The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

The moment Frondier consumed the mana crystal, he felt it.

“Ugh…!”

Initially, it felt like a single water droplet settling within his body, but it quickly flooded and spread like a tidal wave.

The crystal, originally his own mana, didn't leave him with a sense of loss like the Dragon Heart did when he reabsorbed it.

Instead...

“Aten! Back away!”

Frondier shouted.

Even though Aten had already retreated, the distance wasn't enough. She was still at risk of getting caught in the blast.

Crackle! Crackle, crackle!

‘Not here.’

Making a quick decision, Frondier leaped into the sky.

“Headmaster! Please proceed as planned!”

He didn't forget to instruct Osprey in the meantime. Osprey nodded and moved as well.

Woosh!

Frondier ascended to a height similar to Belphegor's.

The mana crystal was far more effective than he had anticipated, settling in as if it were originally his own mana and growing endlessly.

The problem was that Frondier's vessel wasn't prepared to contain such a volume. Just as water overflows from a cup, the mana exceeding Frondier's capacity sparked, scorching the surrounding air.

The issue was that what was overflowing wasn't just water, but mana.

‘If this continues, the mana will cause a massive explosion.’

To self-destruct without accomplishing anything after devising a strategy to defeat the enemy? Unthinkable.

Since he couldn't expand his capacity immediately, he had to somehow utilize the overflowing mana.

‘But I can't just consume the overflowing mana recklessly. To defeat him…!’

Indiscriminate mana consumption was dangerous against Belphegor. Belphegor would surely exploit such an opening.

Moreover...

“Hey.”

Belphegor's gaze fell upon Frondier.

“Did you think I would wait forever?”

“……!”

The moment Frondier met Belphegor's eyes, he felt it.

Sloth, the Sin.

Its power once again eroded his body.

“Ugh…!”

“Your resistance is impressive, but my Sin didn't leave you unscathed.”

Belphegor's cold gaze looked down on Frondier.

“Let's see if you can control that absurd mana while enduring my Sin.”

“So that's why you waited…!”

“Indeed. Because you were bound to do something foolish.”

Even as they spoke, the weight of Sloth intensified. Frondier gritted his teeth.

The power of Sloth affected not only the mind but also the body directly. Just as the Emperor's frailty wasn't merely a matter of will, muscles and nerves actually stiffened, and thoughts became sluggish.

‘Damn it, this mana is even more absurd than I thought.’

The mana surged at a rate incomparable to when Frondier gathered his own mana. Was this synergy? He expected it to exceed a simple addition, but it far surpassed his expectations.

He had anticipated Belphegor's interference, but to fail to foresee the effects of the mana crystal he himself created – what a disgrace.

Crackle! Crackle, crackle!

The sparks intensified. Belphegor only applied the Sin, not approaching Frondier.

It was partly due to the pride of using the Sin, but in this situation, it was more likely a concern for the mana explosion.

Approaching Frondier now and getting caught in the blast would be dangerous for Belphegor as well. He had already sustained considerable damage.

‘Lazy bastard…!’

Just enduring it was difficult enough, but he had to control the mana while doing so.

His body, consumed by Sloth, craved a death resembling slumber.

“……Haha….”

At that moment, a strange laugh escaped Frondier's lips.

Having already experienced Frondier's antics to a sickening degree, Belphegor felt a surge of displeasure at that laughter.

“What's so funny again?”

“No, it's just…”

—You must pay the price for your Sloth.

I thought it was quite similar.

Frondier's life after possession was exactly like that.

A world he knew was doomed. Frondier, who was called The Human Sloth.

If he didn't keep moving forward, he would die. If he didn't grow even a little, collect quests and events, and upgrade his weapons and skills.

Sloth literally meant death. Frondier lived his life running towards the approaching cliff under the mask of Sloth.

At first, he thought he was paying for the sins of the Frondier before possession, but...

Perhaps no matter who he possessed, he would have moved the same way. Even if he possessed Aster, the protagonist of the game, he would have run tirelessly.

That's why, after all this time, Frondier realized one thing about himself.

Anyone could have run in Frondier's place, but...

The struggle to save the doomed world didn't have to be Frondier de Roach, but...

“……I'm.”

Glad it was Frondier.

—You always fight alone, Sloth Frondier.

—I told you, I will protect you with my life.

—Roach Knights! Open the way for Frondier!

—Frondier! Join my family!

—I wanted to be forgiven by you. Even in my dreams, I created you to hear those words from you.

—Because I don't believe in fate, I don't believe in myself either?

—Don't forget. I will always follow you.

He remembered the moment he entered this world.

The time when he was called Frondier and racked his brain trying to figure out who that was.

The time when he realized his identity and despaired at being an incompetent character called Sloth.

But after all this time...

Looking back at what Frondier had, what possibilities he could become, and who was around him...

In the end, because it was Frondier, because he was able to stand in this place...

—Control it.

—I won't allow my brother to be swept away by mere emotions.

"Sloth, too, is the same."

There's no younger sibling who can compare to the older one.