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"How could I…?"
She shook her head violently, trying to drive those unbearable images out of her mind.
Forcing herself not to think about it, she braced her body and tried to sit up.
"…Huh?"
Illya froze mid-motion.
This… what is this?
She quickly checked her condition.
"…This… how is this possible?!"
The clone clapped a hand over her mouth, her sapphire-blue eyes filling with shock and humiliation. Her whole body trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind. Never—not even in her wildest imagination—had she thought that after crossing into another world, armed with a level 119 cap, a unique hidden class, and ninety-nine World-Class Items, she—who should have stood above all beings like a lone myth—would be subjected to something so vile, so malicious, so utterly beyond comprehension.
And the attacker… seemed to be a woman?!
(As a clone, she had no awareness of the original body.)
Even as shame and fury churned inside her, the cold logic of a top-tier player forced itself to function. Her mind raced.
This wasn't a direct magical attack or mental shock. None of my defensive items or skills triggered. Only the resurrection ring—[Sacred Covenant: Cocoon of Rebirth (Replica Model)]—reacted briefly before going silent…
That means the attack bypassed conventional defense systems entirely.
It targeted… my physical body. My most fundamental biological structure. My nervous system.
In the game, her character had been data—an "NPC" without real flesh or neurons—naturally immune to this kind of attack. But after crossing over, this body was real. Flesh, blood, nerves… human to the core. No matter how powerful her Valkyrie abilities were, they couldn't overwrite that fundamental reality.
She pinched her cheek lightly. Pain came, clear and immediate.
"…So that's it." Her voice was bitter. "Because I now have a real human body… I've inherited humanity's most basic weaknesses."
Her expression darkened.
"The ability used against me… it targets biological desire at its root. Maybe even neurotransmitters, DNA, the structure of the brain itself… This goes way beyond anything in YGGDRASIL."
And that blackened eye…
With [Divine Domain Insight], she could clearly see it—her visual nervous system had been contaminated by an unknown energy, one laced with seduction and domination. Almost certainly the attacker's doing. If she didn't remove the source, would it spread? To the rest of her body?
Conflict tore through her—pain, anger, humiliation, fear. In the end, survival instinct and caution toward the unknown threat won.
She needed help.
Gritting her teeth, enduring a sensation that felt like her mind was being torn apart, she staggered to the mirror.
The girl reflected there had disheveled golden hair. One eye shone like the sea—clear blue. The other was spreading into a chilling black from the pupil outward, like a crack defiling a piece of perfect porcelain.
Her heart clenched.
She turned, left the room, and paused with her hand on the doorknob.
Go out like this?
What if someone saw her like this?
The pressure in her mind urged her forward. She pulled a wide, hooded dark cloak from her spatial pouch and wrapped herself tightly, hiding as much of her face as possible.
Meanwhile, in another dimension…
The real Illya rubbed her sleepy eyes and yawned. She had just woken up.
With a blink, [Divine Domain Insight] traced things back slightly, and she understood everything that had happened.
A faint smile curved her lips.
What a crude, boring way to attack.
She rested her chin on her hand, watching the scene unfold with mild amusement.
She could have easily identified the culprits—Albedo and Rubedo—and even traced causality back to the exact moment they acted.
But she didn't.
Watching insects scheme, struggle, and walk toward their destined end… that had its own charm.
Besides, last night, while wandering alone, she had already used a high-tier World Item to glimpse several possible futures of this world.
That ending…
Her smile deepened.
The clone stepped into the hallway. Empty.
The inn lobby was quiet too, just a few sleepy attendants. Keeping her head down, Illya hurried outside.
Morning in the imperial capital of the Baharuth Empire was already alive with noise, but she barely noticed. Her mismatched eyes scanned the street anxiously.
A tailor? A clothing shop? A pharmacy? A church?
The chaos in her nerves burned like fire. For a moment, she even considered using the resurrection ability of the Cocoon—obliterating herself and rebuilding her brain from scratch.
But she dismissed the idea immediately.
Using such an item for this… insult of a problem?
Unacceptable.
And what if the attacker's ability lingered? Or marked her? The six-hour immunity might not be enough.
Then—
A small, inconspicuous shop caught her eye.
Several pots of fresh flowers sat outside, still covered in morning dew. A simple sign read: "Ivy's Little Flower Shop."
A girl stood outside, watering plants while humming cheerfully.
She looked about fourteen or fifteen, with twin tails, a round face, and bright, lively eyes. Her apron was simple but clean.
Most importantly… she was a girl. And she looked innocent.
This will do.
Illya took a breath and approached.
"Welcome! What kind of flowers would you like? We just got fresh irises this morning, and these white roses still have dew on them!"
The girl—Ivy—turned with a bright smile, her voice as clear as a bell.
Illya didn't even glance at the flowers.
She placed a high-grade magic gemstone on the small wooden table.
"I'll take all the flowers," she said quietly. "And… I have a private request. Help me, and you'll be rewarded further."
Ivy froze.
Her eyes widened at the gem. She had never seen anything so valuable in her life.
She looked back at Illya, heart pounding.
A noble lady? A mage?
"…W-what kind of help?" she asked nervously.
Illya hesitated, then took out a few gold coins and explained in a lower voice.
Ivy's face turned bright red.
Her expression became… complicated.
Shock. Embarrassment. Sympathy. A hint of curiosity.
But then she glanced at the gemstone again… and thought of her parents, working tirelessly to keep the shop running.
She took a deep breath.
She's a girl. I'm a girl. I'm just helping someone in trouble… that's all.
"I… I understand," she said, forcing herself to sound steady. "Please come to the back."
A few minutes later, they were in a small, tidy room filled with a faint floral scent.
Illya removed her hood.
Her pale face. Her messy golden hair.
And that half-black eye.
Ivy instinctively stepped back—but Illya's exhausted, pleading gaze steadied her.
"Quickly," Illya said, voice tight with strain.
She handed over a delicate, knife-shaped item glowing with soft white light—a projection of a World-Class Item capable of absolute purification.
"Use this. Do exactly as I said. Don't hesitate."
Ivy nodded, hands trembling.
Five minutes later…
"Th-there's… another one, right?" she whispered.
"…Yes."
This time took longer.
At that exact moment—
In the void, Illya's true body sat up slightly.
"…That should be enough."
She raised a finger and tapped lightly.
In the next instant, her form dissolved into soft white light, merging seamlessly into the clone.
Two consciousnesses became one.
The chaos vanished instantly.
Clarity returned.
Illya blinked, and a faint smile appeared on her lips—identical to the original.
I see.
Memories merged. Pain and humiliation from the clone. Calm amusement from the original.
Perfectly fused.
She didn't immediately deal with everything.
Instead, Illya walked to the mirror again.
Her cold gaze locked onto the corrupted eye.
She took out a small blue crystal—[Tear of Pure Origin]—and pressed it against her eye.
Soft blue light flowed in.
The blackness melted away like snow under sunlight.
Within seconds, her eye returned to its original, clear blue.
Only then did she finally relax.
And then—
A colder, deeper fury than before erupted within her like a waking volcano.
No screaming.
No tears.
Just absolute, freezing calm.
Her eyes, now fully restored, shimmered with a killing chill.
Good.
You like playing dirty?
Like messing with minds? Marking people? Corrupting them?
Fine.
I'll play with you to the end.
Her clothes vanished.
Brilliant silver light burst forth.
Her armor—Valkyrie's Aegis—formed around her like flowing mercury, encasing her body completely. A top-tier World-Class Item, beyond conventional limits, granting absolute defensive concepts.
With it, even attacks targeting biological foundations would be nullified.
Her golden hair shifted to a luminous silver, like moonlight made solid.
She looked like a divine Valkyrie descended from myth.
Cold. Untouchable.
Beautiful beyond reason.
Ivy stared, completely stunned.
Moments ago, this girl had been fragile, ashamed, on the verge of collapse.
Now she stood there like a goddess.
"…W-what… are you?" Ivy whispered.
Illya turned slightly, her icy gaze falling on her.
Ivy shivered.
"…About today," she stammered.
Illya said nothing.
But the silence itself felt heavier than words.
"..."
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