Strongest Existence Becomes Teacher

Selene remained kneeling on the cold floor.

Her clothes were stained with blood and dust, tears streaming endlessly down her face as she cradled Jax's motionless body in her lap. The hole through his chest remained, a silent reminder of what had happened only moments ago.

She looked up at the man standing before her.

"...Professor..."

Her voice trembled.

"Please..."

"Answer me."

"Why did you kill Jax...?"

Zane simply looked down at her.

Silent.

His expression revealed nothing.

The underground hall became eerily quiet.

Then...

Crack.

A faint crimson line appeared across Jax's leg.

Selene blinked.

"...Huh?"

Another crack spread.

Then another.

Like fragile porcelain breaking apart, glowing red fissures rapidly crawled across Jax's body.

His legs slowly began turning into fine ash.

"N-No..."

Selene's breathing became hurried.

"No!"

The disintegration continued climbing upward.

She instinctively held him tighter, as though doing so could stop his body from disappearing.

Zane watched the scene for a few seconds before speaking.

"...Selene."

"Back away from that."

She immediately glared at him, tears still falling.

"What are you saying?!"

Zane sighed softly.

"Calm down, kid."

"He isn't the real Jax."

Selene froze.

"...What?"

"He was nothing more than a genetically modified clone."

"...A clone?"

She looked back at the body in disbelief.

Zane nodded.

"Oh... right."

"You probably don't understand scientific terms."

He pointed toward the disintegrating body.

"It simply means he's an artificial copy of the original."

"His body was altered in various ways."

Selene's eyes slowly widened.

"...Then..."

"The real Jax..."

"...is alive?"

"He should be."

Zane nodded toward the small locator hanging from her waist.

"Look at your Jax locator."

"If I'm right..."

"It should still be showing his location."

Selene instinctively reached for it.

Her fingers stopped halfway.

She looked back down instead.

The clone continued crumbling away in her lap.

Even after learning the truth...

Even knowing this wasn't the real Jax...

Watching him disappear still hurt.

"...Why..."

Her voice was barely audible.

"...Why would anyone do something like this...?"

Zane shifted his gaze toward one of the hallways.

A faint smile crossed his lips.

"...Here they come."

Selene didn't even notice.

She continued staring at the ashes forming in her lap.

"...Why would that woman do this...?"

A calm feminine voice answered her question.

"You mean creating that experiment..."

"...or hiding the real Jax from you?"

Both Selene and Zane looked toward the corridor.

Clack.

Clack.

A woman slowly walked into the hall.

Behind her stood another demon.

Clara calmly stopped a short distance away, her eyes briefly sweeping across the pile of ashes before settling on Zane.

"What do we have here..."

A pleasant smile appeared on her face.

"It seems you've already arrived, gentleman."

"I was just about to come meet you."

Zane returned the smile as naturally as if they were meeting at a formal banquet.

"Well..."

"What can I say?"

"A gentleman can't keep such a lovely lady waiting."

Clara covered her mouth with a soft laugh.

"Oh my."

"You're quite the flirt, Mister."

"But unfortunately..."

"I'm already a married woman."

"What a shame."

Zane lightly shrugged.

"Then I'm disappointed."

He paused for a moment.

"...Though, to be honest, I'm disappointed by something else as well."

Clara placed a hand against her cheek, making an exaggerated expression of concern.

"Oh?"

"And what could I possibly have done to upset you so much?"

Zane's smile never disappeared.

"Oh, nothing much."

"Just kidnapping my student..."

"...and capturing an acquaintance from Astralis Arcanum to perform your rather pathetic little experiments."

His purple eyes met Clara's.

"I have to admit..."

"That part really upset me."

Clara's smile never faltered.

"Oh, please calm down, Mister." She lightly waved her hand as though Zane's accusation wasn't worth getting upset over. "I'm sure we can sit down with a drink and discuss everything peacefully."

Her golden eyes rested on him.

"Who knows... perhaps you might even help us achieve our goal."

"...Saving the world."

A faint silence followed before she continued.

"You're Zane Creed... the World's Saviour."

"I investigated you, Mister. I've heard quite a lot about your work, especially how you saved the Dwarven Academy."

Zane smiled.

"Investigated me?"

He tilted his head slightly.

"You mean those creepy fellows that have been following me and my student ever since we entered the capital?"

His eyes drifted toward the ceiling.

"They're still here."

"And..."

He lazily pointed his finger toward a dark corner of the hall.

"...right there."

For the first time, Clara's composure cracked ever so slightly.

A tiny bead of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"...So you found them."

She quickly regained her smile.

"You're surprisingly aware of your surroundings."

The demon standing silently behind her finally spoke.

His expression never changed.

"...Perhaps we should move from here."

Clara gave a small nod before looking back at Zane.

"Shall we go, Mister Zane?"

Before Zane could answer—

"SHUT UP!!"

Selene's voice echoed throughout the hall.

Both Clara and Zane turned toward her.

She had slowly risen to her feet, tears still staining her swollen eyes. Her body trembled from exhaustion, yet she stubbornly glared at Clara.

"Professor..."

"Don't listen to that woman."

Then she pointed directly at Clara.

"And you..."

Her voice shook with anger.

"Give me..."

"My Jax!!"

Before another word could leave her mouth—

A sharp pain shot through the back of her neck.

"...!"

Her vision blurred instantly.

Darkness swallowed everything around her.

The last thing Selene saw was Zane standing where he always had been.

Then...

Her body collapsed.

Just before she could hit the ground—

Snap.

Zane casually snapped his fingers.

A soft blue mana bubble quietly formed around Selene, gently catching her unconscious body before it touched the floor.

The bubble slowly floated upward.

Moments later...

It vanished from the underground hall.

Only Zane, Clara, and the silent demon remained.

Zane slipped both hands into his pockets as though nothing unusual had happened.

"Shall we go?"

Clara looked at the empty space where Selene had disappeared before smiling once again.

The tiny bead of sweat was still visible on her forehead.

"...Sure."

"Why not?"

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