CHAPTER 82: REPLICA THE ANGEL

Alvaric slowly stepped into the room. He walked deeper—toward the place where the statue stood. The light from the crystals in the room began to flicker, slowly dimming, as if warning Alvaric to turn back. But he paid it no mind. He kept walking toward the massive statue.

His eyes were sharp and serious. "What kind of creature is this? The pressure is overwhelming."

Serya, Velka, and the soldier stopped right at the threshold. They didn’t move a muscle. None of them dared to step inside. The aura within made their skin crawl. Even Serya, who rarely showed any will to fight, unsheathed her weapon.

Not to show her strength—but to protect herself from the being in the center of the final room.

"Are we just going to stand here?" whispered the soldier at the back.

He immediately received sharp glares from both Serya and Velka. Their glares clearly told him to keep his mouth shut.

"We’d only die if we interfere," Serya replied coldly.

While everyone else was gripped by fear, Alvaric continued moving forward toward the statue. Step by step, he did not retreat. This battle belonged to Alvaric alone.

"If I manage to kill this creature," he said with a wide grin, "I’ll level up a lot."

He was sure of it. He glanced at his system, but there were no notifications. There should’ve been—this enemy was stronger than the spider he defeated before.

That spider had mistakenly triggered a mission—it would be strange if a creature this strong didn’t do the same.

[Mission Added]

[Kill Replica The Angel (Lord of Darkness and Death)]

[Reward: 10,000 Evolution Points, New Skill]

Alvaric grinned even wider. "Just as I thought."

Now he understood how missions were triggered—by encountering strong enemies. Though the reward was a little disappointing this time, Alvaric considered it progress, as he now knew how to trigger missions. It was still just an assumption, but he was 80% sure he was right.

"With this, everything will get easier."

The being before Alvaric—Replica The Angel—began to float, slightly above the ground. Its eyes flickered faintly—barely opened. Blood began to drip from the many hands gripping weapons. Alvaric felt a sense of dread. He immediately took his stance.

"What is it about to do?"

One drop.

Then two.

The drops of blood fell onto the marble floor... and evaporated instantly, leaving behind crimson stains that wouldn’t fade. The floor touched by the blood began to crack slowly, forming jagged patterns. In the next instant—Craaaack—a shattering sound echoed.

Alvaric jumped back three steps. His expression grew more serious. "It’s about to attack."

The statue’s eyes fully opened. Deep black eyes locked directly onto Alvaric. They didn’t glance left or right—only at him.

"You..." the statue smiled widely. "You’ve finally arrived."

DRAAAP!

The statue’s body dropped. Its feet slammed into the floor. As it landed, the floor shattered instantly.

A shockwave exploded throughout the room. Dust surged. Marble broke apart. And in the center stood the creature, one hand raising a sword, the other moving a magic staff in unknown circular motions.

Alvaric’s smile spread. "At last, you’re going to..."

He didn’t finish the sentence. Alvaric channeled a small portion of his mana—just a bit, but enough. His body launched forward, kicking off the ground. Without hesitation, Alvaric slashed toward the statue with his Crimson Sword Demon.

The creature didn’t move at all. It merely smiled. "Interesting."

WHAM!

The creature was flung back, lifted slightly by the force of the slash. It spun mid-air and... vanished.

Alvaric instinctively kicked backward—and he was right. A slash came from behind, nearly tearing into his back. Alvaric blocked it with Crimson Sword Demon. As the two weapons clashed, a massive shockwave erupted.

The room’s floor shattered. Velka, Serya, and the soldier were pushed back five steps. Their eyes widened in shock.

"You can see the future? Something he never gave to me."

"What do you mean? Who are you talking about? What is that—"

Before he could finish, the creature leapt into the air, twisted its body, and brought down both arms in a hammering blow toward Alvaric. Alvaric blocked it, but at the same time, the other arm slashed with a sword. Another cast a Fireball.

Alvaric clicked his tongue. "This is cheating," he muttered.

Slash!

BAAM!

His body was slashed and blasted with fire magic. Alvaric was thrown back and slammed to the ground. He tried to get up again, but at that moment, the enemy raised its sword—and slammed it down with overwhelming force. Alvaric’s body was pinned.

"Got you!" the creature said.

BAAAM!

Once more, Alvaric’s body was split in two. As he began to regenerate, the statue unleashed rapid slashes—dozens in seconds. Alvaric’s body was torn into a hundred pieces. But it didn’t stop there; the statue fired dozens of fireballs at Alvaric’s remains.

The resulting explosion sent dust billowing everywhere. The statue smiled.

"You’re dead."

***

At the same time, Serya’s eyes widened. She swallowed hard. Of course she was anxious. If Alvaric was killed, not only would her plans fail, she’d be killed here too. Her left hand trembled. She clicked her tongue in frustration. She hated this situation.

"Is he okay?" asked the soldier.

Serya didn’t answer right away. Of course she was worried too—but a few seconds later, she felt relief. She saw a shadow standing amidst the swirling dust.

"He’s fine. Just trust him," Serya replied.

Velka and the soldier turned toward Serya, clearly surprised by her answer. They had thought Alvaric had been defeated. The most shocked of all was the soldier. Velka was only surprised for a few seconds—then she remembered that Alvaric had once fought against three of the top generals.

She was sure Alvaric was still alive. In fact, that battle had been far more brutal than this one. Alvaric survived—and killed one of the generals. Something like this shouldn’t be a problem for him.

"Yes, he’s still alive," said Velka.

The soldier turned to Velka, frowning. "Why do you two trust that so much?"

Serya and Velka smiled. Then both of them pointed toward the dust. "Look over there!" they said in unison.