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Indeed, Paimon is strong. Among Solomon’s demons, Paimon is said to be the most loyal to Lucifer and somehow also manages the angelic forces. Though I don’t fully understand how such an ability works, perfectly copying someone’s powers is undoubtedly a top-tier skill.

Paimon copied Mira’s stats and equipment perfectly after all. That gear seems far superior to what I have now and doesn’t even seem like something a human could craft. To fully replicate such equipment is an incredible ability.

However, there are still things I don’t understand. I watched as the blown-away Paimon slowly rose, and furrowed my brows.

“Isn’t just copying stats and equipment a bit sloppy? Can’t magic or skills be replicated too?” (Lanpeach)

It feels incomplete otherwise. Cause it makes me feel there’s a thread of hope I might be able to defeat her which keeps me going.

“At first, she copied skills too. She even laughed, declaring, ‘I am the mightiest demon, Paimon.’ And when defeated, she’d say something like, ‘Fufufu, it is pointless. I am immortal. Even if you defeat me, I’ll drop the finest spirit crystal and revive immediately.’ Probably something along those lines.” (Mira)

Oh? Most of that monologue sounds like Mira’s imagination filling in convenient details.

“But as she fought desperately for three days, her behavior started to change. She lost intelligence and eventually became a demon fighting on pure reflex. Has it been about five days now?” (Mira)

“Transforming into a weaker state doesn’t happen. And it hasn’t just been five days. It’s been 1,200 years!” (Lanpeach)

Mira insists that Paimon underwent some novel transformation, but I understand what truly happened.

It wasn’t Mira’s mind that broke…it was the demon’s. Being killed millions of times would shatter anyone’s sanity and leave them incapable of rational thought. That’s how a berserker, unable to use magic or skills, is born.

“I thought it was an endless quest with infinite spawns, so I happily kept hunting. But 1,200 years? That’s a joke, right? It should be only about a week or something.” 

“You buried the ground in demon corpses, gathered over a billion spirit crystals, and you think it’s only been a week?!” (Lanpeach)

This one’s more of a gamer than me. Sure, I’d also farm endlessly during events where demons that drop ultra-rare items spawn infinitely. I started playing in the morning only to find it’s night and my day off is gone. Or wait, this is a fake memory, so I don’t actually have that experience, right? Either way, it feels real, so whatever.

Still, hunting non-stop for 1,200 years?! That’s beyond human. Even a demon couldn’t endure it. The sealed Paimon is beginning to look pitiful.

“But it’s a relief she’s weakened. If she could still use skills, I’d be in serious trouble.” (Lanpeach)

Paimon, drooling and zombie-like, turns her empty gaze toward me. I prepared myself. For now, I can’t rely on Mira’s original body. I’m the only one here who can defeat an immortal demon after all. Even Mira who can copy skills wouldn’t be able to defeat Paimon who has such overwhelming stats.

“Rugaaooo!”

Paimon raised her spear with an ear-splitting, decidedly unbecoming groan for a beautiful girl. Or so it seemed…until she appeared right before my eyes.

“I won’t let my guard down! Come at me, pitiful demon!” (Lanpeach)

[Parry]

This time, I chose to counter with a skill. It has been a while since I used it, but it was far more effective than a simple deflection.

When her knight’s spear lunged at me, I enveloped my arm with psychic energy that distorted reason itself, twisting the trajectory like a leaf caught in a raging current and diverting it off-course.

“Aaaahhhh!”

Even after her attack was parried, Paimon slid her feet back with minimal movement and launched another flurry of strikes. Walls of wind formed and burst open in rapid succession. Her body must have remembered how to fight instinctively. Her thrusts gave no sign of their timing and came without warning, aiming to pierce through me in an instant.

But I also concentrated power in my arms and kept deflecting with parries. The fierce exchange of blows between us stirred up the wind into a swirling vortex, creating a small whirlwind.

“Uuuuuaaaghhh!”

“Aaaahhhhh!”

Both of us, now growling like berserkers, continued our relentless clash. Our strength was evenly matched, making it seem like this endless battle would go on forever.

“Paimon’s speed is superior. But an opponent with only high stats can be dealt with.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach maintained a faint smirk despite the situation, and exuded a calm confidence. Paimon kept up her relentless assault without realizing…

Suddenly, she stumbled, her posture faltering, revealing an opening.

The reason? Her feet had frozen without her noticing. Not just her feet…her spear and arms were also coated with frost, on the verge of freezing solid.

“What do you think of my icy fists? Perfect for cooling off in the summer, don’t you agree?” (Lanpeach)

[Spirit Brawler]

My arms and legs, too, were now covered in icy crystals; a manifestation of the Spirit Brawler’s power, which enchants my limbs with elemental energy. While not overwhelmingly strong, repeated exchanges like these inevitably affect the enemy’s body.

For someone like Paimon, who fought mechanically without feeling pain, such gradual chip damage was a natural weakness.

“Hyahaa! I’ve got you now!” (Lanpeach)

[Minor Villain War Cry. Bibibi!] (Libra)

Grinning wickedly, I raised my fist and let out a minor villain shout, punctuated by Libra’s quirky sound effect. I delivered a full-force strike at Paimon with perfect synchronization. This is an unmistakably protagonist-like attack.

[Rush]

Countless arcs of light slashed through Paimon’s body with a refreshing sound of ice shattering. Just as it seemed she would be torn to shreds…

“What?! She’s so tough!” (Lanpeach)

Despite the direct hit, Paimon’s sleek, streamlined armor only sustained a few cracks. Even the Divine Spirit Gauntlets, with their absurd power, couldn’t penetrate her defenses.

“Aaaahhhh!”

Paimon shook her body and a soft ping rang, instantly shedding the ice that had been encroaching on her, and she thrusted her knight’s spear once more.

“Her scream is nullifying the attacks?!”

I panicked. The clash between the angelic, beautiful Paimon and the cackling minor villain wasn’t just visually striking. I was overwhelmed in the fight as well.

Even my parries started to falter as the high-speed exchange continued, and my body began accumulating injuries.

[She is just sturdy. [Libra Eye]!] (Libra)

The analysis ability I would have liked used in an earlier stage: Libra Eye.

[Paimon: Level Unmeasurable]

The analysis ability I would have preferred if she didn’t use:  Libra Eye.

“Damn it! She’s absurdly strong! Help me out, Mira’s original body!” (Lanpeach)

This enemy was beyond what could be described as power creep. But Mira’s true form has defeated her once before.

“I cannot. I may have forgotten my soul’s name, but I am fighting or something like that, so I can’t do anything else.” 

“Get your body away from that box! Are you an armadillo?!” (Mira)

Mira’s true body had her head grabbed by Mira while she was trying to put her head inside the souffle box. The sight of Mira wrestling with herself was like a divine war. Perhaps bringing out the souffle was a mistake.

“You bastard! You…damn it… Bring it on!” (Lanpeach)

Realizing I’d have to defeat her myself, I roared with fighting spirit. Paimon’s attacks rained down like a hail of spears, and I met them head-on with Rush. The shockwaves peeled up the ground, scattering the corpses of the demons.

Debris flew into the air, and our battle raged on as we leapt between the floating rubble.

“This is bad.This demon is too tough. Rather than a demon, it is more like Mira’s original body.” (Lanpeach)

[You’ll have to aim for a decisive blow. Repeated attacks won’t work, and look…her armor is starting to repair itself.] (Libra)

“A flawless design. Her weaknesses are covered, leaving only raw combat power. She’s a textbook powerhouse that crushes her weak points and relies on raw strength.” (Lanpeach)

She is strong even without skills. The troublesome type that can’t be defeated without using a hidden trick or hitting a weak point. 

The cuts I inflicted with Rush were slowly healing. Continuing like this would only lead to a worsening state.

Hopping across the debris in midair, I racked my brain for a solution. And then…

“There’s no choice but to beat her head-on!” (Lanpeach)

I turned to face Paimon directly, smiled grimly, and took a deep breath. There’s a way to win…but it is a move I didn’t want to use.

“If I must, then so be it!” (Lanpeach)

Realizing I was preparing for a final stand, Paimon drew back her knight’s spear, gathering power for a devastating attack.

The air warped as energy converged on her spear, transforming into a radiant lance of light. I wouldn’t survive if that hit me.

“Aaaahhhh!”

The space itself cracked, the lance glowing brilliantly as it hurtled toward me…

“Uwooooohhhh!”

[Ultra Libra Shield]

I activated my trump card. The knight’s spear of light struck my body, but with a metallic clang —it ricocheted off harmlessly.

Even in her frenzy, Paimon’s distorted face momentarily showed surprise. 

Right? Right? Must be surprised. Didn’t expect your ultimate attack to be bounced off so easily, right?

“And now you’ve left yourself wide open! Time for my counter!” (Lanpeach)

[Psychic]

I tapped into a power beyond the laws of the world, and became a destroyer of realms. The earth quaked, fissures spreading as I clenched my crackling fist and launched it at Paimon. It was a blow to end all blows, one that would shatter everything.

[Psychic Blow]

The fist struck her shield, which had withstood my relentless Rush earlier. But this time, it shattered with a crack, and the invisible energy swallowed Paimon whole. Her body groaned, then crumbled like sand, disappearing entirely.

The residual force of the attack destroyed the world Paimon had created, returning us to the original one.

The bloodstained battlefield vanished, and we found ourselves at what appeared to be a spaceship dock.

“This is… Ah, good. My interstellar ship, Hanpen, seems to be intact.” 

Mira’s true form said, her face relaxing with relief.

Mira’s original body approached a triangular ship and her face relaxed in relief. She then turned to us, her mischievous smile returning.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself. Mira is but a borrowed name. I am the intergalactic bounty hunter that safely and cheaply achieves requests with certainty, and is working today in a parallel world, Maelstrom Alice. Nice to meet you.”

She smiled radiantly, like a blooming flower, holding an empty box. Also, her mouth was a sticky mess. She should really clean that up.

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