Mirror Battle

The hall was shaking.

It wasn't the previous shock. It was a deeper, more persistent tremor, coming from beneath my feet, as if some enormous creature was awakening underground.

It's Frieren's magic circle that's formed.

The ground shook, the rock strata rose, and a colossal structure made up of countless stones rose from the ground.

It lacks delicate facial features, possessing only a rough outline and the sheer weight of the rock itself, yet its limbs are nearly perfectly proportioned, exuding power. Its height almost touches the dome of the hall, and each step it takes causes the ground to groan dully. It is slightly hunched over, its fists hanging at its sides, as if ready to unleash a destructive blow at any moment.

Earth Elemental Colossus Summoning Magic.

Lowell glanced at the stone giant and a smirk played on his lips.

"Not bad. From the very beginning, you've only been able to perform a simple stone trick, but you've actually developed it into magic that can be used in battle. You truly live up to my reputation, Frieren."

Before he finished speaking, he had already flashed to the giant's feet, his right hand pressing against the rough stone surface.

The light spread rapidly from his palm, like a living tide, instantly covering the stone giant's entire leg, and then rapidly spreading upwards. Wherever it passed, the rock surface was quickly covered with a smooth, hard, metallic black armor. The armor was exactly the same as the one he was wearing, only magnified dozens of times, with ingenious design at the joints that did not hinder his movements at all.

Sharp horns emerged from the joints, and the fists were covered with sharply defined armor. The entire stone giant seemed to be wearing a set of black full-body armor tailor-made for it, designed specifically for slaughter. In just a few breaths, a rock giant clad in black armor, as if it had stepped out of an ancient myth, stood silently in the center of the hall.

Lowell stepped back a few paces, looked up at his work, and stroked his chin.

"'Armored Susanoo'... oh no," he coughed, correcting himself, "'Perfect Stone Man Warrior'! What do you think?"

He turned to Frieren, his tone tinged with a hint of smugness.

"When using 'Perfect Warrior,' you can't be distracted by other spells. But giving a creation a shell... that's not a restriction! Hmm... if there were a skill description, it would probably be... [Perfect Warrior]: After use, your class changes to Warrior, and you cannot use other skills during this time. However... I still used this skill."

On the other side of the hall.

The clone silently stared at the black-armored giant.

The dark red patterns on its body shone even brighter, like lava flowing beneath its armor. It slowly raised its hands and brought them together again in front of its chest.

"Click, click, click--"

A series of more frequent and crisper clicking sounds came from inside its body.

The dark red patterns suddenly brightened, as if infused with life. The air around it began to distort, emitting visible pale red heat waves. A magical pressure far more violent and scorching than before, like an awakened volcano, roared down.

It took a step forward.

The stone slab beneath their feet instantly melted into dark red slag.

In this "boss second phase" state, although the moves are still those of a warrior, one will have a magical perception similar to that of a mage, and one's own magical power will be used to enhance one's own attack and defense.

The black-armored rock giant also moved.

It didn't use any complicated moves; it simply raised its right fist, which was covered in heavy black armor, and smashed it down on the clone with the force of crushing mountains! Wherever the fist passed, the air was compressed and produced a shrill explosion.

The clone neither dodged nor evaded, but also clenched its fist, dark red magic power coiling around its arm armor, and blasted upwards!

"Boom--!"

A giant fist collides with a relatively tiny iron fist.

The deafening roar nearly lifted the dome. A visible circular shockwave Swirl wildly from the point of impact, sweeping away all the rubble and dust on the ground. The black-armored giant's fist was forcefully held in mid-air, while the ground beneath the clone's feet caved in, with lava-like cracks spreading everywhere.

The stalemate lasted only a moment.

The dark red patterns on the clone's arm armor shone brightly, and its power suddenly erupted!

"Creak--!"

A sickening metallic creaking sound rang out. Fine cracks appeared on the armor of the black-armored giant's fist, and its massive body was pushed slightly backward by the force.

Just then, Frieren made her move.

She hovered in mid-air, her silver hair flying in the turbulent air currents.

She was originally supposed to stand on the stone golem's head, but since the golem was almost touching the dome of the hall, she would bump her head, so she chose to fly herself.

With a series of light taps of her staff, Frieren lit up the surrounding magic circles. These were not Ordinary Attack Magic, but dozens of jet-black Demon-Slaying Magic, like living serpents, shooting towards the clone from various tricky angles.

These "Demon-Slaying Magic" are evolved from the Killing Magic of Qual —which evolved into Ordinary Attack Magic —and are incredibly powerful. However, when facing "Lowell," the purpose is not to cause damage, but to disrupt its movements. Once there is an opening, the real Lowell can take advantage of the situation.

The clone immediately sensed it. With a wave of its left hand, dark red magic swept across like flames, burning away most of the Demon-Slaying Magic. However, a few spells still wrapped around its arm and leg armor. Although they couldn't truly bind it, they caused an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible, stagnation in its movements.

The black-armored giant seized this fleeting opportunity and swung his left fist horizontally!

The clone had just cleared its influence, so he had no choice but to hastily raise his arm to block.

"Clang--!"

An even louder impact rang out. The clone was swept to the side by the punch, staggering two steps, and another crack appeared on its arm armor.

Lowell moved too.

His jet-black armor also glowed with dark red patterns. But unlike the violent and scorching feeling of the clone, the red light on his body was more restrained and deeper, like a condensed night. The magic around him did not radiate outwards, but instead converged and compressed inwards, making the armor look heavier and more unshakeable.

He flashed and appeared to the side and rear of the staggering clone. The black sword was in his hand again, its blade shimmering with dark red light, and he silently stabbed towards the seam of the clone's neck armor.

As if it had eyes in the back of its head, the clone twisted its body a moment before the sword was about to strike, and its left hand, covered in dark red magic, shot out with lightning speed. Its five fingers, like hooks, precisely grabbed the tip of the sword, attempting to catch it barehanded once again.

However, this time, Lowell's swordplay suddenly changed.

The straight thrust transforms into an upward flick.

"Sizzle--!"

A chilling metallic scraping sound rang out. The black sword narrowly avoided the grip, its blade grazing the replica's left shoulder armor, sending up a trail of blinding Sparks and leaving a deep burn mark on the armor, dimming the dark red patterns along the edges.

The clone let out a muffled groan, its movements halting once more.

The black-armored giant's fist arrived again. This time, it was a heavy hammer blow from above, sealing off the space above it.

Frieren's staff lit up again. This time, dozens of blazing white light bullets, like a sudden storm, covered all possible evasive positions of the clone, not to harm the enemy, but only to disrupt and suppress it.

A pincer attack from three sides.

The clone was briefly put on the defensive. Dark red magic surged violently around it, like a Burning flame coat, which withstood most of the light bullets. At the same time, it crossed its arms upwards and fiercely blocked the heavy punch that the black-armored giant brought down.

"Boom!"

The ground cracked and subsided again.

But it blocked it.

However, Lowell's sword, like a ghost, swept upwards from an impossible angle, aiming for its chin, which had been slightly raised due to parrying the heavy blow.

Fast, accurate, and ruthless.

The clone reacted, tilting its head back as far as it could.

"Clang!"

The tip of the sword grazed the lower edge of its helmet, sending sparks flying and leaving a fresh scratch on its visor.

Although it narrowly escaped, its posture showed its age, leaving the central gate wide open.

The black-armored giant's other fist, carrying an overwhelming momentum, came straight at its wide-open chest!

"Morata! (We got it!)"

However, at this critical moment—

The surging dark red magic power emanating from the clone suddenly contracted inward, then erupted with even greater ferocity! Using the impact of Lowell's sword strike and the giant's punch, it slammed its feet into the molten ground, shooting backward and narrowly escaping the center of the combined attack. The black-armored giant's fist grazed its breastplate, the force of the punch leaving sparks and dents on its chest armor, but it failed to land a solid blow.

The clone drifted backward more than ten meters, landing on one leg and shattering a stone slab. The dents on its chest armor and the numerous cracks around its body showed that it was not undamaged, but the dark red light swayed slightly before stabilizing again, even becoming more solid.

It slowly straightened up, its visor turning towards Lowell and Frieren, silent yet radiating an even more dangerous signal.

Lowell flicked his sword, looked at the clone's slightly disheveled yet still upright figure, and clicked his tongue.

"Really durable," he commented, then his signature smug smile, tinged with a bit of arrogance, reappeared on his face, and he even pointed at the clone from a distance with the tip of his sword.

"But that's all. We've already been very lenient with you, two against one, and you've held out for so long, you imposter."

He paused, raised his chin slightly, and spoke with a sense of superiority befitting a "winner."

"If you have someone to blame, blame yourself for not having Frieren by your side! Poor single dog!"

The voice was clear and echoed in the hall, which was somewhat quiet after the fierce battle.

It carried a hint of arrogance, and a sense of entitlement in its boasting.

However.

Just as his last syllable fell—

"Buzz..."

On the floor of the hall, in an open space between Lowell and the replica, ripples appeared in the air without warning.

Like ripples on water.

Immediately afterwards, the stone pavement there became as transparent and blurry as the surface of water, reflecting distorted light and shadow.

A petite figure with silver hair slowly rose from beneath the "water".

Like stepping out of a mirror.

She had long, silvery-white hair, emerald-green eyes, a pure white dress, a light gray hooded cloak, and held a ruby staff in her hand; however, her entire being was stone-colored.

Exactly the same.

A clone of Frieren has been created.

"Frieren's" emerald eyes stared blankly at the real Frieren in the sky, and she raised her staff without hesitation, tapping it lightly.

The ground shook.

Another rock giant, made of countless stones and exactly the same as the previous one, rose from the ground and stood before it.

At the same time, the clone "Lowell" also moved. It flashed to the side of the newly appeared rock giant and pressed its right hand up.

The same dark magic surged forth, covered, and solidified like a tidal wave.

The second "Perfect Stone Man Warrior," clad in black armor, stood silently.

Dark red patterns spread and shone across its brand-new armor.

It echoed the light shimmering on Lowell's body.

The air in the hall seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

Three against one, instantly became three against three.

A perfect mirror image.

The scales seem to have returned to their starting point.

Lowell's arrogant smile, which he hadn't yet managed to suppress, froze completely.

He blinked, glanced at the newly formed, fully assembled "family of three" opposite him, then at Frieren beside him with a slight frown, and at the black-armored giant whose body was already cracked.

Silence was spreading.

The only sounds were the low hum of magic flowing from the two black-armored giants and the faint crackling of the lava cooling on the ground.

Several seconds passed.

Lowell slowly raised his hand and covered his face, his voice muffled through his fingers, filled with deep frustration and despair.

"... My jinxed mouth."