A discomfort so piercing it felt like it was skewering my body.
It seems the demon also cast Appraisal on me at the same time.
But the demon's Appraisal level is only 2, so they should only be able to learn my name.
In the initial information war, I have the advantage.
I can see the demon's Skills and Titles, but they can't see mine.
That means they can't predict what I'll do, while I, on the other hand, can forecast to some extent what they will.
I push Thought Acceleration to its limit, combine it with Future Sight, and use the Skill information to predict their next attack.
As Master calls it, a "golden combo" — it grants evasion capabilities that opponents might well call unfair.
Looking at the Appraisal results, I can see their attributes lean heavily toward fire and lightning.
I have resistances to both, but fire is my weak attribute.
Lightning isn't exactly my forte either, so I need to be careful.
The Skills that particularly catch my attention are Sword God,
"Sword God: The pinnacle of the sword. Grants massive correction to movement when wielding a sword."
"Wrath: n% of the power needed to reach godhood. Expands one's own divine domain. By relinquishing rationality, combat ability is dramatically enhanced. Additionally, it transcends the System and grants the ability to interfere with the MA Realm."
"Fantasy Weapon Forging: Consumes MP to create weapons. The quality of the created weapons depends on the Skill level and the amount of MP consumed. Additionally, special effects can be applied to the weapons."
There's also a Skill called Yama, but they can't use it anyway, so I'll ignore it.
Just as I expected, Sword God appears to be the final stage of the "Hero of the Sword" Skill that I also possess.
It's a Skill that enhances sword skill, but at its highest level, there's no winning in a sword fight.
Besides, they have Slash Negation, so either way, I've already lost in a sword fight from the start.
My weapon is a heavy greatsword, so even if it can't cut, the blunt impact damage should still land — there's still a way to fight.
Wrath is part of the same Seven Deadly Sins series as my Envy.
They haven't activated it yet, it seems.
I don't know how much it would boost their Stats, but since Master says it's a broken Skill, I'd better prepare myself for a massive increase.
As it is, I'm already losing in Stats.
And finally, Fantasy Weapon Forging.
The swords the demon carries — so katanas exist in this world too — if they were made with the power of a Skill, they should have special abilities attached.
I focus my attention on the swords held one in each hand and activate Appraisal.
"Flame Blade Vermillion Bird: Attack 3000, Durability 9973, Special: Blessing, Additional Fire Attribute Attack, Auto-Repair, Auto-Recovery, Mana Storage: A sword created through forging."
"Thunder Blade Azure Dragon: Attack 3000, Durability 9978, Special: Blessing, Additional Lightning Attribute Attack, Auto-Repair, Auto-Recovery, Mana Storage: A sword created through forging."
Just how high-performance are these…
My greatsword is a masterpiece crafted by a famous Demon race swordsmith, but these are so incredible they make it look inferior.
Five special effects attached to a single weapon is already absurd to begin with.
Magic swords with special effects are rare enough as it is.
Besides, judging by the names, there should be a Black Tortoise and White Tiger too, right?
They still have trump cards left? How unfair.
Oh?
Come to think of it, how do they know about the Four Spirits?
I've never heard anyone mention the Four Spirits in this world.
Well, whatever.
More importantly, I need to figure out how to defeat this monstrosity.
To cut to the chase, melee combat is suicide.
My probing attack was easily deflected, and seeing their Stats rise immediately after, it's clear they applied a buff.
Their Stats lean more toward magic, yet based on their Skill setup, they seem to specialize more in melee combat.
If that's the case, a ranged battle utilizing both magic and my vampire abilities would be ideal.
If they'll play along in a shooting match, I can see a path to victory.
I activate Blood Mist, and a crimson fog envelops me.
Then I cast Water Magic, blending it with the mist.
Red water surrounds me.
Heh, they look surprised.
This is a combat technique I developed by combining my vampire abilities with magic.
You can't normally attach an acid effect to magic, but once you transform it by mixing it with Blood Mist like this, that limitation can be bypassed.
I don't fully understand the mechanics, but it's like a secret trick.
A tidal wave of concentrated acid that melts anything it touches.
It shifts shape at my will and strikes.
"Crimson Sea" — that's the name Master gave this technique.
One of my primary weapons.
Those swords won't be able to block this, right?
So the demon's only option is to dodge while closing the distance and force a melee engagement.
I'll keep my distance and intercept to prevent that.
And yet, even though I expected it…
The demon's actions defied my predictions.
Countless swords materialized from empty space.
"Explosive Sword: Attack 2500, Durability 100, Special: Additional Fire Attribute Attack, Self-Destruction, Flying Sword: A sword created through forging."
Oh, this is bad.
Instinctively, I shroud my body with Crimson Sea.
The next instant, countless swords fly toward me and pierce into Crimson Sea, which I've raised as a shield.
Then they detonate.
Crimson Sea is blown away by about half.
They're like missiles.
Wait, isn't that cheating?
They're not just strong in melee — they're actually good at ranged combat too.
This isn't what I signed up for.
But you know what?
I can't help but find this exhilarating.
Fantasy Weapon Forging — with that single Skill alone, they deploy tactics that overturn all my predictions.
What will come flying at me next?
It's like the excitement of opening a lucky bag.
What will they show me next?