novelden Chapter 179: One Existence
Chapter 179: One Existence
As the first Reflection was defeated, the team immediately regrouped and began discussing everything they had learned from the battle.
The fight had revealed quite a few weaknesses in their current formation.
First of all, Guin would have to stay closer to the twins rather than Adam.
Although Adam possessed enough survivability to handle dangerous situations on his own, Salvia and Mallory were far more vulnerable. Guin’s defensive abilities would be much more valuable protecting the team’s support members.
Kurou would take the role of support damage dealer.
Meanwhile, Adam would remain the team’s primary source of damage while also acting as the frontline fighter.
As for Seo-Jun, he had already accepted the role of support.
According to him, he possessed several spirits capable of assisting in battle, though he had yet to reveal the full extent of his abilities.
While the others discussed strategies, Salvia treated the injuries Kurou had sustained during his fight against his Reflection.
Thankfully, none of the wounds were serious.
Afterward, the group immediately moved on to planning for the next battle.
The biggest problem was uncertainty as no one really knew whose Reflection would appear next.
Because of that, they had no choice but to prepare for the worst possible scenario.
Several members used the System Shop to refine their equipment and replenish consumables.
Meanwhile, Adam checked the gifts that his viewers had sent him.
As expected, many of them had already begun preparing him for future dangers.
[Jurik_Joriksson has sent a D-tier gift]
[Sphinxian Treecat’s Blessing] : A protective blessing left behind by a mythical guardian. For a short period of time, your mind is shielded from external influence, greatly reducing or completely negating most mental, emotional, illusion-based, and mind-affecting attacks.
[TrickyRabbit has sent a D-tier gift]
[Egg of Deceit] : Temporarily deceives a target’s perception, convincing them that the user is an ordinary egg. The effect is difficult to notice unless the target possesses powerful perception or mental resistance abilities.
[TrickyRabbit has sent a D-tier gift]
[Wonderland’s Trick] : Creates a small dimensional burrow that the user may instantly hide within. While inside, most attacks and effects cannot reach the user. One-time use.
[TrickyRabbit has sent a C-tier gift]
[The Rabbit’s Paw] : Summons a fragment of TrickyRabbit’s manifestation in the form of a giant rabbit paw. The paw may be used offensively to crush enemies or defensively to intercept incoming attacks before disappearing.
[UpTJay_OG is grumbling and impatiently awaiting for his gift to arrive...]
A surprising number of the gifts had come from the viewer known as [TrickyRabbit].
The strange rabbit seemed unusually eager to help him.
Of course, Adam thanked every viewer equally.
Regardless of the value of their gifts, they were all trying to support him in their own way.
Just then, a System notification suddenly appeared before everyone’s eyes.
[Preparation Time Has Ended]
[The Next Reflection Is Being Selected...]
The room immediately fell silent.
Everyone instinctively looked toward the center of the chamber.
Then another notification appeared.
[Warning]
[Due to the unique connection between the selected existences, they will be treated as a single Reflection.]
Adam’s eyes narrowed as a bad feeling immediately formed in his mind...
The next notification appeared.
[Chosen Reflection : Patron of Recovery]
[Chosen Reflection : Patron of Affliction]
The moment those names appeared, everyone’s gaze naturally landed towards the twins.
There was no need for further explanation...
The selected Reflections belonged to Salvia and Mallory.
Even Adam found the announcement somewhat unexpected.
The Eighth Floor had clearly decided that the sisters could not be separated.
For whatever reason, the [Mother of Reflections] viewed them as a single existence...?
Beside him, Salvia’s expression froze briefly, while Mallory looked equally surprised.
The two sisters exchanged a glance...
They did not speak a word yet it was obvious they understood something that the others did not.
Perhaps they had expected this possibility from the very beginning or that they simply knew each other well enough to understand what the notification meant...
Regardless, neither sister attempted to explain.
After a few moments, Salvia let out a small sigh.
Mallory merely crossed her arms.
The rest of the team quickly accepted the situation.
Whether they liked it or not, their next opponents would not be one Reflection.
They would be facing two...
And judging from the System’s warning, those two Reflections would likely fight as though they were a single being.
The moment that realization settled into everyone’s minds, the room began to change.
The Japanese-styled combat chamber slowly distorted.
The wooden floor beneath their feet rippled like water.
The paper lanterns hanging from above stretched unnaturally before dissolving into particles of light.
The walls themselves seemed to bend as though the world around them had simply decided that the room was supposed to be something else.
The six Stream Hunters silently watched as the surroundings transformed.
The floor expanded even more while the ceiling rose higher.
The distant walls disappeared into darkness.
Rows of seats began emerging from the shadows.
One.. two... no, a hundred rows.
Soon, an enormous theater revealed itself.
The scale was absurd.
Crimson seats stretched endlessly throughout the chamber, arranged in perfectly curved rows that surrounded a massive stage at the center.
Golden railings divided sections of the audience.
Large pillars decorated with intricate carvings rose toward a ceiling so high that its end could not even be seen.
Several massive chandeliers floated overhead, their countless crystals reflecting faint lights throughout the room.
Luxurious red curtains hung around the stage and golden ornaments decorated every corner.
Rather than a battlefield or a fighting area, it was more akin to a grand performance hall that had once hosted royalty.
Yet despite all its beauty, something about the place felt deeply unsettling...
Every single seat was occupied but not by people, instead there were cardboard figures sitting on them.
Thousands of them had painted cheerful smiles while some appeared frightened.
Others looked angry, saddened, excited, or confused.
Each cardboard audience member displayed a different emotion.
Yet none of them moved and none of them had the capability to blink.
They simply sat there while watching the stage, as though they were waiting for the performance to begin.
The atmosphere felt strangely oppressive.
As though every action taken here would be judged by countless unseeable eyes.
Then several spotlights descended from above.
Brilliant beams of white light illuminated the center stage.
The rest of the theater remained cloaked in darkness, thus the contrast made the stage stand out even more.
It was impossible not to look toward it.
Adam could not help but furrow his brows.
These chairs would definitely get in the way of combat...
There were simply too many obstacles that would restrict their movements within this area...
Fortunately, the theater was filled with darkness.
The spaces between the seats created countless shadows.
For someone like Kurou, this battlefield was practically a gift.
Then the curtains slowly parted as two figures emerged.
The first woman stepped forward with graceful movements.
She wore a flowing white dress adorned with silver embroidery.
The fabric seemed almost ethereal, drifting around her body despite the lack of wind.
White feathers slowly floated around her before dissolving into particles of light.
A golden halo hovered above her head.
The gentle glow surrounding her made her appear almost unreal.
Every movement she made was elegant and every step seemed carefully measured.
If one were to look at her, one would assume she was not human and more like a heavenly messenger who had descended from the skies.
Her face was unmistakably Salvia’s.
Yet this version of her seemed more mature, beautiful, and perfect.
She was the image of kindness and salvation.
Then the second figure emerged.
The atmosphere immediately changed.
Where the first Reflection resembled an angel, the second looked like something torn from a nightmare.
Black horns curved from her head.
Dark chains wrapped around her body while a torn crimson dress hung loosely from her frame.
Cracks resembling broken porcelain spread across her pale skin as her sharp claws extended from her fingertips.
A faint black mist continuously leaked from beneath her feet.
Her appearance was hideous and quite obviously monstrous... Yet there was still something strangely tragic about her.
Like a villain from an old fairy tale who had once been human.
Her face was identical to Mallory’s.
Yet her eyes contained a madness that made even the cardboard audience seem unsettlingly alive.
One was portrayed as an angel, the other as a demon.
Yet they stood side by side.
Neither hostile toward the other, and neither attempting to overshadow the other.
Looking at them, Adam suddenly recalled an old story.
A famous tale about twin sisters.
One sister had been loved by the world and praised as a saint.
The other had been feared and hated as a monster.
One healed the suffering.
The other carried the suffering upon herself.
One represented hope.
The other represented despair.
Yet despite the world’s judgment, the two sisters had always chosen each other.
And in the end, both had willingly sacrificed themselves so the other could continue living.
Looking at the stage now, Adam finally understood why the System had chosen both of them at the same time.
Because no matter how different they appeared—
The angel and the demon were never meant to exist separately.