“This is…?!”

“H-how…?”

The two women were undoubtedly stunned by the two existences they were confronted with.

It all happened so fast—the instant their blades were about to touch the clusters of energy and eviscerate them.

From the depth of the energy emerged creatures that resembled themselves—or rather, their counterparts.

Maria’s ‘Black’ was currently being shielded by a shield made by this ‘thing’ that looked like an armored Ana.

As for Ana, her blade was parried by a ‘Black’ blade similar to the one that Maria was currently wielding… by another Maria.

The two women were facing versions of their counterparts.

“Hahaha! You should see the looks on your faces! Such fools!” Ciel cackled in amusement as she stared at the two.

At that instant, the doppelgängers made to attack both Ana and Maria, but the two instantly detected this and leaped back.

The short window between their retreat and the actions of the doppelgängers was so minuscule that even a brief moment of hesitation would have proven to be fatal.

“Haaa…” As the two leaped away, Ana heaved a sigh in sheer disbelief.

“They have our reaction time too? That’s insane…”

However, the moment she uttered this, Ana realized this wasn’t the most impressive thing about the two expressionless marionettes in front of them.

“They also mimic our Representations. It’s no wonder your Wish didn’t work…”

It was trite among Constellations that each one had a particular role to play in existence.

As such, no Representation could override another.

“When you told the clusters to dissipate, they didn’t respond because that is contrary to the trite…”

Of course, this revelation would only become more worrying for them the more they realized its implications.

“That’s right! I have duplicated your abilities with these doppelgängers! Since my Arcanas won’t do any good, I thought it was best to fight fire with fire!” Ciel grinned with excitement.

It appeared as though she was a child telling friends about her new toys.

“That should be impossible. You shouldn’t have enough energy.” Ana murmured.

“Haha! Is that so? Well… I’ll leave it to your imagination.”

The moment Ciel said that, Ana felt stupid for her earlier insinuation.

‘Of course! It was obvious from the start!’

She would have slapped her face if the situation wasn’t so dire.

“The energy you stole from the Constellation Realm. You took some for yourself, right?”

“Ding! Ding! Correct! What a sharp girl!” Ciel’s broad smile betrayed her childish reaction.

It strangely felt like two different personalities speaking.

“Did Legris approve of that too?” Ana asked, almost flippantly.

“Legris doesn’t need to know about all my actions. It’s the same way I don’t need to know about his. As long as we both fulfill our roles and get the job done, there’s no problem.”

Ciel’s straightforward answer pretty much established the relationship she had with Legris.

However, Ana wasn’t done yet.

‘I need to stall…’ Her thoughts trailed as she leaked out another smile behind her mask.

“You were able to achieve this thanks to that light from earlier, right?” Maria’s voice suddenly echoed amidst the tension.

“I didn’t know the power of Constellations was that easy to replicate.”

This was a valid conundrum to have, and since it bought time, Ana considered it perfect timing that Maria had spoken when she did.

“I’ve been dealing with Constellation Shards alongside Legris and Stefan for a long time now. It would be strange if I wasn’t familiar with the way they function.”

Ciel’s straightforward answer shocked the girls, yet they could not deny how it made sense.

“My second Original Magic Forge Of Creation allows me to make anything as long as I have enough information on the properties that constitute it. I used it to replicate the Arcanas, and now I can use it to replicate the Representation of the Constellations whose properties have been thoroughly examined by me.” Ciel raised both her hands, placing them on the respective shoulders of the doppelgängers.

“That burst of light was just for scanning your individual abilities and respective compatibility with the Representations you’ve Bonded with. As a result, I was able to make perfect two Hosts to house the power of their most suitable Constellations.”

In essence, Maria and Ana’s doubles were merely props—vessels used to carry power.

“Once I’m done with you two, I’ll do the same with the others and make perfect Hosts for all the Constellation Representations I have in my arsenal.”

It was at this moment that Ana and Maria realized just how dire the situation was.

Ciel was the one who had the advantage all along… they just hadn’t realized it until now.

“All that’s left for you two is death. However, I’m in a bit of a pickle here…” She muttered, looking at both Ana and Maria, then alternating stares with the lifeless copies she stood behind.

“Should I let you fight your respective doppelgängers, or should I switch things up a little?”

As the question echoed in the air, Ciel made up her mind at that very moment.

“Switching things up seems more fun. Yes… Maria should fight Ana, and Ana should fight Maria.” Her golden eyes glowed even brighter as she cackled in amusement.

“Let’s see how you do, little children…”

Ciel gilded backwards, making enough space between herself and her creation.

“Begi—!”

Before Ciel could announce anything, her eyes suddenly bulged in an unexpected realization.

It was a realization that eluded both Maria and Ana, but she could detect it thanks to her first Original Magic.

‘No way…’

At that moment, one of the nine spawns of Legris had been vanquished.

‘… Already?!’

It hadn’t even been very long, and yet one was already down? It wasn’t even because the spawns were weak, since Ciel knew of their abilities well.

It only meant one thing.

The opponent was just that much stronger.

‘This is unexpe—”

Right as she was muttering those words, yet another spawn was defeated.

‘What in the world?!’

Before she was able to recoil from the shock, the third elimination occurred.

‘T-three?! In a span of how long?!’

Ciel, who had the upper hand in her own fight, leaked out a sweat for the first time.

‘This is bad…’

*

*

*