Chapter 6: The Illusion of Strength
The sun had begun to set, but the field remained bathed in unnatural golden light — a product of the Hero Association's barrier system. The second phase of the Chip Test had already eliminated more than half of the participants. The remaining hundred stood at the edge of exhaustion.
The shadows of the trees stretched long and thin, as though reaching for something far beyond the battlefield.
Sohan sat quietly near a collapsed pillar, his katana resting across his lap. His eyes weren't focused on the others, nor on the field.
They were lost in the echo of that voice from earlier —
> "Your brother is no longer your brother…"
That phrase burned into his mind.
---
"You're zoning out again," said Nose as he sat beside him, tossing a rock lazily in the air.
"Whatever that guy said — don't let it mess you up."
Sohan looked over. "He knew everything. About me. About… my brother. Why?"
Nose shrugged. "There's something weird going on, yeah. But now's not the time to dig into ghosts. We're still in the test."
Lamia approached with a small bottle of electrolyte water, silently handing it to Sohan. Her eyes, sharp as always, scanned the surroundings.
> "This isn't over yet. Look up."
---
The moment Sohan turned his gaze upward, the announcement boomed across the field.
> "Phase Two of the Chip Test has concluded. Remaining participants: 102."
A pause. Then another voice, deeper and unfamiliar.
> "Initiating… Phase Three: Illusion Hunt."
Sohan stood immediately.
"What's an Illusion Hunt?" Isha asked, walking over with her hands glowing faintly — she'd been healing minor wounds of nearby participants.
Before anyone could answer, the ground shifted beneath their feet.
---
The world around them — trees, grass, sky — everything twisted.
In a flash of blinding white light, the forest vanished.
Sohan blinked.
He was no longer in the test field.
---
He stood in the middle of a ruined city. Buildings charred black, ashes falling like snow, the air thick with the stench of destruction. There was no wind, no light — only crimson clouds swirling in the sky.
"What… is this?"
He turned around, but his friends were gone.
He was completely alone.
> "This is the Illusion Hunt," a mechanical voice echoed in the sky,
"You will face the one fear that holds your soul captive."
---
Sohan felt the chill run down his spine.
Suddenly — from the smoke ahead — a figure emerged.
A boy, about his age. Torn clothes, wild black hair. But his face — it was almost exactly like Sohan's own.
Except for the eyes.
Those glowing red eyes.
> "You know me, don't you?" the figure said.
"I'm the you... that failed."
Sohan took a step back.
"Failed?"
"Yes. The you that couldn't protect your family. That ran. That cried. That let your brother disappear."
---
Sohan's breath caught in his throat.
"No... that's not who I am anymore."
"Really?" The illusion-smile stretched unnaturally wide.
"Then prove it."
He raised a black katana — identical to Sohan's — and charged.
---
Sohan braced himself. He focused, drawing on the breath of the storm.
> "Breath of Lightning: Second Form — Flash Cut!"
Their blades collided. Sparks flew.
But this illusion — this mirror version — it wasn't just copying his face. It was copying every move.
Each slash, each breath — mirrored perfectly.
Sohan jumped back, panting. His chest hurt — not from the battle — but from the pressure in his heart.
How do you fight someone who is you?
---
Elsewhere, in another illusion — Isha found herself in the middle of a burning hospital, screams ringing in her ears.
Lamia was back in her childhood room, tied by strands of her own hair, watching her past self cry helplessly.
Nose stood before the broken statue of his mentor, his hands trembling.
The Illusion Hunt wasn't just a test of strength.
It was war against the self.
---
Back in the ruined city, Sohan stared down his doppelgänger.
> "You'll never be strong enough," it said,
"because you still hesitate."
Sohan lowered his blade.
For a moment — silence.
Then, he whispered,
"No."
> "I was weak. I did fail. But that's why I'll never stop pushing forward."
He raised his katana again. This time, it sparked with all four elements — fire, lightning, wind, and water.
> "Nature Blade Art — Elemental Harmony Slash!"
He sliced forward — the illusion stepped in — and shattered.
The world around him cracked like glass.
---
In a flash, he returned to the real world.
He was on the test field again. The sky was normal. The trees were still.
Isha, Lamia, and Nose appeared beside him, each dazed — but alive.
They had all won.
They had conquered themselves.
---
A loud chime rang across the field.
> "Phase Three Complete. Participants remaining: 70."
Sohan looked at his friends.
They didn't say anything.
They didn't need to.
Because in that moment, every one of them had seen the truth —
their fears, their guilt, their pasts.
And they had survived.
---
[Chapter 6 End]
> Next Time:
As the final trial of the Chip Test approaches — a brutal one-on-one battle round — the heroes are pitted against each other. Rivals will emerge. Friendships will be tested. And in the shadows... someone watches, smiling.
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