A historic alliance had been forged, but how to execute it was an entirely new problem.
Who should they become?
It wasn't like Shu had never disguised himself before. After all, he had worn the Mosquito's Breath for a long time and was quite adept at minor disguises.
The problem was who to become.
His previous choice was to take on Kevin's appearance, but that persona was basically useless now. And to this day, Shu still didn't know if his disguise had been flawed or if there was a mole in their ranks.
Although Otto had mostly taken the blame for the persona being exposed, Shu couldn't help but suspect Kiana's almost miraculous intuition.
So, this disguise couldn't be one of the original characters, nor could it be a completely unfamiliar face...
Their brains began to think, starting from the Big Bang.
A few seconds later, they seemed to have come up with their own ideas and looked up at the same time—
And then two silent, unapproachable "Blades" stared at each other, stunned.
"You!" they both squeezed out Blade's characteristic low voice from their throats, the coldness that had just begun to surface on their faces shattering instantly like a misfired magic trick.
The two Shus almost picked up the Shard Blades they had conveniently materialized and sliced each other into Dan Heng's Imbibitor Lunae form.
This feeling of being completely "read," even "imitated" down to the bone marrow, caused that killing intent to surge once more.
"Stop copying me!" Shu gritted his teeth, an irrepressible hostility in his throat.
"You're the one copying me!" [Shu] was not to be outdone, looking like he was about to bite him.
They exchanged looks of disgust, then silently chose to change their appearances.
And then two Baiwus, in a yellow and purple color scheme, raised their Morning Stars against each other and clashed solidly.
This time, Shu had even considered that Baiwu's classic Roman-style attire didn't fit the current situation and had switched to a highly-rated yellow and purple hoodie and pants.
How could they still match?!
The two Morning Stars, after a three-second struggle, were finally lowered. Not because the two had calmed down, but because they had put too much material into creating the Morning Stars, making them too heavy to lift.
One last time!
Letting the Morning Stars in his hands disappear into a stream of light, Shu's eyes hardened. He made an unprecedented mental struggle and then determined with horror!
This idea is absolutely unique!
There's no way this shoddy knockoff can think of the same thing as me again!
Whoosh—!
"BONG—!!"
The moment they saw each other's appearance, the two completely red-hot female Trailblazers, utterly betraying their lazy yet clever, dorky yet elegant image, whipped out baseball bats and swung them at each other's heads.
And then were precisely blocked by the baseball bat swung from a symmetrical angle by the other.
You dare to block?!
"BONG BONG BONG BONG—"
A series of metallic clangs rang out in the corridor next to the living area, as the two red-hot raccoons began trying to knock each other out.
It really didn't need to be this complicated. Just knock the other guy out, turn him into a dog, and drag him along. Isn't that a disguise too?
This bastard is definitely doing this on purpose!
Even when I changed the gender of my disguise, we still matched. If this isn't intentional, what is?!
Their fight didn't use [Wish], but the force of their attacks was by no means small. They were genuinely aiming to "gently awaken the slumbering soul," and their blows were anything but light.
The sound of baseball bats clashing eventually attracted the attention of someone in the living area.
A familiar, cheerful voice, accompanied by footsteps, came from around the corner of the nearby corridor.
"Hey! Over here! Welcome to... uh..."
Siegfried, the Fire Moth's renowned loiterer, froze mid-wave, the brilliant smile on his face stuck.
He blinked his azure eyes, looking at the two almost identical, gray-haired, golden-eyed "girls" before him. The brain that was barely installed in his head overloaded with a boom.
Cecilia followed behind him, her gentle, bottomless eyes sweeping lightly over the two.
The bodies of the two "Stelles" stiffened simultaneously, and their baseball bats happened to stop an inch from each other's faces at that moment.
After a momentary mental explosion, the will to survive once again overwhelmed everything.
Almost as Siegfried's voice fell, the two reacted with astonishing synchronicity.
The "Stelle" slightly in front quickly took half a step to the side, forcing a slightly awkward but努力 to be natural smile, and raised her hand in a greeting gesture.
"H-Hello! We're..." Her speech was a bit fast, using the neutral voice she had adjusted to while transforming.
The "Stelle" half a step behind seamlessly followed up, nodding slightly, her tone attempting to imitate the polite yet distant manner of a newcomer: "...new here.
"Just... staying temporarily." Her gaze flickered over Siegfried and Cecilia before falling to the ground, as if she had developed a keen interest in the floor pattern.
In that instant, they had managed to create the impression of twin sisters, one more outgoing and responsible for social interactions, the other more introverted and slightly timid.
If they weren't Shu, if it weren't for this bizarre situation, their coordination would have been flawless.
Siegfried was stunned for two seconds, then slapped his hand as if in realization, a carefree smile blooming on his face again. That initial confusion was completely covered by the characteristic Kaslana thick-skinnedness and familiarity.
"Oh—! Newcomers! Welcome, welcome! Are you twins? You look exactly alike! I'm Siegfried, and this is my wife, Cecilia."
He introduced them casually, completely oblivious to the thoughtful glint in Cecilia's eyes.
"We're called... 'Stelle'," the "Stelle" disguised by Shu quickly interjected, giving the name they had just "borrowed."
"Yeah, Stelle," the "Stelle" disguised by [Shu] briefly agreed, her voice still muffled.
"Good name!" Siegfried gave a sincere thumbs-up, then his gaze shifted between the two, seemingly noticing the stiffness that permeated the air.
Even though they had already urgently pulled apart, this sense of stiffness lingered.
Siegfried rubbed his stubbled chin, his brows furrowed slightly.
Then, as if he had thought of something, an "I get it" expression appeared on his face.
"But..." Siegfried put his hands on his hips, striking a "man of experience" lecturing pose, his tone becoming earnest. "Even if you're twin sisters, you have to get along.
"I saw you two were standing one behind the other, so far apart. Are you... um... having a tiff?" he struggled to find the right word.
Neither "Stelle" dared to make a sound.
What kind of family squabble involves swinging a baseball bat at the other's head with full force?
And Siegfried was still going: "Let me tell you, the bond between twins can naturally power a giant Arahato! What could possibly be worth holding a grudge overnight for?"
At this point, Siegfried suddenly paused, then he waited seriously for a moment, just in case the reason for their fight would allow him to say, "But then again..."
He was just a warm-hearted guy who couldn't stand seeing a sisterly relationship ruined. It didn't mean he was a peacemaker who had to mediate every little thing.