The sky above the Human Empire turned green.
Not like poison.
Not like magic.
Like something watching.
Kael felt it first.
"…This one feels wrong," he muttered.
Shun narrowed her eyes.
"…Not strong like Kensai… not sticky like Lust…"
She paused.
"…This one judges."
Lira tilted her head.
"…Hungry?" she asked.
Kael sighed.
"…No. Not food."
Then—
A laugh echoed through the air.
Soft.
Elegant.
And deeply irritated.
"…So this is her," a voice said.
The space above the kingdom cracked like glass.
And from it stepped a woman.
Perfect posture.
Sharp gaze.
Beautiful in a way that didn't feel natural.
Her eyes landed on Lira instantly.
And didn't leave.
"…You," she said.
"…You're the one everyone keeps talking about."
Lira blinked.
"…Hi."
The woman smiled.
But it didn't reach her eyes.
"…I'm Vixen," she said.
"…General of Envy."
Kael froze.
"…Envy…" he whispered.
"…That's not good."
Shun gripped her weapon tighter.
"…She's already targeting her emotionally…"
Eldarin frowned.
"…Emotionally?"
Shun didn't look away.
"…That's worse than physical attacks."
Vixen stepped forward slightly.
And reality… shifted.
Not broken.
Not warped.
Copied.
For a moment, behind her—
Lira appeared.
Then Kael.
Then Shun.
Perfect replicas.
Smiling.
Breathing.
Wrong.
Kael staggered back.
"…Illusions?"
"No," Shun said slowly.
"…She's recreating what she sees… and replacing it."
Vixen's voice softened.
"…Everyone loves you."
Her gaze sharpened.
"…Why?"
Lira tilted her head.
"…I don't know."
That answer made Vixen pause.
Just for a second.
Then her expression twisted slightly.
"…Of course you don't," she said.
"…That's why it's unfair."
The fake Kael stepped forward.
The fake Shun smiled.
The fake Eldarin bowed.
All perfect.
All wrong.
Vixen raised her hand.
"…Envy is simple," she said.
"…If I cannot have what you are…"
The world flickered.
"…Then I will become it."
Suddenly—
The copies moved.
Not randomly.
Not as illusions.
But independently.
Kael shouted.
"…They're real?!"
Shun dodged her duplicate's blade barely.
"…She gave them intent!"
Lira stared at her fake self.
It stared back.
Blank.
Empty.
Lira frowned slightly.
"…Annoying."
Her fist lifted.
No aura.
No buildup.
Just instinct.
The moment she stepped—
The ground cracked outward.
A shockwave spread.
Not destruction—
Correction.
All copies trembled.
Even Vixen's expression tightened.
"…So brute force still works on imitation," she whispered.
Lira appeared in front of her instantly.
No movement.
No transition.
Just arrival.
Vixen's eyes widened slightly.
"…Fast—"
BOOM.
One punch.
No special skill.
No naming.
Just Lira.
The fake world shattered instantly.
Copies dissolved like broken glass.
Vixen was sent crashing through the air—
But she twisted mid-flight, landing perfectly on one knee.
She coughed lightly.
Then smiled.
"…You don't even hesitate," she said.
"…That's why it's unfair."
Kael shouted from below.
"…That's not a compliment!"
Vixen slowly stood.
Her gaze never left Lira.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something more unstable.
"…I see it now," she whispered.
"…You don't try to be admired."
"…You just exist."
Lira blinked.
"…Okay?"
That answer made Vixen's smile crack slightly.
"…I hate that," she said softly.
Then—
The air behind her collapsed inward.
A new power began forming.
Not illusion.
Not copies.
Absorption.
Adaptation.
Rejection.
"…If I become you," she said,
"…then I won't envy you anymore."
Kael's face darkened.
"…She's evolving mid-fight…"
Shun tightened her stance.
"…That's dangerous…"
Lira tilted her head again.
Then sighed.
"…Still annoying."
Her gauntlet tightened.
The ground beneath her cracked again.
"…I'll stop it."
She stepped forward.
And the battlefield held its breath.
Because Envy had finally stopped copying.
And started becoming.
To Be Continued…