Tyler… Tyler… always so disciplined, with a mind that constantly moves forward, and yet so loving. You are, without a doubt, the pillar of this village.
The alternative began speaking to Tyler with great intimacy.
"LIE!"
He suddenly shouted in a small outburst, staring at the real Tyler, who looked back at him in shock.
"Impressive, isn't it?" the alternative continued, a twisted smile on his face. "Even as the leader, you can do nothing for this village. Truly impressive."
He paused for a few seconds before continuing.
"You were trained to lead this village, but you can do NOTHING. You are probably the least important Level 2 here… perhaps the most irrelevant Level 2 this village has ever had."
The alternative spoke calmly, but suddenly burst into hysterical screams when emphasizing certain words, never taking his eyes off Tyler.
"You are not the weakest… SO WHAT? Without Wufeng Hai or Ru Sheng, this village would collapse in just a few days. And you know that, don't you, great Tyler?"
His tone shifted between sarcasm and madness.
"You and the First Elder are PATHETIC. True Level 2s… yet completely worthless. And you? You are the most DESPICABLE of them all."
He stepped forward.
"The Grand Elder at least brought hope to the Path of the Knights. But what about you? The weakest combatant in the village. You wouldn't be able to protect it."
His smile twisted further.
"And the most MENTALLY UNSTABLE one… or am I wrong? Have you ever thought about that, Tyler?"
His voice lowered, dripping with venom.
"In about sixty years, your wife will die. After all, she will never reach Level 2. And thirty or forty years later… it will be your daughter."
He spread his arms wide.
"And you will still have nearly a hundred years ahead of you. A-LONE."
The alternative laughed.
"Hope? That's PATHETIC. Do you really think he will reach Level 2? Or even Level 3? NEVER! With that kind of talent, the evil gods will feast on his flesh."
His gaze turned cruel.
"The greatest prodigy of the Hidden Village will meet an even more pathetic end than yours! No… that can't be. After all, you're a coward, Tyler."
He tilted his head.
"I imagine you'll die of old age, after running from the evil gods your entire life, right?"
Seeing that Tyler did not respond, the alternative began screaming hysterically.
"COME ON! SAY SOMETHING, YOU MEDIOCRE! YOU PATHETIC COWARD! YOU MISTAKE! YOU FAILURE! YOU WILL BE CONSUMED JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE! ACCEPT YOUR VAIN AND CRUEL DESTINY, LIKE THE COWARDLY DOG THAT YOU ARE!"
"No. I will not be a coward."
Tyler lunged toward the doppelgänger, his fists wrapped in an intense aura of wind.
---
On the street, the two Vivianes stared at each other in silence, until the alternative broke it with a sentence that should never have been spoken.
"You really enjoyed it, didn't you? Our Dante… so gentle, so loving… so ours."
She ran her hands through her hair as tears of blood streamed from her eyes.
"No… he is mine alone!"
The alternative's voice rang with decisive desperation.
That terrified Viviane.
She didn't know whether there was only one copy… or many. Perhaps, at that very moment, another identical being was with Dante, pretending to be her.
"Why are you worried, huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?" the alternative mocked. "I am you too. I also love Mom and Dad. I also love my husband, Dante. I also love the people of the village."
Her tone twisted.
"So why do you monopolize them?"
As her words left her mouth, something clicked in her mind.
If I kill Viviane… I will be the real one.
Yes. She would be the real one.
The alternative interlaced her fingers.
Five beams shot forward instantly, each glowing with a different color, representing a distinct element.
Five Elements Impulse.
Viviane's strongest technique.
She had only recently learned to use it after entering the Eight Stars, and it required time to activate.
"She was making me waste time to condense this technique…" Viviane thought.
Raising her hands, she created several layers of barriers.
They were improvised, but they would hold long enough.
Viviane then pulled something from her basket and threw it upward.
A formation expanded, covering both of them.
The attack was instantly nullified.
It was a formation that severed the flow of mana within the area, invalidating magical attacks.
Even so, the sheer force of the technique caused the mobile formation to shatter moments later—but it bought enough time.
Returning to zero scale, Viviane pointed her hand forward.
Twelve spikes erupted from the ground and chased after the alternative.
"Low-level spells? Spare me."
The alternative countered with a simple spell, but it quickly became clear—she did not possess Viviane's refined control.
A staff appeared in her hand, radiating a King-grade aura.
Viviane immediately began pouring mana into her own staff and launched a barrage of attacks.
The alternative defended while retreating, then spoke again.
"Why are you so unfair? Why do you get to have him all to yourself? We are the same person!"
For a moment, it seemed she would fall into another hysterical episode—but something changed.
Her voice turned cold.
"Of course you want him only for yourself. After all… you're old."
Her words were cruel.
"Yes, old. Ten years older than Dante. If you don't monopolize him, you'll lose him soon enough. Who will be next, I wonder? After all, he only desires your beauty, doesn't he?"
Viviane went pale.
"A trophy wife… that's all you are. Just something to satisfy his desires. He doesn't even love you. How could he? You're older than him. You think differently."
She smirked.
"Besides, he will reach Level 2. Probably the most talented cultivator this village has ever seen. Meanwhile, you'll become nothing more than a pile of bones."
Her voice grew even more venomous.
"How long does a cultivator's beauty last? Seventy years? Eighty? Maybe ninety, since you're a mage. So what? He'll live for two hundred and fifty years."
"When your beauty fades… he'll seek other women."
"Many of them."
"Young. Beautiful."
"And you'll be old… and ugly."
"Shut up!" Viviane screamed in terror.
"Then let me stay with him," the alternative said softly. "At least my appearance will remain forever in his mind. After all… I won't age. Or die."
"Be quiet! Be quiet! What do you know?!"
Viviane screamed louder and louder, consumed by fear, despair, and rage.
"Think about it, you selfish woman," the alternative continued. "If I take your place, when your mother dies, your father will have emotional support. Dante won't need other women."
She stepped closer.
"And you… will never be forgotten."