Having unanimously agreed to not transform into such an abomination, the three decided to shelve the idea for now. There was still time before Artemis's fated encounter with Antares. They could afford to wait and see if another Su Mo came up with a better solution. And even if they didn't, they could revisit the plan later and weigh whether turning into Antares was really worth it.
After the Orario Su Mo finished updating the others, Fairy Tail Su Mo began his report.
"I've more or less learned how to use Take Over Magic. I'm not an expert yet, but I can use it reliably in combat."
The real challenge, he explained, wasn't in the basic use of the magic—it was in acquiring new forms and mastering their power. Still, with less than a week of practice, he had already gotten the hang of it.
"On the other hand, learning Letter Magic has been more complicated. It's way harder than I expected and needs super-fine control over mana."
He had made progress—he could now use basic 3D runes—but things like creating or rewriting spell formulas were still far beyond him. That kind of skill would take time.
"You've progressed quickly already," said Campione Su Mo with clear satisfaction. "And speaking of Letter Magic, the gods in my world should know something about Rune Magic. I'll try to obtain a related authority if I can."
Rune-based powers, after all, often appeared in divine authorities. If he could decode those runes thoroughly, maybe one day he'd be able to create new authorities himself.
"That would be great. I'll count on you then," replied Fairy Tail Su Mo. While he had chosen to pursue Letter Magic, he wasn't so rigid as to insist on mastering it alone. If it was faster to obtain it through divine authorities, he'd take that route too.
"Of course."
Campione Su Mo nodded. "As for me, there's nothing major to report for now. Erica and the others told me the Sword King is on his way to challenge me. So I'm just waiting."
"Sword King Doni?" Fairy Tail Su Mo winced with sympathy. "Man, that poor guy. He gets beat up in every timeline."
But with his personality, it wasn't like he could escape the beating anyway.
"You're not just waiting to fight, are you?" Orario Su Mo said knowingly, stroking his chin. "I bet you're planning to gamble on the outcome and win over both Erica and Liliana, right?"
Su Mo wasn't the kind of man to act without purpose. Waiting for that sword-swinging idiot had to mean something. And what else could he possibly want except those two knightly beauties?
"Ahem!" Campione Su Mo cleared his throat and shot him a look. "Don't make it sound so sinister. Erica and Liliana are assets in the war against gods. I'm only doing this to gain more authorities—for everyone's benefit."
"And if I happen to be rewarded with a couple of cute girls for my noble efforts… well, that's just a small, insignificant perk."
"I'm doing it for you guys, after all!"
Campione Su Mo from the god-slayer world spoke with a deep, almost solemn tone.
It really did sound convincing for a moment.
Unfortunately, everyone present was Su Mo.
Who among them wouldn't see through that excuse?
"I almost believed you for a second," muttered the Su Mo from the DanMachi world, rolling his eyes.
"I actually did believe it," the Su Mo from the Fairy Tail world said seriously.
He, too, shared that same habit—just like the god-slayer Su Mo, he wasn't studying magic to get closer to Levy. Of course not! He was merely striving to become stronger, and somehow, that just happened to attract cute girls. It wasn't his fault. Honestly, it was becoming quite a burden.
As the trio began to wrap up their discussion and slip into casual banter, the DanMachi Su Mo suddenly noticed something out of place—a shadowy figure in the fog at the edge of the plaza.
"Huh? Is that a new guy?" he called out.
The others turned around and caught sight of the indistinct silhouette as well. The figure seemed to hesitate for a moment upon hearing their voices, but then slowly stepped out of the mist.
A glance was all it took—definitely a newcomer.
The three Su Mos exchanged looks, then moved in unison, each stretching a hand toward the newcomer's shoulder.
"What the hell are you doing?" the new Su Mo snapped, instinctively stepping back. He had just emerged from a strange fog and was now confronted by three men who looked uncannily like himself reaching out toward him.
Although he didn't sense any hostility, the new Su Mo had never been one to blindly trust gut feelings. He dodged nimbly out of reach and glared at the three with suspicion.
"If you don't want to die, then explain to me right now—wait, what the—?!" His voice caught mid-sentence as the realization struck.
These guys… looked exactly like him.
"Is this the Su Mo Clone Project or something?!"
He gaped in disbelief.
Just then, the three other Su Mos, having failed to land their hands on him the first time, decided it was time to get serious. One turned into light, one flared wings of storm from his back, and the third surged with enhanced magic energy.
"Resistance is futile!"
"Fiery little guy, aren't you?"
"Just my type!"
With lines like those, they didn't exactly inspire trust.
They caught the stunned newcomer and finally managed to land their palms on his shoulder.
Anyone witnessing the scene might've thought they were three delinquents harassing an innocent bystander.
The newcomer blinked, finally registering what had just happened. He quickly understood the situation—these guys weren't impostors. They really were him.
He rolled his eyes. "If we're going to sync up, then fine—but do you have to say those ridiculous lines?"
Scared the hell out of him for a second—he was this close to thinking he'd stumbled into a nest of perverts.
"Just trying to lighten the mood," Campione Su Mo chuckled.
"Well, you resisted pretty fiercely," DanMachi Su Mo added, feigning innocence as he shrugged.
"I was just going with the flow," Fairy Tail Su Mo said, facepalming. Damn it—why were they always so in sync during the dumbest moments? They understood each other's intent with terrifying speed.
Was it possible that all Su Mos were naturally predisposed to be, well… idiots?
No! Impossible! They were supposed to be cool, not clowns!