Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Blue Lightning Hero
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“Guh?!”
Rekkaros hurriedly swung his sword to deflect the holy sword. And in that instant, Cheon-ho had already kicked off the ground for his second leap.
[My liege!]
Mitra called out to Cheon-ho. But there was no resentment in her voice. Instead, it was filled with joy.
In midair.
Cheon-ho twisted his body. He unleashed the power he had been condensing ever since Eliel’s flight began.
Four Guardian Kings Martial Arts.
Virupaksha’s Palm.
Thunder Gathering.
He gathered the thunder. He poured in nearly all of his remaining internal energy.
It all condensed in his right leg.
Rekkaros lifted his head to look at Cheon-ho. But instead of striking the bastard’s head, Cheon-ho smashed down at the empty air. He unleashed the thunder!?
Four Guardian Kings Martial Arts.
Dhritarashtra’s Palm.
Lightning Drop.
Originally, it was a fast, heavy downward strike meant to smash an enemy’s head.
But this time, he truly dropped lightning. He poured thunderbolts from the sky down to the earth!
Kwarung!
A blue bolt of lightning struck Rekkaros’s head.
It was a powerful bolt. Moreover, Rekkaros was not in a normal state right now.
“Grahhh!”
His skin was soaked with water, making his electrical resistance extremely low. The blue lightning pierced through the jade-green energy and coursed through Rekkaros’s entire body.
Rekkaros collapsed. Unable to withstand the single blow, he dropped to his knees and then fell flat on the spot.
“Woooahhh!”
“Hero!”
“Blue lightning!”
It happened on the open rooftop.
Everyone on the battlefield had seen the blue lightning. The mountain folk let out a massive cheer that shook the entire field.
The Spears of Light did not stay idle either.
Cheon-ho quickly checked the Spears of Light, then turned back to the front. The ratmen, who had been dazed, now fled in panic, and Cheon-ho picked up Mitra from where she had fallen to the ground.
He asked playfully.
“Satisfied this time?”
[Hmph. The ending was still no good.]
Mitra spoke haughtily, but anyone could tell she didn’t mean it.
She huffed a few more times before grinning and saying.
[Still, my liege, that final lightning was heroic and good.]
“You just said the ending was no good.”
[The very last part was good.]
Cheon-ho finally burst out laughing. He stroked Mitra’s golden gem wildly before recovering Rekkaros’s essence.
“Ooh…….”
It filled his empty dantian with power comparable to when he had absorbed Lucabronde’s essence. His dantian capacity had increased slightly as well.
“Whew.”
Letting out a long breath, Cheon-ho moved along the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the base of the tower. The ratmen who had witnessed Rekkaros’s death were busy fleeing, and the battle was effectively over.
So Cheon-ho spread his arms wide.
He waited happily.
“Hero!”
Lucille, flying toward him with her wings fully spread.
[You are too lewd, my liege.]
Instead of denying Mitra’s words, Cheon-ho tightly embraced Lucille as she threw herself into his arms. He felt once more that he was alive, that he had won again this time.
“Woooahhh!”
“Ooooh!”
Cheers erupted again. Far off in the distance, Eizel was hopping around excitedly with squeals. Aurael shook her head helplessly and smiled.
A new hero’s legend beginning at the magic tower.
Cheon-ho closed his eyes.
He savored the moment.
* * *
[Lewd Lv5 experience has increased.]
[Hero’s Aura Lv1]
[Level up.]
[Thunder Lv3 has been achieved.]
[Four Guardian Kings Martial Arts Lv2 has been achieved.]
[Brave Lv4 has been achieved.]
[Wise Lv1 has been acquired.]
[Rekkaros’s essence has been acquired.]
[The mountain folk remember the new hero’s legend.]
[‘Blue Lightning Hero’ title has been acquired.]
[Blue Lightning Hero: The mountain folk praise you.]
[The Labyrinth World remembers your story.]
[Your stature has risen ever so slightly.]
[Lewd Lv5 experience has increased.]
[It’s nothing new at this point.]
“Ahem.”
Clearing his throat, Cheon-ho first released Lucille from his arms. Though they had won, it wasn’t a situation to be that leisurely.
Lucille knew that too. She hadn’t flown straight over just to hug him, after all.
“S-Senior’s coming. The queen too.”
Lucille said, her face flushing anew. It was because Cheon-ho in the mountain folk’s traditional attire still looked so out of place no matter how she looked at him.
The two cleared their throats and looked in the same direction. Sure enough, Raguel was flying over from afar, and Queen Lucana was riding on Saschiell’s back, heading straight for the rooftop.
“Gather the wounded!”
“Assemble by group! Don’t chase too deep!”
Warriors with colorful tattoos on their bodies raised their voices here and there.
The magic tower in the Wintertree Forest was certainly some distance from the capital, but not so far that it would take days to travel.
If word of the magic tower’s fall spread, enemy reinforcements might be dispatched from the capital, so it was best to report and retreat quickly.
‘It’s not a great spot for defense anyway.’
If it had been a fortress or castle walls, holding position might have been an option, but the magic tower was just a single tower standing on flat ground.
That was precisely why this attack had gone so smoothly from the start.
“Hero.”
“Hero.”
Raguel and Queen Lucana arrived on the rooftop. Both of their faces were quite flushed.
Queen Lucana in particular was in a state of great excitement.
“Blue Lightning Hero. To witness the recreation of the legend with my own eyes and live to tell of it—there is no greater joy. I shall engrave today’s events, and the legend you will continue onward, deeply in these eyes and pass them down.”
Queen Lucana’s manner of speech had changed. Instead of pointing it out, Cheon-ho smiled faintly and addressed the two, as well as Saschiell and Eliel who had approached.
“Let’s hurry. Be careful, there might still be enemies hiding inside the tower. Lucille?”
“Yes, Hero.”
At the final call, Lucille responded immediately. She took the Staff of Soul Summoning from her inventory and held it out to Cheon-ho.
“We can’t pinpoint the exact location where the tower lord died, but… it’s only been two days now. If you call her name from the rooftop, you should be able to summon her.”
“Huh, her?”
“Yes, Grace is her name.”
Queen Lucana said with a wistful smile. It seemed she and Tower Lord Grace were more than acquaintances.
Meanwhile, Cheon-ho unconsciously glanced at Mitra.
‘It really was a woman.’
[Ahem, did I not tell you?]
Mitra spoke pretentiously, but there was a hint of fluster. Cheon-ho skipped the chit-chat and got straight to the point.
“Then let’s begin.”
He had learned how to use the Staff of Soul Summoning several times on the way to the magic tower. With Rekkaros’s essence absorbed, his magic power was replenished too, so there were no issues.
Standing in the center of the rooftop, Cheon-ho struck the ground with the Staff of Soul Summoning and chanted the incantation. Though he had no affinity for magic, the soul summoning incantation was merely a trigger to activate the staff’s power, so he could use it without trouble.
“Grace.”
As he called her name softly, light gathered at the tip of the staff.
Not a bright and radiant light, but warm yet small and fragile lights.
Faint blue flickers like embers gathered bit by bit to form a large flame. And soon, it began to take the shape of a person.
A seductive beauty with long black hair.
Her red, flowing robe clung tightly to her body, clearly revealing its beautiful contours.
“Wow.”
To think she was a real beauty.
As Cheon-ho admired her, Mitra spoke in a low voice instead of acting pretentious.
[My liege, she is a ghost.]
Cheon-ho knew that. That made it all the sadder. Regardless of her beauty, she had lost her life just yesterday.
“Grace, do you recognize me?”
Queen Lucana stepped forward and called the tower lord’s name. The soul, who had been standing limply with a dazed expression, looked at Queen Lucana and immediately regained the light in her eyes.
“Lucana.”
Then she looked at herself. She let out a hollow laugh and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
“I see. So that’s how it is. I get it now. I died yesterday. You summoned my lingering thoughts with the Staff of Soul Summoning. My memories are coming back.”
She was a tower lord, after all. Moreover, she was a longtime friend who had shared fellowship with Queen Lucana for many years. She already knew about the Staff of Soul Summoning.
“You’re as quick on the uptake as ever. Allow me to introduce: the hero of this era, Park Cheon-ho, and the angels.”
“Hero?”
At Lucana’s introduction, Grace turned to Cheon-ho with a startled expression. Even in her ghostly state, she unconsciously scanned him up and down, and her cheeks flushed slightly. It seemed the mountain folk attire was the cause.
“Ahem, it’s an honor to meet you. I am Grace Elrimdoor, former tower lord.”
“I am Hero Park Cheon-ho.”
The awkward greetings had become quite familiar by now. Starting with Lucille and Raguel, the angels introduced themselves as well.
Once the introductions were done, Lucana continued.
“Grace, I’m sorry, but we don’t have much time.”
“Yes, the Staff of Soul Summoning has a time limit. And the reason you summoned me… I see. The power of the Healing God. Of course, with the Plague God’s energy grown this strong, the Healing God’s power is the only way out. The royal family… are there any survivors?”
Grace, who had been speaking rapidly on her own, grew dark-faced at the end as she asked. During the magic tower’s fall, the capital had been attacked too, so beyond simply wielding the Healing God’s power, she was worried about the royals’ safety.
“Princess Letisha and Prince Yug are safe.”
Queen Lucana’s answer was clear in its implications. Grace lost her expression for a moment but soon forced a smile.
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it is.”
After the brief exchange, Grace composed her expression once more. Looking down at the ground, she spoke to no one in particular.
“The statue of the Healing God and the secret rite are hidden in the middle floors. It’s not a very large space, so it’ll be hard for everyone to go together.”
“Then we’ll return to perimeter watch. Good luck with the rest.”
Saschiell, understanding Grace’s meaning immediately, left the rooftop with Eliel.
Grace smiled faintly.
“Then let’s head down while you brief me on the situation. I may be a dead body now… but I’ll be quite helpful.”
She was clearly forcing cheerfulness. Queen Lucana bit her lip, as if saddened by Grace’s attitude, but as they had said multiple times, time was short.
As if she had joined for this very purpose, Raguel explained the situation while descending, and Grace furrowed her brow.
“I see. Even the capital to that extent… And if rituals were being performed from the 1st floor to the 4th…….”
“Grace?”
At Queen Lucana’s call, Grace smiled bitterly before turning back to Cheon-ho and Raguel.
“I thought it was a bit strange.”
“Strange? What do you mean?”
As Queen Lucana pressed, Grace tilted her head slightly.
“What is their goal?”
“Grace?”
“From the Great Labyrinth’s depths to the upper layers… they’re steadily eroding this world. But so suddenly like this… According to the angels, why pour power into this fringe of the Great Labyrinth? Where did all these monsters come from, enough to sweep the capital and magic tower in one go?”
For better or worse, this was inside the Great Labyrinth. It was space occupied by the Demon God, and neither the Labyrinth World’s natives nor even the angels fully grasped its structure.
But there were still some limits.
Not dozens or hundreds like on the 1st or 2nd floors.
On the 3rd floor, thousands. Here on the 4th, easily over ten thousand, maybe twenty or even thirty thousand monsters—where had they suddenly appeared from?
“Tens of thousands. No matter how you split the forces, that many monsters gathering would be impossible to miss.”
Yet the capital, the magic tower, and the mountain folk had never anticipated this attack. As if tens of thousands of monsters had dropped from the sky.
“And the goal. Consistent from 1st to 4th floor. Build altars, erect statues, offer sacrifices. Spread the Plague God’s energy. Perform the ritual. And during the ritual, they prioritize defense over attack.”
So what did they gain from it?
Of course, it could be a grand plan to establish bases in the upper fringes and push toward the center bit by bit.
It wasn’t all that strange, really.
Monsters of the Great Labyrinth attacking the Labyrinth World’s natives was as natural as the sun rising in the east. That was why no one had thought it odd amid the ongoing clashes.
But after hearing Grace, a subtle sense of incongruity kept creeping in.
Raguel bit her lip slightly and explained.
“As for the energy… the Plague God’s energy and the deep-layer energy can strengthen monsters in and of themselves. An environment suited for survival, you could say. Deep-layer monsters can’t come to middle or upper layers to begin with because the farther they get from the depths, the weaker the deep-layer energy becomes…….”
That was as far as she got. Raguel suddenly shut her mouth, and Grace narrowed her eyes. Not just them—the same thought struck Cheon-ho, Lucille, and Queen Lucana as well.
It was a leap.
Lacking clear evidence. But it was possible. Not impossible.
Lucille spoke in a voice cracked with tension.
“The Plague God’s descent.”
Not just sending power.
The main body or an avatar descends. If that’s impossible, it sends mighty monsters that can only live in the depths to the upper layers.
In the upper layers, even 9th Rank Angels could move freely between floors with their stature.
In the middle layers, angels or heroes above a certain level had no trouble traversing floors.
But the depths were different.
Angels and heroes who went down to the depths couldn’t return to middle or upper layers freely. They had to brace for massive losses.
What if the Plague God truly descended to the upper layers?
What if deep-layer monsters appeared in the upper layers?
“We can’t stop it.”
With upper-layer power.
No matter what we do.
Raguel’s face lost all expression.