◈ Episode 467. Yes, it’s an illusion, too
Gabriel stood in the middle of the circle.
He watched Hoyeol being swallowed by the ‘Mirror That Reflects No Shadow’.
It was because he was Akshan’s comrade whom he hadn’t seen in a while.
“I can’t help but feel emotional.”
Excommunication from Akshan?
It was not a pleasant experience.
Leaving the tedious process.
It felt like everything he had accomplished in Akshan had been denied.
“Actually, I feel more unfair about physical training and all that hard work than my achievements.”
The corner of Gabriel’s mouth twitched.
“Still, I’m curious.”
His body is already rotting somewhere on the Arcana continent.
He was a mere shadow of himself.
Still, he recalled the last time he had heard from Akshan.
“Where, is the holy war finished?”
In retrospect, he considers Hoyeol’s demeanor.
He remembers his dignity and stiff posture.
A surge of regret floods through him.
“……I think he would have understood if I just asked him.”
Why did he push Hoyeol away?
It was simple.
He looked like he had the world figured out.
He still didn’t know himself.
He didn’t seem to have his head in the right place.
Even though he was excommunicated.
“Anyway, I’d say it’s a recommendation from senior Akshan.”
Gabriel felt that Hoyeol needed to look at himself.
And what better place to do so than in a mirror.
It was a ‘mirror that reflects no shadow’.
“There’s no need to be impatient, is there?”
I felt like I’d already accomplished enough.
If you look back at yourself through the mirror and gain enlightenment, you will be able to break through the barrier and chase after me. Of course, as long as you get off this guy’s back.
“Though you’ll have to climb it the honest way, like an Akshan.”
Thinking about it, I feel even more sorry for him.
Even if you manage to break through the middle layer, the corridor is filled with other adversities and trials. Among them was Gabriel, and there was also an upper barrier blocking him.
But.
“No, maybe it won’t be a problem for you.”
Gabriel shrugged, considering.
“By the way……. Should I hope you make it, or should I hope you don’t? I’m not sure I can cheer for you, as a guilty person.”
If I had known, I wouldn’t have pushed him.
“Even when he was falling, his face was so grim…….”
Through all of this, one thing remained the same.
The closer I got to the top of the corridor.
My body began to shake more violently.
There was not much time left to face the Shadow God.
“I might add, in all honesty…….”
Gabriel flashed a small smile.
“Maybe I just didn’t want to be disturbed.”
The Shadow Mercenaries, a group not unlike demons.
I traveled the continent to hunt them down, and when I realized there was a Shadow God behind them, I made a deal with him to hunt down the source, the Shadow God.
Gabriel chuckles softly.
“Actually, I don’t think I have an excuse.”
That judgment was the final straw that led to Gabriel’s excommunication from Akshan. But Gabriel has no regrets. Even though he had broken the rules of Akshan.
Gabriel had no shame in his actions.
Sreung.
“In many ways, you are a shackle to me, Akshan.”
Gabrielle’s voice rang with grief.
“Nevertheless.”
Then, the Shadow God greeted Gabriel.
“For Akshan.”
Crash.
*
[Class Quest: Nevertheless, for Akshan].
Gabriel, excommunicated the demon hunter of Akshan.
He has hunted evil by any means necessary. Unable to die, he hopes to hunt down the final evil that has taken everything from him.
Akshan, the last survivor of the last, chose.
Is it compliance with the rules that you want?
Is it the hunt for a new evil that is not the demon?
-Obedience to Akshan rules. (Optional)
-Join Gabriel’s hunt for the Shadow God. (Optional)
Akshan’s Enemies?
So far, it’s been limited to demons.
Honestly, I think it’s realistic.
‘Actually, there are many worse than demons.’
Isn’t the world full of humans who are no better than demons?
The ability to turn all of them into enemies and survive.
A demon hunter with a screw loose doesn’t have that.
That’s why Gabriel was excommunicated.
For breaking the rules of Akshan, for hunting the evil people, not the demons.
I stared at the quest objective.
‘You want me to choose.’
Perhaps there is much at stake in this choice.
From being the last of the Akshan.
I’m the real Akshan leader now, am I not?
‘The direction of the new Akshan.’
The choice wasn’t hard, really.
‘Because I’ve spoken.’
I will hunt down Raymon Sean, who is no better than the demon himself.
You’ve always been one to speak your mind and make it come true, haven’t you?
Of course.
I didn’t think they’d take no for an answer.
I looked at the updated quest objective.
-Obedience to Akshan’s Discipline (optional)
-Join Gabriel’s hunt for the Shadow God. (Fail)
-Track down Gabriel. (Optional)
Gabriel.
I don’t know why you pushed me.
I couldn’t guess just from the words spoken in Akshan style.
But one thing is certain.
I, Lee Hoyeol, don’t know.
“I hope you have a good reason, Gabriel.”
Our Grandfell has no tolerance for wasting time unnecessarily, so if you don’t have a good reason, you’re a senior, and you’ll have to face the appropriate consequences……!
I look in the mirror again.
[Hidden Piece: The Mirror That Reflects No Shadow]
True to its name, there was no shadow in my reflection.
But that wasn’t the biggest problem.
The real problem was my behavior in the mirror.
From the moment I woke up until now.
I stayed in place.
I hadn’t moved a single step.
ttogag─
In the mirror, I was taking steps with the sound of shoes.
Was that the word for this kind of thing?
The mages of the Magic Tower and the AAU branch leaders.
I can see why they’d be upset by my arrival.
This…….
‘…… That’s a lot of pressure.’
In a flash, I piece together the information.
‘That’s probably my shadow.’
My shadow, like the honored guests.
My reasoning is simple.
Where did my shadow go that I can’t see in the mirror?
That thing moving around in the mirror.
It made perfect sense to think it was my shadow.
Then.
[Appropriate Level: Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
That explains the bizarre leveling system.
Me, Lee Hoyeol.
I honestly couldn’t help but hesitate.
I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.
Grandfell is merciful or not merciful.
Between what I thought Grandfell was and what he actually did.
I was feeling a sense of disconnect.
That made me even more nervous.
Suddenly, Gabriel’s words haunted me.
-“I am but a shadow of a body that has already become white. This means that all shadows, including mine, do not move by reason, but by nature.”
When I heard those words, I thought for sure it was the Akshan demon hunter I knew, the one who would not forget his true identity even in death. My overconfidence got me shot in the back of the head…….
‘Of course, that’s not what matters now.’
Yeah, the process, whatever.
Entering the Hidden Piece ‘Mirror That Reflects No Shadow’.
I was able to face my shadow.
Maybe because of it.
‘I might be able to see it.’
Grandfell’s true nature.
His true intentions.
Of course, being Grandfell, actions speak louder than words.
It didn’t take long for me to see through it.
cheog.
In the mirror, Grandfell raises his hand and the scene changes.
Goooooo.
Countless magic circles float in the air.
‘!’
The moment I saw it, I realized.
‘After all, you have no mercy for me either, Grandfell?!’
I don’t feel sad, but rather worried about whether I can stop it.
It’s inevitable.
I can’t even activate [Heavenly Infant Solitude].
I didn’t go into an abnormal state, nor did I fall into [Blackening].
It’s purely me, Lee Hoyeol, who has built it up.
To face the merciless Grandfell.
By the way, you don’t even give me a chance to think……?
Suoooo.
Attributes, Pure Magic, Destruction, Enchantment, Twilight Magic…….
Countless different schools of magic manifest.
Pouring down towards me.
It’s quite a sight to behold.
It’s so powerful that I feel like a mere mortal.
‘Architectural Magic……. No, can you stop something like that by building a wall?’
Architectural Magic requires raw materials.
However, it was a hidden piece with mirrors everywhere.
A flimsy wall that manifested mirrors as materials.
Can it stop such a mass of magic?
As the founder of architectural magic, I assure you.
‘Absolutely not.’
Then there’s only one way: Reversal Magic.
Recognize the structure of the pouring magic.
Of course, reversal magic is not omnipotent.
Interfering with someone else’s magic requires a tremendous amount of mental energy. Even reversing a single spell is a daunting task. But even so, no matter how…….
‘We’re not the whole other, are we?’
Accelerate thinking more quickly.
Observe the magic and analyze its structure with an upright posture.
Damn, I feel like my brain cells are burning.
But in the end, I succeed in manifesting in reverse order.
papapapas.
The most insane, high-level magic.
Ssssss.
One by one, the baptisms of magic turned into pure mana particles and scattered into the air. And through the scattering mana particles, Grandfell from beyond the mirror rushed in.
ttogag.
My field of vision is also limited due to the reversal magic.
Head too.
My body was also suffering from tremendous fatigue.
No mercy, Grandfell of the Mirror, if I’d known the sound of your heels would be so eerie, I’d have switched to a pair of shoes that made less noise……!
kwakakag.
The pressure of the Heavenly Demon Reign alone is enough to send my body bouncing backward.
‘……damn.’
Maybe it’s no longer time to be stubborn. There may have been a situation where I had to prepare for [Runaway] and use [Children’s Solitary Powers].
Barely balancing on my feet, I swallowed hard.
My snout.
No, it was Grandfell’s snout.
“I’m sorry to see you trying so hard to imitate.”
I suddenly realized.
……Wait a minute.
Why was I so sure that the being in the mirror was Grandfell?
Simply because it had Grandfell’s full name on the appropriate level?
‘……No.’
Yes, it is.
It was me, Lee Hoyeol, in the mirror.
My hair was growing longer, so there was a momentary mistake.
It’s still Lee Hoyeol.
No wonder.
I’m not running wild or blackening my hair.
The moment I realize that.
The figure beyond the mirror began to look different.
I knew better than anyone else what emotions were hidden behind that ice-cold expression, and I could see them without having to look behind the iron skin.
‘No, that’s not the only thing.’
I know all about the magic manifesting as glue to hold the Dawn Jacket on his shoulders, and the green tea bags stored in the pockets of his ornate jacket.
The snout is like a muzzle.
“In the end, it’s just an illusion.”
Well said, Grandfell.
I’m good at knowing what I’m talking about.
I’ve never been one for complacency.
I know what gilding, wrapping, and illusions have been added to my accomplishments.
I know better than anyone!
‘if. If it were you, the real Grandfell, and not me.’
I might have been sincerely afraid, but……!
If that were me, Lee Hoyeol, I would not be afraid, but rather pity. My poor little cripple, suffering from dark history, even in the mirror, I thought.
seug.
At that point, I casually reached out.
I pulled a pair of gloves from my inventory.
The moment I realized the truth of the Hidden Piece perfectly.
There was no time to get stuck in this place anymore.
From left to right.
[Commander Gloves – Elder Dragon Wisdom]
[Rank: Myth]
[Restriction : Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
[Effect : Eunaxus, the great Elder Dragon of myth, declares. “My legacy will grant you, Claudi, the ability to understand and utter words!”]
Then I, as king of all things, spat out the words.
【Break, Illusion.】
The words of a dimension-tearing dragon.
No such thing as a structured system.
As you can see.
Wajangchang.
It means that it can be destroyed at once.
The mirrors shattered all around me, taking me down with them.
At the same time, the shadows returned and flashed before my eyes.
[Hidden Piece, “The Mirror That Reflects No Shadow”].
Needless to say, I was not pleased.
‘You pushed me into this, Gabriel.’
Goooooo.
I immediately manifested a portal, interference with scattering magic.
The target coordinates are Gabriel, of course.
Don’t ask me how I can target coordinates.
‘I can do quite a bit with different levels of magic power.’
Why, like now.
“……!!!”
kwadeudeudeug.
Stepping out of the portal, I shattered the chains that bound Gabriel and came face to face with the Shadow God, or maybe it was Raymon Sean.
Before the hunt.
I straightened my clothes reverently.
Or, more accurately.
Fluttered.
I slipped my arms through the Dawn Jacket over my shoulders.
Then I shifted my gaze from the fallen Gabriel to the Shadow God.
I shifted my gaze.
“Poor way to treat an honored guest.”
I declared dryly.
“Your hypocrisy will also be reflected in your disposition.”