Chapter 1230 - 1231: Test Of Self

She glanced toward the troops, who were staring between the two commanders in utter confusion. There were now two Seras Blades standing before them, and none of them knew which one was their commander.

"Ma’am, which one are you? We..."

Seras smiled.

Then she glanced toward the other woman.

"If you’re me, then you must know this person’s name. Tell me."

The other Seras looked toward the soldier who had spoken. She studied him for a while, then slowly shook her head.

"I don’t know his name. I don’t know the names of anyone in this current set of troops. I imagine you do."

The first Seras who had asked the question went quiet.

She saw the hopeful expressions on the soldiers’ faces and narrowed her eyes.

"Neither do I. You are a more complex copy of me than I thought."

"I’m not a copy. That would be you."

The two Seras stared at one another.

"Fine, then. Who do you fancy? State a name. If you can’t give that answer, then that proves you are fake."

"Fine," Seras answered herself.

"I have taken a fancy to Damon Grey. But everyone knows that, and I do give him some leeway, even though I did consider killing him when we first met."

Seras heard her response.

It was true.

For the next few minutes, the soldiers watched the two women exchange questions back and forth. Each time one of them asked something, the other answered correctly.

Their memories were the same.

Their habits were the same.

Their thoughts were the same.

It was obvious now.

Both of these women were Seras Blade.

Yet Seras could have sworn that the other had emerged from the swirling light around the Abyss.

And the other Seras swore the exact same thing about her.

"Enough. This is enough. Let’s fight. The last one standing is me. I know I can defeat a cheap imitation of myself."

"Couldn’t have said it better."

Seras wasted no time.

She unleashed her domain.

"Fields of Roaring Glory."

The other Seras did the same.

Two powerful Seventh Class domains opened at the same time.

The soldiers immediately retreated, some stumbling over themselves as they fled. They had expected destruction the moment the two domains collided.

But none came.

Instead, the two domains simply expanded.

They intertwined.

Then they fused together.

The power within them grew stronger and stronger as the boundaries spread wider and wider until they engulfed the entire area.

The Abyss made no effort to destroy them.

The gap to the Tomb of Lesser Gods was reduced.

And Seras understood one thing.

Her last obstacle was herself.

’What does this mean?’

Seras stared at herself.

Did that mean one of them had been created here in the Abyss?

Then which one was fake?

Who was the original Seras?

And who was the Abyss Seras?

She had no answer.

Neither did the other Seras.

Both of them were Seras Blade.

They had lived their lives as Seras Blade.

They did not know anything beyond being Seras Blade.

The world could not tell them who Seras Blade was because the world did not know Seras Blade as well as Seras Blade knew herself.

But if that was the case...

Did Seras know herself enough?

How could you be sure that the world existed when you had not and could not walk in someone else’s shoes?

For all you knew, the world might only exist inside your head because you alone perceived it.

Seras was now faced with Seras.

"Hey, you. Can you tell me your mission?"

The other Seras had reached the same conclusion.

After all, she was Seras.

"Yes, I do. I must reach the Tomb of Lesser Gods no matter what and free the Lesser Gods before the battle starts. The fate of my world rests on my victory."

"Good. So you understand."

She raised her sword.

Her expression became cold, and her body grew still.

"Then there is nothing left to talk about. Only Seras Blade would be victorious here, and only Seras Blade can be defeated here."

Whether Seras lived or died here today, Seras would win.

But there was just one question.

How would Seras know that she was the real Seras?

For all she knew, the one who died would be Seras, while she was merely an imposter wearing her own face, carrying her memories, and living her life.

Who could tell her with absolute certainty that she was Seras Blade?

It was the true nature of the Abyss.

If the omniverse was reflected into the Abyss, then did that not mean the people within the omniverse were also reflected?

The deafening sounds of battle echoed from both domains as their swords clashed, blanketing the world in ashen death.

Seras’s fist clashed against her own face, sending her flying, just as she had kicked her other self. She flipped through the air and landed hard, sliding backward as the space in front of her was shredded into pieces like paper.

In the next instant, she vanished.

She reappeared behind her other self and cleaved toward her neck.

The other Seras blocked the attack by sliding her gauntlet against the side of the blade. The momentum slowed the sword, sparks flying in every direction as metal scraped against metal.

Both Seras immediately backed away.

One had bruises forming across her face.

The other spat out blood.

"So this is what it feels like to fight me. I can’t help but sympathize with my enemies."

The other Seras was thinking the same thing.

She really was a nightmare to fight.

Her instincts were too sharp.

Her speed.

Her strength.

Everything about her was exactly the same.

"What are your thoughts on the Unknown God?"

"You think I’m the fake, don’t you? Damn fake. My thoughts on him are that I don’t care. You wouldn’t have a different opinion of your creator, now would you?"

"My creator?"

This Seras said coldly, a grin appearing across her face.

"I couldn’t care less for that god or even the goddess, for that matter. People say I’m blessed by the goddess, but I wouldn’t go that far."

"Yes."

Seras replied, thinking back to her childhood.

"I never did fit in. Most children my age were quite weak, and I was sent off to war far too quickly. I have a reason to win."

The other Seras sneered.

"Same. I will end this. I appreciate how strong you are, so I won’t be holding anything back. When you die, I will know you are fake."

Seras gritted her teeth.

They were saying the same things.

Thinking the same things.

Even their reasons were the same.

"Because the real me is the one that wins."

"You are merely the last obstacle of this hellhole, and I will overcome you. That is proof that I am Seras Blade."

Seras made up her mind.

It didn’t matter who was or wasn’t the real Seras.

Seras Blade would win.

And that was how she would know that she was real and the one who died was the fake.

She would leave and move forward, even if doubt remained in her mind about whether she was truly herself, whether she was the real Seras Blade.

Their battle continued.

The soldiers watched as the two women clashed at speeds too fast for their eyes to follow. Blades flashed through the air, fists collided, and the earth beneath their feet shattered with every exchange.

Seras sensed this emotion more than ever.

She could die here.

She could also kill her.

This battle was the most fair battle she had ever fought.

Her opponent was just as strong.

Just as broken.

And just as tired of this madness.

An opponent who knew her better than anyone.

An opponent who was herself.

This was indeed the greatest test of the Abyss.