Who Is That Man In The Mirror // Kirito vs Himself Day4

Kirito 2.0 had been released near a scrap heap, a singular mission assigned to its programming: abolish the duplicate. Smoke surrounded its fleshy outer shell, coating the atmosphere in a layer of mystery. The grip on its switchblade was infinitely powerful. A vest clung to its torso, utterly useless in any respect other than decoration. Its expression was vacant, yet its eyes could imitate the appearance of wonder as it scanned the perimeter for any signs of life. There was a deep crater in the ground, but nothing stirred inside. It must’ve been an imprint of the past, something that once lived and perished like all of Earth’s life.

Moments later, it located the target lifeform. A mirror image of Kirito 2.0 approached with a laugh. It registered the utterance as a noise of delight, and curled its lips into a smile.

The tribute lunged and Kirito 2.0’s reflex programming glitched. It watched the blade plunge into its abdomen with a blank expression. Blood leaked from the edges and dribbled down false flesh.

”Ouch.” It said.

[attacks Kirito – switchblade]
CQbRNTq5knife
Shallow Cut on Stomach -- 4.0 damage

Kirito 2.0 felt the blade slide out of itsflesh like a release of pressure. An advantage to its mechanical nervous system was the capability of reacting to signals of touch and movement, yet the significant lack of nerve endings to absorb the sensation of pain. The blood leaking from its core registered as a sign of injury and discomfort, but Kirito 2.0 was not truly capable of being hindered by it. In that sense, it considered itself the superior copy.

The moment the tribute stepped away, Kirito 2.0 lashed out, movements fluid and natural. It was as human as could be, and scraped its target across the abdomen. It narrowed its eyes when blood didn’t shed. Ah, yes, the tribute sported an armored vest, and unlike its own this one was not for decoration. A switchblade was useless against such material.

Kirito 2.0 stepped back and tilted its head to the side. It was very capable of comprehending complete sentences and concepts, even the most abstract. ”Ya callin’ yourself a weak piece of shit?” It asked, voice raised to a high pitch of curiosity. The Eleven accent was another detail added to its program. A replica was not a replica without the subtle details.

The target’s purposeful diversion didn’t compute, and Kirito 2.0 suffered another injury to its body. It reacted only with silence, and veered to counter the attack with another flick of its switchblade.

[attacks Kiri – switchblade]
0wZQ7ZC2knife
Stabbed in Hand -- 8.0 damage

Basic battle tactics had been uploaded into its program before the final test run. Movements by memory drove Kirito 2.0 into aiming for an unexpected weak point – the tribute’s hand. Its blade punctured skin, muscle, and perhaps bone, and blood dripped into the wasteland’s dying soil. Kirito 2.0 didn’t know hesitation, and yanked its blade away a second after. The tribute didn’t display the usual reaction of vocalized pain, prompting the copy to tilt its head again. It noted this reaction as peculiar and stored it in its memory.

The tribute was assigned the adjective “tough.” An admirable trait.

Kirito 2.0’s outer layer was sleek with moisture, most likely a mixture of fog and sweat. Like humans, it contained certain bodily fluids. Blood and sweat were only two of them. It could feel heat, but didn’t tire. As the tribute moved to attack, it danced away and sustained a shallow slash to the hip. The damage was neither permanent nor significant. As it raised its switchblade again, its memory reminded it of the tribute’s silence. Kirito 2.0 had expected a response to its words. Perhaps that had been a diversion after all. Monkey see, monkey do.

”Why so quiet?”

It lunged.

[attacks Kiri – switchblade]
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Severed Left Ear -- 8.0 damage

Kirito 2.0 did not need both ears for optimal auditory reception. It had specified censors hidden away due to the design requiring only one ear to complete the identical replica. It had realized the disadvantage of the tribute’s missing ear upon sight, and now decided to use that to its advantage. It swung its arm at the perfect angle and sliced the organ clean off. Kirito 2.0 knew this wouldn’t deafen the tribute, but it would hinder his ability to ear and risk infection. Of course, the mission was not to eliminate the target slowly, so there was no reason to consider infection as a possibility.

It was supposed to destroy him today.

[attacks Kiri – switchblade]
jtEz0FGnknife
Shallow Cut on Right Forearm -- 3.5 damage