Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 74: Ch72. [Shadow of the End]

Chapter 74: Ch72. [Shadow of the End]

As Miles’ eyes met Sarissa’s for the briefest of moments, he knew he was right.

The understanding that flashed from her eyes made him sure that she had realized it.

Shinji was buying time, rather than trying to kill them. But there were so many questions unanswered amidst the chaos, that Miles felt dizzy trying to wrap his brain around all of them.

First of all, why was Shinji attacking them? And Miles did not even mean his apparent reason for stalling for time. What was his real reason?

Then, how was he able to go by the monsters completely unscathed?

It was almost like the monstrosities were being controlled by him. But if it was that, then how?

And the last, but not least important question of all, that swirled in his mind like a hurricane amidst the countless system notifications.

[You killed a...]

[You killed a...]

[You killed...]

[You leveled up]

[You killed...]

[You...]

[You leveled...]

Should he test his new Attribute now, right when there was an enemy that could use it as information to fight against him later?

’Argh! Fuck it all!’ Miles thought, shaking the uncertainty as he dodged a clawed, skeletal hand that shot toward him with uncanny speed, ripping his sleeve apart and leaving a deep, bloody gash in his shoulder.

"Enough of this," Miles growled. The stakes did not matter now. Diego’s life was on the line, and it was all his fault.

He adjusted his stance, getting rid of all unnecessary thoughts, shifted his grip on his scythe, and thought to himself.

’[Shadow of The End].’

Even before he could register it, his second shadow moved in a flash toward him, covering him in a blanket of darkness that lasted for less than a breath.

After that, when the world recovered its colors again, he felt weird for a second, as if covered by another layer of clothing that he had not worn. Glancing at his body for a split second, he noticed that it was not just a feeling.

He was covered by a raven-black coat that extended to below his knees, with straps and buckles on its torso, and the most shocking thing about it was that...

’I feel...’

Miles felt unstoppable, even if he was slightly past level 10 by now, after the grueling battle.

He felt his stats piling up, doubling, due to the Attribute’s special skill, [Doppelganger].

After that, He didn’t think.

He didn’t calculate. He didn’t hesitate.

Immediately summoning [Ender’s Mask], he felt as if the world shifted at his will, the [Harbinger’s Scythe] humming with killing intent in his hands. However, there was more to it than just Miles’ sheer will to end it all in a single strike.

He felt something coming from Shinji, as though his existence vibrated in a different frequency, but he just could not explain it.

’Fuck it!’ He growled inwardly. "Let’s end it once and for all!"

With a single, circular strike that carried both momentum, strength, and killing intent, the battlefield fell silent.

As he looked around, eyes wide underneath his mask as the system echoed in his mind more times than he bothered paying attention to, all that was left were the mangled carcasses of Shinji’s monstrous army, without a single Beast or Monster left standing.

"Very impressive." Shinji clapped slowly, the smirk never leaving his lips.

"You knew all along where Diego was, didn’t you?" Sarissa asked, but for a second, Miles could only focus his attention on the absurdly massive destructive power that he held just a second ago.

Shinji chuckled, confirming Sarissa’s words that had drawn around Miles’ heart.

"Where is he?" Miles’ voice was a frighteningly quiet growl.

"You’re already on your way to him. I just needed to stall you for a bit longer." Shinji glanced at him, shrugging.

"You-" Miles’ hushed, but Sarissa stepped forward first.

"Now, now." Shinji raised a hand, cutting them off. "You’ll see him soon enough. But when you do... He may not be the Diego you remember, so, I’ll have to apologize for that." After a brief pause, however, he glanced back at them, breaking the deadly silence. "Or, I can give him in one piece to you. All you have to do is answer me one... Simple... Question."

Miles waited for Shinji to finish, already sensing the fatality of his question. But when he did, Miles’ world became a haze of black and red.

"What is Wonderland?"

After that, Shinji just turned and walked away, leaving him – them – with nothing but the weight of his words and the battlefield littered with corpses.

The moment Shinji turned his back, smug and untouchable, Miles snapped.

His legs moved on their own, launching him forward like a shadow cast by an unseen sun. His vision blurred, darkening at the edges, narrowing until the only thing he could see was the man who had taken Diego.

Who had hurt him.

Who was still smiling.

"SHINJI!!!" The snarl ripped from his throat as he swung the [Harbinger’s Scythe] in a wide arc, aiming to cleave Shinji in two. The blade screamed through the air...

And met nothing.

Shinji was gone.

Miles skidded to a halt, his breath ragged. He barely had time to react before a voice whispered at his back.

"Too slow."

A foot connected with his ribs, sending him sprawling across the battlefield. Miles rolled once before digging the scythe into the ground, catching himself before he could be flung any farther.

Pain flared through his side, but he barely registered it.

He whipped around, teeth bared underneath the mask, but Shinji was already standing where Miles had been seconds before, still relaxed, untouchable.

His katana was unsheathed now, however, but it was held loosely, almost lazily, as if this wasn’t a fight worth taking seriously.

"Is that it?" Shinji sighed, tilting his head. "I expected more."

Miles growled, his fingers tightening around his weapon. The weight in his chest grew heavier, a furious, crushing pressure that demanded to be unleashed. He had power. He knew he did. But something wasn’t working. He could feel it, the suffocating potential in his body, in his very soul, but it wasn’t reaching him.

No. That wasn’t right.

He wasn’t reaching it.

"Oh? You’re thinking too much. Maybe you should-" Shinji smirked. However, Miles moved.

He didn’t hear the rest.

His body twisted, the scythe’s handle spinning in his hands before he let it fly, throwing the entire weapon straight at Shinji’s head.

The air cracked as it cut through space, but Shinji was already moving, already dodging.

But Miles was already in front of him.