Chapter 20: Come together

Now that only six of the Top Rankers were left, they didn't come together. Even though they were just copies of the original, they still maintained their own sense of self-respect.

The first person to step forward was Celia. She didn't have the Legendary Tier Magical Staff that she possessed when she killed Weiss. Instead, her current staff was only a mid tier treasure. However, even then, it was surprising. 

At the second stage, she had already acquired mid-tier equipment while her brother seemed to have only invested in a low-tier sword.

Celia calmly stepped forward, firmly holding the Mana Staff. 

Raven's grasp on his sword tightened, but he retained his composure and refrained from giving in to his anger. He chose not to activate the Berserker Skill, reserving it for Arze instead.

Amongst everyone who was present there, he was most worried about Arze. Not only was Arze the strongest here, but his innate strength was also superior. He was the leader of the Draconians in the tower after all!

It was unsettling to see that he was already wearing multiple top-of-the-line items. In fact, he seemed to possess the most items among everyone else, including a pair of gauntlets pulsating with an unusual energy.

Prior to taking action, Raven analyzed the available information about the girl within his line of sight.

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Name:  Celia

Player ID: (Other players are not allowed to see)

Exclusive Skills: (Other players are not allowed to see)

Bloodline: None

Species: Human

Strengths: Ice Magic

Weakness: Lack of stamina, low speed, and weak physique 

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The majority of the information he received was within his expectations. The girl was a mage, not particularly skilled in hand-to-hand combat. However, what caught him off guard was her proficiency in ice magic. It was strong enough to have an effect on the temperature of the surrounding area, making it noticeably colder.

It was as if even the air had started to freeze. 

"You should surrender. You can never win!" Celia spoke calmly. However, even though she appeared younger than she was when she targeted his brother, Raven could still see that old yet familiar smirk on the corner of her lips, as if she was looking down on everyone else. 

As Raven stepped onto the frozen battlefield, the icy air made his breath visible. Facing him stood Celia, dressed in flowing blue robes that fluttered in the wind. Her glistening staff caught the sunlight. Raven paused to take a deep breath before the battle began.

She raised her staff, and with a flick of her wrist, sent a blast of freezing wind towards Raven. 

Raven exhibited remarkable agility as he swiftly responded to the situation, akin to executing a sword dance while traversing the icy battlefield. 

Employing his skills to the fullest, he intercepted every attack deftly, using subtle nods and maneuvers to create a shield of air. Undeterred by the perilous circumstances, he advanced towards Celia, brandishing his sword with precision and determination.

Celia's reaction was one of mild surprise, but not fear. She swiftly summoned a wall of ice, but Raven effortlessly slashed through it with his sword, causing ice fragments to scatter in different directions.

Celia had already realized that Raven's sword was strong. However, the more she faced that Sword, the more concerned she felt. It was as if the Sword was dreadful. 

It was as if the Sword contained anti magic properties, that helped it counter all her attacks perfectly. 

She finally revealed some unnatural expressions as she raised her staff again, and this time, sent a barrage of icicles towards Raven from every direction.

She made sure to attack him from all directions to give him no opportunity to block her attacks with that strange sword of his. 

Raven also seemed to understand what she was trying. However, she had underestimated his mobility. Raven used his footsteps, swiftly dodging the ice spears that he couldn't block properly. 

Even though it looked like he was trying hard to survive, in reality, everyone else who was watching knew that he didn't appear to be in any danger. Slowly, yet steadily, he was closing the distance between him and Celia. 

Even Celia had realized it. She had finally started panicking. 

Raven swung his sword toward her chest. She countered with a wave of his hand, sending a blast of cold air towards the swordsman, that could freeze anything. 

In her attack, she had almost completely exhausted herself, since this was a skill that she couldn't often use. 

Raven shivered as the cold air pierced his armor, but he did not falter. He could feel a strange yet comfortable warmth coming from his Sword. 

He charged towards the mage once more, his sword gleaming in the sunlight.

Celia raised her staff, and with a shout, conjured a giant ice golem as she slowly started stepping back, getting uncomfortable with how close he had gotten to her. 

The golem towered over the Raven, its icy fists poised to strike.

Raven circled around the golem, not revealing any fear. Even though the golem was big, he also remembered that everything had a weakness!

 And he found it. With a swift strike, he sliced through the golem's leg, causing it to stumble and fall. The bigger something was, the harder they fell. 

Unable to stand up, the Golem had basically become somewhat useless. Before it could recover, Raven had already dashed past him. 

With the golem out of the way, he charged towards Celia once more, his sword aimed at her heart. The mage raised her staff, but it was too late. His sword pierced through Celia's chest, and she fell to the ground, lifeless.

Even though Raven wanted to give her a painful death for her past actions, but he also remembered that she wasn't the real Celia. Even though she shared the same personality, she was still a fake. Just like everyone else here, including his brother. 

Raven stood there for a moment, catching his breath, raising his sword toward the other five rankers. Even though he had won the battle, it wasn't the end. Moreover, this victory came at a great cost. 

"Why don't all five of you come together this time?" he asked, letting out a sigh. 

His brother was also amongst the enemies, but Raven knew that it wasn't actually his brother. No matter how much his heart ached, he had to kill them. And he had to do that at once, before he was completely out of his strength!

He had to kill his brother with his own hands.