Chapter 2004 [Trial Three: The Garden of Broken Threads] With the correct path now in his mind, Nux started walking, and within a few seconds, Flicker He disappeared and appeared in a different place. "Huh…" He frowned, confused. Then, he saw the message. [Trail Two: Complete] "It's done…?" He raised his eyebrow. Soon, however, he recalled how his future selves he was tailing suddenly disappeared without reaching anywhere significant and understood. He had 'found' the correct path. There was no point in treading on it, after all, both he and the Temple knew it was correct. "At least give me the satisfaction of clearing it myself." Nux complained in his head. This place was indeed quite cruel, almost as if it wanted him to leave. Of course, someone as shameless as Nux didn't care. He was here to clear the Trials, and he wouldn't leave until he cleared every single one of them. With his thoughts reinforced, Nux looked around. The first thing he observed was his own body. His body still resembled a white mannequin. He had no powers. Even the two Laws he had comprehended in the last two Trials were gone, and once again, he was back in his mortal state. "Tsk." He snorted. It was obviously annoying, but by now, he had gotten used to it. Therefore, instead of complaining pointlessly, he looked around. Trial Two was complete. It was time for Trial Three. As if reading his mind and confirming his willingness to continue, a screen appeared in front of him. [Trial Three: The Garden of Broken Threads] [Win] "Hah…?" Nux raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean win? Was I not winning in all the Trials before this? What sort of description is that?" He complained again. Of course, his mind had already started figuring out how to do what he was told and win. His eyes darted around, looking at the place he was in to find some clues. Soon, however, he blinked in surprise. He had been in this place for a good few seconds now, but only now did he realize how strange it was. Unlike the previous dark and ominous labyrinth, this place looked peaceful—green, fresh grass, beautiful sky, flowers, birds singing—it was all so very beautiful and perfect. It even put a smile on Nux's face. At least at first glance, at least. But only when he started looking around did he realize how wonderfully strange this place was. The ground was covered in soft green grass that shimmered faintly. The flowers that he initially found beautiful were blooming without roots, hanging mid-air, defying gravity. Trees stood upside down, their branches buried in the earth while their roots reached for the sky. Of course, Nux had been through many worlds. He had vast knowledge regarding different strange worlds in his head. A sight like this would never surprise him; he would find it pretty normal instead. But the real oddity wasn't in how things looked. It was when they happened. A bird flew backwards through the air. Its chirping sound came from its mouth even when it hadn't opened its mouth yet. Drops of water from a nearby stream floated upward, returning to dark clouds that hadn't rained. Then suddenly, as Nux walked forward, he tripped. "What the…" He frowned. How in the hell did that happen? He looked back and saw there was a stone behind him, but… He had already walked past it when he tripped… How in the hell did he only trip now? And this wasn't the only oddity he saw. A tree bore fruit before it bloomed. His own footsteps echoed before the step was taken. A dying flower suddenly bloomed again, only for its seed to appear in the air moments later. Strange things like these were happening all around him. "What in the hell is this place…?" Nux wondered. Nothing he had seen or known before explained anything he was seeing. What's worse? The question still remained. What was he supposed to do here? Step Step Step As Nux continued to look around and think, suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps—a sound he had ignored since he had been hearing it ever since he had started looking, even when he paused. Step Step Step The sound, however, continued to get closer and closer, something that made Nux frown again. This didn't happen before. His body acted instinctively as he turned around, only to find another mannequin-like figure standing behind him. A mannequin with the same height and muscle distribution as him. And of course, by the familiar footsteps and body mass distribution, Nux didn't need a long time to realize who this was. It was him. "Wait a minute…" Suddenly, Nux narrowed his eyes. [Win.] Once again, a screen appeared in front of him and… "Fuck." He cursed. The mannequin in front of him moved, taking a fighting stance—a stance Nux recognized in an instant. How could he not? It was his own stance. Nux felt his mouth twitch. Staring at his own self, prepared to attack him, he clenched his fists and took his stance as well. "Fighting my own self, How fucking cliché." Nux, however, only blamed himself. He should have known better. He should have known this was coming. He had transmigrated into a fantasy world. In what fantasy world has a similar arc not appeared in the main character's life? "Tsk Tsk." Nux snorted again as his mind started thinking. At the very least, he had some advantage here. He knew everything there was to know about the enemy. He knew he was facing a shameless, honor-less, and disgusting man who would go as low as spitting on the enemy or poking his eyes if it meant he could win. And since the enemy could go that low, Nux wasn't surprised when he had already rushed towards him while he was still thinking. Rather, he was prepared for this. The battle had begun. The mannequin dashed forward with a perfect form, launching a straight jab aimed at Nux's throat. Nux leaned just enough to the side, raising his arm to parry. But the second punch was already coming, aimed low at his ribs. He blocked, only for a knee to rise toward his abdomen. He spun away, giving himself space. The exchange was perfect. Perfect form. Perfect timing. It was the perfect way to fight in a mortal body with no abilities or power. "You are me, I admit it." Nux admitted. Only he could fight in a manner so perfect. If he had any doubts, now they were all erased. Yes, he was still a narcissist bitch. "…" The other Nux didn't answer, or maybe he couldn't answer, since a normal Nux would never stay silent in a battle. The two Nuxes circled each other, and the other Nux rushed again. A feint to the left, a hook from the right. Nux blocked, ducked, responded with a palm strike aimed at the chin. As one would expect, the blow was dodged cleanly. Even the counter came instantly—an elbow to the side of the head. Nux blocked again, and once again, the two distanced themselves from each other. None of them was breathing hard. Neither seemed surprised. And now, Nux narrowed his eyes. The air around him was much grimmer than expected. All this while, he had been pretty chill about this trial since he was somewhat familiar with the meta. You usually fight against yourself. In the middle of the battle, you adapt and improve and eventually defeat the other you, who is merely an imitation of your current self and not the complete you, making it impossible for him to grow on his own. Nux's ability to adapt and grow was far higher than any others because of his human blood and the Law of Absolute Growth pushing him. If it was about adaptability in the middle of the battle, Nux was confident he would defeat the other him eventually. But… Now Nux could see it. This other him… He was adapting, just like him. To make sure, Nux clashed against his other self a few more times, and after the eleventh clash, Nux was now sure. With every clash, the other him adjusted his movements. They were no longer the perfect movements for a mortal body, pushing it to its strongest state. Rather, they were transforming into movements to counter a perfect mortal body with a perfect technique. Yes, those movements were turning into movements to counter his own movements. What's worse? Nux's own movements were adapting in a similar manner and at a similar rate. The two of them were exactly the same. Heck, they had even begun countering their counter-movements. Their fighting style was being developed with each exchange and was growing stronger and stronger. No patterns were repeated. There was absolutely no wasted motion. Nux felt like he was fighting a shadow that evolved every second. He threw a fast combination of jab, elbow, and a sweep. It was dodged, blocked, countered. He ducked under a kick and launched a punch upward, but he missed. They both jumped back at the same time, resetting again. "…" "…" The two stared at each other in silence. The air around Nux was even grimmer. There was no sign of a breakthrough. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂 He was literally fighting his own self—one that improved mid-battle, just like him. There was no way for Nux to overpower him, especially when all his abilities were sealed. They were the same. Same strength, speed, and skill. How is one supposed to defeat his own self? Nux wondered in his head, but there was no answer. The two of them clashed again, but again, there was no conclusion to their next, almost 10-minute-long exchange. The only thing that happened was that the technique they were using was becoming stronger and stronger. Their muscles were now adapting to the movements and were pretty much moving on their own. Yes, both of them had managed to activate the blink fault, at the same time. Heck, the two had even started predicting each other's moves and were reacting accordingly. With how they had mixed in with each other, a third person looking at them wouldn't even be able to recognize who was the real Nux anymore. Or maybe… they both were? Well, there was one way to find the real Nux, "Fuck this! How am I supposed to win!?" He was cursing all his frustration out.