Chapter 488: The Self in the Mirror
At this moment, Zoey no longer had that cold, mechanical feeling.
Instead, she had become an officer with a perfect divine body. She respectfully handed Aiden the scepter that represented the ruler of the Abyss.
Below the throne, Eira, the Empress of the Great Shaw Empire, lowered her proud head.
James, Atlas, and the other Venerables pressed their foreheads tightly against the cold stone floor.
Even Faye, the Heaven-Devouring Mystic Dragon who usually looked down on everything, had become a gentle maid. She obediently knelt beside the throne and poured wine for him.
"Aiden, all of this should have been yours."
In the void, a tempting voice exploded deep inside Aiden’s soul.
"As long as you nod, this will be the future you deserve."
"You are ten thousand times stronger than the real you."
"Why keep struggling so hard? Accept this perfect version of yourself, and you will become the one and only God-Emperor!"
The voice carried a force of rules that was almost impossible to resist. It tried madly to merge into Aiden’s soul.
For a brief moment, Aiden’s eyes became dazed.
Yes.
If he chose this path, he would have supreme power. Everyone would bow to him.
He could have been far stronger than he was now.
A seed called "superiority" seemed ready to quietly sprout in his heart.
But just as that feeling was about to be born, a bone-chilling cold suddenly came from Aiden’s palm.
It was the Ice Crystal Cheryl had given him.
The freezing Force of Laws struck the depths of his soul like a heavy hammer.
Aiden’s whole body trembled, and his double pupils instantly became completely clear again.
Images flashed through his mind.
He saw Cheryl pushing the crystal into his hand, her clear eyes filled with stubbornness and worry.
He saw Zoey in Celestial Imperial City, her data streams flashing wildly as she anxiously called his name.
He saw Bella standing in the snowstorm, dressed in white, softly saying to him, "There are people here worth protecting."
He saw Faye lowering her head, her golden dragon eyes full of sincerity, quietly thanking him.
These scenes did not have the grandeur of a divine palace.
They did not have millions of people worshiping him.
But they were real.
They had warmth. They had bonds. They were people who truly existed.
"Fake things are still fake in the end."
Aiden tightened his grip on the Ice Crystal, and a cold smile curved his lips.
"I don’t need to become a god worshiped by millions."
Aiden slowly stood up from the Nine-Dragon Divine Throne.
A bright silver-white divine light burst from his double pupils.
"I only need these real people to be safe and sound. That is enough!"
Boom!
The violent Law of Space turned into countless invisible blades and rushed out of Aiden’s body like a storm.
The golden divine palace, the millions of soldiers, and the Nine-Dragon Divine Throne all shattered like broken mirrors in an instant.
The first illusion was broken!
As the illusion shattered, the raging wind inside the Mirror Abyss suddenly went still.
But before Aiden could breathe a sigh of relief, the mirrors around him began to twist strangely again.
This time, Aiden’s reflection did not appear in the mirrors.
Instead, what they reflected was Celestial Imperial City, peaceful and beautiful like heaven, filled with birdsong and blooming flowers.
The crisis of the Great Shaw Empire had already been resolved.
The Golden Great Wall shone with an eternal light.
Cheryl laughed among a sea of flowers.
Bella played the zither under the moonlight.
Faye flew freely through the sky.
On everyone’s face was a happiness and peace that Aiden had never seen before.
But the one standing beside them and protecting them was not Aiden.
It was a mighty god wearing nine-colored divine feathers, his whole body shining with a light so bright that no one could look straight at him.
His face, his presence, and his power were all perfect.
He was far beyond the current Aiden.
With a gentleness almost like that of a creator, he sheltered Celestial Imperial City beneath his wings.
He did everything better than Aiden.
More perfectly.
He did not allow anyone to suffer even the slightest harm.
"Look..."
From deep within the Mirror Abyss, that strange voice sounded again, carrying a hint of mockery and pity.
"You are not the only choice."
"Without you, they would live better. They would be safer."
"Someone else is more suited for this place than you."
"You are nothing but an unnecessary burden."
A bitterness and anger unlike anything he had felt before began to spread wildly through Aiden’s heart, mixed with a twisted desire.
It was jealousy.
...
Inside the mirror, that perfect nine-colored god gave off a light no one could look at directly.
He was gently stroking Cheryl’s hair, his touch as careful as if he were touching the most precious porcelain in the world.
Kelsey, the princess of the Great Shaw Empire, giggled in his arms.
It was a pure, innocent laugh Aiden had never seen before, without the slightest trace of sadness.
Even Zoey, who had always been cold and filled with flowing data streams, now showed a look in her eyes that Aiden had never seen before.
Worship.
Absolute peace.
That warmth, that flawless happiness, was like poisoned steel needles stabbing deep into Aiden’s heart.
"You are only an unnecessary burden."
The voice from deep within the Mirror Abyss buzzed through the void, thick with malice.
"Admit it. You don’t deserve them at all."
"No matter how hard you try, all you bring them is disaster and danger."
"But he can give them absolute safety and eternal protection."
"So why don’t you disappear?"
Aiden’s breathing slowly grew heavy.
The violent Law of Space surged and tore through his palm, but he still could not release it.
Because if he smashed the mirror with this punch, it would feel like he was simply jealous of that perfect version of himself.
Jealous of the person who could give them happiness.
Jealousy.
It was anger born from helplessness.
It was a deep hatred of his own weakness.
Aiden’s double pupils trembled slightly, and veins bulged at the corners of his eyes.
"I’m not as good as him..."
"I’m the worst choice..."
This feeling of self-denial turned into black mist.
It slipped through the cracks of the Ice Crystal and rushed wildly into the depths of his soul.
But just as Aiden was about to be swallowed by the black mist, a flash of lightning suddenly cut through his mind.
"No."
Aiden’s voice was hoarse, but it was deep like rolling thunder.
It exploded through the silent Mirror Abyss.
"The first illusion showed me that ’I am stronger than everyone.’ It wanted me to drown in the pride of standing above all others."
"The second illusion showed me that ’someone is more perfect than me.’ It wanted me to fall into self-denial and believe I am worse than others."
In Aiden’s double pupils, black and white light began to twist together wildly, shining as bright as day.
"I understand now."
He raised his head and looked straight at the mirror reflecting the perfect god. A cold smile curved his lips.
"Jealousy has never been one-sided."
"It has two directions."
"Looking down, it becomes arrogance and a sense of superiority-’none of you are as good as me.’ And once someone catches up, jealousy turns into the urge to destroy them."
"Looking up, it becomes insecurity and desire-’why am I not as good as him?’ Then it drags a person into endless doubt and hatred toward himself."
"These two illusions are two sides of the same thing. Both of them are your way of trying to shake my spiritual resolve!"
The strange voice deep within the Mirror Abyss suddenly fell silent.
The countless mirrors around him began to make a sharp grinding sound, as if some hidden rule had been seen through.
Aiden closed his eyes.
He no longer tried to use the Law of Space to tear apart the illusion before him.
Instead, he slowly opened his arms.
"Since they are both me, then come."
Boom!
From the first illusion, the "invincible Aiden" stepped out of the broken void.
He was covered in nine-colored divine light and stood upon countless Demon Gods.
From the second illusion, the flawless "perfect god" who protected Celestial Imperial City also slowly walked out of the mirror.
Two terrifying pressures, strong enough to destroy gods, locked onto Aiden at the same time.
One on the left.
One on the right.
One was extreme arrogance.
The other was extreme insecurity.
If it were anyone else, their soul would have been torn to pieces in an instant under the attack of these two forces.
But Aiden only stood there calmly, his robe snapping loudly in the wild wind.
"Maybe someone is stronger than me."
Aiden opened his double pupils. His voice was calm, without the slightest ripple.
"Maybe my future self can become stronger."
"Both of those things are true."
"So what?"
The corner of Aiden’s mouth lifted slightly, showing complete confidence.
"I am who I am right now."
"I do not look up with jealousy, because I have my own path to walk."
"I do not look down with arrogance, because I know where I came from."
"The current me is not perfect. I am not strong enough yet. But every step I take is real."
At that moment, the Law of Space inside Aiden and the strength of his soul began to rise wildly, even without a lightning tribulation.
It was the deepest rise of the soul after truly understanding oneself.
"Go back."
Aiden calmly spoke those two words.
Buzz-
There was no earth-shaking explosion.
Only a strange and mysterious ripple spread out from beneath Aiden’s feet.
The "invincible Aiden" disappeared.
The "perfect Aiden" melted away as well.
The two completely opposite powers of jealousy melted like snow before Aiden’s spotless spiritual resolve.
Rumble!
From the deepest part of the Mirror Abyss, a dull and heavy roar suddenly rang out.
The entire void began to shake violently, as if some huge being was trembling in fear.
It was the true body of the Pillar of Jealousy, now furious!
Since the birth of the Mirror Abyss, countless powerful beings had stepped into this place. All of them had been tortured by these two layers of jealousy until their Inner Spirit was destroyed.
But today, this human had used the simplest and most forceful way to completely crush the two-sided nature of jealousy under his feet.
Crack.
In front of Aiden, the ancient mirrors that had seemed impossible to break began to split with spiderweb-like cracks.
"The Pillar of Jealousy is nothing special."
Aiden let out a cold snort and stepped forward, continuing toward the deepest part of the Mirror Abyss.
With every step he took, a group of mirrors in the void shattered, turning into shining dust that filled the air.
At that moment, the might of a god was fully revealed.