CHAPTER 2039: TRIAL OF THE BLACK MIRRORS

Alex returned the next day.

Every muscle still ached from yesterday’s clash, but there was no hesitation in his steps. The bruises and soreness weren’t wounds — they were proof that he’d survived a battle with Nyx at her full speed. And he knew... today would be worse.

The familiar pull yanked him into Nyx’s inner world.

The world had changed.

The obsidian platform was gone.

In its place stretched a labyrinth of towering, smooth black pillars, their surfaces so reflective they mirrored the void around them. Narrow walkways linked the pillars like precarious bridges, while gaping chasms yawned below — swallowing all light.

Shadows writhed across the walls, twisting unnaturally as if alive.

And there was Nyx.

She didn’t stand at her throne this time. Instead, she waited on one of the thin bridges ahead, her sword in hand. Her presence was different — heavier, sharper. As Alex’s boots touched the first walkway, he felt the gravity surge again, though not to yesterday’s crushing extremes.

She’s not here to repeat the same fight, Alex thought. This is... something new.

Nyx’s lips parted.

"Survive," she said softly.

It was the first word she had spoken to him since the day they met.

Alex didn’t hesitate — he charged.

The bridge beneath him trembled, and without warning, the section he was on crumbled away. He leapt forward, landing hard on the next platform, just as a blur of black appeared in front of him.

Nyx.

Her blade came down in a vertical arc, the sheer force splitting the narrow bridge in two. Alex twisted sideways, barely landing on the right edge before countering with a thrust. She stepped back, her boots finding perfect balance on the collapsing walkway.

She’s fighting me on terrain that won’t hold.

Alex swung again — but she was already gone, vanishing behind one of the towering black pillars.

A flicker in the reflection caught Alex’s eye.

In the pillar’s surface... Nyx’s reflection moved differently from her real position.

The "reflection" stepped out of the mirror.

Another Nyx.

Identical in every way — same height, same sword, same emotionless eyes. But when this clone moved, her steps made no sound.

Alex blocked the clone’s slash, but the moment their blades met, his instincts screamed — this one’s faster.

The clone pressed forward with inhuman precision. Alex parried one strike, ducked another, and countered with a low sweep. The clone jumped — landing silently behind him.

Clang!

Alex barely blocked the next blow, his arms vibrating from the impact.

The real Nyx reappeared, coming in from the opposite side.

Alex had no time to think. His sword intercepted Nyx’s downward slash while his free hand drew a dagger to block the clone’s thrust from behind. Sparks flew in both directions, lighting the darkness.

The twin assault forced him into a spiral of motion — spin, block, step back, leap sideways onto another crumbling bridge. But the two Nyxes mirrored his every move.

He switched to the spear for range, sweeping wide to keep them both at bay. The long shaft connected with the clone’s ribs, knocking her back — but the real Nyx stepped in, her sword slipping past the spear’s guard.

Alex dropped the spear, ducked under the slash, and tackled her — only for her body to vanish into mist.

An afterimage?

The real Nyx was already behind him, blade raised.

Alex rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the strike that shattered the walkway he’d been standing on. Stone fragments tumbled into the abyss.

The gravity spiked again — but this time, it fluctuated unpredictably. One step felt like moving through water; the next felt like running under a hundred tons. The shifting weight made balance nearly impossible.

The clone darted in under a low-gravity moment, her movements blurring. Alex barely tracked her — only for Nyx to strike from above during a heavy-gravity moment, forcing his knees to buckle.

A thought flashed through his mind: She’s syncing her attacks to the gravity shifts.

He grit his teeth, forcing mana into his legs to stabilize himself.

He used the heavy-gravity moments to anchor himself, turning each into a launch point for explosive strikes when the weight lessened.

With this timing, he managed to parry the clone’s strike and counter with a mana-infused kick to her stomach. The clone flew back — vanishing into the pillar she came from.

The victory was short-lived.

Two more reflections stepped out from nearby pillars — now there were three Nyxes.

Alex’s breathing quickened. Sweat rolled down his face. This wasn’t just about endurance anymore — it was survival.

They attacked in perfect unison.

One came from the front, one from his left, one from above.

Alex leapt sideways, firing mana arrows mid-air to scatter them. Two deflected with ease, but the third arrow clipped a clone’s cheek — dissolving her into smoke. Still, the other two pressed forward.

Alex landed, switching to his dual blades. His movements became sharper, faster — a flurry of steel meeting theirs in a storm of sparks.

For the first time, he stopped retreating and began advancing. Each parry turned into a counter, each dodge into a strike. He pushed one clone back, then feinted and redirected to slash at the real Nyx.

She blocked with one hand.

One hand.

The impact rattled him to the bone.

Alex realized the clones were tied to the black pillars. Every time he destroyed one, the clone linked to it dissolved. The problem was... the pillars were massive, and he had Nyx breathing down his neck.

He lured the real Nyx into attacking with a wide swing, then sidestepped at the last moment. Her blade cut deep into the pillar’s surface — creating a spiderweb of cracks. Alex channeled mana into his boot and kicked the damaged area.

The pillar shattered like glass.

The clone tied to it let out a soundless gasp before breaking apart into shards of light.

Only one Nyx remained.

They faced each other on the last surviving walkway. Below, the abyss churned with writhing shadows. The gravity was now steady — but heavier than ever.

Alex tightened his grip on his sword. His vision tunneled. Every muscle screamed at him to stop.

But he had one more hit left in him.

Nyx’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

They moved.

Steel rang. Sparks fell like rain. Each step they took left cracks in the narrow bridge. Alex’s strikes were fueled by sheer willpower now — speed and precision born from desperation.

He saw an opening — her left wrist exposed for the briefest instant.

He lunged.

Her blade moved like a black comet.

Their swords met in the space between them — and this time, neither moved back.

The bridge beneath them gave way.

They fell.

The air roared past his ears as they plummeted into the abyss. Gravity shifted wildly in the void, sometimes slowing them, sometimes accelerating the fall. They continued to fight mid-air — slashes, kicks, parries — each impact sending them spinning before they realigned.

At one slow-gravity moment, Alex kicked off a falling stone chunk, spinning with a downward slash that grazed Nyx’s shoulder.

"Hit," he grunted through clenched teeth.

Nyx didn’t respond — but the faintest glimmer passed through her eyes.

They landed on a hidden platform deep in the abyss — both on one knee, blades still in hand.

The fight was over.

Nyx stood first, turning toward a nearby shadow gate. "Again," she said simply.

Alex, still panting, grinned despite the blood on his lips. "You bet."

The gate swallowed them both — and the Black Mirror trial ended.