CHAPTER 209: MISUNDERSTANDING RESOLVED

"Oh my god!

Those are my nails!"

The woman instinctively yelped,

So familiar... couldn’t be more familiar!

Those were definitely her own nails!

Why the hell were they on a monster’s hands!

Suddenly,

She realized something:

"Your... your voice!"

Why did this voice always sound so damn familiar?

It was her own voice!

"Finally! You get it!"

The newborn retainer let out a tired sigh—what a pain in the ass.

This woman wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

"Hold on,

That ain’t right!

You’re Diliya,

Then who the hell am I?"

The woman shook her head like crazy. How did she get sucked into this mess?

Who would know better than herself whether she was herself?

"The first thing I do every morning

Is hold my nails up to sunlight to soak up that shine.

The last thing I do before bed

Is hold my nails up to moonlight to keep that luster.

I..."

At this point, the woman didn’t give a damn.

She couldn’t let this monster jack her identity.

She rattled off her experiences one by one:

"Bottom line,

I am Diliya,

A human psychic, Hughes Diliya!"

She put major emphasis on ’human.’

Despite all the sketchy stuff about the monster in front of her, Diliya immediately zeroed in on the weak spot.

She wouldn’t let some damn monster

Steal her identity.

Even if it killed her, she wouldn’t back down!

This was humanity’s last stand!

The newborn retainer couldn’t believe it:

"No... no way... how could you know all this crap!"

This woman not only had a body exactly identical to her past self, down to every tiny detail—she also had her memories!

Impossible...

Could she really be Diliya?

Then who was she?

No... she was Diliya.

Her memories were crystal clear.

The body changing made sense—it was because her lord held a retainer ritual to save her!

Right, her lord! Her lord had to know something!

"Sir!

Do you know what’s going on with this chick?

Why does she have the same body as me

And my memories too?"

The newborn retainer looked up, respectfully asking the figure on the distant rock wall.

’Sir?’

The woman looked over.

On the rock wall,

A familiar masked figure

Was watching her with interest.

"Sir!

You saved my bacon again!"

Her voice was bright and cheerful, face lit up with gratitude!

Setting aside looks,

This scene was exactly like when the newborn retainer was born.

"Bitch!

Sir clearly saved me!

You fake!"

The newborn retainer was ticked off. It felt like she was being ripped off!

"Bitch,

You’re the fake.

You’re not even human!"

With the familiar lord showing up, the woman’s confidence went through the roof.

Even with a huge power gap, she couldn’t lose this pissing contest!

"Damn it!"

The newborn retainer’s teeth were grinding with rage.

She wanted to smack this fake into next week with one swing,

But

Looking at that familiar face, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Her own flesh, her own memories—basically a carbon copy of herself.

"I’m not a monster!

My core is still human!

I just have different packaging!

I am Diliya!"

The newborn retainer fought back hard.

She absolutely couldn’t cave.

After watching this train wreck from the sidelines for way too long,

Carlos had pretty much figured out what went down and spoke up:

"Alright, knock it off."

One person and one retainer immediately shut their traps,

Only glaring daggers at each other, staring without blinking.

Right now, they both knew that once they showed weakness, they’d get replaced by this copycat!

Carlos chuckled:

"Actually, you’re both Diliya."

"???" X2

The woman and newborn retainer were floored.

We’re both Diliya?

What the hell does that mean?

Could Hughes Diliya be two different people?

Carlos’s eyes were twinkling with amusement:

"Remember your flesh-switching talent?"

The woman and newborn retainer had a lightbulb moment,

Both muttering in perfect sync:

"So... so

’Half’ in the prophecy poem meant this..."

Their minds couldn’t help but drift back to their dear friend’s prophecy:

[Black mandala withers,

The overlapping selves finally begin to separate,

One returns to darkness, one pursues light.

Familiar travelers arrive, taking away half of you.

Strange travelers visit, taking away half of you.

No need for sorrow, all is ordained by time and space,

No need to struggle, all is fate’s choice.]

"The familiar traveler—

Could that be you!"

They looked at each other, both seeing the same sudden realization in the other’s eyes.

"Wait, why do you know this too?"

They could barely wrap their heads around the flesh splitting—

After all, from the transformation, they could vaguely sense these were indeed two completely different bodies.

But souls were one-of-a-kind.

Had their soul split?

No, the soul was perfectly intact!

Carlos saw both Diliyas’ confusion:

"Your talent’s real name is Anomalous Soul..."

After hearing Carlos’s explanation,

Both Diliyas were stumped, looking at each other:

"Um... what overlay state? Do you get it?"

Both awkwardly hung their heads, too embarrassed to admit they were lost.

Carlos helplessly dumbed it down:

"Simply put,

The original Diliya was always two people.

Now, you’ve just split apart again.

You getting this now?"

"What!

I was always two people before???"

Both Diliyas said in perfect unison.

This was seriously creepy.

Thinking that the other had been living inside her body was spine-tingling.

"Stay the hell away from me!"

They suddenly thought of a problem:

"Wait, this means

You know all my business!" X2

Both Diliyas looked at each other with growing disgust.

The other knew all her deepest, darkest secrets.

"You shameless creep!" X2

Their voices carried embarrassed fury.

So mortifying—

All those... those many things...

If this person blabbed to others...

In perfect sync,

Both Diliyas’ eyes filled with murderous intent, like World War III was about to break out.

Carlos was blown away too.

This had never gone down in the original timeline—

An Anomalous Soul had actually split!

"Let’s head outside first."

"Yes sir! Sir!" X2

Both responded in unison, finding each other even more annoying.

The other wasn’t a fake anymore,

But was an even more hateful ’peeping tom’ than a fake!

....

Getting out of the cave,

Carlos brought both Diliyas to an open area outside the sand waterfall, broke out tables and chairs for a quick rest while waiting for the shield guards to finish looting.