"Is there nothing else we can prepare?"
“If we had the time, I’d want to prepare more. But my brain tells me that shaving an hour off that bastard’s preparation time is more efficient than us spending two more hours getting ready.”
“From the briefing, he seemed mentally fragile. What if we film an explicit video of us entangled in bed and broadcast it?”
“Not human...”
Just imagining Yuri's twisted idea sent shivers down my spine.
It took me about 13 hours to recover from the blow to my head, regain my strength, stabilize my mental state, let the Tower mages prepare for battle, and activate the teleportation magic circle for deployment.
Such a short time, just from lunch to dinner.
I clapped my hands as I stepped onto the magic circle. We had gathered all the available forces. This should be enough to take down even that gluttonous Godling, who feeds like a pig on mana.
And we had a hidden card on our side.
He didn’t know about Selvia. He had no idea that my runaway childhood friend had awakened as a powerful DPS-type metamorph and could unleash an incredible burst of damage!
I’d roast him in one go. As for the Godling, this time she’d really meet her end. There’s a wardrobe filled with ten different traitor outfits waiting for her.
“Let’s go, finish this cleanly! How much preparation could that bastard really have done?”
(1) Suppressing Violet Tower Master, Yuna Euryn Sto Violet Iris
The Doppelganger had maintained a faint, unsettling smile ever since declaring that he would “act.” He didn’t seem relaxed, but he certainly appeared sharp.
Wisdom swirled slowly within his red eyes.
“Godling, can you defeat the Violet Tower Master?”
“Impossible.”
“I figured as much... No matter how I think about it, she’s overpowered. Even if we could handle the raw strength of her metamorphosis, there’s no way to counter her sublimation abilities.”
It’s raw power that crushes skill. No matter how much magic and strategy you employ, a giant hand covering the sky can squash you flat.
If we don’t do something about her, we’ll lose.
Although I’m working on a backup plan, trying to brainwash Iride into sending the young knight, even that isn’t certain. While the Sword Saint does work for the Empire, who knows what his true intentions are?
But there’s still room for a plan.
“I can suppress her. The Violet Tower Master may not hesitate to kill, but ‘I’ wouldn’t. She’ll probably hold back because she’s afraid of being hated. ‘I’ will also insist that no one be killed if possible.”
“And what exactly do you plan to do?”
“Quantity over quality. I’ll gather a large number of forces and overwhelm her. The people sticking to that fake lack sufficient area-of-effect attacks. There's a 90% chance the Violet Tower Master will have to intervene.”
“There’s also the defense troops under Iride’s command, and we could manipulate civilians, but that won’t be enough, will it?”
Exactly.
Simply throwing in weaklings wouldn’t be sufficient. If the forces we throw at her are too weak, they’ll be incapacitated instantly by her illusion magic, long before she even needs to use her sublimation abilities.
“Mima is quick to act. He’ll probably come within a day. Do you think you can gather a trained force by then?”
“Training them? Impossible. But summoning them? That’s easy. We’ve got dark mages, don’t we?”
“...?”
Shhhh—
The Doppelganger donned the seductive form of the Succubus Queen, gathering all the allure and temptation in the world. He chuckled, flicking his fingers.
“The Succubus Queen used to handle recruitment among the Empire’s nobles. Sure, ‘I’ killed her, but we never cleaned up all her followers, did we? Some idiots still await the return of their beloved queen.”
“And if that’s still not enough?”
“We’ll borrow forces from other dark mages too. We have the Authority of the 『Heroine』, the dead queen’s information, and a master actor. It’ll be easier than twisting a child’s wrist.”
The Doppelganger received power from the Godling and extended his threads of influence, utilizing his nature as an information-based entity to weave webs. Just like at the academy, he unleashed dream demons to infiltrate the minds of many.
Connecting dreams to dreams. Just like the queen once did, he created a temporary nest by linking minds, spreading the poison of love and pleasure.
“O, ooh... My soul’s true master! I knew you would return!”
Gaining forces from nobles who had never forgotten the Succubus Queen.
“Dad, where are you going...?!”
“The Goddess is calling me.”
Taking civilians as hostages to apply psychological pressure.
“...Underlings of the dark mages are leaving. ‘Noose of Despair’! And we’re detecting a response from someone we thought was dead—the ‘Maiden’!”
“...”
Even gaining agents from Duke Redburn’s network.
The key was in fine-tuning the difficulty. Not too many, not too few, not too strong, and not too weak.
If the forces are too strong, the Violet Tower Master will massacre everyone without hesitation to save the Mad Mage. If they’re too weak, she’ll quickly sweep them aside and rejoin the main battle.
The goal was to gather just enough forces to drag things out without crossing any lines. Calculating this wasn’t difficult. With 51% of my mental capacity, the brain power was there, but more importantly...
“...I know her better than anyone.”
I could read her psychology and manipulate her actions.
(2) Expanding Metamorph-level Forces
“In the end, it’ll be a small elite group that decides the battle. Just you and me might not be enough—we could end up in a prolonged fight. The fake and Yuri are quite the team. Of course, in the long run, we’d win, but...”
“But the Violet Tower Master would clear the battlefield and join the fight before that happens?”
“Exactly. It’s not impossible to break through, but the more cards we have to play, the better. We need more pieces in play.”
I ran through the checklist in my head. The North? Too far and would take too long. The Godling’s dimensional gate wasn’t something we could use freely, so that was ruled out.
Princess Elaine was too far and not easily persuaded, so she was out. Bennett would likely be able to distinguish between real and fake, so she was off-limits as well. We decided to use her sister as leverage to keep her tied down.
Now, we needed to find metamorph-level fighters near the Crownhall who could be persuaded into helping immediately.
“Ah, let’s use Envers.”
“That rookie?”
“Surprisingly, Envers’ metamorphosis is a counter to illusion magic. He oversaturates the surrounding information, making spellcasting difficult. The fake would love it if we threw him in.”
The Godling nodded in agreement.
Persuasion or brainwashing would work just fine. Envers had his own convictions, but compared to other session players, he was soft and inexperienced.
If I showed him a fabricated vision of the Namgung siblings and convinced him to fight for the glory of his family, he’d probably fall right into line.
“There are two other players left near the capital besides Envers.”
“I know. But they’re too dangerous, so we’ll eliminate them.”
(3) Eliminating Crownhall Knight Commander Lulu and Rodderus Redburn
First, the risks are too high.
“If another sublimation-level power turns against me, we lose.”
“...”
Second, there’s no personal connection.
“There’s no guarantee they’ll fight for me. Think about it—Rodderus only knows me as an assassination target. And approaching him as Oh Hyein would only make things awkward.”
“Asking for a hit job from a magical girl and her mascot... even an idiot would feel something’s off.”
“So it’s better to just remove them entirely. If they side with the fake, it’d be a disaster. Godling, how about we take a little trip?”
Mungae, who had been grooming her fur next to the sleeping Hwangyi (formerly Faceless), suddenly puffed up her tail at an eerie sensation.
“...”
There was a movement of mana from downstairs. Quick, precise illusion magic. It had to be the Mad Mage.
Had the original returned?
Perfect timing. Though I had already explained the complicated relationship between Mungae and the Mad Mage, there were still details to work out.
But something felt off. The flow of mana wasn’t gentle. It felt more like an attack. A nagging sense of dread grew.
Lulu and Dae-su were probably downstairs, preparing dinner together...
Mungae, worried something might have happened, quickly placed a protective barrier around Hwangyi and carefully tiptoed downstairs.
But there was no sign of anyone.
“...Dae-su, Lulu, where did you go?”
No response came.
Both of them usually made a point of saying something when they went out. Lulu would always ask, “Should I bring you some skewers on the way back?” It was strange.
“Original, are you here? If something’s up, come out. We’ve got settings to fix, and I need to head back. I’m getting tired of ending all my sentences with ‘-mong.’”
“Really?”
The voice from behind was chilling.
Instinctively, Mungae cast a barrage of illusion magic in all directions—mist, shattered textures, swarms of mosquitoes and flies—her emergency escape combo.
But through all the illusions, a hand broke through.
It grabbed her by the neck. As the nails dug lightly into her fur, waves of malicious data poured out. Mungae twisted her body in agony, letting out a scream.
“Aaaagh...!”
Then, red eyes gleamed in the darkness.
The doppelganger, draped in a shroud of sinister energy, spoke softly as he crushed her in real-time.
“If you’re tired, you should rest. I’ll help you retire.”
“Where... where are Dae-su and Lulu...?”
“There was a backdoor created with the ‘Wave of Despair,’ remember? I hijacked it, just like I used it to turn him into a magical girl. This time, I suppressed him from within.”
Right now, they’re fighting alongside Oh Hyein to save the city in their dreams.
A magical girl series, season two, where the threat has returned, and they’ve been summoned back to battle. Rodderus seemed suspicious of the situation, wandering through the dream, but...
How could they possibly wake up on their own when their minds are controlled by none other than the Mad Mage?
Crunch!
The doppelganger watched Mungae’s distorted emotions for a moment before squeezing her throat harder, crushing her in an instant. He absorbed every last fragment of her into himself.
“Alright, I’ll leave sleeping Dae-su and Lulu to you, Godling. Don’t kill them too fast—they might wake up. If you’re in the mood, feel free to devour their souls.”
“...Are you sure? Aren’t they your players?”
“Don’t worry, it’s not a trap. It’s just that... you’re more important to me now. Eat as much as you like. You don’t have to do anything. Just enjoy your meal. I’ll handle everything.”
“...”
He left to deal with the remaining tasks.
Before the Godling lay Lulu and Rodderus, both unconscious. Their souls, steeped in deep emotions, would undoubtedly provide great power.
She extended her long, black claws, sharpened like talons, placing them at Rodderus’ neck. After a long moment of contemplation...
“Wow, you ate them already? Clean job, no bodies left.”
“...Yeah. They were sickeningly sweet. Not to my taste.”
“Want me to get you a coffee? Extra ice?”
“No, I’m fine.”
She hadn’t killed them. She had hidden them.
She had every reason to devour them and gain strength. She had already betrayed her original form and now had the opportunity to return. But instead of consuming them, she had hidden them to protect them from the doppelganger.
Even she couldn’t fully understand why.
When we reached the capital, Crownhall, we were greeted by an army filling the streets. It had only been half a day, and yet...
Civilians, dark mages, knights, agents—it was an impressive gathering.
“Quite the preparation, you crazy bastard...”
If we’d given him more time, would he have brought out a Dragon Heart from the royal family? I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it all, even if this doppelganger was a part of me.
Next to me, Selvia tugged on my sleeve with wide eyes.
“Brother, wait. Isn’t that Envers over there...?”
“Huh. Why is that idiot there...?”
A cold shiver ran down my spine.
I quickly scanned the area, sent out mana waves to detect any threats. What if... what if that doppelganger had brainwashed all of my precious players and turned them against me?
What if Bennett condemned me as an evil god, and Rodderus accused me of being the 『Fallen Dark Demon King Lucifer Jeckniel』...?
I might just scream.
Thankfully, only Envers was on the enemy’s side. Had he failed to recruit the others?
“The evil mad mage who seeks to plunge the world into chaos! I, Namgung Cheonghwi, will judge you!”
“Why are you over there, you idiot?!”
“Selvia, getting mad won’t help. Look at his eyes, he’s under hypnosis. It’s deep—no way to break it in a short time... Damn it, why is he so weak to hypnosis, even after reaching metamorphosis?”
Maybe his trials hadn’t been harsh enough.
If the Namgung family had suffered a few more deaths, if his clan had been ruined and he had hardened through trials like the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Ascension Technique...
Today, I felt the weight of Instructor Sel’s wisdom, who had once proclaimed that every academy student needs their trials.
“This isn’t the time to space out, Mima! They’re coming.”
“Damn it... Yuna, you take care of that horde! If they break through, Iride’s hypnosis will be undone, and we won’t get any sleep! Selvia, Yuri, come with me—we’re going after the doppelganger!”
“O-Okay! I-I’ll shoot carefully!”
We assigned our roles and formed our battle lines.
This was a fight for our future happiness. The doppelganger had prepared quite a bit, but it was still manageable. Or so I thought until the doppelganger made his first move.
“...Mima, I can’t use my metamorphosis.”
“What?”
It was 『Metamorphosis Block』.