NOVEL WEB Chapter 17: The Battle
The chains rattled violently in Roi's grip, rusted metal slicing into his palms. But he didn't care.
His father lurched forward, trying to yank them back—but he wasn't fast enough.
Not anymore.
Roi pulled.
With a sharp twist, he ripped the chains free from his father's grasp. The old man staggered, his red-glowing eyes flickering in shock.
"What—?"
Roi didn't let him finish.
He charged.
Black Ruin flashed, the jagged blade humming with lethal energy. His father barely raised his arms in time before—
SLASH!
The sword carved through his chest.
A glitching, distorted scream tore through the air as his father was sent flying backward, crashing through the warped walls. The impact cracked the very ground, his form flickering uncontrollably.
Roi turned.
His mother's shadows lashed toward him like a thousand writhing snakes.
But this time, Roi didn't run.
He cut through them.
One swing. Then another.
The shadows that once suffocated him dispersed like mist, unable to restrain him anymore.
His mother staggered back, eyes wide.
"No… This isn't how it's supposed to be."
Roi stalked forward. His voice was low, cold, unforgiving.
"You were never supposed to be my parents."
His mother's lips quivered. "We raised you. We gave you everything—"
Roi laughed bitterly.
"Everything?" His grip tightened on Black Ruin. "You mean the expectations I never wanted? The constant disappointment? The guilt? The day you stood there and let him throw me out?"
His mother flinched.
"You were always meant to be better, Roi—"
"Better for who?!" he roared.
For the first time, they had no answer.
Roi took a deep breath.
Then—he moved.
His father rose from the rubble, one last desperate swing of his chains—
Roi cut straight through them.
And through him.
His mother let out a final cry, her shadows collapsing around her—
Until Roi cut through her too.
Both figures glitched violently, breaking apart into fragmented pixels, their hollow eyes locked on him until the very end.
Then—
They were gone.
The trial space fell into silence.
Roi stood there, breathing heavily.
And for the first time—
He felt free.
Behind him, Kyler chuckled.
"Damn, that was brutal."
Roi closed his eyes.
He didn't feel brutal.
He just felt done.
Roi's breath was still heavy, his grip on Black Ruin slackening. His parents—or whatever they were—were gone.
The air around him felt different now.
Lighter.
Freer.
But before he could even process it—
The trial space trembled.
The glitching walls lurched inward, twisting and folding in on themselves, like the very world was breaking apart.
Kyler, still perched lazily on a floating shard of reality, grinned.
"Oh, here we go."
Roi staggered forward.
"What the hell now?!"
Then—a system prompt flashed.
"TRIAL COMPLETE."
"ERROR: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED."
"FORCING TRANSFER."
Roi's stomach dropped.
The ground vanished beneath his feet.
A violent force yanked him downward, the world collapsing around him, twisting into static.
And then—everything turned black.
Cold.
Silent.
Then—a voice.
Low. Unfamiliar.
"So… you're the one they chose."
Roi's blood ran cold.
Who the hell was that?
The darkness swallowed him whole.
No sound. No air. No light. Just an endless void, pressing against his skin like it was trying to suffocate him.
Then—
A pulse.
Like a heartbeat.
The blackness rippled, stretching outward—forming something.
A silhouette.
At first, it was just a shape. A shadow standing before him.
Then—it stepped forward.
And Roi's stomach twisted.
Because the figure was him.
Identical.
Same height. Same build. Same clothes. Even the same cold, empty expression.
Roi stiffened, his throat dry.
"What the hell—"
Before he could finish—
His other self charged.
Roi barely had time to react before a fist slammed into his ribs.
Pain exploded through his body.
But—it wasn't just the impact.
A second burst of pain bloomed in the exact same spot on his own body, like he had been hit twice.
His knees buckled.
"What the hell?!" he gasped.
His double didn't stop.
It moved with the same speed, the same techniques. Its footwork was identical to his. Its stance was perfectly matched.
It was him.
And it was merciless.
Roi gritted his teeth, forcing himself to swing Black Ruin.
The sword cut through the air, aimed straight at his double's torso—
But the moment the blade connected—
A searing pain split across his own stomach.
His vision blurred. His body jerked violently.
He felt the attack.
Like he had just cut himself open.
His grip on Black Ruin trembled as realization hit him like ice.
Every attack he landed—he would feel too.
This wasn't a fight.
It was a death trap.
And for the first time—he didn't know how to win.
Roi gritted his teeth, his entire body screaming in agony. His stomach burned where Black Ruin had cut—not his enemy's, but his own.
The pain was too real. Too deep.
But his double didn't slow down.
It lunged again, mirroring his exact movement.
Roi barely dodged, his mind racing.
I can't win like this.
Every hit I land—hurts me too.
But then—Kyler's mocking laughter rang out from the void.
"This is hilarious."
Roi staggered, barely avoiding another attack.
Kyler's voice dripped with amusement.
"Seriously, Roi, do you ever stop to think? You're basically punching yourself in the face at this point."
Roi hissed through clenched teeth. "Shut. Up."
Kyler grinned.
"No, no, by all means—keep going. Bleed a little more. Maybe you'll finally start making sense."
Roi whirled around, eyes blazing. "Do you have ANYTHING useful to say?!"
Kyler shrugged. "Yeah. You suck."
Roi cursed under his breath. He was losing focus.
And his double took advantage.
It rushed forward—
Roi tried to dodge—
But the moment he moved, his double moved the exact same way.
It anticipated him perfectly.
And then—
A fist slammed into his jaw.
Pain exploded through his skull. His own head snapped back from the impact, his body tumbling onto the cold, endless void beneath him.
Kyler whistled. "Oof. That one had to hurt."
Roi coughed, blood dripping from his lips. His double stood above him, completely expressionless.
Damn it. I can't win.
Not like this.
But he forced himself up.
Every muscle ached. His own blood dripped down his skin.
But he refused to fall here.
Kyler smirked. "Oh? You're still going?"
Roi wiped the blood from his mouth.
"Damn right I am."
And then, despite the pain—he charged again.
Roi charged again, Black Ruin whistling through the air. His double did the exact same.
Two identical swords.
Two identical attacks.
Two identical outcomes.
SLASH!
The blade tore through his double's shoulder—and at the exact same moment, a searing pain ripped through Roi's own.
He stumbled back, gasping. Blood soaked his arm. His legs wobbled beneath him.
Kyler's laugh echoed through the void.
"Damn, Roi. You really are just a meathead, huh?"
Roi gritted his teeth, barely holding himself together.
I can't keep doing this.
His double's expression never changed. It just stood there, watching. Waiting.
It wasn't tired.
It wasn't hurt.
Not in the way Roi was.
Because it wasn't just mirroring his attacks.
It was using him against himself.
Roi's fingers twitched.
Think. Think.
For the first time since the trial started, he stopped looking at his double as an enemy.
And started looking at it as a reflection.
Every move he made, it made. Every strike he threw, it threw.
Which meant—
If I attack, I take damage. But if I…
His grip on Black Ruin shifted.
He took a deep, steadying breath.
Then—
He let go.
The sword clattered to the ground.
His double did the exact same.
Kyler's smirk faltered.
"Oh? Interesting."
Roi raised his hands slowly, cautiously.
His double mirrored him.
Then, for the first time—Roi didn't move.
He just stood there.
Waiting.
His double did the same.
And that's when he knew.
This isn't about winning.
It's about stopping.
Roi charged again, Black Ruin whistling through the air. His double did the exact same.
Two identical swords.
Two identical attacks.
Two identical outcomes.
SLASH!
The blade tore through his double's shoulder—and at the exact same moment, a searing pain ripped through Roi's own.
He stumbled back, gasping. Blood soaked his arm. His legs wobbled beneath him.
Kyler's laugh echoed through the void.
"Damn, Roi. You really are just a meathead, huh?"
Roi gritted his teeth, barely holding himself together.
I can't keep doing this.
His double's expression never changed. It just stood there, watching. Waiting.
It wasn't tired.
It wasn't hurt.
Not in the way Roi was.
Because it wasn't just mirroring his attacks.
It was using him against himself.
Roi's fingers twitched.
Think. Think.
For the first time since the trial started, he stopped looking at his double as an enemy.
And started looking at it as a reflection.
Every move he made, it made. Every strike he threw, it threw.
Which meant—
If I attack, I take damage. But if I…
His grip on Black Ruin shifted.
He took a deep, steadying breath.
Then—
He let go.
The sword clattered to the ground.
His double did the exact same.
Kyler's smirk faltered.
"Oh? Interesting."
Roi raised his hands slowly, cautiously.
His double mirrored him.
Then, for the first time—Roi didn't move.
He just stood there.
Waiting.
His double did the same.
And that's when he knew.
This isn't about winning.
It's about stopping.
This chapter pushes Roi's realization further, showing that brute force isn't the answer. Do you want him to fully understand and escape now, or drag the struggle a little longer?
You said:
Let him fully understand and escape now
ChatGPT said:
Memory updated
Chapter 45: The Answer Was Never to Fight
Roi stared at his double. It stared back.
The air between them was thick, unmoving. For the first time since the fight started, neither of them attacked.
And that was the key.
This trial was never about strength.
It was about understanding.
He had been so focused on fighting, on surviving, that he didn't stop to see what this battle actually was.
It wasn't about winning.
It was about breaking the cycle.
Kyler, still lounging in the darkness, rested his chin on his palm.
"Took you long enough."
Roi didn't respond.
Instead, he took a slow step back.
His double did the same.
He let out a breath.
Then—he closed his eyes.
He let go of everything.
The weight of the fight. The pain in his body. The desperation. The fear.
He let it all go.
And his double did too.
A ripple spread through the void.
The trial space shuddered, fractured—then shattered completely.
Roi felt himself falling—
Then—
Light.
He landed hard, gasping as reality snapped back into place.
The cold metal of the trial chamber was gone.
The void was gone.
And standing before him, in the white expanse of the aftermath—was Kyler.
Still smirking.
"Congrats, dumbass. You finally get it."
Roi exhaled, his chest heaving.
The trial was over.
He had escaped.
But even as relief flooded him, one thought lingered in the back of his mind.
If I was fighting myself…
What the hell was I really fighting against?