A wicked laugh burst from the mouth of my shadow, while a black barrier rose around the battered courtyard.
"How did you manage it? Even a whole Ghost Soul can be warped into two, huh."
"Are you alright?"
I turned to look. 001 nodded slightly. She looked pale, but still managed a smile. (Note: If context allows, consider 'Entity 001 nodded slightly...' for clarity. Otherwise, leave as '001' since it's established.)
"Who are you, really?"
I asked, but there was no need for further explanation—the overwhelming power of darkness, the force radiating from the black barrier around us, was all too familiar. We must have been shifted to another space. I crouched down, picked up a stone, and hurled it outward. With a whoosh, the stone passed through the black barrier and instantly flew back, landing at my feet. My suspicion was confirmed.
"Is it The Immortality Society? Or someone from the Ghost Syndicate? I only remember having deep ties with both factions."
"Neither. It's darkness itself."
My shadow spoke coldly, its gaze filled with pure evil as it stared at me.
"The Dark Banquet, is it? I don't recall ever crossing paths with your kindred."
I spoke coldly, but the figure before me burst into wild laughter. He raised a hand slightly, crackling sounds filling the air as black lightning danced in his palm.
"From the very beginning!"
"What do you mean?"
The figure in front of me walked toward me slowly, then spoke each word deliberately.
"Exactly as it sounds. From the moment you became human, from the very start."
A chill clawed its way up from the depths of my soul.
"What about Zhang Qingyuan?"
I asked, and the figure before me laughed again.
"The Mimic has already been exposed—mission failed. As for me, you can call me the Replicator. From the moment you humans were born, we observed you, replaced your shadow, and..."
With a whoosh, I lunged at the Forsaken again, swinging my fist at his face. Bang! Instantly, a numbing sensation shot through me. My fist couldn't break through the black lightning—this was the power of Endbringer. It seemed this so-called Replicator wasn't stupid; he had already figured out how to use the Endbringer's power.
"It's truly an impressive power, but you're far too arrogant—like a ticking bomb. We planned to observe you longer, but unfortunately, the Mimic has been exposed. When Zhang Qingyuan returns, you'll understand."
I'm still suspended in midair, completely immobilized. The Endbringer's power slowly breaks down my baleful aura. Suddenly, the Replicator steps forward and smashes his right fist into my abdomen.
With a sickening splatter, I spat out a mouthful of black blood, my body still paralyzed, helpless as he leaned in close, his face inches from mine, a malignant grin twisting his features.
"You should know exactly what your Endbringer power is. I don't need to explain that."
With a thunderous crash, I was sent flying, slamming into the ground. The earth split, rocks scattering everywhere. I rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
001 rushed over immediately and helped me up.
"Qingyuan, you..."
Rage boiled in my veins, turning my eyes a blood-red. I wiped the blood from my mouth and forced myself upright.
"Stay back."
001 nodded and quickly ran to a spot near the black barrier. I spat on the ground and burst out laughing.
"That's not how you use the Endbringer's power."
With a rush of wind, the Replicator appeared right in front of me, pressing his right hand down. Black lightning flashed in his palm. I sneered and leapt back.
With a thunderous roar, a pillar of black lightning appeared before me. I dodged out of range, but the black lightning pursued me. I kept retreating, baleful aura pouring from my body, constantly being broken down by the Endbringer's power.
"Hahaha... Go die!"
Crackling sounds filled the air as the Replicator appeared behind me, pressing a hand to my spine. I tilted my head slightly.
"You still haven't noticed, have you!"
I sneered. In the instant the Replicator was stunned, my sword of baleful aura pierced through his body. He stared at me in disbelief, eyes wide, as the black lightning around me instantly dissipated. (Note: Ensure 'Replicator' and 'baleful aura' are consistently used as per glossary. No changes needed for this line.)
With a ripping sound, I pulled out the sword of baleful aura. The Replicator staggered back, then collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in agony.
"What did you do to me?"
The Replicator roared. I raised my sword, stained with the blood of my other half, then let go. With a clang, the sword fell to the ground, but did not dissipate.
"It has a physical form?"
The Replicator exclaimed in surprise. I nodded.
"I don't know how you stole my instincts, but clearly you haven't. You can't even wield one percent of the Endbringer's power. In hands like yours, it's a disgrace..."
The Replicator sprang up in fury, swinging Endbringer at me. I kicked up the sword of baleful aura with one hand—clang!—blocking his attack. But immediately, black lightning surged from the ground toward me.
With a burst of force, I flipped away, the black lightning chasing after me. In an instant, black baleful particles drifted through the air, and the Replicator's eyes went wide.
A small-scale time slowdown—large-scale like before is too risky now. The Shaghost warned me about this long ago. Thinking back, it must have been the Shaghost who saw through the shadow on Zhang Qingyuan. That guy is no ordinary spirit—he's strong.
With two swift slashes, blood gushed from the Replicator's shoulders. The hand holding Endbringer dropped. I noticed the wound he'd given me earlier was healing very slowly.
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I landed softly behind the Replicator. Crackling sounds filled the air as black lightning exploded, fissures spreading across the ground in an instant. I smiled slightly.
"My body is made of baleful aura. To heal, I need to control that aura. But you—you're not qualified to wield it. Why don't you show me your real skills instead? Otherwise, I'll just keep hurting my own body over and over, and I can't bear that!"
I spoke in a slightly provocative tone. The Replicator looked furious—his hands, having severed my meridians earlier, now hung uselessly at his sides. He glared at me, teeth clenched.
"Hmph, you think you can reclaim your body? Impossible. I was just careless earlier. That time-slowing trick of yours is risky—one misstep and you'll be swallowed by the cracks in time."
I stared quietly at the Replicator. That he knew such things was surprising, but then again, the crowd from The Dark Banquet could easily figure out something like this.
My wounds were slowly healing, though the process was sluggish. I stared at the Replicator—this body was my other half. If I destroyed him outright, I'd suffer immense damage myself. I really didn't want to take such a blow right now.
"You were about to win—why did you suddenly stop?"
Laughter drifted over, accompanied by a delicious aroma. Relief washed over me. Qi sat on the rooftop with some grilled skewers and a dozen cold beers. With a rush, 001 was pulled up onto the roof as well.
"Alright, it was my fault earlier. Look, I brought you something tasty."
001 glanced at Qi with a touch of resentment, took a skewer, and muttered.
"You bought it with my money anyway. Hmph. But since you were so sincere, I'll forgive you."
"Qi, I'm counting on you to take care of those two."
I shouted out, now that all worries were gone. 007 was pulled up onto the roof by Qi as well. I stared coldly at the Replicator, seeing disbelief in his eyes.
"Looks like I need to finish this quickly—I'm no match for that girl."
With a rush, baleful aura wrapped around me as I flew toward the Replicator.
"Go get 'em..."
Qi cheered, raising a fist. I smiled.
"Little girl, it's not your place to teach me a lesson—I'm not your bastard father."
With a thunderous crash, raging baleful aura surged from the ground, slamming into the Replicator. His wounds had nearly healed; he immediately raised Endbringer, black lightning instantly tearing through my aura. He thrust Endbringer straight at me.
Bang! I gripped Endbringer with one hand. With a rip, its tip pierced my right shoulder, blood pouring out. I stared coldly at the Replicator as he continued channeling Endbringer's power, trying to destroy me.
"It's over. The power of Endbringer..."
"Shut up."
I roared in anger, closed my eyes, then smiled.
"Instinct... called Endbringer..."
"How could..."
Bang! The Replicator's body exploded in an instant. A cloud of black mist shot out from my body, and the numbing sensation from the black lightning vanished.
"Hmph, looks like you lost!"
I stared quietly at the Replicator—he had become a black humanoid figure, his body elongated, looking nothing like me. 001 came up behind me, sauce still on her lips, looking fierce as she reached out a hand.
"I'm counting on you."
In a daze, my body merged with my battered other half. Instantly, intense pain flooded through me. I clutched my abdomen, half-crouched on the ground, as 001 gently patted my back.