The Aftermath

At the end of the passageway, there was a spacious hall.

The echoes of the battle have completely subsided.

Duncan slowly straightened up, his hands on his knees, slightly out of breath. His brown hair was damp with sweat and clung to his forehead. His mage robes were stained with some dust and plant sap, but were generally clean.

"Huff... huff..."

"Sense's " long, light brown hair was the first to lose its luster, turning into fine gray powder from the ends and falling down in a flurry. Next came her empty face, long dress, cloak... all parts silently shattered and dissipated, as if erased by an invisible eraser, leaving only a small patch of gray on the ground that was indistinguishable from dust.

The same was true of "Adonis" beside him. His slender and perfect elven body began to crumble from his fingertips, his long, golden... no, stone-colored hair breaking apart inch by inch and turning into ashes. At the same time, the ferocious giant vines and thorns beneath him also lost their vitality, quickly withering, turning black, and then crumbling into equally inconspicuous dust.

"I never expected this," Duncan's voice was weary from the battle, but still steady, "That the clones could actually cooperate with each other."

He paused, then looked at Methode beside him.

"'Sense' seemed to know he was no match for me in the open, so he had 'Adonis' use vines to launch a sneak attack from the side at the start of the battle, trying to restrict my movements. Quite tactically conscious."

Methode nodded slightly, her posture still elegant, though her breathing was a little faster than usual.

"Yes," she said gently, "Fortunately, this place is clearly not suitable for a nature mage. The rock walls are hard, the ground is dry, and there are almost no plants to manipulate. Although the vines did cause some trouble, we managed to get through it smoothly."

She frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"However, assuming these things truly possess intelligence, they should know that even with this kind of cooperation, they still can't defeat us. Why bother attacking at all?"

Her gaze swept over the two piles of dissipating powder.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait for the other clones to arrive before launching a coordinated attack?"

Duncan remained silent for a few seconds.

"There are a few possibilities," he began slowly, his voice clear in the open space. "First, the clones might have a limited lifespan. They can't wait, or can't maintain that perfect mimicry and combat power for long, or they've misjudged our strength..."

He paused, then didn't continue.

"Two..." He shook his head, "I don't want to say right now. It's just a guess."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present— Lichta, Laufen, Länge, Edel, Dunster, and Methode.

"In short," his tone turned serious, "Besides magical perception, we must use our eyes and remain vigilant at all times. The clones can obviously also perfectly shield their own magical fluctuations, just like us. We're not a normal adventure team now; our teammates are all mages, none of them are warriors with keen intuition or skilled at detecting stealth and ambushes. We must rely on ourselves and be extra careful."

His tone became more forceful.

"After all, the current situation is that the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Nobody knows when or from what angle the next clone will appear, or who the next enemy will be."

Lichta leaned against the rock wall beside him, arms crossed, and looked at Duncan with a hint of barely perceptible teasing in his voice.

"I never expected this," he said. "I thought you were the kind of old man who climbed to a high position just by using cunning and scheming, sitting in the command center. What, you've been an adventurer before?"

Duncan glanced at him, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"I am a mage who came from a military background," he said calmly. "In my youth, I served in the Empire Army. When there was no war, I would hone my skills and maintain my condition by taking on expeditions and exploring ruins. Strategy and scheming are things I had to learn. But the foundation is solid combat power. After all, a mage's sword will rust if it's not sharpened for a long time."

Laufen walked over to Duncan, looked at his slightly pale face, and then at the sweat on his forehead.

"Anyway, old man," she said with concern, "You used a lot of magic to defeat 'Sense,' didn't you? When you fought Frieren earlier, you said you were out of magic even though you hadn't fought for very long... How are you feeling now? Can you continue fighting?"

Duncan shook his head.

"No, Laufen, the situation is different," he explained calmly. "The battle with Frieren —she's a mage whose power is beyond reason. Against her, I can't hold back at all; I must use my maximum magical output from the very beginning, trying to break through her defenses with the fastest speed and the strongest offensive. That kind of fighting style is incredibly taxing, and the final strike was a hasty defense, so naturally, I couldn't hold out for long before running out of magic."

He pointed to the ashes left behind by the "Sense" clone on the ground.

"But 'Sense'... while she's strong, her hair magic is extremely deadly in confined spaces, and I would be no match for her there. But in these relatively open spaces with enough room to maneuver, dealing with her requires more tactical choices and timing than a pure clash of magic. Here, she's not a difficult opponent for me."

Laufen blinked and pointed to Duncan's still slightly heaving chest.

"But sir, you're breathing very rapidly. That doesn't seem like you're 'easy to deal with'."

Duncan paused for a moment.

"... That was because I ran too fast to escape 'Sense's' pursuit. I exhausted myself."

Laufen: "..."

Länge smiled gently from the side and handed over a water pouch at the right moment.

"Mr. Duncan, please have some water. Everyone should take a break and get ready before continuing."

Methode nodded in agreement. "Not bad. The battle ended quickly, but everyone was on edge. Edel, are you alright?"

The girl named Edel her pink mushroom haircut, still looked lazy, but her eyes lacked their usual nonchalance.

"It's alright," she muttered. "It's just a bit noisy. The sound of the vines breaking through the soil and the sound of hair hitting the rocks... ugh, but it's better than getting pierced through by that hair. Come to think of it, I'm really useless."

"There's nothing I can do. In a normal battle, if your 'voice' could control the opponent for even a second, it would be a huge help. But who knew that the opponent would be a being without a heart..."

Duncan took the water pouch, thanked him, and took a few small sips. The cool liquid slid down his throat, slightly relieving his thirst and fatigue. While drinking, he carefully sensed his surroundings again. The passage was completely silent, except for the faint, constant dripping sound in the distance. No new magical fluctuations were approaching.

A decision must be made quickly. Should we continue forward, searching for a path deeper? Or try to turn back and rejoin Frieren's squad? Or... find a relatively easy-to-defend position, hold our ground temporarily, conserve our energy, and wait for an opportunity?

"Old man," Laufen's voice interrupted his thoughts, "What do we do next? Should we keep going?"

Duncan raised his head, his cloudy but determined gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"We can't stay any longer," he said in a deep voice. "The longer we stay, the greater the risk of being surrounded by more clones. The cooperation between 'Sense' and 'Adonis' just now showed that these clones not only have our combat abilities, but may also share some degree of 'consciousness' or 'commands.' They know tactics, they can coordinate, and they even know how to use the environment."

He paused.

"Therefore, we must act quickly before they encircle us or set up even more deadly traps. I suggest we continue deeper into the maze. On one hand, our goal is to reach the deepest part and pass the test. On the other hand, Frieren and the others will definitely also be heading deeper into the maze."

"That makes sense," Methode agreed. "Passive defense is never the best strategy."

Länge nodded slightly.

Lichta didn't speak, but simply straightened up, dusted off her hands, and indicated that she was ready.

Laufen took a deep breath and gripped his staff tightly.

"Let's go then, sir. You give me directions."

Duncan took one last look at the two almost completely vanished ash stains on the ground, as if trying to etch the information about "replicating the body's coordination" into his mind. Then, he turned around and faced the darkness deep within the passage that seemed to devour all light.

Let's go.

He strode forward, still walking at the front. His steps were more steady than before, his back straight, as if his earlier panting and exhaustion were just an illusion.

"Remember," his voice came from ahead, echoing clearly through the passage, "Stay alert, trust your companions, but don't rely entirely on your magical senses. Use your eyes, your ears, and the intuition you've honed in battle."

"What we encounter may be more than just enemies 'like' us."

"They might... know better than we do how to kill ourselves."