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["Yeah! Even having the nerve to imitate me—how shameless!"] Little Wen's voice buzzed from inside Yelan's abdomen.
"You… is this how… you ambushed… Zhiqiong…" Yelan's words came out in fragments. Bright red blood had already run down from the corner of her lips, staining her blue clothes in a way that looked both glaring and pitiful.
Victor Wang was startled and demanded, "What did you just say?"
"Heh heh…"
"Spell it out!"
Taking advantage of the moment, Yelan pushed against Victor Wang's chest, pulling herself free from the Wentian Sword. Blood sprayed as she did, and her restless hand released five threads that yanked Victor Wang forward, attempting to bind him tightly.
So Victor Wang drove his sword into her abdomen again from the front.
"Then… let's end it here…" Yelan whispered softly. Her body tilted back, sliding off the blade and collapsing hard onto the ground.
"Yelan!" This time, it was Yanfei who cried out in shock. She wanted to approach but hesitated.
"Th-this… How are there three Victors now? Yelan killed Victor, then Victor killed Yelan, but… who killed who? Who's real and who's fake?!"
Arataki Itto's brain was on the verge of shutting down. The fake Victor Wang standing beside Lumine kindly reminded him, "Didn't you already say the answer yourself?"
"You mean…?"
"Think about it again. Who killed who, and who killed who."
"I got it! If the Victor who got killed by Yelan and the Victor who killed Yelan were on the same team, that—that's impossible. So both of those Victors are fake! Yelan is real, and the Victor next to Lumine is also real!"
Proud of himself for cracking the mystery with his brilliant mind, Arataki Itto laughed triumphantly and pointed straight at the real Victor Wang—the one who had backstabbed Yelan. "There's only one truth! And you are the fake Victor!"
Victor Wang explained, "Yelan isn't dead. She only fainted."
"Hmph! Close enough! You and that Victor who died earlier are obviously partners in crime! I've completely seen through your scheming!"
"There are no so-called two Victors. Yelan really did injure me just now, but I didn't die. My position shifted here only because this space is doing something to us."
Victor Wang subconsciously touched his now-uninjured back.
This space had first manipulated the flow of time, sabotaging him until he felt utterly drained. Then, just as Lumine appeared in front of him and drew his focus, the space let Yelan attack from behind. In this perfectly chained setup, he really did end up eating a full Breakthrough Barb.
His cloak was blown apart, and his spine was nearly shattered. Even remembering it now made him feel a searing, unforgettable pain.
With injuries like that, his only option was to use the hourglass and rewind time. But who could have predicted that rewinding by just five seconds would return him all the way to the beginning of this mysterious space?
Though that gave him the chance to pay Yelan back in kind with a backstab, the appearance of the fake Victor Wang next to Lumine immediately turned everything into a giant misunderstanding…
As expected, Arataki Itto didn't believe a word. "Darn it! You've been lying to us all this time! And you still wanna lie?!"
But Kuki Shinobu shook her head. "Boss… don't rush to conclusions. That Yelan just now made all of us look like copies. But the Victor with us earlier correctly distinguished the real you from the fake Arataki Itto…"
Arataki Itto's intelligence suddenly skyrocketed. "That could've been acting! Sending one squad of fakes to die just to clear someone's name—even I can think of that!"
Yanfei looked at the heavily injured, unconscious Yelan and the pool of blood around her. Despite her worry, she remained rational. "We have the most reliable method to tell copies apart, don't we?"
Paimon, who had been observing silently, couldn't help asking, "What method?"
"Using Sub-Space Creation." After briefly explaining the principle, Yanfei let out a tired breath. "Before we sort this out, everyone needs to keep their distance. First, separate the two Victors. Then let the real Victor determine who's real and who's fake."
Instantly killing a copy wasn't easy. And attacking recklessly—if everyone decided you were a copy—you'd be overwhelmed for sure…
The situation outweighed pride. Victor Wang nodded. "No objections."
"I don't have objections either."
Both Victors walked from opposite ends toward the center of the ravine.
"Then… show your Sub-Space Creation tool." The [Endless Thirst] filled with deep blue seawater appeared in Victor Wang's hand without warning.
"A guilty and nervous fake always rushes to prove themselves," the fake Victor Wang said smugly. "Are you nervous?"
"And what about you? Don't tell me you can't even summon it."
"Heh…"
The fake Victor raised his palm. An identical [Endless Thirst] floated into existence.
Victor Wang's expression sharpened. "You can even copy that?"
"Say whatever you like. The rule is simple: we each enter the other's Sub-Space Creation. Whoever can't come out is the fake, right?"
"In theory, yes. The problem is… who enters the other's space first."
"That's only something a copy has to worry about…" The fake Victor grinned, eyes full of provocation. "A righteous man fears no crooked shadows. I'll go first. Let's see what's inside your fake Sub-Space."
Wait…
Why?
Why was a copy this confident?
If the Goblet of Eonothem was created by this mysterious space, then its internal world definitely wasn't independent. The Sub-Space was only an illusion. The Goblet of Eonothem was likely a teleportation gate…
But Victor Wang was sure of one thing: everyone was here. No matter where he was sent, he could always use imagination and exploit loopholes to come right back. There was no such thing as not being able to return. What trick was the copy playing…?
Unless…!
A person's copy didn't necessarily appear only once. No rule said that. After one copy was disposed of, this space could instantly make a new one with inherited memories. Then no one would ever verify the real one again—everyone would already assume the new one was real!
"I changed my mind. Lumine also has a Sub-Space Creation. You and I are entering Lumine's Serenitea Pot at the same time."
"…"
"She traveled with you earlier. Don't tell me… you're scared?"
"I'm just surprised my copy is shameless enough to change the rules on the spot. Fine. I don't care. It depends on whether Lumine agrees."
Everyone's gaze shifted to Lumine.
Victor Wang calculated.
Yanfei, Kuki Shinobu, and Arataki Itto were definitely real.
The Victor Wang across from him was definitely fake.
Yelan, able to cooperate with the space and ambush him at his weakest, was certainly fake too.
That meant Lumine and Xiao were real. Yelan's show was meant for them, to make them turn against Yanfei's group.
As long as they used the Serenitea Pot, once the copy disappeared inside and a new one was generated, Lumine would notice immediately.
Under everyone's eyes, Lumine hesitated, then nodded.
Walking near the two Victors, she whispered, "I'll let you two in… but you're not allowed to peek into any rooms…"
"Alright." Both voices answered at once.
"This is the Realm Dispatch. With it, you can enter the Serenitea Pot with a thought."
After setting down the Serenitea Pot, Victor Wang gripped the Realm Dispatch. Steeling himself, he appeared in the floating pavilion of the Serenitea Pot. Tubby was asleep near the main house, and the main door… waited quietly for someone to open it.
Victor Wang forcefully suppressed the curiosity triggered by Lumine's earlier warning—and then realized:
The fake Victor Wang hadn't entered at all.