… something was very wrong with that thing. It seemed maleficent and utterly mad, but at the same time… incomplete, somehow. Behind the evil will and terrifying killing intent that dwelled in its ruby eyes, there was a hint of some other, boundless emotion.
'...What even is that thing?'
He had no time to ponder about its nature, though, because the creature had once again turned into a pale young man with dark eyes and was lunging at him, a vicious smile frozen on its lips. As Sunny summoned the Lance of Preservation, the creature eyed the weapon with avarice.
Feeling a cold shiver running down his spine, Sunny realized that he would not win this fight. Nor was he capable of escaping from the Reckoning alive.
This time, he was truly in danger.
He was really going to die on this beautiful, peaceful island… and the last thing he was going to see before falling into the embrace of death would be his own reflection staring back at him through the eyes of his killer.
Unless…
He lunged forward and met the apparition's attack with a block, feeling his body shudder from the force of the blow.
He had assumed that the Devil of Reckoning was a shadow, and it was indeed similar to one… but, really, it was not. It only appeared as a shadow because Sunny himself had been in the form of a shadow when they first clashed. And once he had turned into a human, the devil, too, became a human.
The young man with the cold eyes of a killer took a small step and made a high thrust with the tachi. Sunny, however, knew his one fighting style too well to be caught by that trap. Knowing that the thrust was just a feint, he threw his own blade downward, and just barely managed to deflect a vicious slash that followed. He was late by a fraction of a second, though… another tear appeared in the fabric of the Puppeteer's Shroud, and a shallow wound on his thigh began sipping with blood.
The creature was more of a reflection than a shadow. It mirrored everything about its enemy. Their appearance, their weapons, their battle technique. Even their powers… otherwise, how would it be ble to use Shadow Step? In a sense, it was a perfect adversary. But that wasn't all…
Sunny grimaced as the apparition threw it's sword away and delivered a powerful kick that might have turned his ribs into bone dust without the Preservation. If not for the burst of Essence he had sent to his legs, Sunny would have never managed to dodge that devastating blow.
But his Essence was already running dry, and his enemy seemed to be even stronger now… as if the more Sunny bled, the more powerful the pale young man became.
The devil was even able to mirror the Memories its enemy wielded. Before, Sunny had experienced the soul attack of the copy of the Broken Oath. And now, the creature was obviously being fed raw power by the Blood Blossom…
The apparition had not seemed to be affected by the Broken Oath, though. Was that because it had assumed the form of Saint, who was immune to soul attacks? Did this mean that the devil was able to copy not only powers and Memories, but Attributes, too?
The creature easily deflected a thrust Sunny delivered with his lance, and leaned forward to deliver the final blow. Sunny's only hope to escape it was to jump back…
The lance faded into dying flames.
Sunny did not budge.
'Why should I retreat against this soulless wretch?!'
Sunny's left hand flashed upwards, grabbing the blade of the approaching Midnight Shard. His hands did not split open, a thin barrier protecting his skin. At the same time, he had cocked his right hand back, forming a fist.
Then, with burning resolve, multiple amber barriers formed around his hand like a makeshift gauntlet. Incinerating flames spread and coalesced, converging into a single moment.
An explosion.
Releasing his very will within a millionth of a second, Sunny's fist crashed into his twin's beautiful face, mangling it as he felt countless bones break. With narcissistic glee, Sunny spoke with maniacal fervor.
"You're not perfect at all. You can reflect a person's appearance, their Aspect, Attributes, Memories… but it all amounts to nothing. Do you know why?"
Scorch marks tore the apparitions face open as it attempted to reach out towards Sunny with it's free hand, the one that wasn't holding the Midnight Shard.
Immediately, he recognized that it was going to instantaneously summon the Moonlight Shard. That was what Sunny would do in this situation after all.
Grabbing it's hand with his fist, Sunny slowly crushed it as if it was a normal human hand, and not one reinforced by the Preservation.
Because it wasn't.
For whatever reason, the creature began to shake it's head, bringing Sunny to an epiphany; in response to his question, his Flaw forced the abomination to answer. Even Flaws were copied… which meant that Shadow Bond was as well.
So… all he had to do was say three simple words.
But he did not, for he was trying to prove a point.
As it's hand was turned into a messy pulp of flesh and bones, Sunny whipped it's face with another powerful punch as he heard the sickening sound of it's bones cracking. Flames continued to rage around them, harmlessly bouncing off of Sunny while continuously burning the abomination.
"Those shadows you use… they have no will of their own! What do you know about shadows, huh?! Sure, a reflection might be able to perfectly capture an image, but not the soul!"
Grinning, Sunny continued:
"Your turn…"
Those words were not for the abomination.
Suddenly, his entire demeanor changed. The flames that were completely harmless began to burn through his skin, and his eyes — once a darkness split by a stalwart amber glow — was now a pair of radiant gold. The Midnight Shard began to tear through his flesh.
Scowling, Sunny gave the devil another blow with a Destruction-empowered fist as it was blown back, tumbling through the uprooted earth. As horrific burns spread across Sunny's body, he gave the creature a look of contempt.
"Don't worry. I'll end this quick."
***
Beastie clawed against the ground, attempting to rise. Realizing it couldn't, it teleported a few dozen feet away.
The very moment it reemerged from the shadows, a spinning bat was aiming for it's face.
Raising it's arm in a panic, Beastie's limb was torn apart like a cotton doll. Flesh, bone, and torrents of blood flew through the air as it's eyes widened.
Distracted by the sudden loss, Beastie failed to realize the existence of the spiteful being behind it. Realizing that Sunny had used Shadow Step too late, it grabbed the Midnight Shard with it's remaining arm, spinning around to cut through the wrathful boy.
Beastie cut through nothing but air, though, as it's mirrored Shadow Sense detected a presence behind it once more. Sunny had used Shadow Step to repeatedly get into Beastie's blind spot, waiting until it's perception was fooled.
With that, he raised his hand, as if to caress the cheek of the pale young man, and then swiped it swiftly across his neck.
Almost invisible in the bright light, the ghostly blade of the Moonlight Shard trembled as drops of crimson blood fell from it into the vibrant grass.
The young man didn't move, but his pupils widened. A few moments later, blood flowed from between his lips, painting his pale skin red.
In it's last moments, Beastie revealed a tortured smile, reminiscing as it faced death.
Then, it fell.
On that day, a soulless creature gained a soul…
Before losing it in the face of death.
***
Sunny allowed his shadows to slip off his body before he slit the abomination's throat with the Moonlight Shard.
Sunny looked at the dying apparition, deeply disturbed by the visage in front of him.
…It was not every day that one got to see himself die.
'That's... that is...'
He paled slightly, but did not look away.
In front of him, a person who looked exactly like himself was slowly drowning in blood, a crimson torrent flowing from his cut throat.
A few moments later, when the creature was on the death's doorstep, its body suddenly trembled, and then shifted slightly. A tortured smile appeared on its face.
The apparition's lips moved, but just as before, no sound escape from them.
However, Sunny thought that he had managed to read a few words:
"…we… never… searching."
That was what the apparition had tried to say.
Then, the light in its eyes extinguished. A strange ripple spread over the young man's body, and a moment later, thin cracks appeared on his skin.
After a second or two, the creature shattered into a rain of silver glass, which then turned into a stream of light and disappeared.
Only one jagged mirror shard remained laying in the grass, reflecting nothing but cold darkness.
As Sunny stared at all this in bewilderment, the Spell whispered:
[You have slain an Ascended Reflection, Mirror Beast.]
Sunny blinked.
'Wait… what did it just say?'
The Spell, however, wasn't done speaking.
[...You have received a Memory.]