Perfect Avatar
Chapter 166: Conclusion: A trial of two Doras (4)

Chapter 166: Conclusion: A trial of two Doras (4)

Dora managed to break free from the grasp of Candace, leaving her utterly astonished

"What’s wrong with you all of a sudden? We’re abnormal? We’re the problem? Are you crazy?"

"Dora please, cal-"

"No, we don’t listen to your nonsense anymore, what is that? You taught us that we had to kill, to become loved, YOU taught us that we had to ignore everyone’s insults, because you were there for us, we did everything to please you, everything to make you happier, so how dare you call it a mistake? What were we fighting for?!"

Once more, the dean firmly grasped his arms, her face contorted with a pleading expression.

"We were wrong, we thought this was the only solution to deal with the Twilight of the Gods, but I realized my mistake too late! That’s why I want to erase your memory and start again!"

"As if we would agree to something like that!"

In a sudden burst of energy, Candace was propelled through the air, narrowly escaping a dangerous fall thanks to Iris’ quick reflexes. Their anger was directed towards the boy, but they were taken aback by his shocked expression and his outstretched hand aimed at the dean.

To his dismay, the imposter Dora stood as a barrier between them.

"Is that it? Are you going to attack them now that they’ve rejected you? Your little lawsuit doesn’t mean anything now?"

"QUIET!"

The sound of his scream reverberated across the entire city, drowning out even the sound of the darkest day. His trembling hands and flushed face betrayed his intense frustration as he gazed at their fearful faces, letting out a nervous chuckle.

"No, we... we’re not going to do anything to you, stop looking at us like that. We... we just need to be the Dora you knew, right? Look at us, look at everything that we did, not by killing, but in memory. Every death brings us closer to the real Dora, the Dora you all love, the Dora who wants to protect you. Maybe the means was a lie, but the result is there! The Twilight of the Gods, the future, we are so close! If you could give us just one person who knew us all, we wouldn’t even need to kill anymore!... Please..."

Their expressions filled with worry, they shared a fleeting glance, deliberately keeping their distance from him. Restlessly, he cast an anxious gaze at each individual before eventually pausing in front of Freya.

"You, the bossy lady, we felt a strong connection between you and us, but you have been horribly distant so we think you never managed to explore that relationship."

"What?!"

"What if we gave you the story you wanted?"

With a simple snap of his fingers, they disappeared in a flash, leaving no trace behind. When Freya’s eyes fluttered open, she found herself in awe of the astonishing sight before her

A corridor on a cloudy day. The corridor was a visual masterpiece, with magnificent flowers blooming in every corner, accompanied by the enchanting presence of exotic birds.

Every inch of the walls was adorned with intricate decorations, showcasing the unmistakable traits of Saint Nova.

"What an angelic design, great taste!" Dora appeared next to her.

She jumped in surprise and took a few steps back.

"Hm? Wait, we told you we wouldn’t hurt you, we just want to remember... Oh, look!"

He pointed his finger to a scene farther away.

In the distance, a past scene occurred, the first talk between Dora and Freya.

They watched the scene with the exact pattern as it happened.

The past Dora rejected Freya and concealed his true identity before parting ways. The Sin, his eyes gleaming, grinned at the chance he couldn’t resist.

"Well, we see what happened here. The old Dora made a fool of you, humiliating you and your honorable proposition. Let’s replace him with us."

He snapped his finger and the change operated.

In front of them, Dora, as a Sin, accepted Freya’s proposition and became her knight.

The announcement shocked everyone and both quickly became a perfect duo.

Like a beast and a dominatrix, they stepped upon everyone, crushing effortlessly numerous jealous students.

They climbed the ladders and sat on the top of the world, as Freya allowed Dora to behave as he pleased, he reacted by respecting her principles, and soon, their relationship evolved into something more romantic.

"Wait, stop!" The girl interrupted.

"Why? We’re getting to the best part, don’t you want to see our romance?"

"You... you actually chose the scenario of your illusions to fit your narrative, don’t you?"

"Fit?"

"I refuse to believe you would be threatened and not kill someone!"

"This is how we would react based on the instruction to not kill, this is a realistic outcome!"

She grabbed the collar of her bathrobe embarrassed.

"And the romance part?"

"Realistic..."

"You don’t know how was our relationship."

"... Yeah, because you refuse to let us know."

He snapped his fingers again, both of them returning to the previous landscape with everyone else.

He turned to Iris and carried out the same experiment.

This time, he and Iris appeared at the entrance test of his evaluation. They witnessed a tragic moment from the past when Dora was pummeled by a goblin golem, causing the Sin to recoil in revulsion.

"Horror, let’s change that to something less painful on the eyes."

He clapped his hands and as expected, the next scene showed him summoning a tornado, taking the form of a fabulous golem with many heads and the body of a dragon: a hydra.

Iris was stunned, as much as her euphoric alter ego.

The illusion destroyed the golem effortlessly and was cheered by the spectators.

He was assigned to Iris and they both lead a fabulous life, challenging each other to the point of forgetting their school life.

They complemented each other, a perfect duo of rivals and best friends, and over time they drifted toward something more romantic.

The strongest duo, the strongest couple, but then again, Iris shook her head and held her head.

"No-no-no! It’s not true... It’s not true, it can’t be true!"

"... Is it really a shame to be with us?"

"What? No! That’s not what I meant... It’s just... It doesn’t seem... I don’t know..."

She held her arm, looking anxiously at the illusion of her and Dora facing the sunset in a beach.

"That seems too theatrical... I feel like you’re tricking me just to get my approval."

Dora let out a frustrated groan as he scratched his chin.

"This is a scenario based on our memories of you, this is what we were doing in our last memories, why is there a problem now?"

The girl tried to explain but before she could form a sentence, Dora snapped his fingers again and sent them back at the others.

"You people, why are you so against us? What’s the matter with the illusion this time? We didn’t kill anyone!"

As he crossed his hands, he looked more and more like a child about to throw a tantrum, which seemed to particularly sadden Candace.

"Because you’re not the one they want to see. They want the Avatar of Greed, not the Sin of Greed, simple as that." The fake Dora replied in a whisper.

"Stay out of this! We just need to get our memory back and the problem will be solved. So emo girl, let’s go!"

Mercy flinched but without even being able to speak, she disappeared after another snap.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the hospital they had been at before.

Dora tilted his head, intrigued.

"Well... We didn’t expect to come back here but... apparently, this is your most powerful memory of old Dora so... it should do it."

As she shifted her gaze towards him, she gradually retreated, causing the boy to feel a surge of panic.

"Wait! This time we won’t do anything, we’ll let you decide for yourself!"

"Decide what?"

"Look, we felt like you had a very special connection to us, you were very important, so we had a better idea: you decide what kind of Dora YOU want to have and we’ll give it to you!"

The girl’s eyes grew wide with astonishment. She gazed at him with a mix of bewilderment and a hint of irritation.

"... The heck?"

"Yes, think about it this way. You want to see Dora but when you think about it, is this the best solution? Was the previous Dora that close to you?"

"... Dora was very close to me, very." She said, her eyes turning fierce.

"Closer than Zuri? Closer than the green-haired girl?"

The girl showed a shocked look.

"We heard from our benefactor that these people were closest to him, do you think you really had a chance? Maybe you were close to him, but was he close to you? Maybe you weren’t who you thought you were to him?"

Mercy remained silent, her arms hanging limply by her sides as she gazed at him. The Sin, perplexed by the unreadable look on the young girl’s face, clapped his hands.

"Maybe he didn’t really care about you? But what if we could give you a Dora made just for you? A Dora who would love you, a Dora who only has you in mind... Yes, we feel it... you had a very special affection for him, we can read your soul like an open book. How did you see him? A good friend? A confidant? A brother? Or can -be something more intimate?"

"Stop."

"Have you ever thought about that? We noticed how you kept your eyes on us, we can feel every beat of your heart, your breathing quickening... You liked him, didn’t you?"

"I told ya to stop!"

She took a step forward, but as her face got closer to him, his cynical smile pulled her back a few steps.

"Stop? Please, your words and your actions are like days and nights. You contemplate it, you feel it in your soul... deep down, you know that you have no chance against them, you know Dora won’t come back, but the Dora we can give you will be the perfect copy of the Dora you love, and what’s more, he will thirst for you.

"Will you just shut up?!"

"Why? Carnal desire is only a matter of frequency, even that we can control. The bigger the taboo, the tastier it is, it’s the magnificence of human nature. A Dora who would be dominated? A Dora who would pin you to the wall? A Dor..."

"YOU ARE NOTHING LIKE DORA!!!!!"

Her voice echoed off the walls.

With her eyes closed, her whole body was trembling. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes and, to her surprise, she returned to the previous landscape with everyone else.

Everyone looked at her with concern, making her understand that they heard her scream.

Slightly embarrassed, she scratched her head, but a shadow in front of them forced her back into line.

"Yeah, we’re not Dora... yet. But we know for sure now that you all really loved him, so we know you want to see him again."

His hand extended towards them, a stern expression etched on his face.

"Give us one person who knows us all, and you’ll get this Dora back. Dora exists, but he needs to remember who he was, so give him to us now."

The place was engulfed in a profound silence, weighing heavily on the atmosphere. This eerie stillness served as a stark reminder of the true essence of the creature standing before them. However, the onlookers vehemently rejected this notion, refusing to acknowledge the undeniable truth.

"...You are crazy," murmured Mercy.

"So was Dora. Now choose, the trial ends here. Will you help Dora as he helped you? Will you give him the person?"

They stood together, fists clenched facing the beast demanding a sacrifice.

The fake Dora narrowed his eyes.

"You... So this is what you had planned... all along."

They stared at him, trying to decipher his thoughts, until a person calmly passed by them, diverting their focus towards himself and unveiling the reaction from the fake’s Dora.

"So... in clear... You want me as a sacrifice, right?" Hope stopped before him.