Greatest Legacy of the Magus Universe

Chapter 1229: Forged by a God

During Adam’s moment of confusion, the doppelganger beast struck. Its punch hit squarely on his chest, lifting him off the ground and hurling him into the distance.

In the next instant, the doppelganger beast’s hollow sockets rippled and twisted, the empty void stretching ominously. Slowly, they reshaped, forming a new pair of eyes that glowed with a pale light. His eyes were sharp and predatory, locking onto Adam with an unsettling awareness.

Its lips parted, and it spoke in a voice that was completely similar to Adam’s:

”You’re a strange one. How are you able to see without your eyes?”

Adam grimaced in frustration. The attack didn’t hurt him all that much, but what the opponent did before attacking him sent chills crawling down his spine. He had never faced such an opponent, capable of stealing something intangible as thoughts and memories.

As for the concept of stealing appearances, that wasn’t as much as stealing as it was magic from the School of Alteration.

That was why it was called a doppelganger beast. It could transform perfectly into its victims. And then, by stealing their memories and thoughts, it could truly become them.

Stealing thoughts was simple enough for the beast, for they were projections of the mind that floated at the edges. But to steal memories, that was something much harder and required the doppelganger to form a telepathic link to the target’s consciousness.

As Adam rose to his feet, he slowly formed a battle plan to deal with his enemy. His only worry was... the doppelganger might steal it before he could act!

”You thieving monkey,” Adam spat through gritted teeth as he slowly rose to his feet.

He first scanned his surroundings, expanding his Sphere of Resonance to its maximum output, ensuring that there were no other threats in his vicinity.

Thankfully, the battle between the wolves and the griffins was still raging on in full swing. The Mana Core-level beasts were also far away from his location. Only he and the doppelganger beast remained inside the crater.

Adam had to deal with this threat as quickly as possible and get inside the cube before the great battle between the beasts concluded.

His lips curled into a wide grin that twisted his face, making him look like a fiend. ”Come, little thief. The crime of theft is considered a serious offence and carries a severe penalty!”

With that said, he rushed towards the doppleganger beast once again.

He swung his staff with the vicious intent to destroy his enemy, but each move was met with uncanny precision. The doppelganger mirrored his attacks, adapting instantly to his patterns.

Whenever Adam readied a new strike, the beast stole it from his mind, leaving him utterly exposed. His blows missed entirely, his defenses crumbled, and each and every action of his was anticipated in advance.

It was as if he were fighting an enemy who knew the future. He couldn’t help but become extremely frustrated. And as time went on, his fatigue built up, allowing the doppelganger beast to press the advantage and strike relentlessly.

Before long, Adam had lost his momentum. He had lost his battle plan, and his thoughts were stolen from him.

At last, he fell to the ground, his chest heaving unevenly as he gasped for air. He couldn’t even remember why he was suddenly on the ground. His thoughts had already been stolen from him.

One moment, he was advancing towards the black cube. The next moment, he encountered a doppelganger beast who had stolen his appearance. And the moment after that, he was already on the ground, bruised and battered.

Despite all the thoughts related to the battle being stolen from him, there was one thought that he—and the white-robed Adam—guarded with extreme precaution. He had buried this thought deep beneath a layer of other thoughts, preventing the opponent from stealing it.

The doppelganger beast loomed over him, looking at him with its pale eyes. Its lips curled into a taunting smirk as it said:

”You cannot defeat me. To do so, you must be capable of defeating yourself... which you aren’t.”

With that said, it viciously stomped on Adam’s hand that was wielding the staff. With a sickening crack, the bones in his right forearm were shattered, and the staff slipped away from his grip.

Adam felt the intense urge to scream. But considering the dangerous battlefield they were in the middle of, he simply bit his tongue tightly, revealing a crazed grin.

The doppelganger beast tilted its head and said, ”You’re a strange one.”

With that said, it thrust its hands forward and viciously grasped Adam’s head. Within a few moments, it had already formed a telepathic link with his mind. Now all that remained was for it to steal Adam’s memories and truly become him.

”I will wear your skin and roam this world,” said the doppelganger beast with a wide smile on his face. ”Let it go—”

But in the next instant, the smile on the beast’s charred face abruptly froze.

The doppelganger shuddered violently as the telepathic link with Adam was formed. In that moment, the chaotic, relentless ravings of the Faceless Mask invaded its mind.

The Laughing God whispered, and the doppelganger beast listened.

Mysterious words, screams, and fragmented thoughts crashed over it, overwhelming its senses. Its body couldn’t help but tremble in pain, its limbs jerking uncontrollably.

As the ravings of the divine artifact forged by a God clawed at its consciousness, it drove the creature to the brink of madness. It immediately let go of Adam as it screamed at the top of its lungs.

But how could Adam let it go so easily? This was exactly what he was waiting for!

He viciously grabbed the beast’s hand, then wrapped his legs around its neck, forming a triangular chokehold. As the doppelganger beast struggled to maintain its sanity, Adam’s lips curled into a wide grin.

”What’s the matter, thieving monkey?” He mocked with utter ridicule. ”Not so easy to become Adam Constantine, is it?”

”Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” The creature thrashed violently as it struggled to get free from Adam’s hold.

But no matter what it did, it was all useless. It was now tainted by the whispers of the Laughing God, and thus it couldn’t think properly, let alone devise a plan of escape.

Adam retrieved the Blades of Fulgrim from his back and drove them into the creature’s head.

Splat!

The doppelganger beast’s body twitched for a few moments before going completely still, slumping over Adam as its blood flowed over him.

His lips curled into an exaggerated grin as he whispered:

”You stole my thoughts, and I stole your life. I guess that makes us even...”