The Shard — the one that looked exactly like Blaze — stood motionless a few meters away, its form flickering between solid and fragmented, like broken glass piecing itself together.
For a second, the world went still. Then, without warning, it moved.
It dashed forward with unreal speed — so fast the air cracked open behind it. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance between us. I barely managed to grab my rifle before its sword came down, a silver flash aimed straight for my head.
"Oh no—!"
SWOOSH!
A massive shockwave erupted the moment the blade hit the ground beside me, the impact sending me tumbling backward. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for pain that never came.
Instead… there was warmth. Strong hands around me.
When I opened my eyes, Blaze was there — holding me in his arms like I was some kind of princess rescue cliché.
"Wha—Blaze?" I stammered, stunned.
He grinned like it was nothing. "Hehe, that was a close one."
My heart was still pounding in my chest. "What the hell was that thing?"
But Blaze didn't answer. He gently set me down and turned toward the field, his eyes sharp now — colder than I'd ever seen.
"Sir!" SK ran out of the house, panting. "Are you alright? What's happening out here?"
"I'll explain later," Blaze said firmly. "You two stay inside until I'm done here."
"Are you going to be okay?" I asked.
He chuckled, tightening his grip on his sword. "Of course. Wouldn't be much of a teacher if I wasn't."
And then — in a blur of light — he dashed forward.
The Shard mirrored him instantly, moving like his reflection in a mirror. Their blades met with a thunderous clash that sent ripples through the ground.
The sound was deafening — a metallic roar that echoed into the void.
Blaze and his copy exchanged blow after blow, their movements so fast they left afterimages in the air. Each strike threw sparks of blue and white light, each impact shaking the earth beneath them.
It wasn't just a duel. It was a storm.
"If one of us got hit by that," I muttered under my breath, "we'd be dead instantly."
SK watched silently beside me, her eyes wide. "That thing… that's got to be at least raid-boss level."
"Yeah," I said quietly. "You got that right."
The battle was mesmerizing — terrifying, even. Blaze fought like a tempest, each swing of his sword slicing through the air with precision. But the Shard… it wasn't just matching him. It was learning.
Every dodge Blaze made, every stance, every counter — the Shard copied it flawlessly.
It was adapting. Evolving with every second that passed.
Before long, it wasn't just mirroring Blaze — it was predicting him.
The ground cracked beneath their feet as they clashed again, shockwaves bursting outward. Blaze grunted, taking a step back as the Shard's blade grazed his arm, leaving a deep red cut.
"Maybe we should help," I said, gripping my rifle tightly.
"Don't you interfere with Sir Blaze," SK snapped. "He ordered us to stand by."
I sighed, frustrated. "If you say so."
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling in my gut — something about this fight was wrong. Blaze was strong, stronger than anyone I'd ever met, but this Shard was different. It was moving like a perfect clone — a perfect reflection.
And little by little, Blaze was being pushed back.
I couldn't hold it anymore. "Hey, Blaze! Are you all right!?" I shouted.
"Haha, this is nothing!" he yelled back, though his breathing was heavy now. Sweat dripped down his forehead. Then he grinned — that reckless grin I'd come to expect from him. "Guess it's time to get serious."
He shifted his stance and planted his sword into the ground.
A surge of blue energy exploded from him — raw, untamed, radiant.
BOOM!
The earth shook violently. The sky above shimmered with waves of light. His aura flared, crackling around his body like living lightning.
I shielded my face from the heat. Even from this distance, I could feel it — power that could shatter mountains.
He moved again, faster than before. In seconds, he was behind the Shard, his blade cutting through the air with a sound like thunder.
The Shard staggered, its body flickering. For a moment, it seemed like Blaze had the upper hand.
But then—
BOOM!
The Shard's body lit up with the same energy — the same blue aura. It mimicked his power perfectly.
"You've got to be kidding me," I whispered, my voice trembling.
The Shard's movements became faster, sharper. It had adapted again.
The two Blazes clashed once more — blue energy colliding with blue, each impact like a miniature explosion. The shockwaves leveled the trees around them, throwing dust and debris into the air.
And then, in a blinding flash—
KRAAAASH!
Both of them swung with full force, their blades meeting at the center.
The explosion that followed was deafening.
BOOOOOOM!
The blast wave tore through the field. I stumbled back, covering my face as the ground cracked beneath me. The house rattled, and the air filled with dust and smoke.
When the sound finally faded, everything went quiet.
Through the haze, I saw a figure crash through the wall of the house — slamming into the rubble with a loud thud.
"Sir Blaze did it!" SK cheered immediately. "I told you, he—"
But I didn't answer. My instincts screamed something else.
I looked closer. Through the smoke, a shadow moved — slow and heavy.
"SK, stay here," I said sharply.
"What are you—"
But I was already running.
I leapt over broken planks and debris, my heart pounding like crazy. When I reached the crater, I froze.
Blaze was lying there, half-buried under rubble, coughing up dust. His sword was still clutched in his hand, its light flickering weakly.
"Ha… he was stronger than I thought," Blaze said, forcing a chuckle between coughs.
"Blaze!" I dropped to my knees beside him. "Don't move — you're hurt!"
He gave me a half-smile. "You worry too much, starborn."
His arm trembled slightly as he pushed himself up, but I could see the exhaustion in his tired eyes. The veins in his neck were glowing faintly — the side effect of overusing his energy.
"Where's the Shard?" I asked, scanning the smoke-filled field.
Blaze's eyes darted past me — and that was all the warning I got.
The ground trembled. A shadow moved.
From the mist, the Shard stepped forward — cracked, broken… but still alive.
It dragged its sword behind it, sparks flying where the blade scraped the ground.
Its head tilted slightly, just like Blaze's usual stance.
And then — its eyes flared bright blue.
The same hue as Blaze's aura.
"SK!" I shouted. "Get ready—this isn't over!"
The Shard's cracked face twitched — almost like it was smiling.