245. Training with Clones

The clones attack all at once.

The power I feel from them is nearly equal to ours.

If what the Sea King said is true, their stats are higher, while our skill levels are superior.

—“Gregarious Territory.”

The ability to create clones of an opponent, or even of someone met in the past.

In addition, it can reproduce their skills and stats.

It is a skill that can only be described as the incarnation of a cheat.

“……Ei.”

“Guoh!?”

A clone punches me.

It has power, and it’s fast.

But more than that, its expression doesn’t change at all, which is far too eerie.

“Ei, ei, ei.”

“Wait, stop—aah! You’re annoying!”

The moment I try to attack, this clone thwarts my opening.

Because my timing is thrown off, I can’t properly activate ninja arts, skills, or the Item Box. Its movements are hard to read, and it’s incredibly difficult to deal with.

(I knew it, but it’s insane that it can reproduce even me, who has evolved into a Demi-God…)

No, I suppose that’s why he’s a Sea King.

The pinnacle of all slimes and the primordial slime.

Who was the guy who said slimes are weak? This is a cheat. A cheat slime.

“—’Fire Style Jutsu’.”

The clone activates a ninja art.

I should dodge—no, I can’t.

In this situation with Ichinose-san and the others nearby, if I dodge, they’ll take the damage.

I immediately deploy a wall of earth and sand using the Item Box.

It’s a rain of earth pouring down over the flames. A real “downpour.” Just kidding.

Anyway, against a standard Fire Style Jutsu, this is enough to extinguish it.

I could use Water Style, but that would involve the surroundings in the resulting steam.

“Lightning Style Jutsu.”

Simultaneously, I activate Lightning Style and imbue my ninja blade.

I close the distance in one breath.

“—Lightning Style Jutsu.”

But the clone also immediately activates Lightning Style and readies its ninja blade.

In an instant, dozens of slashes cross paths, and countless sparks scatter.

(…Indeed, as the Sea King said, my skills are superior, but the clone’s stats are higher…)

However, through fighting, I’ve realized something.

It seems the clones cannot use Unique Skills or Race Unique Skills.

Even though I’ve been using “Low-tier Divine Eye” and “Divine Power Release” since the start of the battle, there’s no sign of the clone using them.

I guess reproducing Unique Skills is impossible after all. That makes sense.

“You’re certainly faster than me, and you have more strength. —But that much won’t bridge the gap in skills!”

“—”

The clone’s skill levels are likely two or three levels lower than mine.

There is a world of difference in power between a LV10 skill and a LV7 skill.

Plus, there’s the presence or absence of Unique Skills.

(I was toyed with at first, but I’m used to it now.)

I predict the clone’s movements with “Low-tier Divine Eye.”

Matching the movements of the clone, which look like frame-by-frame video, I swing my blade.

Zan! The clone’s arm flew into the air.

“Ts… Fire Style—”

“Too slow!”

The clone tried to activate a ninja art, but it was too slow.

I decapitate the clone before it can finish.

≪Experience points acquired.≫

≪Kudo Kazuto’s LV has risen from 1 to 2.≫

The announcement plays in my head.

A level up after a long time.

But even if it’s a clone, killing yourself feels pretty awful.

“With this—”

It’s over.

Or so I thought.

At that moment, the mouth of the clone’s head rolling on the beach moved.

“Fire Style Jutsu.”

“Wha—!?”

Even as a mere head, the clone activated a ninja art.

…Right, of course, it’s a slime.

Decapitating it doesn’t mean it dies.

But because the experience announcement had played, I had completely let my guard down.

(Ah, this is bad—I’m going to die.)

I couldn’t defend or dodge in time, and the crimson flames were about to envelop me in an instant—

“—Coordinate Exchange (Change).”

In an instant, with a sensation of floating in mid-air, my vision inverted.

“Ah…”

Looking closely, Ifrit was standing where I had been just a moment ago.

The fire-manipulating giant stood still without changing its expression, even after taking the clone’s Fire Style.

“You completely let your guard down at the end.”

“Libera-san…”

Looking at Libera-san standing next to me, I finally understood what had happened.

Libera-san must have saved me using “Coordinate Exchange,” which swaps her position with a summon.

Wait, so “Coordinate Exchange” is possible for people other than herself too.

Thanks to that, I was saved.

“Thank you for saving me.”

“You’re welcome. So, how was your experience fighting your own copy?”

“…A strange sensation. but fighting an opponent who uses the same skills as me was quite fresh.”

“Your fighting style is quite rare. It’ll be a good experience. Once the others finish their matches, try fighting as a team next.”

Libera-san gave a mischievous, mean-spirited grin and said:

“—It’ll probably result in something much more ‘interesting’ than fighting alone.”

“…?”

I wondered what she meant.

I waited for Ichinose-san and the others to finish their battles.

A few minutes later, Ichinose-san and the others also finished their fights with the clones.

The results were mostly draws.

Ichinose-san and her clone couldn’t find a timing to snipe each other, and Rikka-chan and her clone both ended up exhausted after a fierce exchange of blows. Surprisingly, the one who put up the best fight was Igarashi-san; she actually toyed with her clone by misleading its movements and skill activation timing. However, she was eventually pinned down by the clone due to the difference in physical stamina.

“Alright, team battle next.”

As Libera-san suggested, we are doing a team battle next.

We move to the edge of the beach to start with sufficient distance between us.

I was still bothered by what Libera-san had told me.

“Team battle, huh…”

“Big Brother, you worried about something?”

“No, it’s just that Libera-san said the result would be completely different from now if it’s a team battle.”

“How would it change? Like, we’ll win by a landslide?”

“No, while we have the advantage in individual skills, they will have the overwhelming advantage in cooperation. I think a landslide victory will be difficult.”

Rikka-chan tilted her head at my words.

“…? We’re better at cooperation, right? I mean, we’ve been fighting together for so long…”

“Aisaka-san, did you forget? Slimes can communicate between clones.”

“Ah…”

It seems Rikka-chan finally realized.

Yes, slimes can share consciousness between clones and the main body, and between clones themselves.

It’s the same even in the middle of a battle. In fact, in battles up until now, we’ve been saved many times by Aka’s clones. As an enemy, there is no ability more terrifying. After all, they can achieve nearly perfect coordination.

Since our power levels are equal, the outcome will be decided by coordination and strategy.

“It will surely be a tough fight.”

“Ts…”

Rikka-chan nodded with a determined expression.

…But even though we’re talking about very serious things, we’re in swimsuits.

It just doesn’t feel right…

“—Alright, start.”

Once we reach our positions, Libera-san gives the signal.

The other side moves immediately.

Clones of me and Rikka-chan run toward us.

Slightly behind them, Igarashi-san’s clone runs.

Ichinose-san’s clone stays in cover and doesn’t move.

“—Clone Jutsu.”

My clone creates more than ten duplicates at once.

…That’s Clone Jutsu, right? Not Splitting?

They look the same, but there’s a big difference between the two.

Duplicates created by Clone Jutsu cannot use skills, but split individuals can.

I let my guard down earlier because I forgot they were slimes, but I won’t this time.

“Rikka-chan and I will move forward. Ichinose-san, Igarashi-san, give us cover!”

“Understood.”

“Roger!”

“I understand.”

The key to this team battle is how efficiently we can defeat “my clone.”

The gap in stats between my clone and the clones of Ichinose-san and the others is too large.

Therefore, defeating me or my clone is directly linked to victory or defeat.

“That’s why I’ll—”

I thought about defeating my own clone first, just like before.

It was immediately after that.

“Ah—”

Through a gap in the countless clones of me attacking, I saw Igarashi-san’s clone standing in the rear.

I shouldn’t have looked.

But I saw it.

—Strings.

Without me noticing, Igarashi-san’s clone had changed from a high-neck bikini into strings.

Her overwhelming dynamite body was being exposed to the light of day without hesitation.

Only strings, far too unreliable to hide anything, were guarding her naked body.

With both hands behind her head and knees slightly bent, Igarashi-san (clone) struck a pose like a gravure idol. Impossible. Is that kind of swaying actually possible in reality?

My eyes, my optic nerves, my brain, my enhanced search skills, and “Low-tier Divine Eye”—all of them captured the details perfectly.

—Tremendous destructive power.

My brain couldn’t process the information, and my consciousness blacked out for an instant.

My resistance skills weren’t functioning at all. Why on earth?

Ha! I see. Mental Pain Resistance is strictly a skill that mitigates mental damage that I perceive as “pain.” If I don’t perceive it as pain, the skill is meaningless. It was an unexpected loophole in the resistance skills.

Without averting my eyes from Igarashi-san (clone), I tried to wipe a nosebleed—

“Ei!”

“Ah.”

The clones clung to me and restrained my body.

Something flashed in the distance for an instant. It must have been Ichinose-san’s (clone) sniping.

The next moment, Ichinose-san’s (clone) rifle bullet hit me directly in the crown of my head.

“Ah, I forgot to mention, I made Natsu’s clone’s bullets into slime bullets so you won’t die even if you’re hit. They hurt like hell, though. Also, if you’re hit in a vital spot like the heart or head, you’re disqualified. In a real fight, you’d be dead.”

Please tell me those things beforehand…

With intense pain, I was disqualified.

“I am very sorry.”

“You’re the worst.”

“The absolute worst.”

“……”

After the team battle, I performed a dogeza to Ichinose-san and the others on the sand.

After I was taken out, my clone suppressed Ichinose-san and the others in no time.

The clone team had secured the victory.

Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan were giving me looks of contempt.

Igarashi-san was averting her eyes looking somewhat awkward.

Well, even if it was a clone, to be seen in that state—wait? I feel like I’ve seen that before… No, my head hurts and I can’t remember.

“I am truly sorry.”

“Well, I know Big Brother is a boy and is interested in that kind of stuff, but think about the time and place. Dying because you were distracted by boobs in the middle of a life-or-death battle is just too pathetic.”

“……I have no words to offer in return.”

Rikka-chan is right.

If this had been a real fight, I would be dead.

Dying because you were distracted by a naked body isn’t even a funny story.

“Well, it might pass as a funny story this time, but if actually done to you, it’s quite effective. You’d be surprised how often it works. Men are so stupid.”

Libera-san joined the conversation while eating watermelon.

…Where did you get that watermelon?

“Exploiting the opponent’s opening is the basic of tactics. You can’t afford to choose your means to win. There are plenty of even more cruel methods. Puh.”

A seed spat by Libera-san hit my head. Hey, cut it out.

“I thought Shuram’s clones would be a good opportunity to re-examine yourselves, but it was worse than I imagined. You let your guard down way too much, even if it is training.”

“Yes…”

“We’ll continue the training with the clones for a while. Once you get used to that, next is the real thing.”

“The real thing?”

“Yes. Shuram, please.”

“Umu.”

In response to Libera-san’s voice, the Sea King used “Gregarious Territory” to create new clones.

“Ts—”

Looking at the transformed clones, my expression stiffened.

There were eighteen clones in total.

Among them, three were faces I recognized.

“Allow me to introduce them. The candidates for the Vanguard. I had Shuram reproduce the ones from his memory among those likely to be chosen for the Vanguard. Though they are somewhat degraded because they’re from memory, they’ll be perfect as practice partners.”

Candidates for the Vanguard.

The three standing at the front had the same faces I had once seen in the video at the Chaos Frontier System Server.

Their names were Randall, Shuri, and Glen, if I recall.

Even the ones other than those three emitted an aura of intimidation that was incomparable to our clones.

“Your goal is to grow until you can defeat these guys as a side task. Both as a team and as individuals. I won’t take ‘impossible’ for an answer. Otherwise, you’ll just die in a few months.”

“I-is it possible?”

“We’ll make it possible. Literally, over your dead bodies.”

A mock battle with the Vanguard candidates.

It was certainly the ultimate training method.

“Of course, I’ll be using even more cruel tactics than before. I’ll beat the experience and techniques for winning in any situation into you.”

“…I-I won’t die, right?”

“Don’t worry, even if you die, it’ll be fine.”

“That’s not ‘fine’ at all… Ah, wait a minute. I’m not mentally prepared yet—”

That day, we became dust on the beach.

Even when we were torn to shreds or on the verge of death, we were immediately healed and resurrected, and the hell was repeated.

Thanks to that, our levels shot up by 8 in one go.

I wonder if we will still be alive by the time of the real thing…

I am anxious in many ways.

Note: Through the “warm” training by Libera and Shuram, and the “devoted” lynching by Ichinose-san and Rikka-chan, Kazuto successfully lost the memory of the strings.

End of 245