February 6, 2023, Early Night, Two hours less before the Lantern Festival began
Initially, clone magic never existed. It was merely a child's imagination, seeing their own shadow in broad daylight.
He wondered to his own shadow. "How can you get out of there?"
Then the shadow replied. "Magic. A world where imagination can become real, magic is the pen to draw that imagination into the real world."
From then on, the child kept talking to his own shadow and his shadow would keep answering him. Until one day, clone magic was born into the real world. And finally, the child could now talk and laugh with his own shadow.
Falsehood.
Reality.
Are two things that are completely inseparable. One sees the false as reality and one sees reality as falsehood.
That is what Liu Xingsheng possessed. The child who talked to his own shadow and was appointed as an apostle.
Paulus.
**
"He is a solitary man. He discovered clone magic while talking to water and found his way. He cast spells to three gods. The god of wind, the god of light, and the god of earth. That's how he managed to create the clones that are besieging us." Yuze Tao, the pig shengxiao, cut down thirty heads of Liu Xingsheng's clones that attacked him from all directions, even from above.
"Are these clones like golems? Muahahaha! If so, I just have to destroy all these clones no matter how many there are!"
Thud! Baldur was hit by a powerful punch to his stomach because he was off guard.
"Ugh! That's cheating!"
Liu's clones were quite agile and quickly adapted to their opponents. They avoided Baldur's large axe swings, but unfortunately, Liu's clones were not quick enough to adapt to the ice attack of his axe that emerged from underground.
Two meters around Baldur, a dozen of Liu's clones were impaled by sharp ice chunks as Baldur swung his large axe to the ground.
"Golems? Well, the difference is they have consciousness and even the same abilities if Liu only made a few clones." Yuze Tao, like flowing water, walked calmly through the gaps of Liu's clones that rushed towards him blindly like a flood. And a dozen heads rolled to the ground as he stepped.
"So he has a certain capacity for making clones?" Jason, who merged with the shadows, stabbed the heart of Liu's clones one by one using a stiletto. He truly moved deftly like a shadow assassin. Ignoring the wound on his chest from a slash. Like his big friend Baldur who laughed while swinging his large axe back and forth.
"I remember him talking about one clone, its power would be the same as the original and last more than a week. Ten clones, six days and their power nine-tenths of the original. A hundred clones, five days and their power eight-tenths of the original. And so on until a million clones a day and their power four-tenths of the original." The rat shengxiao, Bing Ruyue, said elsewhere. She complained while slashing with her ice magic sword here and there.
"He is indeed very strong. His clones alone are enough to destroy a city overnight. Even so, his original body would run out of mana and be vulnerable to attack if he used a thousand clones for tonight. He only has enough mana to make that many clones." The rooster shengxiao, Jie Lin, was in another part of the academy using five floating iron balls to hit every Liu clone that approached.
"Fortunately, the power of his clones is divided. Although it's seven-tenths of his original power, every punch and kick from these clones is still enough to overwhelm a five-star Hunter like me. Is he the traitor Miss Luxia talked about in the meeting?"
Thud! Thud!
In the academy arena, Akane and Imara, along with her cat, tried hard enough to hide in the arena corridor and ran from one room to another. They were chased by dozens of Liu clones. Their punches were strong enough to crack walls.
"I don't believe this." THUD!
The Cow and Goat shengxiaos, Jun Taipei and Hongli Fu, were quite overwhelmed facing the giant, muscular man with the inverted cross number six.
Number Six was like a rampaging bull, chasing Jun Taipei and Hongli Fu, who repeatedly retaliated and severed one of Number Six's legs or arms, but miraculously, Number Six regenerated faster than the highest healing magic spell.
"It seems we have to destroy his mana core." Jun Taipei said, wiping sweat from his forehead. Hongli Fu beside him nodded.
"Aim for the head or heart. I'll help with the earth."
Hongli Fu's hands, encased in brown earth stone, pressed against the ground. Meanwhile, Jun Taipei charged forward, confronting Number Six, who also advanced, throwing punches.
BOOM!
Both punches landed simultaneously on the striking hands. Then Jun Taipei and Number Six exchanged blows, causing the air to rupture and the impact of the punches to sound in succession like fireworks.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Faster and more ferocious, Jun Taipei missed, and Number Six got an opportunity to target Jun's body.
THWACK!
Hit in the stomach, Jun coughed once and grinned.
"Not a bad punch, buddy."
"Locked. Now it's your turn to hit him." Hongli Fu's stone liquefied like mud, causing Number Six's footing to melt and half his body to sink into the ground without him realizing it while exchanging blows with Jun Taipei. He used magic to manipulate the density of the stone in the specific area where Number Six stood.
Half-submerged in the ground, Number Six couldn't escape. Jun Taipei, one step in front of him, had already raised his hand, blowing on his fist, ready to retaliate for the punch that had just hit his stomach.
"Iron-Shattering Punch Technique. Fifth technique; Barrage of Consecutive Punches!"
THWACK! THWACK! CRACK!
THWACK! THWACK! CRACK!
THWACK! THWACK! CRACK!
Jun Taipei punched Number Six's upper body so fast that nothing was left of his upper body but scattered chunks of flesh everywhere. Including his head, hands, and chest entrails.
"Hahahaha! TAKE THAT, bald man! That's my revenge for hitting my head earlier and hitting my stomach last!"
Jun Taipei blew on his fist, which was now covered in blood. Hongli Fu chuckled at his military friend's childish behavior.
Half of Number Six's body was submerged in the ground. With his upper body remaining as some scattered entrails and flesh, and half of his spine protruding. Yet, the body still convulsing in silence.
"How many of our members do you think are operating for tonight's mission? Jianying? I'm sure you can guess."
Nathaniel.
A man in a doctor's robe. Wearing small, round, gold-chained pince-nez glasses. He had dark green-black hair.
"Six." Jianying answered briefly. They were still standing in the empty and quiet opening field of the tournament.
Nathaniel wiggled his index finger.
"Less, less, not quite right. More precisely, seven. Some unnamed henchmen. Number Six. Paulus. Paulus's murdered disciple. Me. Judas. And the young monk who came back to life."
"So there are three apostles and one servant here? Why the young monk?"
"Ah, we have some agreements. With that, *he* let us infiltrate and mess up this place."
"Oh, I see." Jianying adjusted his loose glasses along with Nathaniel. "Let me guess. Paulus is Liu Xingsheng, isn't he? I still don't know the identity of the Judas you mentioned, but I'm sure he's one of us."
"You're quite sharp, Jianying. Just as the young master said."
Jianying suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahhahaha!"
Nathaniel raised an eyebrow at Jianying's sudden laughter.
"You underestimate me too much. Do you think you'll get that sword easily?" Jianying sneered contemptuously at Nathaniel, who still wore his characteristic doctor's smile. "Go ahead and try. As long as I'm here, your plans will be in vain."
Jianying's face turned serious again. As if the laughter just now wasn't from him.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Of course, we've considered all possibilities. That's why we had to imprison Lang Zen underground, and lure your friend, the horse shengxiao, Guan Zen, out of his guarded pool. Paulus will work on it. Anyway, do you know why we revived the young monk?"
Jianying touched the hilt of his lightning katana, ready to decapitate the man ten steps in front of him.
"He is one of the seven servants. He's going to steal Goujian's sword while we're all busy fighting."
Click! CTAR!
The sound of thunder in the middle of the night roared loudly, reaching underground.
"It's so noisy outside. I can't hear the remaining participants." Lang Zen walked around the Hunter's underground. He had been chasing a participant who ran from him. And now he found no one in the vast, ant-nest-like underground room.
"You seem to be lost, Elder Lang."
A familiar voice reached Lang Zen's ears. He turned around. An Haocun stood approaching him, whistling with both hands behind his neck. He was so relaxed. Smiling mysteriously.
"An Haocun. The snake shengxiao."
***