N-M Chapter 181: Without the Other
Chapter 181: Without the Other
He had to prioritize killing Salvia’s Reflection first.
The others had already reached the same conclusion. The problem was that the demonic Reflection was doing everything in her power to prevent that from happening.
Every time Adam got close to the angelic Reflection, the demonic one would interfere.
Whether it was through her songs, her flowers, or simply throwing herself into danger, the demonic reflection constantly protected her sister.
And every time she was injured, the angelic reflection would immediately heal her, restoring her wounds without the slightest hesitation.
One endured the pain and the other erased it.
One sacrificed herself while the other made sure those sacrifices would never be enough to kill her.
Seeing this strange dynamic, Adam could not help but furrow his brows.
Skills were a reflection of one’s existence.
They were not things that appeared from nowhere. They were shaped by a person’s desires, beliefs, fears, regrets, and the way they chose to live.
Which meant these abilities had not been created by coincidence.
The sisters had become this way because that was how they viewed each other.
Mallory carried wounds so Salvia would not have to.
Salvia healed those wounds so Mallory could continue carrying them.
It was an endless cycle, a cycle built entirely around protecting one another.
For a brief moment, Adam found himself a bit sympathetic for their situation.
Not because there was anything wrong with caring for family.
Rather, because neither sister seemed to value herself as much as she valued the other.
Their entire existence revolved around ensuring the other’s safety.
If one fell, the other would likely follow.
If one suffered, the other would suffer alongside her.
They were so tightly connected that Adam wondered if this was the reason why the floor boss deemed them as "one existence."
Adam immediately made a decision.
"Kurou, retreat!"
"The rest of you, ignore Mallory’s Reflection! Focus everything on Salvia’s Reflection!"
The team did not fully understand his judgment, but they did not question it.
Adam had led them this far.
More importantly, they had all witnessed his battle against Zephiron.
A good team did not only need a capable leader, it also needed teammates who knew when to trust that leader.
Thus, everyone immediately adjusted their roles.
Mallory was the first to react.
Instead of targeting the demonic Reflection, she redirected her singing toward the angelic Reflection.
The melody changed completely.
Gone was the malicious song that attacked the mind, instead, it became a strange tune filled with "uncertainty" and "insecurity".
The angelic Reflection’s movements immediately became slower.
At the same time, Seo-Jun pulled out another talisman.
This one seemed entirely formed from mana.
He pressed it against the floor as a strange suppressive force spread across the theater.
The angelic Reflection suddenly felt as though an invisible weight had been placed upon her body.
The combination was surprisingly effective.
Mallory’s song created hesitation and insecurity while Seo-Jun’s talisman punished that hesitation.
Every moment the Reflection paused, the suppression became stronger, thus her movements noticeably slowed.
Kurou could offer little support.
The injuries inflicted upon his mind were still affecting him.
Thus, he retreated into the shadows and patiently waited for the right opportunity.
Unfortunately, this also meant that nobody was stopping the demonic Reflection anymore.
The moment she realized what Adam’s team was trying to do, she immediately turned all of her attention toward him.
Her eyes locked onto his, then she opened her mouth.
A song about death echoed through the theater.
It spoke of endings and graves, along with the meaningless struggles and of people dying alone.
The moment Adam heard it, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his head.
However—
He calmly reached into his inventory.
[Sphinxian Treecat’s Blessing]
The item activated as the space around Adam seemed to distort.
Then a strange creature appeared.
It resembled a sleek feline, yet it possessed six graceful legs instead of four.
Its silver fur shimmered with faint starlight, while its intelligent golden eyes seemed capable of seeing directly into one’s thoughts.
The creature looked at Adam.
Then it lazily stretched.
As though completely unimpressed by everything happening around it.
Finally, it raised a paw and lightly tapped Adam on the forehead.
Tap.
The world suddenly became clear.
Every distracting thought disappeared along with all the negative emotions that he has ever felt.
The malicious songs that had previously assaulted his mind became nothing more than distant background noise.
Adam’s thoughts flowed perfectly as his focus sharpened to an unbelievable degree.
The Sphinxian Treecat slowly faded away but its blessing remained.
The demonic Reflection’s song no longer affected him.
Without hesitation, Adam activated [Temporary Copy].
[Temporary Copy : Hazardous Combatant]
[Skill Copied : Semi-Nuclear Punch]
[Semi-Nuclear Punch has been reduced to Demolition Punch]
[Demolition Punch] : Release a punch that generates a concentrated blast of force upon impact. The explosive force originates from the struck location itself, causing the majority of the damage to be directed outward from the point of contact.
Adam only lightly glanced at the description.
At that exact moment, another song echoed throughout the theater.
Salvia had begun singing.
Unlike before, this was not a healing song but one that sung about strength and courage.
Adam immediately felt power flowing through his body.
At the same time, he activated [Crimson Dominion].
His blood surged along with the mana that flowed through every vessel.
The muscles in his body tightened and his bones strengthened.
Countless blood cells moved under his control, maximizing the performance of his body.
BOOM!
The floor cracked beneath him as Adam shot forward towards the target like a cannonball.
The angelic Reflection tried to retreat but Mallory’s song made her hesitate and Seo-Jun’s suppression slowed her movement.
She was trapped.
That brief moment was all Adam needed.
His fist flew forward.
[Demolition Punch].
The punch landed directly against the angelic Reflection’s chest.
Then—
BOOOOOM!!
The explosion erupted from inside her body.
The force did not spread outward from Adam.
It originated from the Reflection herself.
Cracks instantly spread across her body, like a mirror struck by a hammer.
The angelic Reflection’s eyes widened.
Then her entire body exploded into countless fragments.
CRASH!
Thousands of mirror shards scattered across the theater stage.
The angelic Reflection was instantly destroyed.
This was the importance of support and teamwork.
A D-rank ability was not supposed to possess such destructive power.
Yet through proper timing, coordination, buffs, debuffs, and suppression, that same D-rank ability had instantly killed an opponent that had previously seemed impossible to bring down.
The moment the angelic Reflection died, the entire scenario within the battlefield changed.
The demonic Reflection froze.
Uncertainty appeared on her face, as though throughout her whole life, she had never faced such a situation.
Without her sister, she could no longer recover from injuries.
Without her sister, every wound would remain.
And Adam’s team immediately recognized the opportunity.
There was no need for Adam to command them to attack as the team already knew what to do.
Everyone attacked at once.
Surrounded from all sides, the demonic Reflection quickly began to collapse.
Her songs became weaker and the flowers around her withered.
Her injuries accumulated faster and faster.
Eventually, Kurou’s blade pierced through her heart while Adam severed her neck with [Authority of Disconnection].
Cracks spread across her body.
The demonic Reflection looked toward the place where her sister had disappeared.
Then she smiled sadly.
CRASH!
Her body shattered into countless mirror fragments.
[Reflection : Patron of Recovery has been defeated.]
[Reflection : Patron of Affliction has been defeated.]
[Rewards and Experience Points will be distributed after all Reflections have been eliminated.]
[Preparing the next Reflection...]
[Time Remaining : 20 Minutes]