"An entire world where magic is all item-based…?"
Shane pinched his chin, thinking.
He was starting to understand why Jellal's reaction had been so extreme.
"So… does that mean the 'me' in your world is some kind of violent criminal who does every evil thing under the sun?"
"No. That's already beyond the category of 'evil human.'"
"That thing over there—mind and body alike—has become a complete evil dragon."
Shane's question dragged Jellal into unpleasant memories, but he still corrected him.
As he spoke, he flicked his staff. The air hummed, and a dim magical projection formed out of nowhere—
A monster with massive black wings, its body covered in chilling scales. Only the vague outline of a human face on its head carried a horrifyingly familiar resemblance.
"It seems that because of differences between worlds, even if two worlds share the same 'flower,' the soil is different—so the fruit they bear often ends up completely different."
Jellal paused, his gaze sweeping over Shane.
The boy in front of him stood loose and relaxed, looking lazy and unbothered even in the wilderness.
Jellal carefully chose his words. "Like you—seems like you don't cling to life much. You just live however you please. But the Shane over there…"
"He's a lunatic who's pursued the absolute pinnacle of magic and power so obsessively he's basically gone insane."
"…Uh…"
Shane's mouth twitched. Even though it was phrased politely, he still felt looked down on.
So what, you're saying I'm not ambitious enough?
And also—if that guy is a dragon, how did you mistake him for me when I'm clearly human?
Annoyed, he shifted a couple of steps sideways—and immediately ran into Ultear's black eyes, half-smiling.
The "watching a show" smugness in them was practically overflowing.
Shane's face darkened. He reached out and poked the soft spot at her waist, not hard, not gentle. "You've been laughing this whole time—aren't you done yet?"
Ultear shuddered at the poke but didn't dodge.
She tilted her head and shot him a look that basically said: You're the one who kept mocking me for not smiling. Now I'm smiling and you have a problem?
Jellal didn't notice the undercurrent between them at all. He was still deep in memories of his home.
"If he were just chasing power, that wouldn't be the issue. The problem is—his talent is way too abnormal."
"He's mastered archery. His swordsmanship is unmatched. He even has an incomparable talent for crafting magical tools."
"And the most terrifying part is: even with all that, he still demanded perfection from himself like a precision machine—ruthless and unwavering."
Ultear suddenly cut in, clearly paying back that poke with interest. "Sounds like he's a lot stronger than you."
Shane's temple twitched. He decided to go selectively deaf.
In his head, he counted: since Ultear had taken a hit for him earlier, he could tolerate about five more of her jabs.
"But… training hard by itself isn't necessarily wrong, right?" Shane tried to defend the "other him" a little.
Jellal shook his head. "Not before, no. But recently…"
"That Shane stormed the royal capital alone and forcibly seized our world's ultimate weapon—Dormā Anim."
"It's the legendary dragon armament. It's supposed to need the combined magic of the entire world to activate… but I don't know what he did. He modified it."
"He not only powered it by himself—he implanted the core into his own body and fused with it."
"After that, to sustain that power, the him who'd begun to assimilate with Dormā started instinctively stealing magic from our already-barren world…"
As Jellal spoke, Shane's expression grew darker and darker.
I'm human; he's a dragon. I live lazy; he's insanely driven. My magic aptitude is awful; his is monstrous. I've got the Book of Heroic Spirits; he turned himself into a dragon by sheer will—
It all matched. Completely opposite.
Hearing Jellal's description, Shane rubbed his face hard and grumbled internally.
So he used to look like me, and then just… stopped being human?
That level of "sacrifice your species for power" insanity—yeah, that's deranged. Even I'll admit I can't compete.
Then Shane thought of something and asked, "So you fled to this world because he drained your world's magic and now he's come here for ours too?"
Jellal gave an awkward laugh. "No, it's not that. That's a different matter."
More enemies? Shane's brows rose. That world really was a mess—nothing like the relatively peaceful Ishgar.
Maybe that's another kind of "opposite world" thing.
No wonder Jellal hated him so deeply.
If someone smashed your livelihood and tried to burn down your home, you'd want to tear them apart too.
"Anyway," Shane pulled his thoughts back and looked at Jellal, "you have a way to cross between worlds, right?"
Jellal nodded reflexively.
"Good. If the road's open, then this is easy."
Shane's lips curled up. He stepped forward and clapped Jellal on the shoulder like they were old buddies, flashing an impossibly bright, sunny grin. "Then what are we waiting for? Time's wasting—let's go!"
Smack.
That pat was like flipping a high-voltage switch.
Jellal jolted like he'd been shocked, clutching Wendy as he sprang backward in pure reflex. He retreated several meters before he could stop.
"Sorry," Jellal said, face pale. "Seeing that face up close… I physically can't handle it."
Shane's hand hung in the air, awkward.
That dramatic? What did the evil-dragon Shane do to this guy for the trauma to be this massive?
Once he'd put a little more distance between them, Edolas Jellal patted his own chest and finally asked the obvious question.
"You said 'go'? Go where?"
"Do I seriously have to spell it out?" Shane rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger at the empty air behind Jellal, his eyes burning with rare determination. "To your world, obviously—so I can beat the hell out of that obnoxious bastard!"
Besides his instinctive dislike of a "tryhard" version of himself, Shane also saw something deeper:
Archery, swordplay, magical-tool crafting, dragonization…
That "evil dragon Shane" had a terrifyingly similar build to his own.
If he could see that dragon form up close, maybe he could get a clue about the Lancer's true name.
"Sorry—no."
But instead of being moved, Jellal looked horrified. He backed up again with Wendy, like he'd just heard the scariest thing imaginable.
"Our world can't survive two Shanes!"
He spoke fast, clearly terrified Shane might impulsively follow him. "And about attacking you earlier—I'm truly sorry! If you're still angry, I'll compensate you another time!"
Before Shane could respond, Jellal swiftly adjusted his grip and secured the sleeping Wendy on his back.
"I have urgent business. I'll be going!"
And before Shane could say a single word, Jellal became a blur—vanishing from sight at a runaway, escaping-for-his-life speed.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!