Saving People Along the Way

On the other side.

Etilu's squad, number seventeen, encountered a clone of Sense.

The three were concealing their magical powers, hiding behind a high pillar.

Baldy Blay asked, "Edil, what do you think that is...?"

"Who knows?" Etilius said helplessly after being chased for a long time.

"However, we'd better assume it's a clone with the same power as the First-Class Mage, Sense."

Bryce was silent for a moment, then said, "There's a limit to how much magic can be hidden. We have no other way but to defeat it."

Do you think we can defeat it?

Etilius glanced at Blaise indifferently and said:

"Leaving aside me, you and Donster can't even use your full strength in this maze."

Dunster sighed and said, "Ultimately, modern magic is simply not suited for fighting in labyrinths."

Etilius added, "Ultimately, it's because the dungeons were almost completely conquered during the era of defeating the Demon King. Modern magic simply didn't consider the possibility of fighting within dungeons."

"Furthermore, powerful Defensive Magic consumes too much mana; current Offensive Magic is increasingly inclined to utilize natural resources."

"Compared to creating something from nothing, directly manipulating or transforming existing matter consumes less magic power."

At this point, Etilu couldn't help but look at the clone 'Sense' at her feet.

He continued:

"That guy does a really good job in that respect."

"It has cast several layers of magic on its hair, giving it countless ways to fight, even in the labyrinth."

After saying that, Etilu addressed her two teammates in a serious tone:

"I don't think it's possible for us to defeat that thing."

"The world of magic is made up of imagination."

"To be able to freely manipulate and transform countless strands of hair—this imagination alone, far exceeding that of ordinary people, is enough to prove that this is a magician far surpassing us."

"Besides, none of the three of us are good at fighting. It's a miracle we've lasted this long under that thing's pursuit. It's time to leave."

"To be honest, I'm a little scared now, and I just want to go home as soon as possible."

Bly didn't want to give up so easily, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Etilius, can't your 'voice' be transmitted either?"

Etilius explained helplessly, "Although mind control magic is our family's specialty, we can't meet the activation conditions for a high-level command when facing that thing."

"At most, you just make it kneel down, thus creating a momentary opening."

"And even that requires me to make eye contact with it."

"So, in other words, we still have a chance," Bly said softly.

"If that thing really has a mind..." Etilu said calmly.

Donster didn't want to give up so easily, and after hearing that Etilius had a solution,

He asked, "How long do we need to hold them off?"

"Fifteen seconds, or rather, that's our limit."

"What do you mean?" Donster looked at Etilu with some confusion.

Just then...

The clone below, Sense, spotted Etiru and the other two sitting high up.

Etilu noticed this and quickly crouched down.

You'll understand soon enough.

No sooner had Etilu finished speaking than the clone 'Sense' launched its attack.

Several strands of long hair shattered the platform where they were hiding.

The three landed smoothly on the ground.

Etilu used magic to control the clone 'Sense' to launch the shattered building debris at the opponent.

But in just a moment, Etilu's attack was neutralized.

Seeing this, Blair and Dunster quickly manipulated the rubble to attack the clone 'Sense'.

Etilius saw that her attacks were completely ineffective.

He shouted urgently, "Unleash all Defensive Magic!"

As the Defensive Magic was deployed, Etilius explained:

"In modern magical combat, there are only two ways to break through Defensive Magic."

"One type breaks apart with overwhelming force."

"Another method is to use skill to attack the nodes that form the Defensive Magic."

"For types like the clone 'Sense,' the latter is generally preferred."

Just as Etilu was about to unleash her mind control magic, she was shocked to discover that the clone 'Sense' was using both methods simultaneously.

The strands of hair not only attacked the nodes of the Defensive Magic, but each attack also made the Defensive Magic teeter on the brink of collapse.

A sound of shattering glass rang out.

Blaise and Dunster's Defensive Magic was broken.

Fifteen seconds is the limit for fully deploying Defensive Magic, but Etilu didn't expect that they wouldn't even last fifteen seconds.

At least their eyes met.

A smile played on Etilu's lips as she unleashed a mind control spell on the clone.

And it issued commands.

Kneel down!

But the clone 'Sense' showed no intention of kneeling down. Instead, it manipulated a strand of hair and pierced through Etilu's abdomen.

As the hair tie returned to 'Sense's' side, Etilu collapsed weakly to the ground.

"I see. The clone has no mind; it merely mimics the operation of the mind precisely."

"We can't beat it."

They saw that Blair and Dunster were still manipulating the rubble to attack the clone 'Sense'.

Etilius gave a wry smile and said:

"You should all run to the side of those skilled in combat as soon as possible; it's time for me to leave."

Having said that, he took out the 'escape golem' and prepared to smash it.

Sudden.

Countless longswords appeared, directly attacking the clone 'Sense'.

A magic circle appeared beneath the feet of Etilu and the other two.

The three initially thought it was an attack, but the magic circle was quickly completed.

What appeared beneath their feet was a pale blue lotus flower.

The lotus petals blocked all the hair strands that the clone 'Sense' was attacking with.

The hair, which broke through the Defensive Magic that Blaise and Dunster had exerted with all their might, could only create ripples on the surface of the lotus in a matter of seconds.

Following the magic of Etilius, she looked toward the entrance to the room.

Three people were walking towards them.

The leader's features as a clone were very obvious; his longsword hovered in the air, barely touching the ground with his toes.

Long swords kept appearing behind that person, attacking the clone 'Sense'.

The other two were test takers.

After giving Lanto a look, 'Rienta' continued its attack on the clone 'Sense'.

Lanto is a smart man.

He understood the meaning of 'Rienta'.

They arrived in front of Etilu and the other two, who were protected by lotus flowers.

The lotus flower dropped a petal at just the right moment to allow Lan Tuo to enter.

After entering the lotus, Lanto began to recount the current situation.

"That's a sentient clone named 'Rienta'."

"It's only interested in magic. As long as we give it a spell it's good at, it will lead us to the deepest part of the royal tomb."

Upon hearing this, Etilu and the other two fell silent.

After a while, Etilius spoke first, "I agree."

Bryce and Donster exchanged a glance and said in unison, "We agree too."

For them, bestowing a spell is of little importance.

Their hesitation stemmed from the question of whether this 'copy' who was helping them could be trusted.

But a clone named 'Sense' drove them to the brink of despair.

Not to mention Rienta, who can overpower the clone 'Sense'.

They were opponents they were completely outmatched.

Upon hearing this, Lanto gave 'Rienta' a thumbs-up.

Seeing this, 'Rienta' nodded in satisfaction and began to unleash her full power without holding back.

Countless longswords relentlessly attacked the clone 'Sense'.

Although 'Rienta's' magic power is not yet infinitely sustainable, its terrifying recovery speed is enough to support him in carrying out saturation bombardment for several tens of minutes.

Even though its destructive power is only half that of Ordinary Offensive Magic, its advantage lies in its sheer number.

Moreover, as the number of longswords in the room increases, the power of the longswords generated by 'Rienta' becomes increasingly stronger.

In an instant.

The entire hall began to shake.

Upon seeing this, Übel exclaimed, "Rienta, if you keep fighting like this, we're going to be buried alive!"

Although she enjoyed watching the clones fight amongst themselves, now was not a good time.

What's more, there's even more fun to come later...

'Rienta' frowned.

He also noticed this situation, but the clone 'Sense' was, after all, First-Class Mage.

They have plenty of combat experience.

Rienta continued to suppress the clone 'Sense'.

He extended his right hand.

A massive and complex magic circle appeared beside the 'Rienta'.

'Rienta' reached into the magic circle.

It was as if they had grasped something.

Black cracks immediately appeared in the void surrounding the entire magic circle.

Übel stood behind 'Rienta', watching this scene in shock.

She sensed the threat of death the moment she saw those black cracks.

He quickly cast Defensive Magic and began heading towards the pale blue lotus.

As the magic circle slowly moved...

A black sword hilt appeared in 'Rienta's' hand.

The instant the hilt fully appeared, a tremendous magical power emanated from it.

Übel successfully entered the lotus before the magic fully erupted.

The lotus flower, struck by this magical force, immediately developed numerous cracks on its surface.

And 'Rienta,' who caused all this, frowned even more deeply.

His body is starting to give out.

With a wave of his hand, he released two more pale blue lotus flowers for the five people.

He muttered under his breath:

"This body is too weak; it's completely unusable without 'etherealization'."

"I'll have to give the 'main body' a good talking-to later."