I Got a Fake Job at the Academy

Chapter 864 – Side Story 137: Nightmare (3)

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the ruined earth bloomed with ash-gray. Within it, a light more brilliant than the dark clouds. A shadow darker than the ash-gray arose.

The light and shadow collided with each other, repeatedly devouring and pushing each other back.

Rudger frowned. They had merely exchanged a light opening move to gauge each other's power.

Even that alone was enough to feel it keenly through his skin.

'The pure output of power is stronger than mine. Although he says it's not power borrowed from the gods, that too is a force similar to divine power. I cannot withstand it with Aether Nocturnus.'

In reality, the light began to rapidly decompose the shadow. As the light grew stronger, Aether Nocturnus tried to resist with the shadow that arose, but the speed of annihilation was faster.

'The power of ascending to godhood to become a god himself. Even if it's a transitional power that hasn't fully matured, it holds a superior position in terms of compatibility over most powers.'

-Pyushung!

The dark clouds split apart. Through the revealed gap, pillars of light came pouring down along with an intense light source.

Rudger deployed a spell to support Aether Nocturnus.

Over the pitch-black shadow, blue mana spread out like the Milky Way. Lines of mana connecting each star drew spells and created constellations.

The sight was as if the universe was covering the ruined earth. However, Heathcliff continued with the attack he had prepared without concern.

The power of a god would tear apart completely and flawlessly, even if it were the universe.

The divinity falling from the sky and the magic surging from the ground entered a contest of strength.

Explosions occurred everywhere, and power was either canceled out or conversely pressed down.

Heathcliff's red eyes rapidly swept over the battlefield.

With dazzling flashes and deafening roars, it seemed like sight and hearing were being paralyzed. And with all sorts of acrid smells, even the sense of smell.

However, Heathcliff naturally noticed that Rudger had already concealed himself.

He reached out into the air, created a sword of light, then swung it toward the invisible behind.

-Kang!

The sword stick, infused with high-density mana that could cut even diamond, was blocked.

"After stealing away the opponent's soul, then secretly approaching for close combat. It's the method that works best with the carelessness of thinking one is facing a mage. But it won't work on me."

Since Heathcliff had also learned such fighting methods, he could respond to Rudger's attacks more easily than anyone.

And the same was true for Rudger.

"That wasn't my purpose from the start."

Rudger's blue eyes shone intensely. Mana gushed out around his body like mist. Seeing the blue mist obscuring vision, Heathcliff frowned.

The density of mana was unusual.

"I see. You've already overcome the mana deficiency phenomenon." 

"I ate a lot of good things. It seems you didn't."

Because they parted ways midway, Heathcliff couldn't achieve greatness as a mage. Though he knew the opponent's fighting methods, that didn't mean he understood everything.

Because Heathcliff didn't fully know the path Rudger had walked until now.

"So, this would be your first time seeing something like this."

8th Circle magic [Blue Frost Garment]

────.

Space freezes. From the invisible microscopic particles drifting in the atmosphere to the molecules that compose them. Everything stopped moving.

Complete freezing. Undeniable stillness. In the magic that froze even space, Heathcliff couldn't move at all.

His red eyes could be seen expressing doubt.

Even though he had taken a different path, he probably never imagined that Rudger would use even 8th Circle magic.

Not the 7th Circle, but the 8th Circle. Magic that interfered with even the laws of nature while distorting reality would be dangerous even for Heathcliff, who wore the power of incomplete divinity.

"The highest magic you know would be 6th Circle at most."

Rudger's blue eyes shone coldly.

"This is the path I've walked."

In the freezing world, Heathcliff asked.

"What did you lose?" 

"......Many things." 

"That was in the past. But I can sense it. You've never lost 'everything' yet."

Everything. For the first time, Heathcliff's voice uttering that word held a thick, dark emotion.

"I lost my everything. And I resolved. No matter what means or methods, no matter what sacrifice I had to pay, I would definitely get it back."

Before long, the freezing area had risen to his neck, but Heathcliff didn't stop talking.

Rather, the passion slowly overflowing from him was like magma about to spread through the surface.

"Someone who's never properly lost anything dares to discuss the path they've walked in front of me?"

Tremendous power rose from Heathcliff.

Even within the 8th Circle magic that stopped everything, the power of a god began to move, ignoring even the laws of suppression.

"Insolent."

With an arrogant declaration, light exploded from Heathcliff.

It tore apart the surrounding space and pushed away even the restraining force of the 8th Circle binding him.

The light of the crown floating above Heathcliff's head intensified.

Before long, pure white wings had spread behind his back. They were angel wings with a somewhat mechanical design.

Rudger retreated to cancel out the explosion of light. By now, his body was wrapped in a black cloak made of Aether Nocturnus.

"You said with your own mouth that you destroyed the cage. And that you achieved what you wanted. From that process, I can tell what hardships and adversities you overcame by looking at that power. That's why you're presumptuous."

Heathcliff, who had been indifferent until then, showed anger for the first time.

'I've touched some kind of reverse scale.'

Does he think his path has been denied?

"If you're going to get that angry, you should have done well from the start." 

"I know my choice wasn't right. With my own hands, I had to erase all those I knew."

Heathcliff looked down at his hands. Rudger had the illusion that those pure white hands were stained with blood.

"Still, I had to do it. Otherwise, I could never get back what I lost. I endured the pain of cutting flesh and scraping bone to come this far. I've almost, almost arrived."

Heathcliff's distorted gaze turned toward Rudger.

"Someone who's never properly lost anything can't appear so brazenly and lecture me."

From Heathcliff's words, Rudger couldn't help but realize.

"You mean you severed everything with your own hands - your precious comrades, disciples, long-standing ties. All of them?" 

"Because I had to." 

"The memories you had with them?" 

"I forgot them all." 

"The bonds you formed with them?" 

"I threw them all away."

After going that far, what exactly are you trying to get back? Rudger's next question didn't continue.

Tremendous light erupted from Heathcliff.

Before long, a giant made of light appeared behind him. The giant wearing pure white armor was so enormous that its head reached the end of the sky.

The giant held a massive sword befitting its size. That sword fell toward Rudger's crown. Like a meteorite falling, as the sword cut through the atmosphere, its tip could be seen turning bright red.

Rudger readjusted his grip on the sword. The blue mana on the sword stick turned pitch black like a shadow. The darkness was so deep it seemed to try to swallow even light.

Having taken his stance, Rudger swung the sword stick.

Swaaak!

Pitch-black shadow shot out in the form of a crescent moon. It was considerably smaller compared to the sword the giant was bringing down, but this attack wasn't all about size.

-Screech!

The moment the giant's blade touched the slash, it was cut away far too easily. Rudger swung the sword stick several more times.

Slashes that cut through space. No matter how hard and sturdy the material, it was useless before an attack with the characteristic of cutting through space itself.

The slashes went beyond the sword and even cut the giant's body. The giant wearing massive armor began to fall into pieces, revealing smooth cross-sections.

Rudger's next slash headed toward Heathcliff.

However, Heathcliff spread his wings and then transformed into light. It wasn't a metaphor but real. His body transformed into pure white particles of light and then disappeared from the air.

He literally moved at the speed of light.

-Kwang!

An impact struck Rudger's side. Even though he had layered multiple high-circle defensive spells in advance, they were pierced in one stroke.

Despite canceling out most of the impact thanks to the shadow cloak that mitigated physical shock, Rudger's body flew far away.

A pure white beam of light chased after him.

Rudger's form contracted into a point in the air and disappeared.

Toward Rudger, who appeared in a different space that way, the light chased, drawing a long tail. The moment he perceived being chased, the attack struck. The tremendous speed made it possible.

Rudger used shadows to distort space, bending the light beam in chunks.

-Chajajajajaak!

Heathcliff, transformed into light, unleashed consecutive attacks centered on Rudger. Slashes made of light densely covered the surroundings of the shadow that had transformed into a pitch-black cocoon.

Most attacks were deflected by the spatial distortion, but some began to cut through the shadow with the power of divinity.

'This is dangerous. At this rate, I'll allow an attack.'

Naturally, Rudger wasn't just taking it. He had already prepared magic separately.

Heathcliff, who had been continuing his attack, also seemed to sense something and loosened his offensive. Transformed into light, he lifted his head.

He could feel tremendous power gathering beyond the pitch-black clouds.

"This is the 8th Circle?"

To deploy magic of that level of power again, yet he hadn't perceived it until now? It meant Rudger had constructed the spell beyond the dark clouds secretly.

The shift to defense was to deliberately show an opening and buy time.

Heathcliff stopped in mid-air. Transformed like an incarnation of light, he was just white, with only his red eyes shining.

His wings spread wide, and countless swords made of light spread around him.

They simultaneously formed a sword formation and aimed beyond the dark clouds composing the 8th Circle magic.

At the same time the swords were fired all at once, the 8th Circle magic activated.

8th Circle magic [Flame Cluster Star]

The dark clouds disappeared. Beyond them, a bright red massive body was revealed. Before the dark clouds could even reach it, they had sublimated in the heat and vanished.

It was a massive sun floating in the sky. That massive sun was falling vertically with a roar.

The falling star wasn't just one. True to its name, it was a cluster of stars composed of multiple aggregates.

Stars engulfed in flames came pouring down. Heathcliff's swords that surged all at once collided with the Flame Cluster Star.

The power that burned even divinity and the power that held superiority over everything collided.

It was a world where something similar to the apocalypse had already arrived, but a scene unfolded as if the true apocalypse had come.

Just from the shockwave alone, the earth flipped over and surged like waves. The place that was once Theon completely collapsed without leaving even a trace.

In a distant place, a massive mountain rose with crustal movement, and in another place, a tremendous cliff was created.

In a landscape beyond natural disasters, Rudger and Heathcliff glared at each other.

The falling red stars. The light of divinity embroidering the sky. And the collapsing world. In a landscape that couldn't be seen anywhere else, the two men who resembled each other like looking in a mirror moved simultaneously.

Rudger's sword and Heathcliff's sword moved, aiming at each other's hearts.

That's when it happened.

A power that felt both unfamiliar and familiar was sensed from somewhere.

Rudger and Heathcliff's movements stopped simultaneously. Both of their gazes naturally turned toward the pitch-black darkness formed in the air.

Different from Rudger's shadow, the true darkness existing in nature. Pitch blackness that was close to nothingness where everything was absent, swallowing even light.

The woman cloaked in that pitch blackness erased the meteorites and swords of light falling around her.

Although the powers had canceled each other out through collision, it was still 8th Circle magic. Her skill could be inferred from the fact that she erased it so casually.

"Teacher Rudger!"

Selina, synchronized with the darkness spirit Esmeralda, looked back at Rudger and cried out.

"Are you alright!" 

"......So you came after all. It must have been a dangerous scene that could be felt even from afar." 

"Well, when I thought Teacher Rudger might be in danger, I unconsciously just......"

Selina immediately looked at Heathcliff. It was to at least confirm the face of whoever was engaging in such a dangerous fight against Rudger.

"Huh, what?"

However, Selina's resolve crumbled the moment she saw Heathcliff. She was quite confused by Heathcliff's appearance, which had the exact same looks as Rudger.

"Ru, two Teacher Rudger?"

"I can't say that's wrong. However, that person is different from me."

Selina nodded. The aura flowing from Heathcliff was different from Rudger's. The color of his hair too. The light in his eyes too. Above all, his far too cold appearance made her more reluctant to approach than when she first encountered Rudger in Theon.

Rudger thought inwardly that this was good. Although it would be dangerous for Selina, with Selina's help in this balanced fight, there was enough chance of victory.

However, an even more surprising event unfolded next.

"Selina......"

Heathcliff called her in a distant voice. Then he withdrew all the power he had been wearing.