A sharp, throbbing pain in my head jolted me awake. Memories of the events that brought me here flooded back. So, I'm inside my mindscape.
I stood up to survey my surroundings, and the view left me fascinated. I was in a throne room of opulent grandeur. Expensive candles and chandeliers illuminated thick, crimson carpets and walls plated in gold. Lining the room were twenty armored knight statues, ten on each side, each with a unique set of golden-plated weapons. They looked eerily real, as if their stone eyes were tracking my every move.
Well, for someone who seeks perfection, this is a deserving mindscape, I thought, feeling a flicker of pride.
That's when I spotted it. At the far end of the room, upon a raised dais, stood a dark throne, its edges trimmed in gold. A figure was seated upon it. I moved closer, and my breath hitched in my throat.
The person on the throne... was me.
No, it resembled me, but it was shrouded in an ominous presence so heavy I felt I couldn't breathe. I stared at this being—this other me. He had long, snow-white hair that spilled onto the floor, a face majestic enough to steal the gaze of goddesses, and he wore golden, intricately designed attire. He sat with his eyes closed, perfectly relaxed, as if unaware of my presence. He is as arrogant as I am.
Then, his eyes opened.
Time stopped. A pair of red, crimson eyes locked onto mine, and I felt laid bare, as if he were staring directly into my soul. I was paralyzed; sweat trickled down my temple. Just his gaze was enough to overwhelm me.
"Ah, Jade. You're here. I have been waiting for you for ages." His voice carried the weight of a great ruler, full of unquestionable authority.
I was stunned that he had spoken—and that he knew my name. "If I may ask... who are you?"
"Ah, it truly hurts my soul that you don't know me," he said, a mocking smile gracing his lips. "I am your worst fear."
Wait, I'm confused. Why is my own worst fear... me? Is this another test from that being? But why does he look exactly like me? My thoughts raced like wildfire.
"You are asking yourself why I am here, why I look like you, and many other trivial things," he said, as if reading my mind. "Let me answer you. I am Alter Jade, the most perfect human to ever exist. And that perfection you seek is what you fear the most. You claim to seek perfection, but deep in your soul, you fear it. Why? Because you are a weakling. You lack the resolve to truly grasp it, yet you dare to try. That is what you fear. What if I die in my quest? What if I attain perfection and find there is nothing left to gain? What will become of me? What will I do?"
His words sent shivers down my spine. I realized, with dawning horror, that everything he said was true. My resolve was wavering.
"All these questions breed fear, accumulating into a deep resentment that created me. Today, I shall rid this world of your existence. You and I cannot coexist with your half-assed resolve."
Alter Jade rose from his throne, a predatory grin on his face. He began walking toward me, but I couldn't move. An immense pressure pinned me in place. My legs trembled; my heart pounded. His crimson eyes felt like a million spears piercing through me.
Move! Move! Move! I screamed internally, but my body refused to react.
The closer he got, the more I trembled. Gritting my teeth, I mustered every ounce of strength I had and forced myself to stumble backward a few steps.
Just when I thought I had escaped, even for a second, I saw a fist heading straight for my lower abdomen. When did he get here? The force of the blow was so immense that I began bleeding from the mouth before it even connected. My clothes ripped apart.
BOOM!!!
The impact launched me several meters backward. I felt my ribs shatter; it was as if my internal organs had been pulverized. I couldn't catch my breath. My body bounced twice before skidding to a halt.
Before I could even open my eyes, a hand grabbed my head and hurled me into the air. As I hung midair, Alter Jade appeared before me and landed a devastating kick square on my jaw. The force sent me flying toward the line of heavy armored statues.
My jaw shattered. Blood gushed from my mouth as I tried, and failed, to push myself up.
How is my worst fear this strong? How the hell am I supposed to defeat this thing? He's too fast. I can't keep up. I'll be dead in moments.
Desperation clawed at me. Trying to see him was impossible. So, I stopped trying.
I took a sharp breath, forcing my racing heart to still. I let my conscious focus on the flurry of movement fall away. The world didn't slow down. Instead, my mind stopped processing the noise. The ambient light, the dust—it all faded into a blurred background. My vision tunneled, not on my opponent's whole body, but on the core patterns.
I no longer saw a moving fist; I saw the micro-tension in his shoulder a heartbeat before the swing. I didn't see a kick; I saw the shift of weight onto his back foot that telegraphed its trajectory. It was like watching a complex machine. The outer casing was a blur, but I could see the individual, predictable gears turning inside. I was no longer reacting to the attack itself, but to the tiny, preparatory movements that preceded it.
My body, freed from the panic of processing a whirlwind, began to move with newfound economy. I didn't block the next attack; I was already sidestepping as his shoulder twitched. I didn't duck the kick; I was leaning away as his weight shifted.
I wasn't faster. But I was earlier. And in a fight between a fast opponent and someone who knows where the blow will land, the one who knows will always win.
[ User Has Awakened Skill: Observer's Eye ]