The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy - Chapter 401

Capítulo 401: The Beginning Of The End [LXIII]

Kael instantly stopped laughing.

“…Okay,” he said slowly.

“That’s new.”

“This isn’t part of the illusion sequence, you dumb shit!” Tyrian’s smile vanished instantly as he looked around, his eyes narrowing sharply.

Aestrea didn’t say anything.

He was already scanning the space, his body relaxing into a familiar state of focus.

The ruined city illusion collapsed in on itself, the buildings melting into streams of light that were violently pulled upward.

The sky shattered like glass, fragments spiraling away into darkness. In less than two seconds, the entire environment was replaced.

They now stood on a vast circular platform floating in an endless void.

Below them, nothing but black.

Above them, the same.

Strange symbols rotated slowly beneath their feet, far more complex than the usual arcade runes.

“What kind of budget increase did this place get?” Kael muttered, trying to joke, but his voice lacked confidence.

“Kael… the pain dampener.” Tyrian swallowed.

“What about it?” Kael blinked.

“…It’s gone.”

That made Kael stiffen.

As if to confirm those words, a low sound echoed through the void. It wasn’t loud, but it carried weight, like something massive shifting its attention toward them.

From the darkness ahead, shapes began to form.

Not what seemed to be illusions, as they were too detailed.

Three figures stepped forward, each one mirroring the others almost perfectly.

“…Why does mine look more handsome?” Kael stared at the one that looked exactly like him, down to the stupid grin and wild hair.

“Shut up,” Tyrian snapped, eyes locked on his double.

His copy was calm and already forming spells without wasted motion.

Aestrea’s counterpart said nothing.

It simply stood there, his crimson eyes glowing faintly with Midnight already resting in its hand.

“…That’s bad,” Kael muttered.

The attendant’s voice suddenly crackled through the space, distorted and panicked.

“A-all participants, p-please evacuate immediately, system breach—”

The voice cut off.

Fwoop!

And just then, the copy of Kael moved first, vanishing from his sight.

Kael barely had time to react before something slammed into his ribs, lifting him off the ground and sending him rolling across the platform.

“GRAH—!” He skidded to a stop and coughed.

“Yeah, okay! That hurt WAY more than sixty percent!”

BOOOM!

Tyrian unleashed a barrage of spells without hesitation, light and force crashing toward his double.

His counterpart countered perfectly, their magic colliding midair and detonating in a violent blast that sent cracks racing through the platform.

“This thing knows everything I do!” Tyrian shouted.

Aestrea stepped forward slowly.

His copy mirrored him, his sword lifting at the exact same angle.

They clashed.

CLANG!

The sound rang out like a bell struck by gods. The shockwave rippled outward, nearly knocking Kael off his feet.

“WHY IS THAT ONE SO STRONG?!” Kael scrambled up, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Because it’s Aestrea!” Tyrian shot back, ducking as a spell grazed past his head.

Aestrea’s expression hardened.

With each movement he made, the copy answered perfectly.

Every feint, every little change he did now executed a slash… it anticipated them all. Their blades met again and again, sparks flying, neither gaining ground.

“Tsk,” Aestrea clicked his tongue quietly.

Kael saw it.

“…Oh,” he muttered.

“That face means he’s annoyed.”

Kael barely had time to say it before Tyrian suddenly froze mid-step, his eyes widening as if something slammed into his memory.

“WAIT—!” Tyrian shouted, nearly tripping over his own feet.

“This thing… this is a Mimic Tear!”

“A what now?!” Kael twisted his head mid-swing.

BAAAM!

Tyrian ducked just in time as his copy hurled a condensed blast of force straight at his face, the spell grazing his shoulder and tearing a long burn across his coat.

He grimaced but kept shouting.

“A Mimic Tear! It’s basically a liquid anomaly that transforms into whatever touches it first and perfectly replicates everything about it… fighting style, instincts, habits, even decision-making!”

Clang!

Aestrea parried his mirror’s sword again, sparks bursting between the two swords as their clash sent tremors across the platform.

“That explains the delay before they moved,” he said calmly.

Kael slammed his elbow into his copy’s jaw, only for the bastard to twist unnaturally and counter with the exact same motion, smashing Kael straight back.

“GAH—!” Kael rolled, skidding along the stone.

“WHY DOES IT HIT LIKE ME BUT WITH BETTER FORM?!”

“Because it’s not tired!” Tyrian yelled.

“And it doesn’t hesitate as it doesn’t care about its own death!”

Tyrian’s copy raised both hands at once, unleashing a flawless chain of spells that Tyrian barely managed to intercept.

Explosions of light cracked against his barrier, each impact forcing him back another step.

“However!” Tyrian continued, teeth clenched.

“These things shouldn’t exist anymore! They were last recorded during the war between the Gods and the Demons!”

“You’re telling me this stupid arcade is sitting on war relics from THAT era?!” Kael’s eyes widened as he blocked another punch, his arms aching from the impact.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!” Tyrian shouted.

Aestrea slid back as his copy followed relentlessly, blade cutting dangerously close to his throat.

He twisted his body, letting the edge of the sword pass by a hair before kicking off the ground and creating space between them.

“…Then this means that this arcade is built on top of a battlefield.”

Fwip!

His copy lunged again.

Aestrea blocked, stepped sideways, and redirected the force just enough to avoid being overwhelmed.

“…Or worse,” he added.

“A graveyard.”

Tyrian’s eyes went wide.

“That… that could be true,” he replied as his breath slowly started getting heavier.

“In the books, it was said that gods used Mimic Tears against demons to force them into mirror battles. It was almost impossible to win against yourself.”

“ALMOST?! YOU MEAN THEY SOMETIMES WON, RIGHT?!” Kael cursed as his copy grabbed him by the collar and slammed him down.

Tyrian clenched his fists.

“They won by cheating fate itself. And even then, the demons had something just as broken. That’s why the war ended in a draw.”

BOOOM!

Another explosion rocked the platform as Tyrian and his copy clashed head-on, magic grinding against magic.

“So how the hell do we beat it?!” Kael roared, throwing a desperate punch that finally connected, if only barely.

Aestrea slid under his copy’s swing, rolled, and rose smoothly on the other side. His eyes narrowed as he assessed the situation.

“Uhh—!” Tyrian shouted, suddenly remembering another detail.

“The mimic copies your current state! If you suddenly gain power that you didn’t have a moment ago, it won’t be able to replicate it!”

“So you’re telling me we gotta break through a realm right now?! That’s some bullshit!” Kael stared at him in disbelief while blocking another punch.

“…Not necessarily,” Aestrea mumbled quietly.

Both Kael and Tyrian glanced at him.

Aestrea’s copy tilted its head slightly, as if confused by the pause.

“…Does it copy blessings?” Aestrea asked calmly, stepping back just enough to avoid another strike.

“Things granted by other beings. Like divine marks or external authorities.”

Tyrian’s breath hitched.

“You mean… blessings given by other gods?” he exclaimed slowly.

“No. Those aren’t your own strength. They’re things granted by other beings, and the mimic can’t reproduce something it was never granted.”

“I see.”

Aestrea’s crimson eyes darkened, silver mana beginning to coil faintly around his body like restrained moonlight.

His copy hesitated for the first time.

“…Uh oh,” Kael felt a chill crawl up his spine.

CRACK!

“Then this will be quick,” Aestrea muttered calmly, as the space around him began to distort.

In response, the copy’s eyes narrowed slighly, as he took a familiar stance.

“Moonlit Ice Lotus Sword Art…!”

『 Third Move! (✦ Moonlight’s One Flash ✦) 』

Fwip!

He vanished from Aestrea’s sight as a trail of moonlight followed right behind him.

THUNK!

However, what it didn’t expect was Aestrea to negate the attack with a single finger, causing him to be able to stop the last swing that was needed to complete the sword move.

“Surprised?” Aestrea asked as he looked at mimic who had his eyes widened.

“I, too, would be surprised if someone blocked my sword art like this…” His glowing crimson eyes shone sinisterly.

『 ✯ Moon Mark ✯ 』

“However…”

Two crescent moons appeared in Aestrea’s eyes, one being pitch black, while the other was a beautiful, pristine white.

“It’s not the same case if you’re using the sword art against its own creator.”

The mimic started trembling in complete fear under Aestrea’s scary gaze. It seemed that even a small liquid had the consciousness that it was about to die.

Rustle…

Aestrea gently pressed the palm of left hand against the mimic’s chest.

“Impacto.”

FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The mimic’s body instantly turned into ashes as if it had been completely erased from existence itself.

Drip…!

A strange metal-colored liquid fell to the ground, and Aestrea gently made it fly before snapping his fingers, causing a small container to appear and putting the liquid into it.

“…This could be really useful.”

Slowly… he then turned to the other mimics who were battling Kael and Tyrian.

“Who’s next?”

His voice reached all of them, causing their fights to momentarily stop. The mimic’s eyes instantly widened as a sense of dread reached out to them.

Kael and Tyrian only seemed to be an Aestrea that seemed more divine than usual.

But them…

They were simply looking at death in person.