Chapter 221: Silence
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: Silence
“Is that the place?”
The 5th Stratum of the Calax Great Labyrinth. We had reached the 50th Floor, the lowest level of the desert zone.
It was a wretched environment—absurdly vast, mostly empty, and cursed with a hot, humid climate.
On one side of the endless, ochre-colored horizon, something resembling a mountain rose high into the sky.
“Horus’s nest is at the very top,” Roland said.
“I see.”
“I didn't mention this before, but you should fly up once to check if there are any eggs in the nest.”
“If there are, do we grill them for a snack?”
“If there are eggs, we run immediately.”
“Huh? Why?”
My father-in-law, who had been staring at the horizon with his arms crossed under the shade of my outstretched wings, let out a deep sigh.
“Because a Horus protecting its eggs is far more powerful.”
“Was it a female?”
Its body was that of a lion, yet it laid eggs? What a strange creature. Come to think of it, it had a beak instead of lips, so nursing would have been awkward anyway.
Regardless, Horus’s nest sat atop that flat-peaked mountain right in the center of the vast desert. If there were eggs, it would be in a much stronger state than usual, making it wiser to retreat.
Even the Orion Aura party was said to bypass Horus without engaging if eggs were present. It was a testament to the dignity of a boss entity reigning as the Monarch of the 50th Floor.
“Against a normal Horus, how many minutes could you hold out alone, Father-in-law?”
“If we’re talking about time, longer than you’d think. I could probably last about thirty minutes.”
“Hmm, that really is longer than I expected.”
Since Horus fanboys were always giving long-winded speeches about how strong it was, I thought it was the kind of monster that could score an instant kill within three minutes. Apparently, that wasn't quite the case.
The reason he could hold out so long was that the creature didn't pour out its attacks in a rapid-fire barrage.
Like the birds of prey from my previous world, it would strike only after careful deliberation, aiming for a single, lethal blow. It didn't just charge in and unleash a flurry of slashes just because it had claws.
Because of this, Horus spent a long time hovering in the air, and the windows of opportunity for explorers to attack were brief.
“It’s because of its speed. You have to consume mana to dodge. Maintaining that level of high concentration for thirty minutes causes mental paralysis.”
“I see.”
A Horus attack usually took about eight to ten minutes on average—assuming the explorer was intensely focused.
If you let your guard down, thinking you could rest since it just attacked, your head could be split in half by its front talons in an instant.
The creature was intelligent and adept at reading its opponent’s condition. It intentionally engaged in psychological warfare to drive up an explorer’s fatigue, aiming to succeed in the hunt with a minimal number of strikes.
“However, that doesn't mean it’s a weakling that only knows how to use its head.”
I heard that an explorer with excellent aerial mobility once flew up to challenge it directly.
The result? He was utterly crushed within seconds and ended up in Horus’s stomach.
“Understood. I’ll fly up first and lure it down.”
“Did you actually listen to a word I just said?”
“Of course. I’m saying this because I’ll really be fine.”
If there was an opponent in the air, Horus would close in to kill them quickly. Its reactions became even more sensitive the closer the intruder got to its nest.
By exploiting that, I could approach until it reacted, induce a close-quarters fight, and bring it within my father-in-law’s effective range.
Or, I could just crush it myself before then.
“First, I’ll check for eggs.”
“Fine. Go on then.”
In the roughly 200 years since Calax appeared on the surface, there were only a handful of recorded subjugations of a Horus brooding over eggs.
There was no special strategy; it was simply a matter of overwhelming it with pure power versus power.
Usually, the eggs would disappear from the nest after about three weeks. Most people who truly intended to subjugate Horus waited for that time, as it was when the creature’s combat power was at its lowest.
“Ah.”
There are eggs.
* * *
“Father-in-law, what should we do about that?”
“Hmm. Let’s go back.”
Unfortunately, it would be three weeks before the Horus’s eggs disappeared. Whether they hatched or the Horus ate them itself was unknown; since the 50th Floor was considered quite deep, there had been no proper observations yet.
The scholars’ lack of knowledge would likely continue to be a painful reality from here on out.
Regardless, we couldn't afford to wait three weeks. The summoning ritual for Mystery Antoinette was set to begin in a month.
Of course, we didn't know exactly when those eggs were laid; for all we knew, the three weeks were almost up and they could disappear soon. But we couldn't gamble on such uncertainty.
It wasn't just about catching Horus within three weeks; I had to devour it right now, go back to the surface, and resume my training.
“Fighting a Horus guarding its eggs is no different from suicide. It’s a shame, but we’ll have to try another time.”
“Father-in-law.”
“Now, now. Are you trying to make Sera a widow?”
“Sigh, you shouldn't say things like that. To be honest, if I can't catch Horus here, I’ll likely die on the surface a month from now anyway.”
Using Sera as a reason gave me far too many excuses to play it safe. But if I didn't take Horus with me now, I would still die when fighting the Antonio Brotherhood and Mystery Antoinette on the surface.
“Father-in-law, I won't ask you to help. If it gets truly dangerous, I can just use the emergency teleport to the 40th Floor.”
“Are you really going to fight?! You're a fool! A fool!”
“Father-in-law…”
He suddenly reverted to his 'child mode' and started throwing a tantrum. He flopped down onto the sandy ground, flailing his arms and legs, before coughing a few times as sand got into his mouth.
“Ugh, the ground is hot…”
“Father-in-law. Please return to the surface first.”
“Really… isn't it too much for a son-in-law to ignore his father-in-law like this?”
“Haha… I’m sorry.”
Despite his opposition, I had no choice in the end. According to Iris, the difference between having Horus and not having it was like night and day.
I didn't know how such a massive increase in combat power was possible, but since she said so, I had to believe it.
‘Based on simple calculations, Hersha was the Monarch of the 80th Floor. No matter how much stronger it is than usual, I don't think Hersha would lose to Horus.’
As a last resort, I could hand over control of my body to Hersha. If I did, Hersha, capable of exerting his full power, wouldn't lose to Horus. And if it seemed like he might lose because it wasn't his own body, we could just make an emergency escape.
“Exactly five minutes.”
“Pardon? What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying I’ll hold out for five minutes. If it looks like we’re losing after that, I’m escaping immediately, so you’re on your own.”
“…Understood. Please take this.”
I handed the teleportation artifact I had received from Aurora to my father-in-law. The original plan was to catch Horus on the 50th Floor, go up to the 51st, and set new coordinates there.
“You brat! If you die, you’re in trouble!”
“Yes, of course.”
* * *
“It will react if you get any closer.”
“I see. I’ll head up now.”
“Right. Go.”
Yoo Eon spread his wings and began to fly around the high mountain where Horus’s nest was located. According to his observation, Horus was brooding over eggs, so it would likely react far more sensitively than usual.
Before long, the airflow in the vicinity became unstable, and a massive cry echoed from the nest atop the mountain.
KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The volume was enough to rupture eardrums. A pressure so heavy it felt like it was crushing the body. If Gadel had been here, there might have been a way to deceive Horus’s eyes for a moment by changing his body color to match the vast desert.
Whoosh—!
Flapping its massive wings, Horus soared into the air.
Rumble…!
“This is…?!”
And then, Roland’s instincts screamed that something was wrong.
“Aven—!! Come to me! Emergency escape—!!!”
Roland amplified his voice from his small vocal cords and screamed toward Yoo Eon.
The sensation crushing his body wasn't just intimidation.
‘A Horus that uses magic…!’
The wind across the entire 50th Floor suddenly stopped, beginning to converge toward a single point.
Along with an incredible level of air compression, the atmospheric pressure rose instantly.
Heavy air, several times the normal weight, began to press down on his entire body, hindering his breathing.
“An Irregular Entity brooding over eggs…!! Are you kidding me?!”
* * *
I didn't know what was happening.
Flapping my wings was much harder than usual.
It felt as if the surrounding air had been compressed.
“What incredible mana…!”
In the distance, I saw Horus rising from its nest. At that distance, the creature—which was the size of an elephant—still looked smaller than a fingernail.
Whirrrrr…
‘A sandstorm…?’
Below where Horus had taken flight, heavy air laden with sand dust began to swirl.
Soon, Horus, having tamed that storm within its wings, began to charge in the blink of an eye.
“Oh no…!”
The current temperature on the 50th Floor was over 40 degrees Celsius.
Due to the higher temperature than on the surface, the speed of sound was slightly faster than usual.
With sound traveling at approximately 358 meters per second…
‘Silence!?’
Faster than sound itself, Horus reached Yoo Eon.
