Caught in a Pincer Attack
"In other words, we can't get around that clone," Dunkel said with a hint of helplessness.
Lawine said to the crowd with a somewhat serious expression:
"If you're going to fight, you'd better do it sooner rather than later. The 'Water Mirror Demon' will copy everyone who enters the labyrinth, and these copies have a characteristic: over time, they will slowly converge towards the deepest part of the labyrinth."
"The last advance team, except for my brother's unit, was almost completely wiped out, just before entering the deepest part, which is where we are now."
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Just then, it was Fern who broke the deadlock once again.
"Since the replica is a precise magic that controls the mind, are its behavioral weaknesses also the same as the original?"
Lawine nodded and said, "That's basically it."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Fern for a moment and said, "In that case, there should still be a way."
"What weakness are you referring to?" Frieren, looking at Fern with some curiosity.
Fern stood up, pointed to the side, and said to Frieren, "Lady Frieren, would you please stand over there?"
"Okay." Frieren walked towards the location Fern pointed out.
Seeing that Frieren had reached the designated location, Fern summoned his wand without hesitation and unleashed Ordinary Offensive Magic.
Although it was blocked by Frieren's Defensive Magic.
However, the vast majority of people present were experienced mages.
I understood what Fern was trying to say.
Dunkel stared at the scene in shock. "... No way? How could this happen...?"
"This is indeed a fatal weakness for Frieren. Why didn't I notice it when I fought her before..."
Metti also looked incredulous.
"Lawine, do you understand now?" Kanne asked in a low voice.
"... not understand."
Dunkel explained, "When Frieren casts a spell, her magical perception is interrupted for a brief moment."
Laufen, standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up, "Isn't that a mistake only an apprentice mage would make?"
Frieren looked at Laufen and said, "I've always been really bad at this."
Fern frowned and looked at Frieren, saying, "Since Lady Frieren is so self-aware, why doesn't she say it herself?"
Frieren said somewhat awkwardly, "Because I'm a little embarrassed..."
"Is this the time to be worrying about these things?" Fern asked helplessly.
Richter, standing nearby, chimed in, "However, Frieren's other skills are simply too outstanding. In reality, there are very few mages who can exploit this weakness."
"In any case, let's continue the operational meeting."
The group began discussing ways to deal with the clone 'Frieren'.
Seeing the enthusiastic Frieren, Fern asked, "Frieren seems to be having a great time."
"Yes," Frieren explained with a smile, "Himmel and I often discuss battle plans like this in order to deal with the leader of the labyrinth."
After a while, everyone finished discussing the plan.
It was decided that Rienta, Frieren, Fern would work together to deal with the clone 'Frieren'.
The rest stayed behind to stop the other clones.
Just as the three were about to enter the hall, a massive magical force appeared undisguised in the magical perception of the people present.
Dunkel summoned his wand and looked seriously toward the corner.
He said, "It's a clone."
He then added somewhat uncertainly, "It seems there are still eight candidates?"
Just as everyone was wondering, 'Rienta' appeared before them with several examinees.
On the way to the deepest part of the ruined royal tombs.
'Rienta' encountered the Wirbel squad, who had just dealt with the clones.
After beating them up, they then sent Lanto to persuade them.
They joined the team wholeheartedly.
'Rienta' still hovered in the air, her longsword flying through the air as she lightly touched the ground with her toes.
She first nodded in the direction of Frieren and Fern, then glanced at Rienta with a disdainful look.
He then smiled and said to everyone, "It's quite lively, everyone."
"?"
Rienta is quite familiar with herself.
Such a cool entrance certainly suits him, but what's with that look in his eyes?
That look definitely screams disdain, right?
Absolutely, right?
Looking at Lawine with a puzzled expression, he asked:
"What's going on with this clone? Wasn't it supposed to be mindless? How can it talk?"
Rienta and the others did not encounter any clones along the way, so all their information came from what others told them.
But the current situation is completely different from the intelligence.
Lawine was momentarily stunned.
He opened his mouth, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "... I don't know either..."
Just then, Richter crouched down without making a sound and controlled the ground to attack 'Rienta'.
'Rienta' dodged the attack using Hollowfication, then winked at Rienta before shaking her head.
Seeing this, the others also attacked Rienta.
Frieren and Fern also unleashed Offensive Magic at 'Rienta'.
Upon receiving that look, Rienta suddenly understood what the clone was trying to say.
This stopped Frieren and Fern from continuing their attack.
"Lady Frieren, Fern."
"You don't need to intervene. That guy... means no harm."
Frieren and Fern exchanged a glance, and although they found it strange, they stopped using their wands.
The three of them watched the battle with Sense.
Rienta breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Frieren didn't make a move.
Wielding his longsword, he pierced through Lawine and Kanne's Defensive Magic, leaving a trace of magical energy on their necks before using Telekinesis to toss them toward Lanto and the others.
Lanto, being quite understanding, began to comfort the two of them.
Then came Laufen and Mette-Marit.
Then came Richter.
The last one, Dunkel, was quite tricky; it took him a full ten seconds to finish.
After handing all the examinees over to Lanto, 'Rienta' flew to the few who hadn't made a move, dispelled the Projection Magic, and landed on the ground.
He raised an eyebrow at Rienta and said:
"See? If you want to learn magic, you have to beat them into submission. That makes things much easier."
"..."
Rienta's fist hardened a bit, and she retorted:
"You... you're a truly awful clone."
'Rienta' smiled faintly and reached out to pat Frieren and Fern on the head.
Fern dodged to the side.
Frieren simply slapped 'Rienta's' hand away.
He looked at the clone 'Rienta' in front of him with a somewhat serious expression.
He said, "Rienta 2, no touching your head!"
Seeing this, 'Rienta' said somewhat mysteriously:
"Lady Frieren, those examinees lost to me. In order not to lose their chance to take the exam, each of them must give me their best spell!"
"Oh dear, I don't know what to do with all this magic..."
Frieren's expression became more serious, and she placed 'Rienta's' hand on her head.
"Then, Rienta 2, I grant permission."
With a speechless expression, Fern once again removed the hand that had been holding 'Rienta' on Frieren's head.
He then shielded Frieren behind him, ignoring Frieren cries, and said:
"... This... let's call you Rienta #2 for now, what exactly do you want?"
'Rienta' didn't answer the question, and the smile on her face disappeared.
Then he looked at Rienta and said softly:
What makes you think I might be a clone?