The moment Kazen moved, the System Mirror responded identically. It drew a blade from thin code, matching Kazen's Soul Drive edge down to the line of script etched into the hilt.
He dashed left. So did the Mirror.
He slashed upward. It mirrored the strike perfectly.
The two blades clashed midair, system sparks crackling across the glitching floor.
> Status: Combat Equilibrium
> Note: Mirror AI Adapting at 100% Accuracy
"It's just like fighting myself… but faster," Kazen muttered.
The Patchling called out from the edge. "You need to do something it can't predict! Something even you don't know you'll do!"
Kazen gritted his teeth. The Mirror pressed the attack, every movement fluid and practiced. It was improving as it fought.
He used Quantum Step, warping backward, then forward again. The Mirror countered instantly.
> Rewrite: [Enemy Reaction Delay +0.3s]
> MP Cost: 18
Just a sliver of time—but enough.
Kazen ducked under a slash and drove his elbow into the Mirror's side. It staggered. For the first time, it didn't react perfectly.
"It has no instinct," Kazen realized. "Only calculation."
He disengaged and focused inward. Something deeper. Not a move. A thought.
He charged again—this time, he hesitated mid-swing, changed direction in a way that even he hadn't planned.
The Mirror lagged—just slightly.
Kazen seized the opening.
> Skill Activated: Soul Slash
> Effect: Delivers damage directly to code core
> Critical Hit
> Mirror Integrity: 58%
The entity's form flickered.
It tried adapting again—but now Kazen was unpredictable on purpose. He reversed his grip. Delayed blocks. Canceled casts. Fought like a human—not perfect, not clean—but alive.
> Mirror Sync Failing…
> System Instability Detected…
> Core Vulnerable
Kazen leapt, spinning midair, blade overhead.
"Override!"
He struck.
The Mirror shattered into shards of pure system light.
> Victory Achieved
> Sync Progress: 58%
> Skill Acquired: Echo Breaker
> Passive: Increased effectiveness vs mimics, reflections, and cloned enemies
From the remains of the Mirror, a prism of data floated upward.
> Key Item Acquired: Fragment of the God-Key
Kazen stepped back, breathing hard. The tower began to shake.
Patchling hovered beside him. "You just defeated yourself… and became something stronger."
He turned to the core at the center of the tower. It pulsed like a heartbeat.
And somewhere far above, the Council of Forgotten Gods stirred for real.