The Obsessive Regressor of The Academy

45. Doppelganger

They didn’t bother telling the villagers that they were leaving to deal with the infestation immediately. Following Warren’s advice, they decided there was no need to inform those who, for some reason, felt so unsettling of their plans.

It wasn’t likely that they were in league with the doppelgangers, given that proper communication was impossible, but there was no harm in being cautious.

“This way.”

The compass pointed west. The party moved, maintaining a tense readiness to react at any moment, following the needle.

-KREEaaaK!!

Strange-looking monsters suddenly thrust their heads into view along the way.

Creatures the likes of which Asel, who had read through quite a number of bestiaries in Weiheim, had never seen before—with bodies like elongated caterpillars and anuses that resembled human heads— charged at the group. Asel reflexively unleashed a blast of concussive magic at the creature’s body.

*Thump!*

The thing slammed into the earth, body impacting vertically. It flailed with elongated limbs, struggling against the crushing force, but escaping Asel’s magic was impossible. Asel punctuated its struggles with a jolt of electricity straight into the creature’s writhing head, then studied the fallen corpse.

The answer came quickly. He furrowed his brow slightly, muttering,

“A creature created with synthetic alchemy. A common monster spliced with human organs and a head. It seems that left it unable to reconcile either intellect, a beast driven only by hunger.”

“…What’s something like that doing here?”

Warren asked, a grimace twisting his features. Asel shook his head and straightened.

“We need to find out. More importantly, we need to be careful.”

“…”

“If something like this exists here, it’s possible the doppelganger was ‘assembled’ through someone’s synthetic alchemy as well. It might not be the form we knew.”

Warren swallowed hard at Asel’s words. Tension tightened Saya’s face. Only Quill, who had hunted monsters several times as a mercenary, seemed relatively unfazed. He clapped Asel on the shoulder, a confident smile spreading across his face.

“Back me up well, alright?”

“…Alright.”

A half-joke, half-truth meant to ease the atmosphere. Asel gave a small, wry smile in response.

“…”

They continued onward. Deeper and deeper into the mountains they went, and the more frequently these stitched-together monstrosities reared their heads. Thanks to the group’s swift action, they avoided any injuries, but the knowledge that they were surrounded by things hunting them sharpened their nerves.

Any unnecessary words would only cause friction amongst the group in a situation like this. So they kept their lips sealed, relying solely on Saya’s voice as she guided them with the compass. Asel, bringing up the rear, unleashed a wide-area spell on the eyes that stalked them.

[Apex Thunder Annihilation Sweep]

A tempestuous storm sweeps towards annihilation

The lightning erupted from Asel’s fingertips, and in that searing instant, it pulsed through the space, frying every creature that lurked around them. The belated sound of thunder followed the flash.

*KWA-A-A-ANG!!*

A deafening roar. But no one reacted. They merely glanced at Asel shaking the residual electricity from his hand before continuing onward.

How much time passed? Suddenly, Saya stopped the group. She held the compass out for them all to see, pointing to a cavernous opening directly ahead.

“It’s here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. The needle is pointing directly to that cave.”

“Let’s just go.”

Quill gripped his spear tighter, his expression turning fierce.

“Let’s take care of this and get out of here. This isn’t just some ordinary mountain, like the mage said. I don’t want to stay any longer than we have to.”

“The life signatures I’m sensing inside… roughly number in the dozens.”

Asel said. The others turned to him. Asel met their gaze, an unreadable expression on his face as he stared at the cave entrance.

His pupils shimmered with a blue sheen.

“Multiple responses similar to those we killed. And one that feels…doppelganger-like.”

“So…this was their den, it seems. What’s the plan? Assault it directly, or try to lure them out?”

Warren addressed Saya. She paused, considering, then made her decision.

“We go in. Drawing them out one by one will take too long. And there’s no guarantee they’ll come out individually anyway. If they swarm us, identifying the doppelganger will be impossible.”

“……”

“And…I’d like to be finished before nightfall, at least.”

Saya spoke, her pupils narrowing into vertical slits. A mystical *yōki* – a fox spirit’s power – began to emanate from her.

A power granted to only a select few among the fox-kin: *yōjutsu*, spirit magic. Her tail count swelled to five, swaying gently as she conjured shimmering, cerulean foxfires.

Watching her, Warren drew upon his own mana, while Quill took a deep breath and wreathed his spear shaft in *aura*. Asel approached Saya, studying one of her foxfires intently.

“It dulls spatial awareness in nearby creatures, and the flames incinerate whatever they touch? *Yōjutsu* is more sophisticated than I imagined.”

“I’ve never met anyone quite like you. It’s strange how your tone becomes so formal when you’re using magic. Almost…authoritative, I suppose. Usually, you’re so gentle, but it’s like a complete flip.”

“……Really?”

“Yes. Weren’t you aware?”

He wasn’t. Authoritative? Was it a habit picked up in the slums, surfacing unconsciously? Or was there another reason?

He couldn’t say for sure. He shifted his gaze toward the cave, attempting to deflect the conversation.

“Among the life signs within, none show signs of true intelligence. Though the doppelganger appears to possess a limited intellect. Seems he’s been around for decades, at least.”

“So, he can’t imitate you. That’s a relief.”

“Don’t be too sure. We should prepare for the possibility.”

Asel spoke, loosening his limbs slowly. He primed his Core, pumping mana through his body, then cracked his neck and strode toward the cave. The others formed a formation around him.

*Crackle, crackle!*

Electricity danced around his body. Transformed mana, overflowing and expressing itself, seared the very air. His eyes burned with inner light from the surging power, and his breath crackled with stray bolts of lightning. Manipulating the electrical signals throughout his body, he felt as though his whole being was transforming into a living lightning strike.

A lightning sorcerer with his Core fully activated became a strategic weapon in his own right.

It wasn’t for nothing that Ena had excelled on countless battlefields and drawn so many suitors. Not even Asel had channeled such potent lightning mana since the battle with Fernan.

The feeling wasn’t unpleasant. Perhaps it was overkill to unleash this power against a single doppelganger, but Asel wasn’t worried about the doppelganger, it was the creator of the composite ritual it belonged to.

‘A ritual so subtle and precise that it remained undetected until close proximity. This is certainly a mage far more advanced than myself.’

It wasn’t about talent. It was about the accumulated years and the distilled essence of experience that this warlock had. For some reason, he made his lair within this mountain and had the sick inclination to combine humans and demons. Wary of this person, Asel activated his mana to its maximum potential from the very start.

In any case, it wasn’t like the mana expended was wasted. He permanently maintained two spells: a shield to protect his body and a mental barrier.

The mana consumed by these spells was replenished with every breath.

And so, it continued. Asel pressed his index and middle fingers together in a line, then swept them horizontally in a wide arc.

[Slaying Thunder]

Pzzzzzzzzzt!!!

Wherever his fingertips danced, a lightning bolt obeyed. Entering the cavern, the synthetic horrors revealed themselves only to be struck down by the thunder, reduced to ash. Those that grotesquely contorted their joints to evade the blast were impaled by Quill’s spear or pulverized by Warren’s spirit arts.

-Krrrrrrrrrrrrk!

-Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!

Realizing their comrades’ demise, the creatures began to pour forth from the cavern’s depths. Warren met the gaze of the largest among them, forming a hand seal. At that instant, the spirits pulsed with power, the earth resonating with his will.

[Sinkhole]

Drrrrrrrrrrk!!

With the magic’s eruption, the floor beneath the charging synthetics crumbled, collapsing inward. Losing their footing, the creatures flailed wildly as Quill darted through the chaos.

An aura-enhanced body and spearhead. Battle instincts honed through a mercenary’s life. All coalesced to forge Quill’s spearmanship.

Splat!

With each thrust of his shoulder, synthetic heads flew into the air. Splattered with blood and viscera, coated in unidentifiable fluids, he erupted in a hearty laugh. Watching him, Asel extended his right hand, cracking his knuckles with a tight, fist-clenching motion.

[Thunderburst]

Kwaaang!!

Lightning, already thick in the air, answered Asel’s intent, detonating within the bellies of the still-living monsters. Hideous screams were swallowed by the thunder’s roar. Severely mangled corpses were buried beneath the sinkhole.

Overwhelming carnage. Yet, none felt any particular sentiment. They all knew they hadn’t come to simply slaughter synthetics.

The group crossed the bridge spanning the sinkhole, carved out by Warren’s magic, while continuously cutting down the waves of synthetics.

Soon, the synthetics ceased their futile attacks, instead circling the group as if tightening a noose. It was as if a leader had begun directing them. Asel crushed the head of one with his telekinetic magic, focusing his mana-imbued sight.

He pushed beyond the limits of normal vision, achieving a state where he could magnify and compress space. In his heightened perception, he saw a being resembling a young girl directing the synthetics.

Reacting instantly, Asel sent strands of pure mana, at supersonic speeds, to bind to the pillars near the girl and, binding the rest of the party to himself.

“Hey, what the–“

“……!”

Feeling the sudden restraint, the group turned with startled expressions. Asel grinned at them.

“Hold your breath. We’re going now.”

“What are you taaalking aboutt!!!!”

Before Quill could finish, Asel frantically shortened the immense length of his mana threads. The resulting recoil yanked the group along, moving at tremendous speed.

Asel then amplified their velocity by casting wind-resistance and telekinetic spells simultaneously.

“Kyaaa!”

“Shibal, we’re gonna craaash!!”

“Asel, Asel!”

Thanks to him, reaching the girl took less than three seconds. Acel conjured a downdraft, gently setting them onto the floor before they could splatter against the wall.

“You son of a—!”

Quill, the moment his boots touched down, lunged toward the girl, bellowing.

“Give a warning before doing crap like that!”

“I did.”

Acel chuckled, offering the retort as he fixed his gaze on the still-uncomprehending girl and snapped his fingers.

[Thunder Bow]

*Bzzzzzzzt!*

A bolt of lightning bloomed from Acel’s back, piercing the girl between the eyes with pinpoint accuracy.