My sword connected with one of the Rins, who vanished in a puff of smoke with no resistance to my blade. The arc of my swing slashed through another, who likewise disappeared, but it would not be enough to save me from the barrage of 8 more daggers. A stab wound multiplied eight times would have been overwhelming, not to mention how quickly my HP could dissolve from such an assault.
My back then lit with pain, I reflexively swing behind me, only to see a second dagger slashing at my face. It cut across my right eyebrow as that Rin kicked my stomach and sprung off of me to open the distance, the other Rins disappearing until she landed with two more coming from her and rolling to the left and right.
I take a moment to assess the damage. I was cut only twice.
Of course, these other Rins were only illusions. I did not have 6, or 8, or 12 daggers to contend with. No matter how many Rins came after me, I only had to worry about 2 blades.
I glanced at the display.
Tsarina- 2,100/3,000 ~~ Rin- 1,800/2,400
I’ve lost more HP than her now, but I had more to spare, and her attacks were still weaker than mine. The cut over my eyebrow was a bad one, as it caused blood to blind my eye. Still, this was far from lost, I just needed to-
Before I could think, the 3 Rins charged at me once again.
The one in the middle. That was the real Rin.
I gripped my sword with both hands. A trade of blows would be a win for me. I would surprise her by abandoning defense and trading blows!
The 3 Rins split into 6. It’s fine. The real Rin is one of the two in the middle, I could sweep my blade across both. There was blood in my right eye, but I only needed one eye to see, and I had my targets!
Then, they changed direction, zigzagging across each other. The 6 separate bodies shuffling and taking a new formation as they circled around and dove in.
Which one!?
THAT ONE!
I slashed across one, but it disappeared into smoke as my blade faded through it. I felt a clean slice just below my jawline, followed by wet warmth running down my neck. I saw a Rin duck low as I plunged my sword forward. One dagger stabbed into my gut as another slashed across my thigh, then she rolled away and took some distance between us again. I was hit 3 times from that exchange, the direct stab into my stomach hurting the most.
Tsarina- 1,700/3,000 ~~ Rin- 1,800/2,400
Rin circled me, far out of my reach, juggling her dagger once again as her clones stepped out of her body. 3 Rins juggled their daggers now, each with the same smug satisfaction. I could feel the blood trickling down my neck, thigh, and abdomen, finding its way beneath my armor, making my leg feel slick and heavy.
“Starting to feel the pressure?” Their three voices echoed together. “How much more of this can you take, I wonder?”
I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the stinging pain as I used my metal sleeve to ineffectively wipe the blood from my eye. As if keeping track of them wasn’t hard enough already. I couldn’t keep going like this, I needed a new strategy.
The daggers danced through the air. Up and down, up and down, each a mirror image of the other. There was nothing to tell them apart. I could not even be sure which was real. I only assumed the ones who trailed behind her were the clones, but what if one of the clones stepped forward? What if both clones stepped forward instead of trailing behind? The clones could also create clones so it was impossible to tell.
“If you’re so confident, then end it,” I said. I reached for my shield and unbuckled the straps, tossing it to the side so I could effectively grip my sword with both hands. My shield was useless to me, and therefore it was only slowing me down. I shut my eye tight as the blood poured past my eyebrow once again. I was sure she was already considering blinding both eyes. That would be as good as a finishing blow.
“I don’t want to end it just yet,” the voices echoed together. “After all that shit you put me through? I’m going to enjoy this! HAHAHA!”
“What the hell did I do to you!?” I yelled. “I did nothing but try to help you!”
“You know, you’re such a pretentious bitch. Talking about helping your superior,” they caught their daggers and rolled their eyes. “You idiot! Once I win this bet for Leon, we’ll show you your place.” They slashed their daggers through the air, punctuating their words, and a glint of light caught my eye.
That’s it.
My eye’s glanced up at the overhead light, then down to the blades. Of all those daggers, only one caught a glint from the overhead light. Then, as soon as I realized that, I looked toward her feet. The direct overhead light made it hard to tell, but only one of the Rins had a shadow! Of course!
“Know my place,” I asked with a chuckle. “Says the fool who can’t even see she’s being used. Your nothing but cheap entertainment for him.” Now that my eyes knew what to look for, I noticed more differences. The blood on her stomach and thigh, it was shinier on one, catching more of the light.
Their smug smiles turned into glares. “What? You think if you piss me off I’ll make a mistake? Damn, you’re desperate!”
“Then come get me, dog,” I said.
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“Gladly,” they said, and not a moment later the three Rins were charging at me, rage flashing in her eyes. “You're dead!” they hissed.
The three Rins split into six, weaving together as they closed in on me. I focused on the glistening blood of the one Rin, my posture completely still. Two Rin’s weaved in front of her, both swinging their daggers directly at my face. I stepped forward, acting as though they were not there. If they were real I would be dead, but thankfully they were no more than illusions. I did not even need to hit them with my blade as I stepped through them.
Directly behind them, however, the real Rin gripped her dagger, planning to slice my throat, but she was a clean open target as my blade plunged forward, casting the pierce skill.
I saw the fear in her eyes, the instant knowledge that she could not avoid me, and her daggers range was far too short to beat me to the punch. My blade made contact, stabbing deep into the center of her chest. She screamed as her clones disappeared, stumbling backward as my sword exited her. The crowd roared in amazement at the crushing blow.
She backed away, her eyes wide with disbelief as she placed a hand over the wound in her chest, blood pouring past her fingers. I charged forward, not waiting for any more tricks. Now was the time to end this! I spared only a brief glance at the display above.
Tsarina- 1,700/3,000 ~~ Rin- 700/2,400
That direct hit scored over a thousand points of damage!
Two more clean hits could do it! Landing another pierce would end it in one! It was over! I was going to win!
She turned her back towards me and ran, clones appeared and were left behind as they turned to strike at me, but I ignored them, charging right through them, completely ignoring their blades. As their bodies disappeared past me, I saw the real Rin glance back, desperation in her eyes.
“Forfeit! Rin!” I yelled. “I don’t want to hurt you anymore!”
She turned suddenly, her clones jumping to the left and right of her and each throwing a knife at me. I noticed the glint of light on one, stepped to the side, and felt it whiz by my face as one of the fake knives went through me.
“How can you tell!?” They yelled together as they ran in a circle around me before separating into six once again. I immediately spotted the correct Rin but tried not to focus on her. The battle was not over yet, I still needed to catch her a couple more times and she was still faster than me. Abandoning my shield may have been premature, but then again, she would be even more wary of my sword now.
“This is incredible!” The announcer echoed. “Did Tsarina find a way of spotting the real Rin, or was it a lucky shot? What an unexpectedly intense match! Will Rin be able to turn the tide, or will Tsarina claim victory!?”
I kept my eyes on the real Rin, tracking her movements as the five illusions weaved in and out, attempting to confuse me. I had to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike.
Rin seemed to grow increasingly frantic, her clones dashing around me in a dizzying blur. I could see the fear and anger in her eyes, but I also recognized the determination that drove her. No, I wouldn’t underestimate her; not when the match was so close to its conclusion!
The Rins suddenly charged at me from all directions. I focused on the one with the glinting dagger and the faint shadow beneath her. As they closed in, I swung my sword with precision, aiming for the real Rin. But this time, she was ready.
With an incredible burst of speed, Rin dodged my attack, her dagger slicing across my bicep as she passed by. The pain was sharp and intense, and I stumbled, momentarily losing my footing but quickly recovered.
Tsarina- 1,550/3,000 ~~ Rin- 700/2,400
“How?!” Rin screamed, her voice filled with desperation and anger. “Tell me how you can tell which one is real!”
I remained silent, refusing to give away my secret. I couldn't afford to let Rin find a counter to my strategy. Instead, I gritted my teeth and braced myself for her next attack, my eyes locked on her movements.
Rin's expression shifted from desperation to determination as a plan seemed to form in her mind. She summoned her illusions once more, and as they surrounded me, she pulled a small object from her pocket – a smoke bomb!
With a swift motion, Rin hurled the smoke bomb at the ground. Thick, dark smoke quickly engulfed the arena, obscuring my vision and making it nearly impossible to see the glint of light on Rin's dagger or the shadow beneath her feet.
Squinting through the smoke, battling with the blood that blinded one eye, I tried to focus on my other senses. I listened for Rin's footsteps, the rustle of her clothes, or the soft swish of her dagger slicing through the air. But the noise from the crowd and the echoes in the arena made it impossible to pinpoint her location. I could only see the silhouette of the 6 Rins as they circled around me through the haze.
I had to run to a clear part of the arena, that was the only way, but as I began to move my feet, two Rins emerged from the smoke, their daggers raised, and I realized I had no choice but to rely on my instincts to defend myself. I swung my sword, parrying the first Rin's attack, only for her to vanish. Another Rin lunged at me, and I blocked her strike as well, but then I felt a dagger plunge into my back once more. I yelled and stumbled forward, then spun around, leading with my blade, but already she disappeared into the smoke.
Tsarina- 1,300/3,000 ~~ Rin- 700/2,400
I picked a direction and started running. I was at too much of a disadvantage in the smoke.
However, as I ran, I felt Rin upon me, I turned and swung my sword, but she jumped high, the blade of her dagger sliding across my face again, starting just above my lip, cutting across my nose and knicking my eyebrow. I almost lost my left eye completely, but it was enough to hinder my vision even more.
As she landed, she turned and launched another attack at me, moving like a phantom through the smoke. I used the pierce skill, but she slipped past it, burying one dagger in my stomach, and the other slicing the side of my neck as she spun around me and disappeared into the smoke yet again.
My chest felt tight and hot, burning with frustration. I kept moving, the smoke was beginning to clear up. I just had to hope she did not come prepared with more than one of those bombs. As the stands of the arena appeared through the smoke, I was glad to at least be out of that, but then I was falling, I felt my ankle burst with pain and as I hit the ground I turned my sight down my leg to see a throwing knife had stuck into my flesh, severing my Achille's tendon.
Tsarina- 800/3,000 ~~ Rin- 700/2,400
Panic surged through me as I realized the extent of the damage. Rin had crippled me with her throwing knife, leaving me unable to stand or evade her attacks. I gritted my teeth and pulled the knife from my ankle, fighting back the waves of pain and nausea that threatened to overwhelm me. The burning of anger in my chest got even hotter. I tried to stand, but my leg refused to support my weight, and I collapsed back to the ground.
Rin emerged from the dissipating smoke, a cruel smile on her face as she brandished another throwing knife. “How does it feel, Tsarina?” she taunted. “Not so smug now, are you?”
I glared at her, gripping my sword tightly as I tried to think of a way out of this situation. But with each passing second, my options seemed to grow increasingly limited.
Rin's smile widened as she took aim, her arm drawing back to throw the knife. I braced myself for the impact, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it. The knife flew through the air, sinking deep into my shoulder with a sickening crunch.