(I’ve powered up. My hair isn’t standing on end, and I still have my eyebrows, but I’ve become a true transcendent being. Although I’m not in my final form just yet. To reach that, my Supernatural Powers must hit Level 10. Still, even this incomplete power-up is more than enough for now. My hope for the complete form? Rare red hair.) (Lanpeach)

Ten times the original stats, plus the status boosts he received from acquiring new skills. His current status is on a whole different level. It’s as if the game shifted from a game of defeating a dragon to becoming a final fantasy game.

———

Lanpeach Kouza

Experience Points: 19,500
HP: 168→960
PP: 236→1180
Endurance: 84→480
Strength: 84 (+40)→480(+480)
Dexterity: 108→600
Agility: 88→500
Mind: 1366→6830
Psy: 118→590

Inherent Skills: Minor Villain Level 10, Extraterrestrial Level 5, Transcendental Level 5→10

Skills:

Physical Combat Level 7→10, Gunmanship Level 6
Supernatural Powers Level 7
Presence Detection Level 5, Concentration Level 5, Perception Level 1
Physical Enhancement Level 5, Masquerade Level 2
Alchemy Level 1, Dismantle Level 1
Base Defense Knowledge Level 7, Machine Operation Level 2, Electronic Manipulation Level 5

———

In addition to all this, the status boosts from Psychic Body and Divine Spirit Fusion multiply everything exponentially, sending his stats into uncharted territory.

Even as the sudden power-up left Botis stunned and momentarily fearful, her battle instincts quickly reasserted themselves, and she returned to a composed state.

“…I see. You’ve been hiding your power. Or perhaps that power isn’t something you can easily access?” (Botis)

Botis studied Lanpeach’s expression, trying to ascertain his true abilities. She silently hoped it was the latter. Her reasoning was sound: Lanpeach seemed cautious enough to conceal his power unless he deemed it absolutely necessary.

Of course, she could have never guessed that Lanpeach had casually obtained new skills and powered up as if using a cheat code. But such was Lanpeach Kouza, the minor villain who powered up like a protagonist exploiting a game-breaking glitch. There’s no doubt anyone would call him a crook if they knew about that cheat.

“Well, let’s just say I’ve been reminded to never let my guard down. Now then, will you surrender?” (Lanpeach)

Dodging the question with a half-truth and a sly grin, Lanpeach watched as Botis returned a graceful smile.

“Of course not. My answer remains the same: I’ll kill you. Did you truly think that a demon sprouting horns is all it takes to reveal their true form?” (Botis)

Botis regained her composure and began to exert her power.

Her body swelled, scales like those of a lizard erupted across her skin, and sharp claws extended from her fingers. Her face elongated into a serpentine visage, complete with a forked tongue that flicked out to lick her lips. Her former beauty was obliterated, replaced by a grotesque and menacing form. Her dress morphed into something akin to leather armor, radiating a sinister aura.

“This is my true, complete form. Becoming this hideous is humiliating, but I’ve transformed solely to kill you. You should feel honored.” (Botis)

The demonic Botis laughed wickedly. It was clear she possessed a demon’s body all along.

[Her inner power far surpasses anything we’ve seen before, Soldier.] (Libra)

[Well, I figured. Level 10 stats tend to skyrocket. But even so…she still won’t surpass me.] (Lanpeach)

Excitement coursing through him, Lanpeach shifted into a combat stance, prepared to face Botis in her true form.

“Let’s showcase our powers, shall we?” (Lanpeach)

“Witness the might of a demon and prepare to die!” (Botis)

Botis’s previously melodic voice had turned gravelly and menacing. She bared her fangs, hissing as she lunged forward.

“Ha!”

“Take this!”

Lanpeach vanished, leaving only a faint gust of wind as evidence he had moved. He reappeared directly in front of Botis, his fist already swinging toward her. But Botis had foreseen the attack and countered with a punch of her own.

Their fists collided, unleashing a shockwave that sent their hair rippling. The destructive force of their blows far exceeded what any mortal could produce, shattering the ground beneath them and kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Uoooh!”

“You inferior creature!”

Neither yielded, trading blow after blow at incredible speeds, their movements leaving afterimages behind. The relentless shockwaves reshaped the battlefield, uprooting trees and tearing apart the terrain.

But what seemed like an evenly matched clash quickly tipped…in Lanpeach’s favor.

“Kyaa! Hngh, d-damn it!” (Botis)

Botis recoiled, purple blood oozing from her supposedly invulnerable arm. Her flesh swelled from the impact, her pain evident.

Meanwhile, Lanpeach’s arms remained unscathed, highlighting the vast disparity in their power.

“Curses. I can’t match you in physical strength. However…!” (Botis)

Botis abandoned the direct exchange of blows and shifted her approach, deflecting Lanpeach’s attacks with precise, gentle movements.

“Precognition, huh?!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach narrowed his eyes as Botis smirked.

“Even if I’m weaker physically, my ability to foresee your moves makes up for it.” (Botis)

Their high-speed battle continued, Botis effortlessly deflecting each of Lanpeach’s strikes. 

The future is always fluid. Even if you try to block that future, the future changes just from the one seeing the future changing their actions a bit. Because of this, one must analyze tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of possibilities to make accurate predictions. Moreover, if you cannot see the opponent’s future, it is impossible to predict.

However, it is still possible to predict a few seconds ahead. Even if the opponent is not visible, short-term foresight, such as a few seconds into the future, can still work. By observing what appears within one’s own line of sight, it becomes possible to make predictions.

Botis maintained composure because of this. Lanpeach was undeniably strong, but the difference in power was not insurmountable. If Botis continued to wait for openings and parried attacks, an opportunity would eventually arise…or so she thought.

“Ngh… Gyaaah! W-Why? Why am I getting injured?” (Botis)

For some reason, Botis’s arms sustained injuries every time she parried, shockwaves ran through her body, and waves of intense pain followed.

“I should be completely blocking it!” (Botis)

“That’s obvious. You can’t sense it because you’re relying on foresight instead of your own instincts!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach had anticipated being read through foresight. He knew visible attacks would be blocked. In that case, he only needed to attack in a way that went unnoticed. Something that a future-gazing style couldn’t defend against.

[Colorless Vibration Wave]

When Lanpeach threw his punches, he channeled a colorless, attribute-less vibration into the space around him. This technique was born from the power of the Fist of the Spirit, a skill capable of imbuing any kind of attribute. While the attack would be easily noticed by someone observing with their eyes, Botis, who was watching future visions, failed to perceive it.

“Kuh, am I outmatched in hand-to-hand combat? If so…” (Botis)

[Your body shall freeze, your heart turns to stone. Raging winds of deathly frost shall sweep through existence.]

Botis leapt back and swung her arm with a lengthy incantation. A fierce wind arose, bringing with it an intensely frigid chill that froze the world around her.

Lanpeach crossed his arms to block the wind, but his body turned pure white in an instant, transforming into an ice sculpture.

“Fufufu, how does it feel? Quite different from those little spells earlier, isn’t it? This is real demonic magic. How does it taste?” (Botis)

Botis smirked, confident in her most powerful ice magic. A spell potent enough to turn an entire human city into a frozen wasteland with just one verse.

“It could use a pinch of salt!”

But cracks began to form in the ice encasing Lanpeach, and shattered effortlessly. Glittering fragments of frost scattered beautifully through the air.

Botis paled, faced with the cruel reality of her most powerful spell being broken. She stared at Lanpeach’s smug grin, and understood her spell had been ineffective.

“Demon Botis, your time is up!” (Lanpeach)

“I won’t allow it!” (Botis)

[This ice wall shall neither melt nor shatter. A barrier eternal and indomitable.]

A towering ice wall appeared between them, so tall it pierced the sky and so wide it split the land.

(I-I have to escape! This is bad. I didn’t expect him to be this dangerous. But I should at least be able to escape—) (Botis)

Judging the overwhelming gap in power, Botis decided to retreat without hesitation. She desperately attempted to dissolve the space she had created, but her eyes widened in shock as the ice wall exploded.

“You’re trying to run, aren’t you, Botis!” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach burst through the shattered wall, swinging his arm. The gauntlet on his arm gleamed with rapidly condensing silver particles, radiating an immense, palpable energy.

Lanpeach unleashed the energy contained within with a confident smirk.

“Let’s see your foresight try to block this, Botis. It’s time to dance!” (Lanpeach)

[Spirit Dance]

—Botis saw it in her vision of the future. Lanpeach throwing a punch, swinging a hand in a horizontal chop, and delivering a powerful kick… Multiple images of Lanpeach overlapped, each simultaneously piercing her body.

“I… I can’t dodge! There’s no future where I can evade it!” (Botis)

Even with her demonic reflexes, she couldn’t discern the attacks. Seeing the inevitable future of her own defeat, Botis let out a scream…

And just as foreseen, countless afterimages of Lanpeach appeared, surrounding her and unleashing an overwhelming barrage of attacks. Unable to react, Botis’s body was pierced, shattered by kicks, and torn apart by the relentless assault of Lanpeach’s clones.

“H-How could this happen? But… I’m the Director of General Affairs…not a combatant after all…” (Botis)

Botis let out a final, bitter laugh, as her body crumbled and vanished.

“Couldn’t you at least have come up with a cooler final line? Well, I guess being the Director of General Affairs for a major corporation is pretty impressive though.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach relaxed his stance and let out a sigh as he landed lightly on the ground.

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter