The End

The short staff was swung out.

Soon.

There was no fancy trajectory, and almost no power-building movements or amazing momentum.

He simply swung his hand forward in what appeared to be a casual gesture.

The tip of the staff sliced through the air, leaving a faint, almost invisible trail in the dim light.

"Laugh."

A very faint sound, like the soft sound of scissors cutting through thin silk.

"Sense's " long, light brown hair, which seemed to be alive and contained immense magical power, was descending from all directions. Along the path of the faint trace, it parted neatly and without hindrance.

It wasn't repelled, it wasn't blown up.

It means "separate".

It's as if they were originally two pieces, only now separating along a pre-existing, perfect seam.

The hair quickly lost its luster at the cut, turning into a stiff gray, and then silently crumbled into fine powder.

Along with the "Sense" body itself, which was hidden in the shadow of the rock wall above and had just revealed half of its body.

A perfectly smooth, straight cut appeared on her body, from her left shoulder to her right waist. The cut surface also quickly turned gray, losing all color and texture.

The clone froze, its empty, dark blue eyes seeming to glance down at the cut on its body. Then, its entire stone body slowly slid along the cut, splitting into two halves that tilted to the left and right.

The next second.

Splash--

The stone body, split in two, along with all the remaining strands of hair around it that had not yet touched Ubel, simultaneously disintegrated and shattered, turning into a silent gray snowfall that softly covered the ground.

The entire process was silent, swift, and efficient.

It didn't even stir up much dust.

A brief silence.

Only the sound of everyone's breathing remained in the corridor, along with the increasingly intense roar that could be faintly heard from the hall in the distance.

Sense's small mouth was slightly open, and his drooping eyelids were raised higher than usual. His deep blue eyes were fixed on the pile of gray powder on the ground that was rapidly dissipating and belonged to "himself".

She stared for two seconds, her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately no sound came out. Only a very faint, indescribable ripple passed through her usually calm eyes.

Ubel flicked her short staff, its tip spotless. She glanced at the fallen replica's remains, then looked up at the now empty shadow above the passage, her green hair swaying gently as she tilted her head.

"You guys are really thinking things through."

She spoke, her voice carrying a hint of nonchalance, even a touch of naive bewilderment.

"Defensive Magic and all that, the magic power attached to it... I can't see any of that."

She shrugged.

"Hair is hair."

"It can be cut open."

Methode stood a little distance away, her posture still elegant, but her eyes, which always held a gentle smile, were now slightly wide open, clearly reflecting Ubel's relaxed figure and the pile of ashes on the ground that quickly disappeared.

She remained silent for a few seconds before slowly exhaling, her tone carrying a belated realization and undisguised admiration.

"That's really... unexpected."

She paused, as if gathering her thoughts, her voice gentle yet clear.

"As expected, battles between mages are like rock-paper-scissors. Only, a very complex game with countless steps and possibilities..."

Her gaze fell on Ubel's face, where his usual faint smile now seemed so unfathomable.

"Miss Ubel, you're really strong."

Ubel smiled at her, said nothing, simply twirled the short cane between his fingertips, and casually put it away.

Just then--

"Boom--!"

A deafening explosion came from behind the group, from behind the massive, tightly closed stone door! The entire passage trembled violently, and dust fell from the rock walls!

It was neither an explosion nor a deliberate bombardment.

It was more like some immense, uncontrollable force that, in the midst of a fierce struggle, inadvertently struck some fragile structure.

Immediately afterwards--

"Creak--Boom!!"

The heavy stone door hinges groaned under the strain, and then the entire door was blasted open from the inside by a brute force!

The massive stone gate tilted inward and crashed to the ground with a dull thud, kicking up clouds of dust. Broken hinges and shattered stones flew everywhere.

The smoke and dust dissipated slightly.

Through the gaping entrance, now reduced to a twisted doorframe, everyone looked into the hall.

The sight was astonishing.

The once spacious and flat white stone hall now looked as if it had been ravaged by a giant beast. The floor was covered with deep, crisscrossing trenches and huge pits, and in many places the stone slabs had been completely lifted and shattered. The walls and dome were covered with cracks and burn marks, and several rock walls had even been dented by the terrifying force.

Two rock giants clad in black armor were violently clashing in the center, the muffled thuds of their fists and feet striking each other like war drums.

Lowell and his clones transformed into two afterimages trailing dark red light, weaving and colliding at high speed between the black-armored giant's punches and kicks, sparks flying like a torrential rain from the clash of their black swords.

Frieren hovered in mid-air, engaging in a dazzling magical exchange with another "Frieren" clone below. Ordinary Attack Magic, Demon-Slaying Magic, and various disruptive and control spells Bloom and vanished between the two like fireworks.

The aftershocks of the battle raged through the hall like a tangible storm.

Clearly, the "accidental damage" to the gate was just a minor incident in this terrifying battle.

Ubel raised his hand to brush away the strands of hair that had been blown across his face by the blast of air, squinted at the savage yet efficient brawl inside, and curled his lip in disapproval.

"Tsk."

She made a clear, disdainful smacking sound.

"The teacher's fighting style is really inelegant."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly into the hall in the relative quiet after the door collapsed.

Lowell, caught in the heat of battle, seemed to have caught the sound. He parried a heavy slash from the clone, using the force to slide back several steps, temporarily creating distance, and glanced towards the doorway.

Ubel met his gaze, and instead of looking away, he raised his voice and shouted in a slightly mocking tone:

"Hey! Lowell!"

Her voice pierced through the roar of battle.

"It seems the clones don't want to destroy the maze!"

Inside the hall, Lowell, who was parrying a heavy slash from the clone and adding another deep gash to its breastplate, paused slightly.

He glanced briefly at a relatively intact rock wall at the edge of the hall, which did not appear to be a load-bearing structure, and a thought struck him.

Without hesitation, the black sword changed direction, and a condensed black sword beam flew out of its hand. It did not slash at the clone, but instead drew a sharp arc and slammed into the rock wall!

"Swoosh--Boom!"

A crack several meters long and bottomless was cleaved in the rock face, and rubble collapsed with a deafening roar.

Almost at the same time, the clone "Lowell" moved.

It abandoned the perfect opportunity to pursue Lowell's main body, and with a flash, appeared in the trajectory of the sword light. Its black sword slashed down fiercely, blocking and shattering most of the subsequent sword energy and collapsing rocks! It would rather take a side kick from Lowell's main body that followed, leaving a clear dent in its waist armor, than allow the rock wall to be further damaged.

Really.

Lowell's smile widened.

"Very useful information, Ubel!"

As he swung his sword to repel the magic shot by the clone of "Frieren" that took the opportunity to attack, he took a moment to call out towards the door, his tone filled with admiration.

"But..."

He abruptly changed the subject, glancing at the ruins-like scene in the hall, then at the candidates at the entrance who were on high alert but clearly didn't want to get involved, and his lips twitched.

"Are you asking me to demolish your base? If we use a fighting style that aims to completely destroy this place, we can certainly win faster and avoid wasting time with these two mirror images..."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat helpless.

"But I'm afraid things won't be good for you, will they? If this place collapses, not only will you fail the exam, but you might not even be able to get out unscathed."

Ubel stood at the door, and upon hearing this, the faint smile on his face remained unchanged; he even shrugged with a hint of innocence.

"That's none of my business."

Her tone was light and cheerful.

"I'm just offering a suggestion. How you actually do it is up to you to decide."

Lowell: "..."

He was taken aback by those words, his movements slowing by a beat, almost giving the clone an opening. He quickly parried the attack, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Tsk!"

He complained in a low voice, his tone full of frustration.

"I knew you were up to no good... but I really am having a tough time too. Who would willingly fight themselves, let alone two at once..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

A sudden change occurred.

In the center of the hall, the clone of "Lowell," who was locked in combat with Frieren's black-armored giant, suddenly froze.

It wasn't being hit, it wasn't being restrained.

It suddenly stopped, like a real statue.

Immediately afterwards, the clone of "Frieren" that was engaged in a magical exchange with Frieren also stopped all its movements.

The two replicas remained frozen in their final poses.

The dark red patterns flowing across their bodies quickly faded and disappeared. The black armor covering them began to lose its luster, revealing the grayish-white color of the stone.

Then, starting from the fingertips, fine cracks spread silently, instantly covering the entire body.

"Click... click click..."

A slight cracking sound.

The next second.

Splash--

The two clones, along with the black-armored giant summoned by the "Frieren" clone and which was also frozen in place, disintegrated simultaneously, turning into three inconspicuous piles of gray powder, scattered on the cracked ground.

A gust of wind blew in from the depths of the passage, stirring up some of the powder, which swirled and eventually blended into the dust covering the floor.

The roar of battle abruptly ceased.

The hall suddenly became eerily quiet, with only Lowell and Frieren's slightly rapid breathing and the occasional rustling of loose gravel.

Lowell remained in his sword-wielding stance, blinked, looked at the empty ground before him, and then glanced at Frieren had also stopped moving and whose emerald eyes held a hint of bewilderment.

"...?"

He uttered a short, questioning syllable.

What happened?

Are you not going to fight anymore?

Have you given up?

Just then--

At the deepest part of the hall, the inner door that had been tightly closed and led to an even deeper area suddenly creaked open and was slowly pushed open from the inside.

The door hinges made a dry, grinding sound.

A figure, yawning, staggered out of the darkness behind the door.

Dark gray-blue skin, short black hair, the signature curved horns of the Demons, and a sleepy expression on his face.

Elder.

He rubbed his eyes as he stepped across the threshold into the hall that looked as if it had been struck by a meteorite.

His gaze swept over the devastated scene, lingering for half a second on Lowell and Frieren, then at the group of examinees with varying expressions at the door. Finally, as if just realizing what was happening, he grinned, revealing a friendly yet somewhat smug smile, and casually waved his hand.

"Ah, good afternoon, everyone."

His voice was still heavy with sleepiness and indistinct.

"I accidentally wandered into the deepest part..."

He paused, as if remembering something, and pointed with his thumb to the open, dark inner door behind him.

"That old guy inside is pretty weak, we took him down."

He scratched his head, looking at the suddenly frozen battlefield and the vanished clones, then at Lowell and Frieren, his expression a little confused, but quickly turning indifferent.

"What, is it over?"

"..."

A brief silence.

Inside and outside the passageway, everyone's eyes were focused on Elder, and then turned to Lowell in the center of the hall.

Lowell's expression froze for a few seconds.

From initial confusion to sudden realization, and then to a complex mix of absurdity, amusement, and a hint of "I can't believe it's possible?"

He slowly lowered the black sword in his hand, and the sword turned into black mist and dissipated. The jet-black armor and dark red patterns on his body also quietly faded away, turning back into his ordinary clothes.

He raised his hand and rubbed his temples with his knuckles, his lips twitching uncontrollably.

Finally, he lowered his hand, looked at Elder, who looked completely innocent, as if he had simply finished his walk, and let out a long, deep breath.

"... They raided our base?"

"What, Liu Bang entering Xianyang...?"

He paused, then looked at Elder again. Finally, his frustration melted away, turning into a helpless smile, even tinged with admiration.

He shook his head, his tone becoming more relaxed.

"Tsk, but..."

He gave Elder a thumbs-up from a distance.

"Well done!"