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Chapter 272, page 271: The advantage is in my hands! The goddess's side is being crushed!

Meanwhile, in another area of ​​the mist, Kraft was navigating his small boat slowly across the viscous sea.

He held a holy book that emitted a faint glow in his hands, and rays of purifying light cascaded down, barely dismantling the invisible attacks of aging that were constantly encroaching upon him.

He frowned, listening to Vasa's narration in his mind, and fell into a long silence.

"The Water Mirror Demon?"

He murmured the name repeatedly, his voice filled with doubt and heaviness, "Is the news—true?"

He had thought that the only threat in this place was the Demon of Aging.

Therefore, even if he might become a competitor with Gu Yuan, he is confident that with the blessing of the goddess, he can solve the problem first and prove his value and faith.

Unexpectedly, the situation was far more complicated than imagined.

Vasa, whose consciousness descended from the heavens, felt a natural affinity for Kraft, who was also an elf.

She confirmed, "It's true. According to the records of Heaven, the unusual resurgence of the Demon of Aging is inextricably linked to this Water Mirror Demon."

She further explained, "The Water Mirror Demon gets its name not only from its ability to perfectly replicate all of its opponents' actions and abilities like a mirror, but also from the fact that it was born in a swamp."

"When the old demon was slain here, its immense magical power gave birth to a newborn Water Mirror Demon."

"It copied the core abilities of the Aging Demon and used them to grow to its current state."

"9

At this point, Vasha's voice became more serious and clear than ever before, "Your mission is to completely eradicate it here and purify this land."

"Otherwise, if it is allowed to continue to grow, it will inevitably become a world-ending disaster in the future, and no one will be able to control it."

Upon hearing this, Kraft's face showed intense struggle. He gripped the oar tightly and pressed, "If that's the case, why can't we join forces with Lord Gu Yuan? Wouldn't our chances of victory be much greater if we combined our strength?"

"Could it be—could it be that simply because it wasn't done independently, the goddess doesn't recognize my achievement?"

"Of course not!"

Vasa interrupted him, her voice carrying a distinct emotion for the first time, "The core of the problem isn't the achievements, but the hero himself!"

"He's too dangerous, Kraft, you don't know that? His ambitions are far beyond your imagination."

"He doesn't want to kill the demon; he intends to control and exploit its power!"

"Imagine the chaos that would ensue if he failed, if the demons went out of control, or worse, if he succeeded in wielding this evil power?"

"Stopping him is just as important as slaying the demon!"

Kraft fell silent.

Vasa's words struck him like a hammer blow, impacting his beliefs and understanding.

He slowly raised his hand and rubbed his tense temples.

Although he was still not entirely convinced, these words did strike a chord with his concerns about the safety of the world, and also stirred up a sense of lingering fear.

If Vasa's statement is true—

He recalled his time with Gu Yuan, especially Gu Yuan's explicit statement that the title of "hero" was imposed on him by others.

And Gu Yuan's occasional indifference to the rules of the world.

At that moment, he seemed to have found an explanation.

"I see."

Kraft lowered his hand, took a deep breath as if to suppress all hesitation and distracting thoughts, and his eyes hardened again. "For the future of the world, I will do everything in my power to fulfill my mission."

Without further hesitation, he unleashed his full magical power, and the holy book in his hand shone brightly, breaking through the layers of black mist.

Finally, the outline of that ominous island came into view.

"careful."

Vasa concluded by reminding everyone, "Once you land on the island, you will face your own mirror image."

"It will replicate all your abilities, skills, and knowledge—only magic from the goddess is a realm it cannot touch."

"At that time, I will no longer give you any direct guidance or help; you will have to rely on your own faith, wisdom, and strength to overcome it."

She must adhere to the goddess's bottom line of "appropriate intervention," as excessive assistance would render the trial meaningless.

What she could do was mainly to help Kraft with intelligence, bridging the gap between him and Gu Yuan, whose information was unknown.

Kraft gripped the pendant on his chest tightly and replied in a deep voice, "Understood, this is exactly what I expected."

He even began to imagine what a difficult battle it would be to face another opponent who was a complete replica of himself.

However, just as his thoughts were racing and he was fully preparing to meet the challenge of "another self," oh dear!

A gray shadow, like a cannonball, pierced through the thick fog without warning and crashed straight down at the bow of the small boat where he was!

"What?!"

Kraft was terrified and, almost instinctively, rowed the boat to one side with all his might, trying to avoid the sudden impact.

boom!!!

With a deafening roar, a huge hole was blasted open in the sea, sending waves soaring skyward and the small boat rocking violently.

Kraft clung tightly to the edge of the ship, barely managing to steady himself, and stared in horror at the point of impact.

Amidst the splashing black water and shattered black rock fragments, a headless gray body was convulsing violently.

Instead of gushing blood, there were countless disgusting granulations at the severed neck.

They are wriggling and reshaping at an illogical speed!

"!this----!"

Kraft was shocked, a chill running from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.

He instinctively took a half step back, even holding the holy book to his chest. "This is—a replica of the Water Mirror Demon? But why—why is it this form?"

He had never seen, or even heard of, a clone that could regenerate so quickly after being beheaded!

This completely overturned his understanding of monsters!

The next moment, as the gray body rapidly reshaped itself at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing the face he could never mistake.

The color drained from his face instantly, his pupils dilated to their maximum, and his hand holding the holy book trembled uncontrollably. "Wh-what?!"

That face, that countenance, was none other than Gu Yuan!

At that very moment, the true figure of Gu Yuan appeared silently in the low sky above Kraft.

He glanced indifferently at the rapidly recovering replica below, then swept his gaze over the bloodless, tense Kraft aboard the small boat.

He couldn't help but let out a very soft click from his throat.

In that brief but intense exchange, he had personally experienced the clone's near-perfect mimicry and powerful regenerative abilities.

Therefore, upon seeing Kraft at this moment, he did feel a sense of concern for Kraft's situation.

However----

"Even my clones are so troublesome, Kraft, how can you possibly defeat me, or even—"

us"?"

He remained silent, not even lingering for another second to see Kraft's possible reaction.

His figure blurred again, merging into the mist, as he continued his pursuit of his true goal.

Time waits for no one, and so does the consumption of magic.

Currently, he holds the upper hand thanks to his absolute strength and thorough preparation.

So what if the goddess intervenes? So what if fate has already been predetermined?

He's determined to have this demon.