"That's the look! Come on, fight me! Only one of us is walking out of here alive!"
Not knowing Albedo well enough, the fake Albedo mistook his excitement for battle lust. Delighted, he charged straight at Albedo.
With a body like that, how could he possibly withstand my attacks? Seeing Albedo frozen in place, the fake Albedo rejoiced. He was full of confidence in his current form. If not for the overwhelming desire to replace Albedo, Durin's power might have already consumed him.
"Though I sometimes think Visions are useless, in situations like this, they become very useful."
Albedo slowly raised his hand. His Vision flashed, and a stone pillar erupted from the ground, slamming into the fake Albedo's stomach. Caught off guard, the fake Albedo let out a pained grunt as the pillar hit him.
Seizing the moment, Albedo hurled an alchemical potion into the fake Albedo's mouth. His sharp teeth shattered the vial, and the liquid slid down his throat.
"Cough! You bastard! What did you just give me?!"
"Relax, relax. It's just a little poison. Nothing to worry about."
"Oh, good, it's just poison. Wait... poison?!"
The fake Albedo dropped to his knees and tried to vomit, but no matter how hard he tried, the potion wouldn't come out. Albedo observed him with renewed interest. That potion was highly toxic. It seemed Durin's power had altered not just his appearance but also his internal structure. Even an artificial human would have been incapacitated by that poison. Only a dragon's stomach could digest it safely.
"Honestly, there's no need for us to fight like this. We could sit down, have some tea, and talk things over. Look, Su Bai's already brewed some tea. Why don't we sit down and have a chat?"
"Heh. Don't worry, once you're dead, I'll enjoy that fox's tea."
"I'm just drinking tea and watching the show—how did I get dragged into this?"
Su Bai took a sip of the hot tea. To be fair, aside from Sucrose's strange experiments, everything in Albedo's base was top quality. Being an alchemist must pay well.
"Xiao Bai, should I kill that strange man? I think he'll be a threat to you in the future."
Shenhe drew her polearm, Calamity Queller, ready to join the fight. Against an enemy requiring a head-on confrontation, the stone pedestal wasn't the best choice—it was too short and too hard, better suited for ambushes.
"Um, Sister Shenhe, let's wait and see. If Albedo really can't handle it, we can try talking some sense into him."
"Of course, if he still refuses to see reason, you can do whatever you want."
Su Bai explained his plan with a straight face. Shenhe nodded thoughtfully—though no one could tell what she was actually thinking. Lumine, for one, was just glad she was on good terms with Su Bai.
Seeing Su Bai's group ready to gang up on him, the fake Albedo felt a flicker of panic. He had observed their fighting skills. One-on-one, he might manage. But all of them at once? With his current state, he'd be pinned down in no time.
"Don't worry. At least until I fall, it'll still be just me and you. But since that poison didn't work on you, I suppose this antidote is useless."
With that, Albedo downed the antidote himself. Feeling the surge of power, an idea struck him. The fake Albedo, enraged by his nonchalance, charged forward, ready to send him to the next world.
Sensing no ill effects from the poison, the fake Albedo grinned and gathered power in his legs. With a burst of speed, he appeared behind Albedo in an instant.
Of course, this kind of movement was only possible thanks to Durin's enhancement. An ordinary person attempting the same would have shattered their legs.
"Die!"
The black sword swung toward Albedo's neck. Su Bai's talisman was already primed. But Albedo simply ducked, and the blade whistled past his head. The momentum made it impossible for the fake Albedo to adjust.
Before he could react, Albedo had already tossed another potion down his throat. The Sunsetia-flavored liquid burst across his tongue.
"What did you just give me this time? Another poison? This one tastes a lot better than the last."
"Even if it's poison, it doesn't matter. You know it won't work on me. My alchemy is—why... why does my stomach hurt so much..."
Before he could finish, the fake Albedo collapsed to his knees. The pain in his abdomen was unbearable. Albedo stood up calmly and said in a low voice:
"Did you really think the alchemy you used on yourself had no flaws? As an alchemist, you should never trust unknown knowledge."
"Bastard! What did you give me?!"
"Relax, brother. It's just a strong restoration potion. I originally created it to reverse Sucrose's experiments. Never thought I'd actually get to use it."
Albedo grabbed the fake Albedo's jaw and poured three more vials down his throat. Scales began falling off his body. His sharp teeth slowly reverted to human form. Even the massive wings shrank until they disappeared completely.
"Calm down now? Good. We can finally have a proper conversation."
"Of course, you're free to leave if you don't trust me. But if you do, I won't be able to help you with the hidden danger inside your body."
The fake Albedo slowly rose to his feet. For the first time since using the alchemy from that notebook, his body felt light and free.
"The hidden danger?"
"Yes. Whoever taught you that alchemy left a backdoor inside you. Once you fully integrated that alchemy into your body, both your body and mind could be controlled at will."