I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 639: Battle of Myths (1)

It wasn't only Kayden Lumos who received power through the door Rudger opened.

Those gathered at the crater.

The continent's strongest warriors summoned to defeat Rudger, using Grandel as bait, all of them were manifesting holy power with white and golden hues, having received strength from Lumensis.

"You must have wanted to catch me quite badly."

As Lumensis began to intervene through the door, some lower-ranked gods moved away from the door and observed the situation.

If nothing else, Lumensis currently wielded the greatest influence in this world.

Even Lumensis couldn't directly exert power in the mortal realm, but now that Rudger had opened the door, an opportunity arose to claim the largest share.

Lumensis had been desperately searching for nearly 20 years.

To a god, that period was barely a moment, but Lumensis thought those 20 years felt incredibly long but finally, he found the Holy Grail, which had been hiding its identity and concealing itself throughout the continent, away from his sight, had ultimately revealed its power.

[You are mine.]

Lumensis' will was transmitted to Rudger.

Although the door was open, direct physical force against Rudger was impossible, so Lumensis bestowed his power upon those trying to capture Rudger alive.

Patricio Romulo agreed to respond to Lumensis' command.

"It's regrettable we can't kill him, but I must comply since that person has spoken so strongly."

Archbishops stood on either side of Patricio.

When the elite of the Bretus Holy Nation, possessing higher authority and holy power than senior priests spread their arms, sacred blessings covered the entire crater.

Added to Lumensis' holy power, the strength of sacred laws built upon it further empowered the subjugation force.

At this moment the combat ability of even an ordinary mercenary in the subjugation force rose almost to the level of a high-ranking knight.

That was the power of a god.

That was the evidence of those who governed the world.

"To think that Lumensis bestows power at the very place where the battle between the Great Demon and Saint once occurred. If this is fate, then it is fate."

Bentum, who had recovered by now, stood up, and Valute, whose broken arm had regenerated, gripped his weapon beside him.

"At this moment, I feel like I'm transcending the realm of Masters and glimpsing beyond."

Valute could barely contain his desire to show this power boiling over inside him.

Rudger found Bentum and Valute's words ridiculous.

"How comical to hear such ignorant ones talk so boastfully just because they gained a little power."

"Isn't it the same for you, gaining power as well?"

"Compared to you, I'm on a completely different level."

Rudger extended his arm toward Valute.

Immediately after, the shining spear positioned at Rudger's right disappeared.

'It's coming!'

Valute rolled his eyes and deflected the spear of light that flew at him from his blind spot.

It was an attack that would have killed him without even a chance to react before, but now, having received a god's power, things were different.

"I can see everything!"

Valute rushed toward Rudger with lightning speed, using the momentum from deflecting the spear.

"Now I can...!"

-Thud!

Valute's charging body slammed into the ground.

Feeling intense pain from behind, Valute coughed blood.

"Kuhuk! Wh-what?"

The spear of light he had just deflected had pierced through his back and pinned him to the ground.

With his heart pierced, he should have died instantly under normal circumstances, but thanks to Lumensis' power, Valute didn't die.

However that was about to end because that power didn't ward off death; it merely granted a very brief reprieve.

"I definitely deflected it."

"Did you think a divine weapon could be so easily deflected?"

Rudger looked indifferently at Valute, pinned to the ground like an insect specimen, and drew up the power of the spear.

-Bang!

Valute's body, impaled on the spear, exploded into particles of pure white light.

Seeing this, Bentum's eyes widened.

He was furious that his longtime friend had died without even leaving a corpse.

"How dare you kill my friend!"

"If you tried to kill, you should expect to be killed. Is that really something to be so angry about? After all the killing you've done?"

"Shut up!"

Seeing Bentum was beyond reasoning, Rudger sighed slightly and moved the spear that had killed Valute.

"Areadbhar."

Bentum swung his greatsword, forged with sacred law, at the spear of light that reached right before him.

With a clang, the spear of light was deflected.

But having witnessed Valute's death moments ago, Bentum didn't let his guard down.

The deflected spear of light moved through the air, tracing countless trajectories as if defying the laws of physics.

Its speed was truly fast enough to be called light.

In just one second, countless traces of light had drawn complex spider-web patterns around Bentum.

And as the spear shot again, he defended with a massive shield created through sacred law.

-Clang!

The weapons collided again.

At that moment, Bentum changed the shield's form, transforming it into huge pincers.

The spear of light was caught in those pincers, and Bentum immediately drove it into the ground.

If it would bounce back and return, then the solution was to bind it firmly.

Towards Bentum, who thought he had neutralized the weapon, Rudger casually used his next divine armament.

"Tathlum."

It was the weapon of the light god used to kill Valute.

A magic stone was shot toward Bentum.

"Again with the same trick!"

Bentum's eyes widened as he tried to block it with sacred law again.

The sacred law he created shattered, unable to stop even a single bluish stone.

Though slower than the spear of light from earlier, its power was vastly different.

At that moment, when Bentum couldn't react, pillars of light fell from the sky and struck the magic stone.

The magic stone, flying toward Bentum, was hit by the pillar of light and had to change direction.

-Kwaaaang!

A massive explosion erupted with the stone embedded in the ground at its center.

The archbishops watching from afar broke into cold sweat.

"Even using power bestowed by Lumensis, we could only change its direction."

"Such power from a weakened attack—this is serious."

"Each weapon that person possesses is truly the stuff of myths."

Rudger's talk of a "battle of myths" wasn't just empty words.

He gazed at the archbishops who had interfered with him.

"How curious that such sedentary figures would gather like this."

Rudger didn't hide his disgust.

A large staff appeared in his right hand.

Then Rudger took a stance as if to swing the staff.

"What is he trying to do?"

Not a spear but a staff—could he be planning to throw it?

But the stance seemed more like he was about to swing it.

But how?

There was a distance of several hundred meters between Rudger and the archbishops.

Plus, there were holy knights protecting the archbishops.

What could swinging a mere staff do?

That's what everyone thought at that moment.

"Grow."

That single word uttered by Rudger as he swung the staff.

As it echoed throughout the crater, the staff's size instantly grew thousands of times larger.

And one corner of the crater was erased, vaporizing all the holy knights standing there.

"...!"

-Kwaaaang!

The archbishops stared with trembling eyes at the staff that had reached right before them.

Now too massive to even be called a staff, it had erased everything between Rudger and the archbishops, space and all.

They survived only thanks to the sacred law they instinctively used.

A woman with a benevolent appearance, as if descended from heaven, rose up and extended both hands to block the staff.

It was the legendary highest-grade sacred law [Protection of the Holy Mother].

Even that protection couldn't completely block the staff, and the woman's form had disappeared by the time the staff stopped.

"Hmm. Too short?"

Rudger clicked his tongue at the sight of the unharmed archbishops.

At that moment, figures with stealthy movements approached him with rustling sounds.

"Oh?"

Golden weapons silently targeted his vital points.

It was the Golden Rule mercenary group.

-Thud thud thud!

The Golden Rule mercenaries' weapons pierced Rudger's body.

Just as they felt relief that their stealth attack had succeeded, the mercenaries sensed something was wrong and retreated.

It was the right choice.

Those who reacted a bit too late disappeared, burning to ashes without a trace.

"Trailing behind the Monarch mercenary group at second place, but your scale and efficiency are arguably first-rate."

Rudger spoke dismissively toward the Golden Rule mercenary group, without a single wound despite clearly being stabbed in vital spots.

The Golden Rule mercenaries felt a chill.

They sensed something terrifying from the burning swords floating around Rudger.

Just then, arrows flew from the distance, targeting Rudger.

These were arrows shot by hunters, but strengthened by Lumensis, they were no ordinary arrows.

Each faintly glowing arrow had more power than a shell fired from a large cannon.

Nearly a thousand glowing arrows covering the sky looked like falling stars in the night sky.

But with just a slight gesture from Rudger, the arrow rain was erased as if it had never existed.

"If it looks like falling stars, then let me show you real falling stars."

Rudger snapped his fingers.

Then a soft golden light appeared in the sky and slowly began falling toward the ground.

6th-tier metal attribute grand magic [Celestial Golden Jade].

More than 30 of them fell toward the hunters' heads like a meteor shower.

-Boom boom boom boom!

Along with enormous vibrations shaking the earth's axis, large cubes glowing with golden patterns created craters.

But unlike the impact, the ground didn't crack or collapse.

Rudger could understand why.

"Are you here to interfere with me too?"

Soon after, a rock mountain suddenly erupted from one side, and a giant turtle's head emerged, it was the Elemental Lord of Earth.

While everyone was surprised at its appearance, Rudger met the Elemental Lord's gaze.

After staring intently at the Elemental Lord, Rudger eventually looked away.

"I understand. If you don't intend to interfere, I won't pay you any mind either. And I'll try to be careful not to destroy the earth you love."

At those words, the Earth Elemental Lord seemed satisfied and slowly sank back into the ground.

Its massive mountain-like bulk sank into the ground as if quietly entering water.

Had Rudger not muttered one thing at that moment, the Earth Elemental Lord would have completely withdrawn.

"But it seems someone else doesn't think the same way."

Just as everyone wondered what he meant, the ground split open with a crack almost simultaneously.

The Earth Elemental Lord could control all the earth in this area according to its will.

But something with power comparable to the Earth Elemental Lord's authority forcibly tore the ground open.

What surged through the crack was bright red lava.

The Earth Elemental Lord raised its half-submerged head, sensing the power dwelling in the lava.

"Wh-what's happening?"

"Could the volcano be about to erupt from the earlier attack?"

"What are you talking about? There was never a volcano here to begin with!"

Then what was that magma?

While many people wondered, something rose through the continuously overflowing magma.

What emerged from the viscous magma was a being made of bright red flames.

A lizard-like head with two blazing horns.

A humanoid body with wings of flame spread behind its back.

Reverse-jointed legs and a tail swaying from its hips.

When this being rose up, its height looked to be nearly 800 meters.

This entity, looking down on the entire massive crater, was nature's representative governing all flames in the world.

"The Elemental Lord of Flame?"

"Wh-why is that creature, normally seen only in volcanic regions, here of all places?"

The suddenly appeared Flame Elemental Lord.

Even more surprising was that this Elemental Lord, essentially nature itself, was glaring at Rudger with hostility.

"Ha."

Rudger too could understand why the Flame Elemental Lord was hostile toward him.

"You sensed the world-burning sword?"

The Flame Elemental Lord, who had been quietly handling fire within magma, sensed the existence of the flame sword Rudger had borrowed and rushed over.

Beyond intense vigilance toward the sword that could burn the world itself, the elemental lord's pride as the essence of fire had been provoked.

"Interesting. But I am not your opponent."

The Flame Elemental Lord exhaled flames with a snort as if asking what he meant.

"How long will you keep hiding and watching? Surna."

As Rudger gazed at empty space while speaking, the air rippled and a black-haired man appeared.

"Oh my. I wanted to watch a bit longer, but I've been discovered."

At his appearance, not only the Flame Elemental Lord but also the priests of Bretus Holy Nation were greatly shocked.

If they hadn't misheard, the name Rudger just mentioned.

It was certainly the name of the Great Demon who should have disappeared during the Great War of the past.