Too Slow

Zoleil held its grimoire out, the pages beginning to flap.

Rubbing his eyes, Odraz yawned.

The grimoire flipped from page to page, the different pages glowed, green, yellow, black and white.

Zoleil's body was wrapped in a cloak of wind and lightning, his shadow moved to his empty hand forming into a long sword as a spear made of light formed beside him.

"Zoleil! Come onnn, are you waiting for me to die of boredom or something!"

The book flipped one more time, the text glowed purple. Zoleil disappeared in a flash of purple energy.

Odraz dramatically yawned, "Lame." Bending backwards, Odraz made a large smile showing his teeth at Zoleil who had appeared behind him. In a burst of speed boosted by the wind and lightning, Zoleil struck down.

"Too slow." A large mirror appeared in front of Zoleil's shadow sword.

[??-Tier Skill: Mirror #4 - Full Counter

About: Any physical or magical attack to hit Mirror #1 will be returned to the attacker at 100%.]

Striking the mirror, Zoleil attempted to use his grimoire to no avail. A slash tore across Zoleil's chest, tearing through his armour. Jumping back, Zoleil touched its chest.

"Now I know what you're thinking, great Odraz, that skill is such a cheat." Winking at Zoleil Odraz stuck his tongue out. "I won't use any of my mirrors, I've got to give you a fighting chance after all."

[18%]

Zoleil darted to the right without speaking, grabbing one of the spears, he launched it directly at Odraz.

Yawning, Odraz held a hand up. A sheet of crystal rose out of the ground, intercepting the spear.

Sliding to a stop, Zoleil dismissed its sword. The grimoire floating free from its grasp, Zoleil slammed its palms together.

The pages brightly glowed red, balls of fire formed into being above the two.

First, a few, then a dozen, then tens then hundreds of spears hung motionless in the air. All pointed at Odraz.

Odraz observed the spears, "Ohohoo not bad, there's no way what's left of my pretty little latent energy in this cave could block all these spears, they'd probably pierce right through them, and then I'd have to get up." Odraz grumbled.

Zoleil pushed his hands outwards, causing all the fireballs to shoot forward.

"Unlucky for you, this body has some pretty tricks up its sleeve."

Odraz's eyes glowed white.

[System application accessed - Admin Rights acknowledged

Upgrading skill 'Sub-space Inventory' from B-Rank to S-rank]

[Upgrade complete]

[S-Tier Skill: Sub-space Inventory

About: Allows the user to access a pocket dimension which only they can access. Items can be freely stored and withdrawn from this pocket dimension. Whatever is stored within the Sub-space Inventory does not affect the user. Things stored within the Sub-space Inventory can be manipulated by the user to some degree.]

Tears in space opened around Odraz perfectly aligned with each fireball.

Each time a spear passed through the tears, they closed, opening in another location to shield Odraz from another fireball.

Stopping the barrage of fireballs, Zoleil cast a different spell, the Grimoire's text turning black again, summoning his shadow sword. Charging towards Odraz, Zoleil's grimoire followed behind him, its pages beginning to flap.

The book's cover changed from grey to yellow, wreathing Zoleil in lightning.

"Haven't you tried this already?"

[27%]

Making a gun with his right hand, Odraz pointed at Zoleil.

[F-Tier Skill: Expel From Inventory

About: The user can expel any item from their inventory, the speed at which this item is expelled relies on how much mana is put into the skill.]

Fireballs appeared in front of Odraz pulled from the Sub-space Inventory.

"Bang."

Balls of fire shot back at Zoleil.

Such an application of Expel From Inventory would usually have taken a high amount of mana with each summoned fireball. But through the use of the now S-Rank: Sub-space Inventory, Odraz is capable of speeding up the fireballs within the inventory before using Expel From Inventory to summon them.

As the first fireball reached Zoleil, lightning-sparked across the skeleton's body, and in a flash of lightning it warped into a single bolt of lightning. 

Zipping between the fireballs, Zoleil quickly closed the distance between them.

Abruptly, the fireballs stopped. Looking at his hand, Odraz sighed, "Looks like my lazy time is up. Crumby F-Rank mana reserves."

Reaching, Odraz, Zoleil's body snapped back into being. Grabbing its sword with both hands, Zoleil swung, intending to cut Odraz down the middle.

Forming a small tear with what mana he had left, Odraz reached inside.

Pulling out Elbert's sword that Lauri had stored as he had first made his escape. Odraz rose, meeting Zoleil's sword halfway.

The two fighters held the connection. Zoleil looked down on Odraz.

"You believe you can contend against me in that frail human form." It spat.

"Hey, hey," Odraz lightly pushed against Zoleil's guard. "I'm the one going easy on, you jackass."

[53%]

"Then maybe you should be taking me more seriously." Boosted by the lightning still wrapping around its form, Zoleil brought its leg up, kneeing Zoleil in the side. "Before I kill you."

Pain shot through Odraz's borrowed body. Gritting his teeth, Odraz smirked. "Sure!" 

The crystals on the ground converged around the two, shooting up into spikes, Zoleil moved like a lightning strike, slicing and smashing the spikes below him.

[??-Tier Skill: Mirror #24 - The Mirror Blurred

The user's speed is enhanced by one designated target.]

Odraz and Zoleil's swords clashed in a blur of motion. Racing around the cave, Odraz toyed with his pursuer, using his newfound speed to bounce off of the walls, Odraz balled a fist, slamming into Zoleil's sword. Odraz pushed the skeleton back.

Zoleil tightly gripped its sword in both hands, swinging down, it again attempted to cut Odraz in two. Odraz intended to counter. 

The two swords clashed at such a speed, Elbert's sword was not made for. A loud crack rang out around the cave as Elbert's sword snapped in two, the sharp end flying into the air.

Odraz's eyes narrowed as he swore, "What a shitty sword."

Following through with his speed, Zoleil intended to strike Odraz through the chest with his sword.

Odraz's eyes turned into tiny mirrors staring straight into Zoleil's soul.

The crystals on the floor shivered as Zoleil's sword pierced Odraz's chest. Odraz coughed up blood, just like how Lauri had done.

"That wouldn't have happened if I had gone all out..." Odraz bemoaned.

Withdrawing his sword, blood sprayed out from Odraz's chest. Zoleil held his sword in two hands.

Looking down on Odraz with a mixture of pity and disgust. "Any final remarks for those you have betrayed?"

Odraz shrugged. "Tell Golgothie I said hi-"

Swinging in a flash, Zoleil cut off Odraz and, by extension, Lauri's head.

The crystals on the ground shattered as the head hit the floor.

Zoleil stood for a moment, its body moved as if to take a sigh of relief.

"It is done."

Dismissing its sword, Zoleil turned around. Walking away, Zoleil held out its hand, the cover of the Grimoire returned to its original colour, coming to a rest in Zoleil's hand. The pages flapping to a purple text, holding the book up, Zoleil pointed the grimoire's pages in front of him.

A purple swirling hole appeared a few feet ahead of Zoleil. Growing larger, the hole turned into something akin to a Dungeon Gate.

With one last glance at the lifeless corpse behind him, Zoleil proceeded through the Gate.

Swirling purple energy gave way to a throne room.

 Braziers of green fire illuminated the dark stone room of the throne room in a dull green light.

Zoleil immediately dropped to a knee the moment it entered the new location.

"My lady of death." Zoleil bowed its head lower. "The traitor is dead. The Mirror Lord's prison had shifted close enough to a dungeon in order for me to reach it. The Mirror Lord attempted to free itself with constructs, but they came across a group of human Hunters, and so did I. But those creatures were nothing more than bugs, my lady."

Silence.

Zoleil looked up, to his master. Her face covered in shadow.

"Golgothie, Master of the 85th floor, remained silent as her underling proclaimed his victory."

Zoleil froze as a familiar voice spoke to him.

Slowly turning around, Zoleil saw Odraz standing with his arms crossed.

Brushing hair out of his eye, Odraz held his hand up. "Sorry, she's not saying anything. I honestly can't remember what that wenches voice sounded like."

Odraz snapped his fingers, "Mirror # 50. Shatter."

[??-Tier Skill: Mirror #50 - Eyes Are the Mirrors of the Soul

The user can trap the designated target within a false reality created by the user.] 

The world shattered like a pane of glass, like a mirror dropped down a stairwell.

Zoleil found itself within the cave once more, not having moved at all from after Odraz had activated his power.

One thing about the cave had changed, the cave was empty of crystals.

"Oh, you noticed that," Odrez paced back and forth. "I only had you trapped within that illusion for a few moments, at least it seemed to you. But it's been half an hour here. More than enough time to absorb my latent energy still residing within his cave."

Slamming its hands together, Zoleil's grimoire flew into the air.

Unlike before, the pages didn't simply flap, but they began to tear themselves free from the binding. Each page glowing with a different colour.

Odraz glumly watched Zoleil. "I figured out how your little grimoire works, it has to swap pages to cast spells, you can boost the power of one element by changing the colour of your little book's cover, but you'll be unable to cast spells of other elements and this... Super move? Allows you to cast multiple different elements at the same time, Hmm..."

Odraz's eyes slowly turned to a white system panel.

[Merger at 98%]

"Gahhh, manipulating you really sped up the merger time. Let's see how much more I can mess with it. Hey dumbie, look over here."

[??-Skill: Mirror #100 - Windows to the Soul

About: Gazing into the designated targets' soul, the user is capable of modifying the target's memories.]

The pinpricks of green light that made up Zoleil's pupils glazed over.

Odraz dropped onto his butt as Zoleil re-enacted what had happened in the false reality.

Watching Zoleil walk away, summon the portal to the eighty-fifth floor of the Tower of Tribulations and step through.

[Merger at 100% - Merger complete]

Odraz wheezed, "Ugh. Using up all of my power to heal this kid and trick that dumb skeleton into leaving. That just leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

Odraz collapsed on the floor, passing out as Lauri's unconscious mind took over.