Chapter 240: Doppelganger Ver.2
-Why is hyung coming out of there? Again
-That's Abrasax, the Otherworld God
-No it's not. The Otherworld God doesn't look like that
-Looks like a Dimensional Invader version of Hackphysical
"Yes. It's not Abrasax. Since it's based on Mr. Cheater, the appearance looks the same, but the skin color is different and it has horns, right?"
"That's right. Compared to that side, it feels like—somewhat of a downgrade."
Was it because the Otherworld God Abrasax was already active in a body modeled after Baek Woohyun's appearance?
Even at the appearance of the Doppelganger (Dimensional Invader Ver.), the reaction in the 'Nuclear Tourism' content studio was calm. There was a bit of a 'suddenly?' feeling, but that was about it.
Well, when such a grandiose existence as an Otherworld God was active with the same appearance as the player, there was no reason to be surprised by the addition of one Doppelganger.
Some viewers were joking that at this rate, various player Doppelgangers by version might appear as the story progressed.
Since an Otherworld God version and Dimensional Invader version had appeared, they said there was plenty of room for more. It was a claim that couldn't be denied since it had happened twice already.
If that really happened, it would likely receive negative reactions for being color play, so such a thing wouldn't occur.
"It seems like an opponent meant to show that the research facility has been completely consumed by the Otherworld, and that they're involved behind this terrorism."
"And while they're at it, since the Hunting Dog Fusion Monster isn't enough of a match, they're adjusting the difficulty too?"
"Yes. That's right."
-Hackphysical's only enemy is Hackphysical
-Fighting against myself (literally)
-So instead of simply raising specs, they're presenting a different type of enemy
-Not bad but hmm
At Chloe's explanation about the intention behind presenting the Doppelganger, Jeong Nayeon and Cha Seongcheol nodded. The viewers also agreed that it made sense.
There had been a Dimensional Invader who imitated Baek Woohyun's combat style quite a while ago, and as mentioned earlier, there was the matter of the Otherworld God Abrasax, so there was sufficient plausibility.
Moreover, from the perspective of the proxy war between Creator Isaac and AI Deus that they didn't know about, the Doppelganger was an existence that had to appear.
"Indeed, what kind of battle will the Dimensional Invader version Hackphysical show against the real Hackphysical!"
'ㅇㅇ' donated '1000 won'!
[Anyway, in real-time it's too fast so we won't even know what's happening lol?]
-For real lol
-Obviously it'll be 'huh' one-trick
-Huh (did he win?) Huh (I think he won?)
-Too faaast
"......"
"......"
Seeing the chats agreeing with the donation saying 'We won't even know what's happening anyway!', Cha Seongcheol, Jeong Nayeon, and Chloe glanced at each other and grinned. It was a smile that the time had finally come to use what they'd prepared.
They weren't as stupid as the viewers thought. It meant they recognized that being flustered with 'huh?' at Baek Woohyun's insane speed should only happen once or twice.
That kind of fun could only be felt the first few times, after all. Moreover, it was wasteful to bring in a pro league commentator and use them that way.
Therefore, they had already brought a method to respond to the super high-speed combat that Baek Woohyun mainly used.
"You say it'll obviously be 'huh' one-trick? Hehe. Aren't you underestimating us too much?"
"We've already~ prepared everything!"
"Oh! No worries NoNo!"
-What's with the overflowing confidence
-Lol fast response as expected from Hackpyeong lol
-I believed in you~ (didn't believe)
-Don't look down on Nuclear Tourism
***
""......"
Thud!
Baek Woohyun and the Dimensional Invader, who hadn't even exchanged words despite facing each other, kicked off the floor simultaneously without even a fraction of a second's error.
Since they had been watching each other with flashing eyes and probing for opportunities, they caught the same moment to begin combat like twins.
Behind them as they charged, the hotel floor's marble, unable to withstand their superhuman leg strength, shattered into pieces and flew up.
Kwang!
Before the stone fragments could even fall from the air, Baek Woohyun and the Dimensional Invader's fists collided!
Though it was clearly a clash of fists made of blood and flesh, the sound of metal chunks exploding rang out. The tremendous shockwave was a bonus.
Even that was torn apart as fists, elbows, shoulders, feet, knees, and more were consecutively hurled at each other. As if not allowing even a moment's carelessness.
""──!""
From the two people's melee came an explosive sound like bombs continuously detonating. Not sporadically kwang! kwang! but incessantly kwangkwangkwangkwang!
Surely no one could believe from the sound alone that this noise was generated by human-shaped beings fighting.
It would be hard to think that beings no more than 2 meters in size hitting each other would make sounds like the middle of a battlefield.
Moreover, the amazing fact was that in the midst of this, not a single attack from either side landed. Even while fighting this fiercely!
Watching it was rather artistic. Even twins perfectly synchronized couldn't do this. It would be natural even with a mirror between them.
Even well-choreographed performance routines would feel more unnatural than this.
Kwagwagwagwang!
Speed rising without knowing limits!
Even in the fierce battle where sounds mixed together, Baek Woohyun and the Dimensional Invader didn't retreat an inch. Because even this wasn't their limit.
Faster, stronger, sharper. That place they reached by trampling and breaking the lines drawn by ordinary people was their true battlefield.
After the 'warm-up' that astonished onlookers, the two beings' minds finally reached beyond. To the 'Stopped World' that made even the 'Slowed World' slow.
The realm shared only by the two beings was rather quiet because even sounds were finely torn. Even more so because they were completely focused on combat.
From now on, unless the flow they had wrapped around themselves was broken, no one could set foot inside.
Kwa─a─ang─!
=Physical abilities are completely identical=
Baek Woohyun's eyes narrowed. In his mind having entered the 'Stopped World' from the start, lightning-fast thoughts raced chaotically.
According to what he confirmed through combat, the Doppelganger's and his physical abilities were truly perfectly identical. To the level of copy-paste.
Just reviewing the developments so far made that fact abundantly clear.
Being able to perform completely identical movements every time meant that the force shared when bodies collided was also the same.
=If I use the Power of Transcendence─=
He expected it would surely be meaningless too.
The Otherworld God Abrasax-Deus couldn't be just sitting and watching. They would certainly mobilize anything to balance the collapsed power equilibrium.
There were plenty of justifications to attach. Like receiving supply of Otherworld power, or going berserk prepared for self-destruction since it's a disposable consumable anyway, and so on.
Moreover, while the Power of Transcendence was certainly the key to advancing to the realm Baek Woohyun remembered, it was still faint for now.
It could become the weight that tilts an evenly matched fight, but conversely, there was also the possibility it would only create unnecessary trouble.
Therefore, what needed to be done now wasn't raising the weight class.
=I need better technique=
Baek Woohyun's pupils, having reached a conclusion, blazed pure white.
Like a brilliantly shining sun wrapped in pitch-black darkness around it.
Kwa─a─ang─!
=It's not particularly difficult=
The reason Baek Woohyun only attacked fast and strong enough that opponents couldn't react was simply because it was the most efficient method.
Most enemies met in 'Reverse Planet' were merely weaklings who could be lightly swept away with 'just' that much.
Since martial arts are techniques created to achieve victory against equals or stronger opponents, there's no reason to deploy them against those who aren't.
Of course, the skill of perfectly controlling overwhelming power and speed was also a realm that ordinary people couldn't even dare to imitate.
But strictly speaking, that was merely a method of using the body. It didn't reach the next stage—how to defeat enemies based on powerful physical abilities.
Therefore, the martial arts Baek Woohyun now deployed were the first martial arts he deployed in 'Reverse Planet'.
──.
The Doppelganger's thrust fist bent inside Baek Woohyun's opened palm. Very smoothly without any noise. As if the fierce collisions until now felt like lies.
Even at the feeling of grasping at air toward an insubstantial target, the Doppelganger was unfazed. Since it was a being born from the Otherworld God's need from the start, it didn't have unnecessary emotions like confusion.
Therefore, the Doppelganger's next action was still the same. Meaning it faithfully reproduced the action that the previous Baek Woohyun would have taken in this situation.
Kwa─deuk─!
Stomping strongly to support the body, forcibly reversing the deflected fist to deliver an elbow strike!
This was force exerted based on superior physical ability, but it was also the most effective use of the 'Superhuman' build based on [Perfect Being].
By putting forward advantages that couldn't be dared challenged, it crushed minor disadvantages, so ordinary people were only overwhelmed before it.
......That is, if they were 'ordinary people'.
──.
The elbow that should have contained tremendous power stopped the moment it touched Baek Woohyun's palm, unable to cause any aftermath.
It would have left more echo if the attack had been hurled toward a soft cushion instead.
Would it make sense if it seemed not made of blood and flesh in the opposite meaning from before?
How much must it have been for even the Doppelganger without unnecessary emotions to fail to continue to the next action immediately?
Precisely, it was closer to the combat AI:Baek Woohyun engraved in the Doppelganger malfunctioning before an incomprehensible phenomenon, but in any case.
Since the Doppelganger's thought circuits ultimately originated from that, strictly speaking, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the Doppelganger was flustered.
=Good=
Baek Woohyun's martial arts didn't stop there.
Since martial arts aim to protect oneself while simultaneously defeating the opponent.
After receiving the opponent's attack and severing the flow, one had to pummel the opponent through the created opportunity.
Using techniques that even someone with identical physical abilities couldn't block.
Kwa─ang─!
=···!=
Just like this.
***
"Haha! How is it! Didn't I tell you we were all prepared!"
-You have a plan for everything?
-They really prepared all this
-Bad words like 'they have to do at least this much since Hackphysical does everything' are ㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴㄴ
-? There are no such words though
Cha Seongcheol laughed heartily, proudly pointing at the hologram video playing at low speed as if filmed with a high-speed camera.
Baek Woohyun and the Doppelganger, who would normally move at speeds that couldn't be properly distinguished, now clearly showed where and how they threw their punches.
It meant that two beings with completely identical faces performing the same movements at exactly the same moments were revealed to everyone.
Even Cha Seongcheol, who had been thinking things like 'Ah, this cool and heavy sensation. It's been a while. It's time to return to commentator Cha Seongcheol!', had his gaze stolen.
Who wouldn't? When a scene closer to acrobatics than fighting was unfolding this perfectly before their eyes.
-Kwa─ang─!
-What in the world...
-Two Hackphysicals ㄷㄷ
-Are they really going crazy lol
-Seeing this, the build peak just doesn't make sense