Chapter 41
Alex stared at the man standing before him, and for the first time since entering this training world, he couldnât help but feel a strange chill run down his spine. The resemblance was truly uncanny because the figure looked exactly like him, from the shape of his head to the barely noticeable way he usually did with his fingers when ready for battle.
The only difference between them was; while Alex was disheveled and battered like a beggar who hadnât washed for days, the figure across him looked clean and spotless. But, the most annoying part was the way the copy was busy looking at him with disdain. He so wanted to wipe that annoying look from the bastardâs face and make him eat dirt... Too bad the copy was strong, at least thatâs what the system had told him earlier before he came to the training world.
"So I suppose that youâre the final boss right? Because honestly, Iâm tired of slaughtering different monster without breaking a sweat. So why donât you come over, so we can get this over with." Alex said with fake nonchalance while slowly wiping the smear of blood from the corner of his mouth for the umpteenth time since he began training.
The figure sneered and replied in a voice dripping with disdain.
"Tsk. Yes I am the final boss sent to defeat a weakling like you, who couldnât even notice when his woman was busy having an affair on him. Honestly, you really are a pitiful excuse of a man. I loathe people like you who lie through their teeth. So please drop the whole act... Do you think I donât know about your plan of making me think youâre some reckless fool so that you can sneak a calculated attack when I lest expect. Please save the amateur attack for a baby."
After the copyâs cruel words, for a brief moment Alex said nothing but the way he clenched his fist tightly showed that, what the copy said had hurt him. It wasnât his fault that Emily had an affair with Zack, after all he did the best he could to take care of her, but hoes will always be hoes. Though, that wasnât what made him shocked. It was how the clone had easily figured out his plan. Now he knew why people usually said, the greatest enemy of a man was himself.
Letting out a quiet breath, Alex stretched his arm to release the tension building inside him.
"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much? For someone whoâs supposedly made to kill me, you sound more like a bitter bastard whoâs regretting all his past choices. I guess it because youâre just jealous that I have a life while you donât."
The cloneâs lips curled into a deeper sneer. He didnât take the bait. Instead, he simply shook his head with a look of profound disappointment.
"Ah. You really are predictable. Trying to stall me with your idiotic rambling so that you can provoke me and make me attack like a mindless brute. Do you really think Iâm as mindless as the trash youâve been fighting?"
âDammitâ
Alex could feel frustration seeping in. Why did the bastard always know what he was plotting? It felt like no matter what plan he came up with, the copy would always know about it. This was beginning to get terrifying... Just how could he defeat a being who was always one step ahead of him.
Alex calmed himself and decided that it was best to gauge the copyâs strength and look for a weakness. So shifting his stance slightly, Alex locked onto the clone, searching for even the smallest bit of opening to exploit, but the bastard just stood there calmly, like he already knew how this would end.
The copy with a bored expression, suppressed a yawn and muttered.
"If youâre done thinking, just come and attack. I donât exactly have all day with this."
Alex steeled himself and suddenly shot forward like a cannonball, aiming his fist straight at the cloneâs annoying face. But the copy didnât flinch. Instead, at the last second, he raised a palm and caught the punch mid-air, completely stopping Alexâs momentum.
"Yawn. Too predictable. Canât you change your attacks or something."
Alexâs eyes narrowed. The bastard was really asking for it. So without the slightest bit of hesitation he twisted his body and drove his knees toward the copyâs gut. At the same time, his free hand snapped forward, aiming for the throat.
The clone released his fist and stepped back with a clean and effortless movement, avoiding both strikes, before countering with a punch of his own straight into Alexâs abdomen.
"Ghkâ!"
The punch knocked the air out of Alex, and lifted his body slightly off the ground before crashing straight down. Pain instantly exploded through his midsection, making Alex wheeze.
The copy, deeming it fit to teach Alex another lesson, immediately followed up with a brutal kick straight into his side, sending him skidding across the rough terrain.
Alex rolled twice before forcing himself up with one hand clutching his side.
"Dammit! What a monster..." He muttered under his breath. The copy was just too fast and strong. So much so that Alex began wondering whether he even had a chance of defeating the beast. Because honestly this seemed pretty impossible.
The copy grew more and more disappointed and shook his head.
"So after all this time of constant training, this is all you could manage to do? You really are a waste of space."
Alex straightened and contorted his face into a dark grin.
"Says a guy with no life whatsoever. All you do is find a way to insult me but the truth of the matter is that youâre just showing how much you really hate yourself. Like youâre literally an exact copy of me, so if you insult me youâre just insulting yourself."
The copyâs face froze and his eyes gradually turned gloomy. Now he was really pissed off. With an inhumane speed he closed the distance between him and Alex, then landed a devastating blow to Alexâs jaw. But Alex managed to raise his hand in time.
A sickening crack rang out as Alex hand twisted in a bizarre angle under the impact. Pain shot up his arm, making his finger spasm uncontrollably.
"Gahh!"
Before he could even recover, the copy followed through with a seamless and brutal kick to his ribs.
CRACK!
Alexâs body folded inward as he clutched his broken chest with his only good arm. The pain was really unbearable, but beneath the mask of agony. He had the bastard just were he wanted him.
With a swing of his arm, he threw sand into the copyâs eyes, momentarily blinding him. It was a good thing that he had secretly grabbed a handful of sand, while skidding across the floor from the copyâs first sets of attacks. And the bastard had never even notice because he was too confident in himself and underestimated Alex.
Ignoring the throbbing pain in his ribs and broken arm, Alex forced his battered body forward and slammed his shoulder into the cloneâs torso, driving both of them into the ground.
Despite the sand in his eyes, the clone tried to throw Alex away, but Alex gritted his teeth and held on. Even when he felt brutal punches at his injured side, he refused to let go. If he wasted this chance and allowed the copy to recover then he was as good as dead.
Shuffling his fingers around, Alex grabbed a jagged rock and brought it down against the copyâs head. The copy, unaware of the impending doom, continued to deliver brutal strikes against Alexâs side, breaking several ribs with each strike. Alex with a hoarse shout brought the jagged rock down against the cloneâs head, causing itâs relentless assault to falter. He raised the rock and slammed it down a second time, then a third, each strike more desperate and ruthless than the last.
Blood began to spill from the gruesomely shattered head, but Alex continued to bring the rock down. He had lost his mind and all he could think of, was crushing the bastardâs head to a bloody pulp.
"To hell with you! Arenât you fucking strong?! Donât you know what Iâm always planning?! Arenât you always one step ahead?! So why donât you fucking get up?!"
Finally a sickening crack rang out as the copyâs skull finally caved in under the repeated assault. Alex froze for a minute then continued to strike again and again and again just Incase the bastard was still pretending.
By the time his arm finally stopped moving, there was nothing left of the copyâs face that could still be called human. Blood and brain matter stained the ground, forming a grotesque mess that no longer resembled the formidable being who had been dominating him minutes ago.
Alexâs hand loosened and the rock slipped out from between his fingers as the adrenaline in his body began to fade, leaving nothing but exhaustion and pain. Slowly, he pushed himself back, and sat down on the ground with a look of pure disbelief on his face.
"I... Actually did it..." His hands trembled as he stared at the mess in front of him. "I really killed the son of a bitch... Hahaha!"
Suddenly, a familiar chime sound, one he missed so much, rang out.
[Ding!]
...
A/N
Hey guys, sorry if itâs a bit rough, my mind was on the upcoming exam. But I really appreciate you guys for your support it really means a lot to me. And donât forget to keep on supporting me with whatever you can, be it powerstones, Golden ticket, gifts(^_^) and comments. Thank you.