Alex’s breath grew uneven as he stood before the obsidian-black panel hovering in the middle of the chamber, its presence pressing down on his chest like a weight.
But the feeling only worsened as his eyes drifted from the panel, to what stood across from him.
[Alex Rogue/FateBreaker – Nightmare]
And in that moment, he understood the true horror of this trial.
The [Guardian of Nightmares] was a creature bound by rules.
It didn’t fight, not directly. That wasn’t its purpose.
Instead, it controlled the essence of fear itself and used that mastery to challenge those who dared reach this far.
Each time a brave soul, by skill, luck, or sheer madness, made it to the bottom of this depths, the guardian would offer its final gift.
It would create a perfect replica.
A flawless, living nightmare of the challenger themselves.
And so, standing a few meters ahead of Alex, was another version of him.
It wasn’t entirely human in appearance.
Like the other nightmare creations, its form was shrouded in shadow, a humanoid shape composed entirely of twisting black aura, its body constantly shifting like smoke caught in a storm.
Its eyes glowed pure white, without pupils or irises, just raw, burning power.
But everything else, the stance, the presence, the atmosphere, it was unmistakably him.
The skill that created it was called [Perfect Nightmare].
[Perfect Nightmare: A skill gifted by the God of Nightmares, allowing the Guardian to summon a flawless and stronger version of the one who reaches the bottom of the Depths. For the greatest nightmare one can face, is oneself.]
There were no tricks or gimmicks behind this final challenge.
No sudden shifts in mechanics or wild powers from outside sources.
No foreign elements. The final trial, was Alex.
The real Alex steadied himself and took a stance, instinctively falling into his usual ready position.
And without delay, the nightmare mirrored him, perfectly synchronized, every movement mirrored to the smallest detail.
Then came the wings, six of them bursting out from the nightmare’s back, pulsing with dark energy.
Its left arm twisted and expanded, reshaping itself into the menacing [Bleeding Dragon Claws].
It was an exact match.
Every skill Alex had learned, every ability he had acquired, every advantage he thought was his alone, it apparently had them too.
And so, as the invisible signal triggered the start of the battle, the two of them stood still, locked in a motionless standoff.
Neither moved. Neither blinked.
“If it’s really a perfect copy,” Alex whispered to himself, “Then it’s going to think exactly like me.”
And, as expected, the nightmare raised a hand and summoned the [Universal Orbs], ten floating spheres of condensed power that began orbiting its body, just like Alex often used in battle.
They shimmered in perfect sync, gleaming with potential destruction.
The two of them were now visually indistinguishable.
The same aura. The same stance. The same floating orbs.
And, strangest of all, both of them had a crown sitting atop their heads.
Alex frowned slightly.
“Crown of Calamity, can you act independently? Or maybe react differently from how I might use you?”
[Very well.]
Dozens of black tendrils uncoiled from the cursed crown, dancing through the air before forming a protective shield of pure shadow.
And at the exact same time, the nightmare did the same thing.
Its version of the crown responded in perfect sync, its tendrils forming an identical shield.
Alex’s jaw clenched.
“So even the Crown is linked to my soul closely enough that it got copied, this thing really can use everything.”
Afterward, Alex reached out, summoning one of his other abilities, the All Elements Fox Summons.
Ten fox spirits burst into being, ethereal and graceful.
Two burned with flames, two flowed like water, two crackled with electricity, two glowed with holy light, and the final two radiated cold darkness.
And once again, the nightmare responded in kind.
Ten foxes emerged around it as well, though theirs were different in color, black like the void, with streaks of elemental hue slashing across their bodies.
Fire flickered red, water shimmered blue, lightning pulsed yellow, light glowed white, and darkness remained deep violet.
It was like watching a twisted mirror.
“Just one missing skill, just one gap,” Alex muttered. “That’s all I need.”
But he was beginning to realize, there were no gaps.
[The nightmare was created the moment you entered the tower,] the Guardian of Nightmares said, its voice echoing around them like wind through a crypt.
[The scan at the beginning wasn’t just for analysis. It copied you down to your core.]
“…” Alex didn’t respond.
If that was true, then the nightmare version of him had access to his stats.
Which included his [Destiny Powers], and back then, he’d had over 200 Destiny Points.
Right now, he had just 17 left.
That meant his copy might have access to ten times more than he currently did.
It would overwhelm him.
He clenched his jaw and raised his arms, chanting.
“Arise.”
Dark aura erupted from his hands, flooding the ground in shadows as his army emerged.
Two hundred skeletal warriors rose first, their eye sockets glowing with purple fire.
Then five [Undead Reapers], cloaked and wielding scythes.
And finally, the towering [Undead Lord], a figure of pure malice and command.
His army was present, each unit ready to follow his will.
And yet, “Oh. Of course.”
The nightmare version lifted its hands and mimicked the command.
“Arise.”
An identical army crawled out of the void-black ground, summoned in the exact same way.
Same numbers. Same units. Same everything.
Alex stood still as realization continued to sink in.
It was the ultimate reflection of him at his strongest, complete with every tool he once had, possibly even more dangerous due to having more resources than he currently did.
No wonder no one had ever beaten this place.
He exhaled slowly.
“But I’m not turning back now.”
Not when he’d come this far.
Fwish!
A gust of pressure followed as the nightmare Alex took a step forward, its black army moving in perfect formation behind it.
It wasn’t going to stand around waiting either.
It wanted this fight.
“All right…” Alex whispered to himself.
He slapped both cheeks, grounding himself in the moment.
And the nightmare version mimicked him, slapping its own cheeks in unison.
He sighed.
“Annoying…”
Then he pointed straight at the creature, and in eerie synchronicity, it pointed back.
“ATTACK!” Alex roared, his voice echoing with authority, “Foxes, ignore the undead! Focus on the other foxes! Undead, tear through their army!”
His army moved as one, charging forward with a terrifying unity.
And the nightmare version did the same.
Everything was identical. Every strategy he came up with would be anticipated. Every decision he made would be mirrored.
The only difference now, was who would execute better.
And both Alex and the nightmare launched forward at once.
The battlefield became a storm of chaos.
The elemental foxes collided with their counterparts, streaks of flame and water clashing in mid-air, lightning crackling across the floor while dark and light tore at each other.
The undead armies slammed together, skeletons ripping through each other in waves of destruction.
And in the center of it all, the real Alex and the nightmare version met in a flurry of claws and strikes.
Sparks flew as the [Bleeding Dragon Claws] scraped against one another, neither side backing away.
Each movement was countered, each strike met with an equal force.
A brutal push and pull. A battle of mirrored wills.
“This ends now!” Alex growled, surging forward, trying to force a breach, even a sliver of an opening.
And deep in his heart, as his claws tore through the air and shadows danced around him, Alex vowed.
He would not fall here, not to this version of himself, not to anyone.
He would win. No matter what.