I Killed the Hero and Took His Achievements-Chapter 30: Imposter Syndrome (With High Explosives)
[Location: Oaklan Capital City - The Red Light District]
[Time: Midnight]
[Status: Hunting.]
The city was exceedingly booming. Since the "Treaty," Interstellar Species’ technology had started seeping down. Neon signs replaced light torches. Hover-carts replaced horses.1
I walked through the rain. I wore a trench coat that was enchanted for stealth and a fedora hat that enchanted for style.
Ahri walked beside me gracefully, disguised as a human in a red apparel.
"Master," she whispered into her comms. "Why are we here? This is a slum."
"Because Shapeshifters don’t live in palaces," I said. "They hide in the cracks."
The Doppelgangers. Bio-engineered assassins sent by the Technocracy (Interstellar Species’ Faction). They could copy anyone. A beggar, a merchant and even your mother.
They were killing my key personnel. Yesterday, my Head Alchemist was found lifeless. His replacement was a Doppelganger who tried to poison the entire city’s water supply. I caught him in the end. Or rather, I fed him to Glacies.
"My scanners are picking up a signal," Sparky radioed in. "Generic bio-signature matching the profile. The Midnight Club."
"Got it."
We approached the club. Thudding bass music and flashing lights. The aim was a massive Orc with a ’cybernetic’ eye.
"Membership only," he grunted.
I flashed my Black Gold Card.
"I’m buying the club," I said.
The Orc blinked his eyes. "Uh... okay boss. Go right in."
————————————————————
[Inside the Midnight Club]
It was cramped. Humans, Elves, Dwarves and all sorts of being were dancing, drinking and forgetting that an Interstellar Species fleet was parked in the Planet’s orbit.
"How do we find it?" Ahri asked while searching the crowd. "It could be anyone."
"Doppelgangers have a defect," I said. "They duplicate the body, but they struggle with Soul Resonance."
I activated my Void Eyes. The world turned grey. Every person had a glowing aura.
Red = Angry.
Blue = Sad.
Pink = ...Horny. (Well to be honest, there’s a lot of pink in here).
But an aura was missing. A vacant spot. A hole in the masses. Sitting in the VIP booth. A handsome Elf noble surrounded by beautiful ladies.
[Target Identified: Subject T-69.]
[Type: Skin-Walker.]
[Level: 60 (Assassin).]
"Bingo," I said happily.
"Ahri. Block the exits."
"On it."
I walked toward the booth. Subject T-69 saw me coming to him. He then smiled.
"Emperor Cain," the Elf said smoothly. "To what do I owe the honor? Want a drink?"
"I want your skin," I said.
The Elf laughed lustfully. "Kinky."
"Drop the act, T-69. You’re bleeding odd patterns."
The Elf’s smile instantly vanished. His face contorted ugly, it melted like wax. "Clever monkey," his voice changed, becoming more metallic. "The Technocracy sends its highest regards." He lunged toward me. His arm turned into a terrifying bio-blade. SWISH. He aimed for my throat.
I didn’t dodge. [Skill: Ironclad (Adamantite Enhanced).] My skin turned black. The blade hit my neck. CLANG. It shattered completely.
"My turn," I said heinously. I grabbed his contorted ugly face.
[Skill: Liquidate.]
"Let’s see what you’re originated of."
FLASH.
The Shapeshifter screamed. His disguise completely dissolved. He turned into a grey faceless humanoid. T-69 kicked me away. He leaped onto the ceiling, clinging like a spider. "You cannot kill us all!" T-69 screeched. "We are legion! We have already replaced your Inner Circle!"
"Inner Circle?"
"Your General? Your Saintess? Your Princess? Are you sure they are real?"
Psychological warfare. Nice try.
I drew my X-99 Handgun (A pistol version of the sniper rifle). "I trust my team," I said. "Because I own their souls."
I fired.
BANG.
SPLAT.
It hit his chest.
He destabilized, then exploded.
[Target Eliminated Successfully.]
I stood there, looking at the chaos.
"Master?" Ahri ran up. "Did you get him dead?"
"Yeah, I got him dead."
But his words lingered in his brain. We have already replaced your Inner Circle.
I looked at Ahri. She looked uneasy. Her tails were trembling restlessly. Was she real? I activated Void Eyes. I saw her aura. Bright orange (Loyalty/Hunger). She was real. What about the others?
————————————————————
[Oaklan Royal Palace - The Throne Room]
I bombarded in.
"Lockdown the place!" I ordered strictly. "Nobody leaves from here!"
Sylvia, Seraphina, and Varic were in a conference meeting. They looked up, alarmed.
"Boss? What’s wrong?" Seraphina asked.
"Everyone. Against the wall."
"Is this a joke?" Varic asked anxiously.
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
I walked down the line. I scanned Varic. Real. I scanned Seraphina. Real. Then I stopped at Sylvia. She looked at me. Her eyes were distant. "Master? Why are you pointing a gun at me?" My Void Eyes scanned her. Her aura was... flickering. Blue (Sadness) mixed with... Static? "What is the first rule of Avarice Guild?"
"Profit above all," she recited perfectly.
"And what did we do in the Dungeon of Agony?"
"We cruised on a barrel."
Also correct.
But something was off. The micro-expressions. When she was nervous, she touched her necklace but this time, Sylvia was perfectly still.
I lowered the gun. "My apologies," I said. "Just checking."
I turned away. Then, I quickly spun around.
[Skill: Shadow Step.] I appeared behind her. I attacked her all of a sudden. Sylvia shrieked. Her face separated open and her mouth mandibles burst out. "How did you know?!" The Thing hissed, discard Sylvia’s skin like a snake. "Sylvia hates that dress," I said frankly. "She told me yesterday that it makes her hips look big." The Thing lunged.
[Boss: The Infiltrator Prime]
[Level: 65]
It was fast. Faster than the others. It had Sylvia’s ice magic.
[Skill: Glacial Spikes.]
Ice shards flew at me. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
"Seraphina! Barrier!"
I parried the ice.
"Ahri! Burn it!"
Ahri unleashed a firestorm. The Fake Sylvia squealed as the fire touched its body. It revealed a metal skeleton beneath.
"Where is she?!" I roared, pinning the robot to the wall.
The robot laughed. A distorted, digital sound. "She is... being processed. The Technocracy... requires a specimen... of the Ice Bloodline. They took her... to the Moon."
"How?" Seraphina asked. "The Planetary Shield blocks all ships!"
"They didn’t use a ship," I realized, looking at the advanced tech in the room. "They used a Quantum Tether. They beamed her biomass directly through the grid. It only works on organic matter, not metal ships. Think of it like a targeted transportation maybe like hero summoning. Same settings. That’s why the Fleet is still waiting patiently outside. They can’t fly in, but they can definitely fish us out."
BOOM.
I crushed the robot’s head angrily.
Silence.
"The Moon?" Seraphina muttered. "They kidnapped Sylvia to the Moon Base?"
I looked up at the night sky madly. Through the window, the moon hung full and bright. I clenched my fist enraged. "They took my property," I seethed. "They took my Mage." I turned to the team. "Sparky!" I screech.
"Y-Yeah Boss?"
"Is the ship space-worthy?"
"Yeah! But we don’t have a long life support for long trip!"
I walked to the balcony.
"We aren’t ’just’ building a space conveyor anymore."
"We’re going directly to the Moon."
"I’m going to bring the whole damn sky down to their heads."
It looked like Cyberpunk met Game of Thrones.
