Riley's lips curled into a smirk.

'I expected that too.'

The instant the clone blocked his knee, Riley twisted sharply, slashing his dagger downward in one brutal arc—aimed directly at the clone's exposed face.

The clone's head jerked in an attempt to escape, but it was just a fraction too slow.

Shing!

The blade tore across its face from top to bottom, splitting through its flesh like paper.

—1700!

Another crimson notification flared above its head, and a spray of thick, black blood burst from the wound.

The clone staggered back, its body tilting as if unbalanced from the blow—half its face now covered in that oozing dark liquid, dripping in long, viscous lines.

Riley didn't give it time to breathe.

His feet kicked off the ground the moment the notification faded.

'Lunge!'

A surge of power coursed through his legs, and his body grew lighter, the world around him slowing slightly.

The tip of his twin daggers glinted, and Riley's smirk widened, feeling that he already had his shadow clone cornered.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

He swiftly slashed twice at the clone's chest—one strike after the other in rapid succession.

But—

Thrang!

Thrang!

Both attacks bounced off.

The impact rang out like steel slamming into stone.

"What—!?"

Riley's eyes widened in disbelief.

The spot he struck had suddenly been cloaked in a thicker, deeper shade of shadow.

It was like hitting an indestructible surface.

His momentum faltered for just a split second.

But it was enough.

He gnashed his teeth, skidding slightly to recover as he hissed inwardly.

'Damn it… I'm in trouble.'

That wasn't normal defense, it was like the shadow aura around the clone reacted and adapted to his attack.

As if responding to his aggression, the clone's entire body pulsed once—then—

Fwoosh!

The shadow aura around it exploded outward.

A thick shroud of swirling darkness enveloped its form—almost completely hiding its features beneath.

It looked nearly identical to Riley's own [Dark Shroud]—but a lot denser.

Unlike Riley's, the shadow shroud also had a purplish hue to it, giving it a more ominous vibe.

The air around them seemed to thicken as well, like the space itself was choking under the pressure.

Then—its mouth parted, barely a whisper escaping.

"…Charge…"

And in the next instant, it lunged.

The ground cracked beneath its feet from the sheer force.

Its body shot forward like a missile, its speed so fast that Riley could barely follow.

Its muscles bulged underneath its armour, its power surging even further.

Riley could instantly tell that the clone had stacked [Charge] on itself… just like him, and his back drenched in sweat at the realisation.

The clone surged forward like a shadow-born phantom—its dagger slicing through the air in a sharp, deadly arc aimed straight at Riley's neck.

Riley instinctively ducked low, just barely evading the gleaming edge as it passed a hair's breadth from his skin.

But before he could fully reset his stance—

The clone vanished.

His eyes widened in alarm.

'Shit! Where—?!'

A pulse of danger flared in his instincts.

Too late.

Shing!

The clone reappeared at his side in a blur—dagger already mid-swing.

Riley twisted, but not fast enough.

The blade ripped through the air, and the dark shroud wrapped around his torso parted again, exactly as it had before.

As if the shroud itself was abandoning him out of fear for the shadow.

Crack—shhk!

The dagger sliced cleanly through his armor, tearing into his flesh beneath.

—1700!

A red notification burst above his head, and a hot wave of pain lanced through his side.

"Gh—!"

Riley grunted harshly as blood spurted out from the gash in his ribs, staining his armor and dripping to the dirt below.

His body staggered from the impact—balance faltering as his feet slid half a step to the side.

This was the first time he had taken such a huge damage.

The attack had torn through his armour, his shroud, and even his high resistance.

But there was no time.

Because the clone vanished again without even making a sound.

Riley didn't wait.

He pushed through the pain, gritting his teeth as he turned his body halfway and drove his dagger in a hard, horizontal arc behind him.

Right where he expected the clone to appear.

As he had expected, the clone reappeared behind him—just a flicker of shadow and bloodlust in the air.

Riley's blade was already mid-swing.

Shing!

The dagger struck the clone's face dead-on.

But just like before, the edge bounced off with a metallic clang, deflecting harmlessly against the dense shadow aura cocooning its skin.

'Damn it—again…!'

The clone's lips twisted into another sinister grin.

And before Riley could react—

Boom!

Its fist drove forward with devastating force, slamming directly into the wound on his side—the same one it had carved open seconds ago.

—2000![Critical Hit!]

"Gh…!" Riley choked.

Pain exploded through his ribs like fire. Blood sprayed violently from his mouth, splattering on the ground in front of him.

The punch sent him flying.

His body twisted in the air, flipping backward from the impact—but before he could crash into the ground, he clenched his jaw and kicked off mid-air, somehow managing to plant his feet with a hard skid across the dirt.

His boots dug trenches in the earth, and he barely remained standing.

His hand instinctively shot to his side, clenching over the bleeding wound that was now gushing freely.

The warm, thick blood seeped between his fingers, and he staggered slightly, gasping for breath.

And ahead—just several meters away—the clone stood motionless, watching.

That wide, mocking grin still plastered across its half-bloodied face.

The veins on its daggers were now glowing a dark crimson, almost pulsing—swollen with stolen mana, stolen power.

Riley's frown deepened, and another wet cough tore from his lungs.

Splash!

Blood splattered the ground again.

'It's… toying with me…'

The realization hit cold and hard.

Then suddenly—

A barrage of notifications flashed across his vision.

[Stealth Deactivated!]

[Charge Deactivated: All Stacks Reset!]

"What—?!"

His eyes widened in horror.

A cold wave crashed through his body.

In the span of a second, all the boost in speed and strength rapidly plummeted.

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