"Bang!"
The clash between the long blade and the Black Abyss splattered sparks, illuminating both their faces.
Mei fiercely commanded the giant arm to swing down its greatsword, but before it could strike "Lin," he had vanished. The blow was parried by the Titan, which held a massive blade. However, before the twin Gatling guns on the Titan's sides could fire, Mei's swing sliced it in half.
The floor beneath her feet shifted. A verdant sprout drilled out. Mei's heart leaped in surprise, and she retreated backward. Before she could take a step, thick vines grew wildly like venomous snakes, wrapping around her ankles.
Behind her, the indifferent helmeted man raised the black spear. The death energy condensed on it felt tangible as it stabbed toward Mei's back.
"Tch..."
Mei's gaze sharpened. The electric field around her abruptly burst forth. Dark purple lightning shot out like streaks of light, forcing "Lin" away.
Failing to land the blow, "Lin" took a step back, letting go of the Black Abyss White Flower. The flowing data energy once again converged in his hand. This time, what appeared was a rifle marked with the Moth of the Fire Chasers emblem. Without needing to pull the trigger, fire poured continuously from the muzzle!
Lightning formed a shield. The bullets were knocked down before they could penetrate the barrier. Before Mei could adjust her breathing to attack, "Lin's" elusive figure vanished again.
The Titan also retreated, forcing Mei onto the defensive with its accumulating Ion Cannon charge.
Mei, who had never witnessed or experienced Lin's fighting style, felt increasingly troubled. It wasn't that "Lin's" power was overwhelmingly strong, but his fighting style was like a cold shot fired suddenly from the shadows. Her destructive power was greater but had no chance to be unleashed, as Lin consistently seized openings to launch precise and deadly attacks.
Simply put, Lin's fighting was about "seizing opportunities."
Either be watertight, or be caught and killed by the opportunity he seized, maximally closing the gap between their raw strength.
Furthermore, the current "Lin" was definitely not at full strength. He could use the abilities of the Black Abyss and Black Abyss White Flower, but only the most basic parts. He was merely using them as two long-range weapons, and the ability to create constructs had so far been limited to one Titan.
Was this the battle between a supposed "human" and a "Herrscher"?
A smoke bomb landed at her feet. Gray-black smoke obscured her vision. Mei's eyes flashed, piercing through the smoke to see a figure rushing towards her left side.
Mei brought her long blade across, executing a cold, full-force horizontal slash!
"Zzra—"
The figure was sliced open, but Mei received no feedback indicating she had cut a physical body.
"Lin" dissolved into a phantom and vanished.
"A projection?"
"Above." A familiar, cold voice alerted Mei. She suddenly looked up. The tip of the Black Abyss had already reached her eyelashes.
Damn it!
Such a simple trick, yet Mei was easily fooled. It was too late for her to raise her hands to defend. All she could do was activate her authority, driving the circulating current within her body to surge toward the lance.
"Ding—"
The lance was repelled, but... no one was holding the Black Abyss.
Mei stared blankly at the empty space above.
It was a double decoy.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Mei's pupils contracted. The heat of a bullet grazed her side. It didn't hit her, but the searing phantom pain shot into her brain.
"Lin" stood a short distance away, released the handgun, and became motionless, looking at the other person who had newly appeared in the space.
The familiar helmeted man was directly behind Mei. He, too, lowered his handgun. It was he who had shot "Lin's" bullet mid-air, causing the attack that should have hit Mei to miss.
"Your business here is finished." Lin said to the silently stationary "Lin," reholstering his handgun.
There was no response. "Lin" and the Titan vanished together.
Mei stared, still shaken, at the "Lin" who had faded and disappeared into the air. Then, she turned to look at the quietly standing Lin.
To be honest, after the short but deadly battle she had just experienced, Mei had developed a bit of a phobia of that helmet. She only lowered the tip of her blade, feigning composure, after carefully observing that Lin's armor was not the same as "Lin's."
Of course, Mei didn't put away her weapon. She was still wary of the elusive black spear. She asked Lin, "Why are you here?"
"That's my question. Why are you here?" Lin's viewport lit up. This action caused Mei to raise her blade again. "This is not where you should be."
"I... The Elysian Realm has a problem."
"A problem... Where is Klein?"
"Klein?"
"A listless workaholic."
"A listless workaholic? I haven't met them, but I did hear a listless voice."
Lin crossed his arms, scrutinizing Mei: "Then why didn't you follow her instructions?"
"I have the freedom to act independently." Mei also crossed her arms with a strong attitude. Her tall, 172cm frame, plus her heels, wasn't much shorter than Lin, and her imposing manner didn't lose to his. "This is supposedly the core of the Elysian Realm, but it seems it's not that simple."
"You don't need to know."
"Do you all enjoy making people guess?"
"I'm merely stating the facts. I don't care about Elysia's or anyone else's attitude or expectations toward you. To me, you are just a visitor, even if you are a Herrscher." The expression under Lin's helmet was unknown, but Mei guessed it must be an ice-cold face. Coupled with his flat voice, the effect was that he was an entire iceberg, both inside and out.
Having witnessed the previous "Lin," Mei gained some belief in what Lin was saying. However, she was at a disadvantage primarily because she had never fought Lin before. So, she replied with a cold face, "Your current attitude is identical to that of the masked hot-head (Kalpas). Was I mistaken about your personality? Or are all of you who cover your faces just as quick to anger?"
"Kalpas and I are different. But if necessary, I will do the same as him."
"..."
A threat.
Lin was a reserved person. Elysia had emphasized this repeatedly, and Mei had also observed this trait in him to some extent. The moment he dropped his reserve, it meant every word he spoke was a genuine, real-world threat.
Mei gave up confronting him and asked another question: "What was that other you just now?"
"..." An indifferent gaze swept over Mei from inside the helmet. He said, "Merely an enemy simulated by the Elysian Realm based on memory. It's not just mine; there are similar constructs of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers."
"Why? Aren't you yourselves memory constructs? Why would there be these clone-like enemies appearing?"
"Imaginary enemies."
Lin spoke the cryptic phrase, turned, and beckoned, signaling Mei to follow.
Imaginary enemies?
Whose?