Battle Echo is a new function that the system enabled after defeating the Corrupted Spirit.
It allows the system to record and replicate powerful enemies that have been defeated in the past, allowing people to challenge them and gain rewards.
However, Battle Echo does not grant rewards for every challenge; there's a requirement: the score must exceed the score achieved when one previously defeated that enemy. While Takatsuki didn't know how the system scored, he would find out after today's trial.
Battle Echo does not require the physical body to enter; instead, the spirit enters a virtual battlefield, and the best way to use it is during sleep.
Lying in his room in the Hearth Manor, Takatsuki closed his eyes and summoned the new function in the system.
Looking at the three enemies that appeared before him: Raiden Mei, Dio Brando, and the Corrupted Spirit.
Takatsuki first chose the person he was most familiar with, Raiden Mei.
He felt the surrounding scenery shift, and Takatsuki found himself in a familiar place.
Dark thunderclouds hung in the sky, the roar of lightning constantly echoed, and a lofty figure floated in mid-air, with purple glowing wings flickering with electric arcs on her left side.
"Is this the rooftop of Senba Academy?"
Takatsuki looked around at the scenery, then gazed at the figure in the sky, who was looking down at him with a cold expression.
"Although I knew that the enemies here only harbored killing intent, I never really imagined being completely hostile with Mei."
As soon as Takatsuki finished speaking, he instantly dodged with a flicker of his feet, and a bolt of lightning struck the spot where Takatsuki had just been standing.
"As expected, she shows no mercy at all."
Although he knew the opponent was merely an enemy recorded by the system, Takatsuki still found it hard to make a move when looking at the familiar face.
However, Takatsuki observed that the Raiden Mei in the system, or rather, the Herrscher of Thunder, only had eyes for Takatsuki, the sole living being in her vicinity.
While it might sound romantic, in reality, this attention was purely that of seeing Takatsuki as an enemy.
Moreover, she didn't utter the usual chuunibyou-like declarations of the Herrscher of Thunder, nor did she hesitate in her attacks.
While dodging, a golden Hamon expanded behind Takatsuki, and a sharp blade emerged from it.
"Boom!"
Although it was destroyed by a bolt of lightning before it could even get close to the opponent, Takatsuki confirmed that even here, he could use the power of these external objects.
Or rather, were equipped weapons considered a part of his power?
During this time, Takatsuki would daily create dozens of weapons with magic and throw them into Kings Treasure to replenish his weapon reserves, but he was usually reluctant to use them. On one hand, they were difficult to create and were used as consumables; on the other hand, there was no need to use them. However, if it was a battlefield formed in this spiritual space, even if they were used, the weapons in reality would not be consumed at all.
Dozens of golden halos expanded behind Takatsuki, and even the emotionless Herrscher of Thunder was stunned by the golden light filling the sky.
Even the Herrscher of Thunder simulated by the system inherited Mei's flaw: her inability to precisely control her power.
Seemingly sensing danger, a sky-wide lightning storm descended, engulfing the entire rooftop. Perhaps due to the system's protective power, the golden halos in the sky were destroyed by the tidal wave of lightning, and Takatsuki's figure disappeared from the rooftop.
Even a Herrscher, after such a massive burst of power, would briefly enter a weakened state, and even the passively existing electromagnetic barrier would temporarily vanish. However, she could quickly recover her power by spending a little time absorbing Honkai Energy.
After the enemy was "eliminated," the Herrscher of Thunder returned to calm, slowly beginning to descend.
Pfft!
A hand emerged from her chest.
No, it should be said that she was completely pierced from behind.
"Truly, it makes me feel so guilty, Mei."
Takatsuki stood behind the Herrscher of Thunder and said so.
The Herrscher of Thunder wanted to turn her head and look at the person behind her.
But a force spread throughout her body, and soon, a Disc was ejected from her head.
Just as Takatsuki reached out to take it, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself back in reality, lying on his bed in the Hearth Manor.
"Was that enough to count as a defeat?"
Takatsuki recalled that the requirement for Battle Echo was not to kill but to defeat. Because of White Snake's power, the Herrscher of Thunder had completely lost the ability to resist, so it could definitely be considered a defeat.
Originally, Takatsuki had been thinking about whether he could extract Dio's Stand from Battle Echo and take it out, but it seemed that wasn't possible now. The plan to mass-produce "The World" failed before it even began.
However, as for the reward...
Looking at the fifteen hundred crystals that had appeared in the system, Takatsuki felt it was worth it. He was currently in a state of crystal scarcity, and the newly added system functions were all major crystal consumers.
"Let's upgrade some skill levels first. It's a pity that Stand levels can't be raised, and they don't even show up."
Takatsuki opened his skill panel, looked at the Nen displayed as LV4, and clicked the plus sign next to it twice.
After a total of nine hundred crystals were spent, the Nen's level reached LV6, and the crystal requirement for the next upgrade doubled to one thousand.
But the result was worth it.
Takatsuki felt a surge of joy as [Close at Hand Yet Worlds Apart]'s effect was forcibly elevated again due to the level increase.
Now, [Close at Hand Yet Worlds Apart] could no longer just open a passage large enough for a basketball to pass through; it had become a one-meter diameter passage. Although it wasn't as tall as a normal adult, by bending over or opening the passage at his feet, he could directly pass through.
The ability to teleport people had finally been achieved.
Unfortunately, Battle Echo only gave rewards directly and did not explain the scoring and reward distribution mechanism or the criteria for judgment.
Lying back on the bed, Takatsuki closed his eyes again. He had just checked the time, and the time in reality and in Battle Echo was consistent.
Moreover, the night was still long. At the very least, he should challenge each enemy once to get the rewards.
Two hours later, Takatsuki smiled as he looked at the 4,100 crystals in his system. Although it wasn't financial freedom, this was the first time he had encountered such a large crystal reserve.
Unfortunately, it was only for the first time. In several battles, Takatsuki basically used King Crimson's full ability to become immune to the opponent's attacks, then directly used a hand chop to pierce their chest and activate White Snake or Killer Queen's ability to defeat them.
Among them, Dio died the fastest; even a vampire couldn't resist these two Stand abilities. The Corrupted Spirit, however, could still resist after being pierced through the chest, so one provided 2000 crystals and the other 1000 crystals. It seemed the enemy's strength did not affect the reward.
Takatsuki found that there were no more rewards after challenging again, but when he challenged Dio again, he received 500 crystals as a reward after entering and immediately using Shave to get close and dissolve Dio with Hamon.
At least part of the score was related to the time it took to defeat the opponent, meaning that once he became stronger, if he could achieve a first-strike kill, he could obtain a large amount of crystals at once.
However, the rewards from Battle Echo were pretty much exhausted. Although he wouldn't get more rewards by continuing to challenge, Takatsuki could still use it to fight strong opponents and hone his skills.