Chapter 204: Shattered All Over the Floor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 204: Shattered All Over the Floor
Xie Bai looked at the dazed Gailoster and tossed out a casual remark.
"When Dome Academy hosts the Alliance Tournament, remember to come and watch. I’ll be waiting for you there."
With that, she vanished from the spot, leaving Gailoster standing alone, bewildered in the wind.
*
The Assassin Association.
Within a certain hidden space, the leader of the Assassin Association sat at his desk, brooding over his next move.
"The top-ranked Dim Snake Eye is missing, status unknown. The second-ranked Press is confirmed dead. The other slayers and assassins also perished in that previous mission involving Dim Snake Eye..."
He pushed the intelligence reports aside and pulled out a purple file.
"At this point, it seems the only one left who can interfere in the Alliance Tournament is this person—a high-potential assassin who was struck from the records just over a month ago..."
"Cecilia?"
"Yes. If we can recall her, we can arrange our pawns for the tournament..."
Wait.
The Assassin Leader whipped his head around.
A petite, white-haired loli was suddenly standing right in front of him.
"Who are you?! How did you get in—"
Before he could finish, a scythe was already pressed against his throat.
"So, it looks like you're the boss of this Assassin Association. Hmm... you seem to be a bit short-handed lately. How about this? If you're willing to submit to me, I'll have Cecilia come back and take over the association. What do you think?"
Faced with her demand, the Assassin Leader instinctively protested.
"How is that possible? Letting a recently returned, expelled assassin take over the association... how can you even say that—"
The blade pressed a fraction closer to his neck.
"Oh? You seem quite reluctant. Is it Cecilia you're reluctant about, or is it me?"
*
A short while later, Xie Bai officially returned to Dome Academy.
In a remarkably short span of time, she had just finished sweeping through every hidden power within the borders of the Eastern Alliance.
This included, but was not limited to, the Assassin Association, which gathered the world's top experts; the Rose Chamber of Commerce, which controlled half the Alliance's wealth; and the Gray Chessboard, which manipulated politics across various territories...
Xie Bai had subjugated them all in one fell swoop.
If there were any who stubbornly refused to comply, she simply used "physical means" to replace them with someone more obedient.
Aside from the Wheel of Fate, which remained hidden in the shadows, Xie Bai had essentially brought the entire Eastern Alliance under her thumb.
Barring any accidents, as soon as Xie Bai established her own branch of the Wheel of Fate here, she could directly announce the unification of the Eastern Alliance and proceed to reclaim the other regions of the Western Continent.
"Speaking of which, are Gamie and the others still climbing the tower with Julius?"
With that thought, Xie Bai arrived at the first floor of the Dome Tower.
Just as she was about to sense the location of the Two Little Ones and head straight up, a voice called out from beside her.
"Um... little junior sister, are you here to climb the tower too?"
Hearing the voice, Xie Bai turned and looked around.
She didn't see anyone at first.
Finally, she spotted a student lying on the floor about two meters away.
"Take a senior's advice: don't try to climb the tower lately. There are three insanely overpowered freaks currently tearing through the floors. One of them has already climbed thousands of levels—it's terrifying! Right now, even the teachers can't beat the monsters on the first floor!"
As he spoke, the student pointed to a "corpse" lying face-down nearby.
"See? That's my teacher. He hasn't woken up yet."
Seeing the student sprawled on the ground giving her advice, Xie Bai nodded and offered a gentle smile.
"Alright, thank you for the warning, Senior."
As she spoke, she looked at the trial monster lumbering toward her and casually cast Funeral Rites.
Swish—!
In an instant, the five-meter-tall trial monster was hacked into fine pieces by the Funeral Rites.
Watching Xie Bai effortlessly slay the monster and leave the first floor, the student blinked.
"Huh?"
*
The 9999th floor of the Dome Tower.
After slaughtering his way through the previous 9998 floors, Julius had finally arrived here.
He was now only one step away from the summit.
The Two Little Ones sat on Julius's shoulders, helping him read the rules.
"There is only one trial monster here. It will manifest based on the existence the challenger perceives as the most difficult to overcome, replicating at least eighty percent of their strength."
"Big Brother, what existence do you find most difficult in your heart?"
Faced with the question from the Two Little Ones, Julius thought it over carefully.
"As for that..."
Before he could speak, the trial monster in the distance began to shift its form.
After several contortions, the monster's body grew smaller and smaller, and it began to manifest a scythe...
Splat!
The trial monster exploded.
It shattered into fragments that scattered all over the floor.
Evidently, the existence it had been trying to manifest far exceeded the limits of the Dome Tower.
Left with no choice, the Dome Tower had been forced to terminate the trial monster.
Faced with this sight, Gamie was a bit at a loss.
"Does this count as us passing?"
"Hmm, it doesn't look like it yet."
Little Gamie pointed to the final line of the rules:
"If the existence the challenger finds most difficult cannot be manifested, the trial will switch to the second most difficult existence and manifest again."
At that moment, the debris in the distance began to reconvene, forming a pitch-black figure.
"The Cult Leader?"
Julius stared at the figure before him, stunned.
"The Dome Tower can even replicate the Cult Leader...?"
Sensing Julius's hesitation, the Two Little Ones asked in confusion.
"What's wrong? Can't you beat him?"
"That shouldn't be right. The aura on him isn't even as strong as yours. Besides, that greatsword in your hand is an Angel's weapon."
Julius shook his head.
"No, it's not a matter of strength. It's just that... facing the Cult Leader, I can't bring myself to strike."
The Two Little Ones were both stunned.
"Huh? Why?"
"It's just a mimicry, surely it's not that serious?"
In response to their questions, Julius explained.
"When I was very young, the small country I lived in was razed to the ground by the Aodu Empire's artillery because we resisted to the death. My home was destroyed then."
He paused for a moment.
"Later, it was the Cult Leader who pulled my three-year-old self from the ruins and took me in when I had nowhere to go. He was the one who taught me my principles."
Hearing this, the Two Little Ones felt conflicted.
"I see... then what should we do? we've worked so hard to get here."
"We're only one step away... Hey, can we help you with the challenge?"
"That..."
Just as Julius was hesitating, an afterimage flashed before his eyes.
Swish—!
Before he could react, the trial monster in the distance was hacked into fine pieces by a scythe, turning into a puddle of sludge that sank into the floor.
The scythe spun in a wide arc before being caught by a white-haired loli.
"How is it? Are you all alright?"
Seeing that the newcomer was Xie Bai, the Two Little Ones immediately jumped down from Julius.
"Sister Xiaobai!"
"You're finally back!"
The Two Little Ones swarmed around Xie Bai.
"Loosen up a bit, don't hug me so tight..."
After pushing the two of them back slightly, Xie Bai looked at Julius.
"Um... you don't mind that I killed that mimicry, do you?"
Faced with Xie Bai's question, Julius shook his head.
"No. I just feel a bit disappointed that I couldn't bring myself to act... even though it was just a mimicry."
He looked up.
"If one day, due to some unavoidable circumstance, I have to face the Cult Leader in person... what should I do then?"