Recaps

Pass wounded Clinton’s copy with his new Late Tyrant Slash, but the copy counterattacked and knocked him back. Clinton and Pass regrouped and fought together, trying to overwhelm the copy before new dangers appeared.

• Pass used his Late Tyrant Slash to wound Clinton’s copy, proving that the move could hurt a near-identical opponent.
• Clinton’s copy immediately counterattacked and sent Pass flying, while Clinton warned him not to act recklessly.
• Pass admitted his attack had been impulsive, stood beside Clinton, and prepared to fight with him.
• Clinton and Pass waited for the copy to move first, then attacked it from opposite directions in coordinated strikes.

Clinton and Pass defeated Clinton’s copy after Pass sacrificed an ear to create an opening, but they soon discovered that the Water Mirror Demon could produce another copy. The new Pass copy emerged from the fog as they set out to find Galan.

• Pass charged Clinton’s copy and let it cut off his ear so the copy would focus entirely on him.
• Pass forced the copy to block his axe, giving Clinton a chance to attack from behind and sever its head and limbs.
• Clinton worried about Pass’s reckless move but held back his reproach after remembering Wallace’s body.
• Clinton and Pass headed toward the fog to help Galan, who had lured his own copy away.
• Another copy of Pass emerged from the fog, revealing that the Water Mirror Demon could make multiple copies.

Galan discovered that the Water Mirror Demon’s copy could not use Blood Manipulation Magic against him, so he stopped evading and began fighting back. He summoned blood from two bottles to attack the copy, confident he could defeat it quickly and then find Lia.

• Galan dodged his copy’s attacks while testing its abilities and concluded that it could not use Blood Manipulation Magic to control his blood.
• Galan clashed swords with the copy for the first time, pushed it back, and declared that copying his skills was not enough to defeat him.
• Galan worried that Lia was in danger and resolved to finish the fight quickly so he could find her.
• Galan uncorked two bottles of preserved blood and used Blood Manipulation Magic to summon the blood around himself.

Galan used Blood Manipulation Magic to weaken and trap his replica, then pressed the attack while conserving mana for dangers deeper in the Dungeon. As the replica charged him in a desperate fight, Galan prepared to use its inability to wield the same magic to secure his victory.

• Galan reflected on his limited mana and decided his Blood Manipulation Magic was still enough to defeat the replica.
• Galan used blood columns to herd the replica into range, then struck its shoulder and severed its left hand.
• Galan pinned the replica's right leg with a blood spike but chose not to spend more mana reshaping the blood.
• The replica cut through the spike and charged Galan, who planned to avoid a direct contest and exploit its inability to use Blood Manipulation Magic.

Galan defeated his copy in the fog and realized he would need to find the hidden Water Mirror Demon to end the threat. Meanwhile, Clinton and Pass struggled against their own copies, with Clinton badly injured and both facing likely death.

• Galan used blood spikes to pin his copy to the ground, then cut off its head and split its body in two.
• Galan watched the copy dissolve into black mana particles and decided to search for the Water Mirror Demon.
• Galan realized the thick fog could mislead anyone trying to retrace their steps and set out by relying on his sense of direction.
• Pass warned Clinton that they would be worn down and killed as they fought their copies.
• Clinton suffered internal injuries from a powerful blow and despaired that no team could stop the Water Mirror Demon.

Clinton and Pass struggled against their copies, with Clinton forcing Pass to drink a potion so he could keep fighting. Just as they were nearing defeat, Galan arrived and restrained Clinton’s copy with a powerful blood attack, leaving Clinton stunned by Galan’s magic.

• Clinton urged the exhausted Pass to drink a potion, but Pass initially refused to save it for him.
• Clinton forced a [Healing Potion] into Pass’s hands, and its effects restored enough strength for Pass to slash his copy with a powerful axe attack.
• Pass admitted the attack had used all his strength, leaving Clinton worried that they could not hold out.
• A pillar of blood burst through the fog and struck Clinton’s copy, preventing it from attacking him.
• Galan emerged from the fog, and Clinton was shocked to see the warrior wielding powerful magic.

Galan used an enhanced Blood Manipulation Magic to defeat his copy, then helped Clinton and Pass defeat Pass’s copy. Worried that Lucina and Lia were in danger, he explained how they could navigate the fog and find them.

• Clinton watched Galan overpower his copy with blood magic, then ran to help Pass fight Pass’s copy.
• Galan’s corrosive blood streams consumed his copy, which dissolved into mana particles.
• Clinton and Pass defeated Pass’s copy and thanked Galan for arriving in time.
• Galan warned that Lucina might struggle against her copy and that Lia could be in danger if the Water Mirror Demon found them.
• Galan told Pass that following their instincts would let them resist the fog’s attempts to lead them astray.

Galan led Pass and Clinton back through the fog by retracing their path while they worried about finding Lucina and Lia. Along the way, Clinton asked how a warrior like Galan could use such powerful magic, and Galan explained that Serie had given him a fully developed spell and the experience to wield it as a Privilege.

• Galan guided Pass and Clinton through the fog, relying on his memory of their route and warning them to stay close.
• Pass and Clinton worried that Lucina and Lia might have moved or could be in danger, while Galan reasoned that Lucina would likely stay put and protect Lia.
• Clinton asked Galan whether he was really a warrior and how he could use such powerful magic.
• Galan said his circumstances were unusual and explained that Serie had taught him a thoroughly developed spell and the experience to use it as a Privilege.
• Galan considered that publicizing this Privilege could help Serie establish the Continental Magic Association.

Galan explained that Serie’s magic had made him skilled, while Lucina struggled against her Water Mirror Demon duplicate and enlisted Lia’s help with defense. The duplicate gathered all her mana to unleash Lightning of Destruction Release Magic, leaving Lucina relying on Lia to protect her.

• Galan explained how he had become skilled at wielding magic, and the two men assumed Serie had taught him because he was her partner.
• Galan revealed that he had found the men by tracking disturbances in the fog caused by their battle.
• Lucina asked Lia for offensive magic, but Lia said she could only release gathered mana and knew a little Defensive Magic.
• Lucina encouraged Lia to defend her while she fought their duplicate, and Lia agreed to trust her powerful mana.
• The duplicate gathered her mana for Lightning of Destruction Release Magic, and Lucina told Lia to cast Defensive Magic when she saw the attack begin.

Lucina and Lia defeated Lucina’s Copy when Lia used her vast mana to hold back its destructive spell and Lucina struck during the opening. They rested afterward as Lucina judged that the Water Mirror Demon and dense fog made clearing the Dungeon nearly impossible without Lady Serie.

• Lucina charged her Copy while Lia prepared to cast a defensive spell at her instruction.
• Lia cast Holy Wind Wall and repeatedly reinforced it with her mana to block the Copy’s Lightning of Destruction.
• Lucina used Lightning-Piercing Magic to destroy the Copy’s head, causing its body and uncontrolled spell to dissolve and disperse.
• Lia weakened from spending so much mana, and Lucina helped her rest while keeping watch.
• Lucina concluded that the Water Mirror Demon and dense fog made the Dungeon nearly impossible to clear, and hoped Clinton and the others would find their way back.

Lucina waited with Lia in the fog, worrying that Clinton and the others might be in danger and reflecting on how she had fallen in love with Clinton. She told Lia about her feelings and began explaining how he had taught her that she did not have to face every problem alone.

• Lucina decided to stay with Lia rather than risk searching for the others after using much of her mana.
• As time passed without the group returning, Lucina feared that Clinton and the others might have been lost, though she still trusted Clinton to find a way through danger.
• Lucina recalled realizing she loved Clinton and how his calm support made her feel safe.
• Lia noticed Lucina was troubled, and Lucina admitted she was thinking about someone she liked.
• Lucina asked Lia what it felt like for an Elf to fall in love, then shared how Clinton had taught her that teammates could rely on one another.

Lucina told Lia that she had fallen in love with Clinton, prompting Lia to wonder whether her own happiness around Galan meant she liked him. When Galan emerged from the fog, Lia ran toward him despite Lucina’s warning to wait.

• Lucina recounted how Clinton had looked after her and admitted to Lia that she had fallen in love with him.
• Lucina wondered whether Clinton liked her and considered confessing her feelings after they returned.
• Lia reflected on Galan’s promise to teach her about love and wondered whether her happiness when he helped her meant she liked him.
• Lucina sensed someone in the fog and activated her Lightning Cage while warning the unseen figure to identify itself.
• Galan called out to Lia and emerged from the fog, and Lia ran toward him as Lucina watched helplessly.

Galan reunited with Lia and vowed not to bring her into danger again, while Lucina comforted Clinton after Wallace’s death. The chapter ended with Lucina recognizing that Clinton would blame himself for Wallace’s death and wanting to help ease his burden.

• Galan reunited with Lia, learned that Lucina had protected her from enemies, and realized the disturbance in the dense fog had come from Lucina’s copy.
• Galan told Lia he would never again take her to a dangerous place, and Lia obediently agreed.
• Clinton told Lucina that Wallace had been killed during the ambush and blamed himself for what had happened.
• Lucina embraced Clinton and reminded him that he could rely on his teammates instead of carrying his troubles alone.
• Lucina understood that Clinton would blame himself for Wallace’s death and wanted to help him bear the burden.

After Lucina comforted Clinton, he recognized her feelings and embraced her in return. Galan then presented the party with the choice of pursuing the Water Mirror Demon's true body or retracing their steps, while privately favoring retreat.

• Lucina reassured Clinton, and he thanked her by pulling her into an embrace.
• Pass watched Clinton and Lucina affectionately, stunned by their closeness.
• Galan and Lia arrived, and Galan urged the group to discuss their next move.
• Galan outlined the options of finding and destroying the Water Mirror Demon's true body or trying to return along their original route.
• Galan privately preferred retreat because the Dungeon seemed unusually dangerous and he wanted to keep Lia safe.

Clinton decided to abandon the Dungeon and led the group back through the fog, following the route Galan had taught him. As they walked, Galan began to suspect they were drifting farther from their original path.

• Clinton chose to turn back rather than risk more casualties, and Lucina, Galan, and Pass agreed.
• Clinton led the group through the fog using the method Galan had devised to find them.
• Lucina learned from Clinton that Galan had saved him and Pass from danger.
• Galan told Lia he would never bring her to another Dungeon and said he needed to find her a magic teacher.
• After walking through the fog for a long time, Galan sensed that the group was moving farther from their original route.

Galan and his companions realized they were lost in an unfamiliar part of the Dungeon, where an uncanny fog obscured their senses. After the fog attacked Lucina, Galan suspected a monster controlled it, and Lucina recalled an ancient account of a similar creature in the north.

• Galan questioned whether Clinton had led the group off course as the fog thickened and their surroundings grew strange.
• Lucina realized she and Lia had strayed from their original route while fighting her copy, leaving the group lost in the Dungeon.
• Clinton struck and destroyed a mass of fog that lunged at Lucina.
• Galan suspected a monster was controlling the fog and asked the others whether they knew of such a creature.
• Lucina recalled an ancient book describing a northern monster that released fog to confuse humans and was less aggressive than other monsters.

Galan and the others tracked the fog monster by provoking it, then followed the direction of its first attack until it revealed itself as a towering Fog Giant. Lucina identified the giant as a summoned physical form, and Clinton launched the first strike as it was still forming.

• Galan reasoned that the monster had attacked because the group came close to its hiding place, and Clinton agreed that its attacks could help them find it.
• The group spread out and probed in every direction, but the monster stayed hidden after its first attack.
• Galan led the others toward the direction of that first attack, and they pressed on despite the growing pressure from the surrounding environment.
• The fog retreated and formed a Fog Giant more than ten meters tall, which Lucina identified as a summoned body rather than the monster's true form.
• Clinton rushed the still-forming giant and struck at its feet with his flame-imbued longsword.

Clinton, Pass, and Lucina kept the mist giant occupied while Galan worked out how to locate the monster controlling it. After Galan and Lucina’s group found the monster’s main body, the giant abandoned its fight and charged toward them.

• The mist giant trapped Clinton in its hand, but Lucina blasted its shoulders and freed him.
• Pass joined Clinton in wearing down the giant while Galan stayed back, reasoning that they had to find the monster controlling it.
• Galan told Lucina and Lia to probe the fog as they had before, expecting the monster to react to protect its main body.
• As Galan and Lucina’s group widened their search, the giant abruptly broke away from Clinton and Pass and charged toward them.
• Pass realized the group had found the monster’s main body, and he and Clinton moved to stop the giant from interfering.

Galan, Lucina, and Lia found the Fog Giant’s hidden chamber after Clinton and Pass held it back, and Lucina unleashed powerful lightning magic into the room. The fog vanished and did not return, though the chamber’s contents and the monster’s fate remained unclear.

• Clinton and Pass cut off the Fog Giant’s legs, bringing it crashing down while Galan, Lucina, and Lia ran ahead into the fog.
• Galan stopped to let Lia and Lucina catch their breath, then searched the dead-end passage and found a hidden switch in a totem-covered pillar.
• Galan opened a concealed doorway and discovered a fog-filled chamber where the monster was hiding.
• Galan asked Lucina to attack from outside the chamber, and she released Lightning of Destruction despite being unable to locate the monster through the fog.
• Lucina’s lightning swept the fog from the chamber, and the fog did not gather again.

After Lucina destroyed the monster and cleared the fog, the group explored the Hidden Chamber and found ancient writing. Lucina identified the Dungeon as the Fallen King's Tomb, though Galan could not recall where he had heard the name.

• Lucina's lightning attack destroyed the monster, and the fog in the chamber and corridor dissipated.
• Galan, Lia, and Lucina explored the chamber's carvings, statues, and other remnants.
• Lia found ancient writing on a gold plate, but Galan could read only a little of it.
• Lucina examined the writing and noted that it came from different periods, but could not translate most of it.
• Lucina learned that the Dungeon was called the Fallen King's Tomb, and Galan said the name sounded familiar.

Galan teased Lia while Lucina wondered about her feelings for Clinton, but the group was forced to flee when the Dungeon’s Dense Fog vanished and revealed numerous Copies. Clinton feared their party was the only one still alive in the Fallen King’s Tomb.

• Galan smiled at Lia and teased her, while Lucina watched them and wondered whether humans and elves could have a future together.
• Clinton and Pass arrived at the Hidden Chamber and urged Galan, Lia, and Lucina to leave immediately.
• With the Dense Fog gone, Lucina detected a vast number of mana signatures and suspected they belonged to Copies of the adventurers.
• Clinton explained that he and Pass had defeated three Copies and then spotted more appearing throughout the Dungeon.
• Clinton led the group toward an escape route, warning that the Copies could find them more easily and that no reinforcements might remain.

Lucina’s group discovered that four Copies had tracked them through the Dungeon and chose to confront them after they blasted through a wall. The Copies emerged unharmed, and Lucina realized one of them had blocked her attack.

• Lucina detected four approaching magical signatures and warned Galan and the others that a group of Copies had found them.
• Galan and Lucina suspected one of the pursuers was a Mage skilled in Magic Detection.
• The Copies blasted open a wall beside the group, and Lucina immediately struck the hole with Lightning-Piercing Magic.
• Clinton and Pass rejoined the others, and the group prepared to fight instead of continuing to flee.
• Two men and two women emerged from the dust without injuries, and Lucina realized their Mage had blocked her spell.

Galan and the others confronted the Water Mirror Demon’s Copies, and Galan stepped in to protect Lucina when the warriors attacked. He split the fight between himself and Clinton and Pass, leaving them to face the stronger Copy together.

• Lucina worried that her depleted magic power would not be enough to fight the enemy Mages, and Galan promised to help her.
• Clinton recognized the Copy on the left as a swordsman who had defeated him at least five times before.
• The two Copies charged at Lucina, but Galan pulled her behind him and blocked both warriors with his Alchemy Longsword.
• Galan kicked one Copy toward Clinton and Pass, then engaged the other himself.
• Clinton and Pass faced the stronger Copy together while Galan held off the remaining one.

Clinton and Pass fought the Copy, but its speed and strength made it difficult to injure. Clinton pushed past his hesitation and launched a fierce attack, hoping to defeat it himself and grow stronger.

• Clinton dodged the Copy's attacks while Pass tried and failed to land a damaging axe strike.
• Clinton refused Pass's offer to take over and told him to keep looking for an opening.
• Clinton charged again and unleashed his full swordsmanship, forcing the Copy to focus on him.
• Clinton reached his limit of speed, surrounded the Copy with afterimages, and seized an opening to strike.
• Clinton confronted his lingering fear of the Copy and resolved to overcome it through the battle.

Clinton and Pass struggled against the Copy, whose speed and skill exceeded theirs. They tried to reposition for a pincer attack, leaving the fight poised for their next move.

• Clinton struck at the back of the Copy's head, but it blocked him and counterattacked, wounding him.
• Pass joined the fight, and he and Clinton barely held off the Copy's relentless assault while Pass was wounded in the shoulder.
• Clinton and Pass attacked the Copy from opposite sides, but it rolled away and cut Pass's leg.
• Clinton admitted he had never defeated the original, and Pass acknowledged the Copy was stronger than both of them.
• Clinton warned Pass not to risk his life and proposed they circle behind the Copy to attack from both sides.
• Clinton advanced while Pass moved in another direction, and the Copy mistook their maneuver for another direct flanking attack.