SEC Chapter 180: Overwhelming Songs
Chapter 180: Overwhelming Songs
Adam and his team did not allow themselves to be overwhelmed by the oppressive atmosphere.
The moment the battle began, Kurou immediately melted into the darkness beneath the theater seats while Adam activated [Crimson Dominion].
A storm of blood spears descended toward the stage.
At the same time, Seo-Jun retreated toward the back of the theater, already pulling out several talismans as he prepared his spells.
The two Reflections reacted instantly towards the hostile actions aimed towards them.
The demonic-looking Reflection stepped forward without hesitation, placing herself between the attacks and her sister, while the angelic Reflection retreated behind her.
SHKKK! SHKKK! SHKKK!
Dozens of blood spears pierced through the demonic Reflection’s body.
Blood dripped from countless wounds as several spears completely impaled her torso and shoulders.
The demonic reflection did not cry out or utter any words of pain.
Instead, from behind the demonic looking being, the angelic looking one opened its mouth.
A beautiful melody suddenly began playing throughout the theater.
It was soft and gentle, almost unbelievably holy.
It felt as though an angel had opened her lips and begun singing from the heavens above.
The wounds covering the demonic Reflection’s body immediately closed.
Flesh regenerated and blood flowed backwards. Within moments, every injury vanished.
At the same time, the demonic Reflection opened her own mouth.
The contrast was immediate as the song that emerged was horrifying.
The tone and words that came out of its mouth was like a curse that whispered directly into one’s soul.
Kurou, who had been preparing an ambush from within the shadows, suddenly froze.
His entire body trembled as the malicious melody pierced through his thoughts and dragged him out of hiding.
He stumbled from the darkness and immediately covered his ears.
"Ugh...!"
Even Adam felt a slight pressure within his mind.
The others instinctively covered their ears as well.
Fortunately, they were still some distance away from the stage, weakening the effect considerably.
Salvia’s eyes widened.
"Target my Reflection first!"
She immediately pointed toward the angelic woman.
"Mallory’s Reflection becomes stronger the more injuries she heals! If she keeps restoring damage, this fight will never end!"
Adam nodded, in fact he was already planning to do so from the start.
After all, it was common sense in games to always go after the support and healers during battle.
Without wasting another second, he pumped mana directly into his bloodstream using [Crimson Dominion].
His heart began beating faster as blood surged through every vein.
Every muscle fiber in his body received a precise flow of nutrients and mana.
It felt as though he was personally controlling every cell within himself.
BOOM!
The floor beneath him cracked as Adam shot forward.
At the same time, the demonic Reflection slammed both hands onto the stage.
Dark flowers immediately bloomed across the theater.
Black petals spread between rows of seats and vines crawled over the floor.
The flowers released a strange aura that made one’s mind feel heavy.
However, Adam’s sharpened senses immediately warned him.
He twisted his body and avoided every flower before they could touch him.
Behind him, Salvia finally began singing.
Unlike the Demonic Reflection’s song, hers was warm and comforting.
It felt like sunlight shining through a cold winter morning.
The moment her voice spread throughout the theater, the black flowers began to wither.
The petals that were surrounding the area slowly turned gray while the vines shriveled.
Entire patches of dark vegetation collapsed into dust.
The demonic Reflection narrowed her eyes and prepared to attack again.
But before she could— Two ghostly arms suddenly emerged from behind her.
Transparent fingers clamped over her mouth as the demonic Reflection’s eyes widened.
It was Seo-Jun’s summoned spirit!
His talismans burned with spiritual energy as a pair of spirit arms forcefully restrained her.
Seeing the opportunity, Adam accelerated.
The angelic Reflection immediately retreated further across the stage.
She clearly understood that Adam was targeting her first.
However, Adam simply raised a hand.
[Crimson Dominion].
Hundreds of razor-sharp blood blades materialized around him.
SHKK! SHKK! SHKK!
The blades shot forward as several cuts instantly appeared across the angelic Reflection’s body.
Yet flowers bloomed beneath her feet as the injuries rapidly healed.
The demonic Reflection roared and tore apart the spirit arms restraining her.
She immediately rushed forward to protect her sister.
Unfortunately for her...—
The shadows beneath the stage suddenly exploded upward!
Countless dark tendrils wrapped around her limbs.
The shadows restrained her movement for only a moment, but that moment was enough.
Kurou immediately lunged forward from the darkness.
However—
The demonic Reflection suddenly turned.
Her hand shot toward his head with frightening accuracy.
Kurou’s eyes widened.
He suddenly remembered something....!
Mallory had always possessed an uncanny ability to "detect" people based off of their mental state.
There were times in the past where she could sometimes "somewhat" tell where he was hiding despite him activating his abilities.
Kurou himself had dismissed it as he was often able to sneak past her without her noticing.
But perhaps this Reflection had taken that ability to its absolute limit.
The moment her palm touched his forehead—
A flood of memories erupted inside his mind.
Every failure and loneliness that he had ever felt, along with all the pain that’s been inflicted upon his body...
All of it exploded within his consciousness at once as though he was experiencing them once again!
Kurou staggered backward as his face became pale.
For a brief moment, he felt as though life itself had lost all meaning.
As though there was nothing worth living for anymore. Kurou thorough felt the urge to "end" his own life right then and there.
Only Salvia’s song prevented him from completely collapsing.
The warmth in her voice formed a barrier around his mind, shielding him from being swallowed by despair entirely.
Still, the damage to his mind had already been done and could barely be restored within the tense battle!
At the same time, Adam’s expression had visibly darkened.
The angelic Reflection was becoming increasingly troublesome.
No matter where he attacked, the result was always the same...
It was constantly regenerating!
Even when Adam deliberately targeted vital areas, the wounds would close almost instantly.
Its regeneration was absurd.
The amount of mana contained within the angelic Reflection seemed almost endless.
Several times, Adam had managed to slash through its neck. Once, he had even split open part of its skull.
Yet none of it mattered.
Flowers would bloom beneath its feet, soft light would spread across its body, and every injury would disappear as though it had never existed.
It was like trying to kill something that simply refused to stay wounded...
Adam did not possess a guaranteed killing attack or a very strong glass cannon ability, thus he could not end the battle in one blow.
If he wanted to end this quickly, he would have to rely on [Temporary Copy] and borrow one of his viewers’ abilities.
Just as he was about to do exactly that—
A second song echoed throughout the theater.
The demonic Reflection opened its mouth once more.
This time, the melody was far worse.
If the previous song had been malicious, this one felt utterly "hateful" and "disgusting."
It sounded like countless voices whispering every insecurity, every regret, and every painful memory directly into one’s ears.
Even Adam, who was positioned relatively far away, could not help but clutch his head.
A sharp pain shot through his mind as his concentration faltered for a brief moment.
The blood blades surrounding him trembled slightly.
Kurou suffered even more.
The moment the song reached him, his face turned pale.
He immediately abandoned his attack and retreated into the shadows.
However, even within the darkness, the song continued to follow him.
The memories forced into his mind earlier had not disappeared. Instead, the song seemed to grab onto those wounds and tear them open even further.
Meanwhile, Salvia and Mallory remained largely unaffected.
A translucent layer of "blurriness" surrounded them.
Guin had activated [Absolute Stasis].
The strange ability halted even the vibrations of sound itself.
The malicious melody slowed to a crawl before reaching the twins, leaving them protected within a small area of silence.
Seeing this, Adam immediately understood something.
The demonic Reflection’s strength was increasing.
Every injury healed by the angelic Reflection seemed to empower her sister’s abilities.
The longer this battle dragged on, the stronger the songs would become...
If they continued fighting at this pace, eventually even Salvia’s protective singing would no longer be enough.
And once that happened, the entire team would be too overwhelmed to fight.
Adam narrowed his eyes.
he needed to kill the healer fast...