As we ventured deeper, the lack of monsters began to feel less like luck and more like an ominous silence. The path was clear, save for the endless array of mechanical traps.
"Teacher, are you sure no one's cleared this place before?" Takson asked, eyeing a suspicious-looking tile.
"Negative. We are the first to reach this depth. Or rather, the previous group did not return."
"Eh? What does that mean?"
"..."
I glanced at a section of the wall to my left. My sensors penetrated the stone, revealing three crushed skeletons hidden within a secret cavity. Their bones were pulverized. Death by compression.
A party of unlucky adventurers who triggered a crushing trap, I concluded.
I saw no need to share this grim detail with Takson. It wouldn't help us defeat the boss.
"Alright," Takson sighed, reading between the lines of my silence. "I'm guessing they triggered something nasty and couldn't leave."
The corridor was unnaturally quiet. The only sound was the rhythmic tap-tap-tap of our footsteps. If it weren't for the constant threat of traps, Takson would have been bored out of his mind.
Boring.
That was his honest assessment. No monsters to fight, just an endless series of puzzles that could kill you.
Maybe the previous adventurers cleared out all the monsters? he wondered. He didn't know about the unique nature of this labyrinth. I hadn't briefed him. To him, this place was just another dungeon shrouded in mystery.
Vrummm
Suddenly, a low vibration ran through the floor, shaking dust from the ceiling.
"What was that?" Takson asked, tensing up. "Did we trigger a trap?"
"Negative. Scans indicate no local mechanism activation. However..."
"However?"
My sensors flared. Ten humanoid targets were moving towards us at high speed.
Ten?
Yes. Nine small, identical figures, and one large, muscular figure.
I understood immediately.
They were clones. Copies of myself and Takson. One of the small figures was stationed directly outside the boss room, the Spiegel's chamber. The other eight small figures, based on their energy signatures, were lesser copies. "Clones of clones," essentially.
The vibration we felt must have been the Spiegel attempting to copy me. For some reason, the process of replicating my Ex-Machina physiology had caused a significant disturbance in the dungeon's mana flow.
I scanned the approaching figures. Their energy signature was... mana.
Of course. The Spiegel couldn't replicate my Dimensional Engine or my native Ex-Machina energy. It couldn't understand technology from another universe. So, it had improvised. It had replaced my unknown power source with mana, creating a magical construct that mimicked my outer shell and abilities.
A crude imitation.
But it was a perfect opportunity to gather combat data.
"Warning: Takson, hostile targets approaching. Prepare for combat."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Almost immediately after my warning, a grey blur shot around the corner ahead of us.
It was a clone of the Spiegel.
A massive, grey-skinned version of Takson burst into the corridor, dragging a stone replica of his battle-axe. It ignored me completely, charging straight past me to engage the real Takson.
I let it pass. I had my own problems to deal with.
"Huh?!"
Seeing an enemy that looked exactly like himself caused Takson to freeze for a split second. That hesitation was all the clone needed. It seized the initiative, swinging its axe in a brutal, downward arc.
CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!
Battle-axe met stone axe. Flesh met "flesh." Every strike was met with a perfect counter, every feint mirrored. It was a stalemate.
After the initial shock of the ambush, Takson had regained his footing. He was now locked in a fierce, equal struggle with his doppelganger.
"Heh. A fake has no right to be this cocky," he spat, disgusted by the sight of his own face twisted into a lifeless snarl.
BOOM!
They collided again, the impact cracking the stone floor beneath their feet. Takson used the dust cloud from the impact as cover, sidestepping to flank his clone. He swung his axe horizontally, aiming to cleave the imposter in two at the waist.
But the satisfying crunch of stone never came.
Click.
The sound of a mechanism engaging.
The clone had slammed its hand against a recessed brick in the wall.
A massive stone pillar shot up from the floor, blocking Takson's swing. But it didn't just block him; it caught him mid-stride and launched him upward, slamming him into the ceiling.
In a single second, the tide of battle had turned.
The clone didn't hesitate. With one swing of its axe, it shattered the stone pillar, removing Takson's support. As the real Takson plummeted toward the ground, the fake raised its weapon high, ready to split him in two the moment he landed.
Like I'd let you!
Takson's hand blurred as he snatched the holy book from his belt and flipped it open.
"Binding Spell!"
It was a split-second gamble. Just as he was about to hit the floor, just as the clone's axe began its descent, a magic circle flared to life beneath the imposter's feet. Bands of golden light shot up, wrapping around the clone's body and freezing it in place.
Takson landed, rolled, and lunged. Before the binding spell could fade, he buried his axe deep into the clone's chest.
There was no spray of blood, no sound of tearing flesh. Just the dry crack of breaking stone as the clone crumbled into a pile of grey dust.
"Hah... hah..." Takson gasped, wiping cold sweat from his brow. "I knew it. Even a perfect copy can't use the Goddess's magic if its core is demonic."
As the adrenaline faded, a sudden thought struck him.
"Right! Teacher!"
He scrambled to his feet and sprinted around the corner, heading in the direction Stell had gone.
But when he turned the corner, he stopped dead.
….
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