Chapter 49 - yyyy

"So, regarding the matter of killing Frieren, do you guys have any suggestions? It doesn't matter, everyone can speak freely."

Under Fíliya's lead, a crowd of mages sat cross-legged in a circle before the giant gate, unfolding a brainstorming session.

"Hey!"

However, unlike the grave expressions of the gathered mages, the white-haired elf who served as the topic of discussion was obviously quite displeased with Fíliya's remarks.

This was understandable; after all, gathering a large group of people to study how to kill oneself would feel very strange to anyone.

"Urgh... Direct combat seems to offer slim hopes. To be honest, if we weren't in the middle of a test right now, I would have already wanted to withdraw from this labyrinth."

Denken shook his head helplessly.

"Then why not just swarm her all at once? Anyway, Frieren herself is right here. That thing couldn't possibly be stronger than the original, right? If we stall for time, Frieren will definitely be able to find an opportunity to finish that thing off."

The ice-using haughty girl—Lawine—spoke up.

"That won't work."

Although Frieren instinctively felt some aversion to this conference discussing 'How to kill Frieren', she immediately became serious upon hearing Lawine's suggestion.

"While ganging up is a straightforward and effective method, it must be established on the basis that the disparity in strength isn't too large... In short, Lawine, if we go by your plan, everyone here will die very miserably."

Frieren spoke with a calm face.

"Uh... In other words, we don't even have the qualifications to 'stall for time'?"

Miss Lawine lowered her head, feeling somewhat dispirited.

"Tsk, speaking of which, how can there be such a thing? For a replica with strength comparable to Frieren to be guarding the end of the level... isn't that too unreasonable? Moreover, the mana required to maintain that thing's existence must be incredibly exaggerated. Just what on earth is inside this labyrinth? To actually be able to create a replica with strength exactly identical to the original..."

Richter looked gloomy.

"Who knows? That examiner over there surely knows something, right? Though looking at her, she doesn't seem prepared to explain."

Denken narrowed his eyes and looked toward Sense, and the others also tacitly cast glances in Sense's direction.

That Miss Sense, cute as a doll, naturally noticed those gazes locking onto her, so her expression appeared somewhat hesitant.

The development of events truly shouldn't have been like this.

Sense naturally knew the secret of this labyrinth.

When reporting the test content to Serie, she had already hesitated slightly. After all... she had initially planned to let 'herself' be the boss at the end of the level.

But what she hadn't expected was that her own sister had grown to such an extent, and... there was also a white-haired elf she couldn't see through at all.

With things as they were, the current difficulty of this labyrinth indeed appeared to be somewhat 'substandard'—or rather, excessive.

But just as she planned to modify the test content, Lady Serie stepped forward again.

"Oh? Isn't this very interesting? Why change it? We should let those bastards face an opponent of their own level; otherwise, this test would be too boring."

Hmm... Anyway, it was also under Serie's authorization that Sense continued this test. Just in case, she had even requested many emergency escape golems from the First-Class Mage Lernen.

However, this type of golem certainly couldn't be used in a battle against Frieren's replica. In other words, whoever went to face that replica of Frieren had to be prepared for a one-way trip.

As the examiner, should I explain this to these examinees after all...? This seems against the rules, but the current situation is indeed caused by my oversight.

Sense frowned slightly; those who didn't know better might think she was angry because of Denken's words. But this Miss Sense, with hair reaching the floor, was clearly thinking about something else.

"What is sealed inside this labyrinth should be the [Water-Mirror Demon], right?"

Ultimately, it was Fíliya who stood up.

"[Water-Mirror Demon]?"

The others present were all bewildered, and only Frieren nodded as if she understood.

"Mm, a type of monster from the [Age of Gods]. It should have gone extinct originally, but I heard before that the Association still had one sealed away. I didn't expect it to be in this place."

Fíliya continued explaining. The so-called [Age of Gods] was naturally, as the name implied, the 'Era when Gods were active'.

"The characteristic of this monster is that it meets strength with strength, and weakness with weakness. If the ones challenging the labyrinth today weren't us, but just any random ordinary person, then this [Water-Mirror Demon] would only be able to replicate an ordinary person. Perhaps they could clear the level with ease... Of course, that's assuming they could survive the monsters and traps in the middle layers and reach the deepest part."

"Then... does this monster have any weaknesses?"

Denken hurriedly pressed for an answer.

"Mm... Of course it does. That is, its main body is incredibly fragile. It is literally a mirror; it shatters at a touch. Anyone can kill the Water-Mirror Demon... Therefore, if one encounters a [Water-Mirror Demon] in the wild, the correct strategy is indeed to swarm it. Most people stall the replica, and then let one person break through the encirclement and directly smash the Water-Mirror Demon's main body to resolve the crisis."

"Is that so... but we are currently inside a labyrinth... and the one guarding the gate is that Frieren."

The hope that had ignited in Denken's eyes instantly dimmed again.

After all, even he didn't have the confidence to ignore that Frieren and rush all the way to the innermost part of the labyrinth in one breath to kill the [Water Mirror] first.

...That process is enough for me to die dozens of times, Denken thought to himself.

"Then, does this [Water-Mirror Demon] have any other characteristics?"

A new face stood up. Fíliya focused her gaze and saw it was a woman with long brown hair. Judging by her temperament, one could tell at a glance that she was someone who fit the definition of a 'Gentle Big Sister' even more than Frieren.

What made Fíliya even more curious was that this big sister held a staff in one hand, while a holy scripture rested on her thigh.

"Oh? Truly 'multi-talented', isn't she?" Frieren understood instantly; this was a dual-class practitioner who balanced the roles of [Mage] and [Priest].

"There are. The [Water-Mirror Demon] is a monster from the Age of Gods; trying to suppress it with numbers is impossible. No matter how many people come, it can definitely replicate the same number of people... Speaking of which, I felt it was very strange just now. Why is there only one Frieren inside? Reasonably speaking, all of us should have been replicated by it... Did you guys encounter other replicas before coming here?"

Fíliya looked around the circle and then asked.

But everyone present tacitly shook their heads.

"I'm afraid it's because the Water-Mirror Demon's replication only begins to take effect when 'someone has reached the deep layer', right?"

Frieren held her chin, speculating.

And very quickly, someone stood up to corroborate her guess.

"Hey, did everyone encounter a type of replica that looked like it was molded from clay?"

She only perceived four figures slowly walking into the hall.

The moment their gazes met, Fíliya felt a sudden chill.

One of the figures rushed over at high speed and, with a look of deep resentment, threw herself directly into Fíliya's arms.

"Thank goodness... I thought I was going to die."

Miss Ehre first cried out in a tone of immense relief, but then immediately puffed up her cheeks, staring deathly daggers at Fíliya as if lodging a silent complaint.

"Umu... well, you see, I didn't mean to leave you behind, Ehre. Look, I just wanted you to get a little more training, and didn't you do a great job?"

Fíliya understood Ehre's implication and quickly offered some comfort. Fortunately, Miss Ehre was very easy to handle; with just a few random words of appeasement, the child immediately revealed a smile.

"So, what did you guys encounter?" Fíliya asked hurriedly, seeing that Ehre was fine.

"Tsk, we ran into Sense's replica... Speaking of which, it's one thing for you to be an examiner, woman, but could you stop causing trouble for us examinees?"

Wirbel scratched his hair with a look of extreme displeasure, then glared viciously at Sense, who was squatting in the corner. Sense chose to ignore this directly, but Fíliya could not tolerate it.

She immediately activated [High-Speed Movement Magic] and delivered a flying kick straight to Wirbel's waist.

Wirbel was sent flying several meters. After struggling to climb up from the ground, he immediately roared in anger. "Hiss! My waist! Are you crazy? What are you doing!"

"Nothing, I just suddenly felt like kicking you." Fíliya glared back at Wirbel without showing any weakness.

"Ma... Little Bei, don't you know Fíliya cares most about her doll-like sister? This is the price for your rudeness."

To the side, Übel wore an expression of watching a good show, covering her mouth as she snickered.

"So, did you resolve it?" Fíliya narrowed her eyes and looked at Übel.

"Mm, yes. At first, Little Bei and Little Ai were struggling in a hard battle. We just happened to pass by and helped them solve it. After all, my magic is 'Scissors', so it's very suitable for dealing with [Hair]."

Übel pressed a finger against her lips, but Fíliya chose to completely ignore her malicious attempt at acting cute.

Seeing this, Übel continued. "Eh? Can't Fíliya give a bit more reaction? I listened to your words properly. Didn't you tell me to do 'Good Deeds' before? I count as having saved two of your friends this time, right?"

"I feel it is necessary to make a correction: it is [One], at most [One and a Half]," Fíliya said with a solemn face.

"Umu... whether it's one or a half, I did a good deed, right? Shouldn't Fíliya praise me?" Übel narrowed her eyes, looking at Fíliya with a teasing expression.

In response, Fíliya merely clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Although she liked looking at others with that kind of expression, she found it somewhat irritating when someone stared at her with such a punchable face. Looking at this guy, looking at that terrible expression, that meager figure slightly shorter than herself, and that disgusting green hair... yet these things looked so good on Solitär.

That's right, Miss Fíliya admitted she was, in every sense, a hypocrite.

"Ah, you're so amazing~~ Come, let's shake hands," Fíliya recited in a tone devoid of any emotion, extending her hand.

Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through Übel's hand.

"Hiss! Pain... It hurts!"

Übel pulled her hand back in panic, then hurriedly rubbed the agitated spot with her other hand. "Umu... Isn't Fíliya a Mage... How do you have such great strength?"

Although she had been toyed with, Übel wasn't angry; she was just very curious about where Fíliya got such strength.

"Heheh." Fíliya turned around directly, putting distance between herself and Übel.

As for why? Of course, she didn't have that much strength; she had simply amplified the pain receptors by one or two times.

"...Wirbel, apart from Sense's replica, did you encounter anything else?" After standing firm a few meters away, Fíliya returned to serious mode and asked Wirbel.

"Of course, we also met the replicas of those two brats. They were taken out easily by me," Wirbel said with a wicked grin.

As for the 'two brats' he mentioned, he clearly referred to [Lawine] and [Kanne].

Mm, it was easy to imagine... As long as he used [Visual Binding Magic] to control Kanne and prevent her from generating water, the ice-wielding [Lawine] was obviously no match for Ehre either.

Fíliya nodded, instantly understanding the flow of the battle.

"Tsk."

Lawine also clicked her tongue in annoyance. She was irritated by two things: one was being treated as a [Brat], and the other was the phrase [Taken out easily].

"In other words, replicas of everyone will indeed appear... Then, do you have any other intelligence regarding the replicas?" Fíliya continued to ask.

"...These replicas seem to respawn infinitely," spoke the 'Little Glasses' whom Fíliya had subconsciously ignored. Of course, the one appearing this time was still his clone.

"Mm, that's right. Ehre and I encountered the ice and water brats twice," Wirbel nodded in agreement.

"Hey, you Wild Dog, calling us brats left and right—do you believe I won't smash your dog head in?!" Lawine finally seemed unable to endure it anymore; after all, she also had an unforgiving, violent temper.

"Ha? You want to die, brat?" Wirbel's eyes widened in anger.

But Fíliya slowly walked in front of Lawine, wearing an expression that said, 'I'm protecting this child, what are you gonna do about it?'.

In response... Wirbel could only take a deep breath. Fine, he indeed couldn't do anything about it.

"Alright, alright. Lawine, there's no need to lower ourselves to the level of someone with no breeding. Let's continue thinking about how to clear the level. However... the title [Wild Dog] is really quite nice."

Fíliya patted Lawine's head very happily, thinking that Wirbel's messy silver hair, the scars on his face, and that attitude of frequently 'biting people' really did give off the feeling of a [Wild Dog].

"Mm, since the replicas respawn infinitely... there is only one method left."

After a brief moment of thought, Fíliya directly began assigning tasks to everyone. Of course, during this process, she also explained the current situation to the four latecomers.

"First, let's discuss amongst ourselves. State your own weaknesses, and then let the person who counters you deal with your replica. Of course, we don't seek a kill; just stalling them is enough."

"The rest, leave to me. Let me meet this counterfeit Frieren and see what level she is at." Saying this, Fíliya walked straight toward the giant gate.

But she was instantly blocked by Ehre and Edel.

"No! Dealing with Frieren alone is too risky! Even for you, Fíliya, that's impossible, right?"

"That's right, let's continue to discuss and find a method with a higher win rate..."

Fíliya looked hesitant.

"By the way, can we let Miss Edel try?" Fern, a victim of Edel's magic, stepped forward at this moment. "Miss Edel's Mental Magic is very powerful. Perhaps we can avoid combat directly?"

"Eh? Me...? But Frieren's mental barrier is very strong, I'm not confident I can break through it," Edel said with some hesitation.

"Well, trying is never wrong," Miss Fern continued to suggest.

"No need to try. That child can break through my mental defenses," Frieren quickly took over the conversation. She had realized this as early as the day she cast magic together with Edel. It had to be said that, solely in terms of [Mental Magic], this young human girl was indeed a rare genius of this era.

"Then... doesn't that make things simple?!" Fern exclaimed excitedly, but Fíliya immediately extinguished her hope.

"Uh... I forgot to tell you guys. The replicas created by the [Water-Mirror Demon] have no intellect at all, only the same combat intuition as the original. So [Mental Magic] is useless. If it were possible, I would have let Edel try long ago."

Fíliya spread her hands helplessly.

"Then, please let me go in with Fíliya. I am very clear about Lady Frieren's bad habits. If it is to kill Lady Frieren... I should be able to help!" Fern said with a solemn face.

Facing this rebellious disciple whose mouth was full of intent to kill her master, Frieren actually smiled with unusual gratification. In her view, this was proof of Fern's [Growth].

"That won't do. That fellow Frieren's biggest bad habit is [Underestimating the Enemy]. Clearly a guy who has lived for over a thousand years and experienced countless life-and-death perils, yet she still commits such low-level errors... But this happens to be convenient for me. If you go in with me, Fern, facing two opponents, [Frieren's] carelessness would be cured."

Hearing Fíliya's evaluation, Frieren lowered her head somewhat guiltily and began playing with her fingers. She had to admit that Fíliya was right. If she could fix this ailment of [Underestimating the Enemy], she wouldn't have lost to humans so many times in the past.

But the reason a bad habit is a bad habit is precisely because it is very difficult to correct...

"Cough... In that case, I will go in with you. If the two of us join forces, we should be able to resolve it very quickly." Frieren gave a dry cough and stood up directly, walking towards Fíliya.

But Fíliya immediately held her down by the shoulder.

"No, I have a very important mission to give you." Fíliya became very serious when she said this, and Frieren realized the gravity of the problem.

"Mm, that's right... I must say, everyone present is incredibly lucky to have walked into this hall alive." Fíliya didn't speak directly to Frieren but instead glanced at the others again.

"If it were truly my [Replica] coming to ambush you all, you wouldn't even have the chance to use that [Emergency Escape Golem], you know?"

Fíliya spoke slowly, and her words indeed caused many people to feel a lingering sense of fear.

"It seems everyone has realized the severity of the problem. So, Frieren, you are to go find me, and then kill [Me]."

"And I... will kill you. Understood?"

After Fíliya's figure disappeared behind those massive doors, the atmosphere on the scene instantly descended into an eerie silence.

It was evident that many were curious about the situation inside, but they quickly regained their composure, rising to prepare for the interception of their respective opponents.

"Wait."

Frieren suddenly called for a halt, then slowly walked over to Edel.

"Edel, cast that magic on everyone," Frieren said softly.

"Eh? ...Oh." Edel nodded hurriedly.

"Mm, but I won't be able to help you maintain the spell this time, okay?" Frieren reminded her in a whisper.

"It's okay... with the experience from last time, I should be able to maintain it on my own... probably."

Edel patted her chest, clearly trying to psych herself up.

Next, Edel once again cast the spell Fíliya had named "Squad Voice," enveloping every mage present within its network.

This... This is!

Those experiencing the magic for the first time let out mental exclamations, while the veterans who had used it before immediately shifted into combat readiness.

Just as we agreed, everyone find a suitable opponent and stall for time as best you can... Report immediately if any unexpected situations arise.

Frieren transmitted her message to everyone before walking toward another individual.

Her target was the examiner squatting in the corner.

"Is this really okay? You're clearly worried to death, yet you're pretending to be calm."

Frieren spoke in a tranquil tone, tentatively striking up a conversation with Sense.

"..."

Sense remained silent. Her heart was indeed in turmoil. Especially after hearing Fíliya's battle plan, she felt an uncontrollable urge to rush in, to help, and to fight side-by-side with Fíliya.

Watching her sister walk into danger was agonizing torture, yet her professional duty bound her hands, leaving her in this state of helpless paralysis.

"Hmph... I can see you're in a terrible mood... I'm not very good at offering comfort, so..."

Frieren took a deep breath as she spoke.

"Don't worry. That girl... isn't the type to die in a place like this. Didn't she look confident when she went in?"

Frieren left Sense with a smile and those words, then immediately turned away.

After all, she also shouldered a monumental task: finding Fíliya's replica.

Although she didn't know why Fíliya's replica hadn't made a move yet, this development was undoubtedly beneficial for everyone. After all, it was just as Fíliya had said. If that girl, with her treacherous and unfathomable methods, started assassinating people... no one here would even get the chance to use their Emergency Escape Golems.

In other words, the fact that the replica possessed no "Intellect" was truly good news.

Rationally speaking, the best solution would have been for her and Fíliya to enter together and quickly eliminate their own replicas. But if they did that... the less skilled young mages would face the threat of death.

Frieren was well aware of her own capabilities. She knew that even if she and Fíliya joined forces, they couldn't instantly kill "her"... If such a battle dragged on, the mages outside might be picked off one by one by Fíliya's replica... To minimize casualties, she had no choice but to place her trust in Fíliya for now.

...

"Found you..."

Frieren stopped concealing her mana and expanded her detection range to the limit, quickly locking onto that specific target.

But to her confusion, the replica remained motionless in a room.

Frieren didn't know what the replica was planning, but that didn't stop her from immediately rushing in that direction.

"This is..."

Frieren looked at the figure not far away and instantly went on alert, observing the surroundings.

This was a corridor much smaller than the previous hall. On the walls all around, countless sharp blade marks were branded...

Wait? Blade marks...

Frieren suddenly realized. This was a place full of mages; there shouldn't be any swords... So, was it the work of that girl with the green side ponytail...? She remembered her saying her magic was "Scissors"...

Then this room... Is this the room where Sense's replica was destroyed?

Frieren quickly grasped the situation.

What surprised Frieren even more was that she felt she could see a trace of loneliness on the fake Fíliya's face...

Strange. Aren't replicas supposed to only have instincts and combat intuition, with no intellect or heart? How could I have this illusion?

Could it be that behaviors like "Protect Sense" or "Avenge Sense" have themselves become that girl's "Instinct"?

Just as Frieren was letting her thoughts wander, Fíliya's replica finally moved. In the blink of an eye, the replica brushed past Frieren.

Frieren, who had been prepared for an attack, revealed a stunned expression. Because the replica didn't attack her at all. Instead, it sprinted directly in another direction.

"That direction... is towards that girl named Übel... Is it really going for 'Revenge'?"

Frieren frowned slightly, then hurriedly chased down Fíliya's replica, blocking its path.

"Sorry, but I can't let you pass."

Frieren finally raised her staff against the replica.

...

Meanwhile, inside the giant gate.

"Umu... Not good, this is quite bad. I talked big... but I have no idea how to start..."

It had been several minutes since Fíliya entered the territory of this counterfeit Frieren.

Fíliya had been observing, trying to find a single opening in Frieren.

Honestly... openings were practically everywhere. But Fíliya had a gut feeling that the moment she actually struck at those openings, she would be the one to suffer.

And that clay-doll-like figure kept staring at Fíliya with cold eyes. In these few minutes, it hadn't initiated an attack either.

Tsk... Is this standoff situation actually good?

Impossible.

Fíliya shook her head.

The guys outside were mortal flesh and blood; their mana was finite. The replicas, however, were supplied with mana by the Age of Gods monster, the "Water-Mirror Demon," making their reserves nearly infinite. Plus, they respawned endlessly after death... No matter how she looked at it, her side couldn't afford to stall.

And this guy is really pissing me off... seeing an opponent with much lower mana enter, she just relaxes? Does not attacking mean she wants to give me a handicap?

Frieren, you idiot, this goes beyond just underestimating the enemy, right? What are you pretending for?

Fíliya vented her frustration internally, but regardless, it was time for her to take the initiative

"Eat my big light cannon!"

Fíliya let out a soft roar and directly fired several beams of [Ordinary Attack Magic] at Frieren from different angles.

But clearly, such overly straightforward attacks would not have any effect. Fíliya herself didn't hallucinate that a few magic blasts would achieve any results; she merely wanted to test Frieren's reaction speed.

"Mm, very fast... but not fast enough."

Even though her attacks were all blocked, a smile emerged on the corners of Fíliya's mouth.

Because she had confirmed a fact... that [Ordinary Attack Magic] was absolutely effective against Frieren.

One had to realize that it took Solitär and Aura months of continuous special training under Fíliya before they finally developed a conditioned reflex to [Ordinary Attack Magic].

But a fellow like Frieren, who lived an extremely loose and undisciplined life, probably hadn't encountered a decent opponent since defeating the Demon King. Having lived a leisurely life for decades, it was even more impossible for anyone to have helped her with special training specifically targeting [Ordinary Attack Magic].

So this detestable white-haired long-lived species was just like the Demon Race; her impression of this new magic wasn't deep enough, and she had no way to rely on her own conditioned reflexes to block it.

Every time Frieren blocked [Ordinary Attack Magic], although her reaction speed far exceeded that of ordinary people, she indeed needed to spend that split second thinking.

Knowing this point was enough.

Fíliya once again blasted out countless rays of [Ordinary Attack Magic]. Although she felt that this method of suppressing the enemy through speed and quantity was extremely extravagant and lacked aesthetic sense, she had to admit that it was indeed very useful.

Even Solitär, who had already formed a [Conditioned Reflex], would be suppressed by her casting speed, let alone this white-haired elf who still needed a moment to think.

"Oh? What am I seeing? Is that a look of shock? If this thing has intelligence, would it regret letting me take the initiative?"

Fíliya's face finally revealed that trademark mischievous smirk of hers.

Since Frieren's underestimation of the enemy had already allowed her to gain an advantage, she absolutely had to seize this opportunity... Fíliya thought to herself.

Thus, her output frequency rose another notch, and Frieren's responses began to look stretched. After about a minute, the counterfeit Frieren simply decided to act as a shrinking turtle, using an omnidirectional [Defensive Magic] to lock herself away completely.

"Tsk... that is indeed a tactic befitting a blockhead. You think you're amazing just because you have a lot of mana?"

Looking at that fully covering dome glowing with silvery-white light, Fíliya immediately shook her head. She then raised her middle finger at Frieren, not caring whether this mud-doll imposter could understand it or not; as long as she vented her feelings, that was all that mattered.

"Well then, let me smash that turtle shell of yours."

As Fíliya spoke, she began to continuously compress her mana. What she intended to fire was precisely that compressed magic cannon, the same style as Solitär's.

To pierce the barrier of [Defensive Magic], one had to compress mana to a very high intensity level. Although she couldn't compress it to the exaggerated multiplier that Solitär could, it was very close.

But just as Fíliya fired that concentrated magic cannon, which was pitch-black throughout and laced with electric arcs, the [Defensive Magic] in front of Frieren also began to change its structure. It transformed from a completely silvery-white large dome into a shape covered in fish-scale patterns.

"Tsk... I'm really speechless. Every time I win a little advantage through mechanics, it always gets crushed back by you damn long-lived species using raw stats. Can't you come up with some new tricks?"

Fíliya immediately let out a complaint full of resentment.

Because she could see that Frieren was constantly reinforcing the performance of her [Defensive Magic], and her own compressed magic cannon indeed failed to pierce this spell formula, which was dozens of times more complex than ordinary [Defensive Magic].

The principle that [The performance of Defensive Magic should not be excessive] seemed to have become invalid in this instant.

However, this was also quite normal. This replica's mana was provided by the [Water-Mirror Demon], which meant this thing had even more mana than Frieren herself. Only by possessing nearly infinite mana could one possibly do something as foolish as strengthening the performance of [Defensive Magic] to this extent.

Fortunately, if it was just infinite mana, it wouldn't scare Miss Fíliya, because she knew very well... [Possessing infinite mana] and [Mobilizing infinite mana] were two completely different concepts.

Those unreasonable long-lived species, although their total mana capacity might be dozens or even hundreds of times that of humans, the mana they could mobilize in a single instant for an attack was at most two or three times that of a human. Such a gap wasn't enough to make one despair... at least, that was what Miss Fíliya believed.

"Alright, it seems everything before was in vain."

Seeing the expression on the mud-doll Frieren become a bit more solemn, Fíliya also understood that the advantage she had established at the beginning had vanished into thin air.

After the maneuver just now, this imposter had confirmed that Fíliya was an existence capable of threatening her. Therefore, [Underestimating the Enemy] and [Carelessness] would likely never happen again... In the end, it was Fíliya herself who had wasted quite a bit of mana for nothing. Mm... she estimated that next, she was going to experience the charm of [Stats] again, wasn't she?

Fíliya shook her head with a bitter smile, but she also immediately made herself ready.

Although she said that, the scene that followed still took her by surprise.

She saw a gigantic magic circle appear beneath Frieren's feet, followed by a tremor that felt like the earth moving and mountains shaking.

Fíliya hurriedly controlled her body to maintain balance, while simultaneously not giving up on attempting to interrupt that casting. However, Frieren still blocked her attacks with ease.

"Tsk... feels like my [Attack Power] is a bit lacking... Should I make a [Mid-Battle Breakthrough]?"

Fíliya murmured, then quickly browsed the System Store in her mind.

But looking at that eight-digit number she had raised so high... and thinking about how she was getting closer and closer to her [Ideal], she ultimately couldn't bear to spend the points.

Mm... anyway, the situation hadn't reached the worst point yet, had it... I don't believe I can't take out this white-haired elf with my own skills... Miss Fíliya thought, feeling slightly piqued.

And very quickly, the result of Frieren's spellcasting was displayed before Fíliya. Seeing that spectacular sight, she only felt the corners of her mouth twitching slightly.

"You can't be serious? After deactivating [Careless Mode], you immediately switched to [Cautious] Mode? Frieren, you fickle woman."

Fíliya curled her lips and complained, because beside Frieren, a gigantic golem had risen from the ground, and Frieren had used Flight Magic to jump directly onto the golem's shoulder.

"It's bad enough that you bully the weak with raw power, but now you have to get a summon to make it a two-on-one?... Frieren, the current you is truly despicable!"

Fíliya bit her lip lightly, staring back at those eyes looking down from above with a face full of displeasure

The counterfeit Frieren, standing on the Golem's shoulder, naturally could not understand Fíliya's mockery.

It only silently unleashed the next round of attacks.

High-intensity mana began to gather at the tip of Frieren's staff. After an interval of a single breath, the charge was complete, followed immediately by an incomparably dazzling, deep purple lightning strike.

If it were just a single bolt, it would have been fine, but Fíliya clearly saw that at the same time Frieren cast her spell, the giant Golem also opened its mouth wide, emitting a beam of lightning identical to Frieren's.

"Oh? Is it 'Double Casting', then...?"

Fíliya instantly understood everything. Just as the lightning strikes were about to hit her, she quickly generated two pure white barriers, blocking the lightning coming from two different angles.

In just a single exchange, her Defensive Magic was shattered by the lightning, which carried a frighteningly dense aura of mana. However, for Fíliya, this result was already a pleasant surprise.

Because the Defensive Magic had neutralized the lightning strikes upon impact. This meant that while this thunderous attack looked terrifying, its actual power was even inferior to a compressed version of Ordinary Attack Magic.

"What's going on here? I thought you were holding back some ultimate move... Wait..."

Just as Miss Fíliya was about to voice her mockery, she suddenly realized something.

Whether in nature or among mages skilled in lightning magic, there was a prominent characteristic.

That's right. 'Lightning' never comes as just a single bolt.

In the next instant, Fíliya's conjecture was verified.

A massive magic circle, fully twenty to thirty meters in diameter, appeared behind Frieren and the Golem. It was clearly the sign that she was about to launch a fierce offensive.

Immediately after, electric light began to surge continuously from Frieren's hands. Those deep purple arcs of lightning resembled countless poisonous snakes, all pouncing toward Fíliya at once.

And under the enhancement of 'Double Casting', the quantity of those purple lightning bolts was so great that Fíliya's eyes couldn't even keep up.

"Tsk, you really aren't holding back, are you?"

Fíliya narrowed her eyes and instantly generated several layers of Defensive Magic barriers in front of herself.

Besides the method Frieren had used before—making the spell formula incomparably complex—there was another relatively easier way to strengthen the performance of Defensive Magic.

That was to stack Defensive Magic like nesting dolls. In this critical moment, Fíliya hurriedly created at least five layers of Defensive Magic.

The purple lightning bombarded the barriers of Defensive Magic like rain, erupting with countless sonic booms. The first layer was shattered instantly, while the second, third, and fourth layers could only hold on for a brief moment.

But by the time the lightning broke through to the fifth layer, Fíliya had gained enough time to replenish the previous four layers, thus forming a cycle that could be sustained temporarily.

"This can't go on..."

Although she barely managed to withstand the endless stream of lightning, Fíliya knew very well that she was in no position to engage in a war of attrition over mana with Frieren. Her gaze immediately locked onto the Golem that was helping Frieren perform 'Double Casting'.

"Hmm... it's a good thing this replica has no 'Wisdom'. If the real Frieren were here, she would absolutely never summon such a thing to get in the way while fighting me."

A smile appeared at the corners of Fíliya's mouth. It seemed she felt that the Golem was actually the opportunity for her to regain the initiative.

So she immediately took action. First, utilizing High-Speed Movement Magic (Jilgravala) and Flight Magic, she soared into the air. Dodging and weaving through the sky in a very strange flight path, she rushed toward the Golem beneath Frieren's feet.

The moment she left her original position, the floor there was bombarded by dozens, perhaps hundreds, of powerful lightning strikes.

But what made Fíliya sigh with emotion was that under such a terrifying attack, the ground there didn't collapse. It was merely smashed into a small pit, five or six meters in diameter and three or four meters deep.

"Tsk tsk, as expected of the Ruins of the Royal Tomb. What, because it's a dungeon sealing a monster from the Age of Gods, even the floor tiles are 'Age of Gods' grade?"

By this time, Fíliya had already arrived at the Golem's heel. Having confirmed her safety, her attitude immediately relaxed a bit, leaving her with enough energy to voice a complaint.

The scene fell silent for a moment. Frieren, atop the Golem, also stopped her attacks, as if realizing something.

"Only reacting now? This thing you summoned has now become my safest 'Blind Spot'."

Fíliya mocked with a light chuckle.

The response she got was an attack from the Golem. The Golem slowly lifted its right foot and stomped toward her.

"Too slow. Are you trying to make me laugh with this kind of attack?"

Fíliya easily disappeared from the sole of the Golem's foot, then stood once again on the bridge of the Golem's foot.

The counterfeit Frieren seemed to understand that such slow physical attacks could not possibly hit Fíliya. So, she too floated up, leaving the Golem's shoulder and flying to an angle where she could look down and cast magic at Fíliya.

What she unleashed this time was no longer that lightning, but a kind of... incomparably scorching, two-colored flame, interlaced with blood-red and pitch-black.

"I dodge!"

Fíliya let out a playful voice and jumped directly onto the Golem's back. The Golem's incredibly clumsy movements meant it had no way to shake her off; it could only obediently be used by Fíliya as a shield to block the attack.

Fíliya was naturally very satisfied with her decision, but events obviously wouldn't continue to go as she wished.

She noticed that the Golem's back was getting hotter and hotter—so hot she couldn't hold on firmly... And what surprised her even more was that the red-and-black fire had actually ignited the Golem directly. The fire adhering to the rock seemed to possess self-awareness, spreading continuously toward her.

Not good!

Fíliya instantly became alert and let go, hurriedly fleeing from the Golem's back.

Unfortunately, even though her reaction speed was fast, she couldn't avoid getting a bit of the flame on her body.

"..."

Watching her sleeve being swallowed by the flames, Fíliya frowned. She immediately used Water Creation Magic (Dralguhr) to generate a small amount of water, trying to extinguish that spot.

But the moment the water touched the black-and-red flame, it was directly evaporated.

"This fire... cannot be extinguished..."

Upon realizing this, Fíliya made a prompt decision, directly tearing off her mage robe and tossing it aside

"Is this [Hellfire]...? It's my first time seeing it with my own eyes. But you really are heartless, aren't you? You summoned that thing yourself, yet you burned it away without a second thought. Don't you feel it's a pity?"

Fíliya spoke while stealing a glance behind her at the stone golem, which had already been melted down by the Hellfire.

If she had hesitated for even a moment longer just now, and allowed those unquenchable flames to touch her skin, her fate likely wouldn't have been much better.

The counterfeit Frieren, of course, had no intention of responding. She simply silently prepared her next attack. This made Fíliya feel a bit let down... after all, she quite enjoyed chatting with her opponents during a fight.

Seeing Frieren raise her staff once more, Fíliya immediately charged toward her.

Frieren was, in every sense, a 'traditional' turret-type mage. Fíliya, on the other hand, held a distinct advantage over her: [Mobility].

Under the enhancement of High-Speed Movement Magic (Jilgravala), she closed the distance to Frieren in practically an instant. But simultaneously, the light bursting from the tip of Frieren's staff reached right in front of Miss Fíliya's face.

With a deafening boom, the bodies of both individuals were smashed into the walls of the great hall together.

The counterfeit Frieren's expression was somewhat vacant. A distinct depression had appeared on her chest, along with shattering cracks.

Fíliya had finally dealt the first blow of damage to this fake Frieren.

As for how she achieved this? During that seemingly suicidal maneuver, she had simply used a single spell—[Gold Transformation Magic].

She still couldn't use this magic on others, but when it came to applying it to herself, she was already incredibly proficient.

She had completely [Gold Transformed] herself just moments ago to tank Frieren's zero-distance magic cannon, and then, using the inertia of her charge, she slammed Frieren directly into the wall.

That's right. For this mage named Fíliya, her first effective attack was actually a physical one.

"Heh... You long-lived species all have a bad habit. especially you, Frieren. You're too used to being undisciplined... Once you encounter a situation outside your imagination, your reaction is always half a beat too slow... If that attack just now were against a human mage, like that old man Denken, they probably would have dodged it instead of letting me slam them into a wall. That is your second weakness, Frieren."

Fíliya spoke rapidly, her movements not ceasing for a moment even as she provided her commentary. A sharp one-handed sword instantly generated in her right hand.

She raised the sword high and slashed at Frieren's neck without hesitation.

But the moment the blade edge reached Frieren's neck, the sword in Fíliya's hand instantly shattered. Frieren had blocked the slash with precise [Defensive Magic].

"I knew it wouldn't go that smoothly."

Fíliya's expression remained unchanged. She straddled Frieren's waist directly and, at this extreme close range, unleashed dozens of blasts of [Ordinary Attack Magic] in rapid succession. In addition, she even had the spare energy to summon several flying swords, shooting them all toward Frieren's forehead together.

If possible, Fíliya wanted to pile on every single method she had.

At this distance, she could completely use Water Manipulation Magic to extract the blood from her target's body.

[Extracting blood from the human body] was a completely incomprehensible and unimaginable feat for other human mages, such as Miss Kanne. After all, to achieve this, one had to know the distribution of blood within the human body like the back of their hand.

Clearly, Fíliya met this condition. During the days she spent experimenting with Solitär, she had long since mastered the relevant knowledge.

Unfortunately, this damn thing in front of her was just a mud doll; it had no blood at all.

And other methods, like [Pain Amplification], [Sensory Control], or [Mind Control Magic], were completely ineffective against a heartless mud doll.

So, she could only push her casting speed to the limit, hoping to achieve results with the most basic abilities.

And the result?

There seemed to be some effect, as the counterfeit Lady Frieren appeared to be pushed to her limit as well; however, the [War Result] Fíliya desired did not materialize.

Frieren's aura suddenly became extremely biting. An incredibly powerful pressure of wind burst forth from her body, crushing the incoming white beams and flying swords alike.

Miss Fíliya, caught in the impact of this wind pressure, was flung far away.

"Are you kidding me? Frieren, you jerk, can't you just die obediently...? You old things who've lived so long really do have unreasonable methods, every single one of you."

Fíliya struggled to crawl up from the ground. Her chest was heaving noticeably, and she let out weak gasps. It was clear that the previous battle had consumed a significant amount of her energy and stamina.

The reason Fíliya voiced such a complaint was, of course, because Frieren's unknown magic—which had unreasonably torn apart all her attacks—immediately reminded her of the green fluorescence that covered Solitär's body, rendering her immune to magic erosion.

Well... seeing as her opponent was a Great Mage who had lived for a thousand years, it was normal to have some unheard-of trump cards... Fíliya could only comfort herself with this thought as she slowly adjusted her breathing.

At this moment, she and Frieren had returned to a standoff, but Fíliya knew very well that she had fallen into a complete disadvantage.

Don't let the terrifying wound on Frieren's chest fool you. To a dead object, as long as it wasn't directly annihilated, what was the difference between that kind of injury and no injury at all? It wouldn't affect her combat capability in the slightest.

Miss Fíliya, on the other hand, had been drained of much of her stamina, energy, and mana.

Even for someone as naturally optimistic as her, it was hard to hold much confidence in the battle ahead.

"A miscalculation. I shouldn't have slammed into her flat chest; denting it didn't do anything... If I had broken one of her arms just now, maybe I'd have a chance."

Fíliya immediately reflected in her heart.

But the scene that followed made her clench her fists tight.

The counterfeit Frieren seemed to have no intention of tangling any longer. She floated directly into mid-air and conjured a small, black-hole-like sphere in her hand.

The instant that black hole formed, everything in the vicinity began to be absorbed by it.

Scattered gravel, the remains of the golem, the original decorations of the hall, the uniform Fíliya had discarded that was already burned to ash... In short, all the debris in the arena vanished into that black sphere.

Immediately after, the color of the black sphere began to change. From pitch-black at the start, it gradually turned crimson, and finally, a blinding pure white.

It's going to explode... There was only this single thought in Fíliya's mind.

She could sense that this black sphere was a terrifying, large-scale magic spell. The fact that the counterfeit Frieren had once again erected that fish-scale magical barrier confirmed it.

"Heh... Is she afraid I'll hide again, so she just decided to use a magic with [No Blind Spots]...?"

Although the scene before her was incredibly horrifying, Fíliya did not despair. After all, she could still use [Gold Transformation Magic] to turn herself into gold. Utilizing the [Indestructible] characteristic of being gold-transformed, she could definitely survive this attack.

However... while she wasn't in despair yet, her current state was infinitely close to [Despair].

Fíliya's mana was limited. In fact, if she completely gold-transformed herself one more time, it would be even harder for her to unleash any effective offense afterward.

The counterfeit over there obviously knew this too, which was why she adopted this extremely [Safe] course of action.

Frieren, having entered [Cautious Mode], was a completely different person from the one in [Careless Mode] at the beginning. Even though the situation was already in the bag, Frieren still chose the safest approach.

Frieren didn't intend to kill Fíliya directly with this black sphere. She only needed to force Fíliya to use Gold Transformation again and drain her mana dry—after all, this counterfeit Frieren had already realized that [Self-Gold Transformation] was a very draining tactic for Fíliya.

Unless a miracle occurred... it seemed this was the end of the line for her... Fíliya bit her lip lightly.

The current scene wasn't at the playful level of her fight with Solitär.

She was in a death match with a Great Mage who had survived for a thousand years. To have fought to this point, no matter how you looked at it, it wasn't shameful, right?

Although there were countless reasons she could use to comfort herself, Fíliya still felt incredibly unwilling to accept it.

"Frieren... You're really strong. How on earth am I supposed to kill a monster like you..."

Watching the color of destruction drawing nearer, what flickered in Fíliya's eyes was not despair, but a light of excitement.

"First-Class Mages... are a group of people who turn the [Impossible into the Possible]..."

A whisper escaped Fíliya's lips. Although her battle with Frieren had long since surpassed the level of the [First-Class Mage Exam], in this life-and-death moment, the first thing she thought of was those words Sense had said before.

"Then I have no choice... but to show you

Dust and smoke scattered in all directions. Looking at that completely unharmed effigy, Frieren felt nothing but a massive headache.

She hadn't expected that Fíliya, possessing [Infinite Mana], would actually cause her this much trouble.

For Frieren herself, this was the first time since becoming a [Great Mage] that she had encountered an opponent she couldn't overwhelm with [Technique].

She was absolutely certain that Fíliya was the person most skilled at micromanaging [Defensive Magic] in this entire world. After all, even Frieren couldn't break through Fíliya's defenses using conventional methods.

If the magic lacked sufficient intensity, no matter how tricky the angle of the surprise attack, it was impossible to harm even a hair on Fíliya's head—Frieren had already confirmed this point in the earlier battle.

That was why she had no choice but to try out those old toys she had left gathering dust for decades.

But whether it was [Ruining Thunder], [Hellfire], or the [Gravity Black Hole] just now, none of them achieved the effect of destroying Fíliya.

By the time that humanoid figure, resembling a mud doll, assumed its stance again, dozens of dazzling white lines instantly appeared in front of Frieren, suppressing her and forcing her to retreat repeatedly.

Immediately following that was a dense rain of swords, constantly grinding away at the silver-white barrier in front of her.

Frieren knew very well that her opponent possessed [Infinite Mana], which was the only reason she could support such extravagant attacks. But looking at those exquisitely crafted flying swords, Frieren still felt a slight urge to question Fíliya: exactly who did she learn this fighting style from? It had absolutely no sense of aesthetics.

"Tsk... am I actually getting distracted to throw out retorts in the middle of a battle? That really isn't like me. Being around that person, I've picked up bad habits."

Frieren sighed. Fortunately, although the Counterfeit Fíliya's spells were astonishing in quantity, they were somewhat lacking in power. As long as Frieren maintained a fully covering [Defensive Magic], there was no possibility of her defense being breached.

Thus, she resumed her train of thought.

The method Fíliya used just now to withstand the [Gravity Black Hole]... that method of turning her entire body into gold...

Frieren subconsciously bit her lip, because she knew the true name of this magic.

This was the [Magic of Converting All Things to Gold (Di Agolze)] belonging to the leader of the Seven Sages of Destruction, Macht of the Golden Land.

And on a certain day hundreds of years ago, Frieren herself had experienced this magic firsthand.

At that time, she was still far from the title of [Great Mage], and her strength was nowhere near what it was now, so she was completely unable to contend with Macht.

Luckily, Macht's target that time wasn't her at all; she had merely been affected by an unconscious wave of collateral damage. Yet, just that ripple was enough to turn one of her hands completely into gold.

Frieren still remembered that she had suppressed her mana to the absolute limit back then to avoid being discovered by Macht... Of course, it was also possible she had been discovered long ago, and Macht simply disdained to deliver a finishing blow to an [Ant].

After that, Frieren hid in a secluded place and spent a full one hundred years just to restore her arm.

Yet the young human girl in front of her had actually accomplished—with ease—what took Frieren one hundred years to do, and she had even turned the [Magic of Converting All Things to Gold] into something she could use herself.

Although what Fíliya learned was an incomplete [Magic of Converting All Things to Gold], such a thing was enough to be called a magnificent feat.

"...Tsk."

Thinking of this, Frieren felt a slight twinge of jealousy.

Just as humans envied elves for their nearly infinite lifespans, elves also envied humans for their nearly infinite potential.

Humanity could give birth to the Hero of the South, could give birth to Himmel... and could give birth to fellows like Fíliya.

"You guys, who can stand shoulder to shoulder with us—who have trained for a thousand years—using only an extremely short life, are the real monsters, aren't you?"

Frieren thought with a bit of indignation.

"The [Indestructible] nature of Gold Transformation is indeed practically unsolvable. Since that's the case... I have no choice but to show you... just what a [Great Mage] is."

Seeing that her prolonged attacks were yielding no results, Frieren finally made up her mind.

She was well aware that she actually didn't need to work this hard. After all, the mission Fíliya had assigned earlier was merely to stall these copies. Even if she destroyed the copies, they would respawn before long...

Even though she behaved unreliably most of the time, to the point of needing a human girl countless times younger than herself to take care of her daily life... when it came to [Magic] alone, this white-haired elf possessed considerable pride.

No matter how naturally gifted a genius Fíliya was, if cleaning up a twenty-something little girl required Frieren to go to such great lengths, her self-esteem simply wouldn't be able to accept it.

So, she activated that move—the one at the bottom of her chest of trump cards.

"I remember the last time I used this move, it was on the Demon King."

A mischievous smirk appeared at the corner of Frieren's mouth.

Immediately following that, in the very next instant, the Counterfeit Fíliya's body was directly and without any warning pressed into the wall dozens of meters away.

"!"

If this creation of the [Water-Mirror Demon] could speak, it would surely have shouted, "How is this possible?!"

In fact, it was just so. Frieren's move was completely instantaneous: no wind-up, no warning signs, and no mana fluctuations. Such an attack, within the theoretical system of modern mages, couldn't even be recognized as a type of [Magic].

"Since I can't break the Gold Transformation, I'll just have to make you lose your mobility... In this situation, can you put up any resistance? Even if you want to continue keeping yourself gold-transformed, you won't be able to focus, right?"

Deeply embedded in the wall, Fíliya tried to struggle, but she was like a fly swatted against a wall, completely unable to move. Under such immense pressure, her mud-doll-like body had already begun to crack and disintegrate at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Frieren clearly understood the principle of hitting a dog while it's down, so she immediately followed up with several magic cannon blasts. Under the suppression of that unknown magic, Fíliya was completely unable to make any effective response, and so...

After two clear booming sounds, her right hand and left leg fell off, and faintly, the remaining two limbs showed trends of breaking off as well.

"Oh? I clearly aimed the last shot at the head... To still be able to avoid a fatal wound in this situation... I really can't relax my guard at all."

Frieren murmured, then immediately fired several more magic cannons.

But the scene she anticipated did not occur. Instead, after she blinked quite naturally, her entire field of vision was drowned in a pure white color.

"This is..."

Frieren raised her eyebrows slightly. Because of this sudden change, the remnants of Fíliya's body also vanished from sight.

She hurriedly surveyed her surroundings. At first, it was just a very nihilistic pure white, but immediately after, Frieren discovered that a cluster of flowers had bloomed by her feet. Then, after the interval of just a few breaths, this patch of flowers spread rapidly, becoming... a sea of flowers.

"Mental magic? No... this is more like a barrier magic..."

Frieren made a judgment at lightning speed. After all, even for Miss Edel, who specialized in mental magic, it would take some time to penetrate her mental defenses. Yet, she had been pulled into this world in an instant.

"No attacks are coming... so, is the intention to stall me and find an opportunity to restore her body?"

Frieren made another deduction, then closed her eyes, preparing to immediately analyze and destroy this barrier.

"Wait... how is this... possible?"

Frieren, having only just closed her eyes, suddenly snapped them open, staring wide in disbelief. In that brief moment of sensing, she had discovered two things.

First, she found the hiding place of Fíliya's broken remains. And second... beside that counterfeit body, she sensed a figure that was incredibly familiar.

The instant she perceived this fact, all thoughts of destroying the barrier vanished from her mind. Instead, she moved with immense speed toward the source of that presence.

Very soon, she saw that back view from her memories.

That young man, seeming to be surrounded by clumps of soft light, had the same short blue hair as in her memories, the same posture, the same teardrop mole. Even the curve of his cape as it was lifted by the wind matched her memories exactly.

And so, Frieren froze in place, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

She knew very clearly that what stood before her was not some defective product generated by the Phantom Dragon. After all, even a dull fellow like herself could feel the aura of a living person washing over her.

"Oh? Frieren? Where is this... Where are Heiter and Eisen?"

Himmel turned around and asked Frieren with a somewhat dazed expression, while simultaneously sheathing his sword.

It was only then that Frieren noticed the remaining two limbs of that Counterfeit Fíliya had also been chopped off by Himmel in passing. It had now become a bona fide carcass.

"I don't know... we probably got separated."

Frieren froze again after speaking, not even understanding herself why she had chosen to lie.

"...Is that so? I feel like you're acting a bit strange, you know? You always make that face when you lie."

Himmel leaned in a little closer, pinching his chin with one hand and squinting his eyes to observe Frieren's expression.

"...Just how well do you know me?"

Frieren felt a bit helpless.

"Hmm, just a little bit better than you know yourself, I suppose."

Himmel answered with a light chuckle, then pointed a finger at Fíliya's remains.

"What is that..."

"A kind of... monster that looks like a human. Just like a Gargoyle."

Frieren continued to weave her lies.

But Himmel immediately poked holes in them.

"Really now... don't force yourself."

As Himmel spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head. Then, seeing Frieren's stunned expression, he seemed to understand everything in an instant.

"I see. No wonder your eyes look so lonely... Is this the time after my death?"

Himmel asked tentatively.

Frieren's expression became somewhat hesitant. After pausing for several seconds, she slowly nodded her head.

"I knew it... This magic really is miraculous. It feels even more real than that time with Miracle Grausam."

Even after realizing the fact that he was a spirit, the smile on Himmel's face remained brilliant as he continued to chat with Frieren nonchalantly.

"Grausam used mental magic to produce the ultimate illusions, but this child's magic already gives the feeling of 'Forging Reality'... It's simply more exaggerated than the Seven Sages of Destruction... I didn't expect her to be hiding a hand like this."

Fíliya, you bastard. Just to what extent do you have to be a genius before you're satisfied?

Even Frieren had to express a silent word of praise in her heart toward that green fellow.

"So, what's the situation now?"

Himmel asked with a face full of excitement.

Consequently, Frieren summarized it for him as briefly as possible.

"The 'Ruins of the Royal Tomb', is it... To think there was such a fun dungeon. Sigh..."

"If only I had known earlier... Why didn't we encounter it when we were adventuring back then?"

After listening to Frieren's explanation, the first thing this Lord Hero expressed was actually a feeling of regret.

"Hmm... but it is strange. Why would that child use this magic at the very last moment?"

Himmel continued to ask curious questions.

"After all, the copy doesn't have much wisdom. It was already helpless at that time, so it probably just grasped at straws and used whatever it could, right?"

Frieren offered her own guess.

"Is that so? I actually feel that the child estimated that if she made me appear, she could cause you to reveal an opening."

Himmel flashed a narcissistic smile at Frieren.

"How is that possible... I told you the copy has no wisdom. And... I wouldn't hesitate. If the summoned you were to become my enemy, I would directly 'bury' you."

Frieren twitched her lips and simply turned her head away.

"Oh? Is that right... It's rare to have a chance to move my body, so shall we try it? We haven't sparred in a long time, have we?"

Himmel slowly shifted his steps. Since Frieren had turned her head away, he didn't mind circling around to face her.

"It has been a long time... almost 90 years. And I won't fight you; I can't beat you anyway."

This was the truth. At this distance, Frieren couldn't imagine how to fight Himmel at all... If she could pull the distance open to a thousand meters, perhaps she might have some chance of winning.

After all... Himmel's speed was simply too inhuman.

"Eh? 90 years..."

Himmel's eyes widened slightly. Although he had deduced himself that this was a point in time after his death, he hadn't expected such a long span to have passed.

"I am very happy, Frieren."

Himmel's tone sounded as if he had been greatly moved.

"Hmm?"

Frieren looked over with curiosity.

"Hmm... because even after 90 years, you still remember me."

"It's a mere 90 years... probably after another two or three hundred years, I should... I will forget you."

As Frieren spoke, her gaze drifted elsewhere.

"That is much longer than I anticipated. I am honored... You seem to have embarked on a journey again. How is it? Have your questions from before been answered?"

Himmel spoke as he slowly sat down amidst the clusters of flowers, acting carefully so as not to damage a single bloom.

"Yes, some have been answered, but even more questions have arisen."

Frieren mimicked Himmel's posture and slowly crouched down to sit.

"Is that so? Then keep on traveling... One day, you will obtain all the answers."

A lonely smile surged onto Himmel's face, and at the same time, he looked toward Frieren's finger.

"Eh? That ring I gave you... did you throw it away? Even if you don't like it, you didn't have to go that far... keeping it as a memento would be fine, you know."

Himmel probed with a somewhat aggrieved tone.

"I didn't throw it away... I just put it away. I don't have the habit of wearing jewelry."

Frieren explained quickly, then stole a glance at Himmel's profile.

"By the way, you definitely didn't know the meaning of the 'Mirror Lotus', right? Really... giving people random things without knowing the flower language... Although I only knew after hearing it from others..."

Frieren's tone was a bit unnatural, and halfway through her sentence, she was interrupted by Himmel.

"I knew."

Himmel stared straight ahead, his tone very calm.

"Eh?"

"I said I knew. When you chose the 'Mirror Lotus' back then, I even had a feeling of... 'This is the will of the heavens', so I bought it without hesitation."

The corners of Himmel's mouth raised, and his tone became incomparably firm.

"...Is that so."

Frieren murmured and lowered her head.

The atmosphere fell into silence until Himmel spoke again.

"Frieren, is the situation right now very critical?"

"I don't know, but since that fellow threw out some fierce words, I can only choose to believe her. It's actually quite nice like this right now; consider it stalling for time in a roundabout way."

As Frieren spoke, she glanced again at the remains of Fíliya lying in the flower bushes not far away.

Although it had been shaved bald, the head of that creation was still there, and the whole thing hadn't been destroyed. Thus, this barrier had instead become a very suitable 'Cage'.

"Do you want to hear stories from my travels?"

Frieren seemed to think of something, then looked at Himmel.

"Eh? At a time like this?"

Himmel appeared somewhat surprised. Of course, he was a hundred times willing, he just hadn't expected those words to come out of Frieren's mouth first.

"Yeah, I have to do something to kill time... besides, I discovered something interesting."

Frieren smiled as she spoke.

"Hmm?"

Himmel looked at her quickly.

"This barrier has been extracting my mana... At first, I thought this mud-doll-like creation intended to use my mana to repair its body, but as you can see, this thing has been lying there quietly the whole time... The 'Water-Mirror Demon' itself has infinite mana, so it has no use for my meager amount... So, where is this mana going?"

"Are you saying... your mana is going to that child's true body? Do you have proof?"

Himmel also revealed a curious expression.

"No proof, I'm just guessing... Hmm, to use your words, it's a 'vague feeling', I suppose... If only I could be of a little help to her

"Is there really such a good thing?"

Fíliya felt the changes occurring within her body and found them nothing short of miraculous.

First, there were the Emotional Points, which for some reason were pulsating and rising continuously. This level of fluctuation instantly reminded her of the scene when Serie saw the young Flamme.

Of course, aside from the skyrocketing points income, what surprised her even more was that her body was steadily receiving a stream of familiar mana.

This sensation of being replenished just as her mana neared total exhaustion made her feel as if she were bathing in a spring breeze or tasting sweet dew; she couldn't extricate herself from the feeling for a long time.

There was only one possibility for this sudden situation...

Did my copy, created by the [Water-Mirror Demon], actually activate [The Other Side]?

These exaggerated Emotional Points, along with this steady stream of mana, were obviously a gift from that white-haired elf.

She didn't know who exactly that white-hair had met to get so excited... Was it Flamme? Or could it be Himmel?

Hmm... The Emotional Points are easy to understand, but what is going on with this mana? Logically speaking, shouldn't it be extracted into the copy's body? Why would it come to me? Is there some marvelous deviation in the judgment system?

A series of questions began to well up in Fíliya's heart, but she had no leisure to think deeply about them right now.

She still had a powerful enemy she had to face.

In the end, this mana sent by Frieren couldn't guarantee her victory; it merely gave her a chance to start over.

But that was precious enough. She had to make good use of this gift.

Thinking of this, Fíliya immediately burst into action, unfolding a seesaw battle against the counterfeit Frieren.

"There must be something... There must be something I haven't noticed..."

Miss Fíliya, having regained her confidence, was now splitting her focus three ways. While keeping Frieren occupied, she carefully observed Frieren's movements, and even spared a portion of her mental energy to recall everything related to Frieren.

She had to find a third weakness in Frieren that she could exploit.

After all, the gap in true strength between her and Frieren was just that massive. She had to seize every single instant that could lead to victory.

In this fierce exchange, Fíliya felt as if her thinking was becoming increasingly active.

She finally remembered something... It was a bit of gossip Flamme had mentioned when they were chatting.

"That child, Frieren, really gives me a headache. It's clearly a flaw so basic it couldn't be more basic, yet she just can't seem to correct it."

"Did you know, Fíliya? When Frieren casts spells, her Mana Detection cuts out for a split second... I really don't know who introduced her to magic for her to develop such a bad habit... I tried to correct her for a long time, but she still couldn't fix it. In the end, it even made me lose a bit of confidence. Sigh..."

Flamme's expression of 'hating iron for not becoming steel' surfaced in Fíliya's mind. This detail clearly gave Fíliya the inspiration she needed.

"Mana Detection..."

Fíliya took a deep breath, feeling a flash of insight illuminate her mind.

That's right, I should have noticed it sooner... That fellow Frieren seems to rely a bit too much on her [Mana Detection]... Although for a mage, trusting one's own mana detection is certainly not wrong, this also means that once [Mana Detection] fails, or a situation arises where [Mana Detection] cannot function, it becomes a fatal weakness for that mage.

Coupled with Frieren's own bad habit... Yes, this is worth gambling on.

Fíliya immediately formulated a plan in her heart.

At this moment, the counterfeit Frieren began to brew a large-scale magic spell again, but it suddenly misfired just as it was about to be unleashed.

Because she realized she had lost her target.

If it were just High-Speed Movement Magic, Frieren would have long since grown accustomed to that speed. No matter where Fíliya moved, Frieren could re-lock onto her. But this time was slightly different.

Because this time, after Fíliya used speed magic to move to her desired position, she immediately suppressed her mana to a considerably weak level.

Although she really disliked the act of [Mana Suppression], she had to admit that it was an incredibly useful method when dealing with mages.

Frieren could suppress her mana to near nothingness, and while Fíliya wasn't as good as Frieren, the difference wasn't large.

In this way, Frieren—who possessed the bad habit of 'interrupting perception at the moment of casting'—would need to spend extra time to re-lock onto Fíliya after regaining her perception.

And this amount of time was enough for Fíliya to launch one round of [Ordinary Attack Magic].

Speaking of which, this could be considered giving her a taste of her own medicine. It was time to let this white-hair taste what it felt like to be sneak-attacked by someone hiding their mana.

A pure white line sliced through the sky, directly grazing Frieren's shoulder. If it were a real chaotic body, Frieren's collarbone would have been broken by this blow... but unfortunately, the opponent was just a lifeless mud puppet.

"Pity... just missed by a tiny bit. If it had been a little slower, maybe it would have hit the head..."

Fíliya bit her lip in regret, but she was already very satisfied with this result. After all, this was the second time she had inflicted actual damage on Frieren.

So, what she needed to do next was very simple: she just needed to replicate this simple operation countless times.

No sooner said than done. Fíliya began to think of every possible way to seize that moment when Frieren interrupted her perception during casting, dodging into the blind spot of Frieren's vision, and then launching a sneak attack from that blind spot while hiding her mana.

Without a doubt, she achieved a very good result. Frieren's left hand falling from mid-air was the best proof.

"Bad habits formed in daily life can be fatal in crucial moments, you know."

Watching that scene, Fíliya couldn't help but reveal a smile, expecting Frieren to launch her next attack so she could repeat the old trick.

But Frieren clearly reacted as well. She directly opened up the distance from Fíliya and then pressed her back tightly against a distant wall.

"Tsk... Who exactly said copies don't have wisdom?!"

Fíliya's heart instantly sank. She hadn't expected this heartless creation to actually come up with this method—backing against a wall to gain a wider field of vision while simultaneously removing the need to guard her rear.

At the same time, Frieren no longer had any intention of brewing attacks. After all, starting from that strange moment earlier, every time she proactively attacked, it had backfired.

"What's wrong? Are you really not going to make a move? You are a Great Mage; is it really okay to be so scared by me that you dare not move? Can't you have a little dignity?"

Fíliya taunted unhappily. Although her previous attacks had achieved good results, if this creation continued to refrain from attacking like this, she naturally had no way to catch the recovery lag of Frieren's [Perception Interruption].

Then should she take the initiative to attack? No, that wouldn't work either. That would only turn into a boring battle of attrition again, and in the end, she would only repeat the previous ending of running out of mana.

Tsk... I didn't expect that Frieren's simple action of pressing her back against the wall would once again force me into a sort of dead end.

In the final analysis, the disparity in strength was just too great. Without using petty tricks, she had no chance of winning at all.

Thinking of this, Fíliya couldn't help but clench her

Fist.

But was there really no way left? The answer was obviously no.

Although Frieren had pressed her back against the wall, that didn't mean she could command a view of everything. At the very least... directly above and directly below her, blind spots still existed.

Once Fíliya grasped this point, she immediately launched a gale-storm-like sequence of attacks against Frieren.

Yet, in the face of this assault, Frieren merely deployed a fully covering [Defensive Magic] in silence, showing absolutely no intention of fighting back, simply allowing the attacks to rain down upon her shield.

"So annoying... has it turned into a boring shell-breaking session again...?"

Fíliya sighed, but she had to admit that this construct's combat intuition was truly terrifying, likely not losing out to Frieren herself in the slightest.

It understood deeply that as long as it didn't take the initiative to strike, Fíliya would have no way to break its lock-on. As for those harmless attacks, they were merely bait to lure it into acting.

Moreover, it hadn't completely given up on attacking; it was simply waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Between a lifeless object and a human challenger with limited mana, who would be the more anxious party? The answer was self-evident.

Just as Fíliya attempted to compress her mana to a level capable of piercing the fish-scale magic shield, an indescribable force tore her directly into mid-air and then smashed her violently into the ceiling.

"..."

Fíliya was naturally horrified. She couldn't even comprehend what this construct had just done.

What exactly was that move?

Judging by the fact that she was pressed into the ceiling... was it [Reverse Gravity]? But why was it so fast? And there wasn't even a hint of a warning... not a shred of mana fluctuation, not a sliver of reaction time was left for her.

In that instant, Fíliya conjured countless possibilities. She even suspected Frieren might have [Stopped Time] and then swatted her into the ceiling during the frozen moment... but that didn't make sense either.

If Frieren could [Stop Time], why go through all this trouble? She could have just paused time and killed her the moment she entered the gate... And if Frieren really could stop time, it was impossible that she wouldn't have mentioned it beforehand, nor would she have let Fíliya face the enemy alone.

So what exactly was the situation with that magic? Fíliya racked her brains but still couldn't fathom the true face of that spell. In the end, she could only sigh; it was indeed worthy of being a Great Mage's trump card.

Incredible... truly incredible, Frieren... You bastard, just how many surprises do you still have for me...

Even though she had reached the worst possible juncture, excitement still flickered on Miss Fíliya's face.

Because she had discovered something.

That was, although this unknown magic belonged to the category of instant, hard control, wasn't its power a bit too low?

Her current state was indeed wretched enough; she didn't know how many bones were broken throughout her body... Fíliya felt pain in her lungs even just breathing, and her airway was blocked by surging blood.

Damn it. Just when she needed to block out the pain the most, her [Pain Control] was difficult to release under the suppression of that unknown magic.

Suffocation, blurred vision, scattering consciousness, and the agonizing pain of crushed bones... it could be said to be the absolute worst.

But... she wasn't dead!

One had to realize that most of the methods Frieren had displayed before were of the level where just a touch would cost half a life, and taking a full hit meant instant death.

But she had solidly taken this magic, yet she hadn't died.

So... the price for having no telegraph was indeed sacrificing power.

But even this was exaggerated enough. With this magic as a foundation, Frieren would only need a powerful partner to coordinate with her to instantly kill the vast majority of powerhouses in this world.

While Fíliya's thoughts were running wild, Frieren naturally had no intention of stopping. She raised her staff high with her only remaining hand.

It seemed... this was the final move to send her on her way.

Fíliya clenched her teeth. She knew very well that the more critical the moment, the more she needed to be calm.

Watching that white light representing destruction come toward her, in that split second, Fíliya felt as if she were reliving her life.

A revolving lantern? No, she didn't have that kind of leisure. But she cherished this sensation. She didn't care if her thinking had sped up or if the world had slowed down; she only focused on her own business.

She rapidly recalled everything she had learned and felt in her life up to this point, attempting to find a way to break the deadlock.

In this process, what left the deepest impression on her was, sure enough, that magic she learned first during her apprenticeship.

"Sense, where does the dust go after being cleaned by this [Magic to Remove Dirt]?"

"I don't know. It's probably transported somewhere."

"That's not right. I've been studying this thing for the past few days. That dust definitely isn't transported away; it's decomposed by this magic, turning into nothingness."

"Even if you discovered that, what use is it? This is just a very common folk magic... If you want to shed your apprentice status quickly, I can teach you something advanced."

"But I think this [Magic to Remove Dirt] is something very advanced... Isn't its essence decomposing matter? Since dust can be decomposed, doesn't that mean all matter can be decomposed? Maybe even mana is something that can be decomposed."

"...I really can't deal with you, always saying things others don't get... However, if you really think that way... go ahead and try it boldly. After all, the world of magic is a [World of Visualization]."

...The playback of memories, and Sense's smile, all cut off at this moment. Clearly in a dying state, Fíliya felt a very liberating sensation, feeling that her mind had never been this active.

Magic is a world of visualization.

All matter... can be decomposed.

Matter can be decomposed, so energy must be too...

Mana, in essence, is a form of energy...

A series of thoughts seemed to link together in Fíliya's mind, while that white light was still far away. The [Ordinary Attack Magic] that usually arrived instantly seemed to have been slowed down countless times.

Fíliya's gaze gradually became clear. She watched that white light get closer and closer in her field of vision, growing larger and larger, until it seemed to sear her eyelashes.

Immediately after, she didn't know what she did, but that life-claiming white light abruptly collapsed. From a straight beam of light, it instantly split into countless, no longer threatening specks of white light, which then slowly dissipated into the air.

...Inside the Palace within the Continental Magic Association, hundreds of kilometers away from the Ruins of the Royal Tomb, the elf known as the [God of Magic], Serie, slowly sat back onto her stone throne, the expression on her face exceptionally vivid.

Evidently, she had been silently observing this test from afar the entire time.

She had originally prepared to teleport into the Ruins of the Royal Tomb, appear before Fíliya, and rescue her.

Even though she was hundreds of kilometers away, and even though the [Ordinary Attack Magic] had already reached Fíliya's eyelashes, she had the confidence to save Fíliya within that ten-thousandth of a second. After all, Fíliya was someone she had her eye on; she didn't want Fíliya to die there. Even if she failed to kill Frieren's shadow, Fíliya's performance was excellent enough to be worth her intervention.

But what she absolutely hadn't expected was that Fíliya would actually comprehend this forbidden power on the edge of life and death.

That was something even she had never laid a hand on.

...

In the deepest part of the Ruins of the Royal Tomb, Fíliya felt that the force suppressing her seemed to have loosened, as she began to feel a sense of weightlessness—proof that she was falling toward the ground.

She felt her eyelids were incredibly heavy, wishing she could close them and sleep immediately, but there was a single obsession compelling her to look at that target.

Then, she slowly raised a finger. From that slender fingertip burst forth a streak of pitch-black light.

A black light only as thick as a fingertip shot out. At first glance, it looked like another compressed version of [Ordinary Attack Magic], but the heartless construct immediately raised its alertness to 120 percent.

The omnidirectional, dead-angle-free [Defensive Magic] went without saying. The moment the black light burst forth, it surrounded itself with three inner layers and three outer layers. This nesting-doll structure was also something it had learned from Fíliya during this battle.

Immediately following that, [Fish Scale] patterns began to appear on the shield blooming with silver-white brilliance. This was the symbol of [Defensive Magic] being compressed dozens of times over. But this fish-scale pattern only floated there for an instant.

Soon, the pattern on the shield changed into straight grid lines.

But such [Grids] were also quickly replaced by a new style.

A pattern resembling shattered glass began to emerge, representing that the [Defensive Magic] had been compressed to a truly terrifying degree.

But it wasn't over. The heartless construct seemed to feel it still wasn't safe enough, directly pouring all the mana it could mobilize into the construction of the shield.

Thus, it created a shield that no longer had any patterns but was translucent throughout, emitting a soft white light. It looked not much different from the most basic [Defensive Magic], yet its strength was worlds apart.

This was the limit of what it could do, and what Frieren herself could do.

Such an ultimate shield collided with the black light Fíliya fired.

There was no terrifying explosion, nor any world-shocking spectacle.

The invincible shield, formed by pouring in all its mana, was easily pierced by that inconspicuous black light, just like piercing a piece of paper.

That was all there was to it.

The Counterfeit Frieren watched the black beam land on its body, and even its mud-doll exterior couldn't help but reveal a stunned expression.

Immediately after, her body began to disintegrate rapidly. In the span of just a single breath, she turned into flying ash, leaving not even a scrap of residue behind.

The taste of falling from the ceiling wasn't pleasant. Fortunately, after Fíliya was freed from the shackles of that nameless magic, she immediately blocked all her pain perception.

But that drowsy feeling still refused to go away.

Just hold on a little longer, she told herself.

There was still one most important thing left.

Because the strongest guardian had fallen, the door to the deepest part of the labyrinth slowly opened as well.

Fíliya barely managed to see it clearly: the true body of the [Water-Mirror Demon]—a diamond-shaped gem emitting a ghostly glow.

Without needing to hesitate, Fíliya fired a simple, most basic [Ordinary Attack Magic], ending it all.

Only after hearing that crisp shattering sound did Fíliya finally close her eyelids with peace of mind.

...

"This is..."

Frieren watched as Himmel's figure gradually faded, and the surrounding environment also showed trends of collapsing. She instantly understood everything.

"It seems your friend succeeded."

Seeing his own body disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye, Himmel's mood appeared exceptionally calm.

"Yeah... seems like it."

"Well then, it's time to part ways. I didn't expect to be able to talk to you after death... Pity I won't get the chance to thank that child face-to-face."

Himmel spoke with feigned lightness, but his act broke instantly as a wronged expression appeared on his face.

"So... even without me, Frieren, you must live on well!!"

"Pfft..."

Faced with Himmel's overly dramatic expression, Frieren couldn't hold back a laugh.

"You're someone who's already died once. Isn't it embarrassing to still pull this life-and-death parting drama?"

Frieren chuckled lightly as she looked at Himmel, feeling that this guy's unserious appearance was truly cut from the same cloth as Fíliya.

"Uh... ahem. Since it's like this, then I won't say anything like [Goodbye]. Just to avoid it being awkward when we meet again next time."

Himmel coughed dryly, then waved his hand at Frieren. Following that, he turned into particles of light and vanished.

And this barrier, composed primarily of a sea of flowers, also thoroughly ended its mission.

...

In the other rooms of the Ruins of the Royal Tomb, watching those mud-doll-style enemies all turn into flying ash, the group of mages finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like it was a success," Ehre spoke first.

"Hmm... is it finally over? I had an ominous premonition the whole time; gave me goosebumps all over. I kept feeling like I was being watched by something terrible, but I kept my guard up and that thing never appeared. I almost had a nervous breakdown."

Übel adjusted her clothes, the expression on her face somewhat unsavory.

"Then let's hurry back to the depths. Fíliya definitely went through a bitter struggle; we need to check on her condition quickly."

Kanne immediately proposed.

"Yeah, we should do that."

The group quickly reached a consensus, preparing to return to the deepest part of the labyrinth. But just at this moment...

A figure swiftly swept past them, and that figure seemed to be cradling a young girl in her arms.

"Eh?!! Wait, isn't that Examiner Sense?"

"Yeah, she ran off holding Fíliya..."

"How did she get hurt like that?! Fíliya's bones are exposed!"

"Rest assured, Ehre. The City of Magic has the top priests. As long as Fíliya still has a breath left, they should be able to bring her back."

"...Then what do we do now? The examiner is gone; what does this count as for the test?"

"..."

"Anyway, let's divide the treasure in the deepest part first, then go back to the Association Headquarters together to wait for news."

"You guys handle the treasure as you see fit. I'm going to check on Fíliya's condition."

At this moment, Frieren's figure appeared in front of everyone.

"Me too."

"I'll go too!"

"Count me in!"

After Frieren spoke, many voices immediately responded.

"Yeah, after all, the situation of the child who put in the most effort isn't looking good. I'm not in the mood to divide spoils either."

"Tsk... every single one of you, getting all sentimental at a time like this. Then let's put the treasure matter aside. Anyway, it's impossible for unrelated people to sneak in here. Let's return to the Association first."

Thus, after a burst of chaotic discussion, the crowd reached an agreement: return to the Association to check on Fíliya's condition first