“Alysia… protect Miki.” I responded.

“Yes, Master.” Alysia stood in front of Miki protectively as the other four women started to make a circle.

This was pretty ridiculous. I was trying to attack Miki’s chains while my doppelganger was trying to stop me. Meanwhile, Alysia was trying to protect Miki while the other party members were trying to kill her.

Of course, at any moment, my doppelganger could turn and try to attack Miki, but then again, at any moment, Alysia could turn and attack the chains. Thus, it became a giant battle of keep-away. I took several slashes at the chains, but Hero blocked every one. The pair of us started to dance around Miki as we fought for the upper hand.

Alysia took a more direct approach, using a powerful barrier to hold back the four. If Miki had replicated the girls based on their status the last time, she was with them, then Alysia was stronger than the other girls. That didn’t mean she was necessarily stronger than all of them together, but with her playing a purely defensive role, it wasn’t so bad. Celeste let out air attacks while Lydia and Terra pressed hard. It was Shao who was the most dangerous, trying to sneak past Alysia’s blind spot to strike Miki.

As she used the abilities she once had as a warrior, general, and dungeon diver, I focused on my issues. If I had hopes that Miki had underestimated my abilities and Hero was a pushover, they were quickly dashed. His attacks were brutal and heavy, and without the advantage I had when I combined my strength with Alysium, I found myself disadvantaged.

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The pair danced around Miki. Any time I attempted to make a move toward her, he would immediately intercept it. Realizing that I couldn’t free her with him present, I began to focus on defeating him. Whether it came from Miki’s will or simply chance, Hero wasn’t trying to kill me. He focused entirely on defending, which made it even more difficult to defeat him in the short term. I considered using my more powerful abilities, but I worried about it. This area was deep within Miki’s soul dungeon, at the source of her power. It was possible she could nerf anything I decided to do.

“Master!” Alysia cried out.

Four on one had put her at a disadvantage no matter how strong she was. Lydia had used her superior speed and broken past her while Terra used her size to block Alysia. Celeste cut off her movements with wind blades, trapping her and keeping her from taking action. I lunged for Miki, but a blade came striking toward me. I threw up my blade to stop Hero, but the blade sliced through my own. As my blade broke in two, I was struck by a powerful attack and went flying. I struck the ground in time to see Lydia’s blade swing down at Miki’s neck.

“No!” I shouted.

Ding! A clang rang out followed by a dull thudding sound. Lydia who had a happy expression plastered to her face jerked in surprise. She looked down to see a dagger stabbed directly into her chest. Then, she looked up to see Shao standing there.

“H-how?”

“Hmm?” Shao tapped her chin, a devilish smirk on her face. “I said from the beginning. I only have one Master. If someone hurts a woman he cares about, he’ll definitely be mad at me. That’s why, whether I’m real or not, every part of me belongs to Master!”

“Then you are no longer needed!”

While I was watching the scene unfold, I hadn’t noticed Hero move, appearing behind Shao. She didn’t move to block him as he attacked her. Perhaps, that single moment of defiance was all she was allowed. As the blade struck her back, she went flying away, slamming into the floor in a heap.