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"You're smiling. You must be confident in your skill.

" Jared mentioned.

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"Of course. After all, I'll be the one winning this fight

" I said calmly.

nRight now we are both at the same level in flight. We stared at each other with a look of confidence in our eyes, both of us assured of our inevitable victory.

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"Even after witnessing all that, you still think you can beat me? I hate to break it to you but that's not going to happen. I'll tell you now… I'm invincible in this world!

" He grinned widely.

nHe's very sure of his abilities, and to be honest he's not wrong to be. This is an enemy I acknowledge to be an actual opponent, and thus this will be my first real battle since I revived into this new body.

nThis will actually be stimulating. Very much so that I don't want my slaves to miss any moment of it. In order for them to be able to comprehend the heights of power they have to reach in order to be of proper use to me, they should witness this battle.

nI turned my attention from Jared and looked to the ground where my slaves were and smiled. I snapped my fingers and immediately the three of them appeared on the surface, raised from the deep hole made into the ground.

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"Hey, what are you doing?

" Jared protested as he expressed shock at what I did.

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"How does it feel to know that you're not the only one who can do stuff with the snap of your fingers.

" I thought to myself.

nI raised my hands slightly in their direction and used Hex on them.

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"Causality Reversal

"

nSlowly, their bodies returned to their original state. Within moments, they turned back to how they were, entirely unscathed.

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"What just happened?

" Talia asked, regaining consciousness.

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"Lord Hexarion healed us

" Ana said, looking above her to see where I floated.

nThey all raised their heads and saw me facing Jared in their stead. A look of awe and admiration showed on their faces.

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"Looks like the boss is finally ready… This should be good

" Shamac said with a grin.

nHe must really wants to see Jared suffer.

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"You all… Make sure you watch this fight closely. See to it that you don't miss even a moment. You'll all be reaching this level soon enough

" I said to them.

nThey all nodded and looked determined to see the match through to the end. They lay their back down and faced upward to freely spectate.

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"Are you kidding me? You really think you can beat me by yourself?

" Jared said with disbelief.

nThere was no response.

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"Unbelievable! Hey, you guys… I'll give you another chance. Join him and try to take me down together!

" Jared said to my subordinates.

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"No, thanks!

"

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"We'll just get in his way

"

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"You should be more concerned about yourself

"

nTalia, Ana and Shamac retorted respectively. I smiled when I heard their response unlike Jared, who gritted his teeth with anger at the audacity they exhibited.

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"Fine! Have it your way! Don't say I didn't warn you!

" He said.

nNow then, let us begin!

nJared vanished in front of me and immediately appeared behind me with a grin. He launched a powerful jab with his right fist, headed straight for the back of my skull. Of course, I expected this move.

nI dodged, though only barely, feeling the wind of his fist in my hair. The pressure from that blow sent shockwaves around us.

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"Isn't that a bit dangerous? It doesn't seem like a test anymore, now does it?

" I asked him with a grin.

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"Heh, you asked for it

" He smiled as well.

nHe disappeared once again and teleported to my side, raising a kick this time. I used my hand to block his attack, but I felt the heavy force as it pressed on my body. My pain perception is off, but I'm sure that would certainly hurt if I could feel it. As I thought, he's able to damage my body.

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"Not bad, keeping up with my speed

" He stated.

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"You too. This is a first for me as well

" I replied.

nHe kept teleporting to hit me, but I dodged or blocked every one of them. His power is definitely I can't scoff at, but his pattern is too simple. I can easily predict his next move. Now, he'll be appearing in front of me…

nHe did just that. His eyes were looking determined, wanting so badly for him to land a clean hit on me. He launched his fist at me and I blocked once again, but he wasn't done. Three extra fists appeared from his body, something physically impossible. I twisted his hand and turned my body to avoid his strike.

nThen he smiled. With his leg raised above my head, he brought it down in a crash to land on my face. This sudden movement is too fast for me to dodge, at least at my current capabilities. However…

nRaising my physical abilities even higher, I reduced my weight drastically and got considerably faster in comparison. I grabbed his feet, shocking him, and made him lose balance. I dragged his legs and turned, throwing him into the ground, throwing him into the ground. He crashed into the blank ground, causing a massive explosion which broke the entire ground.

nTalia, Ana and Shamac hurriedly stood up and took to the sky as the entire ground caved in due to the impact his forced landing caused.

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"Interesting… So that's how it is…

" I muttered.

nSuddenly, Jared appeared in front of me with a smile, once again looking unscathed as with the time of Ana. With a few meters apart, J observed him as he grinned widely.

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"Like I said… You can't win!

" Jared said.

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"No matter how many times you fight me, or how hard you struggle, you won't be able to do anything to me. In this world, I am…

"

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"Invincible? I don't think so

" I interrupted.

nHe was taken aback by my response and appears a little flustered. Of course, he should be. After the last exchange we had, I've finally figured it out… The nature of this world and his ability.

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"What are you talking about? You've clearly seen that there's no way you can damage or injure me. Whatever you do will be ineffective! You can't damage my body

" He said.

nHe's not wrong… But he's not entirely right either.

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"That's because I'm not fighting your real body in the first place… Isn't that right?

" I responded with a smile.

nHis eyes widened with shock as I revealed this. Talia and the rest also showed shock at what I said. Jared's hands twitched, but he quickly controlled himself, trying to hide his nervousness.

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"W-What are you talking about?

" He asked defiantly.

nHis smile vanished, replaced with a deep glare filled with suspicion and caution. He must be thinking I am not sure of what I'm saying, or I haven't figured it out completely, but that's where he's wrong. After watching his fight with Talia and Shamac and seeing what he did against Ana, coupled with my brief fight with him… I can tell that he's not using his real body!

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"This is merely a structure… No different from the ground beneath us, or the air all around. It's merely a projection made in this world. The Jared I see in front of me is a fake, a vessel which you use to express your will. The others that were destroyed are no different. They are all made within the Blank Canvas.

" I revealed.

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"That's bull**! How wrong can you be? I'm simply invincible in this world. No matter what happens, I'll keep reviving with no injuries whatsoever! Because I am ME!

" He argued with agitation, refusing to accept what I said.

nOh? This is unexpected. I thought by revealing the true identity of this fake, He would finally drop the act. But, instead he truly doesn't want to. Don't tell me… He actually believes what he is saying. If so, then that means…

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"So the copy actually has a mind of it's own?

" I thought aloud.

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"What rubbish are you spewing?

" He barked impatiently.

nI stared at him with a condescending gaze. A mere fake dares to tell me my words are garbage. If not for the face that he is a pitiful existence not worthy of my anger, I would have reduced him to dust countless times over. In a way, it is a pitiable creature.

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"I see. Jared is quite cruel indeed… The real one, that is. He makes a copy of himself who believes it is actually the original. The copy also believes it is invincible and already has preexisting notions in it's head that makes him unable to accept defeat. Even when the copy is destroyed, or unable to serve it's purpose, another one is made which has the same mindset as the previous and believes it is the real one. The cycle continues until the copy wins, which is usually assured.

" I analyzed.

nThe copy of Jared listened to my words, partly refusing them with his own ideology, but slowly began to reason with my words and consider whether I could be right.

nIn essence, this 'Blank Canvas' is a world where the real Jared can make anything he wants to without restrictions, even living creatures… With an ability like that, he reminds me of the gods and my siblings.

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"This has gotten even more exciting for me

"

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