My moving plans were going fairly well. After leaving the Dream Realm when the sun was shining in the sky, I used the map I had created to head towards some ruins located about two kilometers from my previous location.
They were ruins hidden under collapsed wooden houses. There was a fairly spacious area, like a basement, and from what I deduced, it must have been an ancient church that venerated some kind of deity. There were no monsters, as I had eliminated them during my regular visits.
Using the Greedy Pouch, which could store a large number of things without altering their weight, I could move in a matter of minutes. At this point, I could have moved completely, but there was a slight problem.
And that problem was the monster that I currently had in front of me.
He was a fair-skinned young man with a slightly mocking gaze and a hint of madness in his eyes, as cruel as that of a murderer.
The stranger wore a crimson cloak and a white shirt of exquisite fabric, black trousers, and red boots of the same material. In his hands, he held a long, blood-red spear.
"What....?" I stammered upon seeing what seemed to be a reflection of myself.
The apparition imitated my movements instantly, but no sound came from its lips; it was mute.
Is this a reflection of Moldret? I thought, intrigued. Did he pass through here at some point?
I didn't have time to think further. The enemy brandished his spear with speed, and I did the same, causing both weapons to clash with a metallic clang. Dust rose from the impact.
He's as strong as a Devil I thought, pushing the creature, which jumped back and raised its spear, adopting a battle stance.
Adopting the same posture, we both launched into a duel of ultra-fast attacks that only left golden sparks after each impact. I jumped to dodge a thrust and launched mine directly at the abomination's head, which avoided it by leaning its body slightly.
Seeing its spear rise for a vertical slash, I leaned to one side, letting the blade pass by. Before it could change direction, I retracted my spear and used it to block its next blow.
My body landed several meters back. The abomination then launched into a rain of thrusts that replicated my own movements.
I could distinguish its features, and despite the situation, I noticed it was actually attractive. Since I arrived in this world and became a Dreamer, my appearance had changed.
It wasn't that I was ugly before; I was average. But now I was… handsome. Even my hair had changed, going from black to a mix of black and silver.
Was it because of the Spell? I thought, deflecting another thrust from my corrupted self. I guess so.
The abomination launched a straight thrust that I dodged, and I instinctively covered myself, expecting an attack that never came. Instead, it jumped forward with a prepared fist.
Rather than retreating, I lunged forward, slamming my head against its in an unexpected move. Its body staggered from the impact. I took the opportunity to thrust two quick strikes with my spear that pierced the false crimson cloak.
Its skin was tough, but penetrable. It had only copied my appearance, not my resilience. The same was true for me: it imitated the movements it had already seen and used them against me.
The abomination jumped back, black blood gushing from the two holes I had opened. Its body changed shape, now adopting the appearance of a kind of archer, who drew its bow and created an arrow aimed directly at my heart.
I jumped back and deflected the arrow with a quick movement of my spear. I began to run in circles, surrounding the abomination, which spun around to locate me and fire another arrow.
When it missed its second shot, I swore I saw a flash of irritation on its face for an instant, before it changed shape again. Now it had the appearance of a woman with a blue robe, like a priestess, and a black dress with white edges. A metal mask covered her eyes. She was beautiful, no doubt, but I knew that behind that beauty hid an abomination.
The woman summoned a longsword at least one hundred and sixty centimeters long, with a golden hilt and a straight silver blade.
I raised an eyebrow, but got into a defensive stance.
The abomination lunged with even greater speed than before, taking me by surprise. It raised its sword and brought it down towards my head, but just in time I used my spear to block the blow. The impact was so brutal that I was thrown back several steps.
Recovering, I watched as the abomination attacked again with that sword. Its style was totally different: despite being blind, it could somehow predict my attacks and respond with deadly precision. Thanks to the greater reach of my spear, I had some advantage, but I didn't know how long it would last.
I needed a specific moment to summon my Echo, without giving it time to reflect it as well.
What a hassle.
The abomination's sword grazed my crimson cloak without leaving a scratch. As I brandished my spear in a counterattack, it dodged it by a hair's breadth.
We both separated, remaining several meters apart.
What can I use in this situation? I thought, not taking my eyes off the blind warrior. I have nothing. My selection of memories wasn't very broad; apart from the spear, the bow, and the dagger, I only possessed an awakened sword that was useless for this.
The blind warrior lunged again, brandishing her sword with even greater ferocity. I could barely block her blows with the spear. Dodging a cut that would have been fatal, I gripped my weapon firmly and launched a fast, lethal thrust, which she blocked with the flat of her sword.
Without giving her a second of respite, I continued attacking, spinning the spear at various angles to overwhelm her. However, my attacks were ineffective against her strange clairvoyance. As I reduced my speed, the abomination took the opportunity to launch its own swift movements.
Sparks flew; the sound of metal against metal echoed through the church ruins. It was surprising that no creature approached with all the noise we were making.
I managed to land a deep cut on the abomination. Black blood gushed from its body, although it didn't seem to affect it in the slightest.
Without giving it time to react, I launched several thrusts and long-range attacks that kept it on the defensive. At the same time as I attacked, I summoned my Echo.
After five seconds of intense combat, the Awakened Devil Echo materialized and lunged at the abomination. Raising its leg with sharp claws, it performed a brutal move that tore the creature's flesh, which couldn't change shape in time, being pressured as it was.
The abomination fell to the ground, dead. Its body returned to its original form: a white-skinned humanoid, without defined features or characteristics. It was, undoubtedly, a terrifying sight.
[You have slain an Ascendant Monster: Shapeshifter]
[Your core strengthens]
[...You have received a memory]