The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Frondier hovered in the air, waiting for the master of Manggot to emerge.

If they didn't come out after a while, he'd give them another taste of 'Nail', but surely the leader wouldn't be that foolish.

'Did Selena make a move?'

Although he could use the sword energy 'Nail' in combination with the Obsidian, Frondier deliberately created Menosorpo.

The first reason was to attract Manggot's attention with the enormous rune, and the second was to send a signal to Selena.

'Based on the information I heard from Malia, Selena didn't participate in the battle. She's probably inside Manggot.'

Of course, Malia's view doesn't encompass the entire battlefield.

But even for Manggot, there wouldn't be that many skilled individuals like Selena. Even if she wasn't among the top ranks they called Shepherds, she would be in a key position.

And with Selena's level of skill, she would have been able to easily cross the barrier in this chaotic situation where monsters were swarming the barrier.

More than anything, even if he was the leader of Manggot, he wouldn't have sent Selena out.

'In other words, Selena is under suspicion from Manggot.'

Whether it was the intention of the entire Manggot or the leader's personal intention, he didn't know.

Selena wouldn't be able to move so freely within Manggot. She might have been grounded, or worse, imprisoned.

Sending a signal to Selena using Menosorpo was based on trust.

The belief that Selena would understand the intention of this signal.

The belief that she would read it and free herself from the constraints placed upon her.

And above all, the belief that Selena, once free, would be on Frondier's side.

'...Everyone did well.'

Frondier had been receiving reports from Malia continuously until he reached Manggot.

He had made somewhat unreasonable deployments because he wanted every single one of them to hold their ground.

As vast as the barrier was, there was a shortage of talented individuals. Nevertheless, he had made what he believed to be the best possible arrangements.

He was particularly surprised when he received reports from Aster and Sybil. Both of their progress was something Frondier could never have predicted.

"So now,"

Frondier's gaze lowered slightly.

In the distance, he sensed a hidden, ominous presence slowly approaching.

"It's my turn."

Gray hair, a left hand holding a crude staff. The somewhat relaxed and leisurely demeanor resembled his own.

'Does the enemy think I'm Osprey?'

If his obsessive concealment of the battles he had fought so far had worked, the enemy leader wouldn't know Frondier's abilities yet.

Frondier, too, was still unaware that the master of Manggot was Belphegor.

Thump-

At that moment, Belphegor lightly tapped the ground with his staff.

Using the recoil to propel himself upwards, Belphegor smoothly landed in front of Frondier.

At this moment, they confirmed each other's identities for the first time.

"..."

Belphegor's gaze fell upon Frondier's face.

As if he were walking through time in slow motion, his expression gradually shifted into one of suspicion.

"...Who are you?"

The words that finally came out of his mouth were a simple question.

With that one sentence, Frondier knew that his thoughts had been correct, and yet something was wrong.

"...You don't know who I am?"

"Yes. Who are you? Why is it you instead of Osprey?"

Yes, Osprey.

Belphegor believed the person who had arrived here was Osprey.

Frondier's prediction had been accurate.

However.

'It's strange that he doesn't know me.'

"Aren't you Belphegor?"

"That I am."

Belphegor, that was correct too.

Frondier had deduced the presence of a devil in Manggot through his conversation with Osprey.

Since Manggot was waging war at this very moment, he had naturally assumed that the Dragon Heart was involved.

'Only a very few know that the Dragon Heart of the Imperial Palace was used for devil summoning. There's no way that information could have reached Manggot, which exists on the complete opposite side of the Empire, so quickly.'

There was only one way Manggot could have known that. There was a devil in Manggot as well.

He couldn't know who that devil was, but Frondier had guessed it was Belphegor based on the fact that the Emperor and his past self were experiencing the same symptoms. Even that had been correct, but.

"I am Frondier de Roach."

Since he himself was Frondier, it didn't make sense for Belphegor not to recognize him.

"...You're Frondier?"

Belphegor's words, asking once again, were difficult even for Frondier to understand.

Belphegor tilted his head, his lowered gaze scanning Frondier. He glared at Frondier with a look of displeasure.

"Don't talk nonsense. You're not Frondier."

"...You're the one who..."

Swish!

Kwaaang!!

Belphegor swung his staff as if to cut off Frondier's words, and Frondier's Obsidian blocked it.

'...One layer shattered.'

With a single swing of the staff, a layer of Obsidian shattered, and the Obsidian that filled the space within barely managed to block it.

A simple swing had this much power. A cold sweat ran down Frondier's back.

"When I cursed Frondier in the past, he didn't look like you."

"...Look?"

That strange choice of words triggered Frondier's intuition.

"Yes, the shape of the soul."

With those words, Frondier finally understood the situation.

Belphegor wasn't lying or mistaken. Frondier's assumptions so far weren't wrong either.

Belphegor was simply stating the facts. From his perspective, at least.

"Devils don't distinguish humans by their faces. It's like how you humans don't individually distinguish cows or pigs."

Belphegor's words reminded Frondier of the incident where countless devils had invaded the Imperial Palace some time ago.

Looking back now, he couldn't recall any distinctive features in their faces. Only Satan and the Belphegor before him had faces that were distinguishable; the lower-ranking devils all looked similar.

Therefore, Belphegor was right.

"You're not Frondier. Who are you? Why are you pretending to be Frondier and siding with the Empire?"

Frondier was a possessed human. He wasn't from this world.

Of course, there was no way to tell him that.

"Unfortunately,"

Swish!

Taang!

This time, it was Frondier's Obsidian that extended. It was blocked by Belphegor's Mana Barrier.

Their weapons clashed in a perfect stalemate, each pushing to end the other's life.

Within the tremendous clash of waves, both Belphegor's and Frondier's faces remained calm.

"I am Frondier."

"...Whatever."

Belphegor shook his head as if he had given up on uncovering Frondier's true identity, or perhaps he had simply grown tired of it.

"I was hoping to fight Osprey, but some random trash showed up instead."

Belphegor clenched his fist with the hand that wasn't holding the staff,

and with a light thrust,

Kwaaang!

"Ugh!"

Frondier was struck by the blow and sent flying.