Chapter 32 – Battle of the Doppelgängers

Kurome's POV

"So, this is Primp Town…despite being fused with two other worlds, it seemed to have taken the least damage. How strange…"

I stood on top of a tall pillar in a ruins-like area looking over this world Ridel calls home. It really was small…you could see pretty much everything from this one single spot. And it was truly less "advanced" than Gamindustri. Which makes it all the more baffling that it's still standing the way it is now.

The only positive thing was that the pieces of what looked like Lastation were floating above in the sky. Meaning that it did get affected by the fusion.

"Hmm…no matter." I then jumped off the pillar. "Once the plan reaches full-throttle, this world will be nothing but a mere pebble. For now, though…where can I find those two girls…"

"Hey, hey, little girl. What's someone like you doing in a scary place like this?" I was then approached by some kind of jester wearing a strange clown mask.

And the fact that he just referred to me as a "little girl" pissed me the hell off.

"Do I look little to you? I'm a grown-ass adult."

"An adult? Oopsies…my mistake. *giggle*" The jester then took out a balloon from his pocket and started shaping it into something. "How's about a special gift from me to you?"

"Bleck. No thanks. I'm way too busy to be dealing with a nuisance like you. Get lost." I then turned away from the jester-clown thing and made my way toward the center of town.

At least…that's what I intended to do.

"Hey, hey, hey~…" And I say that because this damn clown someone got in front of me so quickly. "…A little girl like you shouldn't be traveling these parts by yourself. Stay here and play with me. *giggle*"

"Tch…you just called me a little girl again!" I yelled in an angered tone.

"Did I~? *giggle* Sorry~…I JUST can't help myself. You got that "little girl" motif down to a T. *giggle*"

"Grr…"

This guy's starting to piss me off…

"Listen you…clown-jester or whatever the hell you are! I'm way too busy for this crap! So, get out of my way or else I'll REALLY make you suffer!" I then pushed the guy out of my way and continued my path toward town.

And again…that was what I intended to do. Because…

"Aw~…come on little girl. Don't you want to…PLAY!"

*POW*

"Gah…?!"

"WITH!"

*POW*

"Aah…!"

"ME?!"

*POW*

"Gaaaaaaaahhh!"

*BOOM*

After the clown have gotten in front of me again, he punched me in the stomach, then the head, and then kicked me so hard that I was sent flying and landed in a pile of ruined rocks. With a nearby pillar falling on top of me due to the sudden nearby force.

"A stealer performance by yours truly. Fufufufu~…"

"Wh-What the…" I said in mild pain as I slowly got up. "…wh-what the hell kind of clown are you?! You're a freaking psychopath!"

"As if you're one to talk…Uzume."

"Huh? H-How do you…" I then went silent for a bit. "…wait…that voice…and that mask, too…"

"You've finally realized? Then I guess I don't need to continue wearing this outfit."

The clown then removed his mask and soon a bunch of red swirls surrounded his body. Eventually revealing that, for one, this clown is a female.

And two…I actually know this girl.

"Fufufufu~. Never thought I'd see you roaming around this world…Uzume Tennouboshi."

"Tch. And I can easily say the same to you…Arle Nadja. I thought that "fake-ass copy" of yours killed you for good."

"It takes more than a landslide of Garbage Puyo to eliminate me."

"And besides…I no longer go by that name. Nowadays, I'm simply known as "Doppel"."

"Doppel? *giggle* What a lazy-ass name. My name is FAR more superior than that."

"Oh, really? I highly doubt that "Kurome Ankokuboshi" isn't the most ridiculous name to ever exist."

"Tch! Y-You…"

I hate having to agree with her, but she's right…

"Fufufufu~. Gotcha…Kurome." Doppel laughed at me.

She's still as irritating as before. Even after all these years, she still hasn't changed…

"Hah~…so…what have you been doing all these years? Still trying to destroy worlds?"

"What's it to you? You plan on stopping me or something?"

"Well, that's an admission of guilt~. Fufufufu~. But, on a serious note…Abyss!"

"Shock Waves!"

*BOOM*

"*cough* *cough* Geez…it ended up being a good thing that I brought my megaphone at the last minute." I said after blocking one of Doppel's attacks.

"Hmph…quick as always." Doppel said. "And still reliant on that damn toy…you really haven't changed at all, Kurome~. Fufufufu~…"

"Grr…SHUT UP, DAMNIT! If you're not gonna fight me, then get out of my way! I don't have the time or patience to tolerate you again!"

"Aw~…and I wanted to play some more~…" Doppel laughed some more. Aggravating me even more. "But oh, well…Rafisol."

Rafisol? She doesn't mean…

"I'm here. Just say when." I then caught sight of another girl I knew. With maroon-colored eyes and sharp light-blue hair that curls in the back. Plus, the tremendous amount of power she had…it definitely grew from the last time I saw her.

And the fact that she has her own body now…

"So…you plan to go against me as well, Rafisol?" I asked. "Whatever happened to that "seizing all" goal that you desired so much?"

"That was back when I I didn't understand my existence. Clouded with darkness and pure hatred…I believed that consuming everything was the only answer to my problems. But now…with a clearer sense of mind and the feeling of love inside me…I refuse to continue living in a delusion like you, Kurome."

"Tch…delusion? You truly believe that my traumatic memories are nothing more than a delusion?"

"They're certainly good to laugh at. Fufufufu~…" Doppel said.

"Grr! You little…"

My memories…the days of when everyone betrayed me…are mere delusions?! These two have A LOT of nerve to make such a bullshit claim!

"Well, now…it's clear to me that I've lost the both of you. Now, I won't have to feel any guilt when I PLUMIT YOU BOTH TO HELL!"

"Fufufufu~…just try and do it, Kurome~. Show her no mercy, Rafisol."

"I shall seize your life, Kurome Ankokuboshi." Rafisol said as two blue orbs of energy appeared in her hands.

"Bring it." I replied before bringing my megaphone to my mouth. Preparing to attack.

My plan has already come this far…I won't let these two traitors stop me!

"Shock Waves!" I made the first move…

*BOOM*

…but both girls had avoided the attack. Predicable since one can float and the other is such an acrobatic.

Never understood why Doppel was so into circus stuff…

"Abyss!"

"Hide!"

"Tch!"

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

I managed to dodge both attacks at the last second and jumped onto a nearby pillar. Almost scraping my leg in the process.

"Repeat Waves!"

"Déjà Vu!" Doppel reflect my attack and actually sent it right back at me. Causing me to fall off of the pillar and land back on the ground.

"Take Over!"

*BOOM*

"Domination!"

*BOOM*

"Disorder!"

*BOOM*

All while Rafisol kept spamming her own attacks at me. Leaving me little to no room to fight back.

D…D-Damn…th-these two definitely got stronger from the last time I saw them. A-At this rate, I'll…I-I'll…

"M…Multi…M-Multi-Shock…"

"Fufufufu~…give it up, Kurome." Doppel said. "You and that pathetic toy of yours are done for at this rate."

"It's meaningless, Kurome. Surrender." Rafisol added.

"Sc-Screw you both *cough* *cough*. L-Losing to my other self is one thing…b-but losing to you two…I…I…IREFUSE to let that happen!"

"Hahahaha~! And what are you gonna do~?! Scream at us~?! That toy ain't worth fighting for, you know~! Fufufufu~!"

"B-Bitch…q-quit calling it…a-a toy!"

As I continued struggling to get up, a bright glow began emulating from my pocket. And when checked to see what it was…

Th…Th-The Pisces Amethyst! D-Did I forget to put it away before leaving?! And why is it glowing like this?

"Fufufufu~…well, it was nice seeing you again, Kurome~. Too bad it was short-lived, though~. SEE YOU IN HELL, BITCH~!"

"Tch! N-No…" I clenched both of my hands tightly as I prepared to negate at least some of Doppel's next attack. With my megaphone in one hand and the Amethyst in the other.

And then the strangest thing happened…

"Dr…Dr-Dream…DREAM ROAR! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

"Gah! Th-The hell?!"

"T-To…l-loud…"

W-Woah…that scream…just where did it come from?

N-Never mind that! Now's my chance to make a run for it!

With the two attackers occupied recovering their hearing, I snuck off towards a nearby forest in an attempt to get away. Running as fast as I could even with the minor injuries I had sustained.

"*pant* *pant* I…I think I lost them…" I said while catching my breath. Then took the Amethyst out of my pocket to see that it was still glowing. "Did this thing save my life? I remember squeezing it a little when I thought I was done for back there…could this be another secret of the Zodiac Stones?"

As I was pondering this, the still-glowing Amethyst suddenly started floating out of my hand and down the forest path.

"H-Hey! Get back here!"

The chase lasted for a good few minutes. With me somehow being able to stay on its tail despite the pain I still had.

It eventually ended once I stumbled across a shrine of sorts hidden within the middle of this forest. With the Amethyst floating in front of a statue of what looked like a sun knight.

"What the heck is this thing?" I said before noticing the words inscribed below the statue. "What the…is this in Uryuomoco? It's been a while since I've seen this language. Hope I still remember it."

And with that in mind, I began reading the gravestone.

"Let's see…Folo ryuoc Spectral Knight Lumir…Here lies Spectral Knight Lumir…uh…Cho Teja eh Camryutfg quoeh heatfg utuyumcg cho Teja eh Neemryutfg Spectral Knight Perrault…The God of Sunlight who fought against the God of Moonlight Spectral Knight Perrault…Yum u mobol-omjot quul vogquoom Ryutfg umja Julp…In a never-ending war between Light and Dark."

"Light and Dark? Didn't Shiro say something about those two girls having such powers? Is this where they originated from?"

Hmm…to have the original source of the Light Soul and Dark Soul under my control…I think I'm starting to understand why the Amethyst flew all the way here…*giggle*

With the Amethyst still floating in front of the statue, I prepared to recite the same chant I used to revive Shiro. The chant EXCLUSIVE to the Pieces Amethyst.

"For thou who sleeps in stone and clay…

Heed this call, rise up and obey.

Treck on through the Mortal door…

Assemble flesh and walk once more.

Pieces of Amethyst, listen to me…

Give me control! So mote it be!"

The Amethyst spewed its misty aura around the statue and deep within the grave. Emitting the same glow from before when I escaped Doppel and Rafisol's assault. And just moments later…the revived soul of the God of Sunlight stood right in front of me.

Or rather…floated. It is part-ghost, after all.

"*giggle* Amazing…truly amazing! I can really revive ANYTHING with this stone! And with the original source of the Light Soul under my control…things are going to get really interesting. *demented laughter*"

"So, this is where you ran off to, huh?" And right at that moment, my two attackers caught up to me. Seemingly recovering from that sudden hearing loss I gave them earlier.

"Oh. Perfect timing, you two. I'd like for you to meet a…specialfriend of mine. *giggle*"

"Huh? What the hell is that thing?" Doppel asked.

"Th-That is…Doppel, we must retreat from here." Rafisol said in a panicked tone (I would say "face", but that doesn't change much).

"What? Why? Kurome's freaking right there."

"Fighting that thing would not be favorable for us. It's more powerful than it looks."

"Tch…please. Anything made from THIS retarded nutcase can't be all that affective."

Retarded nutcase?!

"Still see me as a joke, Doppel?" I asked while still keeping my cool from that last insult. "Then allow me to showcase what my new ally can do. Lumir! Give them true hell!"

"*ghostly moan*" The God of Sunlight did as I commanded as it raised its glowing sword and brought it down as quick as lightning. Creating a bright crescent slash that hurled toward the two girls.

*BOOM*

"Gah! Wh-What the hell?! I-It freaking burns…!" Doppel barely said.

"Th-This is why I said we must flee…" Rafisol said. "F-Fighting that thing…w-will only lead to our…d-demise."

"Tch. D-Damnit…th-this isn't…o-over, Kurome…O…Owanimo!"

Doppel and Rafisol then warped out of my sight. Finally being rid of them thanks to this revived God of Sunlight.

"*giggle* *demented laughter* I feel like I just got a game-breaking weapon! With this, I'm unstoppable! Hahahahahaha!"

"*ghostly moan*"

"Now, Lumir…let us go find that eternal rival of yours. For once, the two of you will be fighting alongside each other. *giggle*"

With that in mind, I set off to trek this other-worldly forest for my current new goal. Meeting the Light & Dark Souls may have to wait just a little longer…

…But once I get this done, the meeting will only last a few seconds.

Author's Note: Another side chapter featuring Kurome. This was only thought up only a few weeks ago and was honestly planned for a later chapter. But I mentally said "screw it" and wrote it here. No real reason, really.

Thanks for reading. Later.