78 – Can you stop a fox with another fox?

“Sasha, Stella, Gamma. He's my prey. Don't interfere. Keep an eye on that pipsqueak over there. If she makes a move, take her down.”

“Understood!” (X3)

“Calling me a pipsqueak is very rude!!” (Simone)

“Simone, silence. She's not someone easy to deal with. This confrontation is within my calculations. So just as planned, don't interfere.”

“Gotcha! Show me a fun scene, master!” (Simone)

The grand throne room of the castle stood in eerie silence. Moonlight streamed through the shattered windows, casting elongated shadows on the cold stone floor. Needless to say all the lights have faded the moment these guys appeared.

I stood in the center of the room. Yuki in her katana form was gleaming with a sharp, azure light. The nether flames flickered along the blade's edge, their icy glow casting a surreal light around her. We were ready, my eyes fixed on the figure cloaked in darkness before me.

Shadow, an enigmatic entity, shifted slightly, the myriad elemental magics swirling around him like a living aura. His expression was unreadable, hidden behind the veil of darkness that surrounded him.

"You won't win this time, Edelweiss," he intoned, his voice a chilling whisper that echoed through the throne room.

I smirked, tightening my grip on Yuki.

"I've faced worse than you, Shadow. Your tricks won't save you."

The battle began in a flash of motion. I surged forward, my katana slicing through the air with lethal precision. Azure flames trailed behind the blade, freezing the very air as I made my strikes. Shadow countered with a whirlwind of elemental attacks, fire and lightning clashing with the icy flames in a dazzling display of power.

“I simply can’t understand it. If you have the Devour ability why did you not plunder more skills from the enemies you defeated?”

“So I would become as useless as you? It might seem like you’re a swiss army knife, but you haven’t mastered any of your abilities. Unlike me who I honed the hand I was originally dealt…”

With a violent slash I cut through all of his attacks as if cutting paper. Shadow was driven back with each blow.

“If this is all you can offer, you’re nothing more than a small fry. Even the Demon King was stronger than this.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself!”

With a sinister chuckle, Shadow pulled a small, pulsating mass from the folds of his cloak. He tossed it to the ground, where it writhed and expanded, transforming into…

“Darling… that’s…” (Yuki)

“What the!?”

A grotesque slime mimic of myself.

The slime creature solidified into an exact replica of me. My ears were twitching. I had a bad feeling about this. I didn’t want to give it an opportunity so I tried slicing it, but its surface shimmered like rubber, absorbing the impact of my attacks. It moved with unnatural speed, mimicking my every move and countering me strikes with brutal efficiency.

“Kuh!”

I grunted as the slime clone's fist connected with my side. Yuki would normally be able to cut this but… do I lack the strength to slice this thing? The rubbery texture is dampening the force of my katana. It’s literally fighting a mirror image of myself. She’s using the same moves as me. I was forced into defense.

I dodged and parried, but the clone's resilience and strength were overwhelming.

"What is this abomination?"

Shadow laughed, a cold, mirthless sound.

"Meet your match, Edelweiss. This mimic can do anything you do, but better. This is the power of Legion!"

The clone pressed its advantage, forcing me to retreat step by step. It swung its own katana, although her flames were purple. I barely had time to react as the clone's blade grazed my arm, the freezing flames biting into my flesh.

“How can this be? Cold should not have any effect on me.”

“That proves how shallow your vision is. Nothing is impossible for Legion.”

“Tsk. You sure talk much. But don’t think I’ll be defeated just with this. Let’s see what happens… if we kick this up a notch.”

With a roar of defiance, I unleashed a flurry of strikes, pushing the clone back.

“What’s this?”

“Don’t think my sword style can be copied on the spur of the moment. Using it is one thing, but mastering it is another. Now eat this!”

As I said those words, another shallow laughter came from Shadow.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Before I could capitalize on my momentum, Shadow raised his hands, a thick, poisonous mist seeping from his fingers and filling the throne room.

“What the *cough*... is this?” (Valefor)

“*keho*... sis… I can’t… breath well…” (Stella)

“My neck… feels on fire…” (Sasha)

Everyone except me began to cough and choke as the fog enveloped them.

“Onee-chan, this is poison!” (Gamma)

Because Gamma is akin to a golem, she doesn't technically need to breathe, so her warning came unhindered.

“Precisely. You lot won’t be able to hold your breaths for long. Legion’s victory is assured. You all will die!!”

My eyes widened in horror. My girls really were in pain. Mostly the twin lolis. And I can feel that even in sword form, Yuki is also suffering. Die!? Are they really going to die? Am I going to lose my girls!? Shit! What the hell should I… no. There’s one thing I can do. Although it defies logic, my heart and instincts took over.

"Nobody is dying on my watch! Devour!!"

“Onee-chan! Don’t!”

I inhaled as strongly as I could. I used the flow of cold air, manipulate it and created a vacuum.

“HaaaaH!!”

I inhaled every last drop of the mist into my own lungs.

Iris, Scylla, Valefor, my girls… they didn’t know how to react. They couldn’t.

“You’ve sealed your fate, with that, Edelweiss.”

I started coughing and spitting purple liquid. My feet were wobbly. Shit. It feels like my interns are melting…

“Mimic, finish her off.”

As the mimic got closer and it would seem like I would faint at any moment…

“The one that sealed their fate… is you guys…”

The temperature dropped suddenly. The ice floor became like an ice skating ring. Even Valefor’s robe and Scylla’s scarf felt like they would instantly freeze.

“This is… Impossible!! You can still move? Nobody could have survived that after the stunt you just pulled!?”

“Did you… really think… a little bit… of poison can stop me?”

With a shallow voice, I muttered the words that made Shadow take a few steps back and quiver in fear.

“Absolute…

.

.

.

Zero.”