The two men stood motionless, eyes locked, tension thick in the air. Neither spoke. Then, like the snap of a breaking string, they surged forward.
Their blades collided with a sharp metallic clang that echoed through the strange, empty place they had fallen into. Leo's sword, Thorn, wrapped with crimson mana as it met Mr. Clone's weapon—an icy blade forged in an instant by enchanting a stone with raw frost magic. The force of the clash sent sparks flying and vibrated up both their arms.
Locked in the struggle, Leo caught a flicker of movement behind his opponent. A second Mr. Clone emerged from the shadows, blade flashing as he moved to strike from the side. Reflex overriding thought, Leo threw himself backward, his boots skidding along the rough ground just as the second strike passed through where he'd been standing a moment before.
He barely had time to recover before the original Mr. Clone lifted a hand. A glowing ring of runes flared to life, pulsing with fiery energy. With a sharp twist of his wrist, the spell activated—unleashing a spiraling tornado of fire that howled through the air toward Leo like a beast unleashed.
But Leo didn't hesitate. He tightened his grip on Thorn, and the blade responded. Blood, already sealed into the weapon's core, dripped from its edge in controlled, precise lines. As it hit the ground, it traced a glowing line in a perfect circle beneath his feet.
The moment the blood sealed the circle, the air ignited. A crimson dome burst upward around him, just as the inferno struck. Fire slammed into the shield, roaring with heat and rage, but it could not pass. The barrier pulsed, taking the full brunt of the attack, holding steady, while inside, Leo stood bathed in its red glow—calm, unharmed, and watching.
The firestorm faded. The dome flickered once, then dissolved into the stone floor, leaving behind only the scorched air and silence.
Leo didn't give his opponent a chance to attack again. Without a word, two Blood Phantoms burst from either side of him. The three advanced in perfect coordination. One Phantom clashed directly with the clone, their blades sparking with violent energy. The second Phantom faced off against the real Mr. Clone, their swords locking in a furious exchange.
Leo, meanwhile, circled behind them. His own blade was already glowing—Thorn wrapped in pure mana, a technique he'd only mastered in recent weeks. By channeling raw energy through his palm and into the sword, he gave it the sharpness and impact of a spellstrike with every swing.
Just as Leo closed the distance, a third clone erupted from the ground behind the real Mr. Clone, intercepting the attack at the last second. Leo didn't hesitate. His sword pulsed red as blood surged over the blade's surface. With a single, brutal swing, he sliced clean through the interfering clone, the enchanted blood cutting it in half.
But he wasn't done. In a coordinated detonation, both Blood Phantoms exploded—liquid shadow and blood vapor bursting in all directions. The crimson blood didn't fall. Instead, it streamed through the air, drawn toward Thorn like iron to a magnet. In seconds, a river of blood twisted around his blade, forming a swirling arc above him—hovering, alive with fury.
With a shout, Leo slashed forward. The blood surged forth like a whip, slicing through the air in a wide arc, aimed at the two enemies before him. The attack wasn't just physical—it carried the force of his blood, and his mana.
To defend against the blood-swirling slash, one of the clones leapt beside the real Mr. Clone. At that moment, a glowing circle of enchantment formed around his body, pulsing with sharp blue light. The clone's form instantly solidified into glistening ice—cracks forming across its surface—before it detonated outward in a shockwave. The explosion of frost forged a thick, jagged wall of ice, which surged up between them and Leo's attack, absorbing the blood arc in a hiss of steam.
From behind the barrier, Mr. Clone's voice echoed calmly.
"I didn't realize you've become a vampire."
Leo, standing with Thorn still crackling in his grip, gave a sharp breath. "I haven't."
"Then it must be that sword," Mr. Clone muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Either way… it seems I'll need to be a little more serious."
He extended a hand in front of him, fingers forming precise gestures. "Let me show you a fraction of my former strength."
With a low rumble, three more clones erupted from the cracked stone beneath them, circling Mr. Clone like summoned knights. Above each, complex multi-layered enchantment circles spun into existence—runic rings orbiting in slow harmony. The stone-skinned bodies of the clones began to ripple and shift, bones stretching beneath the surface. Within seconds, they transformed—no longer half-finished puppets, but full, living replicas of Mr. Clone himself.
Each carried a different weapon—one held a long staff, the tip of it's gem glowing faintly red. Another gripped dual shortswords, quick and glinting. The third bore a tower shield and a single longblade, built for counterplay and defense.
Leo's eyes scanned them rapidly, already calculating. But before he could act, the clone with the staff raised his weapon. Four glowing fireballs began to orbit its tip, pulsing with growing intensity before being launched, one after another, in a spiraling pattern toward Leo.
Leo darted into motion, sprinting across the scorched ground as the fireballs detonated behind him. Each one struck with concussive force, sending tremors through the ground. Just as he narrowly dodged the final blast, the shield-bearing clone appeared in front of him, blocking his path with a solid, immovable wall of defense.
At the same time, the dual-blade clone lunged from his left flank, blades flashing, aiming to corner him. Leo's mind spun. He could summon a Dome, but that would only block the next fireball—not the blades. Using Phantoms might solve the problem—but cost too much mana in this fast-paced engagement.
Instead, he made a snap decision. With a roar, Leo's body tensed, his veins bulging under the pressure of channeled blood and mana. He barreled straight into the shield-bearer with brute force, Thorn driving into the center of the shield like a battering ram. The impact sent a shudder down the clone's body, its stance faltering. At the same instant, Leo's free hand fired a blast of raw mana at the incoming fireball, detonating it mid-air in a wave of fiery shrapnel.
But he wasn't done. As he twisted, a blade of blood formed in his other hand—crafted in the blink of an eye—and with it he met the twin blades of the third clone, steel and blood clashing in a blur of movement.
On the other side, the mage clone raised its staff again, gathering mana. A larger fireball, twice the size of the last ones, began to take shape. The heat it emitted caused the air to shimmer.
From the outside, it would look as though Leo was overwhelmed—cornered by three enemies, another preparing a devastating spell. But that was exactly what he wanted.
Without warning, a Blood Phantom surged up beside him. Dual swords in hand, it instantly switched places with Leo, taking his position in the clash.
The real Leo leapt high into the air. The mage clone, startled but undeterred, launched the massive fireball toward him. But before it could make contact, a enchanting circle formed beneath Leo's feet in mid-air—an enchanted platform, brief but solid. Leo pushed off it with full force, launching himself straight toward the caster like a missile.
He crossed the distance in an instant. The mage had no time to react. Leo's sword pierced through the clone's heart, driving deep into its chest with explosive force. The clone coughed once—then turned to solid stone, crumbling into dust beneath him.
But the fight wasn't over. Behind him, the real Mr. Clone stood, now wielding a staff of his own. Another fireball was forming—larger, denser, more lethal than the others. And this time, a cold smile curled across his face.
Leo had no time to dodge. The massive fireball exploded against him with a deafening roar, engulfing his figure in a wave of flame and smoke. But as the smoke cleared, Leo stood unscathed—his shield crystal glowing faintly at his belt, its protective spell having absorbed the full impact.
Without wasting a second, Leo leapt backward, putting distance between himself and the real Mr. Clone.
But his respite was short-lived. From the side, the dual-sword clone charged with renewed fury. One of its blades now blazed with fire, crackling with heat, while the other shimmered with icy mist, freezing the air around it.
The two clashed—flame and frost against Leo's blood-wrapped Thorn. Sparks flew with every blow, and the clash of steel echoed across the space. Leo fought hard to hold his ground, parrying rapid strikes, stepping between flame-laced slashes and frostbitten thrusts.
Just as he began to gain ground, a sudden surge of heat warned him. From the opposite side, the shield-bearing clone raised its arm high—and a wave of fire erupted from the shield's surface like a massive flamethrower, barreling toward him.
Reacting in a heartbeat, Leo channeled blood into Thorn. The weapon pulsed red and thickened with power before he swung it wide. With the swing, he launched the sword-clone backward, sending it skidding across the ground—and then immediately unleashed a slash of condensed blood toward the second clone.
The blood arc cut through the flame like a crimson blade through smoke. It struck the shield with force, pushing the clone backward, its boots scraping against stone as it struggled to hold position.
The fight stilled for just a breath. Three opponents remained: each now stronger, more unpredictable—and more dangerous.
Leo took that brief moment to catch his breath, his eyes darting between them, noting their postures, their spacing, their coordination.
"So," he said quietly, his voice calm, "you're transferring power between yourself and the clones. Each time one dies, their strength is absorbed—by you and the others."
He exhaled slowly. "At first it looked inefficient... but with more brains, you gain more spells, more strategies, and more chances for a coordinated ambush."
From across the field, Mr. Clone gave an approving smile. "Even if you understand it, you can't stop it. That's the beauty of this power."
"We'll see," Leo said coldly.
In one swift motion, he activated the enchantment woven into his tunic. A web of glowing runes lit up across the fabric, and a rush of energy surged through his limbs. In an instant, Leo entered his most powerful state—his speed amplified, his strength sharpened.
He vanished in a blur. Before the shield-bearing clone could react, Leo was upon him. The tip of Thorn slammed into the center of the shield with explosive force. The clone's eyes widened in shock, clearly unprepared for the sheer velocity behind Leo's strike. The impact reverberated through the air like a bell, and the clone was pushed back, heels digging into the stone.
As the clone strained to hold his ground, a frost-like aura began to seep from his shield, curling around Leo's sword. Ice rapidly crept along the blade, trying to freeze it solid. But Leo responded with a surge of raw power, pouring mana and blood into Thorn.
With a roar, he shoved forward—overpowering the frost, and sending the clone hurtling backward. The clone smashed into the far wall with a loud crack. Before it could recover, Leo's blood—still lingering from the force of the strike—coalesced mid-air into a phantom, which immediately drove a crimson sword into the clone's chest.
But there was no time to pause. The last clone, the one with dual swords, had finally caught up—its movements silent, its eyes locked on Leo. It pressed a hand to the ground, and instantly, a thick mist erupted outward, shrouding the place in a veil of cold fog.
Leo narrowed his eyes, activating both of his vision spells—heat and life-force tracking. Instantly, he frowned. There were multiple life signatures in the mist—clones circling him like wolves. But only one glowed with heat. The real threat.
They were closing in, waiting for him to hesitate. But Leo didn't give them the chance. He lunged straight toward the one with heat signature—trusting instinct and speed—and slashed. Thorn carved a line through the fog, and the clone was flung backward, tearing through the mist as it cleared. But it hadn't died.
It stood again, clutching its chest. Where Leo's strike had landed, its armor had been torn, exposing a deep scar. The rest of its body was now covered in dark, enchanted armor, clearly stronger than before.
Leo's gaze snapped to the real Mr. Clone—now also clad in the same armor. It didn't take much to piece it together.
Killing the shield clone had granted the remaining enemies armor—another layer of power transfer. Leo tightened his grip on Thorn, eyes sharp with both focus and frustration.