The mirror's pair of eyes stared in shock at Viktor, who had suddenly appeared in this void-like space.
That black trench coat of his swayed constantly in the air, and a chill burst out of his eyes in an instant.
Black pillars of fire rose from the ground, their scorching light reflecting across his cheeks.
"H-how… how is this possible?"
"Everyone clearly forgot her, so why… why do you still remember?"
The mirror's voice trembled slightly, the purple light in its eyes flickering between bright and dim.
It could not understand.
But soon, it no longer needed to.
In Viktor's eyes, extremely dense flames began to burn.
The next second, the fire pillars surged upward, and a terrifying aura exploded outward.
A storm of unknown origin completely merged with the fire pillars, spinning wildly around the mirror.
Like a sharp spear, it instantly pierced straight through the mirror's surface.
Crack!
The mirror suffered a heavy blow and began to shatter.
The surrounding void also started to peel away, like broken glass.
The world twisted, endless nothingness spiraled, and space itself was shattered as well.
Bang!
A crisp sound of breaking rang out beside Liya's ears, and a dazzling white light flashed before her eyes.
Her consciousness suddenly sank.
It felt as if her body were falling from the sky, her awareness returned to herself.
At that moment, Liya opened her eyes.
A fresh, natural scent flowed into her nose.
It was the smell of grass mixed with soil.
The grass swayed gently with the breeze, stirring up a rustling wave.
Dense tree branches swayed as well, sunlight filtering through the shade and falling across half of Liya's face.
The quiet Cravenna estate stood right in front of her, towering there.
Liya looked at the grass beneath her feet and gradually came back to her senses.
She slowly stood up, patted the dirt off her body, and gazed at the familiar estate.
"I… I'm home?"
Viktor's footsteps sounded by her ear, accompanied by the crisp snap of wild grass breaking at the waist.
With his hands in his pockets, he calmly looked ahead.
"Yes, we're back."
Liya blinked, taking in the familiar surroundings.
She clenched her hand and could clearly feel that sense of adjustment.
She really was back.
But she still couldn't quite understand. She lifted her head, stared at Viktor, and asked, "But… what about that mirror?"
"It's already been destroyed by me."
Viktor's voice was calm, without the slightest ripple.
"Don't worry. You won't run into anything like that again."
Liya turned her head and looked at Viktor in confusion.
"Can I really… feel at ease?"
Suddenly, Viktor reached out with one hand.
He gently placed it on top of Liya's head and stroked it back and forth.
"From now on, I'll live with you in Blayston."
"I'll resign from my position as a professor."
Liya looked at Viktor, her eyes filled with a bit more emotion.
"Viktor, you…"
Viktor lowered his head and looked at her.
Liya stared at his eyes in a daze and asked, "Can you… hug me?"
Viktor calmly nodded, "If that's your request, then yes."
Then, he opened his arms.
Liya's cheeks were slightly flushed, but she still threw herself into Viktor's embrace, burying her head in his chest, her arms wrapping around his back.
And then…
Pshhk!
A large mouthful of blood burst from the corner of Viktor's lips.
His eyes were filled with shock as he lowered his head and looked at Liya.
But he couldn't see her expression.
Liya buried her face in his chest. At some point, a dagger had appeared in her right hand.
The cold gleam of the blade stabbed brutally into Viktor's back.
Then, Liya pulled the dagger out, its cold edge stained with blood.
Pshhk!
Another vicious stab.
An astonishing amount of blood erupted from Viktor's chest, pouring out violently under gravity.
The scalding blood splashed onto the ground, soaking the entire grassland.
Viktor was utterly incredulous. He looked at Liya, his mouth opening, but he couldn't say a single word.
Only his lips moved, but Liya could see it clearly...
'Why…'
Thud!
Liya coldly watched Viktor collapse to the ground.
Her cheeks were splattered with blood, her arms and clothes dyed red as well.
Yet she showed no emotion. She bent down and placed the dagger on the ground, right in front of Viktor.
Looking at the dead-eyed "Viktor," Liya's voice sounded flat, "You should never have."
"Never, ever."
"Let 'Viktor' treat me that well."
The surrounding scene shattered once more, gradually peeling away.
And this time, the scenery changed again.
Liya stood outside the door of the study.
In her hand was the contract she was meant to give to Viktor.
This was the contract she and Gwen had drafted for Viktor's appointment as a professor at the Royal Academy of Magic, after pulling many strings.
The purpose was to have the academy protect Viktor and suppress the attention surrounding his harassment of a duke's daughter.
Liya took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the study.
Viktor was sitting quietly at the desk, holding a book with both hands and reading.
Without lifting his head, sensing someone had arrived, he asked, "What is it?"
"Mm, something very important."
Liya tore the contract in her hand to pieces.
From her sleeve, a dagger slipped out.
She gripped the dagger and smiled as she looked at the "Viktor" in front of her.
"I'm here to take your life."
———
In the pitch-black void.
Countless smooth mirrors surrounded Viktor from all sides.
Every one of those mirrors perfectly reflected his figure.
Through repeated reflections, it felt as if, in an instant, tens of thousands of him were all looking at himself.
Viktor stood there with his hands in his pockets, as if he were in a maze of mirrors.
"Want to make a bet?"
The voice of "Viktor" came from within the mirrors.
Viktor narrowed his eyes, looking at the versions of himself in the mirrors that were making the same movements as him.
"Using my face and voice to imitate me."
"You disgust me."
But Viktor's words did not make the mirror feel ashamed at all. Instead, the laughter belonging to "Viktor" continued to ring out, "So what? You can't kill me."
"I am a mirror. As long as there is light being reflected, I will not die."
"Even your father couldn't destroy me."
As he finished speaking, countless "Viktors" stepped out from the surrounding mirrors.
They were all wearing the same black trench coat, all with their hands in their pockets, but each wore a different expression.
Mockery, joy, sorrow, anger…
"So, come and make a bet with me."
"As long as you win, I'll let you all go and leave this place."
Viktor's expression remained extremely calm, unmoved.
"You mean, returning to reality?"
"Of course."
The "Viktor" in the mirror crossed his arms and nodded.
"Although I don't know how you got in, if you lose, then..."
The "Viktors" grinned, their smiles wild.
"I want you all to stay here forever."
"To be forgotten by everyone, for all eternity."
Viktor let out a light chuckle and said calmly, "You think you've already won?"
The "Viktors" straightened their expressions, making the same movements and expressions as Viktor.
"Right now, your sister is in the world I created for her, killing one you after another."
"She believes that everything here is fake."
As he said this, the "Viktors'" gazes shifted forward.
All the scenery around them changed again, once more becoming the massive backyard of the Cravenna estate.
But the difference was that dozens of Viktors stood in the same place.
Viktor looked at the surroundings, then heard a voice ring out, "Look forward to it, look forward to your sister finding the real you."
"But don't let her really kill you."
The mirror's sharp laughter echoed, full of snickers and cackles.
Then, Liya appeared in front of Viktor.
Her entire body was covered in red blood.
Blood belonging to who knew how many dead Viktors.
She looked at the dozens of Viktors before her and almost instinctively raised the dagger.
Very soon, Liya walked up to those Viktors.
They seemed completely unresistant, allowing Liya to slit their throats one by one.
One, two, three…
As the "Viktors" gradually fell, Liya finally came to Viktor himself.
Without the slightest hesitation, she aimed the dagger at Viktor's face and brought it down hard.
But Viktor didn't even blink.
At the instant the dagger was about to touch Viktor's body, Liya's hand stopped.
Clang!
The dagger fell to the ground.
Her gaze met Viktor's.
There was a bit more gentleness in her eyes.
"Brother…"
"I found you."
Crack!
Almost at the exact moment her words fell.
Liya's body began to fall apart, like the surface of a mirror.
The next second, the entire world shattered once again.
The surrounding scenery retreated back into pitch-black nothingness.
Viktor calmly turned around, his gaze landing on the huge mirror before him.
Those two eyes filled with purple light lowered themselves, looking at Viktor.
"What a rare sight. How exactly did she recognize you?"
The mirror spoke with a tone as if it had everything under control. Even though it had lost the bet, it showed no panic at all.
"But according to our wager, I already let her return to reality."
"So? I'm a very trustworthy mirror, aren't I?"
Its dark eyes narrowed slightly, light flickering constantly within them.
"However, I've gone back on half of it."
"Because now, I'm more interested in you."
The mirror sized Viktor up and then reflected his image on its surface.
"You know, people who enter the mirror, unless they leave it and return to reality..."
"Otherwise, all of their memories of existing in reality will be erased."
The mirror split its mouth open and laughed without restraint.
"Viktor, now, you've been forgotten by everyone."
It laughed wildly, as if witnessing something incredibly amusing.
But suddenly, its laughter stopped abruptly, along with Viktor's voice.
"Murray Dim. I believe I've got your name right."
The instant the mirror heard that name, it froze in place.
Viktor stood there with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm very glad you only sent Liya back to reality."
"Because now, there are only the two of us left here."
Suddenly, the aura around him surged violently.
Like a ferocious beast slowly opening its eyes and staring at its fragile prey.
A terrifying presence turned into a massive wave, completely swallowing this void.
At that instant, three differently colored stripes appeared on Viktor's trench coat.
Red, white, and green, three colors intertwined together.
Terrifying natural energy erupted, as if it were going to fill the entire world.
As the wind filled the space, the surroundings began to grow scorching hot.
From the void's ground, new sprouts grew out of nothing, flooding the entire world.
At some point, Viktor was already standing in the air.
Behind him, three colossal beasts appeared in midair, terrifying as if they reached the heavens.
Their entire forms were wrapped in energy of three different colors.
Their gazes followed Viktor's, locking firmly onto the enormous mirror in front of them.
The pressure continued to intensify, and the mirror's massive surface even began to tremble.
Crack!
Under this overwhelming pressure, a corner of the mirror shattered.
Viktor stood in the air and reached forward with one hand.
Urust appeared in his grasp, tightly held.
From the tip of the wooden staff, powerful and terrifyingly heavy magic poured out.
In front of Viktor, the mirror's long health bar and level suddenly appeared.
[Lv50]
Viktor's eyes shone with an otherworldly light in the dark void, like a demon god descending.
"Now, let's stop holding back."
"Let's have some real fun."