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[Boss Battle: Defeated Fortress Demon Vapula. Earned 5,500 EXP.]

[Released the Flame Spirit King. Earned 50,000 EXP.]

It seemed Vapula was finally defeated this time. A sigh of relief escaped.

[A devil that fought like a pro wrestler. Easy to beat thanks to its oozy form, though.] (Lanpeach)

He scanned the area after finally getting a chance to catch his breath. Where are the drop items? With a skill that greatly boosted item drop rates, some treasure had to be around, right?

The cooling lava began to reveal shimmering fragments, once part of Vapula’s body. “Drop items!” The minor villain grinned greedily like a thief finding a gem and hurried over.

[Fragment of a Spirit Core: Level 11]

[What’s this? Libra, any ideas?] (Lanpeach)

He inspected the fragment, which resembled mica, and asked Libra, prompting his body to radiate light as their Divine Fusion dissolved.

With a twirl of her ceremonial robe, the shrine maiden-like comedian exuded a fantastical aura, her mischievous smile suggesting she was up to no good.

“More or less. Mind letting me see? I’ll return it right away. Promise! Just a quick look.” (Libra)

With a sweet smile and outstretched, delicate hands, she seemed like a clumsy con artist. Lanpeach reluctantly placed the fragment in her palm. There were five in total, and her eyes sparkled like fish darting in a stream.

After receiving all the fragments, Libra retreated a step, lowering her head with an ominous chuckle.

“What, you planning some slapstick skit? Save it for later; I’m busy.” (Lanpeach)

“It’s not a skit! Wait, focus! Kukuku, these Spirit Core fragments are pure Spirit Energy crystals. They can be used to create equipment with immense power!” (Libra)

Though momentarily growling like a puppy, Libra quickly regained composure, letting out another eerie chuckle.

“Sounds amazing. So, what’s the other effect?” (Lanpeach)

Feeling unusually generous after gaining plenty of experience points, the minor villain decided to humor her antics. Libra briefly flinched at his kind gaze, but shook her head vigorously before dramatically holding out the fragments.

“These allow one to absorb the Spirit King’s energy! Kukuku, this marks the day I evolve from Artificial Spirit to true Spirit—no, to a Divine Spirit! Bwooon!” (Libra)

Her loud laughter and dramatic sound effects made her seem more adorable than ominous. 

(I see. That’s an item you often see in games.) (Lanpeach)

[Fragment of a Spirit Core: Material. If consumed by the Artificial Spirit Libra, it greatly increases stats. The boosted stats are randomized.]

The log confirmed the fragment’s abilities matched Libra’s claims.

“Got it. Fun’s over. Hand the fragments back. You know what will happen if you eat them, right?” (Lanpeach)

He extended his hand with a gentle smile, but Libra’s face twisted further for some reason, and she backed away, yapping like a puppy trying to intimidate.

“You don’t get it, do you? From now on, Libra-sama will call the shots! Lanpeach Kouza, behold my rebirth!” (Libra)

“Hey, stop! Don’t you see the punchline here? Did you read the flavor text?” (Lanpeach)

He tried to stop her in a panic as she prepared to toss a fragment into her mouth.

“A massive stat boost! I’ll run wild with that. This time, I’ll do the harassing. Bursting into baths, tackling people onto beds!” (Libra)

Libra-san’s overwhelming energy left Lanpeach paralyzed, as if bound by her formidable aura. Curses! She unveiled her hidden strength at the worst moment!

“Fuhahaha! Gulp.” (Libra)

Even her laughter was clumsy, but the instant she swallowed the fragment, her body began to glow. The radiance was so intense it seemed as if a divine halo surrounded her.

“Fufufu, such tremendous power! I am reborn!” (Libra)

[Libra’s hair cuticle +9,999]

[Libra’s foolishness +9,999]

[Libra’s intelligence +9,999]

[Libra’s foolishness and intelligence cancel out, resulting in 0.]

[Libra’s coolness +9,999]

[Libra’s cuteness +9,999]

[Libra’s coolness and cuteness cancel out, resulting in 0.]

“…”

“…”

The “Rebirth of Libra” event concluded far more disastrous than anticipated.

Libra touched her hair, smiling and making squeaky noises as she approached him. 

“Look, Soldier! My hair cuticles! Cutiecools!” (Libra)

“Sure, Libra. Now, what would you like for your last request?” (Lanpeach)

“S-Soldier! You can’t see the cuticles with an Iron Claw!” (Libra)

Gripping her face to examine her hair’s cuticles, he laughed as she struggled and tapped frantically.

“K-Ketchup hearts on my omelet rice, please…” (Libra)

“Still got energy, huh? How dare you waste my precious item! How are you going to make up for this, huh?!” (Lanpeach)

The furious minor villain roared like a dragon about to tear up its prey, prompting Libra to flail in terror.

“D-Don’t worry! I absorbed the energy, but the fragment transformed into something even better inside of me!” (Libra)

“If you’re lying, you’re dead meat.” (Lanpeach)

“If so, you can check how cuticle my hairs are! You can touch wherever!” (Libra)

“Well, I suppose I’ll let it slide since we’ve known each other for so long. Anywhere is fine, right?” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach, possessing a heart as magnanimous as Buddha, smiled gently and granted forgiveness. It was the spirit of “forgive the crime, not the sinner”—or was it the other way around?

Libra escaped the iron claw and clasped her hands together. A faint light leaked out, and within it, a crystal-like sphere appeared, radiating a divine glow as it floated in the air.

“Oh, what’s this?” (Lanpeach)

“The fragments have come together. Even as it is, this sphere is a better material than the fragments you saw earlier. It should be perfect once the lost energy is replenished with experience points.” (Libra)

He gazed in awe at the divine glowing sphere, and Libra smirked and wagged her index finger with pride. She certainly had a reason to look so self-satisfied.

[Spirit Core of the Sky: Material. A pure crystal of spirit energy. With energy replenishment, it becomes high-quality material.]

The description matched what Libra said. It certainly is a better item than the fragments.

“But it’s not very useful with its energy depleted. I guess I’ll have to check the cuticles… Yes, yes.” (Lanpeach) 

Grinning wickedly, Lanpeach took on the attitude of a minor villain finding fault with a debtor. But honestly, it was purely an academic interest in confirming the brilliance of level 9999 cuticles. It really is for academic purposes.

“Geez, we can discuss that later. More importantly, you were using my technique, weren’t you? How was it so strong?!” (Libra)

Libra, with her goldfish-like memory, had already forgotten about the rebirth Libra event. She started smacking Lanpeach with her hands, curious about the power of the technique he used during the fight with Vapula.

“The Ultra Libra Shield I used to block Blade Bomber? You just didn’t notice, but it’s always been a powerful technique.” (Lanpeach)

He actually used Ultra Libra Shield when defending against the flaming blade. That’s why he emerged unscathed.

“Huh? But I always ended up dead before.” (Libra)

Libra tilted her head quizzically, but the difference lay in perspective.

“Think back. Didn’t you always block every attack? Nothing ever pierced through, right?” (Lanpeach)

Whether it was arrows or ice magic, Libra had withstood them all. This was strange considering her stats. Her paper-thin defenses should have been breached. Yet, she blocked everything.

“Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true… but I still died, didn’t I?” (Libra)

“That’s because your frail body couldn’t withstand the impact or the residual force of the enemy’s power after the technique ended. In reality, it’s an invincible shield that blocks everything.” (Lanpeach)

“Gaah! So my technique was amazing! Hmm? Wait a minute. Why is it that you can use it?” (Libra)

“Good question. You know how it said the Libra techniques got a major boost, right? That’s why the fused partner can use them too.” (Lanpeach)

Incidentally, the Ultra Libra Chop works by sending shockwaves through the enemy’s body to defeat them, and its power has dramatically increased.

This became clear when Libra hit a rabbit. A weakling with stats of 3 shouldn’t be able to cause pain to a level 7 rabbit. The fact that it did, even with such low stats, confirmed just how much the ability had powered up.

“So that means… I really was amazing, huh! Hehe, hehe? Huh? Wait a minute. Doesn’t this mean that, amazing or not, I’m still weak by myself?!” (Libra)

Libra wriggled her body happily, but it seems she stumbled upon a realization best left unnoticed.

“Uwaaan! That’s so mean! It’s my ability, so let me enjoy some of the credit too! I want to show off how cool I am!” (Libra)

“Hold on, Libra. There’s something way more important we need to discuss. Listen to me.” (Lanpeach)

Half-crying and flailing her fists at him, Libra was stopped by Lanpeach, who grabbed her shoulders with a serious look on his face.

Seeing Lanpeach’s expression, Libra wiped her tears and looked at him, wondering what this was about. Could it be…a confession of love? Her cheeks reddened slightly at the thought.

“We need to change the names of the abilities. They’re insanely lame, don’t you think?” (Lanpeach)

It was, in his opinion, the most pressing issue at hand.

“Eeeek! You idiot, Soldier! Unforgivable! You’re not allowed to touch my cutiecool hair anymore!” (Libra)

For some reason, Libra’s face turned bright red, and she began shouting angrily. 

(But it was important! That’s why please let me touch your cutiecool hair.) (Lanpeach)

Libra, now roaring like a kaiju, flailed at him with her fists. Lanpeach desperately tried to fend her off—

“What are you two flirting about? While it’s great that you defeated Vapula, shouldn’t you be securing the spoils of war?”

A cool-headed remark came from the doorway, freezing them both in place.

They turned their heads, creaking like tin dolls, to see Mira standing there, arms crossed, wearing an exasperated expression. Behind her, the former demon soldiers, now considered spoils of war, peeked in curiously.

“Ah, sorry about that.” (Lanpeach)

“We apologize.” (Libra)

The two blushed with embarrassment and quickly bowed their heads in unison.

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