Chapter Forty-Three: The Doppelgänger of Apuleius

By the time Carol completed the sacrifice, the battle within Edward’s mind atop the wizard’s tower was drawing to a close.

At first, Stein, taking advantage of the disruption caused by the sudden appearance of a powerful presence, began to gain the upper hand over the mysterious soul. But for reasons unknown, this soul, even while at a disadvantage, displayed a tenacity that was nothing short of astonishing.

Despite several bursts of effort, Stein was unable to overcome him. Having already expended much energy devouring Edward’s spirit, Stein’s strength soon began to wane.

The two became evenly matched, and then Applesin’s split soul slowly gained the advantage...

Finally, as the battle beneath the wizard’s tower ended, Applesin’s avatar utterly consumed Stein, and the body became entirely his own.

As he merged with the scattered remnants of memory within the spirit, Applesin’s avatar let out a wild, triumphant laugh.

Having just taken control of this body, he still felt somewhat awkward. He sensed that the inherent magical power was only at the level of an advanced apprentice, though the body had been altered to withstand far greater spiritual force.

Applesin’s avatar flexed his limbs slightly and sent a signal of success to his true self via their spiritual link.

In the subterranean chamber, the primary body had already refined the energy from Carol’s sacrificed flesh and soul into a jet-black filament, no thicker than a strand of hair.

Upon receiving the signal, the main body suddenly extended its long tongue and began to assault the outer seal with all its might.

Thunderous booms echoed as, after more than a dozen strikes, a minuscule crack finally appeared in the seal. With a twist, the great toad sent the black filament through the gap.

At this moment, Applesin did not notice the small blind spot in his spiritual perception. In that shadow, a figure crept furtively toward the sealed chamber—Bill, who had found his way to the underground space with Diga’s guidance via a secret teleportation array...

The energy filament released by Applesin shot up from the earth and rapidly ascended to the top of the wizard’s tower, guided by a peculiar resonance. It merged into the body his avatar had just acquired, and he felt his power surging steadily...

In a low, almost reverent voice, Applesin’s avatar sighed, “I have been imprisoned for ten thousand—”

“Traitorous scum!” Before the evil god’s avatar could finish his lament, Andy’s furious roar echoed from the stairwell. His voice was followed by a blazing red fireball.

As Andy had made his way to the top of the tower, another tremor shook the entire structure, forcing him to slow for a moment. When at last he burst onto the rooftop, the sight that greeted him made his hair stand on end.

He saw his mentor, Stein, lying to one side, his face ashen and lifeless. Andy, accustomed to death these past days, recognized instantly that this was a corpse. And not far from Stein’s body stood Edward—Stein’s own apprentice—his face twisted in a wicked, nauseating grin, still putting on airs!

Convinced that he now understood everything, rage consumed Andy. He resolved to kill this murderer and avenge Stein at once.

At that moment, Applesin’s avatar was still absorbing the strength from the sacrificial energy. Seeing the incoming fireball, he uttered a strange syllable—“Croak!”—and an orange toad-shaped phantom appeared, swallowing Andy’s fireball whole.

Divine Art: “Toad’s Guard.”

The evil god Applesin was famed, even ten thousand years ago, for his defensive and counterattacking arts, striking only after being struck. Though his attacks were somewhat lacking, even the Arcane Empire’s prodigy, Diga, could do nothing against his defenses, and so was forced to seal him away.

While “Toad’s Guard” was fueled only by the magical power of an advanced apprentice, it was still strong enough to withstand a third-level spell with ease, and so Andy’s fireball was effortlessly blocked.

With intruders arriving, Applesin’s avatar immediately tried to seize the treasure at the center of the magic circle beneath his feet—the Rebirth Stone. But as he looked down, he saw a cat appear, reaching out a curious paw toward the stone...

Panic seized the avatar. His tongue shot out, lengthening rapidly—meters upon meters—like a sharpened arrow, darting straight at Catherine.

Witnessing this, Andy—though baffled by “Edward’s” strange sorcery—had no time for contemplation. Seeing Catherine in peril, he hastily redirected his second fireball, striking the avatar’s tongue instead, then charged forward to place himself between Catherine and danger.

The avatar’s tongue recoiled in pain, and seeing Andy now blocking the Rebirth Stone, he grew desperate. He was about to unleash another divine art when a barrage of spells crashed upon him, leaving him momentarily stunned...

Seeing this villain threaten Catherine only fueled Andy’s wrath. He unleashed his full power!

“Fireball!” “Flame Arrow!” Spell after spell rained down upon Applesin at a pace he could scarcely believe. His “Toad’s Guard” had barely finished swallowing one spell before the next arrived, leaving no time to recover.

“Toad’s Guard” lasted barely ten seconds before dissolving into a wisp of green smoke. Forced to draw upon the sacrificial energy he had just absorbed, Applesin’s avatar crossed boundaries to raise a shimmering, multicolored “Warty Hide Shield” to withstand Andy’s onslaught. Seeing how his opponent spent magical power without a care, the avatar’s heart sank.

He feared even the “Warty Hide Shield” would not last long. If this continued, the energy gained from the sacrifice would be consumed before he could benefit from it. With that thought, Applesin’s avatar resolved to withdraw...

Naturally, he had no intention of having his dignity trampled by a mere mortal and stubbornly fighting to the death here. Over the millennia, Applesin had reflected deeply—his past ways were far too ostentatious, which was why he had been singled out and suppressed. This time, his plan for escape was to remain as inconspicuous as possible—if he could not win, he would simply flee!

As for the precious Rebirth Stone, he would leave it in Andy’s care for now, and reclaim it with overwhelming force once his true body was free. He had already memorized Andy’s appearance.

Andy’s spellcasting was smooth and relentless. As an expert, his fireballs and flame arrows had very short cooldowns, and with his “Unlimited Firepower” bonus, he could all but guarantee an unbroken stream of spells. He was about to finish the job in one fell swoop when he witnessed a scene that left him dumbstruck.

“Edward” suddenly crouched low, his hands and feet compressing like coiled springs.

With a bang, the villain shot forward like a giant flea, leaping thirty yards and vanishing from the top of the wizard’s tower.

Andy gazed downward in disbelief, glimpsing only a figure splayed like a toad as it plummeted swiftly into the darkness below...

With a thud, the sudden appearance of a body startled the knights of the Divine Wind Order below. Looking closer, they saw a man stand up.

“Who are you?” Allen was about to challenge him when a strange, sinister smile spread across the man’s face. Allen’s heart skipped; his hand instinctively went to his sword.

But it was already too late. Applesin’s avatar flicked out his tongue, which shot forth like an arrow, piercing the throat of the nearest knight. The tongue did not stop, skewering two more knights in rapid succession.

With a twist, the avatar drew the impaled knights toward him, their bodies shrinking rapidly until they vanished into his mouth. Smacking his lips, Applesin’s avatar chuckled, “There, that makes up for what I just spent.”

Before the furious Allen and Barton could reach him, he dropped low and leapt like a toad, covering thirty yards in a single bound. Three more jumps, and he had vanished into the night of Dallas...