Clang!!!!
The silence shattered all at once.
A deafening crack split the chamber as the simulants lunged forward.
Boom!!!
"Spread out!" Arthur shouted. He drew his blade in a heartbeat, intercepting his own simulant mid leap.
Slash!
Steel rang out as sword clashed against sword.
The others didn't need prompting. Lia hurled a fireball toward her copy, which countered with a mirrored gesture unleashing an identical stream of flame.
Whoosh!
Sasha vanished into the shadows only for her simulant to do the same.
Dean braced himself, letting out a growl as he slammed his shield into the ground.
"Come on, then"
Thud!!
His simulant charged like a juggernaut, muscles rippling under mirrored armor, each strike of its axe making the floor quake.
Lucas, who was further back, spun his spear in a tight arc.
Clang!
His simulant met him with a mirrored flourish, their weapons a blur of thrusts and parries. The intensity in Lucas's eyes burned. It was the most alive he'd looked since the simulation began.
Meanwhile, Ryker stood frozen.
His simulant stepped toward him in measured, deliberate strides. Its robes shimmered with a radiant light, a divine glow that pulsed with every movement.
It looked exactly like him down to the smallest detail but there was something different in its eyes.
Confidence.
Power.
Unshaken faith.
Ryker's hands clenched. The air between them rippled with Light energy as the simulant raised one hand, fingers outstretched.
From the light, a sword formed, not of metal but pure radiance.
A weapon of judgment.
Ryker's eyes widened. A Sanctorum using a weapon?
That wasn't healing. That was
"Offense," Ryker whispered under his breath, throat tightening.
"Is that even possible…?"
"In the novel, neither Ryker nor any other Sanctorum was offensive in a fight."
"What is going on…?"
Before he could wrap his head around it,
Whoosh!
The simulant dashed forward, faster than Ryker expected. With a flash of light, the radiant sword swung.
Slash!!!
"Sanctuary Veil!" Ryker shouted.
Clang!!!
A glowing shield pulsed around his arm, taking the brunt of the strike. But the force still sent him staggering back.
Ugh!!!
'It's strong… Not just strong'
'It's me. Evolved. Perfected.'
Slash!!
Another strike. Ryker barely blocked.
And then, the realization hit.
'These simulants… they're not just copies. They are what we could be.'
Each one moved like their original self but sharper. Faster. As if the simulation peeled away their fears, their hesitation. Leaving them only with raw, refined potential.
Crack!!!
His simulant struck again. Ryker raised a pulse of radiant energy, deflecting the blow.
Boom!!!
The wave of Light knocked the simulant back but only a little.
'If it can use offensive Light magic… then so can I.'
The thought was wild.
Reckless.
But Ryker held on to it.
'Have I been limiting myself?'
'Thinking Sanctorum is only for healing…only support?'
The answer was right in front of him, swinging a radiant blade.
But Ryker didn't shout out the discovery. Didn't warn Arthur. Didn't tell Lia or Sasha.
Not because he didn't trust them but because some part of him knew,
'They need to see it for themselves'
Slash!!!
The simulant lunged. Ryker barely dodged. The sword grazed his side, slicing his cloak.
"Tch…"
Pain flared. He gritted his teeth.
Ryker's pulse quickened. He focused on his breathing. Closed his eyes for a heartbeat.
And reached inward.
There was warmth in his chest, sunlight behind clouds. Not the soft warmth of healing… but a blaze. Raw and wild.
Ryker called it.
His hand glowed not a soft glow but a sharp, radiant flare.
Ryker thrust it forward, forming a spear of Light. It trembled in the air, barely stable but it was real.
The simulant charged again.
Ryker hurled the spear.
Boom!!!
It struck the simulant's barrier. Cracked it. Forced it back a step.
Not much but it was something.
The glow on Ryker's hand flickered.
'This is going to burn me out… but even a few seconds…'
"Come on…" he muttered, lifting both hands.
Another spear formed, slower this time.
"You wanted a mirror match?" he breathed. "You've got it."
The simulant mirrored him, twin spears in hand. It hurled into one
Whoosh!!!
Ryker dove sideways, rolling across the floor. The simulant rushed in.
The fight turned chaotic.
Clang!
Slash!
Crack!
Ryker fought back not with finesse but with grit. His strikes were clumsy. His aim was wild. But he watched every movement of the simulant, every angle of attack.
And slowly… he adapted.
He ducked under a radiant swipe. Slide past a spinning kick. Summoned a barrier just in time.
Boom!!!
A beam of light missed his head by inches, carving a molten scar into the marble.
'I'm not fast enough… not yet.'
He looked up. Across the battlefield, the others were locked in battle.
Arthur's simulant fought like a machine but Arthur's blade sparked with renewed vigor. He was pushing back.
Clang!
Sasha flickered through shadows, blades flashing. Her simulant stumbled as she outpaced it for the first time.
Slash!
Lia's fire surged with white blue heat. Their spells collided again,
BOOM!!!!
The chamber shook.
And Dean, he roared. His shield glowing with a faint red rune as he caught his simulant's axe mid swing. A crack raced across the simulant's chestplate.
Lucas twisted mid air, speartip flashing in the light. His simulant met him with an identical move both slamming into the ground in a whirlwind of strikes.
Crack!
Thud!!
They were all being tested and they were pushing back.
Then
Slash!!
A strike knocked Ryker to the ground. He hit hard.
Agh!!
His simulant raised its blade, light coalescing around it.
For a second, Ryker saw the end.
Then instinct screamed.
"Sanctuary Veil!"
Boom!!!
A dome of radiant light pulsed outward, the simulant staggering back.
"It worked…"
Not clean. Not elegant.
But it worked.
Ryker dragged himself to his feet, panting.
He pulled his hands together, light bent inward, forming a dense orb. His simulant did the same.
Ryker moved first.
Boom!!!
The orb burst into a wild, unstable beam.
The simulant answered with its own. The beams collided midair
CRACK!!!
The chamber exploded with light.
Tiles shattered. Dust filled the room.
Ryker's legs buckled.
His arms shook. His vision blurred.
But he stood.
Just for a moment.
And then
BOOM!!!!
The explosion knocked both of them back.
Ryker crashed against the wall, pain spiking through his side.
Ugh!
He coughed, barely lifting his head.
But he smiled.
Looking at his shaking hands, he whispered
"So I can fight too, huh?"
Across the room, Arthur roared, blade cutting into his simulant's shoulder.
Slash!!!
Sasha reappeared behind hers, striking deep.
Lia's fire erupted higher than ever before.
Dean cracked his simulant's helm with a savage shield bash.
Lucas's spear found its mark sending his simulant staggering.
They were all… changing.
Evolving.
Pushed by reflections of what they could be.
Ryker had seen it too even if just for a heartbeat.
But he didn't say a word.
Let them find it.
Because this wasn't just a fight against simulants.
It was a fight against who they thought they were.
And Ryker… Ryker was ready to find out who he could become.