Side Story: Fatal Weakness I

With their close cooperation, the Copy Pass was quickly cornered.

Even if Clinton were to act alone, he was confident that he could have brought the battle to its current state.

However, potential dangers still lurk around them, forcing them to act swiftly to avoid being worn down by the Water Mirror Demon's constantly summoned Copy through a war of attrition.

"I didn't expect you to be so resilient. Next time, let's take on a quest to hunt down a [Red Mirror Dragon]. How about I let you arm wrestle with the dragon all by yourself? Hey! Speaking of which, I think I just saw one a couple of days ago."

"Captain, don't do it for real. This guy won't feel any pain even if a piece of his arm is cut off, but I'll be in excruciating pain, "Pass said with a smile, looking at his clone, who had just been caught off guard by Clinton and had a piece of his arm cut off, yet was still able to launch a fierce Copy.

Cutting off such a large arm is no joke. The other thing is a magical creation without any feelings, which is why it can create its own body like that. But I am a real, living person and can't withstand such treatment.

Even with his boundless courage, it's still somewhat strange that he lost an arm in battle.

"Let's finish this quickly and then we'll go help Galan. This stalemate can't go on. We need to find the Water Mirror Demon's true form and eliminate it at its root."

"Okay... but Captain, could you please stop using 'you'? It sounds like you're really going to chop me up."

"You little brat, you want a beating, don't you? Why have you started being so sarcastic now?"

Clinton swiftly raised his longsword before the opponent's attack even arrived. A powerful burst of battle Fighting Spirit dispersed a small patch of Dense Fog, but it was quickly enveloped by a new, spreading mist. Neither magical nor physical impact seemed to leave a trace on this eerie fog...

It was as if time had been repeatedly rewound back to the point before the impact occurred.

Palm!

With a loud bang, "Pass's" battle axe was sent flying by Clinton during the repeated clashes. Undoubtedly, this was the decisive blow. He seemed unaware of what had happened, his lifeless eyes looking up at the figure of his flying battle axe.

But soon, he no longer needed to look up, for the real beast, Pass, seized the opportunity, rushed forward, and chopped off its head with an axe.

As the Clay Person's head hovered in the air, Mana Particles began to emerge from its body, which then disappeared as black energy continued to emanate from it.

As for its head, it shattered easily into pieces like a broken glass bottle when it hit the ground, eventually turning into dust.

"Phew, it's finally resolved."

"You're pretty good at stealing kills, huh?"

Although he said that, Clinton didn't care about such trivial details.

It's not like playing a video game where you need to grind for various stats to complete achievements or improve your game score, or engage in any competition or rivalry. All they need to do is completely eliminate their opponents.

"Hey, Captain, you're being too polite. I just helped you land the final blow, saving you the trouble, right, Wallace?"

"Smooth-talking..."

Laughing, he pulled his axe back from the ground. Pass scratched his chin, a strange unease creeping into his heart. He should be happy to have just defeated the enemy, but something felt off. "Wallace?"

Seeing that his calls went unanswered, Pass instinctively turned around and saw Wallace's severed head, just like his own Copy, spinning in the air with a blank expression.

Behind his still-standing body, a Clay Person wielding a long sword was staring at them with sharp eyes.

"Depend on!"

The moment Pass realized that his teammate, with whom he had spent so much time, had been assassinated by the enemy, his blood boiled, and his raging anger, like a volcano that had been brewing for a long time, was displayed on his face without reservation.

Without the slightest hesitation, he charged forward fearlessly, swinging his weapon at the Copy that had killed his teammate, even though he knew it was a Copy of Captain Clinton.

In countless past encounters, he had never defeated Clinton. Whether in strength or skill, he was inferior to his opponent. His only outstanding point was the combat experience accumulated over the years. This was something that talent alone could not make up for. Therefore, even with Clinton's monstrous talent, he still had to strengthen this point through constant battles.

Faced with the current situation, Pass was clearly blinded by anger and had lost his former rationality.

Wallace is a kind and honest man who often treats me to late-night snacks. Occasionally, he'll complain to me about how lonely I sometimes feel, but finding a partner is too much trouble, and besides, my Goddess probably wouldn't approve of it...

Such a neurotic man, such a vibrant life, was wiped out right before his eyes.

"Are you kidding me!"

The sharp axe gleamed menacingly as it swung wildly at Clinton's Copy.

"Hey! Get back here! You can't handle 'me'! Are you crazy!?"

Clinton, who was behind him, also noticed the situation, but he was unable to stop Pass in time. Paz rushed out almost the instant he realized what was happening, leaving him no room to make amends.

Wallace's death was certainly a great loss to him, but his immediate priority was to prevent the irrational Pass from going to his death as well!

This can't go on. The Copy's intelligence is clearly no less than the original's.

Instead of taking advantage of their battle with "Pass" to put pressure on them, they chose to deal with the Priest who were providing support from the rear.

Now that they've lost Wallace, they have no room for error when injured. In the current situation, being seriously wounded is practically a death sentence...

I still had two bottles of [Healing Potions ] on me that I had prepared before setting off.

But this is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the predicament they face.

"Return!"

Just as the Copy's longsword was about to pierce Pass's heart without hesitation, his axe suddenly accelerated, like a second-stage rocket, gaining another boost in speed compared to before. It managed to cut through "Clinton's" longsword and leave a clearly visible wound on his face.