Chapter 54

Railseiden, Nigh Unstoppable Cutting Magic is the fifty-fourth chapter of Yamada Kanehito & Abe Tsukasa's Frieren: Beyond Journey's End.

Summary
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Frieren's clone blocks Fern's Zoltraak. They continue to fight a battle of attrition. Meanwhile, the other mages have split up and now fight advantageous matchups. However, Sense's clone remains a concern, as they cannot detect its mana. Richter and Lawine defeat Lawine and Kanne's clones, but they are surprise attacked by Sense and must use their escape golems. Denken, Übel, and Land show up right after, and Übel faces Sense. In a flashback, Sense recalls Übel participating in the First Class Mage Exam three years ago, where she was disqualified for slashing through the proctor Burg's impenetrable cloak and killing him. Übel explains that if she can visualize cutting something, it will cut. In the present, she easily dispatches Sense with Reelseiden.

Plot Details
Right after the events of the previous chapter, Fern successfully fires Zoltraak at Frieren’s clone, but the clone manages to block it. Frieren tells Fern that everything is progressing as expected and that the two will now engage in a battle of attrition with the clone. Meanwhile, Richter and Lawine are grouped together, ready to confront the clones of Lawine and Kanne. Richter advises Lawine not to get in his way, to which she retorts, claiming that the same could be said for him.

A brief flashback preceding this occurs where Denken reveals that Methode has figured out the exact locations of each of the enemy clones. He suggests that the group should split up to intercept the clones, recognizing that a melee battle would be a hopeless endeavor. Having established which among them might be easy targets, Denken notes that the same ease should apply to the clones. The group has an advantage due to their ability to communicate and coordinate. Laufen is tasked with engaging Methode's clone while Lawine confronts Kanne's clone, and Richter takes on Lawine's clone. Denken instructs that any enemy proving too formidable for individual defeat should be outnumbered, with Richter's clone being a prime example, as Kanne and Dünste are assigned to engage it. During their individual battles, Laufen observes that Methode's clone appears strangely manageable, while Lawine expresses confidence that the group can effectively hold back the clones.

Prior to the beginning of Frieren and Fern’s battle, Methode expresses concern about the number of clones she can detect, which is lower than the number of examinees. She notes that Sense's clone cannot be sensed at all, a problem that Frieren also acknowledges. Frieren emphasizes that Sense's clone cannot be underestimated, as the worst-case scenario could result in the deaths of both her and Fern. The other two clones that Methode cannot detect are Fern's and Denken's, for which the group will have no choice but to employ a more accurate close-range detection spell to locate them. Richter expresses dissatisfaction with Sense's presence, as it means dealing with the threat of her clone, while Sense retorts that first-class mages must overcome formidable challenges, and her threat is far from insurmountable adversity. The proctor explains that the exam can be easily passed by cooperating and covering each other's backs, adding to the generous and peaceful nature of the exam.

In the ongoing battles, Lawine and Richter successfully eliminate the clones of Lawine and Kanne, but Lawine appears visibly uneasy. Their victory is short-lived, as they fall victim to a surprise attack by Sense's clone, who managed to evade Richter's mana detection. Richter urges her to break her bottle and summon the golem with him, as he believes she is not stubborn enough to continue. He suggests that they can retake the exam three years later. Denken arrives on the scene as the golems are summoned to transport the two injured mages back. He acknowledges that the outcome is likely inevitable, even if he had arrived earlier. Denken struggles to find an opening to attack Sense’s clone even though her back is turned towards him, but he knows that he must buy time at any rate. He is then run into by Übel and Land, the former recognizing who Denken is. She quickly doubts Denken could win against Sense’s clone. Übel asks if a battle with the clone is necessary to conquer the dungeon as Denken attempts to explain the situation before being cut off by Übel, who is not interested in the details. Denken claims that it is necessary, which prompts Übel to prepare to fight. Land expresses no confidence in Übel, who was unable to beat Wirbel and is clearly weaker than Denken. Übel agrees with the two statements as she is an inexperienced third-class mage, but her specialty magic, Railseiden, or “Nigh Unstoppable Cutting Magic,” allows her to cut anything that she thinks she can cut. Land continues to not understand as her spell would easily be blocked by defence magic as Sense’s hair is layered with spells on par with defence magic, which Übel wouldn’t be able to cut through. Übel disagrees with his line of reasoning, as she believes that it is all about visualization in the end.

As the battle commences, Übel attempts to use Sorganeeil on Sense’s clone, which doesn’t work as it is impossible to get the clone’s entire body, including her hair, in the third-class mage’s line of sight. As the clone begins to attack Übel with her hair, Übel casts Railseiden. At the same time, the real Sense had already been anticipating that her clone would fight Übel, knowing that the outcome had already been decided from the start.

A flashback begins two years prior, when the second stage of the second-class mage exam was being held. The exam was proctored by Burg, a first-class mage renowned for his specialization in defense magic. He had never suffered a scratch since achieving first-class status. The exam's challenge was straightforward: examinees had to push Burg back one step using an offensive spell. The rules prohibited killing, primarily to assess the examinees' control over their offensive spells and ensure the safety of other participants. No one was concerned about Burg's safety, given his reputation. However, to everyone's shock, Übel, an unknown third-class mage at the time, effortlessly cut Burg in two, claiming she accidentally overdid her slash. An unapologetic Übel was promptly disqualified by Sense in her room, who was keen to understand how Übel had breached Burg's seemingly invulnerable cloak.

Übel asked Sense if she had ever sewn before, to which Sense replied in the negative. Übel insinuated that Sense must come from a privileged background or had created everything with magic. Übel confessed that she had also never sewn anything herself but often watched her older sister sew and found the sound of scissors cutting delightful. Sense struggled to follow the conversation as Übel revealed that her ability was rooted in visualization. She explained that she could cut through any fabric because she knew she could. In Sense's mind, she realized that Übel's approach transcended conventional understanding, as most people would not be able to visualize cutting through Burg's cloak at a glance, just as a tiny ant would not be able to visualize crushing an enormous dragon. She understood that Übel lived beyond the bounds of typical visualization, achieving results purely through intuition and feeling. Sense no longer considered Übel to possess the mindset of an ordinary human, recognizing the profound difference in their approaches to magic. Übel is dismissed and leaves after commenting on Sense’s hair and claiming that it would be a shame if someone were to trim it.

Back to the present, Sense reflects that she had lost to Übel since that moment and could not visualize any other outcome. Concurrently, Übel successfully cuts down Sense’s clone and claims that everyone thinks too hard, as hair is meant to be cut.

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Frieren
 * Fern
 * Frieren's Spiegel clone
 * Richter
 * Lawine
 * Lawine's Spiegel clone
 * Kanne's Spiegel clone
 * Denken
 * Methode
 * Laufen
 * Methode's Spiegel clone
 * Dünste
 * Sense's Spiegel clone
 * Richter's Spiegel clone
 * Sense's Spiegel clone
 * Übel
 * Land
 * Burg (in a flashback)
 * Falsch (in a flashback)
 * Übel's older sister (in a flashback)

Battles

 * Fern and Frieren vs. Frieren's Spiegel clone
 * Richter and Lawine vs. Lawine and Kanne's Spiegel clones
 * Laufen vs. Methode's Spiegel clone
 * Dünste and Kanne vs. Richter's Spiegel clone
 * Richter and Lawine vs. Sense's Spiegel clone
 * Übel vs. Sense's Spiegel clone

Events

 * Richter and Lawine are eliminated from the First Class Mage Exam

Tools

 * Immovable Cloak

Spells

 * Zoltraak
 * Defense magic
 * Vollzanbel
 * Nephtear
 * Jilwer
 * Bargland
 * Sorganeel
 * Reelseiden