Before the other side could even finish speaking, the insane duplicate shoved his disciple aside.
Waiting politely for an opponent to finish talking before exchanging blows was something that only happened in stories.
Real battles between mages began with ambushes and schemes.
“Shi—”
The insane duplicate began chanting, intending to strike first—
Then sensed something wrong.
Because the insane duplicate and the Skull Principal shared the same origin, they could predict each other’s thought processes to a certain degree.
If he himself was preparing a preemptive strike, there was no way the Skull Principal would not be doing the same.
...Could it be?
Too late, Bagreg!
The Skull Principal’s icy command rang out—
And Professor Voladi emerged from behind the duplicate.
A sword rested in the professor’s hand.
Its transparent blade resembled glass, yet radiated an alien aura that made it obvious the weapon was forged from something not of this world.
A sharp sound of flesh tearing followed immediately.
Professor Voladi struck like lightning before the insane duplicate could react.
His blade pierced toward the throat, heart, and lungs in succession.
And he did not stop there.
Even in such a favorable situation, the slightest mistake could reverse the battle entirely.
That was the kind of monster his opponent was.
Professor Voladi intended to completely suppress the duplicate by borrowing the power of the small world currently manifesting around them.
The sword given to him by the Skull Principal was a magic blade forged from concepts condensed out of another dimension itself.
Ordinary physical damage could not properly destroy thought-beings.
This weapon existed precisely for that purpose.
Of course, no matter how extraordinary the sword was, a poor wielder could not cut even paper with it.
Professor Voladi calmly measured how many opportunities remained.
Then—
“Professor! Please wait!”
His disciple’s voice reached him.
Professor Voladi halted instantly.
The insane duplicate immediately regained momentum.
Space twisted unnaturally around him and blasted the ambusher away.
Realizing the ambush had failed, Professor Voladi abandoned any lingering regret and retreated obediently through dimensional movement.
...Are you truly my disciple!??!!!?
The Skull Principal glared furiously at the professor who had returned to his side.
Normally, once someone became a professor at Einroguard, the Skull Principal addressed them respectfully—except for Professor Verdus.
But now he was so stunned that he forgot even that.
No matter what—
How could he stop simply because his disciple asked him to?
“I apologize.”
Will apologizing fix this!? Are you truly Bagreg!?
The Skull Principal had deliberately avoided bringing Professor Garcia because he feared she might hesitate.
Who would have imagined dependable Bagreg would make this mistake instead?
“...You prepared thoroughly.”
The insane duplicate practically spat the words out.
Without his disciple’s interruption, that attack would have been enough to seal him completely.
“That sword...”
A sword refined from concepts themselves to inflict direct damage upon existence. You should feel honored. Forging it cost an entire year’s budget for the territory.
Although he had escaped the hidden killing move prepared against him, the insane duplicate’s expression remained grim.
The Skull Principal sounded absolutely confident.
Which meant—
He was fully prepared to win even now that his ambush had failed.
-Truly monsters beyond monsters.
The hamster squeaked in terror.
Thanks to the lingering effects of the alcohol, Lee Han’s heightened intellect allowed him to roughly understand what had happened.
Professor Voladi’s ambush had not relied on ordinary concealment magic.
It had been dimensional movement.
Leaving Lee Han aside, there were multiple archmages present here—
—even if one of them was currently a hamster.
Simple stealth could never deceive all their senses simultaneously.
The coordinates must have been prepared beforehand, with Professor Voladi hidden inside a sub-dimension until the signal was given.
Lee Han could infer the broad principle—
But had absolutely no idea how such magic was actually implemented.
Other dimensions aren’t places you can casually use as spatial shortcuts. Is there really a dimension stable enough for repeated use like that?
At least the ambush allowed him to vaguely understand the concept.
The sword, however, was beyond comprehension.
Extracting concepts themselves and forging them into a weapon.
“I see you ignored the royal’s warning. Are you certain you won’t regret it after your territory is destroyed?”
The insane duplicate gathered magic as he spoke.
Originally, he had prepared himself for self-destruction.
But that only held meaning if he chose it himself.
Being sealed by some mere imitation was beneath consideration.
Even if this was the magic tower his disciple belonged to, the insane duplicate had no intention of retreating now.
The moment the Skull Principal broke the non-aggression and approached him—
The duel had already begun.
And that duel would annihilate everything nearby.
You already know this without me saying it.
The Skull Principal’s words felt colder than any threat.
The insane duplicate understood instinctively.
Because the Skull Principal was a being similar to himself, he would never have approached without proper preparation.
Look outside.
At those words, the surrounding rubble was swept away.
The cave vanished.
The mountain range and Einroguard below became visible—
Along with the strange dreamlike veil covering the entire territory.
“You spread a Unique World over the whole territory?”
Correct.
The Skull Principal answered calmly.
There was no need to explain the staggering preparation and cost required for such magic.
The insane duplicate nodded as he observed the veil capable of converting destruction itself into dreams.
“Remarkable. This is magic unknown to the royalty.”
Naturally. You are merely a confined being.
Behind the Skull Principal, circles resembling an enormous mandala began layering over one another.
The insane duplicate answered by summoning both crown and staff.
The head of the staff was carved into a rooster.
Its base into a serpent.
Its shaft into a warrior.
A being forbidden by all space and time... Since you are my karma, I will admit I feel some regret. That is why I granted more mercy than necessary.
“What absurdity. Do ants call it mercy when they fail to challenge the sun?”
But you crossed the line. You dared abduct the lord’s disciple within his own territory.
The Skull Principal prepared to unleash the flood of magic.
Right then—
“Please wait a moment, Principal!”
What is it, Batanaz.
“...Excuse me?”
You traitorous bastard. All these professors and all this gold are suffering because of you, yet you’ve chosen their side?
Lee Han was speechless.
What kind of accusation was that?
“What do you mean their side? This happened because you abandoned your position in the first place, Principal!”
I told you already. I needed time to prepare the seal. In that case, you should have properly maintained the deception and attacked from behind—not gotten captured by the enemy and started siding with him. Hmph. Very disappointing.
The Skull Principal waved dismissively, as though refusing to hear another word from his bat disciple.
The insane duplicate likewise showed no interest in listening.
The moment the two archmages joined forces, all outsiders were forcibly banished through space to the distant outskirts.
“Dharma Wheel!”
“Be liberated, Abraxas!”
-It’s the destruction of worlds! We need to retreat farther!
The hamster squealed in panic.
The two archmages were about to fully unleash their Unique Worlds and collide head-on.
But Lee Han shook his head.
“No. I’m going to persuade them.”
-...What kind of elixir did you drink to become this insane!? Come to your senses! You’re planning to walk directly into colliding worlds— Gack!
The hamster groaned as crushing pressure descended from above.
Professor Voladi gestured silently for the hamster to shut up.
The hamster fell into despair at the realization that yet another lunatic had appeared.
“Can you persuade them?”
“...I’m not certain. But I intend to try.”
“That duplicate could become dangerous at any moment. You understand that, correct?”
“Yes!”
“Understood. Then I’ll give the signal.”
Professor Voladi nodded without further questions.
The reason the Skull Principal sought permanent sealing rather than mere reverse summoning was precisely because of the duplicate’s danger.
Even if reverse summoned, he could simply descend again someday.
The Skull Principal intended to imprison him permanently in a place beyond both summoning and reverse summoning.
Yet Lee Han had stepped forward despite understanding all of that.
Then, as his master—
Professor Voladi would simply trust his disciple.
“...Thank you, Professor.”
Lee Han spoke sincerely.
This could not have been an easy choice for Professor Voladi.
The Skull Principal was both his superior and his master.
And he had already disobeyed orders once.
Moreover, Lee Han’s plan to “persuade” the duplicate hardly sounded convincing under the circumstances.
Yet Professor Voladi still chose to trust him.
That trust between master and disciple filled Lee Han with pride.
After bowing respectfully to the professor, Lee Han also turned toward the hamster.
“Thank you, Hamster.”
-...Why me... Wait. You—you’re not planning to take me with you!?
The hamster trembled as realization dawned.
This madman intended to drag him directly into the storm between worlds.
“I need a mage capable of giving advice. The alcohol’s effects are fading.”
-There’s literally another mage standing right next to you! You insane brat, are you bringing me because it’s dangerous!?
After silencing the squealing hamster, Lee Han concentrated on the confrontation ahead.
If he intended to intervene and persuade the Skull Principal somehow, he could not afford to miss even a moment.
The staff wielded by the insane duplicate was itself a Unique World.
Each swing opened a new sky, beneath which countless angels emerged.
However, to the Skull Principal, it was merely another great spell already familiar to him.
He had learned such things from dragons long ago.
Naturally, he had prepared counters.
As the Dharma Wheel began turning, the angels were erased one after another.
The Skull Principal declared coldly:
Since Abraxas has already been severed, you cannot use Gnosis either. What comes next? Hurry and show me. Let’s finish this before the day ends. Unlike you, I have mountains of paperwork waiting.
Both were archmages.
But one side knew all of the opponent’s magic.
The other knew none.
And one side held complete authority over the territory itself.
The insane duplicate could do little more than delay defeat.
Mountains transformed into lakes.
The dream veil stretched to its limits, nearly tearing apart.
Little by little, the outcome became inevitable.
Thud.
The insane duplicate dropped to one knee.
He said nothing, but his pale complexion made the result obvious.
Professor Boladi. Contact those below and prepare the seal. They have waited long enough. ...Professor Boladi. Professor Boladi. Bagreg, what are you doing?
Permanently sealing a being like the insane duplicate required enormous preparation.
The necessary mages were already waiting below—
Specialists the Skull Principal had hired while metaphorically weeping blood over the expense.
When Professor Voladi failed to answer, the Skull Principal snapped irritably.
Batanaz. If you continue acting like a spy—
The Skull Principal was about to blame the obvious culprit standing beside Professor Voladi—
Then suddenly realized something was wrong.
That was fake!
Pocket Dimension!
Shock crossed the Skull Principal’s face.
His disciple had mastered Basilios Pocket Dimension far more completely than expected.
Using the miniature world to conceal his presence and shorten distance simultaneously—
By the time the Skull Principal realized what had happened, Lee Han had already crossed the battlefield and positioned himself directly in front of the insane duplicate.
“Please wait just a moment!”
-P-please let me go and have your conversation without me...
The hamster squeaked pitifully, nearly in tears.
