Is That My Alter Ego - Chapter 95



Chapter 95 – Emptiness

Woof-! Grrr…!

The wolf beasts, under their leader’s command, lunged as one.

Blade Wolves. Named for their teeth sharper than any blade, each one possessed strength rivaling that of a three-star beast.

And the leader of these Blade Wolves, a rare sight indeed, bore a power akin to that of a four-star beast.

Their charge, a mass of dark calamity, would surely resemble a black disaster.

Indeed, countless villages had vanished, lives extinguished, all due to the onslaught of the Blade Wolves.

“Come at me, you fucking dogs—!!”

Yet, Kali’s might, unyielding and fueled by rage, dwarfed their terror.

Her crimson aura and the force of a mountain surged forth like a blood-red tide, capable of swallowing even the black disaster whole.

Crack-! Snap-!

Splat-!

First, she kicked the jaw of the foremost wolf beast, driving it into the ground.

The creature’s skull was crushed beneath her hand, its form obliterated.

With the lead beast down, the others faltered, hesitating in their advance. But Kali did not waver.

As her claws swept through the air, horizontal lines appeared across the bodies of several following wolves.

At a speed unfathomable to mere three-star beasts, their upper and lower halves soon separated.

“I… I will kill them all—!”

Kali’s ferocity only intensified, her momentum growing more savage.

The overwhelming aura of death made the wolf beasts facing her tremble. Some even lost control of their bladders.

…….!

Even the largest wolf, standing resolutely, flinched at her presence.

The rage and hatred emanating from Kali were beyond anything they could fathom.

—

The moment the vanguard crumbled and morale began to falter, the battle transformed into a one-sided massacre.

Swaeak—crack—thud—!

The wolf beasts, unable to flee, could only tremble in submission before the encroaching death.

Dozens of monsters. The black calamity was extinguished in an instant. Now, standing upon the earth were only the ever more ferocious Kali and the leader of the wolf beasts.

Grrr…!

“…..It was you. The starting point of all this calamity and suffering.”

Kali slowly, oh so slowly, walked toward the leader of the wolf beasts.

The once-clear sky was now shrouded in dark clouds, casting a shadow over Kali’s face, yet the tears of blood streaming down seemed to reflect the emotions she had endured.

“….Why did you look so terrifying back then? Now… you’re just a damn mutt.”

Ah… awoo—!!

With each step Kali took, the leader of the wolf beasts began to retreat, one step back for every step she advanced.

It howled in a desperate attempt to rally its fallen kin, but those who had perished would not return.

The howl of the leader, meant to echo through the mountains, was thus silenced.

“You must have… your own reasons. Though to me, it means jack shit.”

Krr…kraaang—!

The wolf halted its retreat, glancing back for a moment before starting to approach Kali instead.

It was as if it were trying to protect something, knowing it was marching toward its own death.

A flicker of confusion sparked within her at the wolf’s sudden change of stance, but there was no time to ponder it now.

“….Farewell, you b*stard.”

Krrr….kraa—

Crack.

As the wide maw closed, the wolf’s voice vanished forever.

Thud.

Thump… thump…

The lower half, bereft of its upper body, collapsed helplessly to the ground. Kali stared at the sight with vacant eyes, feeling the first drops of rain begin to fall.

Swoosh…

The few drops that began to fall soon transformed into a torrential downpour.

Kali glanced at the wolf one last time before turning to return to the village. To the village where everyone had vanished.

Kiiing…kiiing…

And then, from the place where the great wolf had fallen, a weak whimper began to rise.

“……….”

Kali turns back once more to gaze at the wolf. Just behind it, a lower half remains.

There, she sees a tiny wolf pup, small enough to be lifted with one hand.

And in that moment, as her eyes meet the wolf’s, Kali’s pupils widen, her mouth falls agape.

That… that howl…!

From the pup’s crimson eyes, an unfathomable rage and hatred radiate.

And that visage… it conjures the memory of a cat-like creature, watching in silence as the village crumbled, its heart swelling with nothing but hatred.

“…It must die.”

Kali slowly approaches, her steps heavy as if the sky itself bears down upon her, moving toward the small wolf.

No matter how small, this wolf will grow, and one day it will surely attack humans. More victims like us will arise.

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Thus… this is an unavoidable fate.

Tremble, tremble…

As Kali draws nearer, the pup’s shivering intensifies. Its pupils constrict, drenched in fear, yet the anger and hatred lurking within burn even brighter.

Just as she reaches out her hand, trembling violently, she remains oblivious to the quaking of her own fingers.

*

“…………”

Kali’s hollowed eyes gaze up at the rain-soaked sky. Behind her lies the massive wolf, its lower half severed, and the small wolf, mouth agape, breath stilled.

Her gaze drifts far away, toward the desolate village. Countless corpses litter the ground.

Her friends, neighbors, Kalea, her parents. All those she had slain.

…And even my own corpse.

“…..ha…ha…”

She is surely laughing. Yet tears stream down her cheeks.

Emptiness. At the end of the vengeance she so fervently desired, only emptiness remains.

“Was I… a target of hatred for someone too…?”

From her, something black begins to seep out. What could that possibly be?

It is infinitely dark, so deep that the end is lost to sight. Just touching it feels like sinking into madness.

…Yes. That is the negative emotion that resides within Kali. The weight of all her burdens, nestled deep in her heart.

The negativity begins to envelop her, coalescing into a massive form.

It resembles a wolf made of shadows. And atop that wolf, Kali’s own lifeless eyes stare back.

The shadow obscures Kali’s vision. A grin begins to creep across her face, as if she gazes upon something unseen.

“…Yes, I understand…!”

“……!”

And then, at that moment. I felt the sensations returning to my flesh.

Just moments ago, it was as if I were gazing into a world on a screen; now, I truly felt that I was alive, standing here.

A tingling…!

And with it, a dark emotion that made my entire body tingle. I felt everything.

“…Hah.”

Yes. This is where it begins.

A strange certainty washed over me. In this state, if I could just reach Kali, everything would be resolved.

…Though I was terrified, to the point of wanting to collapse or flee right now.

“…What the hell, let’s give it a shot!”

I had nothing left to lose. I charged toward Kali.

Slaaash!

And in that instant, a tentacle shot out from Kali’s shadow, striking me down, and my body was cleaved in two.

Ah… is this how it ends? For all my bravado, I fell far too easily…

I closed my eyes. Before me, another ceiling appeared…

“…Huh?”

When I opened my eyes, I stood exactly as I had just before rushing at Kali.

The wailing of that shadow. The falling raindrops, my stance. Everything was the same.

And as I realized one undeniable truth, a hollow laugh escaped me.

“….Hah. I have to die infinitely until I can touch it?”

Crack-!

Alright… let’s give it a try. I am not someone who succumbs to such trivial challenges-!

Slaaash-!

Just like before, the tentacles surged forth. I slid to evade them, and though one came flying right at my face, I managed to dodge it.

Whoosh.

“Ugh… Hah…”

But the tentacle I thought I had evaded returned, piercing right through the spot where I had stood.

And once again, I found myself back at the starting line.

Snap-

—

At this point, a stubbornness begins to stir. Are you challenging me now?

I had ranked among the very best in every game I played. Because of this, countless media outlets shone a light on me, using the same nickname, and I became a goal for the budding sprouts of the gaming world.

And the reason I could achieve top ranks in every game, whether it was my first time or something unfamiliar, was singular.

“…I won’t fall for the same pattern twice—!”

Until it works, I analyze the reasons for my failures and devise the best moves to evade them.

Of course, my basic skills helped, but no one could defeat me once I memorized and understood every possible move and behavior of my opponents.

And then there was that infamous game’s infinite trial dungeon, which everyone else had given up on in exasperation.

I was the first in the world to clear it. At that time, I had tried… over 130,000 times.

What does that mean?

I had boundless confidence in grinding. And this situation? It was no different from grinding.

“…Kali, I will save you—!”

I run with a smile, determined to rescue my precious friend.