Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 77: Ch75. Answer

Chapter 77: Ch75. Answer

It was hard for Miles to keep detached from his boiling anger, while using it to its fullest extent.

Pretending to clash against Shinji with nothing but inflamed recklessness.

Ever since the first time he had drank from the [Ethereal Teapot], he felt like something inside him had changed to a fundamental level, but he had never been able to understand what it was or how it worked, whatever it was. However, he knew it had something to do with his sight.

With the way he perceived the world.

Or at least some things in it.

Seeing the Queen of Heart’s wraith in the ruined castle had been the very first time Miles was able to get a glimpse of the truth about that change.

She had a physical body and was as tangible as to be able to physically deal damage to both him and Diego. Even though Diego only got hurt because he physically attacked her.

But even with her physical body, Miles was sure that there was something else to her, other than being a zombie or anything of the sort – and the fact that she was already dead, for a very long time.

Her presence was like countless tormented screams gathered in a single point, taking the shape of a physical being. The Queen’s very existence in front of him screamed wrongness.

Just like the black wraith back in the cave, did.

But it was only when Miles activated the [Shadow of The End] Attribute, that he was able to understand the reason behind the eerie feeling.

And even then, it was only after he almost got tricked by the Mad Hatter, that he became able to discern it. Because each one of them – the black fog wraith, the Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter – shared one thing in common with the Shinji in front of him and Sarissa.

It affected his mind and senses in a more fundamental way, almost as if they were designed by whatever sick being who turned his world into that twisted game in order to affect Miles, especially.

It had cost him almost all of his already dwindling reserves of energy – both physical and mental – to resist not only the pull of his blazing fury, but also the Hatter’s seducing call, and it was getting harder and harder for him to suppress the wraith’s voice every time it awakened within his mind. But when he got back to his senses and asked for Sarissa’s help – after she accepted, that is – he was able to place the final two pieces of the puzzle in their respective places, by opening the skill tab of his new Attribute.

First, it was how he was the reason why Miles was so sure that the Shinji in front of him was not human, as literally as Cheshire had meant it.

[Wraith’s Echo]

[Attribute’s Skill Description: Allows the player to interact with entities outside the perception of time and space, including remnants of the past and other wraiths.]

It seemed it was a passive skill because he could feel Shinji’s eeriness even more as soon as he activated [Shadow of The End]. He was able to actually see it. The way reality seemed to ripple around him as if he was a foreign body interacting with water.

Which only meant one thing.

’It’s not the real Shinji, but it’s connected to him somehow...’ His grin widened as he read the lines of text.

Second and last, but not least, was how he became able to adapt and follow Shinji’s speed by the end of his first bout.

[Inevitable Inheritance]

[Attribute’s Skill Description: The shadow retains some of the knowledge belonging to its wielder’s adversaries through battle.]

If Miles’ grin could grow even a little bit more, like Cheshire’s, the mask would not be able to contain it as realization dawned on him.

It was not only speed. After all, if it only came to that, Miles would have been able to land at least one hit, but he could not. This could only mean that Shinji’s wraith was not only using its physical prowess to surpass him. And it was with [Inevitable Inheritance] that Miles understood why and how.

Now, he only needed to add the final touch, in order to actually win.

’Gods, let it be a good one...’ He crossed his fingers as the [Ether Teapot] materialized itself from a whirlwind of colorful sparks. ’Let it be a good one...’

He felt the gentle coldness of the crystal teacup in his right hand, while the teapot itself felt comfortably warm in his left, as he poured the colored, fragrant liquid, and gulped it all at once.

The effect was almost immediate, and as the system’s voice echoed in his head, Miles felt both elated, euphoric and...

[Your wounds are healed]

[Your body is overflowing with vitality]

[All your current stats are doubled for the next 01 minute]

... Miles felt unstoppable.

***

Sarissa stepped forward, the weight of [Aria of the Lost] steady in her grip. The moment she agreed to help Miles, she had already committed herself to finishing this fight. And she would.

Shinji turned his gaze toward her, his ever-present smirk unfazed by the shift in battle. If anything, he seemed amused.

"Oh? Decided to get serious now?" He mused, lazily adjusting his stance.

Sarissa didn’t answer. Words were meaningless against someone like him. She had already wasted enough breath trying to understand his motives throughout her many regressions. Now, only action mattered.

The moment her foot left the ground, the battlefield ignited.

Flames erupted from her blade as she activated [Wonderland’s Inferno], boosting not only her destructive power, but also her speed as blood-red flames erupted from her soles, the raw heat distorting the air around her.

Shinji moved fast. Too fast for most players to track, but Sarissa had already fought him more times than she would have liked to, so she knew how he moved, how he baited his opponents, how he played with them until they made a fatal mistake. Even though this current Shinji in front of her felt... Different.

She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.

Her first strike came like a meteor, her sword crashing down in a vertical arc, fire trailing in its wake. Shinji barely sidestepped, but even with his speed, she noticed the slight twitch of his fingers. He had underestimated the sheer force behind her attack.

The ground cracked where her blade met stone, embers flickering in the wake of destruction.

"Not bad." Shinji’s voice was calm, but his katana was already mid-swing, aiming for her exposed side.

Sarissa twisted, barely parrying the blade before lunging forward. Their weapons clashed in a series of rapid strikes, sparks flying with each collision. He was faster, but she was stronger, and with each exchange, she pushed him further back, forcing him to actually put himself in the fight.

He chuckled.

"I have to admit, Sarissa, I never get tired of fighting you." He shifted his footing, flicking his wrist to send a precise thrust toward her throat. "Even our sparring sessions are so much fun."

She deflected it at the last second, feeling the sting of displaced air against her skin, but no words came from her mouth.

She wouldn’t let herself react to his taunts. Instead, she advanced.

Her blade moved like an extension of herself, deadly precise. She weaved her flames into each attack, creating unpredictable patterns that forced Shinji to retreat.

For the first time in their countless encounters across regressions, she could see it. His amusement was beginning to wane.

Gritting her teeth, she shifted her stance, gathering every ounce of power she had.

"This ends now!" She growled. But before she could finish her move, her blade already descending into a vertical arc aimed at slicing Shinji in half, she heard Miles’ voice echoing toward her.

"Sarissa, SWITCH!"