I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 863 – Side Story 136: Nightmare (2)

The mirror world is a device for exploring parallel worlds containing possibilities. However, the process itself bends like dreaming, so rather than looking beyond the mirror, it feels more like lifting the veil of a dream.

The worlds reflected in the mirrors encountered so far were almost all gentle ones. Possibilities of happiness. Joys that couldn't be achieved in reality.

A world that seemed to have gathered such wishes and carefully shaped and sculpted them. I thought, or perhaps hoped, that I might only experience similar worlds in the future.

'Those were merely countless hypotheticals. I suppose reality is harsh after all.'

If happy dreams exist in the world. Then nightmares must also exist somewhere.

The world Rudger had entered now was precisely such a nightmare world.

'This is a completely unexpected case. Of all things, I can't even synchronize with myself in this world.'

Perhaps it's because that being before my eyes is not Rudger Chelici but Heathcliff.

'He introduced himself as Heathcliff. The name of the bloodline I had abandoned, the one I hated most. And that radiance he's showing now and his bleached white hair. It must be due to the influence of divine power.'

In other words, the Rudger of this world became a descendant of the Holy Emperor rather than a mage. Because he took such a completely different path, even though the mirror world was used, they weren't synchronized and fell separately.

'The problem is, why did this happen when I came together with Teacher Selina.'

Since it was Selina who used the mirror world together, at the very least, this world should have some significant connection with her.

However, in a world that had become almost ruins, such a connection point didn't seem like it would be easy to find.

'Even if I try to search by investing time and effort, that thing doesn't look like it will just leave me alone.'

Rudger referred to Heathcliff as "that thing." It meant he recognized him as a completely different, separate being from himself.

'And judging by his eyes, it seems he also thinks of me as a different being.'

He appeared as soon as he detected this side, and is blatantly displaying his power excessively.

Heathcliff, who had awakened the power of a god, scattered brilliant light with his very existence and made the surrounding space ripple.

"So I ask."

The same calm tone and voice as his own. But the cold ruthlessness dwelling within was more chilling than any blade.

"Who the hell are you? Why do you have the same appearance and emanate the same aura as me?" 

"Rudger Chelici. Just a human, and a mage." 

"Just a human."

Though it seemed like words mocking this side at first glance, Heathcliff appeared to be lost in thought about something.

How many thoughts must have crossed his mind? He opened his mouth only after a not-so-short time had passed.

"I see. You are another possibility of mine." 

"……."

Heathcliff had surprisingly reached the correct answer. At some point he had walked a different path from Rudger, but nevertheless, their essence and root were the same person.

'I pride myself on having crossed my own lines of death, but he must have had his own battlefields too.'

Rudger looked around. The appearance of Theon Academy reduced to ruins. And even the appearance of the Elven forest and World Tree where he had first fallen.

"You found me quite well." 

"I saw the dimensional rift. I am one who seeks to remake this cage. There's no way I wouldn't know about an intruder flowing in from outside the cage. Though it's strange. I definitely sensed there were two intruders."

Rudger realized that Heathcliff hadn't found Selina yet. He must have moved to catch the stronger, more drawn-to presence first between the two.

The moment he saw Heathcliff, he could vaguely feel it. That guy is different from himself. He can never be understood.

Though he doesn't know what was the turning point that broke him like that. The Heathcliff before his eyes was absolutely not someone who could be treated with goodwill.

'And that guy is aware of this too.'

Though they may appear to be calmly conversing. The two were already extremely wary of each other, their bodies tensed up.

Like a glass precariously filled with water. In that precariousness where it seemed it would overflow the moment even one more drop was added.

Rudger opened his mouth.

"This world. Did you make it like this?"

Reading the intent of that question, Heathcliff nodded.

"Your world isn't like this, it seems. Yes. Seeing that appearance, it had to be so. You ultimately rejected the power of a god and chose to remain human, accepting becoming a bird in a cage." 

"The cage of my world was destroyed. Along with Lumensis who made it."

At those words, a gleam appeared in Heathcliff's eyes.

"Hoh. That's unexpected. To think such a method existed. So the world outside the cage held such a possibility." 

"Did you choose to become a dog of the Holy Kingdom?"

This was a clearly provocative and intentional question. An action that lowered the opponent's achievement and existence by a level.

It was enough to be angry about, but Heathcliff wasn't easy.

"If you're thinking of provoking me, give it up. I am you, you are me. Though we diverged at some point in history, we were still identical up to a certain point. Testing words are meaningless." 

"That's true too. And looking at your actions, it doesn't seem you're particularly loyal to the Holy Kingdom either." 

"Do you see this world?"

Heathcliff said.

"I destroyed this cage. And now I seek to create a new cage. A cage far more perfect than before. To do that, I had to first destroy what was most bothersome." 

"That was the Bretus Holy Kingdom."

Heathcliff accepted the blood of the Holy Emperor's family, but nevertheless, he toppled the Bretus Holy Kingdom with his own hands.

Perhaps that method was extremely radical and destructive. Just from the scenery Rudger had seen, he could fragmentarily guess what path Heathcliff had walked.

"Did you even destroy Theon? Even though you once worked there as a teacher?"

The reason Rudger was so certain was because he knew he had come with Selina when he crossed the mirror world.

His relationship with her began when he was unintentionally undercover-hired at Theon.

If this world had at least some connection with Selina. It was certain that the Heathcliff before his eyes had worked as a Theon teacher under the alias Rudger.

"Just a past that has passed. It holds no meaning for me." 

"All the students you taught too? You even burned the World Tree." 

"Yes. Its tenacious vitality was quite bothersome. That's not all. The powerful beings that constitute this cage. I eliminated them as soon as I saw them."

Rudger realized what Heathcliff was talking about.

The Elemental Lords. Since he wielded the power of a god, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

'He accepted the power of a god that he had so refused. And he must have used it more actively than anyone.'

Just recently, Rudger had opened the Heavenly Gate for the first time because of an incident related to his master.

At that time, he borrowed the power of a god originating from Earth and completely annihilated the subjugation force. Though the Fire Elemental Lord interfered during the fight, even such a mighty being was powerless before the power of a god.

If that power was used without restraint, erasing a continent would be nothing.

"What's your reason for destroying this world to that extent?" 

"To create it anew." 

"Do you truly believe you've become the god of a new world?" 

"Why would you think not?"

A halo rose above Heathcliff's head. It rose sharply and transformed into the shape of a crown.

The crown of light floating at a slight distance above his head radiated mystical power by its very existence.

A gaping hole was visible at the center of the crown. A small window that could communicate with the external world.

It was a Heavenly Gate.

If one borrowed the power of gods, creating something wouldn't be entirely impossible.

"What exactly are you planning to create?" 

"It seems there's no reason to tell you more than that. This discourse ends here."

Rudger thought Heathcliff was avoiding answering. There must be some firm reason for wanting to remake the cage.

"Is that so? That's unfortunate. I was a bit curious about what I'm like in another world." 

"I did feel considerable curiosity too. Yes, I already knew about magic to leap across space. Though I never knew it would later be expanded multi-dimensionally to leap even across dimensions." 

"I wanted to go outside the cage. Unlike you who gave up and chose to become the new master of the cage."

Outside the cage is freedom. Just seeing Rudger facing Heathcliff like this made that clear.

"……You seem to have traveled around a lot." 

"I even achieved the wish I so desired. I returned to my world and conveyed the words I couldn't deliver."

When the mother from his previous life was mentioned, Heathcliff became less talkative. He probably knows too that he has given up everything he so desired and is committing these acts of destruction.

"Enough idle talk."

-Kugugugung.

Heathcliff's voice rang out loudly. It was as if he, magnified, was shouting from all directions of heaven and earth.

"Whatever you are, you are an external impurity. As long as you interfere with creating my new cage, I will simply eliminate you."

Yes. So it comes to this in the end. Rudger closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

In fact, this was also a predetermined matter. Though they had the same root, they were as different as oil and water, unable to mix.

One took the path of humanity he desired. One took the path of a god who dominates everything.

Perhaps Rudger too might have walked the same path as Heathcliff because Heathcliff is another possibility.

'And now he is my enemy.'

Finally, a water droplet fell into the full glass. The precariously maintained balance collapsed as water overflowed from the glass.

-Fwaaaaaah!

A massive brilliant light flashed behind Heathcliff's back. The halo was so dazzling it was reminiscent of the sun.

In a world filled with dark clouds and ashes, only Heathcliff shone. But that was not the light of a sublime savior or anything of the sort.

'The radiance of death, to destroy everything.'

Heathcliff didn't know how to hold back. At the very start of the fight, he began borrowing the power of gods through the Heavenly Gate.

Knowing the opponent, he planned to finish with a quick decisive battle without testing the waters.

'Well. I would have done the same.'

The divine power gathering above Heathcliff's head gradually grew stronger. That power holds the advantage in matchups against all other powers.

The massive energy writhed as if pulsating, intermittently throbbing as if wanting to rampage immediately.

And the moment Heathcliff was about to pour out the finally completed power, simple yet purely powerful.

Heathcliff's movement flinched and stopped. Wrinkles formed on his smooth brow.

"That power, you're not the only one who can use it."

Before he knew it, the Heavenly Gate was also open above Rudger's head.

Seal release. Complete liberation.

Divine power was also projected through Rudger's Heavenly Gate. Rather, perhaps because of that, the power pouring from Heathcliff's Heavenly Gate rapidly weakened.

He could feel the gods who were lending power become confused. What had been their unique window and passage had suddenly increased to two.

Moreover, the one trying to borrow that power was essentially the same. The divine power repeatedly scattered, unable to go either way.

Therefore Heathcliff couldn't complete his attack. It was due to Rudger's persistent interference.

"I see. This was a blind spot."

Now that it had come to this, he had to give up the method of crushing with overwhelming force using divine power.

Of course, that didn't mean Heathcliff had become weak.

"Can't be helped."

Countless spears made of pure white light were generated around Heathcliff.

Because of the light, a shadow stretched long behind Rudger standing on the ground. The shadow gradually grew longer and larger, then completely swallowed the surrounding ash-covered area.

The shadow rose. The jet-black tidal wave that rose from the ground had red eyes.

Light poured down like judgment, and shadow surged up in defiance.

A shockwave exploded with a roar that tore the world apart.

"Wh-what is this?"

Selina, who opened her eyes in an unfamiliar place, trembled at the wave of power felt from afar. Her survival instinct was warning her to never approach.

But the power felt from afar was definitely Teacher Rudger's.

'I have to go.'

Selina clenched her fist tightly and headed toward where the explosion occurred. Behind her back, the dark spirit Esmeralda was with her.