The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Thud! Boom! Thud!

He fell to the ground, bouncing several times before finally coming to a stop.

"Kheuk, huk!"

He had blocked it with Obsidian and aura, but the remaining damage was still significant.

Frondier hurriedly raised his head.

High in the sky, Belphegor's empty hand rose once more. The hand that had seemed powerless clenched into a fist, and as it opened again,

"...!"

A giant fireball formed above it, blazing fiercely.

"Burn to death, fake."

Belphegor lightly tossed the fireball, and Frondier blocked it with his aura-infused Obsidian.

"Hmph!"

It wasn't just pure heat but also explosive force, causing Frondier to frown. He was defending to the best of his ability, but he was still taking damage.

Belphegor's bored eyes observed Frondier's Obsidian.

"...Helheim, is it?"

"!"

Belphegor recognized it at a glance. This time, he raised a finger.

"You've brought something strange from a faraway place. Is that what you're relying on?"

In less than a second, electricity crackled from his finger.

Crackle!

As Belphegor extended his hand, lightning shot towards Frondier.

No matter how fast Obsidian was, it couldn't surpass the speed of lightning.

Therefore, the lightning that should have struck Frondier directly,

Pop!

"...Phew."

Simply vanished without a trace, and Frondier let out a light sigh.

"...?"

Belphegor tilted his head, unable to comprehend what had happened.

The lightning had struck directly, yet there wasn't a single scratch. No, there wasn't even a reaction as if he had been hit at all.

"I see. Devils can use aura immediately without needing to learn it. Is it the same for magic?"

Frondier honestly admired it.

The power he had just witnessed, both fire and lightning, could be achieved by ordinary human mages, but it would take them some time.

But Belphegor was different. He could manipulate mana as if it were his own limbs, so the time it took to create magic was also extremely short.

And the punch he had thrown before unleashing those spells. Frondier was more afraid of that single blow than any other magic.

"...How are you unscathed after being struck by lightning?"

"Because I wasn't hit."

Frondier replied with a refreshing expression, as if he had given an obvious answer, and pointed a finger above his head.

Belphegor's gaze followed.

Above them, a short-handled hammer hovered in the air.

Crackling with lightning, it trembled as if about to unleash its power.

"That guy is greedy, you see."

"...That weapon, don't tell me..."

Void Weaving, Simultaneous Replication

Imperial Palace Armory

Spear, Homologous Replication 10 Units

Frondier created 10 Spears around Belphegor, encircling him in a ring.

Belphegor's eyes widened.

"...Weaving!"

"What, you knew?"

Frondier raised his finger towards the sky. As if responding, Mjölnir shone even brighter.

"Helheim isn't what I'm relying on."

Frondier said, looking directly into Belphegor's eyes.

"The fact that I'm a 'fake' is my belief."

Immediately after, his finger swiped towards Belphegor as if delivering a judgment,

Rumble!

Still infused with Belphegor's lightning, Mjölnir shot lightning at the spears, connecting them with electric currents and amplifying their energy.

"...Hmph."

Belphegor raised his staff. Just before the electric current could engulf him, his Mana Barrier thickened, protecting him.

Crackle! Crackle!

Rumble!

The lightning dealt significant damage to Belphegor's barrier, but Belphegor himself remained unharmed inside.

While the lightning continued to damage the Mana Barrier, Belphegor pondered.

'Could it be, truly Mjölnir?'

The hammer that had absorbed the lightning he had shot at Frondier. It couldn't have simply acted as a lightning rod; it wouldn't have been able to draw in the lightning that had flown directly at Frondier to its current position.

As Frondier himself had said, it was as if the hammer itself had a greed for lightning and had devoured it.

'As long as that hammer is there, I shouldn't use lightning magic recklessly...'

Just as Belphegor reached that conclusion,

"Let's see how strong your Mana Barrier really is."

He saw Frondier, who had somehow closed the distance between them.

Frondier, who had been on the ground, had reached him with a single leap and flight.

"...!"

Frondier held swords in both hands, and within those swords pulsed an immense amount of mana that a single person shouldn't be able to wield, exploding with power.

A sword of light that devoured the user's mana and amplified it, creating an unbelievable synergy that erupted in a burst of power.

With no other special abilities, its sheer power alone challenged the realm of gods. This legendary sword now descended upon Belphegor.

Kwaaang!!

"Ugh!"

Belphegor's Mana Barrier shattered instantly, and he narrowly dodged the chilling blow.

He had immediately realized that his barrier wouldn't be able to withstand it at all. That's why he was barely able to evade.

"This, guy...!"

Close combat once again, Belphegor's fists rained down in rapid succession. Frondier's Obsidian responded to each attack.

Kwang! Clang! Kaaang!

Frondier narrowly countered Belphegor's terrifying attacks. Obsidian blocked, his swords parried, and he poured all his strength into deflecting and dodging.

"...!"

Belphegor's eyes widened. Frondier, who had fallen to the ground in a miserable state from the previous blow, was now countering his attacks.

Frondier's strength wasn't greater than Belphegor's. Nor was his speed. For his sword to reach Belphegor, all of Frondier's stats had to be a level below Belphegor's.

However.

─That is the 'foundation' of combat.

─The foundation of combat is a battle of prediction. It's about inferring what kind of move the opponent is trying to make based on the movement of their shoulders, waist, and center of gravity.

Frondier had, for a long time,

More so than the major events of awakening Weaving, obtaining Obsidian, acquiring Menosorpo, and gaining the mana of Helheim,

He had been tossed around by a certain man for hundreds of times longer.

─What I'm teaching you is combat that is specifically designed for monsters. The reason you don't understand this is simple.

─You've only ever fought against stupid monsters.

Frondier closed the distance. The weaker, slower Frondier, still countering Belphegor, was now finding openings in Belphegor's defenses.

"...Don't be ridiculous!"

Belphegor's staff swung to repel him.

The air itself trembled, infused with aura, making even a clumsy dodge impossible.

At that moment, the sword Frondier had hidden in his bosom shone brightly.

Azier's Unique Spear Technique

Frondier-style Swordsmanship Variation

Falling Edge

Belphegor's staff collided with the sword and was sent flying into the air.

In his right hand, the swirling Excalibur.

In his left hand, Neil Jack' short sword, with the Falling edge technique deployed.

Dual swords.