Dungeon Predator (WN)
chapter-462

'Does she have a twin? Or is that a doppelganger? It could also be an illusion,' Kang Oh thought as he stared at the two 'Soras' standing side-by-side. However, they wouldn't give him much time to think.

The two witches cast spells. Fortunately, the weapons they wielded differed, allowing him to differentiate between the two.

Sora #1 carried a black book, while Sora #2 carried a staff decorated with a bat-shaped ornament.

"...Flames of darkness, burn the world to cinders!"

"...Master of chaos!"

Once they completed their incantations, the two Soras unleashed spells of great power.

Flames of Despair!

The flames spread far and wide like a bird's outstretched wings. However, it seemed like the flames were actually healing the Evil God's followers.

On the other hand, the black flames mercilessly burned the detached force. Anyone caught in their path would most likely be met with death.

At the same time...

Destruction and Chaos!

Whoosh!

A purple and yellow vortex appeared in the middle of the battlefield, pulling everything in its vicinity in.

"Uheok!"

"Avoid it!"

In an attempt to avoid the swirling vortex, the detached force scattered. In spite of that, dozens of soldiers were pulled in by its tremendous vacuum force.

"Brothers, prepare a barrier!" Saru yelled urgently.

All of a sudden, Sora #1 and Sora #2 reappeared. The detached force wasn't sure why they had split into two.

Anyhow, their spells were powerful enough to be classified as 'great magic'. It wasn't supposed to be this easy to cast great magic, and its strength matched its difficulty; just one spell could turn the tides of battle.

Thus, their main priority was to reduce the amount of casualties as much as possible.

"Aaah, Lord Rakan!"

"I implore you, Supreme One!"

The white robed priests clasped their hands in prayer. Blue light surged into the air, which then poured down like rain, forming a giant protective barrier around them.

The Flames of Despair, which spread like a giant wildfire, were unable to burn through the barrier. For the time being, that is.

"Hoo!"

"We survived!"

The flames had come an inch away from killing them, but the barrier had prevented its advance. The soldiers cheered, but it was too early to be celebrating just yet.

Whoosh!

The whirling vortex of destruction and chaos was still here.

"Go!" Bart took center stage.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Fire and Ice Giants approached the vortex from the sides, and simultaneously swung their fists downwards.

Bam! Bam!

The surrounding area shook from the impact, and the vortex exploded.

Boom!

The giants, which were closest to the explosion, crumbled instantaneously. That's just how powerful the explosion was.

The nearby demons, Evil God Worshippers, and soldiers weren't safe from the explosion either.

"You witch!" Darion rushed at Sora. Kang Oh quickly appeared right beside him.

"I'll take the left," Kang Oh stared at Sora #2, which was holding the staff, and yelled.

"Then I'll take the right one."

Sora #1, which held the black book, became his mark.

The two came to an agreement, and then charged at their respective foes. However, there was someone that got in their way.

Kyahahk!

The nearby demons threw themselves at them, forming a barricade around the two witches. Sora #1 and #2 used that opening to teleport themselves away from them.

A short while later...

The two Soras reappeared, and cast their powerful wicked magic once more. Fortunately, Kang Oh's party consisted of not just him, but Bart, Helena, and Sephiro.

Helena used her magic to fight Sora #1 head-on. Fireballs the size of houses came flying by, and darkness and lightning crashed against each other.

Bart continually used his own fusion skills. He fused Swordsman, Mage, Druid, Priest, Fighter, etc. skills and magic together in succession, causing those around him to gape.

However, Sora #2 was no easy foe.

She unleashed evil spirits from her bat-shaped staff, and caused acidic smoke to rise up from the split ground.

At that moment...

Sephiro entered the fray.

His arrows, which had killed countless demons and Evil God Worshippers, were now solely aimed for Sora #1 and #2.

Whizz!

Sun Piercing Arrow!

Earth Shaking Arrow!

Fire Dragon's Arrow!

Sephiro used his three strongest attacks.

Waryong, which had grown larger than Sephiro himself, spat dark red flames so that no demon could approach its master.

Sora #1 cast a barrier, protecting herself from Sephiro's barrage. Then, Darion rushed in and swung his gladius.

However, Sora #1 immediately retaliated with a spell, causing him to fall to the floor. It truly was a sight worthy of Darion.

Sora #2 created a transfer magic circle. Like most mages, however, her physical abilities were nowhere near her magical expertise, so she was struck by an arrow while walking through the portal.

Thwock!

"Ugh." Sora furrowed her brow. Of course, it wasn't enough to cancel her spell.

She reappeared in an empty area. The arrow had gone more than halfway through her right ankle.

"Huahp!" Kang Oh rushed at her. He had anticipated where she'd reappear, and had moved accordingly.

Sora #2 swung her staff, urgently casting a protective barrier. The demons nearby belatedly came rushing to her aid as well. However, both her and the demons were too late.

Slash!

Sarahoff cleaved through the middle of her body.

Bam!

Shards of light exploded like firecrackers. However, something strange happened next.

Sora #1, who should've been unscathed, received the same wounds! But Kang Oh didn't realize this right away. He instead focused on killing Sora #2 as quickly as possible.

Mad Wind's Sword!

Kang Oh's twin demon swords flew at her like an eagle and a hawk swooping down on their prey.

Kuhaahk!

The nearby demons threw themselves at him, but to no avail. Kang Oh just cleaved through them and Sora #2.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The same thing happened this time too. Sora #1 took the exact same damage as Sora #2. Kang Oh caught it this time.

'So they're connected, huh.'

Sora #1 and Sora #2 shared HP. In other words, he just needed to defeat one to defeat the other!

Kang Oh was right on the money. The Evil God's overflowing energy had given Sora a new ability.

Self-Copy!

It was exactly as advertised; she could make an exact copy of herself. This explained why there were two of her.

The advantage of this ability had already made itself clear. After all, she was the most powerful mage on their side, and now there were two of her!

However, it also had its downsides.

Everything was shared, which included HP, MP, pain, status ailments, etc. Which meant that killing one would kill the other. Not only that, but if one side was weakened in any way, then the other side wouldn't be able to use her full strength.

'Nice. I'll finish you off quick.' Kang Oh's eyes lit with determination.

If he defeated one of the Soras, then it'd be like killing two birds with one stone!

At that moment...

Sora #1, the wielder of the black book, popped out of the portal. She had appeared to save her counterpart.

"...The power of magic!"

Shocking Whirlwind!

A spiral shockwave shot outwards, as if a taut rubber band had just been released, pushing everything away.

It swept everything away, be it the rolling pebbles on the floor, the debris from the broken buildings, the gray, dead bodies, the giant demons, etc.!

But Kang Oh didn't back down.

"Haahp!"

Kang Oh stayed his ground, and cut through everything that came his way. Sora #1, who was taking care of her counterpart, widened her eyes.

She hadn't expected this at all.

If things had gone as planned, then Kang Oh would've been pushed back by the shockwave and the debris that came along with them.

No, it would've at least made him pause. He wasn't supposed to be pushing through it!

"Die!" Kang Oh attacked before they could even react.

Like a rapid beast, he cut them again and again with his jet-black greatsword and purple longsword.

Shards of light flew through the air. Their already pale faces lost even more color. They were at the brink of death, their HP almost completely gone now.

'We can't keep going like this!'

'We need to find a way...'

However, there were no demons or Evil God Worshippers they could use as shields. In other words, they were on their own.

Sora #1 and Sora #2 simultaneously cast spells. The spells were weak, but they could be cast quickly.

Flash!

Illusion!

As hard as it was to believe, Kang Oh was a person too. The blinding light forced him to close his eyes. In spite of that, his swords never stopped for a second.

Swish!

His blade passed through Sora #2. However, her body faded and turned into smoke.

It was an illusion.

Sora #1 and Sora #2 quickly cast a double-layered barrier.

"Kuha!" Kang Oh let out a battle cry, and struck the barrier from overhead.

Kang Oh's attack power was ridiculously high.

Crack! Crack! Boom!

The first blow cracked the barrier, the second widened the crack, and the third shattered the barrier completely.

Because it was a double-layered barrier, there was still one left, but Kang Oh blew through that one instantly too.

They tried to escape via a portal, but before it was fully open, Kang Oh's swords pierced through their hearts.

Realizing that there was no escape from this mad beast, the two steeled themselves.

'Let's see who dies first!'

The two clasped each other's free hands.

This was her trump card, a spell that she could only cast because of her new Self-Copy ability.

Spell Fusion!

It was an arcane spell, which fused two separate spells into a more powerful one!

"...Tremble, shatter, destroy..."

"...Devour everything..."

Before they could finish their chants, Kang Oh shattered their barrier's final layer and attacked them.

Sarahoff's cold blade sliced Sora #1's neck, and Ubist pierced Sora #2's torso. However, they managed to complete their spells before he could finish them off.

"...Destroy them!"

"...Devour them!"

Great Collapse!

Demon's Tsunami!

The two spells resulted in...

Disastrous Land!

Whoosh!

Wicked energy flowed from their book and staff, which darted forward like a snake and then coiled up.

Danger! Danger!

Hyper Intuition was warning him of danger. He felt cold from head to toe.

Rumble!

The ground violently shook. This didn't look good!

"Everyone, get away! Now!"

Helena's expressionless face, which was borderline unfriendly, turned urgent. She had an immense knowledge of magic. Thus, she knew of Magic Fusion, as well as the great power it could unleash!

Kang Oh ignored his Hyper Intuition's warning, as well as Helena's urgency.

He could finish Sora off in just one more hit. If he killed her, then the magic should go away on its own, right?

'Let's finish this!' Kang Oh swung Ubist and Sarahoff simultaneously, and the world began to slow.

Transcendent Blade!

Swish!

He left an X mark on Sora #2's body.

Bam!

Amidst the outpouring of shards, Kang Oh saw Sora #2's face turn gray. At the same time, Sora #1, who shared her counterpart's HP, fell to the floor too.

[You have defeated the Evil God's Second Disciple, Bewitching Sora.]

[Fame has increased significantly.]

[You have been given a significant amount of contribution points with the continent's various churches.]

[You have leveled up.]

'Nice!'

However, that happiness didn't last long.

Although the caster had died, the fusion spell persisted. Why, you ask? Fusion spells couldn't be reversed or taken back. Once cast, they would continue, regardless of the caster's condition.

Whoosh!

The coiled up energy spread everywhere.

Rumble!

The ground split apart and the darkness energy surged, resembling a small hill. And then... Boom!

The darkness energy transformed into a giant tsunami, crushing everything in its path.

"Tch!" Kang Oh quickly switched to Blood, and dark red wings appeared on his back.

Then, he forcefully flapped his wings!

Flap! Flap!

Kang Oh soared into the air.

"Uheok!"

"R-Run away!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

The detached force belatedly ran away.

Sometime later...

The battlefield, where the Evil God Worshippers and the detached force had once fought, had transformed into a giant swamp of darkness. 'Disastrous Land' was truly an apt term for the spell.

This calamitous spell had killed several people. Of course, several demons and Evil God Worshippers had been caught in the crossfire too.

Anyhow, there weren't many that'd survived.

Kang Oh, Helena, and Bart had survived. They weren't Numbers for nothing.

Sephiro had also survived. Waryong had picked him up and flown him into the air.

Many of the Rakan Priests had survived too. A few of them had cast a Self-Sacrifice spell, giving up their lives to save their brothers. Saru was alive because of them.

However, the 100 Fighters had sustained way too many casualties. There were only ten of them still standing.

Most of the gladiators that'd accompanied Darion hadn't come out of this alive.

If Darion hadn't carried the gladiators on his shoulders and escaped the blast, then none of them would've survived this.

"Mm."

They had killed Sora and had annihilated the enemy force. That was definitely a win. However, the detached force had sustained several casualties, and they couldn't continue with their mission with such a small handful of troops.

"Let's retreat."

Kang Oh and the detached force quickly left the large city of Franco.