>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM<
It was meant to be a demonstration of simple Spells, yet the explosion caused the entire area to roar in response.
Aloe had used her [Light Grenade], while Maro utilized a [Fireball] Spell. The one with no bearing with common sense was Asa.
He went ahead to use [Icy Burst], causing massive ice spikes to emerge from the ground, enveloping the opponents in a powerful cold explosion.
"A-Asa!" Maro and Vida yelled at the boy instantly.
"W-what? I did as I was told." He replied innocently, his blue eyes radiating absolute honesty.
"How do you call that a simple Spe—" Maro stopped dead in his tracks the moment he realized something.
'Asa's right! It's actually a simple Spell... at least, by his standards.'
"I used an Advanced Spell. That's simple, right? We've been using Peak all this time. Miss Vida even resorted to Original Magic, which is Transcendental!" Asa was confidently defending his decision.
Unfortunately for the two adults, they couldn't argue with him.
He was right, after all.
It was their fault for not giving him enough of a thorough explanation. Despite his prowess, Asa was still a child.
"Well, what's done is do—"
>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<
Suddenly, three figures approached them with deafening speed.
"Dam—"
Fortunately, one of the three originals was fast enough to react. Swiftly erecting a golden barrier that encompassed them, Aloe's eyes widened as the copies dangerously approached.
>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM<
Sparks of energy flew in multiple directions as her barrier was chipped down in mere moments, not lasting more than five seconds
The explosion caused Aloe and her allies to dart backward, creating enough distance between them and the enemies.
"Tch! They're strong." Maro commented, gritting his teeth as he watched the shattered ground they once stood on.
The devastation their copied had wrought within mere seconds was frightening, to say the least. As the smoke cleared from their location, the three artificial human—or whatever could be used to describe them—looked just as cold and lifeless as before.
However, Maro, Aloe, and Asa could sense danger pulsating from them.
"They're going to be tough."
"Yeah. You think they're mimicking our power level?"
Maro didn't want Aloe's suspicion to be true. Because if it was, then they were in serious trouble.
"I'm sorry, guys. This is all my fault..." Asa gave a stifled sound.
The Beastfolk expressed worry, and guilt was written all over his face.
"No, it's not your fault. These things most likely have a defense mechanism which we triggered by attacking." Maro responded, refusing to take his eyes off the opponents.
They were no longer stationary. In fact, their movements seemed to indicate they would be attacking any moment.
"Yeah. They would have probably come at us regardless of the kind of Spell..." Aloe reassured the boy, rubbing his head in a playful manner.
Her optimistic and energetic smile reflected in the boy's clear blue eyes, and he found himself accepting her words as true.
"Yeah. You're right! It's not my fault at all! It's Maro's fault for choosing this course.of action, right?"
How could the adults have known that Asa would end up making such a conclusion? They almost sighed in exasperation.
"W-well, that's not exactly—"
>BOOOOOOMMMM<
Aloe found herself unable to correct the boy's ideology due to the enemies striking once more.
"Shit!" She readied her body, infusing Light Magic to give her far greater speed to react to the enemies.
"Be careful. Don't use your full abilities on them. It might trigger another response."
"Got it!"
>VWWWOOOSHHH<
Aloe surged from their location and solely charged at the three copies. Golden Mana flashed as she closed the distance between them in a flash, creating several hardened light constructs to pierce them.
"Will she be alright by herself?" Asa asked Maro, whom he had already deemed to the be sole cause of their predicament.
His eyes suspiciously watched the older man.
"She should. So far they're not displaying more dangerous abilities. I suspect they respond to our power levels, or maybe there's something else going on here. In any case, I need to observe them more."
As such, Aloe Vida would take the forefront and engage the enemy while he watched them closely.
Maro hoped he would find the weakness of their copies, or at least learn enough about how they functioned to turn the tables around.
"What about me? I should join the fight! I can at least help Vida." Asa made to leave, but Maro stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder.
"No. You don't know restraint. For now, we simply observe."
Asa wanted to snap at the man, but Aloe's words surfaced in his mind, causing him to stop.
'You're lucky she told me to respect and listen to you...' The boy sulked.
For Beastfolk, strength was everything. In terms of Mana Capacity and Magic abilities, Asa had already surprised Maro. That was probably why he found it difficult to listen to the human, despite the age difference.
Fortunately, Aloe had figured this out early on and managed to knock some sense into the young and impressionable Beastfolk.
Being beaten by an older woman who was far stronger than he was—also pretty and very kind—made Asa develop some sort of attachment to her.
It was close to filial love, mixed with respect and idolization. In simple terms, to Asa, the young woman could be seen as...
'Aloe Vida is so cool!'
... A mother he never had.
'She has to marry father!' He thought to himself, watching as the brilliant lady zoomed in the air as she singlehandedly handled there copies.
It was just as Maro posited. The clones weren't utilizing the full abilities of the originals.
Aloe Vida's ability to keep up, and even overpower them was proof. However, just as they were about to celebrate, the Aloe clone suddenly started increasing in power.
"W-what is that?" Asa's eyes widened as he saw fake Aloe's Mana surge with greater power.
Its power, and speed especially, instantly caught up to the the original's and it zoomed in on Aloe—catching up to her in a flash.
>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<
