Different from other known dungeons, where spawning monsters can fight for the throne of Dungeon Master, the Crystal Mirror Dungeon could choose for itself and had a unique but simple way of selecting one.
Among all the Envy of the individuals who entered the Dungeon, it would choose and create a Visage of the strongest Envy with the sole purpose of protecting the Core and eliminating anyone who tried to approach it without proper authorization.
The fact that the Dungeon Master had changed from the gold-rank warrior adventurer of a few hundred years ago to an unknown girl meant that the latter was stronger than the former.
Whose Envy the Visage girl was supposed to represent wasn't important right now. What mattered was that the Crystal Mirror Dungeon recognized the girl as stronger than Brandon's Envy—the Soldiers' Commander—or Sylvie's Envy, which was Ellric's mother.
Regardless of their concerns about how strong the new Dungeon Master might be, the group still had the confidence to win, knowing the one weakness of the Visages: no matter what skill or ability they replicated, their body, weapons, and armor weren't as durable as the real ones.
Stepping inside the Dungeon Master's hall, with the gate still open behind them, the group began their assault against the Visage of the unknown girl.
Brandon activated his divine gift, preparing for the initial strike to give Sylvie time to cast the same mystic spell she had used against her own Envy.
Imbuing mana into his remaining spear, Brandon activated his combat skill the moment he hurled his weapon toward the Visage.
The spear, carrying enough force to break a castle wall, shot forth at blinding speed, cleaving trails into the stone floor with the shockwave that followed.
Brandon expected the Visage to deflect his spear with its longsword or cut it down as the Soldiers' Commander's Visage had done—but what the unknown girl's Visage did shocked him, or rather, terrified him.
The Visage didn't even draw its longsword, nor its dagger. Instead, it simply leapt backward and caught the destructive spear mid-air.
The overwhelming force pushed the Visage back, yet it landed on both feet and steadied itself before colliding with the gate behind.
The spear in the Visage's right hand vibrated, releasing a screeching sound—as if screaming in pain—with all the contained force being unleashed. Yet the Visage holding it remained unfazed. Its hand didn't tremble, nor did its supposedly less durable body take any damage.
"That's… impossible…" Brandon muttered, his voice trembling.
He had seen other warriors, adventurers, knights, and valkyries capable of catching a spear mid-air—even Brandon himself could do it. But he had never thought that catching one imbued with an advanced-level combat skill and further enhanced by his divine gift was even possible.
Not even the Soldiers' Commander he envied could do it. Yet the Visage of the unknown girl caught it flawlessly, as though she had done it a thousand times before.
Brandon's agitation turned to panic. His eyes widened as he saw the Visage spin his spear in its hand, overwhelming the force he had imbued into it and taking full control of the weapon.
He didn't need to see the Visage take a stance to throw the spear back at the group, nor guess who it was aiming for. He had thrown the spear with the intention of challenging his opponent. Now, the Visage of the unknown girl was throwing it back—as if to say she had accepted.
Brandon drew his greatsword from his back, crossing it with his left arm guard. Imbuing mana into both, he activated his combat skill, unleashing a defensive aura to absorb and deflect the force and impact of the spear—
—Only for the spear to pierce through his defensive aura and shatter both his greatsword and arm guard, breaking his left arm before crumbling to pieces.
Everything happened too fast for Liz, Hannah, and Ellric to react. All they could do was call his name as they braced themselves against the destructive shockwave released upon the spear's collision.
Though he had failed to deflect the spear and sustained a grave injury, Brandon did not fall or kneel. He had accomplished his goal: buying enough time for Sylvie to cast her mystic spell.
The superbolt Sylvie cast shot forth, leaving the Visage no time to dodge after throwing the spear, nor even to draw the longsword sheathed at its side. Without a shield or armor to defend, there was no way—
"Just whose Visage is that girl..."
Sylvie muttered the thought in everyone's mind the moment the dust cloud from the lightning explosion cleared.
Behind the crater of molten stone, glowing with the heat of the superbolt, stood the Visage of the unknown girl, bearing a ragged shield that had protected everything behind it, including the gate to the Dungeon Core.
"A storage enchantment, perhaps?" Brandon said, wondering where the Visage had pulled the shield from.
But when the shield crumbled in the Visage's hand like rusted metal, Brandon doubted his assumption.
Regardless of what abilities the Visage had used to conjure the shield and withstand Sylvie's superbolt, the group had no time to keep pondering.
The Visage leapt across the molten crater, drawing its longsword as it landed, then took its stance, ready for its turn to attack.
Brandon drew the longsword sheathed at his side, preparing to clash blades. Though his left arm was broken, the enchantment on his armor had healed it enough to move, even if the pain lingered.
Sylvie gripped her enchanted staff, gathering mana for another mystic spell, while Liz, Hannah, and Ellric prepared to assist Brandon and Sylvie.
The Visage charged at blinding speed, and Brandon intercepted.
Gripping his longsword with both hands, he imbued mana into the weapon, activating his combat skill alongside another enchantment of his armor.
In an instant, he blinked in front of the Visage and swung to cut it down.
The Visage neither dodged nor blocked—it didn't even look at him. It kept rushing forward, and for an instant Brandon was sure his attack would land. But his blade met nothing but air—or rather, an illusion. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
Movement phasing, a technique to deceive the opponent's eyes and perception by altering speed at the time scale of attack.
Of course, Brandon knew the technique and could do it himself. But for his eyes to be deceived meant that the Visage of the unknown girl—and the real girl herself—were truly stronger, faster, more skillful, and better swordmasters than him.
And for it to vanish right before him meant that those behind him were in danger.
As he turned back in search of his opponent, fear for his companions gripped him. The sight before him made him realize his gut feeling had been wrong—perhaps they had challenged an opponent far beyond what they could handle.