As of late, Michael had been forced to clash with creatures of differing shapes and sizes and hadn’t faced anything humanoid in quite a while.

Not that he complained.

His mission was to battle aliens, not humans.

Nevertheless, being locked into a duel with a mimicked version of himself was a nice way to remind himself of his skills.

The ground beneath him fractured.

Activating Lightning Surge, he charged like a meteor.

His mimic responded in kind, using the same technique.

The swords they wielded collided in a violent storm of might, creating a booming shockwave.

Neither retreated.

Evenly matched in power.

Not surprising given the mimic’s nature. Yet with the fracture running across its core, the endless stamina and regenerative capabilities it had enjoyed until now had been hindered.

With all advantages cut off, it all came down to pure skill and nothing more.

There was no need to mention that the mimic didn’t appreciate that development.

However, the idea of retreating never even entered its mind.

Since Michael could never retreat, neither would the mimic.

Boom!

Each slash both fighters unleashed held so much technique and power that it would have rendered every mortal utterly speechless.

Michael’s upward swing was parried perfectly.

The mimic’s downward blow never found its mark.

Both knew what the other was thinking and acted instinctively, always taking the most favorable course of action.

When the scales were so evenly matched, the outcome of the battle was bound to be decided by luck.

Obviously, the mimic didn’t like that.

And so, after battling for quite a while with neither side giving in, its mouth parted open.

"Intriguing..."

Taken by surprise, Michael halted and took a few steps backward, his mimic following suit.

"You could have talked all this time?" Michael arched an eyebrow.

"Of course." The mimic answered, tilting its head to the side. "You can, so I can."

Michael’s eyes narrowed.

"Then why are we wasting our time battling each other?" He asked, baffled. "Given the intelligence you possess, you should know that you are a mere copy standing in the way of the original. What do you stand to benefit by doing this? Don’t tell me you believe you can take my place if you win."

Blinking slowly, the mimic stared back at him before erupting into laughter.

"Why wouldn’t I want to kill you? As a matter of fact, it’s quite hypocritical that you haven’t ended yourself already. I mean... think about what you’ve done carefully. You failed them once already. Your father, mother, sister, beloved, daughter... even your own race."

The mimic paused briefly.

"Just because you’ve gone back in time does not redeem your deeds. Face it, you are undeniably the most dangerous thing in this world... A fool with power. How long until you make a critical blunder in this life as well? My aim is to put you down before that happens. Simple as that."

Michael remained undeterred. "Ultimately, you are a subject of a Titan, so it’s obvious that your mindset would be twisted into the direction of following its bidding."

"Is that so... you could be right! After all, it’s not like there isn’t already a version of your future self that has declared it would kill you once this is all over!" The mimic bellowed. "Nicole is here, right?! I wonder what she would say if I asked her whether she remembers her past life!"

Subtly getting under his skin, the mimic made Michael grit his teeth.

The mimic’s eyes shone.

Not wasting a moment, it slashed.

A large gash spread across Michael’s face, his left eye blinded as blood oozed downward. A scar running down his forehead, reaching his upper lip.

"It’s mandatory that your death is excruciating!" The mimic proclaimed with a frenzied smile.

Remaining stoic, Michael made the mimic regret coming in so close.

With a headbutt, he caused the already existing crack running down the core to enlarge.

The impact took the replica aback for a couple of seconds.

More than enough for Michael to slash.

Devil’s blade shattered the core into particles.

[Quest Triumph Yourself: Completed!]

[Distributing Reward...]

[10,000 Skill Points gained, an entrance to the Core Ring of the Light Kingdom gained]

Michael heaved a sigh and opened his status, instantly making use of the Skill Points.

Name: Michael

Soul Realm: Transcendent Lord

Cybernetics: Indomitable System, Archwarlock, Lightning Surge, Perfect Senses, Spirit Radiance, Riftstep, Bypasser, Parallel Sight, Fade, Psychokinesis, Authority Manifestation, Demonic Form

• Strength: 20,000 → 24,000

• Agility: 19,000 → 20,000

• Stamina: 20,000 → 25,000

• Spirit: 20,000,000

• Mind: 1,500,000

Skill Points: 10,000 → 0

At that moment, the ground trembled.

Glancing to the side, he witnessed the familiar body of the fox.

Her graceful figure towered above the dispersing body of her mimic.

A blinding light coiled around her.

Evolving once more, her fur grew silkier and more dazzling.

Her six tails turned more exquisite, increasing to nine in number.

Letting out a howl of delight, the fox reveled in her own victory.

Instantly, her body began to glow with a different form of immaculate light.

Having proven herself worthy, she disappeared from sight soon after, entering the heart of the kingdom.

As for Michael, he too glowed in the same ethereal light.

Knowing that he was about to be teleported against his will, he didn’t linger.

The slain mimic had released a respectable amount of spiritual energy. By using his Spirit Radiance cultivation technique, Michael absorbed a considerable portion of it, mending the wound his eye had suffered.

Aside from the few specks of blood that stained him and his otherwise pristine armor, there were no visible injuries on display.

"I didn’t manage to reunite with the others..." He murmured.

Although he had faith in their abilities as Supreme Lords, he couldn’t help but worry.

Especially Nicole. Her Blood Manipulation family technique would put her in danger since she carried blood, while her replica, possessing the same power, did not.

"No choice but to trust her, I guess." Michael shrugged with his usual calm indifference.

A few seconds later, he vanished from the gravity-distorted place.

He found himself in the core ring of the Light Kingdom, where MSAP-8, the Iskra Titan, resided.