"So, let me start by sharing the intelligence I have on hand."
Frieren's first-round teammate Lawine spoke first: "My eldest brother was one of the advance team members dispatched by the Continental Magic Association to explore the Tomb of the Fallen King."
"First, the conclusion: the replicas have no weaknesses and no heart. Their strength, thinking, and everything else are completely identical to the originals."
"The one controlling the replicas is the water mirror demon. It creates precise imitations of the 'heart' by reading memories and replicating behavioral patterns."
"According to the advance team's investigation, the water mirror demon's true body is inside the treasure vault behind that door."
"It's said the water mirror demon itself has no attack capabilities and is an extremely fragile monster. Once it's defeated, all replicas will disappear."
"However…" Lawine glanced at the chains on the treasure vault door. "We can't force our way in either. Frieren, do you have any weaknesses?"
That was the magic released by Frieren's replica to guard the treasure vault door—a top-tier civilian sealing magic. Without special means, the door could not be opened unless the caster died.
Frieren hugged her knees and replied softly: "When we first met, Dio helped test it out. There's a brief moment when I cast magic where my mana detection pauses…"
"Frieren-sama is lying…" Fern clenched her fists, turned her head away, and muttered quietly. "We've been together so long, and I've always watched Frieren-sama cast magic properly…"
"…I wasn't finished. Eighty years ago, Dio's hellish training helped me overcome that weakness. Now there aren't any particularly obvious ones." Frieren explained again, her gaze sweeping over everyone.
"One more thing. Aside from Frieren-sama's replica, have any of you encountered replicas of other people? Fern and I came all the way here without any obstacles." Fern spotted the blind spot and politely raised her hand to speak. "Why is there only a replica of Frieren-sama?"
"Ah, let me explain that." The speaker was the big-sister type Sein liked, named Methode. "We already discussed it before you arrived. It's probably because Frieren's replica was too powerful—the water mirror demon used up all its mana creating Frieren's replica."
"Because I can precisely locate replicas, but aside from Frieren's, there hasn't been a second mana reaction."
"I see…" Frieren pondered with her head lowered for a moment, then stood up, brushed the dust off her clothes, and smiled faintly with the corners of her mouth raised. "Looks like Fern and I will have to handle this after all."
Denken asked in surprise: "Do you have a way?"
"Mm. The day before Dio fought the Demon King, he gave me this." Frieren nodded. With a flash of white light in her hand, a short reverse-blade dagger appeared.
The well-informed old man Denken quickly recognized the dagger, his tone unable to hide his shock: "This is… the Inverted Spear of Heaven?!"
"Yes. With this, we can break through that magic. Next, I'll do my best to draw the replica's attention, while Fern only needs to find the right moment to use the Inverted Spear of Heaven to break open that door and defeat the water mirror demon." Frieren handed the Inverted Spear of Heaven to Fern and encouraged her: "It'll be fine. Even I wouldn't be able to find Fern if she hides with full effort."
"As for the rest of you, stay outside the door and watch for any chance to surprise-attack the replica, or block any new replicas the water mirror demon tries to create next…"
"Got it!" ×n
...
Everything proceeded smoothly. Almost everyone believed things would continue exactly according to the battle plan. No one thought any further about it.
Why had they only seen Frieren's replica?
Just as the two Frierens clashed fiercely, Fern seized an opening in the replica's defense, summoned her staff, and launched ordinary attack magic.
The Frieren replica, pinned down by Frieren, had no spare capacity to release defensive magic and could only watch helplessly as the ordinary attack magic closed in.
Great—this should end it all…
Fern instantly unleashed several ordinary attack spells with power comparable to a Barrett headshot.
Boom!
BOOOOM——————!
Two explosive sounds rang out simultaneously with billowing dust.
Frieren instinctively looked behind her. At the passageway where they had discussed tactics with Denken and the others, the door connecting to the replica hall had been smashed open with a huge hole.
That was the first explosion they heard.
And Denken and the others…
First-class mage proctor Sense had been bisected at the waist, eyes dimmed, collapsed on the ground in unknown condition. Her beautiful long hair was scattered everywhere, while her own head had been shaved to a buzz cut as if she'd gone to a barber for a trim.
Second-class mage Denken had lost one arm and one leg, lying motionless on the ground, seemingly shouting something.
Second-class mage Methode, skilled in goddess magic, had half her beautiful face sliced off, her bones shattered by drifting clouds, collapsed limply on the ground.
Northern Magic Corps captain and second-class mage Wirbel had both eyes stabbed blind, continuously vomiting blood from his throat, which had been slit—he could no longer speak.
The water-manipulation third-class mage Kanne and ice-magic third-class mage Lawine duo had been strung up to the ceiling, completely unconscious, blood dripping steadily onto the floor.
Second-class mage Richter, skilled in earth manipulation, had sunk entirely into the floor, his neck twisted out of alignment by a horizontal kick—his life force faint, death not far off.
Third-class mage Raohfen, skilled in high-speed movement magic, had both legs severed, two terrifying slashes across her body, unconscious.
The least injured was second-class mage Land. He had no visible external wounds, only terror on his face—and a long blade thrust straight through his heart. Frieren looked closely and recognized it as the Split Soul Katana, capable of directly attacking and tearing apart the soul.
Aside from Frieren and Fern, every first-class mage examinee who had arrived full of spirit was now—without exception—on the verge of death.
Around them, the heads of escape golems lay scattered across the ground. Their only means of escape had been completely sealed.
"Frieren—… run! It's the mage killer Diego Brando…" Old man Denken used his last strength to shout the words before completely passing out.
The thick stench of blood invaded Frieren's nose. This was a one-sided massacre!
The dreamlike scene before her far surpassed any mental manipulation magic in shattering Frieren's spirit.
"Fern, run! Smash the bottle!" Frieren reacted instantly, smashing her own escape golem bottle while shouting at Fern on the ground. "Don't try to break open the treasure vault door in front of Dio—"
Fern's attention was still fixed on Frieren's replica amid the swirling dust and smoke, so she hadn't seen the others' misery.
Confused but unquestioning, she still smashed her bottle without hesitation.
As the smoke cleared slightly, Diego's replica stood expressionless. With one arm cradling Frieren's replica against his chest, the other hand gripped Fern's ordinary attack magic—and with a slight squeeze, crushed it outright.
That was the second explosion they heard.
"Why… is there a replica of Dio here?" Frieren's mind reeled, her voice filled with disbelief.
The two escape golems rapidly expanded, scooping up Frieren and Fern and sprinting away.
Diego's replica flashed forward, a single chop shattering the golem carrying Frieren.
Frieren rallied every ounce of focus, drew her staff, and unleashed full firepower.
『Magic that unleashes raging wind tornadoes!』
『Magic that summons the light of judgment!』
『Magic that releases multiple slashes in an instant!』
All sorts of attack magic bombarded Diego's replica.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Another gray-toned Inverted Spear of Heaven appeared in replica Diego's hand. In a few swift motions, he neutralized all of Frieren's spells.
Seizing the opening, Frieren's replica fired a Destruction Thunder spell that struck Frieren, blasting her down from midair.
On the ground, Frieren clutched her wound and retreated steadily, deploying defensive magic to block the replica's attacks while buying time.
At the very least, Fern has to escape…
But the sound of chains rattling shattered that desperate hope.
Frieren looked up to see Diego's replica hurl the Chain of Ten Thousand Miles, accurately hooking Fern's shoulder. With a powerful yank, he dragged Fern—who had already escaped a hundred meters—back and seized her by the throat.
Is this the end?
Frieren's gaze turned icy. Her no-cast-time oppressive magic instantly struck both replicas, sending them flying.
Taking advantage of the moment, Frieren caught the falling Fern and used flight magic to retreat outward continuously.
In midair, Frieren's thoughts grew clearer and clearer.
It seems the water mirror demon properly created replicas of everyone.
But Dio's replica probably considered all the others weak compared to me, judged them as dead weight.
Dead weight would hinder his movements and hold no value in killing us—so he killed them all.
Because they're perfect replicas, his Heavenly Restriction physique and arsenal were copied too—allowing him to escape Methode's mana detection.
Blinding Wirbel's eyes was to prevent his gaze-binding magic from landing.
Severing Raohfen's legs was to stop her from using high-speed movement magic to escape.
Killing Land with the Split Soul Katana was because he saw through the clone magic and used the blade to directly damage the real body…
He never intended to let anyone escape!
Yes—if it's Dio, that's exactly what he would do. Combining ultimate violence aesthetics with strategy has always been his specialty…
After spending time together, I almost forgot: Dio is genuinely one of the most despicable murderers in human history!
If Fern hadn't nearly killed my replica and forced open the treasure vault door, he would have slaughtered every examinee present.
At the same time, Frieren recalled a meeting from years ago when Diego briefed the party on how to kill Diego Brando if he ever became an enemy.
[Frieren, this Dio will never give up before achieving his goal, no matter the danger. If you want to kill me, think carefully about what matters most to me right now—and act against it.]
So next, we can't run—otherwise Denken and the others will be killed!
"Fern, next we're going to try killing Dio." Frieren stopped in midair, eyes narrowing. "Right now, what matters most to Dio's replica is protecting the water mirror demon. So if someone threatens the water mirror demon's safety, Dio will inevitably show an opening. The only one who can seize that opening and kill Dio… is me. That's why I need you to hold Dio off for a while."
...
Who is the strongest third-class mage? When Diego's party was once asked "Who is the strong one?"—
Diego: "Mm, Fern."
Alicia: "It depends on the situation, but I think it's Fern. Her natural presence is already very faint. When she hides with full effort, aside from Dio, hardly anyone can find her."
Frieren: "It should be Fern. I have confidence in the disciple I trained. Though if we expand the scope to mages from the Demon King war era, it gets complicated."
...
Fern shuddered, slowly widening her eyes in disbelief as she asked: "Who? Me? Me fighting Diego-sama—for real? Can I even do something like that?"
"Yes—this is something only you can do. Because Dio fundamentally looks down on all mages except me and Serie. Against you, he will definitely let his guard down." Frieren flew back toward the deepest part once more.
The two collided head-on with Diego and Frieren's replicas again.
To buy Frieren time, Fern struck first with overwhelming speed and ferocity. A meteor shower of ordinary attack magic rapidly engulfed the pair.
Pfft!
Blade met flesh—the Inverted Spear of Heaven pierced Fern's abdomen. Replica Diego had charged straight through the torrent of ordinary attack magic.
Boom!
Dust exploded...
In midair, replica Diego spun three full rotations before delivering a powerful downward kick, shattering Fern's defensive magic along with her and slamming her into the ground.
At the same time, Frieren's replica raised her staff, condensing an ordinary attack spell with extremely dense mana.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
"What's happening… I've already lost?" In the deep crater on the ground, Fern coughed up blood, consciousness hazy. Struggling to open her eyes, she sighed in awe: "So this is the strongest warrior in the world right now…"
Fern's hands trembled uncontrollably. Forcing herself, she planted her staff upright and released another defensive magic to try blocking the coming attack from Frieren's replica.
Crack!
Replica Diego dove down, the colorless barrier symbolizing defensive magic forcibly dispelled by the Inverted Spear of Heaven in his hand.
Then replica Diego pulled back half a step—and the ordinary attack spell arrived instantly before Fern's eyes.
Defensive ma—
Fern could no longer react. The ordinary attack spell struck her directly. Her final defensive magic mitigated part of the impact, preserving her life.
Noticing Fern was still alive, replica Diego's eyes flashed with murderous intent. The Inverted Spear of Heaven shot straight toward Fern's forehead.
"Hey, Dio—guess where I am right now?" Frieren stood before the treasure vault door, pushing the Inverted Spear of Heaven forward. "The water mirror demon you're protecting is about to be destroyed by me."
『Magic that guards the treasure vault door』—forcibly dispelled!
The water mirror demon's true body was exposed. Replica Diego froze mid-motion, instantly shifting targets. He flashed to Frieren's side, seized her by the throat, and thrust his dinosaur claws straight toward her heart.
Frieren made no move to resist. She turned her head toward the distance, the corners of her mouth curling upward.
Our party has always firmly believed in one thing…
No matter what difficulty we face, Dio will appear to help us…
Because he said nothing can stump him…
On her ring finger, the Mirror Lotus ring flashed with spiritual light. She called softly: "Help me, Dio…"
"The World!"
Next comes time that belongs only to me!
Time stopped flowing...
Snap!
A hand halted the replica's next move.
"This blade isn't for the likes of you." Diego awakened from dormancy, snatched the Inverted Spear of Heaven from the replica's hand, then followed with a kick that sent the replica flying.
Pfft!
Facing a face identical to his own, Diego grinned ferociously and drove the Inverted Spear of Heaven into the replica's brain—powerful, precise thrust!
In the next instant, attacks rained down like a storm, hacking the replica's head to pieces.
Replica Diego's head and body separated.
"Can't do anything with a guy this eager to die…"
Then Diego turned to Frieren, picked her up, released the time stop on her, and called softly: "Hey, Frieren—you got beat up pretty badly…"
"It's all your fault anyway. So… what's the situation now…"
"'A few seconds'… let me think… though it doesn't make much sense, with 'The World,' I can stop time for 'a short 13 seconds' before letting it flow again."
As his mental strength continued to surge, the duration The World could stop time kept increasing. Diego shrugged and asked with a smile: "Still able to move?"
"Hmph, don't underestimate me… of course!"
Frieren summoned her staff.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Ordinary attack magic struck straight at Frieren's replica.
"And then… time resumes flowing…"
Boom!
No need to ask how the crisis came—regardless, the crisis that had nearly wiped out the first-class mage examinees was effortlessly resolved by Diego.
...
(PS: Since replicas have no 'heart,' they can't use Stands or communicate with spirits.)
(By the way, does anyone want to see how Sense and the others were taken out one by one by Diego's replica? If enough people are interested, the author will write it.)