Goren didn’t waste a second.
From the tip of his sword, a surge of magic exploded forth, crackling through the air toward me.
I reacted immediately, activating Enhanced Dash Step and dodging quickly, weaving through the antechamber. But Goren wasn’t playing around – he continued firing at me rapidly as I kept on evading.
I adjusted my tactics on the fly, bringing the fight to Goren’s. Swapping Silverfang for Lighting Claw, I activated Stormpierce.
In a flash of lightning, I was already there, next to him, my dagger buried in his chest.
But instead of pain or shock, Goren just grinned, dissolving into dark mist - a classic of his.
I activated Distance Gauge, trying to catch his new location immediately – but I couldn’t. He muffled it.
Before I could dwell on it, a sharp whistle cut through the air.
Instinct took over. I thrust my hand forward and cast Wind Wall, forming a barrier just in time to block a barrage of golden magical arrows. Explosions erupted as they collided with my air magic, but the wall held strong.
Beyond the arrows, I caught sight of Goren at the far end of the chamber, his Golden Bow drawn, his grin wide as he watched me block the attack.
Then, immediately, he dropped into his own shadow.
I knew the move – another one of his signature skills. He could reappear from any shadow in the vicinity, including my own.
I quickly turned toward my shadow, anticipating the ambush.
But nothing.
Then, another whistle.
My eyes widened.
It was a feint! More arrows were coming.
I had already used Wind Wall – it’s still on cooldown.
Thinking fast, I swapped weapons again. This time to my trusty but under-leveled sword, Nightfall. At once, I activated Moon Barrier.
The shimmering shield formed around me, catching Goren’s arrows mid-flight. The first barrage clashed, and cracks began spreading on the barrier’s surface.
I didn’t care. It had done its job – blocked the initial damage.
Now it was my turn.
I locked onto Goren, who still held his bow, preparing for another volley. Then, I hit Enhanced Blade Rush, my body launching toward him.
Mid-movement, I swapped weapons again – Silverfang in my hands.
I finished my move next to Goren, swinging downward in a sharp vertical strike.
Goren was still on one knee after firing his arrows, but instead of scrambling to dodge, he grinned.
At the last second, he swapped to his sword and blocked the strike. The force of the collision sent sparks flying.
I pushed forward, trying to bring him down, but as soon as I did, he melted into his shadow again.
My momentum carried me forward – I fell into my own strike, stumbling forward.
Then, I felt his movement behind me. He was in my shadow.
Before I could react, Goren burst out from it, daggers drawn, leaping toward my back.
With no other choice, I activated Wind Fortification.
The surge of protective wind covered me, and the moment Goren’s daggers got close – BOOM!
The wind exploded outward, sending him flying backward.
He hit the ground hard but used the momentum to roll into a flip, landing smoothly on his feet, still grinning even though his HP dropped by 10%.
“This is already different from our last fight.” He said, amused. “Aren’t you happy, Spellsword? Look how far you’ve come!”
I exhaled slowly, keeping my stance firm. “Happy is the wrong word for it. I’d rather not be fighting you with our existences on the line.” I rolled my shoulders, gripping Silverfang tighter. “But…yeah. I guess you could say I’m satisfied with my progression.”
Goren’s grin widened. “Good. Then treat this as practice for Erebus. Once my plan works, we’ll get another shot at him.” He cracked his neck, rolling it in a circle. “And this little fight? It’s the perfect training.”
Before I could reply, he moved. Fast.
In a blink, he reappeared behind me at a distance, his daggers already swapped for his Golden Bow. He leaped back, nocking multiple arrows at once. A rapid volley aimed straight up.
“Tell me, Spellsword,” he said, his voice teasing, "how many more defensive skills do you have?”
Then, he let the arrows fly, and the ceiling above me was filled with steaks of golden light – raining down like divine execution.
I clenched my teeth. I was out of defensive skills. This was his tactic – to burn through all my defenses.
But he underestimated something – my Agility.
I took a sharp breath, trusting my speed. Enhanced Dash Step. My body moved as I escaped the golden volley. Arrows rained down behind me as I dodged, running forward, staying ahead.
But I needed to change the tempo.
Locking onto Goren, I once again activated Enhanced Blade Rush.
His reaction to my attack would be enough to estimate the cooldown of his abilities.
As I swung Silverfang at him, something went wrong.
Goren had more aces up his sleeve.
He suddenly switched places with me.
In an instant, I was the one stabbing at nothing but air. And Goren – he was behind me, dagger in hand.
Luckily, my Agility was so high, my body reacted before my mind fully processed the new scenario. I lifted my leg on instinct, catching Goren’s extended arm with my foot.
The impact redirected his stab motion, and the dagger missed me completely.
I immediately whipped around, slashing at him with Silverfang, but he dissolved into dark mist again before my blade could connect.
Goren reappeared at the far end of the antechamber, laughing and shaking his head. “Damn, Spellsword! That was too close!” He smirked. “I saw my life flash before my eyes. Guess I need to take this more seriously…” his expression hardened, but some traces of his smirk remained. “Or I might actually die here.”
A flicker of worry crossed my mind. What the hell? Didn’t he say he had a plan?
But he didn’t give me time to dwell on it.
Goren vanished.
Then, he was there. Right behind me, daggers flashing in rapid succession.
Figures…he just tried to overwhelm me mentally…the bastard.
I raised Silverfang, blocking each of his strikes as he continued attacking. I adjusted, spinning the glaive’s shaft, using the dull end for counters, but Goren was relentless.
We entered a chaotic rhythm – I struck, he ducked. I swept, he dove. So on, and so forth.
Then, he slipped into his own shadow.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I pivoted, but I was too late. He reappeared behind me and slashed. I twisted, intercepting the strike, but he headbutted me.
Stars exploded in my vision as my world spun.
Before I could recover, I sensed him moving forward.
Reacting on instinct, I lurched to the side, but pain tore through my shoulder as his blade found my flesh, dropping 30% of my HP along the way.
Goren chuckled, twirling his daggers between his fingers. “Finally got a hit on you, Spellsword. You’re getting sloppy. You can’t defeat Erebus like this. You gotta step up your game.”
I smirked despite the pain. “You’re right.”
So I did. I swapped Silverfang for the Astral Spear.
Without a word, I hurled it straight at him, activating Shooting Star.
Goren’s eyes widened, but he dodged. Yet, the moment the spear embedded into the ground, it detonated.
The explosion blasted Goren off his feet, sending him tumbling through the air.
I swapped back to Silverfang, charging at him.
Mid-air, he reached his hand toward his shadow, and suddenly dove in.
I swapped back to Astral Spear, hurling it straight into his shadow, but it just pierced the ground, not following him inside.
Suddenly, a hand shot from my own shadow, grasping my ankle. Goren yanked sharply, throwing me off-balance.
I adjusted quickly, catching myself mid-fall – but I had leaned forward shifting my shadow ahead of me.
Goren emerged instantly, jumping straight from my shadow, pommel-first.
Pain flashed across my face as his dagger’s pommel smashed into me, staggering me backward, dropping 10% of my HP.
I barely saw his next move – he blinked forward, daggers flashing, slicing.
I instantly swapped to Silverfang, spinning the glaive defensively, forcing Goren back.
He grinned at the move and switched to his sword, then aggressively closed the gap.
Each time I tried to utilize the glaive’s superior range, he managed to slip past it and deliver some serious strikes.
Reluctantly, I swapped to Nightfall, of all weapons, hoping that the shorter blade would allow me quicker parries, so I could effectively match his rapid attacks.
Steel clashed repeatedly, each blow creating sparks that flew around us. Each of us landed some hits on the other, both of our HP bars reaching around 20%.
“Would you look at that, Spellsword?” He chuckled as we were locked in a stalemate. “Seems like we're evenly matched.”
I shook my head, disagreeing. “You’re still stronger, but being an Arcane Duelist covers up our level difference.”
“Oh, nonsense…” He muttered, seemingly losing focus.
I thought I had him with a horizontal swing, but Goren just dissolved into mist, avoiding the slash.
Predicting he would reappear behind me, I quickly summoned Astral Spear and stabbed backward.
But Goren anticipated my prediction, appearing just beyond the spear’s tip.
He laughed nervously. “Damn, am I that predictable?”
I exhaled, struggling to understand the logic of his plan.
“You said we need to come at each other with the intent to kill.” I said. “To me it seems like you’re just out there having fun most of the time.”
“Well, I am having fun.” Goren grinned. “Aren’t you having fun?”
I sighed tiredly. “Maybe I would’ve had fun if I knew the masterplan you’re so proud about.”
Goren laughed. “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, it’s time to take things up a notch and end this. I’ll show you the peak of the Rogue class before we’re over.”
He took a step forward, and my eyes widened as I watched a perfect copy of Goren remain exactly where he had been standing. And it wasn’t just a mere afterimage – the duplicate moved independently, releasing a faint crack form its neck. Then Goren stepped again, leaving behind yet another identical twin. One after another, five Gorens stood before me. Each one moving as if it was a different human being.
“Impressive, I guess.” I shrugged, not actually impressed. “I have something similar up my sleeve.”
I activated Mirage Step, dashing sideways and leaving behind five identical illusions of myself.
Goren laughed. “Yeah, but it’s different from mine. Yours can only act as a decoy, while mine can actually attack.”
Then, as he finished, his copies lunged forward simultaneously, each targeting a different one of mine. I weaved between them, masking myself behind the fake ones and swiftly creating new copies to replace those that the Gorens destroyed. The skill allowed me to create ten copies of myself, and I had only created five. So I could still put an additional five before the skill goes on cooldown.
I knew if I attacked, they’d immediately identify me and shift their attention. The plan was simple – find the real Goren while remaining hidden.
Why hadn’t he used this skill when we fought the Right Hand? He could’ve bought us valuable time. It wouldn’t have helped since the Prison was already tampered with, but still…
Then, suddenly, it hit me – the logistics behind his ability.
His copies weren’t truly independent. Goren was likely controlling them himself, meaning he had to keep all of them within his line of sight.
This has to be it! That’s why he hadn’t used it when we were escaping! That's the skill's weakness!
I quickly scanned the battlefield, trying to pinpoint which Goren had a clear view of the rest. Identifying him, I swapped to Lightning Claw and activated Stormpierce.
I appeared instantly next to the real Goren, my dagger already deep inside his chest. But when I expected him to dissolve into mist like before, he didn’t. Blood poured out of the wound and trickled from his mouth. Around us, his copies disappeared into thin air.
His HP bar was slowly dropped lower and lower, but he smiled, staggering backward. I caught him quickly, lowering him gently to the ground and holding him in my arms.
“Goren? What the hell? Why didn’t you disappear like always?!” I asked, panic rising within me.
“You won, Spellsword.” He replied weakly, still smiling despite the pain.
I shook my head violently. “No, I didn’t. You let me stab you! Why? Please tell me this is part of your plan!”
He exhaled slowly. “Of course it is.”
His words briefly calmed my nerves, but then Themis spoke, and I realized Goren was always lying.
“The battle has concluded. The winner is Aidan Dar. Goren Shein will now be terminated from existence.” Themis announced calmly. “This dispute is officially closed.”
My eyes widened in horror as I stared at Goren. “Why did you do this, damn it?! I didn’t want to kill you – I didn’t want you erased! And you went and tricked me anyway! Why?!”
Goren laughed painfully, his breath shallow. “Hey, Spellsword, I’m the one dying here, so yelling at me now would be pretty heartless, don’t you think?”
I stared in disbelief, wondering how he could joke in a moment like this.
“Damn it, Goren!” I shouted. “Was this your plan all along? To let me kill you so you could bounce off and leave me alone to deal with Erebus?!”
His feet began glowing brightly, dissolving into particles of light. The glow slowly moved up his body.
He shook his head. “No, my plan is better. One that would give us an actual chance at saving our world and everyone we care about.” He exhaled deeply, tears forming in his eyes. “As much as I hated the idea, dying was part of it. I’m passing the torch to you. You’ll be able to defeat him now. On your own. But I’ll still be helping. In a way.”
“What?” I asked, confused, a single tear streaming down my cheek.
He nodded as the glow reached his stomach. “I used my third wish on you – it was the only way. You’ll understand soon enough, but…” His expression turned serious. “Don’t you dare make my sacrifice in vain, understand? I’m doing this so you can save my family. Save everyone.”
Confusion and grief clouded my mind, I didn’t even know what to ask.
Goren continued as the glow had already reached his neck. “I became a horrible human being during these loops. But I’m glad I met you when I did…you helped me find my way back.”
He took a deep breath, the glow nearing his chin. “I bet in another reality, where the Tomb of Gaelith is just a regular tomb, and things like Gods and Darkness exist just as fairy tales, we’d have teamed up – on our team four – and been friends.”
Just before he vanished completely, he whispered. “Thank you, Aidan.”
I watched him disappear, tears streaming silently. I couldn’t believe he was gone forever.
The world around me blurred and shifted and I was back in the real tomb.
The monsters already waited in the main antechamber – including the Right Hand of Darkness.
They began slaying the adventurers, making their way to me, but my focus was on what Goren left behind.
Where’d he’d been, a glowing orb remained. I didn’t move or interact with it. How could I? But it flew toward me by itself, merging directly into my chest.
That was also when the Right Hand’s cleaver struck me, killing me instantly.
[Health: 0% - You Have Died]
***
[Déjà vu System: Level 54 - MAX]
[Loop Count: 65]
I woke up to my System glitching, displaying strange messages.
[#@$@#$@^%F2323DSFS+SystemERROR_00020101xxxsds]
[#@$*^(^&*#$@^%F2323DSFS+SystemERROR_00021231221xxxsds]
Then, a second later, I finally understood what Goren’s plan was – why he had sacrificed himself.
[Class Crossing Achieved]
[New Class Unlocked: Spellrogue]
[New Sub-Class Unlocked: Shadow Duelist]
[You have gained 43 new items]
[You have gained 4 new weapons]
[You have gained 25 Rogue-class skills]
[You have gained 133 stat points]
My status menu displayed the following:
[Status Menu]
- Name: Aidan Dar
- Level: 183
- Class: Spellrogue
- Subclass: Shadow Duelist
- Health: 200%
- Mana: 200%
- Stamina: 200%
- Endurance: 33 (+5)
- Durability: 21
- Agility: 77 (+41)
- Strength: 28 (+5)
- Intelligence: 24 (+15)