The instant Alice was about to land her hit against the beast, she widened her eyes while watching it split into a giant net of flesh.
Seeing the excitement in the beast's eyes, Alice sighed inwardly.
How does one fight against a copy of yourself? Do you use brute force? Grow stronger during the fight? Both were right answers with the right execution but Alice preferred a different approach.
To observe the habits.
During the fight, Alice understood that while they were different in terms of the time they spent alive, their habits were far too similar.
The way she sought to use her fire and flower against her opponent, to consume their blood to empower herself and so on.
It felt as though she was watching herself through a cracked mirror. Slightly imperfect yet it was definitely her in the reflection.
With their habits being so similar, Alice decided to keep one key factor in mind. The moment the beast sought to consume her!
That was the moment when she could truly strike.
The moment when the beast would drop its guard thinking it's won. It's a bad habit of hers after all, thinking she's attainted victory just because she managed to consume their blood.
There are always exceptions and in this instance, it was Alice!
For her Artifact, Ruinous Void, it had the passive where its abilities change slightly depending on which Sigil she's using to power the weapon.
Earlier, Alyss used the Violet Flames which helped significantly boost the potency of her flames. It helped surpass the regeneration of the beast and even eat away at some of its abilities.
But that's not the Sigil Alice wanted to use in tandem with her Artifact.
No, there was a much better option.
One that will completely cripple the beast in front of her.
The Sigil belonging to the Apostle of Severance!
Time around her seemed to slow down as she focused her attention solely on the beast in front of her.
She could see the flickering of her Artifact as it began to adapt to the powers of Allura's Sigil.
The slow movements of the flesh that was wrapping around her body, ready to envelop the 'prey' caught within.
With everything going to plan, Alice felt as though she had all the time in the world to herself.
Little by little, pieces of metal and blood coiled around her hand, turning into a sword while housing the Ruinous Void in the guard of the blade.
Tendrils of energy belonging to Allura's Sigil burst forth, wrapping the blade in a shimmering white energy.
Using the Artifact as the catalyst, Alice felt a familiar yet foreign aura. Right now, she could do it.
During their previous battle against Enris, Alyss achieved something that infuriated her. The replication of her beloved weapon.
Back then, the conditions were absolutely perfect for Alyss to replicate the weapon despite it being the armament of a God. But right now, she wasn't seeking the weapon of a God and thus the requirements were more relaxed.
Yet even then, she couldn't drop her guard.
'My understanding of Artifacts is lacking. But I know the flow of energy and how it's roughly composed. The outline doesn't matter so long as the effect remains the same. Even if it looks ugly, as long as it can do the job, I don't care.'
[Replication – Nihility's Edge]
A twisted amalgamation of blood, metal, the singularity and the chain that bound it wrapped around Alice's arm.
There was only one thing Alice wanted to strike and that was the connection between the beast and her Spiritual Heart!
Alice understood that their adaptability came from their abnormal Spiritual Heart that's connected to the countless souls of beasts they've gathered. It allows her main body to be untouched by the consequences and only linking to the souls when needed.
Outside of that, she was akin to a normal Hunter.
Thus, if she were to severe the connection of the heart, the beast would no longer gain power!
Gritting her teeth, Alice adjusted her stance.
One chance, one attack.
Missing it means the beast consumes her.
But despite these risks, Alice felt calm.
A single attack to determine life and death.
Dancing on the edge of salvation and destruction.
*Badum… Badum… Badum!!!
She could feel her heart beating against her ear. Fear? Nah. It was the pure excitement of slaughter!
Ruinous Void Flux – Cleave!!!
Releasing the strike with all of her power, a maelstrom of energy ravaged towards the beast's innards.
Tearing, shredding and consuming everything that stood in her way. The space bent to her will, the Void opening to allow the attack to strike true.
Crackles of energy seared the beast's flesh but its face revealed no sign of reaction. An attack so fast that she didn't even know she was struck!
Clawing into the beast's body, the energy rushed towards the heart before detonating with a brilliant spark.
A crimson cross exploded out from the beast's back as her flesh twitched and flailed in pain.
Stumbling back while rolling across the ground, she clutched her chest as blood and tears rolled down her face.
The impact of the strike detonated at such a blistering speed that not even Nyer realised what had happened! An attack that transcended the rules laid down by the Abyss and directly crushed the Spiritual Heart!
Staring at the scene blankly, questions filled Nyer's mind as he watched Alice walk towards his product with a malformed blade in hand.
'What just happened?'
Even with the remanent power of Cayla, all he could see within his product was a gaping darkness devoid of life. The complete absence of a Spiritual Heart and the souls latched to it.
The blood of a fallen god, the blessing of the Eclipse. Everything was gone in that moment.
Cold sweat dripped down Nyer's back as for the first time since he started this project, he questioned the end result.
Was this truly the right path? To birth such a heinous vessel for his beloved Goddess?
Looking at the squirming and tearful body of the beast, Alice wasn't sure of the feeling inside her chest.
The way it tried to drag itself away from her. The incoherent screams and the tears that rolled down her face.
Even though they were enemies, they were still the same being. The same product. If her own Spiritual Heart were to be crushed in the same manner, would she be the same panicking mess?
To lose the power she's come to rely upon, to lose her connection to Alyss.
Wincing at the thought, Alice prepared to dispose of the beast when a voice halted her.
"W-wait! Please… Alice… Please don't kill her… Don't kill my daughter..." Sienna cried out, bleeding from her wounds but continued to stumble towards the two.
"Haven't you done enough already? If it wasn't for you, I would've killed it much faster. I wouldn't have needed to kill those guards. Why do you even care for a beast that ate your daughter?" Alice sent a barrage of questions towards her 'mother'.
Ignoring these questions, Sienna collapsed next to the squirming beast and wrapped her arms around its body, giving the beast comfort.
"Please… Don't take my daughter away from me…" Sienna begged, looking up at Alice with tearful eyes.
Hearing this, Alice's face warped in anger.
They were the same so why?
Why was her mother so tearful over the squirming mess? They were both 'Alices', so why didn't she care about what she was feeling?
Would Sienna be if she was the one lying on the ground, gasping for life? NO!
Gritting her teeth, Alice wanted to slash the two to pieces but her body refused to move.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip.
Letting out a shout, she slammed her sword into the ground next to Sienna, shattering it to pieces.
Panting heavily, Alice stumbled back.
An overwhelming bitterness assaulted her heart.
"Why… I'm the same as her… Why do you protect her?" Alice asked with a trembling voice.
She thought she had long disregarded the Zenia family but now she realised a small part of her still wanted their love. Their forgiveness and their acceptance.
Seeing the beast receive everything she wanted brought out a rage from within but more than that, sadness.
Tilting her head back, Alice closed her eyes as the sound of footsteps rushed towards them but Alice ignored it. It was her father and the remaining guards running over to protect Sienna while Selen also walked over.
It was a futile question. Of course they wouldn't accept her. After all, in the true history, she killed the real Alice.
She killed her own mother who tried to protect her.
She killed the guards who came to stop her.
Why would her father and brothers accept her? After she had calmed down and revealed the form of the young Alice, her father tried to see if there was anything left of his daughter.
But all he saw was a monster with the skin of a human.
"Let's leave…" Alice muttered, opening her eyes and glancing towards the wounded Selen.
She was going to leave the rest of her feelings for the Zenia family inside this Inverted World.
All of her remaining desires and expectations of the Zenia family left with the false clone who received the protection of her mother.
"There are still Lords waiting outside for us. How do you plan on dealing with them?" Selen asked with a deep frown.
"We're not going through the main entrance. Now that I've made this replication, I know how to collapse this Inverted World. We'll ride the Void out of here so they think everyone died inside." Alice explained as she glanced towards Nyer who had a complicated expression.
But seeing as how he wasn't going to make a move, Alice ignored him.
Giving one last glance towards her mother and the crying beast, Alice bit her lip and turned away.
Her goal remains unchanged. Only this time, new objectives have been added.
Eliminate what has become of the Zenia family and kill Nyer.