692 – Angel Mirror

I can break down Jornes’ counter strategy. It looks like I can push through with the difference in speed, even if that probably wouldn’t be an option if her stats were in the region of mine. It’s also incredibly helpful that not only is my attack power stronger than hers, but so is my magic, so each and every hit I land is dealing good damage. Even if I take a little a little [Ruin] damage in retaliation, I can force my way to a victory.

It’s the first time [Wormhole]-san has been useful since I acquired it. This is the fruit of my experience being smacked around by the origin matter as it wished. Although, if Jornes wasn’t a minmaxed opponent, it wouldn’t be a very practical strategy…

I see Jornes’ eyes light up ominously within the cloud of smoke. Suddenly, an intense pain runs through my body, as though my insides are being torn apart. Bile rises into my mouth as though forced up from an impact.

It’s her damage-sharing skill, [Empath]…! It’s seriously awful that I’m forced to receive an unavoidable attack, even after slipping through her counters to deal damage.

It’ll be difficult to deal with a [Ruin] shot here. I fall back and heal my outer injuries with [Autoregeneration] and [Dragon Mirror]. Considering the danger of being hit by a second [Empath] after this, I only recover my HP to about forty percent.

I got hit by heavier damage than I was expecting. Even if I deal damage, the damage I dealt is returned in equal measure. There’s no way for me to claim an absolute win in an exchange.

However, for me to have taken heavy damage with my considerable HP, Jornes must have received the same level of damage as well. I have the advantage when it comes to toughness. If I continue like this, I’ll be able to properly whittle away her MP!

Her [Empath] can’t inflict damage to a more damaged opponent. I have a rough sense of how it works after having now taken it multiple times. It probably treats the difference between maximum and current HP as the damage already received, and so if the user has lost more HP than their opponent, it inflicts that difference in HP as damage. Even though it can freely ravage my HP, it should be absolutely impossible for [Empath] to defeat me, since my maximum HP is higher than Jornes.

It’s a stupidly troublesome skill, but I’ve grasped how it works now. Since Jornes lacks speed, upon understanding her tactics and formulating a counterplan to crush it, I can reliably take the advantage. As an apocalypse, I am readily capable of that.

While avoiding her attacks, I’ll build up damage by timing my attacks so she can’t block them with her counter skills. As I’ll receive damage from [Empath] and be pressed to heal if the difference in HP opens up, I’ll need to time my healing and keep constant watch over Jornes’ HP and mine.

It’s certainly not something simple, but it’s not impossible by any means. I’ll definitely take her down…!

『…Ah?』

As the cloud of dust clears… Within it is a giant statue mimicking an apocalypse. It’s made of the same pale stone as the abaddon. Only the eyes alone are giving off an ominous red light.

There’s no way this is just a change in appearance. This is…

【Characteristic Skill [Angel Mirror]】
【A skill that bestows the form, attack power, and speed of a target that the user can see.】
【The MP consumption is determined by the change in stats.】

【In addition, the MP consumption of shape-changing skills is drastically lowered.】

A skill that bestows the attack power and speed of the target!? The abaddon’s other skills were all completely crooked already, but this is an outrageous skill leagues above even those.

The abaddon’s one weakness is its lack of attack power and speed. The game changes if it compensates for those. It’s already strong enough in magic attacks normally, so there’s no way it can be taken advantage of like this.

Though I’m sure it cost her a lot of MP, it’s way too crazy that she can steal stats without regard for the rank or level of the opponent. She’s already rife with counter-specialised skills, and yet even has backup for when those aren’t effective? It’s seriously my first time seeing such a troublesome opponent.

“GuoOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh!”

Jornes roars. Her stone wings flap almost as if they were living, and she floats upwards into the air.

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T-the MP consumption had to have been harsh! If I take distance and drag it out into a battle of attrition, she’ll quickly exhaust herself… Or rather, that’s the only gamble I can make!

I flip my body around and fly in the opposite direction from her.

“GuOOOOOOh!”

Jornes comes chasing after me in a straight line. As expected, there’s no hesitation in her actions. The MP consumption must be wearing on her. It seems that she’s planning on bringing me down with a swift attack, unlike how she’s fought up till now.

I had hoped her characteristic [Slow Body] skill would slow her down even as an apocalypse, but it doesn’t look like her speed has been cut in half at the moment. It’s a skill only ever possessed by monsters which clearly look like they should lack mobility, such as Beelzebub and the world treant. As long as the abaddon isn’t in its original form, the speed halving penalty of [Slow Body] probably doesn’t activate.

And worst of all… Jornes is presently faster than I am. It’s the difference brought about by the poison, curse, and paralysis. As the gap in stats was considerably large when I was fighting her in her abaddon form, the added difficulty they provided wasn’t such a big problem. However, with Jornes bringing the same stats to the table, I don’t have a way to gloss over the difference any more.

That shitty combo of [Doppel Pain] and [Empath] using poison wasn’t just something to drag out the fight and urge the opponent into rushing into a battle-ending counter. Once she changes strategy to using [Angel Mirror], she gains an advantage wrought from the difference in status conditions.

I can use [Autoregeneration] to just about abate the status conditions’ effect, but I can’t make an immediate full recovery. Jornes closes in quickly.

Think, Irushia! If there’s no downside besides the severe MP loss, she’ll have used [Angel Mirror] from the start to finish it with a quick attack. Since that didn’t happen, there ought to be some other flaw in it.

Then, a rainbow-coloured sphere floats up in front of me. She’s placing a [Ruin] in front of me to narrow my paths of escape…! That slime was using this tactic, too.

『[Mirror Counter]!』

I immediately put up a barrier of light between myself and the [Ruin], and then kick off it to quickly change direction. Rainbow light bursts behind me. Luckily my speed increases from riding the blast wave, but naturally it’s not enough to break off from the pursuing Jornes.

『Damn it!』　

I recklessly fling a [Dimension Claw] at Jornes. A scar opens up along her stone surface.

It looks like the damage got through, but she’s strangely resilient. Her movements haven’t stopped at all.

However, I understand now. When Jornes has [Angel Mirror] activated… She can’t use [Karma Mirror]. Rather, it’s probably more accurate to consider that [Karma Mirror] doesn’t activate when she isn’t in her abaddon form. When [Karma Mirror] activated, the surface of the mirror that it carried glowed with light. That mirror is probably necessary in order for her to be able to completely reflect physical attacks.

Indeed, it doesn’t seem like she has such absurd ability to be able to even equip herself with complete physical damage reflection while coming into a fistfight at high speed. The MP consumption of [Angel Mirror’s] transformation should be severe as well. What’s more, she’s discarded her biggest strength, [Karma Mirror]. It’s a ferocious skill, but it’s proof enough that Jornes is going all in on [Angel Mirror] with how she’s chasing after me.

As long as I can endure this, I’ll be able to take Jornes down.

Although, even if she doesn’t have her damage reflection ability, her HP and defence are both high. In addition, since she seems resilient, I can see myself immediately getting smacked in return if I’m unlucky when hitting her. And on top of those unfavourable terms, I’ll have damage pressed onto me with [Empath] even if I luck out and win in the exchange of blows.

But then even if I avoid close combat, [Mirror Counter] and the bullet rain of [Ruin] is waiting for me. This is honestly the most splendid of all nuisances.

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