Chapter 195: Abnormal Phenomenon on the 7th Floor
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Abnormal Phenomenon on the 7th Floor
I had obtained two souls.
The souls of Nihil the Insect-man and En the Alraune.
Both were already bound tightly by Soul Chains and had become my slaves. Through them, I was able to uncover several facts.
“Subordinates of a Demon King?”
—Yes. It is the truth, without a single lie.
In the first place, lying was impossible. Once bound by the Soul Chains, they were structurally incapable of bullshitting me.
“Helena, assuming what these guys are saying is true... have you ever heard of a Demon King named Erphin?”
“I haven’t the slightest clue. I can’t even begin to guess. It seems a great many Demon Kings were born in the ten years since I died.”
“En, do you know when your master, Erphin, was born?”
—I believe it was quite a long time ago. Only ten years? No. That’s not right. At least fifty years have passed. To begin with, you people know nothing about the 7th floor. On the 7th floor, there are over a hundred who call themselves Demon Kings, and even those who are Demon Kings in the truest sense number in the dozens.
There are that many Demon Kings?
At that point, it’s hard to see them as actual Demon Kings.
I suspect even guys who are just tribal chiefs or village heads are running around calling themselves Demon Kings.
—Of course, the ‘Beyond the Heavens’ exist separately.
“What’s this ‘Beyond the Heavens’ now?”
—Beings that are exceptionally powerful even among Demon Kings. The true disasters of the 7th floor who have existed since before the other Demon Kings were born. As far as I know, they are the true Demon Kings designated by the Labyrinth. The rest are essentially just idiots who use the title.
“Even your master, Erphin?”
—Even Lord Erphin was merely a weak member of a different race compared to them.
Just what kind of monsters are they?
I couldn't even begin to imagine.
“Helena, did you know about this?”
“No. This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“What gives? Hey, you. The stories don’t match. Helena says she doesn’t know.”
—I am speaking only the truth.
The history of the Demon Kings En spoke of—their golden age and the present day.
It felt like a different era from the 7th floor Helena described.
According to En, her master Erphin was born a long time ago, yet Helena had no knowledge of a Demon King by that name.
“Something is certainly strange. If this child isn’t lying... then the 7th floor I know and the one she describes are somehow different.”
“It’s like they’re talking about two different eras. Even if ten years have passed, the 7th floor En describes feels like at least several decades have gone by.”
“Perhaps... the rules of the 7th floor changed due to the Labyrinth Eruption.”
“The rules of the 7th floor changed?”
“Yes. Has anyone properly explored the 7th floor since the Eruption?”
“Uh... there was someone who got caught in the Eruption and was adrift on the 7th floor.”
“Do you know who that was?”
“Well, it was that Demon King who came up to the Underground City for a bit recently.”
“....”
The owner of a Subspace Pocket just like me, a monster that the Saintess barely managed to send back to the 7th floor at the cost of her life.
The Wandering Demon King, Raika. He was originally exploring the 7th floor. I believe he went down there before I was even transferred to this world, and he reappeared six months later as a completely different person.
“So there haven’t been any proper explorers.”
“I guess so. Maybe time flows faster on the 7th floor compared to the other floors.”
“That might be it. If time flows differently inside and out, the stories would mostly align.”
Assuming time flowed differently, the strangely mismatched stories began to click into place.
The 7th floor Helena saw and the current 7th floor were completely different places.
Furthermore, there were countless Demon Kings, and 108 of them were called the Demon Kings of Naraku.
And above them, four true Demon Kings supposedly existed.
“And what’s this about a raid on the 8th floor?”
—That happened before I was born. From what I know...
This time, it was Nihil, not En, who spoke up.
In the past, the 108 Demon Kings had once descended to the 8th floor. Their goals were all different, but they all returned with nothing but despair.
“According to Helena, the 8th floor was nothing but deep darkness, right?”
“That’s right. We didn’t even dare to try the 9th floor. The 8th floor was an abyss. It was a place that perfectly fit the description of a sea of darkness.”
—The Demon Kings said they needed ships. They also said the 8th floor was a place that had to be navigated.
“So the 8th floor is the Sea of the Abyss. And the earthly paradises created by the Roas exist like islands throughout that sea. To reach the 9th floor, you have to use those islands as stepping stones to go even deeper.”
“Also, to enter the 8th floor, you have to defeat the Gatekeeper of the 7th floor. And to reliably take that guy down, you have to restore the World Tree... but the World Tree has become a playground for the 108 Demon Kings.”
“And you’re saying the four Demon Kings above the 108 are even stronger?”
What a crazy, god-awful game.
The power inflation is getting way out of hand. Is this Dragon B*ll or something?
A strong guy appears, then an even stronger one, and once you beat him, an even stronger one shows up.
This needs a serious balance patch.
No, seriously, this is insane.
“If we can just break through the 7th floor, the difficulty might actually get easier.”
“The problem is that breaking through the 7th floor is nearly impossible.”
I couldn't see a solution at all.
Is this a problem I can even solve before I die?
I felt like throwing up.
The Labyrinth is on the verge of exploding at any moment, yet the walkthrough is brutally difficult.
—Um, I don’t think you need to worry too much.
“What do you mean, don’t worry? Are you just saying that because it’s not your problem? Do you want to be permanently erased?”
—No! I didn’t mean it like that! I mean that among the 108 Demon Kings, everyone except the top ten can basically be considered small fry!
“Small fry? Just how strong are they?”
—To be honest, the 108th is only slightly stronger than me. Up to the 50th rank, they’re manageable if humans work together. Above that, you’d need those you call Platinum Badges. From the top 20, it would be... honestly, very difficult. But still not impossible.
“Really? Do you have information on all 108?”
—I remember almost all of them. I know a bit about their weaknesses too. In the first place, those below the top 20 are Demon Kings in name only; they’re more like kin to the top 10.
“I see you guys have your own little society formed down there.”
—The 108 Demon Kings are essentially a gathering of sentient monsters who rejected the will of the Labyrinth. That’s why we banded together—to survive the beasts of the 7th floor.
They were called the 108 Demon Kings, but in reality, they were more like a coalition of different races on the 7th floor.
“They weren’t even proper Demon Kings. These guys are just a 7th-floor interspecies alliance. The only real Demon Kings are those four you’re afraid of. If you add Raika to that, doesn’t that mean there are practically only five real Demon Kings?”
—The top 10 are truly powerful.
“I get it. So, based on strength, there are only fifteen real ones.”
—You could say that.
With this, things were clearly organized.
The ten elders of the different races who managed and controlled the alliance.
The four Demon Kings who were the long-time masters of the 7th floor and officially recognized by the Labyrinth.
And finally, Raika, the recently added human-turned-Demon King.
“So there are fifteen dangerous ones.”
—Add the Gatekeeper of the 8th floor to that.
“Right, you said we have to defeat him to go down to the 8th floor.”
—He is like a law of the Labyrinth. To descend to the 8th floor, you must defeat him, and once defeated, he periodically resurrects.
I was starting to get a general grasp of the situation on the 7th floor.
The ten elders had taken over the World Tree and were using the alliance to build a city on the 7th floor.
The four true Demon Kings rarely left their respective abodes.
“Objectively speaking, with my current strength, how many could I kill alone?”
—I think you could kill up to the 80th rank by yourself. As you said, the monsters of the true Demon King class start from the top 10. Below that, you should be able to hunt them down one way or another.
“Good. I just found a new goal.”
To rule the 7th floor, I would eventually have to hunt down even the top 10 Demon Kings.
They must be incredibly strong, right?
“I wonder how powerful their bodies are.”
—Don’t tell me...
“I’m starting to want those Demon Kings. Right, Helena?”
“If we could successfully hunt even one of the top 10 and obtain their body...”
“It’s game over.”
I’d put a chain on their soul and make them my slave.
If that didn't work, I’d beat them until their mind broke, pull out the soul, and put a slave in its place.
With that, I would be able to have a Demon King of the 7th floor as my subordinate.
“Maybe the 7th floor is actually a treasure trove...”
“Don’t get too ahead of yourself. Sion, you have a tendency to be too impatient. Your confidence skyrockets when things go even slightly well, and you get depressed just as quickly when they don’t.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You tend to act and think too hastily. Things won’t always go your way. So don’t get your hopes up too high just yet. You know as well as I do—the Labyrinth is not a place that gives anything for free.”
Helena was right. It never gave anything for free. It would surely make me work like a dog again.
“You’re right. I feel like my head clears up whenever I talk to you, Helena.”
“It’s nothing. I’m just earning my keep in my own way.”
She was definitely earning her keep.
If it weren't for Helena, I would have died long ago.
“Then, I’ve heard most of the info on the Demon Kings. How did you put Kairan’s soul into the Gorgon’s body?”
—Huh? Kairan? Who is that?
“I mean that female hunter.”
—Female hunter? Who? Do you mean that Inquisitor?
“No, the woman who was wearing a hood. You don’t know? You really didn’t see her?”
—I have no idea. You were the only humans we encountered.
Once again, the stories didn't match.
It wasn't these guys who merged Kairan’s soul with the Gorgon and broke her?
Then who...
‘Wait...’
Did Kairan break the chains with her own hands and merge with the Gorgon?
How is that possible?
Weren't the chains an absolute power?
—There is no such thing as ‘absolute’ in this world. The same goes for Abilities. If you trust them too blindly, you’ll end up in big trouble.
As I panicked, Freya, who had been dozing inside the bracelet, warned me.
She said that absolute power does not exist and that every Ability has a loophole.
“If what Freya says is true...”
It meant Kairan had broken my Soul Chain on her own and attempted to escape.
‘Then, in the end, that Gorgon might have actually been Kairan.’
I didn't know why she betrayed me, but it couldn't have been for a good reason.
I needed to be more careful. I felt like I should always keep in mind that the Soul Chains could be broken.
“Sion, what are you doing! Let’s go to bed! Everyone is waiting!”
“Uh, yeah! I’m coming! Wait! Yuria, let go of me first so we can talk...!”
While I was drowning in my own agonizing thoughts, Yuria opened the balcony door and pulled me inside.
My wives were already waiting for me in their nightgowns. Seeing them, I decided to set my worries aside for a moment and focus on surviving through tonight.
Yuria, Lady Leah, and even Rosier.
All three of them had hungry looks in their eyes.