Seeing victory already in his grasp, the older Zane couldn't help but reveal a slightly twisted smile on his refined face.
"Die here!"
But just as the long blade was about to reach Zane's head, the older Zane caught, through the reflection on the blade, a fleeting smug smile flashing across Zane's face.
A strong sense of unease instantly washed away the joy of about to killing Zane. But at this point, the arrow was already on the string, and the blade had already reached above Zane's head.
'I refuse to believe you won't die like this!', The older Zane roared in his heart.
But in the next second, a faint glow flashed in Zane's hand.
"What!?"
Along with the older Zane's startled exclamation, sparks burst from the long blade. Then he watched helplessly as the heavy iron blade was cleanly cut in half.
Before he could process what had happened, a sharp pain struck his abdomen. His airborne body from the downward slash was kicked away by Zane with a spinning side kick.
His body slid backward across the ground from the impact, only stopping after crashing into the circular wall around them.
But clearly, that level of damage wasn't enough to kill him.
The older Zane coughed twice and climbed up awkwardly, staring blankly at the broken sword in his hand. The shock on his face slowly twisted into anger.
"What did you do!?"
Seeing the identical guy not far away stand up again, Zane couldn't help but click his tongue.
"Tch, still not dead? You're really like a cockroach.", As he spoke, he assumed a fighting stance.
From the very beginning, he had only pretended to want to close in for close combat. His real trump card was the Nexus Armament he had been hiding.
He didn't know why he could still use it in this situation, and the other side didn't seem to realize he had this hidden card. That gave him room to maneuver.
But the result still differed from what he had expected.
In Zane's plan, using the stacked storm blast at the end would have been simpler. But if he had deliberately tried to create distance from the start, the opponent would have grown suspicious and chased him relentlessly.
So he changed his approach and advanced instead of retreating.
He made the opponent think he wanted close combat, prompting him to pull away instead.
Then, when the opponent counterattacked, he would pretend to be knocked back, creating distance while charging the stacked storm blast.
But a plan was just a plan.
Zane hadn't expected the opponent to suddenly pull out a Swift Blade and turn the situation around.
So in that critical moment, he didn't have time to use the stacked storm blast. But using the arm blade of the Nexus Armament to break the opponent's weapon was still a good move.
And at this distance, it was perfect for using a beam attack directly.
Taking advantage of the opponent being staggered, Zane fired a stacked storm blast straight at him.
The moment the older Zane came into contact with the blue beam, his body turned into countless blue particles and was completely destroyed.
"Whew, job done."
Zane clapped his hands and walked forward, picking up the Swift Blade the older Zane had dropped. He weighed it in his hand and nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad, got some loot too. Even if it didn't drop materials, a Swift Blade is worth about 160 Star Sounds if you round it up… just a shame it's not a sky set."
Now that he had defeated the final boss, should he be preparing to leave?
Zane looked away from the blade and casually put away the Nexus Armament, letting it enter cooldown sooner so he could use it again earlier.
According to the system's prompt when he pulled it, after using the Nexus Armament, it couldn't be used again within a day.
Of course, forcing it wasn't impossible.
At worst, he'd just get drained dry like other hosts.
But no matter how much Zane looked around, he couldn't find any way to leave this place.
'Huh... strange?'
Zane thought for a moment and swiped his right index finger downward in the air, but nothing happened.
'There's no logout button either? Don't tell me I'm stuck in a game like some black-clad swordsman?'
Just as he was wondering, a violent explosion suddenly sounded behind him. A powerful gust of wind knocked him off balance.
"Don't tell me fighting myself has a second phase!?"
Zane quickly turned around, only to see a black figure holding a blade, walking toward him step by step.
That slender, elegant figure. The black skirt swaying in the wind. Golden eyes shining like stars. On her jade-like face, her red lips curved slightly upward.
The softness at her chest bounced up and down with each step of her long legs, enough to make someone feel dizzy just looking at it.
"Rover, you... ugh!"
Seeing who it was, Zane's face lit up with joy. With the all-powerful Rover here, where couldn't he go?
He immediately greeted her while running toward her.
But the emotional reunion he had imagined didn't happen. There was no warm embrace, not even a passionate kiss. What greeted him wasn't Rover's soft lips, but a cold Swift Blade gleaming with killing intent.
"Wait, Rover, let me explain…", Caught off guard, Zane nearly had his head chopped off. Luckily, his reaction was fast enough to dodge in time.
But Rover was still Rover. There was no way she would let him escape. She raised her blade and attacked relentlessly.
"Don't think copying Zane's way of speaking means you can really imitate him! You will never be him!"
"No, Rover... we can talk this out. Did you just see me earlier… no, I mean, did I just attack you… that's not right either… hey, just listen to me first…"
But Rover showed no hesitation. Strike after strike aimed straight at Zane's neck.
"Zane is dead. I have no heart left to care about right or wrong."
'You should care a little! I'm not dead! But if you keep this up, I really will be!'
"Explain? Are you explaining with a Swift Blade!?"
Zane froze for a moment, looking at the blade in his hand… suddenly feeling like getting loot from a boss wasn't such a good thing.
He wanted to fight back, but at that moment, he noticed a bloody wound on Rover's shoulder. His heart tightened.
Thinking back to the identical version of himself he had encountered earlier, Zane could roughly guess what she had gone through before arriving here.
Something must have impersonated him and attacked her when she wasn't paying attention.
Was this part of some scheme? Knowing it couldn't kill him directly, it impersonated him to attack Rover, then used her to kill him…
'What a vicious plan!'
Zane clenched his teeth. He wanted to try talking it out, but Rover's relentless attacks gave him no chance to speak.
On the other side, whether it was her confidence starting to waver or the Zane in front of her being too real, Rover's eyes gradually reddened. Her tightly pressed lips trembled slightly.
She didn't dare relax.
To bring Zane back, she couldn't afford another ambush.
But…
Rover raised her head. Seeing the gentleness and faint concern in Zane's eyes, the emotions surging inside her finally broke free.
"Give me back my Zane, you fake!"
"!"
Zane stopped moving, letting Rover rush into his arms with her blade raised.
As for whether that strike would kill him… he no longer had the time to think about it.
He just wanted this foolish girl to understand that the real him would never hurt her.
But after waiting for a long time, the expected pain never came. All he could feel was the soft, trembling warmth of her body.
"Zane? Is it really you?", Her usual bright and lively voice now carried a faint tremble, as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Her warm breath brushed against his face, making it itch slightly, yet feel comforting.
Only then did Zane notice that the blade she had been pointing at him was always the blunt side.
This foolish girl, even after being hurt by a fake version of him, still couldn't bring herself to strike him with the sharp edge…
Or rather, she was afraid that among ten thousand fake Zanes, there might be one real one.
"Using the blunt side… aren't you afraid I'm fake?"
"I'm not. Because I can feel it. Do you remember that pinky promise back then? The contract is already formed. You and I are connected in ways we can't see."
Only then did the girl's tears finally break through, pouring out without restraint, just like the overwhelming and sincere feelings in her heart.
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