The more Acheron observed, the more doubts swelled within her.
How could two beings in this world be so utterly identical?
Even if you disregarded the wider world, an individual who shared your exact essence would still develop countless differences due to their unique experiences.
In the end, aside from appearance and name, they might share not a single common trait.
But this one was different.
'Disregard the world?'
Hell, Acheron herself was standing right here, staring with wide eyes for what felt like an age, and she still couldn't spot a single flaw in the other.
It was as if the one currently clashing blades with their opponent was the real Acheron, and she herself was the imposter.
The absurdity of it was almost laughable. To be identical to this degree truly left Acheron speechless.
Just then, her status panel abruptly flickered before her eyes:
--+--
[Role-Playing System]
[Name: Bai Ming (Acheron)]
[Lifespan: 112.59:53 (Paused) + 24 days (Role-Playing)]
[Transformable Roles: Big Herta (Energy: 6.1%), Acheron]
[Available Draws: 0 (55.6%)]
--+--
Such a drastic shift in the display gave Acheron a start.
Her gaze instinctively shifted away from Jingliu, darting towards the direction of the true Acheron. Surprise immediately flashed in her eyes.
Wait a second…
Since when did the real one just show up? When did she get here, and without making a single sound?
If her panel hadn't flickered again, Acheron wouldn't have even noticed the true Acheron, her presence so faint it was almost non-existent, hidden beneath that aura of Nihility.
However, she quickly realized the true Acheron didn't seem to have any intention of revealing herself right now.
Had General Teng Xiao noticed? Probably not. Otherwise, he'd surely have stepped forward to investigate.
But since the real Acheron wasn't planning on making a move, then 'Acheron' saw no reason to stop either. Learning the Xianzhou's sword arts came first.
--+--
The spar with Jingliu lasted half a system day. Only when Jingliu was nearing exhaustion did she finally lower her sword arm, stepping aside to stand with Baiheng.
They cleared the space for what Acheron intended to do next.
Across multiple systems, who knew what was truly going through her mind? And with Teng Xiao still present, it wasn't a good time to just charge over and drag the real one out into the open.
Forget it, just forget it. Acheron sighed inwardly.
After standing still for a moment to catch her breath, she turned and gave Teng Xiao a signal.
"Thank you for your trouble, Lady Acheron."
"It's nothing."
'Acheron' acknowledged the thanks. Then, her gaze lifted, focusing on the distant, blazing pyre. Her right hand settled on the hilt of her sword.
Shoom—!
The blade cleared its scabbard by a mere inch.
A clear, piercing sword cry shot towards the heavens.
A wave of desolate, deathly aura erupted skyward.
Even Acheron herself stiffened slightly.
What was she trying to do? From this distance, the true Acheron had no time to intervene.
She could only watch helplessly as the imposter who wore her face fully drew her long sword.
The color began to drain from the imposter's body, leaving only blood-red eyes that reflected the lonely world around them. 'Acheron' glanced up, her eyes briefly meeting the gaze of the true Acheron.
Then, in a flash, she vanished, reappearing high in the air.
A single slash descended!
BOOM—!!!
A blinding arc of sword light fell with the terrifying momentum of splitting the entire Luofu in two.
Accompanied by a deafening, violent roar and shockwaves, the incredibly sturdy Ambrosial Arbor began to tear apart, bit by bit, under the assault of the light. The entire Xianzhou Luofu shuddered from the force of that single slash.
Countless people aboard the starship stopped what they were doing. They looked up, awestruck, witnessing the feat of a single person severing the Ambrosial Arbor.
Among them, the members of the Vidyadhara felt particularly complex emotions. Especially the Vidyadhara Elders.
Gathered together within the Delve of the Alchemy Commission, they watched the slowly splitting Arbor, each lost in their own thoughts.
This Ambrosial Arbor, which their people had sacrificed their precious ancestral homeland to suppress… had been severed by a woman with a single stroke of her blade.
And since it was severed… why not just tear it out by the roots, utterly destroying it?
Why force their Vidyadhara people to continue using their sacred ground to suppress the Arbor's roots!?
Why?
With that woman's power, even without entering the… special state, she could have completely annihilated the Arbor, couldn't she?
Even 'Acheron' hadn't anticipated that her act of vanquishing the Emanator of Abundance and saving Dan Feng that day had actually earned her significant favor with the Elders.
Some even believed 'Acheron's' blade could cut down all of creation!
This led to… their growing dissatisfaction with the Xianzhou Alliance.
In their view, how could an outsider like Acheron possibly understand the intricate politics of the Luofu?
It must have been the Xianzhou Alliance's decision that prevented Acheron from completely eradicating the Arbor. A wave of bitter desolation washed over them.
If only the Vidyadhara weren't cursed with their inability to produce descendants… why must they suffer so under the rule of others?
Watching the Arbor about to be felled, they couldn't help but feel a strange mix of emotions.
--+--
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!
Regardless of the Elders' thoughts, the Ambrosial Arbor's collapse continued. The impact of that single slash kept spreading. The cracks running up the Arbor grew wider, deeper, until finally, a massive fissure made it impossible for the colossal tree to remain standing.
With an unmistakably clear, thundering crack, the great Ambrosial Arbor began to fall.
CRRRUMBLE—!!!
The sheer size of the Ambrosial Arbor meant its natural collapse generated tsunami-like roars and shockwaves. Just as countless people on the Luofu watched in horror, fearing the Arbor would crash down upon them…
Another brilliant arc of sword light flashed!
This time, that familiar, heart-palpitating sensation returned, accompanied by the orange-hued monochrome world.
But whereas last time the drawn blade had vanquished an Emanator of Abundance, this time its target was the Luofu's Ambrosial Arbor itself.
BOOM—!!!
The collapsing Arbor was violently hurled skyward by the force of the slash. Even within the grey-white world that seemed to swallow all sound, everyone's ears seemed to ring with the deafening crash of sword light against wood.
The Arbor, which had been plummeting towards the Luofu, was sent flying upwards.
Simultaneously, unreserved Nihility energy surged along the sword light, spreading rapidly across the severed sections of the Arbor.
Before anyone could react, a third sword light shot into the sky!
BOOM!!!
This one carried an even more terrifying force, smashing directly into the Arbor. It blasted the colossal tree completely out of the Xianzhou Luofu's airspace, its remaining momentum carrying it free of the Luofu's gravitational pull and hurling it into the vacuum of space.
'Acheron' saw this and immediately flashed forward, exiting the Luofu's bounds. But she didn't immediately follow up with a fourth strike.
Instead, she landed on a section of the Arbor's branches not yet corroded by Nihility and turned her gaze towards the true Acheron, who had seized the chance to land on the same branch.
She looked at this 'mimic' with her white hair and bloody tears trailing from the corners of her eyes.
Even though her reason screamed that this was merely an imitator, not someone who had shared her experiences… witnessing this orange-tinted form with her own eyes, Acheron still felt a pang of genuine sorrow well up from deep within.
This mimic had to be made to understand.
And so…
Shiiiing—!
A pure, resonant sword cry pierced the silence.
The true Acheron drew her own blade.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.