Zzzzt!!
Black-red lightning flashed.
Kurumi Tokisaki's eyes widened as she stared at her own emotionless face before her. Her petite body began cracking apart like glass struck by a stone.
A gust of wind blew past, leaving the spot completely empty.
Only one Kurumi remained, shouldering a long musket, wearing a smirk that shouldn't have been there.
Then the cold voice of the Dream Spirit announced:
[23rd combat test concluded. Duration: 8 seconds.]
When the icy voice faded, the standing Kurumi disappeared.
The real Kurumi Tokisaki reappeared, staring blankly at the endless plain.
Coming to her senses, she spoke with complex, subtle expression:
"Am I really that strong?"
Recalling the 23 times she'd been killed by herself just now made Kurumi dizzy.
They were both Demigods, and the opponent was a Dream Spirit replica of herself - meaning it could only use abilities she possessed.
"The time stop is understandable, but what was that move where the air seemed to solidify, making movement impossible? Spatial stasis?"
"And that sensation of being struck dozens of times from a single musket swing - what was that? It can't be a temporal ability, can it?"
"Most importantly, my speciality is bullet attacks, right? Then why was I beaten like a ball with a musket all 23 times?"
"This isn't scientific!!"
Kurumi was feeling rather crushed.
Earlier, seeing Luo Shu get instantly killed, she'd assumed it was just the vast power gap between Demigods and those below.
She'd even been planning ways to comfort Luo Shu after his crushing defeat - maybe holding hands, kissing his cheek, or offering a lap pillow.
But now, after actually fighting against herself, Kurumi suddenly realised there might not be any difference between her and Luo Shu.
The Dream Spirit's Kurumi needed just one or two hits to defeat Luo Shu, just as she did.
Of course, at first, Kurumi hadn't even mastered Concept Bestowal properly. Despite having identical techniques, she'd crumbled upon contact each time, getting instantly killed - dying to herself 11 times in this manner.
After much effort, Kurumi Tokisaki finally learned Concept Bestowal through sheer determination and physical suffering, managing to attach the concepts of time and space to her long-barrelled flintlock pistol, intending to spar against herself.
From that moment on, the nightmarish battles began.
Time stop, time acceleration/deceleration, spatial jumps, spatial refraction, spatial solidification... Various space-time abilities were unleashed either individually or in combination. Familiar and unfamiliar techniques completely overwhelmed Kurumi Tokisaki.
Often, the first move would be a control-type ability, followed by a single strike from the flintlock pistol, instantly killing Kurumi Tokisaki before she could even attempt a manga protagonist-style comeback. This led Kurumi to doubt herself seriously:
"Is Kurumi Tokisaki really this strong? Why doesn't this version of Kurumi Tokisaki know about these abilities?"
"Is she really a Demigod?"
"Did the system give her a fake certificate?"
If not for gradually being able to execute the basic Demigod Rank crowd-clearing techniques through Concept Bestowal—and becoming increasingly proficient at them—Kurumi might have suspected she was dreaming.
Yet even knowing she was improving, the fact that she couldn't survive a single move made Kurumi Tokisaki crouch on the spot, sinking into deep self-doubt.
The Kurumi simulated by the Dream Spirit wasn't faulty - it was an exact replica of her current self.
But could the gap between two Kurumis really be this vast?
For a moment, Kurumi Tokisaki completely shut down.
...
Tokyo, Shiba Park, under a continuous drizzle.
On a park bench.
Luo Shu withdrew the consciousness he'd projected into the dream version of Kurumi using his Divine Kingdom authority. Leaning back against the bench, he tilted his head up and exhaled deeply before breaking into an increasingly twisted grin:
"So satisfying!!"
"Turns out Kurumi's abilities are this much fun."
After defeating Kurumi Tokisaki 20 times in the dream space, Luo Shu had finally vented his frustration over being one-shotted by her earlier.
Seeing Kurumi Tokisaki now doubting her entire existence in the Dream Simulation Chamber almost made him laugh aloud:
"Little minx, you dare offend this old monk and think you can escape?"
"Concept Bestowal, eh? Basic techniques, eh? Me being careless, eh?"
"At equal footing, I'm still stronger, aren't I?"
"Though come to think of it, that silly girl hasn't realised I was the one controlling her replica during those fights..."
After this mental catharsis, Luo Shu felt both exhilarated and slightly solemn.
The gap between Demigods and those below was truly immense.
While the Calamity Bringer ability was broken, it had an upper damage threshold—and a Demigod's casual strike could easily exceed that limit.
This was the most fatal flaw.
"So the key is to increase Class proficiency and seek advancement opportunities."
"Fortunately, recruiting Kurumi netted another 100,000 Points, so materials for advancement shouldn't be an issue."
"But speaking of which, even though I was controlling a Demigod body beyond my tier, why did it feel so natural?"
As he pondered, Luo Shu recalled details from those twenty-plus exchanges...
Having truly controlled a Demigod's body in combat, Luo Shu found the experience somewhat peculiar.
He seemed unusually adept at Demigod-level confrontations - though during the first battle, those techniques he jokingly called "Concept Colour wrapping" had come surprisingly easily.
Aside from that, Luo Shu initially struggled with the unfamiliarity of space-time abilities, but soon, relying on Kurumi's foundational aptitude, he managed to perform operations such as time suspension and spatial refraction.
These actions came entirely from instinct—he felt he could do them and did, without any logical explanation.
"Is this the Supreme Mother's ability? Or is the Subconscious Manipulation categorised under Misfortune still in effect, helping me adapt faster to combat?"
Luo Shu rubbed his chin, pondering for a long time without reaching an answer.
However, one thing was certain to him.
From now on, he truly had another powerful ally under his command.
And if he replicated the method used previously to remotely control Sharon, allowing him to manipulate Kurumi Tokisaki's body, that ally might become even more formidable.
"So, perhaps I can afford to take bigger steps?"
"Right now, there probably aren't many in this world who've successfully ascended to Demigod status, right?"
Luo Shu murmured softly to himself.
Just then, he finally noticed the chill creeping over him.
He touched his head and glanced up at the overcast sky, realising raindrops were falling onto him.
"Oh? So it's raining..."
"I was too focused earlier to notice."
Luo Shu tilted his head back, letting the rain patter lightly against his face.
He thought to himself, 'Next time I meet Kurumi, should I tell her it was me controlling her replica during our fight?'
'Feels like she might chase me down and beat me up...'
Though Luo Shu had been quite honest with Kurumi Tokisaki today, this kind of risky honesty still made him hesitate.
On the other hand, he was curious about what expression Kurumi would make upon learning the truth.
The dilemma began here.
"So, should I honestly tell her or not..."
Just as Luo Shu weighed the pros and cons while rubbing his chin, an umbrella extended from behind, shielding him from the falling rain.
"Um... You'll catch a cold if you stay here in the rain."
A soft, slightly hoarse female voice reached Luo Shu's ears.